However, the little fox was quite susceptible to this approach.

Watching Tang Youshu painfully calling out in low voices for Ling’er and Xiaoxiao, the little fox also choked up: “Young Master Tang, I’m here, I’m still alive! Don’t listen to his nonsense!”

Cui Xiaoxiao silently watched the water mirror. The tall man in the mirror maintained an expressionless face from beginning to end, as if the deaths of the two women had nothing to do with him.

Xiaoxiao knew that Wei Jie could sense her through the Demon Pearl’s aura. When she disappeared from the yang realm, he couldn’t possibly be unaware.

He didn’t even need to use talismans like Tang Youshu to confirm—he could sense that she was no longer in this world.

Yet that face, handsome as a banished immortal, showed no trace of sorrow. Even if she was no longer his lover, she had at least been a companion who had traveled part of the way with him. Could it be that to a man determined to cultivate immortality and attain the Dao, she was as insignificant as a roadside ant?

It seemed that those who had restored their divine nature truly had reached higher realms and wouldn’t, like mortals, shed tears over personal life and death.

Xiaoxiao didn’t want to become a stumbling block on Wei Jie’s path to immortal ascension, but seeing that he could be so heartless as to not shed even a single tear still made her heart ache with disappointment.

Xiaoxiao had always held hope for Wei Jie—that the Jie’er who always smiled at her might one day return. But now, she could finally give up completely.

That Wei Jie, who had shed tears of heartblood for her in the Phoenix Secret Realm… truly could never be found again…

Xiaoxiao slightly turned her head, no longer wanting to look at that mirror.

When Master Tang Youshu’s tears dried up, that mirror would disappear. They would also sever their final connection with the yang realm.

She should be content. At least she had benefited from Ling’er’s presence and received some sincere tears from Master Tang Youshu.

Her fate as Cui Xiaoxiao of “Ten Wounds” was too harsh. Living in this world, she was destined to have no father or mother, no sons or daughters, no ties or attachments. This was quite good, wasn’t it?

This was very good, very good indeed…

Just as she was feeling dejected, the intoxicating scent of other shore flowers faintly began to permeate her nostrils again…

Terrible! Just a moment of dejection, and she was bewitched by the demonic flowers again! She knew this wasn’t a good sign—those with weakened will were more easily bewitched by the demonic flowers.

And being in the underworld at this time, she should guard her true heart even more carefully to avoid being bewitched by death!

It was too late to hold her breath again. The demonic flower fragrance seemed to drill into her brain, making her consciousness somewhat hazy. Unknowingly, the distant River of Forgetfulness appeared before her eyes again, accompanied by the sound of splashing oars. Her feet seemed magnetically attracted, numbly and mechanically walking slowly in that direction…

Xiaoxiao’s consciousness was clear—she knew she needed to turn back, couldn’t continue walking. She didn’t want to die!

But at this moment, her body seemed possessed by a nightmare. She couldn’t speak or turn back, only desperately widening her eyes, trying to concentrate her will to control her steps.

The Demon Pearl was also extremely anxious. It didn’t want to perish with Xiaoxiao, so it cursed at Cui Xiaoxiao with every profanity, telling her to turn back quickly.

Finally, perhaps driven to desperation, the Demon Pearl began listing dish names—crystal pork knuckle, steamed mandarin fish, crab roe soup dumplings—trying to tempt her.

If Xiaoxiao weren’t possessed and unable to control herself, hearing the Demon Pearl coaxing her with such an anxious tone, saying it would take her to eat delicious food, she probably would have laughed out loud.

Just as she was in a dazed state, Yu Ling’er’s scream came from behind her: “Oh no, how… how did another blood-red mirror appear?”

Xiaoxiao had also heard new dripping sounds. Somehow, she suddenly gasped in shock, the demonic possession was broken, and she could finally turn back to look…

Beside the mirror formed by Tang Youshu’s tears, fresh blood suddenly began dripping down, and these blood-red drops gathered together to form a blood-red water mirror.

The water surface reflected Wei Jie’s figure, but he no longer seemed to be at Lord Can’s manor. Instead, he stood on the slope of Qilao Mountain, where the broken walls and ruins that Wei Jie had shattered last time remained!

It seemed that when he heard Xiaoxiao was in the underworld, he hadn’t delayed and immediately flew on his sword, reaching the underworld entrance at Qilao Mountain in an instant.

