Feng Qingyun suddenly closed his eyes with an extremely evasive look on his face, and ears red enough to drip blood. And yet, Long Yin seemed to feel that he was not embarrassed enough. In the brief silence, he suddenly laughed and said: “Then she’s worthy of becoming this Lord’s general. What she said is quite reasonable….”
Now, Feng Qingyun was truly annoyed. However, he could only blame himself. In fact, he sincerely believed that as the one who agreed to make yet another deal with Long Yin, he was simply the most stupid person in the world. For a moment, he regretted it so much that his intestines turned blue. Seeing that Long Yin was obviously happy to play games with him, Feng Qingyun chose to retreat for the first time in his life, eager to leave the pool. But he failed to notice that he was not sitting in a regular pool, but one filled with healing liquid that obviously did what it knew best. In a short amount of time, Long Yin fully recovered his strength, able to raise his hand, grab Feng Qingyun’s sleeve, and keep him in place. “It’s said that a gentleman’s word cannot be taken back, does the Little Palace Master want to owe me another debt?”
Feng Qingyun said nothing but gritted his teeth and pulled his sleeve back. After all, even if he lost all his principles that day, he still wanted to keep his face. Seeing that, Long Yin said directly: “Since this Lord was already dead by then, I’m afraid she dared to say more than this in her previous life, right?”
Still compelled by his own spell, Feng Qingyun blurted out: “Yes, she said more.” However, as soon as he realized that he actually answered the question, his face changed. Long Yin hooked the corners of his mouth and continued to ask: “Then what else did she say–” But before he could finish his words, Feng Qingyun raised his hands, covering both his and Long Yin’s mouths. Just like that, the two looked at each other in the steam. However, while the Demon Lord had only amusement in his eyes, the only thing that Feng Qingyun’s eyes could convey was shame and a stubborn warning: Don’t you dare!
But the dragon was still the strongest in the whole cultivation world, and even with his mouth covered, he could still fight back. His magic breath suddenly rose, converged into an air current under the water, and deliberately climbed Feng Qingyun’s ankle, going all the way up along his calf.
“——?!”
Feng Qingyun was innocent enough to have never seen that kind of despicable move. For a moment, he thought he was attacked by some sea creature, so he opened his eyes wide and subconsciously took a step back, using his hands to cut the magic breath on his leg. But the next second, that infuriating person smiled and asked: “So what else did Yue Jinshu say in her previous life?”
Only then did Feng Qingyun realize that he had been tricked. However, angry or not, it was still too late. The effect of the spell was too strong, so Feng Qingyun answered, unable to control himself: “She also said…”
“In my opinion, the Little Palace Master has tender skin, and his buds have never opened, so I’m afraid he can’t bear it for long. If he lies under His Majesty in front of Mu Hanyang and begs for mercy, I really want to see that bastard’s long face!”
As soon as that was said, even Long Yin with his thick, demon face, was shocked by the unrestrained words said by his future general. As for Feng Qingyun, he looked like he was ready to grab a sword and cut the Demon Lord in two, followed by swiftly ending himself. However, Long Yin came back to his senses quite quickly, acting like he had heard some extremely interesting anecdote. With a fearless spirit that was not at all afraid of death, he nodded in favor: “That’s not bad. However, if she’s going to serve you, she needs to learn how to show some respect.”
Feng Qingyun couldn’t stand it anymore. Completely enraged, he threw a handful of water on the Demon Lord’s face and then simply jumped him in a surprise attack. The two of them immediately exchanged hands several times in the pool, with Feng Qingyun’s demonic power in full bloom. With both his previous cultivation and the extraordinary demonic qi that was running through his veins, his strength was almost several times greater than before, actually managing to bring the fight to a tie for a brief moment. As for Long Yin, he was shocked, and he immediately stood up from the pool, as if he was going to seriously start fighting back.
It’s just that… He forgot that when he stood up, he was still… Naked.
Feng Qingyun: “…!”
Unexpectedly seeing that scene, Feng Qingyun’s face turned completely red on the spot, looking away in annoyance. His momentum went down the drain, and he could only scold indiscriminately: “…You are simply not ashamed to use this trick in competition!”
