The Nether Fish flew slower and slower. Xiang Su was also becoming somewhat afraid, tightly gripping its dorsal fin. “Why has the weather changed? I can’t see the Nine Darkness Mountain!” Dark mist pervaded the surroundings. The closer they flew to the Nine Darkness Mountain, the thicker the fog became—they simply couldn’t see the situation around them clearly. Xiang Su thought of Dragon Binding Valley and couldn’t help trembling slightly. “Is it a barrier set up by the Celestial Clan?”
The Nether Fish shook its head. “It doesn’t seem like it. I think it’s…” He stopped tantalizingly.
“It’s what?” Xiang Su was so anxious she wanted to tear off a few of his scales to make him speak clearly.
“Are you truly stupid or pretending to be stupid?” The Nether Fish unhurriedly tossed out a phrase that made Xiang Su detest him. “This dark mist carries heavy demonic energy.”
“You’re saying the demon spirits came to help the Celestial Clan deal with Dong Tianyun?” Xiang Su cried out shrilly. Thinking of this possibility, she almost wanted to jump up from the Nether Fish’s back. Dong Tianyun was half-celestial and half-demon, not tolerated by either the celestial or demonic paths. Now even the demon spirits were coming to kick him while he was down!
The Nether Fish was silent for a while, then asked with restrained seriousness, “What’s inside your head?”
This time it was Xiang Su’s turn not to know how to answer. What did this question have to do with the current situation?!
“You should at least have thought of this—to repel the Celestial Clan, the Nine… the Nine Darkness Palace Master has only one method left.” The Nether Fish looked at the rolling demonic energy ahead that shrouded the Nine Darkness Mountain, somewhat moved. Although Dong Tianyun had never really gotten along with Junshang, he still secretly admired the former Shenghuan Dijun. He couldn’t help turning his head to look at Xiang Su. Though this girl looked quite good, as for what charm she had… he really couldn’t see it.
Both Dong Tianyun and Junshang had truly strange preferences. He remembered the first time he met Xiang Su, when Dong Tianyun had stripped off his sacred scale for her sake. He couldn’t help grinding his back teeth again. He looked back and glared at her again, puzzled. All along he had felt that graceful female immortals like Purple Singing Dragon Maiden were enough to qualify as “beauties that bring calamity.” He hadn’t expected that someone like Xiang Su could also count…
Xiang Su had been silently pondering the Nether Fish’s words when his repeated glares left her baffled. “You mean… Dong Tianyun can only give up his celestial essence and completely enter demonhood?” she asked haltingly, truly unwilling to believe this guess.
Hearing her dejected voice, the Nether Fish found he could no longer speak words that would hurt her heart. If Dong Tianyun wanted to possess complete power and had no hope of restoring his celestial essence, he could only fall into becoming a demon spirit.
“This demonic energy…” Xiang Su reached out her hand. The mist that looked so thick and heavy—when she actually tried to touch it, there was no sensation at all. She stared blankly at this mist that seemed both near and far. She didn’t even dare confirm whether it was released by Dong Tianyun entering demonhood. She was very afraid—afraid that the future Dong Tianyun, like this mist, would become someone she couldn’t touch.
“Actually, it’s not so bad.” Yanji’s voice wasn’t loud, still very calm, yet it gave Xiang Su enormous comfort. She turned her face to look at Yanji, who had stopped beside her at some unknown time. His features instantly blurred as tears came so swiftly and silently that even Xiang Su didn’t know they could arrive this way. Yanji didn’t look at her though. He only stared entranced at the thick fog ahead. “The Demon Realm and the Celestial Realm… perhaps there’s fundamentally no difference.” He suddenly smiled. “It’s just that demon spirits look a bit more ugly, that’s all.”
“Ugly?” Xiang Su choked out. Her Junshang would never be ugly no matter what! After a while, fear showed in her eyes. “Yanji… is all of this my fault?”
Hearing this, Yanji laughed softly. “Why do I feel like you’re accusing me with those words?”
“No, no.” Xiang Su shook her head repeatedly, her eyes wide. “Perhaps I shouldn’t have been reborn at all, shouldn’t have stayed by his side knowing I would harm him, shouldn’t have agreed to be with you and made him sad again! It’s all my fault, all of it!”
Hearing this, Yanji pressed his lips together bitterly. He took Xiang Su’s hand. Unlike before, she didn’t try to break free, nor did she tremble slightly as if pricked. Instead, she tightly gripped back. She was too afraid. Her self-blame was probably going to crush her already not-so-strong spirit. Yanji looked at her for a while. “Fool.”
Xiang Su’s tears fell like rain. She truly hoped someone would scold her for being foolish, say that all of this was something she had imagined! She had harmed Dong Tianyun time and again, finally harming him beyond redemption.
“You and I both have deep understanding—the feeling of reluctantly being with someone you don’t like… isn’t good.” Yanji smiled self-deprecatingly. “Look at Dong Tianyun’s temperament. Would he tolerate Chilin?”
