Above the Qinglin Sect, hundreds of strange beasts with blood-red single eyes, their giant wings stirring up a piercing night wind, accompanied by startling roars, their ferocious aura breaking through the sky.
These beasts without spiritual consciousness acted on primitive instincts to find food, having been rooted in the demon realm for years. With their strong, massive bodies, even those at the Divinity Formation Realm would find it difficult to easily inflict damage when facing them.
Now, summoned by Qiongqi, they hovered in a dark mass above the Qinglin Sect. The people of Qinglin below, witnessing this scene, felt as if they were seeing a vision of the end of the world.
Especially with the Sect Master severely injured and fallen, they didn’t know who else could stop this.
A suffocating atmosphere enveloped Qinglin. At the moment the mountain-protecting formation shattered, the people’s despair and fear reached their peak, with screams and wails arising.
At this time, the ferocious strange beasts that were rushing down suddenly stopped, their giant wings flapping in midair, looking at the approaching figure in black robes with a mixture of fear and confusion.
They had no spiritual intelligence, following the demon race’s instinct of survival of the fittest. Qiongqi was powerful, so they obeyed him; the arriving person was powerful, so they hesitated to move.
The beasts collectively stopped in midair, seeming to struggle with whose command to follow. After Zhou Xuanlan coldly shouted “Leave—”, they made their decision and flew away in unison.
The strange beasts, covering the sky like a tide, receded. Without their obstruction, the clear moonlight once again fell upon the Qinglin Sect, which had nearly become ruins.
The disciples came to their senses, their faces filled with the joy of surviving a catastrophe.
“They’re gone, they’re gone! The strange beasts are gone!!”
“Who is this person? Why did he save us? I’ve never seen him before.”
“He’s… the Ninth Demon King from the demon realm. I heard he used to be a disciple of our Qinglin Sect.”
“What?! A Demon King?”
“So what if he’s a Demon King? He just saved us, and he was once a Qinglin disciple!”
“To easily repel the strange beasts and block the Immortal Lo… no, the great evil god who refined Qiongqi! With such strength, he must be invincible in the Three Realms!”
Zhou Xuanlan tossed Ling Ye to Ling Mushan and Ling Jinye, who had just arrived.
The three had been good friends in their youth, cultivating together at the Qinglin Sect, competing and sparring with each other. Unexpectedly, their reunion was under such circumstances, nothing like the past.
Ling Jinye stopped in his tracks, the gourd at his waist shaking lightly. He was stunned and couldn’t speak for a moment.
Ling Mushan carried Ling Ye on his back and said: “Thank you.”
Zhou Xuanlan said indifferently: “No need. I didn’t do it for the Qinglin Sect.”
He only acted because he didn’t want his master to wake up and discover that he had killed Ling Ye and destroyed the sect with his own hands.
He just didn’t want his master to be sad.
He wasn’t so virtuous as to repay enmity with kindness, nor was he so righteous.
Zhou Xuanlan left without looking back, chasing in the direction where Qiongqi had disappeared.
When Qiongqi saw Zhou Xuanlan, he initially wanted to have a conversation with him, but he had only temporarily suppressed Shen Liuxiang’s soul. As time went on, he couldn’t suppress it anymore and was partially controlled by Shen Liuxiang and taken away.
“Bang—!”
A figure suddenly fell, breaking the silence of the valley.
The red demon marking on Shen Liuxiang’s brow disappeared. The moment he regained consciousness, his awareness rushed to the front of the mind prison.
He stared at Qiongqi, who was laughing wildly inside, grasping the prison door formed by symbols with both hands, his fingers white from the force, his phoenix eyes crimson, revealing an unprecedented killing intent.
Qiongqi said: “What’s with that expression? Do you want to kill me? But you can’t do it.”
To kill him, unless his soul was erased.
But his soul had been tempered through countless trials in the prehistoric era and had endured for thousands of years, making it difficult to kill or destroy. Who in the world could accomplish such a feat?