“Don’t forget that I’m a demonic cultivator after all. How many honest demons do you know?” Long Yin said righteously. “And it’s not like you haven’t seen my body before. Back when I was in my dragon form, you even happily rode on my—”
“…Shut up for me!“ Feng Qingyun suddenly heard his frivolous words, but the mention of his dragon form brought back some of his previous doubts, so his anger cooled down a little bit. Without words, he sat down on the edge of the pool, patting the place next to him. As for the dignified Demon Emperor, he was ordered around by such a righteous person in his own palace, something that should have been extremely shameful. And yet, Long Yin accepted it well, obediently sitting next to him and asking: “Do you want to continue?”
Feng Qingyun looked at him and asked:”… As you said, you appeared in dragon form in that illusion but… Aren’t the four ancient beasts already extinct? What’s up with you?[mfn]The four ancient beasts are the Xuanwu or the Black Tortoise of the North, the Azure Dragon of the East, Winter Tiger of the West, and Vermilion Bird of the South. Feng Qingyun thinks Long Yin is the Azure Dragon of the East[/mfn]”
Hearing his question, Long Yin finally explained: “First of all, this is a misunderstanding. This Lord’s real body is a black dragon, not the azure one, so I can’t be counted as one of the four ancient beasts. However, the dragon clan has indeed perished long ago. As for how I ended up in your so-called fantasy world… You may not believe it but… From the very first moment of my consciousness, that is, the Dragon God’s so-called birth, this Lord existed in there.”
Feng Qingyun was stunned to hear that, unable to fully believe it: “…What do you mean?”
“I mean that the Dragon God who rules inside that secret realm is in charge of that piece of earth and heaven, so according to that world’s logic, the god is omnipotent and absolute, naturally cultivating the Ruthless Path with no attachments to the mortal world. From the moment of birth, or at least, from the moment I became aware of my own consciousness, the “Dragon God” as an entity was the absolute ruler of that realm, forever captive inside it.”
Those words were too shocking. Feng Qingyun’s mind slowed down for a long time before he could ask: “Then what about you?!”
“This Lord was born in that fantasy world, running the duties of the Dragon God again and again. That is until the first cultivator from the outside world entered the secret realm and broke the balance. He tried to leave but couldn’t find a way, dying in poverty in Fulong Village. However, before he died, he made a wish to this Lord, begging the Dragon God to become involved with the mortals and help them…
…After his death, many cultivators stumbled upon that secret realm, probably in search of some heavenly treasures. They got the clues left behind by the first man, continuing to pray to this Lord. But when the Dragon God finally came, they only found that their lives improved, but there was still no chance of escaping the fantasy. So they found another way – to use human sacrifices as a means to imprison the god until they could find a way out. After that, many cultivators entered the illusion, and with more and more deaths, the entire world became less of an illusion and more of an alternate reality. Some of them played the roles of human sacrifices, others were simple villagers, but all of them had something in common. They all wanted to kill this Lord.
But they failed in the end, and none of them came out alive.”
The situation was really a little shocking. Feng Qingyun digested it for a long time before he said: “… So when did you manage to escape from it?”
Long Yin looked at him for three seconds before answering: “The moment we died together. The darkness passed, and the fantasy world collapsed. You and that surnamed Mu, you should have woken up in a different place, but I woke up here, in the Demon World. It was also at that moment that I realized I was just the creation of someone else’s consciousness, existing solely to serve as the ruler of a fantasy world…
… I was never a god.”
Feng Qingyun suddenly closed his eyes. Seeing his face filled with heartbreak, Long Yin tried to joke: “How about it? I’ve been nailed in place for thousands of years, only to find out I was just a fake god. This joke is worse than everything you’ve experienced in your previous life, right?”
…It’s just that, his level of comforting people was just as low as his humor. Feng Qingyun not only did not feel comforted hearing his words, but they also brought a sense of indescribable bitterness to his heart. That time and space have been locked for thousands of years and the omnipotent god was just an illusion… He didn’t dare to think about how big of a blow it was for the proud Long Yin. After a long time, he barely calmed down enough to say: “…You’re not a false god.”
