Unfortunately, in the Demon Realm, there is no such thing as even a moment of peace.
Wu Youqi had only just fallen asleep when a rhythmic, rapid tolling of a bell echoed over the barrier. The strikes were so hurried and dense that the sounds overlapped; the echoes chased the lingering resonance of the previous strike, multiplying the thrumming sound several times over.
He woke with a hiss, lifting his hand to cover half of his ear.
Gu Qingyi, who had been resting on his shoulder, also frowned and let out a soft murmur. He rubbed his face and opened his eyes.
Gu Qingyi was still half-asleep, a red mark from the pillow pressed into his cheek. Dazed and half-dreaming, he subconsciously hooked his arm around Wu Youqi’s, whispering softly:
“Brother Youqi.”
Wu Youqi gave him a fleeting look, then finally picked him up and swept out of the Forbidden Land. Gu Qingyi didn’t even have time to ask what was happening before he was tossed through the air and landed in Xizhu’s arms. He let out a surprised “Wa-ah!”, but as soon as he clutched his little pillow, he heard Wu Youqi’s preemptive command:
“Take him back.”
Having had the experience of him sneaking away twice already, Xizhu followed the order without a word. With swift movements, she hurried, and in a short while, she had brought Gu Qingyi back to the West Courtyard.
Gu Qingyi hadn’t even regained his senses by the time he was pressed onto the bed and piled with quilts.
Xizhu, terrified he might run off again, simply jumped onto the bed and pinned him down with all four limbs.
“…?” Gu Qingyi looked bewildered.
Xizhu didn’t think her posture or actions were problematic at all; instead, she glared at him warily. “A formidable enemy is at the gates! You are not allowed to run around anymore!”
“A formidable enemy?”
As if to answer for Xizhu, the urgent, long-drawn tolling of the bell rang out overhead once more.
Xizhu glanced at the canopy of the bed. “Hmph, it’s just those cultivators who fancy themselves righteous!”
Seeing Gu Qingyi still didn’t understand, she explained: “This is the Demon Realm’s Suspended Danger Bell. It works on the same principle as the beacon fires in your Human Realm. Whenever there is an attack, the bell rings. The intensity and speed of the ringing indicate the number and strength of the enemies.”
So, this meant a war was underway. Gu Qingyi nodded: Understood.
Meanwhile, near the Gate of the Livingless—
Facing the assembled demon army were a group of cultivators cloaked in spiritual light. Most were female cultivators from the Li Chi Wu Hen sect, and the other half came from the Qianfeng Sect in the Northwest.
The Li Chi Wu Hen sect was located on the island of Rong-Zhong in the East Sea. This island floated in the sky, hundreds of nautical miles south of Phoenix Island, isolated from the world, quiet and mysterious. This sect only recruited female disciples, mostly those who were as lonely and helpless as duckweed in the wind, or those poor souls abandoned by husbands or betrayed by lovers.
The Qianfeng Sect was the largest sect in the Cultivation World—”largest” referring to the number of its disciples. Its disciples were scattered everywhere; wherever there were academies or schools, there were branches of the Qianfeng Sect. The sect recruited scholars from all over the world, mostly impoverished students, emphasizing the study of both Confucianism and Taoism.
The leading female cultivator was a Pavilion Master of Li Chi Wu Hen, at the Nascent Soul stage, while the Qianfeng Sect was led by an inner-court disciple at the late Golden Core stage. The other cultivators behind them were mostly around the Golden Core stage, making them a formidable force.
“Vile demon scum! Release the disciples of my sect at once!” the female cultivator demanded.
The Qianfeng Sect disciples responded in kind, “Release them! Bring out our Elders!”
The Demon Envoy scoffed, lifting a hand to dig at his ear. “Do you think we demons are easily scared? You shout twice and expect us to release our prisoners?”
Without further ado, he summoned his bone whip and led his troops into battle.
After exchanging a glance, the female cultivators of Li Chi Wu Hen and the inner-court disciple of the Qianfeng Sect acted in coordination, heading straight for the Jimi cages above the Demon Heluo Spring.
