Tantai Jin had never imagined things would turn out this way.
The complex, heavy, and cold resentment in his heart truly couldn't be unleashed upon a little girl, yet she had seen through his feelings at a glance.
Those hidden, despicable emotions he was unwilling to admit.
Yes, he liked her.
Even when he had no love thread, he had liked her immensely. Five hundred years had passed, and he thought he hated her, wishing to exhaust all means in the world to find her and perish together with her in the yellow earth. But he could deceive everyone except himself.
He still liked her; all his aspirations in this life were centered on one person.
Yet he also knew this affection would not be tolerated.
Too many things stood between them: Xiao Lin's death, Ye Xi Wu's elder brother's death, and in the end, her leaping from the city tower to end her life with him.
She would never love him; she only wanted to kill him.
So when she said he liked her, he fell silent. How ridiculous would it be to admit that he liked her?
Seeing that he neither admitted nor refuted it, Little Su Su confirmed her thoughts inwardly. She looked at this "strange" person before her, yawned, rubbed her eyes with her small hands, and fell asleep on his shoulder.
Only when her even breathing sounded did Tantai Jin seem to gradually come back to his senses.
The girl slept sweetly in his embrace.
The brilliant sunset glow in the sky grew increasingly dim, the singing birds dispersed, and the surroundings still seemed peculiar to Tantai Jin.
No matter where he was, the sky would never darken this quickly.
With no other choice, Tantai Jin carried the little girl with one arm and walked forward. Not far ahead, he saw a bamboo hut illuminated by candlelight.
Flowers bloomed around the bamboo hut, fireflies danced, and even Epiphyllum flowers bloomed at night, their faint fragrance reminiscent of the scent emanating from the girl in his arms.
Tantai Jin carried Little Su Su inside.
Now that everywhere else was dark, only this place was lit. To find answers, he had to come here.
Inside the bamboo hut was a beautiful and exquisite bed. After a moment's hesitation, he laid the soundly sleeping girl upon it.
As the surroundings grew quiet, he coughed twice, spitting out traces of blood.
Tantai Jin sharply raised his eyes and saw a winding shadow emerge from the dimness cast by the candlelight.
Narrowing his eyes, Tantai Jin shot a bolt of lightning from his palm.
The shadow trembled and retreated back into the darkness, yet it did not dissipate.
Frowning, Tantai Jin naturally couldn't sleep. He guarded Su Su, waiting for dawn in this utterly strange place.
However, as the first hint of daylight appeared, the girl he had been staring at unblinkingly suddenly vanished.
"Li Susu!"
Along with the entire bamboo hut, everything turned to nothingness.
Tantai Jin rushed outside. The sky outside was gray and gloomy, and the soft, pink-cheeked girl had disappeared into the shadows. In her place, a tall figure slowly rose from a thicket of thorns.
Behind it, the girl slept on a blooming lotus platform, being taken away.
Countless wraiths merged with it, forming a black shadow with demonic horns on its head. It charged at Tantai Jin.
Tantai Jin glared at it darkly.
"You're seeking death!"
His spiritual sword had shattered, and the items given by the Carefree Sect's master were too impractical to be of any use in this place.
Yet the things he could use... were tainted with heavy ghostly energy that would corrupt his pure Spiritual Root.
Using blood as a catalyst, a purple demonic crossbow engraved with dragon patterns materialized in his hand.The demonic crossbow fed on resentment, and the moment it appeared in his hand, his dark pupils instantly took on an eerie red hue.
Tantai Jin also knew that since he had chosen the Immortal Path, he absolutely should not use the weapons of demonic beasts.
Yet he could not care less. Whoever dared to snatch her from him must die—every last one of them!
If any immortal realm expert were present, they would surely be shocked to see the weapon in his hand—the ancient God Slaying Crossbow, known to bewitch the mind and incite slaughter.
The instant the God Slaying Crossbow appeared, purple lightning tore through the sky, roaring as it charged toward the wraith demons.
A hundred-zhang-long fissure split the ground, and the wraith demon shrieked as it crashed to the earth.
