Your Sister Is Still Alive

Hmm?

Why does this tone sound so strange?

Gu Yan felt a hint of doubt in his heart. Why such a strong reaction?

Shouldn’t you have already met the Night King version of Leng Qingqiu by now?

Unless...

A glint of realization flashed in Gu Yan’s eyes.

If his guess was correct,

the Leng Bingning he had seen at the King of Hell Palace banquet back then was actually Leng Qingqiu in disguise?

Well, well.

Leng Qingqiu had accidentally impersonated a character that already existed in the original story?

Is this the bond between sisters?

Gu Yan mused inwardly.

Looking at the hostile Leng Bingning before him, he smiled knowingly.

Then... this opens up a lot of possibilities.

With that thought,

Gu Yan slowly spoke, his voice hoarse and low, dripping with eerie malice: "Heh, Leng Bingning, your sharp wit remains as keen as ever."

"It’s a shame you weren’t with the Leng Family back then to witness that earth-shattering battle."

"Shut up!"

Whoosh!

Leng Bingning’s brows furrowed as she swung her ice sword horizontally at the raven before her.

This raven, an incarnation of the Night King, actually retained memories from that time?!

It couldn’t possibly be the current Night King.

Which meant... this was a manifestation of the dagger?!

Was it here to seek a new successor?

To think... that sinister dagger truly had a will of its own?!

Back to the present.

As the ice sword sliced through the raven’s body, the creature dissolved into a flurry of black feathers and vanished.

"No need for such hostility. This is merely an avatar of mine."

"Though, it seems your mastery of the Ice Heart Scripture hasn’t yet reached the stage of perfect detachment."

The eerie voice resounded from another direction.

Leng Bingning turned her head.

The raven had reappeared on the rooftop behind her, its ink-black eyes like bottomless abysses.

Gu Yan stared intently at Leng Bingning, his gaze reflecting her face—bearing an uncanny resemblance to Leng Qingqiu’s.

Truly sisters, their temperaments nearly identical.

Leng Bingning took a deep breath to steady herself.

Her voice was icy: "During the ancient martial world’s battle, you lured my father into wielding the Power of Night, causing him to rampage in the mortal realm and leading to the Leng Family’s massacre."

"Night King, I swore then that I would destroy you completely."

Leng Bingning knew the Night King’s true form was that dagger. Destroying it would mean erasing the Night King for good.

Gu Yan felt a flicker of understanding.

So that’s how it was.

Back then, it was Qingqiu’s father who had been ensnared by the Night King’s dagger.

In the original story, Leng Qingqiu was the main antagonist, so little was written about her, let alone the truth behind the Leng Family’s destruction.

But... Gu Yan doubted things were that simple.

There had to be more to the story—hidden secrets yet uncovered.

After all...

He had devoured the souls of many who had participated in the Leng Family’s massacre.

And in their fragmented memories...

He had caught glimpses of something.

But the pieces were too scattered to form a complete picture.

If he could consume the soul of a key figure, perhaps the full truth would reveal itself.

Returning to the moment,

Gu Yan’s voice rasped as he spoke ambiguously: "The forces that besieged your family were many. What does the Night King have to do with it?"

"I merely gave that man a sliver of power to turn the tide."

"Besides,"

"The sects of the ancient martial world have always been opportunistic and self-serving. Was their siege truly just to eradicate the so-called ‘calamity of the world’?"

"If their goal was purely to destroy the Night King, why slaughter hundreds of innocent Leng Family members?"

"If I recall correctly... one sect leader even said..."

"‘Better to kill the wrong than spare the guilty.’"

"That very phrase drove your father to madness, forcing him to reveal himself."

"Do you only hate me, and not them?"

At these words,

Leng Bingning tightened her grip on the ice sword. She glared at the raven and snapped, "Enough!"

The Night King had struck a nerve.

The reason Leng Bingning hadn’t mastered the Ice Heart Scripture to perfection wasn’t inability—

It was deliberate.

She needed to cling to the hatred born from that tragedy.

She couldn’t forget what the Night King and those sects had done to her family.

So... she would grow stronger. Strong enough to first kill the Night King’s true form, then eradicate every faction involved in the massacre.

Gu Yan chuckled softly, spreading his wings as he flew toward Leng Bingning.

Hovering before her, his voice dripped with dark amusement: "Heh heh heh, Leng Bingning, there’s no need for such hostility."