The cages were filled with many cultivators; most were severely wounded and on the verge of death, while some had already been devoured by demonic energy, becoming fuel for the demon fire. The two sects had planned this scheme for a long time. Having fought alone for years without ever successfully rescuing anyone—instead losing people every time—they could no longer bear to watch their Elders and sect brothers be drained dry, so they had joined forces.
Li Chi Wu Hen was reclusive, with limited influence, but the Qianfeng Sect was the exact opposite, capable of rallying thousands to their cause. They practiced both Confucianism and Taoism; besides great cultivators, the sect was filled with scholars of the human world. Confucianism valued respect for teachers and the path; many scholars who later joined other sects still remembered their teachers’ kindness upon seeing the Qianfeng orders—they all flocked to help. Even those who couldn’t come wrote manifestos, speaking out with great passion. With their momentum, many small sects and other major sects also sent disciples to join, until thousands of people participated in this assault on the Demon Realm, creating a massive, army-like momentum.
Before the battle, they had formulated a meticulous plan: rather than launching a blind frontal assault, they split into three teams. The two leaders led the teams to provide frontal distraction, while the other two teams infiltrated from the sides to save the people—one team to rescue, the other to cover.
They had specifically timed the attack for when the Demon Clan’s Great General was away, hoping that once the people were saved, they could withdraw and increase their chances of success. They simply hadn’t realized when the Demon Realm had strengthened the defenses of the Demon Heluo Spring and the Gate of the Livingless. The two teams tasked with the rescue triggered the bell the moment they approached the Jimi cages.
Watching the demon soldiers flood in one after another, the cultivators knew this would be a brutal battle. Since there was no retreating, they had to fight to the death.
While the battle at the Gate of the Livingless was in full swing, the Blood Flame Flowing Cloud Palace remained as quiet as ever. Wu Youqi waved his hand to dismiss the Demon Envoy who had come to report the situation at the front lines and walked to the window, gazing into the distance at the Jimi cages bobbing on the Blood River.
This, too, was a masterpiece of Yun Yue Xing Shi.
Capturing cultivators of the Golden Core stage and above to serve as fuel for the Holy Fire served two purposes: it eliminated the rising strength of the Cultivation World and lured them to save their own, only to die in the process. For every person killed, the Demon Realm grew stronger by a fraction.
In truth, he couldn’t be bothered to participate in the ethnic conflicts of these humans, demons, ghosts, and spirits. He didn’t possess the excess benevolence to desire the salvation of the common people of the world.
Which was the exact opposite of his master, who had the world at heart.
So it was no wonder, Wu Youqi laughed bitterly, that they had arrived at this point.
Separated by a corridor was the West Courtyard.
Gu Qingyi, lying on the bed, suddenly turned his head, his cheeks flushed red, his voice as soft as a mosquito’s hum, “…Sister Xizhu.”
“Hmm?” Xizhu kept a wary eye on the door; the bell tolling had not yet stopped.
“Cough… it’s just, it’s just that I’m… having trouble breathing.”
Xizhu was stunned, only then realizing that in her nervousness, her knees were pressed against Gu Qingyi’s chest. She hurriedly rolled off. “Young Master, are you alright?”
Gu Qingyi gave a silly laugh, but then suddenly braced his arms, flipped off the bed, and ran. Xizhu, caught off guard, was covered by him as he tossed the quilt over her, then tangled her up in the bed curtains and multiple layers of drapes. By the time Xizhu managed to struggle out of the mess of fabric, Gu Qingyi had already run down the corridor and reached the bridge.
“Young Master, come back! It’s dangerous—!”
Gu Qingyi didn’t look back, taking a deep breath before running to the entrance of the Blood Flame Flowing Cloud Palace. Only when he had no energy left did he collapse onto the steps, panting heavily:
“No, huff… I have to go over there.”
Xizhu was panicked; she had no thought for dignity left, revealing her demon form, using eight spider legs to chase after him. Only when she was close did she return to human form and grab Gu Qingyi. “Please, stop running around—”
Her voice was choked with tears, but Gu Qingyi shook his head, his lips pressed together, pushing her hands away. “I’m not running around. I…”
Halfway through the sentence, Gu Qingyi suddenly widened his eyes. A burst of strength emerged from who knows where, and he shook off Xizhu, then leaped onto the palace gate in three strides:
“Brother, be careful—!!”
