Hanba Xie Ying seemed to sense something and glanced toward Su Su and the others.
Everyone was terrified. They had anticipated dangers in the Demon Realm, but never expected to encounter an ancient Demonic Beast here.
If they were to confront her, none would survive.
Perhaps detecting nothing unusual, Xie Ying averted her gaze.
Someone in the hall spoke up: "Demon Emperor, you claimed to have news of the Demon God—is it true?"
At these words, the entire assembly was stunned.
The Demon God—a figure from antiquity who could command the winds and clouds! If Xie Ying’s presence could stir the waters of the Six Realms, the emergence of the Demon God could overturn them entirely, slaying even Buddhas in their path!
Only one born with the Evil Bone could make all Demonic Beasts bow in submission.
Hearing the words "Demon God," all the Demonic Beasts grew fervent.
Whispers filled the hall. Cang Hai didn’t even dare wipe his sweat, never having imagined the Demon Realm would be so terrifying. Xie Ying had awakened, yet the immortal realm remained unaware.
So the Demon Emperor was Hanba—not "he," but "she."
Xie Ying rested her hand on the throne, her tone languid and amused: "Indeed. Ten thousand years ago, during the War of Gods and Demons, the Demon God perished. Since then, Demonic Beasts have either been suppressed in the Desolate Abyss or lingered in the Demon Realm, barely surviving. I turned into withered bones, slumbering at the bottom of the Xunzhou Sea."
But Hanba had died in the War of Gods and Demons ten millennia ago—how could she awaken again in this era?
As if reading their thoughts, Xie Ying waved her hand, and a vision materialized in the air.
Tantai Jin frowned as he looked: above a barren, lifeless cold pond in the Demon Realm, a cyan Demonic Seal slowly rotated.
The faint soul of Taotie swirled around the seal.
Someone recognized the cyan seal and exclaimed in disbelief: "It’s the Marrow Cleansing Seal!"
Xie Ying chuckled: "Though the Demon God dissipated, he left this behind. It ranks first among the three great Demonic Artifacts of antiquity—the Marrow Cleansing Seal. I protected it with my life, spending tens of thousands of years with it at the bottom of the Xunzhou Sea. Later, absorbing the Demonic Energy of the Xunzhou Sea, I managed to awaken."
It was also relying on the aura of the Marrow Cleansing Seal that Xie Ying suddenly gained consciousness one day.
But when she awoke, the world had changed beyond recognition—Demonic Beasts lived worse than rats in gutters. This was no longer the ancient era where the Demon God once dominated.
She yearned desperately for a new Demon God to emerge, but none appeared. None at all!
Xie Ying found it strange: all things in the world cycle endlessly. As long as immortal spiritual energy persists, the Evil Bone should not vanish.
Yet no new Demon God descended. She returned to the forbidden cold pond in the Demon Realm and sent the Marrow Cleansing Seal back—this was the last hope they had preserved for millennia.
Beneath the cold pond, the ancient Demon God’s Seven-Revolutions Profound Return Array activated, and dense Demonic Energy began to saturate the entire Demon Realm.
Xie Ying slaughtered numerous mortals and Cultivators, using their blood to sacrifice to the Soul of the Gluttonous Beast within the Marrow Cleansing Seal.
The more lives lost, the thicker the Demonic Energy grew.
The golden cores within the Cultivators were devoured by Taotie, and the Seven-Revolutions Profound Return Array transformed them into Demon Cores.
Once a Demon Core was implanted into a Cultivator, they would either explode from inability to withstand it or lose all past memories and become a Demonic Cultivator."The Demon God has not manifested in this world, but since we possess the Marrow Cleansing Seal and the Seven Revolutions Profound Return Array, why don't we personally nurture a new master? I slaughtered everyone in Taixu," Xie Ying said. "By extracting half of my and Jingmie's spiritual power and connecting it with the Seven Revolutions Profound Return Array, we forged the most powerful Demon Core. We only need to find a Cultivator with exceptional talent and implant the Demon Core into their body. In the future, no matter how powerful the Soul of the Gluttonous Beast becomes, our master will match that strength."
When Yaoguang heard "exceptional talent," she nearly rushed out.
Su Su quickly grabbed her: "Yaoguang, don't be impulsive!"
Yaoguang's eyes reddened: "Hanba must be referring to Gongye Jiewu."
Everyone's expressions turned grim. For the demonic realm, this was a chance at rebirth from desperation. The Marrow Cleansing Seal and Profound Return Array could continuously transform immortals into demons, but for the immortal realm, this was undoubtedly terrible news.