The youth’s boots, embroidered with fish patterns, stepped firmly on it.
His crimson eyes gleamed with an otherworldly light as he licked his lips. “Good child, tell me, where has she gone?”
“Tch, can’t speak, huh?” The youth chuckled in frustration. “Fine, then just die.”
The God Slaying Crossbow in his hand, wreathed in purple lightning, devoured the densely packed wraith demons on the ground before they could flee.
Echoes of wild, unrestrained laughter filled the air. Tantai Jin spread his arms wide, his heart consumed by the thirst for slaughter, and vanished from the spot in an instant.
“Where is this?”
Su Su opened her eyes on the lotus platform. The girl leaned over the petals to peer downward, catching sight of a beautiful valley.
It was spring in the valley, blooming with delicate, enchanting flowers.
The lotus platform had been frantically carrying her away, and a panicked voice cried out, “Quick, quick, come inside with me! That terrifying person is catching up to us. Ah! He killed all of master’s wraith demons—just who is he?”
Su Su reached out and grabbed a beautifully crafted, ice-blue konghou.
The konghou rapidly shrank, settling in her palm, and spoke in an exuberant childlike voice, “You can see me?”
Little Su Su nodded.
The konghou said, “This is the Thousand-Mile Scroll. I could only bring you here to hide. The Mirror of the Past preserves ancient scenes within the Cangyuan Secret Realm, realistic enough to deceive anyone. You were just in the scene of a great demon’s birth. If we hadn’t left, the wraiths would have devoured you.”
“Thousand-Mile Scroll?”
Seeing the girl’s slightly confused expression, the konghou cleared its throat and declared in a childish voice, “Allow me to introduce myself! I am the most powerful, the last intact Divine Artifact across the six realms and ten directions—the Heavy Feather Konghou, the spirit born of this instrument!”
“You’re amazing, instrument spirit.”
The konghou corrected her, “Not ‘instrument spirit’—call me ‘Chongyu’!”
The girl nodded and said, “Chongyu.”
The konghou spun in her palm and said, “You should call me Lord Chongyu.”
“Lord Chongyu,” little Su Su asked, “where are you taking me?”
At this topic, Chongyu happily replied, “I’ve been waiting for you for many years. Someone has always wanted to see you.”
“Who?”
Chongyu paused, then said, “He is the master of the Cangyuan Secret Realm, and also my master. He cares for you deeply and would never harm you. You were nearly ensnared by the Mirror of the Past just now, and your soul is unstable. The Thousand-Mile Scroll is something he left to protect you—it’s nurturing your soul. One day inside the scroll, and you’ll grow a year older. You’ll soon mature and regain your immortal powers and memories.”
Su Su sensed no malice from it and agreed.
The lotus platform carried Su Su as the girl and the zither flew through the scroll. As they approached the valley ahead, Chongyu exclaimed excitedly, “We’re here, we’re here! He’s waiting for you inside.”
But just as the lotus platform was about to touch the barrier, a young man in black robes materialized out of thin air.
The youth tilted his head and smiled at the bewildered Chongyu and Su Su on the lotus platform. “Found you.”He raised his hand, aiming the God Slaying Crossbow’s arrow at Chongyu. Chongyu panicked, crying as it hid in Su Su’s arms: "Save me, save me!"
It whimpered in a childish voice in Su Su’s palm, all traces of its earlier arrogance completely gone.
Su Su held it, puzzled, and said, "Aren’t you the most powerful Immortal Artifact across all realms?"
Chongyu replied pitifully, "I still need someone to wield me! I’m only as strong as my master. Besides, he has the God Slaying Crossbow."
It shrank further into Su Su’s embrace.
As they spoke, little Su Su looked up at the approaching figure.
The young man stood in the air, his figure slender. The hem of his black robes fluttered in the wind, a smile playing on his lips, but his crimson eyes were icy cold. Demonic Energy surged around him, and blood dripped steadily from his hand.
The girl stared at him blankly, her lips trembling as if she were about to cry along with Chongyu.