But he wasn’t crying! Only his eyes could no longer show any purple—they were completely dark red like thick blood.

Xiaoxiao was somewhat puzzled: How was this blood-red mirror of yin-yang longing formed?

Wei Jie seemed to have gotten into conflict with the Wei family’s silver-armored soldiers, but he seemed too lazy to entangle with them. He simply used the Heaven’s Punishment Sword to create shockwaves all the way, scattering the silver-armored soldiers, then charged straight to the underworld entrance at Qilao Mountain.

At this time, the Wei family grandmother was leading the clan elders to guard the entrance, preventing Wei Jie from approaching.

“Ah Jie, what are you trying to do? Don’t you know that every ten years, on the fifteenth of the eighth month, is the day when the underworld gates are sealed? Even we of the demon-subduing Wei family cannot approach the underworld ghost gate. What are you barging in here for?”

Wei Jie’s purple eyes had turned black, staring at the chaotic entrance behind the Wei family grandmother: “I… want to go in and bring someone out.”

The Wei family grandmother opened her mouth without hesitation: “No! On the day of sealing, no one can approach the underworld entrance. This is the rule left by our ancestors…”

Before grandmother could finish speaking, Wei Jie interrupted in a low voice. He seemed trapped in insoluble thoughts, talking to himself: “She’s very afraid of loneliness. It’s so dark and cold there, she won’t like it…”

After murmuring to himself, the tall man’s eyes suddenly radiated demonic killing intent. He leaped into the air like lightning and thunder, jumping to the cave entrance.

Before anyone could react, his hand had already reached toward the underworld gate.

But on the sealing day that occurred once every ten years, this underworld gate would have layer upon layer of Wei family seals—impossible to enter or exit.

Wei Jie’s hand pressed against the entrance, but he couldn’t push open that thick chaos no matter how hard he tried.

But at this time, Xiaoxiao in the underworld saw what seemed to be a man’s large palm appearing in the chaos at the exit.

She rushed over and pressed her hand against that palm, shouting: “Wei Jie, I’m here, I’m not dead yet!”

Unfortunately, her shouts couldn’t penetrate the chaos separating yin and yang.

Wei Jie’s large palm convulsively clawed at the chaos that couldn’t be torn open. Suddenly, his palm exerted force and struck fiercely at the seal.

After his divine nature was restored, his spiritual power had increased dramatically. The force of this palm was primordial spirit power that shook the four seas and eight wildernesses, immediately causing cracks in the Wei family’s layered totemic seals.

When the seals became somewhat loose, the wailing sounds of countless ghosts and spirits from the underworld could also be faintly heard through the cracks.

In those sounds of underworld spirits wailing, Wei Jie faintly heard an extremely weak, barely audible voice calling “Wei Jie.”

Just for that instant, this faint trembling voice was drowned in the sobbing of countless underworld spirits.

The cracked seals merged again, also cutting off all the hellish wailing.

Wei Jie was certain he had indeed heard Cui Xiaoxiao’s voice! She had truly strayed into the underworld and could hardly return!

As a member of the Wei family, Wei Jie knew too well what fate awaited living people who mistakenly entered the underworld.

At this time, the woman who always made his heart tear apart should have already been attracted by the other shore flowers, had her soul separated from her body, and her physical form sunk to the bottom of the River of Forgetfulness.

Otherwise, how could he hear her departed spirit’s wailing?

Wei Jie thought coldly: Good, dying was also good. Without her enchantment, he wouldn’t have to suffer the agony of a torn heart and mind anymore, enduring splitting headaches every night. That would truly be wonderful…!

Thinking this, his expressionless face slightly contorted, and his calm, waveless eyes seethed with the pain of hot oil torture.

The blue flame mark on his forehead had become blindingly bright. Previously, whenever pain struck, Wei Jie would subconsciously stop being emotional and stop thinking about that woman who disturbed his peace of mind.

But this time, even with a splitting headache, the emotions that had been suppressed and accumulated in his heart for so long could no longer be contained, like howling lava.

The brand that sealed mortal emotions seemed to have failed. The man’s cold, icy eyes had become as black as ink, and finally, accompanied by a man’s uncontrolled, angry roar, the heartblood that had long accumulated into a river in his heart flowed out uncontrollably like a bursting dam!

Xiaoxiao in the underworld heard Wei Jie’s tragic, angry roar filling her ears. She understood too well why Wei Jie was having such symptoms!