"We might even... cooperate."

"Cooperate?" Leng Bingning barely restrained another swing of her sword. "Have you lost your mind, Night King?"

Was it her imagination, or did this incarnation of the Night King feel different from the ones recorded in history?

The fact that it could converse with her like this...

Could it truly be a direct manifestation of the Night King’s dagger?

Gu Yan’s eyes gleamed with an eerie light: "Of course not. Don’t you..."

"Want to see your sister again?"

!!

Leng Bingning’s heart lurched.

Her expression shifted drastically as she stared at the raven in disbelief: "What did you say?!"

"My sister?!"

Could it be... her two younger sisters were still alive?!

"Heh, yes. Your sisters."

"Both survived the battle that day."

Gu Yan’s words struck Leng Bingning like a thunderbolt, freezing her in place.

Her two sisters...

Leng Qingqiu... Leng Ling’er...

They were alive?!

Leng Bingning forced herself to stay composed, her voice wary: "Why are you telling me this?"

"What’s your goal?"

"And where are they now?!"

Gu Yan landed gracefully on an ice sculpture nearby, his tone cryptic: "Patience, Leng Bingning."

"If I said they were living happily, you wouldn’t believe me."

"So why not go to the mortal realm and see for yourself?"

"The Leng Family of Jianghai—they’ve been there all along."

With that,

The raven’s wing flicked, and—

Hum!

A spatial rift tore open.

Leng Bingning was no stranger to such techniques.

But beyond the surge of emotion, doubt lingered.

Her gaze bore into the raven, struggling to decipher its motives.

After a long pause, she asked coldly: "Why reveal this to me?"

What game was the Night King playing?

Given its current form, was it simply because it hadn’t found a new successor?

Gu Yan spoke slowly after hearing this, "As I mentioned earlier... we can cooperate with each other."

"Before I state my terms for cooperation,"

"I can first take you to see your sisters."

In the original story, Leng Bingning was a complete [Leng Qingqiu enthusiast].

Thus, having her as an ally gave Gu Yan absolute peace of mind.

Moreover...

Every time he devoured a soul, Gu Yan had to endure all the pain experienced by the deceased.

If he continued like this, he might go mad like Leng Qingqiu in the original story before even completing his plans.

Therefore...

Leng Bingning's Ice Heart Scripture was extremely beneficial to him.

He didn’t need to cultivate it himself—he only needed Leng Bingning to suppress the negative emotions arising from soul devouring.

Since she already harbored hatred toward the forces that once besieged the Leng Family, their cooperation would ensure his plans progressed more steadily.

The war in the ancient martial world had already begun, and the infiltration of the Night Organization into the martial world had surely alerted the major sects.

With Leng Bingning assisting him from within, he believed the sects of the ancient martial world would be driven into the secular world to join the Martial Alliance.

This would be a significant advantage for him.

As for Leng Bingning, she had already made up her mind.

While using her qi to levitate the unconscious girl on the ground, she stepped into the black void.

Leng Bingning remained on high alert.

"Night King, I don’t know what schemes you’re plotting."

"But if you think I’ll cooperate with you, you’re sorely mistaken."

She had already concluded that the Night King had encountered trouble while searching for a successor. Once she confirmed her sisters’ safety,

she would immediately lock onto the Night King’s aura and eliminate him!

Leng Bingning’s figure vanished into the black void.

Gu Yan, transformed into a raven, followed her inside.

Not long after their disappearance,

another group from the White Phoenix Manor arrived at the scene.

Their expressions darkened as they took in the sight of the frozen sculptures.

"Dammit, the Ice Heart Scripture! Someone from the Ice Heart Sect was here?"

"With this level of power... it must be the work of Leng Bingning, the Ice Heart Sect’s Holy Maiden!"

"Sect Leader... Young Master Li'er, he..."

Before the words could be finished,

a heart-wrenching wail erupted.

"Li'er!! That vicious Ice Heart Sect Holy Maiden!! She killed my Li'er!!"

A middle-aged man clutched the frozen statue of a martial artist, his eyes bloodshot and voice choked with grief. "I swear, I will avenge you!"

Wiping away his tears, he roared at the crowd, "First team, proceed with the original plan to conquer the Thunder Sect!"

"The rest of you, follow me to the Ice Heart Sect! I will force them to hand over Leng Bingning—a life for a life!"

"Yes!"