Su Su was still nurturing her soul and understood nothing. Yet her innate spiritual instinct told her that the person who had once seemed fond of her now carried an unsettling aura.
She recalled him saying he hated her. If he hated her, would he kill her?
Tantai Jin’s vision was stained crimson. He had slaughtered countless spirits blocking his path to get here, and Demonic Energy clouded his lashes. His cold, emotionless eyes fixed on them.
As he reached out, little Su Su, in a moment of quick-witted desperation, grabbed his wrist and pleaded in her childish voice, "Don’t kill us! When I grow up, I’ll be very strong and can protect you!"
Chongyu, nestled in her arms, thought despairingly, What kind of promise is that?! He’s clearly succumbed to demonic influence—those who fall to darkness can’t be reasoned with; they become slaves to their Demonic Artifacts.
Moreover, this was the God Slaying Crossbow, a weapon that robbed one of sanity. Once unleashed, there was no turning back. While granting Supreme Power, it turned its wielder into a madman consumed by slaughter.
Why did he possess the God Slaying Crossbow? Wasn’t that thing lost to the Underworld since ancient times?
Gritting its teeth, Chongyu prepared to unleash its full power, ready to fight and help Su Su escape.
But the next moment, the young man murmured softly, "Protect me?"
The girl chirped in response, "Yes, protect you!"
"Will you... lie to me?"
The girl shook her head.
Struggle flickered across the young man’s face—the desire to kill and self-destruct warring within him—before finally settling into stillness. Chongyu watched in astonishment as the God Slaying Crossbow vanished from the black-robed youth’s hand. His crimson pupils faded, returning to black.
With the raging Demonic Energy gone, Chongyu finally saw his true appearance.
He was a youth with strikingly beautiful features, almost unnervingly handsome. Pale from blood loss, his lips were a startling, vivid red.
Under the anxious gazes of the girl and the qin, he knelt, lifting the little girl from the lotus platform.
Chongyu snapped back to reality and hurriedly said, "Wait! You can’t leave yet. I need to take her into the valley."
The young man’s cold gaze fell upon Chongyu.
Chongyu stammered weakly, "We—we have to go there to leave the Thousand-Mile Scroll and the Cangyuan Secret Realm. I—I’m not lying. This is the Secret Realm master’s lingering wish. He... has been waiting for many years."
"The Cangyuan Secret Realm has a master?" Tantai Jin asked.
"Of course."
Tantai Jin pondered this. Only an ancient, powerful being could possess a Secret Realm. For such a figure’s lingering wish to be seeing Su Su—what connection did she have with him?
After explaining, Chongyu looked at Tantai Jin expectantly, hoping he would carry Su Su into the valley. But Tantai Jin turned away coldly and left.As they moved farther away from the valley, the young man intended to tear apart the Thousand-Mile Scroll with his bare hands. Chongyu grew frantic, emitting waves of sound in an attempt to halt Tantai Jin’s steps.
“Her father wanted to see her!” Chongyu finally blurted out.
At these words, little Su Su curiously peeked out. “My father?”
Chongyu knew she was currently nurturing her soul and would have no memory of this in the future. This had been the original intention of its master when creating the Cangyuan Secret Realm—to allow her to live without burdens.
Chongyu said despondently, “Her father was also my master, the lord of the Cangyuan Secret Realm. After the War of Gods and Demons, he perished, body and soul, nearly ten thousand years ago. As the ancient Demon King and ruler of the nether beings, he was forced by the Demon God’s command to injure the Goddess Chuhuang. Only later did he learn that Chuhuang was already carrying his child. Because of that strike, Su Su was born without a breath of life.”
“The Goddess Chuhuang was heartbroken and hated him to the core. She destroyed her own love thread and, using the Nine Heavens Jade as a medium, harnessed the power of time and space to gather her daughter’s soul across the six realms. If I’m not mistaken, it was only a hundred years ago that Su Su was able to break free from her shell and enter the world.”