He… how was he shedding tears of heartblood again? Did he think she had drowned in the River of Forgetfulness, so he was heartbroken and grieving?

For a moment, Xiaoxiao’s heart also seemed to be extremely pulled by great joy and sorrow!

The joy was that Wei Jie wasn’t indifferent to her.

But more than that was fear and worry—she couldn’t get out now! She couldn’t immediately rush to Wei Jie’s side to tell him she was fine and still alive!

Last time, Wei Jie had only shed a few drops of heartblood tears and had been greatly weakened as a result.

Now his blood tears flowed like a river, scalding down his face. If he didn’t control his emotions, how could he still have life left?

Watching the blood mirror in front of her expand more and more, Xiaoxiao anxiously jumped and shouted at the mirror: “Tang Youshu! And those Wei family people! Are you dead? Just watching Wei Jie shed blood tears like this! What about that damn divine nature! Isn’t it supposed to be emotionless and desireless? How is it useless now?”

Yu Ling’er’s sadness over life and death separation was also mostly scared away by Cui Xiaoxiao, only asking uncertainly: “Xiaoxiao, are we going to die here?”

Die? That was impossible! If she didn’t get out, Wei Jie would probably enter the underworld too!

But the next situation was worse than Xiaoxiao had anticipated.

In the blood mirror, Wei Jie suddenly stared with his pitch-black eyes and frantically headed toward the underworld gate again. It seemed he was determined to tear open the seal and go find Xiaoxiao’s soul.

Even when Wei family guards came to stop him, Wei Jie showed no mercy. His techniques seemed intent on tearing apart and cutting down all who blocked his path.

Several Wei family guards were sent flying by him, vomiting blood—whether they lived or died was unknown.

At this time, only Wei family head Wei Jingfeng, Wei family grandmother, and a few clan elders remained standing in Wei Jie’s path…

Xiaoxiao’s heart pounded violently. Watching Wei Jie gradually lose his sanity due to losing his heartblood, showing signs of demonization.

She suddenly understood the purpose of the enemy hidden in the shadows, luring her into the underworld!

Could it be that everything they had carefully arranged… was to force Wei Jie to become a demon again?

If things continued to develop this way, Wei Jie could easily be controlled by his heart demon, lose his reason, and make the grave mistake of harming his Wei family grandmother and blood relatives!

This human tribulation was approaching and seemed unavoidable!

Thinking of this, Xiaoxiao took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and said to the Demon Pearl: “Quick, I’ll give you the chance to possess my body. I want to demonize immediately!”

Since Wei Jie could just now shake open the seal, then she definitely could do it too!

Since she couldn’t exit the underworld gate as a human, she would become a demon. After demonization, she would break open the Wei family’s seal.

The Demon Pearl in her body was refined from Demon Lord Wei Jie’s body. After demonization, Wei Jie could open the four seas and eight wildernesses, entering and exiting the three realms as if no one were there.

She also wanted to become a demon to rapidly strengthen her spiritual power!

Hearing Xiaoxiao’s words, the Demon Pearl was about to curse with a shrill voice again: “Saying such things, did birds eat your brain? You have five phoenixes on your body—do you know how hard I’m having it now? Every day, I’m being death-stared by five birds. I don’t even dare to doze off! If I trigger your demonic nature, what if they come to eat me?”

Xiaoxiao didn’t think those five phoenixes would act up in the underworld, a place of extreme yin.

But the Demon Pearl was scared witless by the birds and refused to demonize Xiaoxiao no matter what.

Xiaoxiao didn’t want to waste words with the Demon Pearl anymore. She coldly warned it to perform better later—if it couldn’t manage, don’t blame her for digging it out afterward and stomping it to pieces!

The word “couldn’t” was too insulting. Like some men, the Demon Pearl was hurt in its pride by the scolding and angrily raised its voice.

Xiaoxiao was too lazy to pay attention to this old stone. She closed her eyes and recalled her experience of becoming a demon due to the backlash of Ghost Sect’s Wan Lian Shi’s power.

The key to demonization was letting one’s primordial spirit temporarily disappear, allowing the demonic nature to take the upper hand and become the main body controlling this physical form…

Thinking of this, Xiaoxiao decisively pulled out a Soul-Stabilizing Talisman and said to Yu Ling’er beside her: “When I demonize, you remove the talisman. Also, stay far away so I don’t hurt you.”