Actually, this comfort was quite effective, but Xiang Su still couldn’t persuade herself to completely believe it, because she had seen… Dong Tianyun take Chilin’s hand and say he was willing to try.
“Actually all along, the one who found it hardest to make a decision was Chilin. She understood better than anyone that after helping Dong Tianyun restore his celestial essence, she might never be able to keep him anymore. She’s no different from Yu Mu—what they say with their mouths and what they think in their hearts are not the same thing.”
Xiang Su listened earnestly. No matter what his reasons for saying these words, she was sincerely grateful to him.
“Yu Mu and Chilin both actually hoped Dong Tianyun would remain trapped in his half-celestial, half-demon state forever. Dong Tianyun also understood this in his heart. Even if Dong Tianyun forgave Chilin for once wanting to kill you in order to restore his celestial essence, would Chilin so readily take out Heaven’s Tower to help Dong Tianyun?”
From the center of the black fog, thunder occasionally rumbled. Yanji didn’t continue talking about Chilin. His face rarely showed a few traces of tension. “It’s beginning… As long as he can still lift Gu Wen, for him there’s no difference between becoming an immortal or entering demonhood.”
“Gu Wen?” This topic changed a bit too quickly. Xiang Su was momentarily confused. “What’s beginning?”
“Though Gu Wen was forged by Dong Tianyun, after all it’s a divine artifact of the Celestial Realm. After Dong Tianyun enters demonhood, Gu Wen may no longer recognize him as master.” Yanji frowned. This was also the reason Dong Tianyun had always been hesitant and uncertain. “As long as Gu Wen successfully transforms into a demon weapon, the Celestial Clan is destined for crushing defeat.” Perhaps wanting to ease his own tension, Yanji smiled and asked Xiang Su, “Would you despise Dong Tianyun if he became an ugly demon spirit?”
Xiang Su was actually made to laugh by the question. She shook her head vigorously, tears falling all over her face. “I won’t despise him! No matter what he becomes, I won’t despise him!”
Yanji didn’t speak. Hearing such an answer, his heart still felt uncomfortable.
An earth-shaking thunderclap sounded, reverberating endlessly. The thick fog began rolling, looking both terrifying and nauseating just to watch. Xiang Su unconsciously hugged the Nether Fish tightly. Even Yanji beside her became intermittently visible and invisible in the dark mist. She felt her heart beating uncomfortably—whether from being shocked by the thunder or because the increasingly heavy demonic energy made her almost unable to breathe. Just when she wanted to scream, unable to endure any longer, the thunder had reached its final phase but suddenly exploded with the strongest boom. Lightning also lit up the surroundings completely with an earth-shattering sound. Xiang Su couldn’t open her eyes. She only felt something strike heavily against her chest. She coughed up a large mouthful of blood with a splutter.
When she recovered from this, she discovered the surrounding dark mist seemed to have all been scattered by the lightning. The Nine Darkness Mountain in the near distance was clearly visible. The Nine Darkness flowers on the mountain emitted light very different from before, complementing the purple barrier shining on the mountain’s exterior—the demonic energy was both alluring and soul-shaking.
Yanji slowly lowered the hand covering his mouth. Xiang Su discovered his fingers were dripping blood. He had also been injured and coughed up blood in that tremendous sound, hadn’t he? “Are you alright?” she couldn’t help asking.
Yanji lifted the corner of his mouth. “What a Dong Tianyun—even the Abyss River has been demonized.”
“Ah?” Xiang Su cried out in alarm. Just now she had only focused on looking at the Nine Darkness Mountain and hadn’t noticed the Abyss River at all. The spiritual energy originally surging on the Abyss River, impossible to distinguish as celestial or demonic, had thoroughly become pale purple demonic energy. It looked like countless demonic dragons were coiling on the river surface—very frightening. “Does that mean… has Dong Tianyun succeeded?”
Yanji sighed with a bitter smile. “He succeeded. Listen…”
Xiang Su listened carefully. Indeed, continuous miserable screams came from the Nine Darkness Mountain side, even more piercing than the screams of the thorned demons in Dragon Binding Valley.
“He’s already begun a great slaughter.”
Xiang Su bit her lip. She greatly disliked the Celestial Clan, but hearing the screams filling her ears, even though so far away, she could still vaguely see corpses falling like raindrops from the clouds. She didn’t hope Dong Tianyun would do this. She didn’t want him to become such a fierce and cruel person.
Yanji also watched the bloody slaughter ahead. “He no longer needs my help. As for the Celestial Clan… Let’s go, Xiang Su. I hope you can persuade him not to pursue and destroy completely.” He pointed at the dense rain of corpses falling into the Abyss River. “Those are all innocent metal spirits and fire spirits. To die like this for the Celestial Clan—it’s too unworthy.”