Inside the Demon Palace, Wu Youqi stood by the window. Hearing his voice, he turned his head just as a ray of spiritual light appeared behind him.
The man who had lunged from the formation wore green-jade Taoist robes, his long sword aiming directly at the back of Wu Youqi’s neck.
The sharp sword-glare bloomed like a night-blooming cereus in the dead of night, or an evil beast appearing from thin air, its gaping maw ready to chew Wu Youqi’s head to pieces.
Gu Qingyi was so terrified that the blood drained from his face; Xizhu, standing behind him, also fell silent, her body unable to stop trembling.
Wu Youqi, however, did not move. The “Withered Building Hidden Bone” (a sword) unsheathed at some unknown time, easily deflecting the strike with a backhand move.
Failing the first strike, the man did not linger. He executed his protective aura and retreated several steps, then changed his tactic, lunging again with intense pressure.
“Wu Youqi! Pay for Lin Luan’s life!”
Looking at the man who was attacking him with 100% of his spiritual energy, Wu Youqi opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but in the end, he said nothing. He only sighed after vibrating the sword-energy away with a clang:
“It’s been over three years. Aren’t you tired of this, Senior Martial Brother?”
“Don’t call me that!” The man was indeed the eldest disciple of Yun Xiaozi, Senior Martial Brother of Qing-shuang Mountain, Shen Yu. “I have no junior martial brother as cold-blooded and ruthless as you!”
“It was my mistake for having a lapse in judgment back then, actually encouraging you to become his disciple! You aren’t fit to be the disciple of the Qingyi Immortal Venerable at all!”
Wu Youqi’s expression had been calm, with no killing intent, but those words touched a raw nerve. Black mist instantly exploded from the ink-brick he stood upon, and a wail of ten thousand ghosts erupted from the Withered Building Hidden Bone. A powerful pressure descended, forcing Xizhu, outside the door, to groan in pain.
Shen Yu, however, stood at the center of the pressure unafraid. Instead, his eyes turned red, and he shouted in praise, “Good! Today I shall kill you and offer your head as a sacrifice to the dead!”
Wu Youqi’s pupils were stained blood-red; he no longer held back his sword skills. The two fought, exchanging clang after clang, leaving numerous sword marks on the palace pillars.
Shen Yu was naturally gifted, but he was only at the Nascent Soul stage, far inferior to Wu Youqi in cultivation. The fact that they were evenly matched was only because the other person had not intended to kill him.
But Shen Yu hadn’t come today intending to leave alive. After Lin Luan died, he had come to assassinate Wu Youqi several times, but never succeeded.
But this time…
Just as Wu Youqi attacked with his sword, Shen Yu quietly took out two “Thunder Fire Pearls” hidden in his storage ring. These objects were produced by Yan Yang Dao in the Central Plains and contained a large amount of powerful gunpowder. At such close range, he didn’t believe he could fail to injure Wu Youqi.
As it happened, just as he took out the pearls, a pink-purple figure burst into the palace from outside and, in the blink of an eye, blocked Wu Youqi’s path:
“You big bad guy! You are not allowed to bully my brother!”
With Gu Qingyi making such a scene, Wu Youqi noticed the Thunder Fire Pearls in Shen Yu’s hands. He gathered the person in front of him, leaped with his toes, and simultaneously sheathed the Withered Building Hidden Bone, switching to a palm strike that forced Shen Yu back.
Shen Yu stumbled back several steps, kneeling on the ground and vomiting blood. He looked up, wanting to speak, but when he saw the person standing in front of Wu Youqi clearly, he cried out in astonishment:
“Im… Immortal Venerable?!?”
Before he could see clearly, three sharp whistles rang out from outside the palace the signal from Li Chi Wu Hen and the Qianfeng Sect for everyone to retreat. Shen Yu had struggled to follow them here, hoping to seize the chance to kill Wu Youqi, but in the end, he had failed again.
Reluctant, he flew away, but he couldn’t stop looking back:
…That was not Qingyi.
But, but three years later, how could the madman Wu Youqi have found someone who looked exactly like the Immortal Venerable?!!
He… what did he intend to do with this person…
Shen Yu was deeply shaken. He had to tell the Sect Leader this news as soon as possible.