Su Su recalled the Cultivators she had seen earlier who failed to absorb the implanted Demon Core—they died in despair and agony.
Even those who survived became mere weapons for the demons, forgetting all their Cultivation and turning into Demonic Cultivators until they exhausted their usefulness and perished.
The Southern Nether Lord spoke up: "Might I ask if the one Xie Ying refers to is Gongye Jiewu, disciple of Qu Xuanzi from the Hengyang Sect?"
After all, over so many years, he was the only young Immortal Lord who could be called a genius with Cultivation advancing a thousand miles in a single day.
Xie Ying smiled without answering and clapped her hands.
Above the previously empty throne, a surge of immense Demonic Energy suddenly appeared.
A man in dark blue robes materialized out of thin air upon the throne. Xie Ying leaned close, blowing a breath by his ear, and said with a laugh: "My master, everyone is here, awaiting your command."
The blue-robed man's garments were embroidered with vivid Taotie patterns.
Amid Xie Ying's bewitching tone, he slowly opened his eyes. His once-clear features were now tainted with heavy Demonic Energy. He frowned in pain, clutching his chest.
"Master, do you remember who I am?"
The man lifted his gaze, his icy eyes devoid of emotion. Staring into Xie Ying's eyes, he said: "Xie Ying."
The moment she saw the man, Yaoguang covered her mouth, sobbing uncontrollably.
Su Su's face also turned pale. She closed her eyes, unable to bear the sight.
Before coming, she had imagined the worst outcome, but witnessing her senior brother transformed into a Demonic Cultivator by Hanba and Jingmie filled her with unbearable sorrow.
Gongye Jiewu—a man of such brilliance and unparalleled clarity.
He was the gentlest memory in Su Su's hundred years of recollection.
In a world of blades and shadows, he would take her to the Hengyang Sect's Immortal Mountain to see newborn rabbits. He taught her Sword Control and made pastries for her using the sweetest morning dew.
Why did it have to be like this!
She gripped the Heavy Feather Konghou at her neck tightly, its sharp strings cutting her fingertips until they bled.
For a moment, Su Su shared Yaoguang's impulse—she wanted to kill them!
How could they turn Senior Brother Gongye into this?
Her senior brother would rather die than live as a blade wielded by demons against the immortal realm and all living beings, using mortal blood and fellow Cultivators' golden cores to enhance his Cultivation.
Unnoticed, tears rolled from her eyes.
A warm hand touched her cheek, wiping away the teardrops.
Su Su looked up and saw Tantai Jin's cold expression.
His slightly rough fingers gently stroked her lower eyelid. But rather than pity, there was something even colder in his eyes.He regarded her with a chilling gaze. In all the five hundred years since, Su Su had never seen such a terrifying expression on his face.
It was like the calm before a storm, tinged with the mockery of one who had uncovered the truth.
"So, it was for him?" Suddenly, his lips curved into a smile, as if he had realized something absurd, and he let out a hoarse, uncontrollable laugh.
He laughed wildly, heedless of the setting, startling Cang Hai beside him: "Junior Brother…"
Seeing Gongye Jiewu, who looked exactly like "Xiao Lin," if Su Su and Yaoguang felt sorrow, Tantai Jin’s heart was left with nothing but icy cold and maddening jealousy.
Five hundred years ago, she had adored the peerless Prince Xiao Lin.
When Xiao Lin died, she demanded his life in return. Amidst the armies, the girl in white drew her bow and shot at him without hesitation.
And now, her smiles and tears were still reserved for that person.
Had it been for Xiao Lin, five hundred years ago, that she went to the side of that despicable mortal hostage? And now, five hundred years later, for Gongye Jiewu, she went to great lengths to obtain a token to the Demon Realm.
So, he had merely been a joke in someone else’s love story!
From a very young age, even when he was ignorant and lacked a love thread, he had envied Xiao Lin. He imitated that person’s gentle speech and demeanor, disguising himself as harmless and kind.
Though he wanted to take everything from Xiao Lin,
he had never been jealous of him.
Until this moment, Tantai Jin’s hand, which had been wiping her tears, slid down to grip the young girl’s chin, as malice and jealousy surged wildly within him.
Watching her sorrowful expression, he felt both an urge to laugh in delight and a fragile desire to weep.
If you like Gongye Jiewu, now that he’s become a Demonic Cultivator, can you stop liking him?
