Within this world, the Immortal Realm was divided into the Heavenly and Earthly Realms, while the Human Realm was divided into four distinct regions: the Human Realm, the Demon Realm, the Daoist Domain, and the Buddhist Domain. Except for the Human Realm, the other three domains were hidden away from the mundane world; ordinary humans could not enter unless they found the proper entrance.
The entrance to the Demon Realm was situated at the peak of Mount Extreme Ice in the far north of the Human Realm—a place with severe weather and scarce signs of human life. Because the Demon Realm was the most dangerous of the three domains, the entrance was intentionally set in this location in addition to being shielded by a boundary array, all to prevent ordinary mortals from accidentally trespassing to the maximum extent.
The body of water surrounding the peak of Mount Extreme Ice was named the Sea of Extreme Ice. Floating icebergs and hidden reefs, large and small, drifted all across the Sea of Extreme Ice, and coupled with the extremely frigid climate, standard vessels simply could not enter. Around the outer perimeters of the Sea of Extreme Ice, fishermen adventuring out to sea for hunting could still occasionally be spotted; yet as one ventured deeper within, let alone humans, even birds and beasts were nowhere to be seen.
Yet on this day, a small black boat slowly approached. Unknown what kind of sharp weapon was fitted to its bow, this unassuming little boat actually broke through ice and opened up the sea all the way, heading in the direction of the peak of Mount Extreme Ice.
Seeing this, fishermen catching fish in the waters surrounding the Sea of Extreme Ice feared that they were visitors from out of town who did not know the terrifying nature of this Sea of Extreme Ice, hastily stepping forward out of goodwill to advise them to stop.
“Are those guests from out of town on the boat? Hurry and stop the boat, do not go any further!”
The moment these words were spoken, the fishermen around who were originally in a state of looking on from afar also offered advice one after another: “Going a bit further, you will enter the sea area of the peak of Mount Extreme Ice! The hidden reefs and icebergs are impossible to guard against—it is truly dangerous to the absolute extreme!”
“Precisely, precisely! Quickly stop, quickly stop!”
Accompanying the crowd’s shouting voices, a young master dressed in brocade robes and wearing a jade crown stepped out from the boat’s cabin. Half a step behind him was a tall man; due to the distance, his features could not be seen clearly, but at a glance, they looked like brothers traveling together.
One fisherman had an impatient temperament; seeing the people, he shouted: “Have the two young masters lost your way at sea? Why are you persistently heading toward the peak of Mount Extreme Ice?”
Hearing this, the young master cupped his hands in a polite bow, raising his voice to reply: “We are not lost. Rather, my elder brother and I were originally traveling toward the peak of Mount Extreme Ice.”
When these words came out, the fishermen raised their voices to stop them one after another: “Do the two young masters know what kind of place that peak of Mount Extreme Ice is? That is a place with nine chances of death and one of life—a place where one goes with no return!”
“We know not what important matter the two young masters have, but why must you head to such a treacherous place?”
The young master said: “Many thanks to you all for your kind warning. It is merely that a relative of our household lost their way within the peak of Mount Extreme Ice days ago. This relative previously risked life and forgot death to save the two of us; how can we abandon our relative now and leave them uncared for? Therefore, my elder brother and I decided that no matter what, we must go and search for them!”
“Ah, this…” Hearing this, the crowd of fishermen wanted to persuade them further, yet after all, they were strangers meeting by chance. Since the two were so resolute in searching for their relative, it was inappropriate to block them further, and they could only caution them repeatedly: “Then the two of you must not be overly persistent; just do your best within the scope of your abilities. If your relative knew, they surely wouldn’t wish for the two of you to meet with mishap either.”
After listening, the young master cupped his hands in thanks once more: “Many thanks to you all for the reminder. My elder brother and I will surely raise our vigilance and sail cautiously.”
With matters having reached this point, the fishermen pointed out a relatively safer route for the two. Afterward, they no longer tried to stop them, watching as the two steered the small black boat and gradually disappeared behind layer upon layer of ice and snow.
The lead fisherman said: “The wind and snow are coming. I only hope these two young brothers have everything go smoothly. Let us also head back early today to avoid extra trouble.” The crowd of fishermen agreed one after another, subsequently pulling in their fishing nets and sailing back toward the shore.