Even though Yu Ling’er was simple-minded, she felt Xiaoxiao was courting death. Staring wide-eyed, she asked: “Will this… work?”

Xiaoxiao was extremely anxious and simply glared: “Hurry up! Stop wasting words!”

Yu Ling’er was scared into shrinking her neck and immediately stuck the Soul-Stabilizing Talisman on Xiaoxiao’s forehead.

The moment the Soul-Stabilizing Talisman was applied, Xiaoxiao’s primordial spirit was momentarily lost. In that instant, her eyes slowly turned blood red, her long hair rose like silk in mid-air, and though her whole body remained motionless, she radiated an unmistakable demonic aura.

Yu Ling’er remembered Xiaoxiao’s instructions, gritted her teeth, reached out her arm, and tremblingly tore off the Soul-Stabilizing Talisman.

The demonized girl moved her neck, then turned her blood-red, bewitching phoenix eyes, staring at Yu Ling’er with a demonic expression as if she wanted to eat fox meat.

Yu Ling’er hurriedly prepared to hide according to Xiaoxiao’s instructions.

But then she realized the underworld was empty—there wasn’t even a pebble. Where could she hide?

The little fox felt she had been tricked by Xiaoxiao and could only transform into her original form, curling into a furry ball, then using her fox paws to cover her face with her big tail, silently chanting: “Can’t see me! Can’t see me! Fox meat is gamey! Fox meat doesn’t taste good…”

However, her worries were excessive. This time, after Xiaoxiao became a demon, she seemed different from her previous bloodthirsty appearance. She retained a trace of clarity. Her blackened, elongated fingernails stopped just as they were about to grab the little fox, and she even said somewhat roughly to Yu Ling’er: “Get farther away. I’m going to crash through the barrier seal!”

Yu Ling’er was somewhat puzzled as to why Xiaoxiao was so reasonable this time. When she moved her tail and saw the faint glow emanating from Xiaoxiao’s navel, she suddenly understood.

That’s right, the fox clan’s light—that ten-thousand-year spirit stone was on Xiaoxiao’s body!

Unexpectedly, this spirit stone could allow Xiaoxiao to retain a trace of reason while demonized, so although Xiaoxiao’s language was rough and violent, she still feared hurting Yu Ling’er and told her to stay away.

Just then, the long-haired, red-eyed, bewitching girl took a deep breath, suddenly leaped up, accumulating tremendous demonic energy, and struck toward the barrier entrance like lightning.

As she leaped, five-colored light seemed to emanate from her neck.

Yu Ling’er stared in amazement as, the moment Xiaoxiao leaped up, five phoenix light shadows suddenly materialized around her, stretching their necks to cry out, spreading their wings and trailing their tails, circling Xiaoxiao as they moved forward together…

The demonic nature Xiaoxiao radiated awakened the sleeping five phoenixes again. But her demonic nature was too strong, and with Nuwa’s spirit stone protecting her body, the five phoenixes were aroused to excitement and agitation, constantly circling Xiaoxiao, actually becoming Xiaoxiao’s guardian spirits.

At this time, the fierce battle outside the ghost gate in the Yang Realm continued.

Wei Jie, gradually demonized due to extreme grief, didn’t recognize anyone. He was single-mindedly determined to open the underworld gate and rescue Xiaoxiao, who had cried out miserably earlier.

Those trapped in obsession were most easily demonized. If a great power like Wei Jie, whose golden core had already nearly transformed into a Yuan Ying stage, became a demon, it would truly be a catastrophe that would bring suffering to all living beings!

The Wei family grandmother watched her grandson unexpectedly become a demon without warning, her heart feeling as if cut by knives. In a trance, she seemed to experience again the pain of the family’s eldest son Wei Jingling’s suicide.

She had now understood that Wei Jie’s insistence on opening the ghost gate was actually because that girl Xiaoxiao had mistakenly entered the underworld.

Would both this father and son be lost to the word “love”?

Wei family head Wei Jingfeng had already taken a direct palm strike to the chest from Wei Jie while protecting his mother earlier.

If Tang Youshu hadn’t arrived in time to raise an energy shield and block for Wei Jingfeng, he would have almost died on the spot from shattered meridians and internal organs.

But Tang Youshu’s energy shield was also shattered by Wei Jie, and even Tang Youshu was knocked far away, unable to get up for a while.

The Wei family grandmother silently stood in front of her grandson, holding several silver needles in her hand. If Ah Jie lost his sanity and came to attack her, she didn’t plan to dodge. Even if it meant death, she would insert the silver needles into Ah Jie’s spiritual acupoints.