Even if someone could do it, he was hiding inside Shen Liuxiang’s body. Anyone who dared to use soul-destruction techniques on him would likely cause Shen Liuxiang’s soul—weaker than most—to scatter first, before Qiongqi even died!
Qiongqi came to the symbol door with complete confidence, grinning as he said: “Today’s events are just the beginning. Your soul is too weak, no match for me at all. However, if you don’t want to be manipulated by me, if you don’t want your soul to be completely devoured, then persuade that young dragon clan member to use the Time-Space Technique to send me home.”
After much consideration, having possessed Shen Liuxiang once, Qiongqi thought Shen Liuxiang had tasted that feeling of helpless despair and should have no reason to refuse him. Unexpectedly, Shen Liuxiang only uttered two words in response.
“Dream on.”
Qiongqi’s face darkened as he saw Shen Liuxiang’s lips curve into a cold smile. “You’re lying,”
Qiongqi narrowed his blood-red eyes.
Shen Liuxiang had initially believed Qiongqi’s words, thinking he really wanted to go home. Until just now. He suddenly remembered that at the end of the prehistoric era, the great demons faced certain death from the heavenly tribulation. Having gone to such lengths to escape, how could Qiongqi possibly want to return?
“You want him to perform the Time-Space Technique not to go back yourself, but to bring the Qiongqi clan who were destroyed by the heavenly tribulation to this world! There’s no heavenly tribulation here, and you would all be invincible beings. This place would be like paradise where you could do whatever you want—that’s your true purpose!”
Qiongqi’s eyes changed slightly, and after a moment, he curved his lips: “You’re not so stupid after all.”
A chill rose in Shen Liuxiang’s heart. If they could barely handle one Qiongqi, and more were to come, wouldn’t this continent fall under their rule? “You will never get your wish.”
“Unfortunately, that’s not for you to decide,” Qiongqi sneered. “As I said, it depends on whether that dragon clan youngster knows the Time-Space Technique and is willing to use it.”
Shen Liuxiang: “I won’t let him do that.”
If Qiongqi really succeeded, living beings would suffer terribly. Zhou Xuanlan, who would have used the Time-Space Technique to bring demon beasts to the current continent, would be universally condemned, burdened with countless sins that could never be washed away.
Shen Liuxiang had witnessed Di Yunyu’s ascension and knew that the power of virtue truly existed.
Those with great virtue could ascend and attain the Dao, while those with deep sins would die miserably and descend to the endless hell.
In the prehistoric era, the heavenly tribulation descended because the ancient demon beasts were too tyrannical and cruel, viewing other living beings as insignificant. When one clan became too dominant, it provoked the Heavenly Dao to intervene, sending down a world-ending calamity that killed all great demons, with none escaping.
Shen Liuxiang hadn’t understood before why Ling Ye wanted to kill Zhou Xuanlan, but after hearing Qiongqi’s words, he realized that Zhou Xuanlan had a thread of the Heavenly Dao attached to him.
If this was the case, Zhou Xuanlan had already been marked by the Heavenly Dao. If he took actions against the Heavenly Dao, as long as he remained on this continent, the Heavenly Dao would not spare him.
Even his ancestors, those demon beasts who dominated the prehistoric era, couldn’t stand against the Heavenly Dao—how could he resist it!
“Don’t set your sights on him,” Shen Liuxiang’s face was frost-cold. “You can continue your fantasy, but I will eventually wake you from your dream!”
Qiongqi smiled unhurriedly, the demon markings on his face climbing and forming strange patterns.
“If that’s the case, I look forward to seeing whether you will deal with me, or I will possess you. However, I’m not willing to devour your soul just yet. That dragon clan descendant seems to care about you a great deal. Using you as leverage will surely be effective.”
Shen Liuxiang glanced at the symbols and withdrew.
When he opened his eyes, he met a pair of pitch-black eyes. Shen Liuxiang’s heart trembled slightly, then he asked: “How is Senior Brother?”
Zhou Xuanlan: “He’s alive, but needs to rest quietly for a while.”
