Yun Ya shook his head: “First, I cannot confirm if she is currently resting or has entered dreamland; second, I have no connection with her, so I cannot infiltrate her dreams.”

He mentioned the medium again. This meant he had connections with her and Zhao Yun, which allowed him to enter their respective dreamscapes.

What exactly was this medium? There shouldn’t be any such unrestrained divine ability in the world that could probe people’s hearts, so Feng Miaojun was more inclined to believe it required close contact to establish.

The question arose: in what identity or appearance had Yun Ya appeared to have contact with both her and Zhao Yun?

Certainly not as someone unknown.

Seeing her lost in thought, Yun Ya couldn’t help but smile bitterly to himself. This girl’s thoughts were meticulous; he only had to give a few words, and she could deduce many clues.

Some secrets were better kept. Therefore, he abruptly changed the topic:

“Now, do you understand Zhao Yun’s true reason for coming to Wuser City?”

“Besides paying New Year’s respects to me, he also wants to collect intelligence on the Demon Realm and find ways to interfere with New Xia’s internal affairs,” she said slowly. “For example, dealing with me.”

“No,” Yun Ya plucked a branch of peach blossoms, “it’s to control you and deal with Fu Lingchuan.”

She knew it; the throne was a hot potato. If she didn’t scheme against others, others wouldn’t leave her alone. But under the illumination of the prayer lanterns, with Yun Ya standing before she held a flowering branch, Feng Miaojun inexplicably recalled the most fitting line:

The person’s face and peach blossoms reflect each other’s redness.

She suddenly burst into laughter. His beauty truly made all women in the world feel ashamed.

This laugh was so carefree that even Yun Ya was stunned, not knowing what was so amusing about his words.

Feng Miaojun contained her laughter and coughed lightly: “Indeed, I face both internal and external troubles, even supposed allies are plotting against me.”

Yun Ya’s gaze carefully examined her face: “An’an doesn’t seem worried.”

She snorted softly: “Would sitting and brooding in distress help?” One must look to the future while living in the present. The path must be walked step by step.

“May I share An’an’s worries?”

When he spoke these words, his expression was filled with a tenderness that could drown a person, which instead put Feng Miaojun on high alert: “What do you mean?”

“You can turn external threats into assistance to solve internal troubles,” Yun Ya stepped forward, plucked a peach blossom from the branch, and gently placed it in her hair, “Fu Lingchuan and other powerful clans are difficult to deal with. An’an is isolated and weak, why not ally with me to gain strong support?”

Feng Miaojun slightly tilted her head to look at him: “How do we form this alliance?”

“Ally with Wei, eliminate external threats, and I can assist you with all my strength.” With points of lantern light reflected in her eyes, Yun Ya couldn’t resist bending down, wanting to steal a kiss.

Her taste was too good; one taste would lead to addiction.

But Feng Miaojun covered his mouth with her hand, gently pushing him away: “That would be asking the tiger for its skin!”

Had another young girl been enchanted by his sweet talk, she might have been besotted, but Feng Miaojun remained clearheaded and wouldn’t be deceived by his beautiful appearance.

This man was treacherous and ruthless, capable of anything. Despite his divine appearance and his tenderness toward her, who knew how many calculations lay in his mind?

Essentially, how was he any different from Fu Lingchuan or Zhao Yun?

They were all scheming against her.

“Want an alliance?” Her eyes flashed with intelligence, “Show me your sincerity.”

He asked her: “How can my sincerity be visible to An’an?”

Feng Miaojun raised an eyebrow, smiling sweetly: “The State Preceptor must find the way himself; that’s what makes it sincere.” Finally, she had gotten a small revenge; for two days, she had been on the defensive.

There was an indescribable meaning in Yun Ya’s gaze, and finally, he nodded: “Very well, I shall make An’an see my sincerity.”

The peach blossoms were alluring, the prayer lanterns warm, and the jade-like young man’s eyes were full of deep affection. Somehow, this setting, mood, and scene became increasingly intimate. Feng Miaojun felt her hands and feet growing uncomfortable, so she had to cough lightly: “How much do you know about the demons?”

Yun Ya’s gaze slightly focused: “Why do you ask?”

“Is the demon a single entity or a race?” Feng Miaojun wanted to scratch her head at the thought, “I’ve seen many records in the Smoke Sea Tower, with various accounts about the demons’ origins. The most consistent version says they are a prehistoric remnant race with many supernatural attributes. This is very strange because, in my research of ancient texts, there’s never any mention of a demon race. Instead, there was an extraordinarily powerful alien race; even humans and beasts united couldn’t match them. Later, after a great cataclysm, this alien race vanished without a trace, and demons appeared in the world. Is there any connection between the two?”

She paused and continued: “I’ve calculated the time; from the first historical mention of demons to their becoming invincible, it seems to be just over a hundred years. But how they suddenly failed, how they retreated to the Demon Realm—no one can clearly explain these matters.”

The sea of knowledge was vast, with many different opinions. Even if she could read all the books in the Smoke Sea Tower, the truth always lay beyond the historical records. As a descendant, she could only deduce but never reconstruct the most authentic past.

Yun Ya lowered his eyes, seemingly in contemplation.

After a long while, he finally said deeply: “Demons are not the alien race. Before the current era, the alien race was called the barbaric tribe, which also gave birth to celestial gods who could stand equally with beast tribes and humans, and even surpassed them. The contradictions among these three gradually deepened, finally erupting into a divine war that swept across the entire continent. Many celestial gods perished, not to mention immortals and sages. What we now see as the Forbidden Sea was originally the most prosperous area of this continent, a flourishing scene like oil in a blazing fire. Because it was the main battlefield of the celestial gods, it was carved by great divine powers into its present form.”

Feng Miaojun’s small mouth couldn’t close: “So the legend is true.” The legend of the Forbidden Sea had persisted for too long; she had always regarded it as just a legend, as its content was too absurd. What divine power could have such might to sink an entire continent? That was over ten million square kilometers of land; could the power of celestial gods directly push it to the bottom of the sea?

Moving mountains and shifting seas would seem utterly weak in the face of such mighty power, wouldn’t they?

“Does An’an also feel she was born at the wrong time?” Yun Ya smiled, “Not having personally experienced such a colorful era of gods and demons is a regret for our generation.”

“Let’s get back to the demons,” he was a good teacher, always knowing how to focus on the key points, “After the divine war, this world was left riddled with wounds. The celestial gods finally realized they shouldn’t continue to live among mortals, so the surviving gods and immortals all went to other worlds. The powerful beings among beast tribes, humans, and barbaric tribes disappeared from the mortal realm.”

So, this was the truth behind the departure of gods and immortals? Feng Miaojun searched through the history books she had read; there were a few that matched Yun Ya’s account, but none were as definitive and certain as his.

But there was one point: “If they all left, where did the demons come from?”