The Wounded Demon Lord and Her Beacon of Righteousness

◆ Justice-overflowing, spirited Demon Venerable × possessive, lovesick Sword Immortal ◆ A dark moonlight who is sweet through and through × a white moonlight whose insides are steeped in poison After Jiang Ruye was reborn by taking over someone else's body, she developed a habit of teaching her inner demon how to do things while sitting by graves: "If you want to kill someone, wait until the third watch. Blood on white robes is the most vivid." "When devouring a soul and stealing its spirit, wait until the resentment freezes over. That's when it tastes sweet." Her inner demon rolled around in her sea of consciousness in a rage. "Why wait? What is this, wine-making? You're a demonic cultivator now. Just kill her with one sword!" A hundred years ago, when Jiang Ruye descended the mountain, she wore a carefree blue robe and was brimming with ambition. Carrying the hopes of everyone in the Little Solitary Peak sect, she raised her sword to the heavens and swore to restore her sect's reputation and make its name resound across the Nine Provinces. She hadn't expected that her name really would resound across the Nine Provinces, but only because she'd become infamous. Cultivators throughout the Nine Provinces said she had betrayed the immortal sects and colluded with demons, helping evil to flourish. They shouted for her death. She wanted to explain herself, but no one was willing to hear a word. Her entire sect was even destroyed because of her. Looking at the disdain in the eyes of the aloof Immortal Alliance leader, Jiang Ruye died with a heart full of rage and resentment, struck down by the sword of Gu Weiqing, the young lord whom the Immortal Alliance had just found. Her only consolation before death was this: at least Gu Weiqing's sword was clean. After her death, Jiang Ruye's resentment was so intense that she fell into the Nine Hells. A hundred years later, she returned by taking over another body, becoming a demonic cultivator in name and deed. Reborn as a demonic cultivator, Jiang Ruye meant to lie low, grow stronger, and wait for a chance to take revenge. Unfortunately, her luck wasn't great. She kept running into Gu Weiqing, now the Sword Immortal of Penglai. By then, Gu Weiqing was famous throughout the world, peerlessly elegant, and no longer the destitute girl Jiang Ruye had first met, driven from place to place. Still, she seemed a little crazy, and when she fought, she seemed more like a demonic cultivator than Jiang Ruye did. Jiang Ruye: Crazy is fine. At least no one will bully her anymore. But she hadn't expected that Gu Weiqing would still be surrounded by danger. Not wanting to drag Gu Weiqing into her own vendettas, Jiang Ruye kept her secret identity under wraps and helped her again and again. When she finally turned back to take revenge, she realized something was off. Why had all her enemies brought about their own downfall? It wasn't until Gu Weiqing tied her up and dragged her back to Penglai, using the hair ribbon Jiang Ruye had once given her, that Jiang Ruye realized her secret identity might have... been exposed? Jiang Ruye tried to struggle her way out. "Immortal Venerable Gu, I'm not interested in cultivating immortality." Gu Weiqing looked at her and replied with something entirely unrelated. "Your eyes... look just like someone I once killed." Jiang Ruye was confused. "Does looking like someone count as a crime?" Even the famously cold and heartless Gu Weiqing shed a tear. "It is a crime, but I alone am guilty." The most ridiculous thing was that the new leader of the demonic path, feared by all, still couldn't learn how to absorb resentment properly. She always crouched beside the dying, waiting for their "thank you" to fade into the wind. "They say demonic cultivators never meet a good end." Jiang Ruye burned the Rebirth Talisman in her hand and said goodbye to Gu Weiqing amid a sky full of ashes. Gu Weiqing refused. "My destiny clearly says: I shall share my lifespan with a demon." [Reading Guide] ◆ All-female world, with a focus on the ensemble cast ◆ Not a power fantasy. The heroine goes through some suffering early on, but she'll grow stronger ◆ The other heroine appears much later, and the romance develops slowly ◆ Updates will follow the rankings before signing, so stay tuned! Theme: Fate is just a coward. Darkness will eventually fear the light