Chongyu’s voice was filled with sorrow. “When my master fell in battle, he pulled out his heart protecting scale, hoping to safeguard the Goddess Chuhuang and Su Su. He extracted his own love thread and gave it to the Goddess Chuhuang. His only regret was not being able to see Su Su grow up.”
Tantai Jin listened expressionlessly.
Love thread, heart protecting scale—everything aligned with what Ye Bingshang had possessed five hundred years ago.
So it was the heart protecting scale of the ancient Demon King. Yet that Demon King never knew his scale had not reached Chuhuang and their daughter but had instead fallen into the mortal realm.
To dwell on these matters now held no meaning whatsoever.
Fearing that Tantai Jin would remain unmoved and leave with Su Su, Chongyu hastily added, “My master was not evil! He loved Chuhuang and never meant to harm his own daughter. For many years afterward, he gathered countless rare treasures, hoping to help his daughter awaken. He even personally forged the Heavy Feather Konghou, wishing it could protect her in the future. Unfortunately, the War of Gods and Demons came too suddenly, and he had no time to deliver any of it.”
His body and soul had dissipated, leaving only a trace of obsession lingering in the Cangyuan Secret Realm, longing to see his daughter.
It was for this reason that Chongyu had opened the Thousand-Mile Scroll, allowing Su Su to age one year for each day within the scroll, fulfilling its master’s sole wish.
Tantai Jin remained unmoved. Though he now possessed a love thread, someone who had never known a day of familial care since birth could never comprehend the significance of the word “father” to another person.
He began to leave with Su Su, but the girl in his arms tugged at his collar and said, “I want to see Father!”
With that, she recklessly tried to leap toward the Heavy Feather Konghou ahead.
Tantai Jin tightened his arm, holding her firmly.
The girl’s eyes reddened. Though she didn’t fully understand the story Chongyu had told, the bond of blood stirred her instincts, compelling her to act.
Tantai Jin looked into her pure, stubborn eyes and said, “I’ll take you.”
Chongyu soared into the air, joyfully leading the way.
This was the very purpose of its guardianship in the Cangyuan Secret Realm. From this day onward, it could finally leave this place.
No one had spoken to Chongyu in many years. Now that it had finally encountered the one it had been waiting for, Chongyu transformed into a chatterbox, eagerly conversing with Su Su.Chongyu glanced at the youth holding Su Su, its mind still lingering on the earlier scene. Aware of Tantai Jin's dangerous nature, it couldn't help but ask, "How do you possess the God Slaying Crossbow?"
Hadn't the God Slaying Crossbow fallen into the Underworld? Moreover, how could such an arrogant and unruly Demonic Artifact merge with the flesh and blood of a Cultivator?
Chongyu scrutinized him from all angles but couldn't detect the slightest trace of Demonic Energy from the youth.
A genuine Cultivator, without a doubt.
That Tantai Jin could command the God Slaying Crossbow and even retract the Demonic Artifact—what a terrifying talent!
If outsiders were to learn of this, neither immortals nor demons would let him be.
The demon realm would eagerly want him as their Demon Lord, while the immortal realm would likely seek to eliminate him without delay.
Having hidden in the Secret Realm for nearly ten thousand years, Chongyu was the last Divine Artifact unknown to the world. Forged by an ancient Demon King who painstakingly gathered materials and commissioned an artificer, it wasn't as powerful as naturally existing ancient Divine Artifacts, nor did it harbor innate prejudice against Demonic Beasts.
Even so, Chongyu was still astonished. Its master, such a formidable ancient Demon King, couldn't wield Divine Artifacts. Yet this mere Golden Core stage Cultivator youth could actually use a Demonic Artifact—just who was he?
Tantai Jin lowered his head. The girl in his arms was staring at him unblinkingly. Extremely perceptive, she asked a similar question to Chongyu's, though more bluntly: "Are you a bad person?"
Gazing at the Cinnabar mark between her brows, he replied, "I don't know."
It doesn't depend on me, but on you.
After you leave the Cangyun Secret Realm, will you walk away from a bad person? Will you love... a good person?
OpenNovel