Her crimson hair cascaded to her waist, and her equally radiant crimson eyes were filled with high-spirited battle intent and a hint of inexplicable surprise.
Her unadorned, beautiful face was no less striking than the Dragon Girl, who embodied the spiritual essence of heaven and earth behind her.
However, in terms of demeanor, while the Dragon Girl exuded spiritual energy, this woman clad in crimson armor possessed a more formidable,杀意 (shāyì - killing intent).
The surrounding cultivators, observing from afar, fell into a peculiar silence.
It wasn't until Linglong tossed the ghastly helmet back, and Qisha casually put it on again, that the fervent discussion erupted:
"What's going on?! The true disciple of the War Demon Sect is actually a fairy?!"
"This, a beauty forced to be a villain!! I never imagined this demoness would be so stunning!"
"Hmph, a beauty? Say that again after looking at the halberd in her hand! Do you male cultivators only look at faces?!"
"Exactly! And besides, cultivators of the War Demon Sect! Females are also demonesses! Where is the fairy?! Male cultivators are truly pathetic!"
"Pah! I think you look like a toad that's only half transformed! A toad fairy!"
...
The true disciples of the Ten Great Sects were also seeing Qisha's true face for the first time. Apart from Su Xing'er, Miao Yu, and the Bone Monk, everyone else wore expressions of disbelief, as if they had seen a ghost.
Ye Aohan, utterly shocked, directly grabbed the sect leader of the Water Immortal Sect on the divine boat: "Father!! That Qisha is actually a woman?!"
Ye Tianshui helplessly batted away his son's hand: "Yes, didn't you know? Oh, right, I didn't tell you because I was afraid you'd be too embarrassed to run away in front of a woman."
"Also, address me as Sect Leader!"
Ye Aohan looked at his father's nonchalant demeanor and could only swallow his words.
After all, if he had known Qisha was a woman, he wouldn't have been able to flee so quickly. He would have had to endure a couple of blows and utter some harsh words before running.
...
Hearing the commotion in the distance, Qisha, who had put on the ghastly mask again, glared over in annoyance. To her dismay, these people weren't afraid of her at all; some even seemed more excited!
Sensing Qisha's frustration, Linglong, who had perceived her true identity during their earlier exchange, couldn't help but ask curiously:
"You're so beautiful, why do you hide it? Don't all women in the world love beauty?"
Seeing that Linglong had no intention of continuing the fight, Qisha retracted her halberd.
Beneath the ghastly mask, Qisha said in a muffled voice:
"Argh!!! I just hate this appearance of mine!!!"
"Whenever people see me like this, whether they are men or women, they can't fight properly!"
"Fighters are all cultivators, I just want to fight!! Isn't it better to be pure!! It's one thing if I can't make a move on the weak, but they all go easy on me just because they see me like this!"
"I, Qisha, am a true disciple of the War Demon Sect! How dare those weaklings go easy on me?! Who are they looking down on?!"
"So after I ascended, I asked my master for this Blood Battle Armor."
"It suppresses my 'Sha Po Lang' destiny, and also makes my aura fiercer and more ruthless."
"This way, as soon as I cause trouble, the timid weaklings will naturally flee, and those who remain will fight me more earnestly!"
As she spoke, Qisha seemed to recall her time as a true disciple of the War Demon Sect, challenging the world shortly after her ascension.
Back then, she was still weak. It was difficult to challenge those in the second stage of ascension, let alone those in the third, where she had to fight with her life on the line. Unlike now, where it was hard to find a suitable opponent.
Linglong listened, speechless. She had heard that the War Demon Sect had many lunatics, and Qisha was a prime example.
Towards the end, Qisha cast another disgusted glance at the chattering cultivators in the distance:
"After this, I'm afraid all the cultivators in the world will know about me, but that's fine too..."
Qisha suddenly turned her head to look at Linglong, her crimson eyes burning with fervor: "Dragon Girl! You are the strongest opponent I have encountered since my debut! Among my peers, besides myself, you are the strongest!"
"Let's find a place and have a good fight. I'll unleash this Blood Armor and let you witness the strength of a War Demon true disciple!!"
Qisha felt the blood surging within her. She desperately craved a fierce battle with this Dragon Girl.
Fighting weaklings all the time had made her almost forget what it was like to fight at full power.
Hearing this, Linglong rolled her eyes at the martial fanatic: "I'm sorry, I'm not interested in fighting, and today is an important day for my Vast Sea Grand Ceremony."
"Please wait aside, honored guest. I still have important matters to attend to!"
With that, Linglong turned and continued to operate the celestial curtain.
After Qisha's interruption, the dense spiritual mist at the entrance of the celestial curtain finally showed signs of dissipating.
The cultivators, who had just recovered from the shock of Qisha's true appearance, were all drawn to the faint celestial scenery beyond the spiritual mist.
But Qisha paid them no mind. She strode directly towards Linglong, reaching out: "No matter what! Dragon Girl, I've taken a liking to you! Fight me!! Cultivators can only find their Dao and meaning through combat!!"
Seeing a flicker of impatience in Linglong's eyes, Qisha wisely stopped her advance. But her crimson eyes shifted, and the martial fanatic, uncharacteristically, used her brain:
"Moreover, Dragon Girl, you've revealed my true face to the world. It will be inconvenient for me to find people to fight in the future! You must take responsibility for me!!"
"Hmph, among my peers, only you are worthy of fighting me! If you won't fight, then find me an opponent! Let me be clear, I don't fight those ancient Dharma Body cultivators! I just like to fight, not to be abused!"
"I don't want to pester you, a woman, but there isn't a single man of my generation who can fight! I'm desperate too!"
Linglong was almost angered enough to swipe at her. Good heavens, she herself was a woman, yet she looked down on women?!
But upon hearing that she was asked to find someone else, Linglong's beautiful eyes flickered, and a captivating smile appeared on her lips:
"Find another opponent? Alright, Qisha, if you honestly participate in my Vast Sea Grand Ceremony, I'll introduce you to a young man who will completely suppress you!"
Hearing this, Qisha cast a suspicious glance.
She had fought her way across the primeval lands. Among the younger generation of the Immortal Dynasty and the Ten Great Sects, only Linglong, who had just ascended, could earn her a second glance with her true dragon physique.
Linglong's words now made her quite skeptical!
It wasn't until Linglong swore upon her true dragon honor that Qisha, half-believing, turned around.
Then, she saw this martial fanatic, who had just been eager to fight the Dragon Girl to the death, raise her halberd and face the surrounding cultivators, as if to protect the person who had introduced her.
And in her heart, anticipation began to build.
Could it be that on this land, among my peers, there is still someone I cannot defeat?!
Linglong, who was about to fully open the great gate, sensed the movement behind her and chuckled inwardly:
Heh heh, little Qisha! When you meet my master later, I'll show you what it means to have heavens beyond heavens!
An opponent at the Dao Path realm, do you, an ascendant mighty one, want them?