If her death could restore her grandson’s clear consciousness, then she would rather sacrifice this old life of hers…

Just as the murderous Wei Jie was about to rush to the Wei family grandmother, the guard at the cave entrance shouted again: “Family head! There’s another anomaly in the ghost gate!”

The Wei family members outside the cave also noticed the abnormality at the underworld entrance. The seals at the cave mouth were bulging and contracting, as if some evil demon inside was attacking the seals, eager to come out!

Every ten years on the fifteenth of the eighth month, although it was the Mid-Autumn reunion day, for the Wei family, it was a time to be on high alert.

Because every year at this time, perhaps due to the full moon’s influence, strange things would always try to invade through the underworld ghost gate. So the Wei family ancestral teachings stated that every Mid-Autumn full moon night, they must be vigilantly prepared and not slack off.

Especially this year, the moon suddenly showed an eerie red color—a sign of an anomaly.

Naturally, the Wei family didn’t dare to slack off, but they hadn’t expected Wei Jie to become a demon and try to break into the underworld gate.

Even more unexpected was that at this time, something in the underworld also seemed to want to break through the seal and come out.

For a moment, several Wei family guardians made demon-subduing gestures, infusing spiritual power into the cave entrance seals, trying to suppress the disturbance.

But in the next instant, the sharp sound of the phoenix’s cries suddenly came clearly from the cracks in the seal. At the same time, the seals completely burst open.

First, five phoenix light shadows spiraled out, then merged into one, instantly disappearing into the chaos of the ghost gate.

The next moment, a black-haired girl appeared in the five-colored light, as if phoenix wings had grown from her back, breaking out of the dark underworld ghost gate like emerging from a cocoon.

Her white dress hem danced and swayed in mid-air. Through her flying hair, one could see those bewitching red eyes, plus her ambiguous demon-like appearance, her whole body radiating an indescribable demonic aura.

When Xiaoxiao landed, the Wei family’s silver-armored army formed a tight circle around her. But Xiaoxiao’s eyes at this time held only Wei Jie, who was weeping tears of blood. He was currently attacking the Wei family grandmother directly.

Xiaoxiao swept her sleeve, scattering the crowd surrounding her, flew to the murderous Wei Jie, and with one palm pushed away the grandmother who was standing straight, ready to meet Wei Jie’s attack.

She had already become a demon and endured so many fated tribulations for Wei Jie—how could she watch all previous efforts go to waste? Wouldn’t all her previous suffering have been in vain?

Whether Wei Jie became a demon or not depended on her decision! He couldn’t decide for himself!

Thinking this, Xiaoxiao raised her arm with energy, blocking Wei Jie’s fierce attack while shouting: “Wei Jie, I’m still alive…”

But Wei Jie was deeply possessed by demons and didn’t recognize anyone. His heart held only the obsession to open the ghost gate. Even with Xiaoxiao, the person in question, appearing before his eyes, he seemed not to recognize her in his confusion!

When Xiaoxiao blocked his path, his techniques became even stronger. He simply put away his sword and changed to using his palms to attack Xiaoxiao.

At this time, after becoming a demon, Wei Jie didn’t restrain his spiritual aura at all. All his techniques carried desperate killing intent, every move targeting Xiaoxiao’s arms, shoulders, or neck.

If it were someone else, after barely taking a few moves, they would show openings and be mercilessly torn apart by Wei Jie.

But Xiaoxiao was no longer human now—she had become a half-demon body.

Moreover, when her demonic nature was triggered, it awakened the five phoenixes attached to her body. Plus, the fox clan’s spirit stone at her navel guarded her spiritual platform. With all these enhancements, if she still couldn’t handle this boy, what face would she have to meet all these golden, glittering protective treasures on her body?

When everyone looked up to see two light shadows, one black and one white, fighting in mid-air, they discovered that the long-haired girl moved as nimbly as a phoenix, dodging flexibly in the air, seizing weapons barehanded. Her body techniques were not inferior to Wei Jie’s at all!

Even the Wei family grandmother stared in amazement, murmuring: “Red moon anomaly—could it be hinting at the emergence of twin demons? What kind of background does Cui Xiaoxiao have? I… have never seen a demon using five phoenixes as guardian spirits… Could this be the Demon King manifesting in the world to bring suffering to all living beings?”