At least, not for me.
“Your words are enough,” Long Yin said with a smile. “However, compared with living a lie all my life, I am still lucky. Someone ended that fantasy and saved me.”
Feng Qingyun choked up, and his heart seemed to be held in Long Yin’s hands. This time around, he couldn’t even say half a word. After a long time, he slowly managed a question: “So the way to crack the fantasy… Is it your death?”
However, Long Yin shook his head: “Although I was in the dark most of the time, I just know that the person who created that secret realm… Maybe their original intention was to seek an answer. The answer to whether a god could willingly sacrifice himself for a mortal. Apart from that, the Dragon God and the cultivators involved, all were their experiments,” Long Yin described the reason for his existence in a very light tone of voice, continuing: “It’s just that you were the first one to give an answer in thousands of years.”
Feng Qingyun was a little dazed to hear his conclusion. Who was the person who could create such an intricate illusory world?
…Or what?
One of the ancient ones? A member of the dragon clan? Another god or… The heavenly Dao itself? Then he couldn’t help thinking, when did Long Yin as the Demon Emperor become famous in the cultivation world? Feng Qingyun recalled the time, only to realize that he was simply born out of thin air, seemingly emerging overnight as the most powerful demon, right around the time he and Mu Hanyang returned from the secret realm. In that way, everything was connected and what Long Yin said made sense.
It turned out that he was the one who freed the Dragon God and, in a way, created the Demon Emperor, Long Yin.
“I am the transformation of thousands of delusions and prayers,” Long Yin seemed to see through the shivers in his heart, looking at him under the moonlight. “But thanks to you, I have fallen into this world.” The man smiled and suddenly approached, continuing: “Little Palace Master, are you the reincarnation of Heaven? Otherwise, where did the ability to create things out of thin air come from?”
Feng Qingyun’s heart trembled and he looked at him with pursed lips. After a long time, he changed the topic and said: “But according to your actual time to the world…”
Long Yin understood what he meant and answered with a smirk: “Then we should count the moment when I woke up in the Demon World as my birth. In that way, this Lord is a couple hundred years younger than you.”
Feng Qingyun: “…How many years have you been alive in that secret realm?”
Long Yin answered truthfully: “Tens of thousands of years probably, can’t remember it clearly.”
That “tens of thousands years old dragon” said with a little shy face that he was younger than him, making Feng Qingyun feel speechless. After looking at him for a couple of seconds, he raised his hand and… Splashed yet another handful of water on his face, saying: “…Can you be serious for a second?!”
However, Long Yin was not annoyed to get water splashed on his face. Instead, he took advantage of Feng Qingyun’s relaxed posture to hug his waist and pull him into his arms with a smile. “After so much, the time for your spell is almost up,” he said. “But this Lord still has things I want to ask.”
Since the beginning of their deal, what Long Yin said had always been the absolute, groundbreaking truth, no matter how crazy it sounded. As for Feng Qingyun… At best he only shared a little shameful matter, not at all a valuable piece of information. Therefore, even if he really wanted to flee the pool, he still suppressed his impulse and looked at Long Yin. After all, he still had time to decide whether to escape or not after hearing the man’s questions.
At the moment, the two of them were very close, the perfect opportunity for Long Yin to ask what he wanted to know. And yet he stopped, wrapped both of his arms around Feng Qingyun’s waist, and drew his face closer with an indescribable look. Feng Qingyun’s back went numb and he couldn’t help shivering. The next moment, however, he heard the man who claimed to not have any memories of his past life come up with the same question: “Do you regret it?”
Feng Qingyun was stunned, and the tension in his heart suddenly disappeared, actually showing a light smile: “Is this a heart demon you carried on from your previous life or what?!”
“I don’t know, I don’t have the memory of my previous life so I can’t say for sure.” Long Yin subconsciously answered, under the effect of the spell. “You can’t answer my question with a question of your own,” he then complained.
“That’s not what I meant.” Feng Qingyun rarely looked at him calmly and, in the moonlight, there was an indescribable emotion in his eyes. “You also asked this question in your previous life.”