Speaking again of that small black boat carrying the two brothers northward, breaking through ice as it sailed—the cold wind cut against their faces and the wind and snow blurred their eyes. Snow had fallen all over the young master’s hair and shoulders at some unknown point. He turned his head and lightly patted off the fallen snow on his shoulder, his gaze dropping to the space behind them. After confirming that the enthusiastic fishermen were no longer in sight, he turned his head and glared right at his elder brother behind him: “Is this black vehicle of yours broken? It can’t even block this bit of wind and snow?”
Hearing this, the “elder brother” chuckled softly in a low tone: “Why aren’t you calling me elder brother anymore?” Saying so, he lightly raised his hand, and an invisible barrier instantly separated the small boat from the wind and snow.
The young master nodded in satisfaction. Just as he was about to raise his hand to pat his other shoulder, the “elder brother” waved his hand a step ahead; in the blink of an eye, the young master’s attire became refreshed and tidy once more.
The young master was naturally none other than the Little Young Master. Seeing this, he couldn’t stop his lips from curving up, putting on an act as he cupped his hands in a formal bow: “Many thanks, elder brother.”
The man—who was also the Master of the Earthly Realm—had his temper smoothed away by this single “elder brother,” saying with quite a bit of helplessness: “When did the Little Young Master have an important relative lose their way here? How come this Master didn’t know?” Having not kept an eye on him for merely three hundred years, he could now blurt out tall tales without batting an eye; it seemed quite necessary to find an opportunity to have a chat with the Master of the Mortal Realm.
Hearing this, the Little Young Master wasn’t guilty in the slightest, opening his mouth to answer right back: “Brother’s words are incorrect. You and I both know that the peak of Mount Extreme Ice is where the entrance to the Demon Realm is located, and inside the Demon Realm naturally lives the Master of the Demon Realm. I have known the Master of the Demon Realm for sixteen hundred years, and he has always treated me with deep affection—can he not be called a relative like this?” That was a deep affection where he could strip off the other’s magical robes without the other minding at all; how could it not be worthy of the word “relative”?
Hearing this, the Master of the Earthly Realm shook his head and laughed, yet couldn’t help wanting to continue teasing him, listening to him make up wild fabrications: “Then how did this relative of my younger brother lose his way here?” The Master of the Demon Realm losing his way at his own front door sounded rather amusing indeed.
Feeling that he couldn’t keep making up the story, the Little Young Master simply blurted out a reckless line: “I don’t know either; perhaps he was a bit silly.”
“…” The Master of the Demon Realm—who had been acting as a fisherman and disguising himself as an iceberg ever since the two entered the Sea of Extreme Ice, striving to keep these two difficult-to-provoke masters from recognizing him—silently shed tears.
What on earth were these two ancestors doing coming to his ice-bound, snow-covered, wild wilderness of a Demon Realm? Were the Heavenly Realm and Earthly Realm not big enough for these two to play in? Even if it truly wasn’t enough to play in, wasn’t there still the Human Realm? Was the Human Realm’s delicious food no longer fragrant, or were the human storybooks no longer loved? What was there to play with in this impoverished, remote place of his!
No way! He had been dragged off by the Master of the Earthly Realm to do hard labor for three hundred years. Having finally returned to his own turf and enjoyed freedom for less than two days, he couldn’t be caught again! He had to think of a way to give these two ancestors something to do.
The Master of the Demon Realm raised his eyes to glance forward. Seeing that the two had indeed not discovered him, he decisively cast a spell and pinched a hand seal, opening the entrance to the Demon Realm Sea directly in front of the small black boat. Seeing the Master of the Earthly Realm look over in his direction as if sensing something, the Master of the Demon Realm panicked in his heart, raising his hand to slap a wave against the stern of the boat, pushing the small black boat to accelerate and charge into the entrance of the Demon Realm Sea.
Only after the very last trace of the boat’s shadow vanished entirely did the Master of the Demon Realm step out from his hiding place. Clapping his hands, he let out a long sigh of relief, then meticulously and carefully straightened his newly made magical robe. Thinking that he was now acting out what was written in the poem—“When the deed is done, brush off one’s clothes and leave, deeply hiding both body and fame”—he cast a spell with complete peace of mind and fluttered away gracefully.
Meanwhile, on this side, after the Little Young Master raised his eyes to inspect the surroundings, he nodded slightly with great satisfaction: “As expected, it is the Demon Realm Sea. It wasn’t in vain for this Young Master to put on a show all the way here; Luo Xie is truly as easy to fool as ever.”