Yet moments later, his gaze turned aggrieved and sorrowful. Don’t like him. Look at me instead, just look at me, won’t you?
Su Su parted her lips slightly. Others might not understand, but she did.
She had intended to explain, but after a moment’s thought, she fell silent.
Coldly, she thought, Why should I explain to him? Even if I hadn’t cultivated the Path of Ruthlessness, I would never love anyone in the future. And even if I did, what does it have to do with Tantai Jin?
When no answer came from her, his initially pitiful, kitten-like eyes gradually turned cold.
It’s meaningless. He couldn’t tell whether his heart was filled with despairing indifference or a constricting pain.
Cang Hai tugged at Tantai Jin: "Junior Brother, shh, shh, don’t speak!"
Cang Hai was genuinely panicked. His once obedient and endearing junior brother seemed like a different person ever since meeting Fairy Li.
Tantai Jin had become sensitive, neurotic, and unpredictable in his moods. Cang Hai had long noticed that one morning, in a short span of time, his junior brother had secretly glanced at Fairy Li sixteen times. Yet, when Fairy Li lifted her gaze, he coldly averted his eyes.
But whatever love or hatred existed, couldn’t they discuss it later? They were in the Demon Realm, after all. How was it that the moment they saw that Gongye Jiewu, all three of them had changed expressions? Cang Hai felt bitterly distressed but had no way to voice it.
Tantai Jin pulled his sleeve free from Cang Hai’s grasp and smiled. "But Hanba noticed us long ago."
"Wh-what?"
Just as Cang Hai was about to turn around, a coquettish laugh rang out: "I suppose you’ve all had your fill of the spectacle? Why not come out and chat?"
With a wave of Xie Ying’s hand, the group found themselves involuntarily flying toward her.
The Demonic Beasts retreated one after another, and now everyone’s attention was fixed on them.
Seeing them, Jingmie’s face darkened: "It’s you lot!"It was clear that Demonic Cultivators held grudges. Being wounded by Su Su and Tantai Jin was a great humiliation for him as a Demonic Cultivator at the Unity stage.
When Xie Ying saw Jingmie's expression, she covered her lips and gloated, "So it was them who injured you. Jingmie, you truly are useless."
As Xie Ying's gaze fell upon Su Su's face, a strange look flashed in her eyes.
"You look so much like... an old acquaintance of mine." However, that was such a distant memory. She merely mentioned it casually. This girl was as radiant as peach blossoms, her striking beauty rare across the Six Realms. What a pity she was destined to perish here today.
When her eyes swept over Tantai Jin, Xie Ying also felt regret. Such a pure young cultivator—once he became nourishment for the Marrow Cleansing Seal, those slightly arrogant and sinister eyes would lose their vitality.
Xie Ying raised her hand with a smile, but her expression suddenly turned cold as her fingers tightened.
Su Su felt an invisible hand gripping her throat, making it impossible to breathe.
Cang Hai kicked his legs in the air, his eyes rolling back. If only he hadn't come to this damned place. He hadn't found his master but had encountered a Hanba of this level. Today, he would surely meet his end here.
When Xie Ying decided it was time to extract their golden cores, the Chongyu Qin appeared in Su Su's hands.
Struggling, Su Su plucked a chord. The sound wave struck Xie Ying, and black smoke rose from her slender fingers.
Forced to release them, Xie Ying raised her hand to shield her face from the sound wave. When she saw the Chongyu Qin in Su Su's hands, aside from the anger of being wounded, a flicker of interest also emerged.
"How intriguing. To think such a powerful Immortal Artifact exists, capable of harming my true form."
Given time, if this little girl were allowed to grow, she might become a worthy opponent. But they were destined not to wait that long.
Since she hadn't fully matured yet, the best course was to eliminate her now.
Xie Ying's killing intent surged. Her nails grew wildly, gleaming with an endless cold light, and her fangs bared as she moved to kill Su Su directly.
Tantai Jin's fingers twitched, and the God Slaying Crossbow within him stirred restlessly.
Just then, Xie Ying's hand was blocked by a sharp sword.
Xie Ying laughed in surprise, "Master?"
Gongye Jiewu, who had previously been as still as a wooden puppet, had somehow positioned himself in front of Su Su and the others.
His cold, emotionless eyes fixed on Xie Ying as he said, "Let them go."
Xie Ying's gaze flickered, but she only smiled without speaking.
Gongye Jiewu's face was shrouded in dense Demonic Energy, yet he repeated stiffly, "Let them go!"
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