Long Yin paused. “Then,” he said. “What was your answer?”
“I regret it.” Feng Qingyun answered lightly as if he were not speaking about his suffering for the last 300 years. “At that time, I did not remember clearly what happened in the fantasy world, so I did not know that the person Mu Hanyang was looking for was me. And yet, I still regretted it, regretted ever developing feelings for him.”
Long Yin stopped. He did not know what Feng Qingyun’s life had been like in the past, but hearing the hurt in his words, he realized that it must not have been a pleasant time. His heart jumped suddenly as if he had been stabbed, urging him to ask: “…So what have you experienced in the last 300 years?”
Feng Qingyun was not good at confiding in others, but he still lowered his eyes and tried his best to explain: “Mu Hanyang has always liked to help the world. He was outside of the sect almost every day, never tending to his duties as Sect Leader. And in order to save people, he also spent all of our savings…” He calmly talked about his experiences over the last centuries, just like describing someone else’s life. But the more Long Yin listened, the more gloomy he looked…
… That is until he heard Feng Qingyun say lightly that in order to save some of Mu Hanyang’s dog friends, he had cut his vines and even entire branches and used them to beg Mu Tingwan for help more than once. Long Yin’s expression suddenly sank to the bottom.
Unaware of his change of mood, Feng Qingyun still had the heart to tease himself: “… I originally thought that it was difficult for me to cultivate, firstly, because I was not focused enough on my practice, and secondly, because I was always busy in the sect, but at present… Maybe physical underdevelopment is the big reason.”
However, Long Yin took a deep breath, saying with anger: “I have never heard of anyone who managed to ascend by cutting off their hands and feet every day! Did Mu Hanyang place a curse on you?!”
His words were full of uncontrollable anger, and the bitterness of hatred. And yet, Feng Qingyun suddenly laughed when he heard them. “Maybe,” he confessed. “But fortunately, I did not have time to think about that. As soon as I said the word “regret”, I opened my eyes and returned to the day of my Dao ceremony. I don’t think it’s the heavenly Dao who favored me, nor do I believe I’m the reincarnation of Heaven itself.” The two of them were still very close, and Feng Qingyun stared at Long Yin’s eyes without blinking before continuing. “It’s more like… Someone heard my last words and paid the price. What do you think was the price for making time go back and moving even the stars themselves?”
The air suddenly fell into stagnation, with the moonlight reflecting on the warm pool water and suddenly creating an ambiguous atmosphere.
“Who can say?” After a long time, Long Yin withdrew his gaze first and said. “Anyway, if you ask me, I don’t think dying was that big of a deal, especially if it helped your situation.”
“Is that so?” Feng Qingyun obviously didn’t believe it, asking in a very soft tone.
Long Yin turned his head to look at him again. “At least I probably didn’t think it was back then,” he confessed.
A wave of subtle numbness overflowed from the bottom of Feng Qingyun’s heart. His eyelashes trembled slightly, pushing him to lower his eyes and let the emotions in them run their course. However, he did not look away.
Long Yin looked at him for a moment, suddenly seeing through his mind. So, like a devout believer, he raised his hand to pinch Feng Qingyun’s chin and asked softly: “Is the Little Palace Master seeing someone else when he looks at this Lord?”
Feng Qingyun’s eyes flickered, but he still answered truthfully: “…No.” Since the spell was still in effect, that was the absolute truth.
“What’s the difference between me and the waste I was in my previous life?”Hearing his answer, Long Yun did not hesitate to viciously scold himself. “I did not dare to take you away on the day of your marriage, and I continued to watch you suffer in that useless sect of yours,” he continued. “Then I came and died in front of you, and yet, you still liked that “me”?”
However, Feng Qingyun said without a head or tail: “…It’s not because of something you said.” Realizing his answer made no sense, he quickly tried to change the subject: “ No matter what kind of fate I chose in my previous life, it was still my own choice. Others had nothing to do with it. I simply failed to know people better and naturally, it was also my own decision to wake up. I never needed someone to come and save me.”
“The road to Dao means nothing, and people should cross it by themselves.”