Shen Liuxiang breathed a sigh of relief, then his hand, gripping Zhou Xuanlan’s sleeve, tightened slightly. “Qiongqi is in my body, you…”
“What does Master want to say?” Before he could finish, Zhou Xuanlan interrupted, his eyes revealing a gloomy color. “Does Master want to say that with the demon beast inside your body, I should stay away from you? Or are you going to push me away again?!”
Shen Liuxiang’s dark eyelashes trembled slightly. Then he reached out, hooked his arm around Zhou Xuanlan’s neck, and amid the rustling sounds of falling leaves, raised his chin slightly and kissed the coldly compressed thin lips.
Zhou Xuanlan was stunned, his eyes widening slightly.
The ferocity between his brows dissipated, and the coldness of his lips gradually melted.
“No,” Shen Liuxiang finished the kiss, lowered his head, and buried it in the crook of Zhou Xuanlan’s neck, his voice trembling. “I wanted to say that Qiongqi is in my body, but don’t be afraid of me, don’t stay away from me. I can control him now, and when I can’t control him anymore, I’ll leave on my own.”
Zhou Xuanlan’s heart ached as he tightened his arms, firmly holding the person in his embrace.
When it came to making his heart ache, Shen Liuxiang seemed to have a special talent—self-taught, hitting the mark every time, never missing.
“Don’t be afraid, leave everything to me,” Zhou Xuanlan pressed his palm against the back of his head, his slender fingers threading through the soft black hair, rubbing soothingly. “I’ll deal with Qiongqi.”
Having said that, Zhou Xuanlan sent in his spiritual power, wanting to examine the mind prison.
Shen Liuxiang’s expression changed as he stopped his hand. His internal spiritual power turned, repelling the invading external spiritual power, blocking the investigation.
Zhou Xuanlan looked puzzled. Shen Liuxiang pulled away from his embrace and changed the subject: “I have important matters to discuss with you.”
Zhou Xuanlan frowned, not falling for it. “Why won’t Master let me see Qiongqi?”
Shen Liuxiang’s fingertips tightened slightly. When Zhou Xuanlan reached out again, he blocked him once more. “Even if you saw him, it would be useless. There is a way to deal with Qiongqi, but no one can do it.”
Hearing there was a solution, Zhou Xuanlan’s expression changed instantly: “What method?”
“The Demon Refining Technique,” Shen Liuxiang bit his lip. “Actually, the technique not only can trap the demon beast but can also erase its soul. That would be a complete refinement. But my cultivation isn’t enough; keeping him trapped in the mind prison is already my limit.”
Zhou Xuanlan slowly withdrew his hand: “Master means that the deeper level of the Demon Refining Technique can refine the demon beast’s soul to completely obtain its power.”
Shen Liuxiang nodded: “But refining Qiongqi’s soul is as difficult as climbing to heaven. No one has a soul stronger than his that could match him.”
Zhou Xuanlan immediately said: “Perhaps I can.”
Shen Liuxiang’s heart suddenly trembled. He opened his mouth, but suddenly found himself unable to speak.
Zhou Xuanlan noticed his slight change in expression and keenly detected something amiss. “What’s wrong? Does Master not believe in me, or are there other harmful effects to refining Qiongqi’s soul?”
“There are no harmful effects,” Shen Liuxiang bit his tongue hard, his expression returning to normal. “I’m just worried you won’t be able to refine it, and it will be a waste of effort.”
Zhou Xuanlan frowned, showing a suspicious expression, and didn’t continue the conversation.
He didn’t know much about the Demon Refining Technique and couldn’t judge whether what Shen Liuxiang said was true or false. At this time, he heard Shen Liuxiang continue: “Su Baiche refined Zhuyan before. I removed Zhuyan from his body by helping him refine its soul.”
Seeing his half-belief, half-doubt, Shen Liuxiang transmitted the Demon Refining Technique to him. “Study it carefully. Once you understand it thoroughly, you’ll realize this is the only way to deal with Qiongqi.”
Zhou Xuanlan accepted the Demon Refining Technique, then noticed Shen Liuxiang’s face turn pale.
