Murim's Weakest Princess-Chapter 266: The Secret Deal

To begin, Anji had to understand Bi Yao and Lady Mang Yuan’s first meeting.

Long before the Mystical Qilin Sect was founded, Bi Yao was said to be a wandering spell master who travelled the murim and specialised in the occult. She was neither a cultivator nor a martial artist. Her clairvoyance was sometimes treated as a street scam, but she was also very adept with illusionary soul arts. People called her a demon slayer and often paid for her superior exorcism services.

Before the establishment of demonic and orthodox cultivation sects, now known as the murim world, demons and humans coexisted. The war between demons, ghosts and humans was real. It was the existence of demons and ghosts that gave rise to a need for martial arts and soul cultivation. The combination of martial arts and soul cultivation brought forth cultivators who eradicated evil and helped lost souls cross over.

Yet, over time, the origins of cultivation were forgotten in the pursuit of glory and power.

"Demons like me actually gifted the first cultivators with golden cores," Lady Mang Yuan explained. "Those who made a contract to borrow demonic powers were known as summoners. Those who made a contract to borrow supernatural powers were known as exorcists. It was said to be impossible to wield both powers at once. Yet, a legend from before demons and ghosts existed said the keyholder of three worlds was the only person capable of wielding both powers."

Good and evil were not defined by existence but by intent. Demons were creatures like humans born in the netherworld through karmic cycles who came to the physical realm from the nether realm to increase their soul karma. There were many methods for a demon to become a deity. However, some had chosen to rob humans of their karma instead. They were the ones who gave demons a bad reputation among humans.

Similarly, Lady Mang Yuan explained that, after death, humans were given a second chance at life as a ghost in the spiritual realm. If a ghost chose not to cross over into reincarnation immediately, there was a chance they could become a demon and pursue the path of godhood.

"Of course, some accumulate yin energy to harass humans in the physical realm. Exorcists had to forcibly send them back into the cycle of reincarnation. The three worlds operated on a delicate balance. The physical realm served as the gateway to both the nether and spiritual realms, and a collapse of the physical world would mean the end of a bridge that connected the nether and spiritual realms."

Anji had never heard of the three worlds before, but things started to make more sense. With a better understanding, she was able to follow the reasoning behind Lady Mang Yuan’s decision. To become human was to restart at the bottom of becoming a deity. However, it was cheaper to pay the karma toll and be together with the souls she adored than have them remain as fading souls when they were unable to accumulate enough karma to join her as a demon.

The war of the three worlds was a real event that was even older than Lady Mang Yuan. Back then, four very powerful demons assisted a human who was born with the ability to harness power over ghosts and demons. They were the four mythical beasts who became guardians of the city capital, each guarding a directional gate. The ghost army general who wanted to take over the city and forcefully kidnap humans for vitality fought fiercely with the four demonic guardians and the nameless hero.

The fight lasted three days and nights. It was called the Eternal Night because for three days and nights, not a single star in the sky sparkled. The sun did not rise, and the moon did not exist. People who were cowering in fear in the city’s protection array watched as comets fell whenever a guardian beast attacked. The ghostly army turned the sky green and purple whenever they clashed against the demons. Nobody was safe, and everyone wondered if the terror would ever fade.

"It was a difficult war," Lady Mang Yuan admitted. "I was not there personally, but I knew from fragments of Bi Yao’s soul memory how it went. To end the war, the nameless hero shattered his soul and imbued specific souls with the power of clarivoyance. Given new powers, the first generation of cultivators joined the battle and tipped the scales of the war between demons and ghosts in favour of the guardian demons."

The first-generation cultivators established schools and temples to worship the mythical beasts. The Mystical Qilin was one of them and possibly the only sect still standing from the original generation. Back then, the Qilin was considered a small messenger in the war who did not participate directly. It became the official scribe for the founding generation, and Bi Yao was the representative who had been chosen to protect the legacy of that war as a scribe through reincarnations.

"Bi Yao was born with all her past memories that would automatically come to her when she turned ten in each life. She chose her original name, Bi Yao, the moment she remembered her purpose. The Mystical Qilin Sect’s site was founded only when she received a strange vision one day."

In that vision, Bi Yao saw the downfall of humanity and the ghost army returning. The ghost general who was defeated came back with more tricks, borrowing the desperation of human hearts and striking fear in them with rumours about demons. Lady Mang Yuan had been one of the victims.

"I decided to assist Bi Yao with her mission to banish the ghost general as one of the nameless hero’s fragmented souls. However, Bi Yao told me that it was not the right time. It was the ninth generation of the Mystical Qilin Sect who would be capable of doing it. She was merely preparing for her future self to complete her duty. Each time she reincarnates, the curse on her soul becomes weaker. Eventually, she can become a complete soul again, but until then, it is my job to anchor this rift with my body."

Learning about ancient history, Anji wondered if her shifu was aware of it. However, as time was running out, Anji could not learn more. Lady Mang Yuan and the eight souls were beginning to glow.

"To find Bi Yao, you need to follow the path lit by soul lanterns. Only the person with the right soul fragments can see them. It is a space created in this rift, similar to my small world."

Anji hung onto every word Lady Mang Yuan said. By now, the lower half of Lady Mang Yuan had already started to fade. There was not enough time. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

"I understand," she told the great snake spirit. "Anji will not disappoint. Please go in peace and find happiness with everyone."

With a relieved smile, Lady Mang Yuan hugged the children close as they turned into souls and disintegrated, following the pull of the rift’s energy. Anji watched their final moments as all nine souls passed and the small world collapsed in her second vision.

Almost immediately, the wooden floorboards turned to hard stone. Anji’s splinted ankle hurt again when the ground became uneven. Then again, it might have been uneven the whole time she was in the small world. Oh, well.

More importantly, Anji could finally see the real Lady Mang Yuan without her second vision getting manipulated. Now that all the souls were reunited and crossed over, Anji dropped to her knees and paid her final respects to the unknown benefactor of the Mystical Qilin Sect.

Bowing three times and ensuring her forehead touched the cold ground each time, Anji promised that the great snake spirit would not be forgotten for as long as she lived. She had to journal everything and keep it as an official record in the Forbidden Library for future sect leaders. Even if all that remained of Lady Mang Yuan was a pile of bones in a cramped cavern, Anji would write the memory of her as a snake demon with grace and a crude sense of humour just the way she had shown Anji in the brief moments they shared together.