The words spoken by his stubborn and tenacious “bride” suddenly sounded in the Dragon God’s ears. Long Yin shook, but in such a serious atmosphere, he still unexpectedly said: “In that case, do you like the me from your previous life or the current me better? Or is it the Dragon God you fell for?”
“I–” Feng Qingyun was still immersed in the sadness of analyzing his previous life. Long Yin’s question caught him unprepared and he almost blurted out the answer under the effect of the spell. It’s just that he opened his mouth halfway by the time he realized that Long Yin was a master at digging holes. On the surface, it looked like he must choose one out of three, but in fact… No matter who he chose, he still liked him, with no other options at all. So Feng Qingyun suddenly came back to his senses, stared at Long Yin, and covered his mouth, trying to flee without answering. However, after soaking for so long in the healing pool, Long Yin’s strength had long recovered, completely dominating the fight. The two once again went back and forth a few times, but in a short time, it became evident that Feng Qingyun’s previous offensive fully turned defensive…
…And it also didn’t help his case that he was still covering his mouth with one hand, leaving only one to fight. As for Long Yin, he was happy to bully people without mercy. In order to get his answer, he couldn’t wait to force Feng Qingyun to the edge of the pool, using the same air currents as before to pull at his robes. However, after soaking in the spring water for such a long time, Feng Qingyun’s robes were already turning fragile, easily eroded by the Demon Lord’s attacks, and breaking into several holes, revealing the white and delicate skin within.
Of course, that was not Long Yin’s intention but regardless, it was a welcomed result. The last time Feng Qingyun looked so embarrassed was when the sky collapsed in his previous life and… He never thought that even after getting the chance to be reborn, the same embarrassing appearance would be seen by the exact same person.
Long Yin hugged his naked waist and leaned down with a smile, while Feng Qingyun raised his only usable hand to push him away. However, the skin-on-skin contact made his ears turn red since the Demon Lord’s chest exuded hot vapors, oh-so-firmly attached to his hand.
Feng Qingyun immediately looked away and wanted to scold him, but he still did not dare open his mouth. The only thing he was capable of doing was to resist in complete silence. However, Long Yin still insisted in his ear: “My dear Palace Master, hurry up and choose one. Which one do you like best among the three people I mentioned?”
There were no three people! There was only one!
Feng Qingyun couldn’t even bear to look at him, but Long Yin was still firmly attached to his body, wrapped around him like a naked, warm demon from the Underworld. Left with no other options, Feng Qingyun released the main vine from his primordial body. The ferocious thorny vine wrapped around Long Yin’s hand, trying to push him away, with its thorns crossing the back of the man’s hand, about to draw blood. At present, Feng Qingyun was no longer the previous little rose that was unable to bloom. With the blessing of sucking the Dragon God’s essence, his vine was full of flower buds, with strong, sharp thorns. And yet, Long Yin didn’t pull back when the thorns touched him. Instead, he grabbed one of the buds and… Immediately began to rub its petals.
“——?!”
Feng Qingyun trembled, opened his eyes wide, and immediately moved his hands to gather his vine in his arms, protecting it like a cocoon.
“The past me, the present me, or the me as the Dragon God,” Long Yin quickly jumped at the chance to ask his question. “Which one do you like?”
Feng Qingyun answered uncontrollably: “All–” His whole body turned red, acting like the next words made him feel extremely ashamed, even more ashamed than having his stamens rubbed and played with. Unable to continue, he bit the tip of his tongue, in an effort to stop the answer from seeing the light of day.
Long Yin raised his hand to pinch his chin, helping Feng Qingyun loosen the tip of his tongue with a gentle touch. “Hmm?” he whispered, gently coaxing him.
T.N: oh boy, this entire chapter I was like “Just fuc*ing kiss already, dammit!” Also, I seem to be followed by the curse of people not liking the novels I choose to translate 😭 But oh well, I like this one so I’ll continue to translate it even though its rating on NU is abysmal. So yeah, if you’re feeling generous, please don’t hesitate to head over to this link here and give it a better rating. Thank you!
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As usual, up to five chapters in advance are available here. Happy reading!