Xiang Su nodded repeatedly. “Let’s hurry there.”
When they reached where Dong Tianyun was, the Celestial Clan’s attack had already stopped—whether the Celestial Emperor had issued a command or the celestial spirits had been terrified by the cruel scene just now. They surrounded Dong Tianyun in layers but all held their weapons without daring to advance.
Relying on the Nether Fish’s divine power, Xiang Su easily squeezed into the empty space beside Dong Tianyun. Dong Tianyun was covered in blood. His originally magnificent robes could no longer show their original color. The Gu Wen in his hand was also stained full with fresh blood, the blade blood-red—the sight made one’s heart race with alarm.
“Dong Tianyun!” Xiang Su didn’t know if he was injured. She wanted to jump down from the Nether Fish to check, but was held back by Yanji.
Dong Tianyun turned his face sideways, looking at Xiang Su and Yanji expressionlessly, then coldly turned his gaze back. After entering demonhood, the demonic markings on his forehead had become even more magnificent and bewitching, occupying two-thirds of his forehead. In Xiang Su’s eyes, far from being ugly, he was even more imposing and better-looking than before. That indifferent glance was like a knife stabbing into Xiang Su’s heart. He was still misunderstanding her!
“It’s not like that!” Xiang Su shouted. Even in front of so many celestial spirits, she had to make things clear, or she would die of injustice!
The celestial spirits surrounding Dong Tianyun looked at them coldly. Dong Tianyun, however, completely ignored her call. “I…” Xiang Su bit her lip. After all, exposing her and Dong Tianyun’s private matters before the entire Celestial Clan still required enormous courage. But she had just begun when the celestial spirits across from them suddenly parted to both sides, clearing a wide passage. At the end was an alluring figure in red robes.
“I…” Xiang Su still wanted to speak, but Yanji tugged her arm and shook his head.
“Don’t distract him first.” Yanji turned his face away, watching Chilin walk slowly through the passage the celestial spirits had cleared, stopping before Dong Tianyun. As the Fire Governing Dijun, having reached this point, Chilin ultimately couldn’t avoid a life-and-death battle with Dong Tianyun. Yanji sighed. Why did Chilin do this to herself? Countless fire spirits had died and been wounded, and the Celestial Emperor was still sending her out to die.
Xiang Su frowned. She seemed to have hoped for this day for a long time, but truly seeing Dong Tianyun and Chilin meet with crossed blades, her mood inexplicably became unbearably heavy.
“Dong Tianyun, we’ve finally reached this day.” Chilin looked at him after entering demonhood. From the moment he picked up Gu Wen, she had already known she had absolutely no path to survival. Facing him like this, she instead had a kind of calm detachment from life and death.
“Spare me the nonsense. Let’s rely on our abilities.” Dong Tianyun smiled coldly, completely uninterested in hearing Chilin’s final confession.
Chilin instead smiled because of his indifferent tone. He had never listened to her words seriously. “Fine! Today we’ll decide life and death. After this… we’ll owe each other nothing.” Even at life’s end, she still hoped he could stop hating her.
She activated Heaven’s Tower. Before the Heaven’s Fire could be released, a sharp wind sound rushed extremely quickly toward her face. The not-yet-formed flames were all split in two, instantly extinguished. Heaven’s Tower made cracking sounds. Only then did the celestial spirits see clearly—Dong Tianyun had already struck with one sword, the blade already pressed against Chilin’s forehead. Heaven’s Tower in Chilin’s hand shattered with a crash into stone powder. The celestial spirits let out incredulous cries of shock. The fire spirit divine artifact had been shattered in the blink of an eye.
“Ha.” Under the sword blade, Chilin actually let out a self-mocking light laugh. “The divine object Father passed down was actually so vulnerable.” She closed her eyes, waiting for the final moment to arrive.
“You may leave.”
Her nose bridge felt cool as the wind from Gu Wen’s withdrawal swept past. Chilin slowly opened her eyes, instead showing a puzzled expression. There was no reason for Dong Tianyun not to kill her.
Dong Tianyun had already turned his back to her. “We owe each other nothing.”
Chilin glanced at Xiang Su beside them. Was it because she was still alive that he had developed a tolerant heart? Thinking this, Chilin felt herself becoming even more desolate and pitiful. She laughed bitterly several times and resolutely turned to leave.
“Not killing you,” she who was already walking in the opposite direction heard Dong Tianyun speak and couldn’t help stopping her steps, “is out of consideration for a bit of past sentiment.”
Chilin was stunned for a while, then said softly before stepping away: “Thank you.” This sentence from him fulfilled her meager pride. At least between them, there was still sentiment that allowed him to let her leave.
Xiang Su’s heart had originally been set at ease, but hearing Dong Tianyun’s words, she deeply frowned again, unconsciously murmuring in repetition: “Past sentiment?”
Yanji and the Nether Fish, who were very close to her, immediately revealed strange and suppressed smiles.