He reached out to support him, but Shen Liuxiang retreated as if avoiding a venomous snake or scorpion, clutching his chest and saying: “Don’t come near. When you approach me, I become distracted, making it easy for Qiongqi to control me.”
Zhou Xuanlan’s slender hand froze in mid-air: “Then I’ll stand here without moving, waiting until Master has controlled the demon beast before approaching.”
Shen Liuxiang lowered his eyes, pressed his lips together, and remained silent.
Qiongqi seemed to have discovered his intention and was going crazy in the mind prison, shouting and roaring in anger, trying to break through the symbols. But having just possessed him once, no matter how much Qiongqi raged now, he couldn’t succeed.
Shen Liuxiang didn’t let Zhou Xuanlan approach only because he worried that his spiritual power might enter the mind prison and encounter Qiongqi, who would certainly mention the Time-Space Technique to him.
Shen Liuxiang had no doubt that Zhou Xuanlan would agree to Qiongqi’s conditions without hesitation, and even if he didn’t know the Time-Space Technique, he would do everything possible to find it.
This wasn’t what he wanted to see.
After a long silence, Shen Liuxiang’s fingers tightened on his collar. “I have a favor to ask. If I’m controlled by Qiongqi, no one in the world can stop me except you, who might be able to hold me back somewhat.”
Zhou Xuanlan was stunned: “Master wants me to…”
“Yes, I need you to stop me!” Shen Liuxiang raised his head, his phoenix eyes staring at him without blinking. “If I do evil things, only you can stop me. This task can only be entrusted to you.”
Zhou Xuanlan’s thin lips trembled slightly.
To be against his master, to stand in opposition to his master, such a thing, he…
“Consider it my plea,” Shen Liuxiang looked at him, speaking each word deliberately.
Zhou Xuanlan’s expression froze. Wind passed through the forest, rustling sounds continued uninterrupted. After an unknown amount of time, he finally squeezed out a word from between his teeth: “Alright.”
Shen Liuxiang breathed a sigh of relief and was about to smile when he saw Zhou Xuanlan pulling open his collar, revealing most of his shoulder.
Shen Liuxiang’s mind suddenly became chaotic.
At such a moment, could Zhou Xuanlan, could Zhou Xuanlan possibly be trying to seduce him?!
Shen Liuxiang lightly wrinkled his nose, his heart in turmoil. Just as he was about to raise his sleeve to symbolically cover his gaze, his eyes shifted slightly, and his face suddenly paled.
At the hollow of Zhou Xuanlan’s shoulder, a patch of black scales gleamed with a soft, lustrous light in the night.
Shen Liuxiang knew that this was Zhou Xuanlan’s reverse scale, a weakness that Zhou Xuanlan couldn’t let others know about, something that needed to be well-protected and hidden.
But in the next moment, under his gaze, this patch of reverse scales was pressed by well-defined fingers and suddenly torn off.
Shen Liuxiang was stunned, his vision instantly tinted red with blood.
Zhou Xuanlan approached him.
The bloody reverse scale was placed in Shen Liuxiang’s hand.
“All demons have a lifeline on their bodies. This reverse scale is my lifeline, and I’m entrusting it to Master. Master must protect it as you would your own life. Don’t abandon either.”
Zhou Xuanlan’s voice was hoarse. “If Master loses either one, this disciple cannot survive.”
Shen Liuxiang’s face lost all its color. After a long while, he carefully put away the reverse scale. “…I understand.”
He took out a spirit medicine from his storage pouch, applied it to Zhou Xuanlan’s bloody wound, closed his collar again, and then, as if venting his anger, buried his head and lightly bit through the clothing.
Zhou Xuanlan’s eyes darkened slightly as he lifted his chin and lowered his head to kiss the rosy, soft lips.
The red-clothed young man was pressed against a tree. When he felt like he was suffocating, he tugged at the wide black robe, only to have his fair wrists captured, and the kiss deepened.
The dappled shadows of branches and leaves on the ground began to sway gently.
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Aaaaaaaaaaaaa
Thank You for the new chapter (◍•ᴗ•◍)❤