Within the Demon Realm, there was a land of disorienting illusions called the Demon Realm Sea. The Demon Realm Sea was not an ocean; within it contained the most turbid and dense demonic qi of the Demon Realm, and it was covered all over in thick fog and poisonous miasma. Whether an immortal, demon, or human entered this space, their five senses would be blinded by the demonic qi within. All types of direction-finding items could not be used, nor could one use teleportation spells, talismans, or magical treasures.
Demonic creatures being inside it merely meant they could not discern directions; the demonic qi within was beneficial for demonic creatures’ cultivation, so this Demon Realm Sea was actually a place for demonic creatures to enter secluded cultivation. However, if a human or immortal stayed inside it for too long, the overly dense and turbid demonic qi would slowly pour into the meridian pathways within their body, and in severe cases, it would even pollute the immortal power within an immortal’s body.
Therefore, unless necessary, neither cultivators of the Human Realm nor immortals of the Immortal Realm were willing to take half a step into this Demon Realm Sea.
However, this Demon Realm Sea had another name given by the one-and-only, noble, and precious Little Young Master of Heaven and Earth—The World’s Number One Maze. Appended with a note: Extremely fun!
Therefore, this Demon Realm Sea was precisely the place the Little Young Master had prepared to test the Xuanchu Fruit with the Master of the Earthly Realm. It was just that this Demon Realm Sea was a shifting location, changing its position every hour and every moment. While it was naturally impossible for the Little Young Master and the Master of the Earthly Realm working together to fail to find it, it would take some time. Only the Master of the Demon Realm could forcefully open the entrance to the Demon Realm Sea anytime and anywhere, though it required expending a considerable amount of demonic power.
The Little Young Master was originally contemplating how to get the Master of the Demon Realm to happily open the Demon Realm Sea for him, never expecting the Master of the Demon Realm to deliver himself right to his door. Since that was the case, he naturally couldn’t waste the Master of the Demon Realm’s goodwill, which was how the previous scene came about. Now looking at the result, both sides were extremely satisfied—it could be called a delight for both host and guest.
The Little Young Master extended his divine consciousness to search for the Master of the Earthly Realm’s aura, subsequently nodding repeatedly with great satisfaction: The Master of the Demon Realm’s handling of matters truly won his heart! Not only did he send him and the Master of the Earthly Realm into the great maze, but he also very thoughtfully separated the two of them into two different locations. That way, he could immediately test the efficacy of the Xuanchu Fruit. Seeing as the Master of the Demon Realm was so capable, the next time they met, he wouldn’t snatch his magical robes!
“Who knows where Di Kun was sent to?” In a quite good mood, the Little Young Master activated the Xuanchu Fruit within his body. A dark-colored fruit floated into his palm, slowly spinning under the Little Young Master’s activation. After spinning merely two turns, the Little Young Master sensed the Master of the Earthly Realm’s aura. Just as he was about to move according to the sensed direction, he suddenly stopped again. His lips pursed slightly, and the expression on his face instantly sank.
In the next instant, the Xuanchu Fruit in the Little Young Master’s hand accelerated abruptly. He stood quietly on the spot to sense for a moment, then tapped his feet lightly, disappearing without a trace in an instant. Unable to use teleportation immortal spells? That was for others; in all of Heaven and Earth, the Little Young Master was naturally the most unique one.
Only, where was the Master of the Earthly Realm located? What had he done? Why did the Little Young Master turn dark-faced after sensing for merely an instant, subsequently unable to care about any maze or test, going directly to search for the person instead?
The Master of the Earthly Realm looked at the succubi spread across a hundred-li radius surrounding him, letting out a helpless sigh softly.
Among the Demon Realm, demonic creatures were divided into five tiers: Human Demons, Ghost Demons, Earth Demons, Heavenly Demons, and Divine Demons. Succubi belonged to Human Demons, which was the weakest class of demonic creatures; naturally, they posed no threat to the Master of the Earthly Realm. However, succubi had extremely distinct characteristics: their appearances were delicate and beautiful, their figures alluring, their attire quite revealing, and what was more—some didn’t wear clothes…
The Master of the Earthly Realm felt that before walking out of this place, perhaps it would still be better for him to close his eyes?