Liu Meng held the soul banner, her consciousness sinking into its depths as her gaze fell upon the familiar figure within. Her expression grew complicated.
A woman in a black dress stood silently inside, her features delicate, her bearing cold and aloof—exactly the same as she had been in life.
There was no doubt about it.This was Qin Shuang.
She was truly dead.
Liu Meng had never expected that this woman—mysterious, calculating, always keeping an unseen card in her hand—would actually fall so abruptly in an assassination.
And yet, at the very moment of her death, Qin Shuang had invoked the True Solution of Severing Three Corpses and Condensing the Dao upon herself, willingly transforming into a flawless soul-body, offering herself to Liu Meng's banner.
By a twist of fate, Qin Shuang now had the chance to awaken within the banner's confines—so long as Liu Meng did not erase her final wisp of consciousness.
Naturally, Liu Meng would never do such a thing.
Having experienced firsthand the oppressive power the soul banner exerted upon the spirits within, she knew Qin Shuang could no longer pose a threat. Since that was the case, there was no harm in allowing her a chance at revival.
More than that, Liu Meng had even considered, at the last moment, taking Qin Shuang's fading soul into her banner.But since Qin Shuang herself had offered, Liu Meng had not needed to speak.
This final choice of Qin Shuang's had, in a way, preserved half of Liu Meng's life.
Only half, because Qin Shuang's cultivation was now locked at the mid-stage of Qi Refining. She would never advance further.
It seemed that in cultivating the Severing Three Corpses secret art, something vital in her soul had been lost, leaving her forever incomplete. The path forward was cut off.
"Ah…"
Liu Meng could not help but sigh.
Once again, she felt the brutal cruelty of the Demonic Sect. Even someone as seemingly invincible as Qin Shuang—always scheming, always prepared—could fall in an instant, without the slightest room for reversal.
What about herself?
How far could she possibly go in this man-eating world?
Steeling her heart, Liu Meng stowed the soul banner into her storage pouch, her eyes flashing with resolve.
Now was not the time for mourning. The most urgent matter was finding a way to prevent herself from ending up like Qin Shuang!
Though Qin Shuang was gone, there was no guarantee that the hidden enemy who had struck at her wouldn't turn their blade toward Liu Meng next.
Since Su Meier had been lured into her own cave dwelling and restrained there, Liu Meng's best option was to seek her out directly.
So long as she remained at her master's side, surely that mysterious figure would not dare act recklessly.
As for the others in her cave? If she left, the enemy would likely lose interest in them.
But just as she steeled herself to depart, the heavy stone door of her cave was suddenly struck with a rhythmic dong, dong, dong.
Liu Meng's heart clenched, her spiritual power surging to its peak. For a moment, she thought the terrifying black shadow had come for her after all.
Yet the voice that came from beyond the door was not his, but that of a hoarse young girl.
"Senior Sister Liu Meng… are you inside? This servant, Huang Hua, comes under my mistress's final command to seek an audience."
Liu Meng frowned. She vaguely recalled this voice—it belonged to one of Qin Shuang's maids.
Though suspicion stirred within her, she still flicked her sleeve and opened the stone door.
Outside stood a young girl in a pale-yellow maid's dress. Her face was drawn, her eyes swollen red—clearly she had just suffered a great tragedy.
Behind her stood dozens more maidservants, all trembling and frightened. These were likely the last survivors of Qin Shuang's household.
"You all…" Liu Meng's eyes flickered with confusion.
The girl named Huang Hua did not speak. Instead, she immediately dropped to her knees. The others followed suit in perfect unison, bowing low.
"By our mistress's dying command, we have come to pledge ourselves to Senior Sister Liu Meng!" Huang Hua's voice trembled with grief, yet her words were clear. "She said you were the only one she trusted. We beg you—on the strength of your bond with her—please shelter us!"
Liu Meng's frown deepened.
"Your mistress is dead," she said coldly. "Then why are you still alive? As her subordinates, should you not have perished with her, bound by soul-imprints?"
Huang Hua shook her head, tears welling up in her eyes.
"Normally, yes. The imprint is set long in advance, requiring no conscious trigger. It exists precisely to prevent betrayal.
But… Mistress was merciful. She could not bear to see us die with her. At the final moment, she forcefully unraveled the imprints within our souls, entrusting us to you, Senior Sister."
"So you are free now?" Liu Meng's gaze swept across them.
"Yes." Huang Hua nodded firmly—then without hesitation, kowtowed again. Her voice choked with desperate sincerity.
"But we are willing to cultivate your sub-techniques, to become your servants! We all know that alone, we cannot possibly survive. Without shelter, we will be swallowed whole by others in no time. Please, Senior Sister, for our mistress's sake—take us in!"
The maids behind her echoed in unison, pressing their foreheads to the ground.
"Please take us in, Senior Sister!"
Liu Meng stared at them, her expression conflicted.
Indeed, Qin Shuang had even turned herself into a soul-body to aid her. For that reason alone, she owed her this much.
And yet…
With a weary sigh, Liu Meng said quietly, "It is not that I refuse you. But I can barely protect myself.
The being who slew your mistress… their next target may well be me. My only chance now is to rush to my master's cave and seek her protection.
If you wish to follow, then follow."
At her words, light suddenly flickered in Huang Hua's eyes.
"Please do not worry, Senior Sister!" she said quickly. "That person has already been taken down by the Law Enforcement Hall's envoy! Otherwise, we would never have escaped, nor reached you alive!"
Liu Meng's heart jolted.
"Is that true?"
"As true as heaven itself!" Huang Hua quickly withdrew a pitch-black token from her robes and offered it with both hands. "The envoy not only rescued us, but bestowed this token. He said that should anyone dare strike at us again, we need only crush it—and he will arrive within half an incense stick's time!"
Liu Meng accepted the token. It was ice-cold to the touch. On its front were the characters "Law Hall," carved in vigorous strokes; on the back, the sect's insignia radiated oppressive majesty.
She sent a wisp of divine sense into it, carefully probing. Indeed, there was a powerful communication seal within. With the slightest force, it could be triggered instantly.
More importantly, the aura of the sect itself was embedded within. That was nearly impossible to counterfeit.
It seemed Huang Hua spoke the truth.
Liu Meng withdrew her sense, her expression complicated.
This Great Dao Heavenly Demonic Sect was savage beyond compare, treating human lives as weeds to be plucked. And yet, when it came to the sect's rules, none dared to disobey. Any violation would be punished without mercy.
Perhaps this strange balance of cruelty and order was the very reason the sect could continue to grow stronger.
After a moment's thought, Liu Meng decided to return to her cave.
Not only because of Huang Hua's information and the token, but also because… she now had newfound confidence.
Even if Huang Hua had deceived her, she was no longer afraid of that black shadow.
For in the very midst of their conversation, Liu Jiu had broken through!
Not in cultivation realm—but in talismanry.
Just now, he had successfully inscribed… a Fifth-Rank Talisman!