“You, what’s going on?! So the suspicions of Disciple Mo were right. It was all you? You’re the spy left behind! How did you become possessed?!” Zong Lei shouted in fury.
Zong Ziming, knowing he couldn’t escape, suddenly laughed loudly in response to his father’s accusations. “Become possessed? Wasn’t it your pushing that did it?”
“You… what nonsense are you saying?!”
“Nonsense? Didn’t you always say I was inferior to Li Xiuran and Mo Xuanli? I became possessed and rapidly entered Nascent Soul! Isn’t that exactly what you wanted, to see me grow stronger? But you… you still didn’t notice me! You only care about that stubborn, vicious girl! I’m your son! How am I any less than her?!” Zong Ziming roared.
“You b*stard! Just for that, you even took your sister! You’re insane!”
“Hahaha! My sister wasn’t captured with those hostages. She’s my sister, how could I let anyone harm her?!” Zong Ziming sneered.
“What? Where is Xuezhen then?” Zong Lei suddenly realized his daughter’s situation and rushed to grab Zong Ziming by the shoulders, demanding answers.
Zong Ziming laughed maniacally and suddenly tilted his face toward Zong Lei. “Isn’t she right in front of you?”
Zong Lei’s pupils constricted. On Zong Ziming’s face, a protrusion had formed, the horrifying, crying, and collapsing face of a woman.
“AHHH!!!”
Zong Lei was so terrified he collapsed to the ground, pupils dilated, recognizing the face as Xuezhen’s.
Everyone present was shocked.
Mo Xuanli instinctively shielded Gu Baiqing’s view, not wanting him to see this disgusting scene.
Cultivators familiar with demons immediately realized one possibility, a man-eating demon.
Clearly, Zong Ziming had become such a demon, likely using its magic to assimilate Xuezhen.
Xuezhen was already dead, killed and consumed by her brother.
Zong Ziming must have concentrated all the demonic energy within her body, which is why outwardly no one noticed he was a demon, until provoked.
This is the hallmark of a man-eating demon: consuming humans, merging them into their body, storing or dispersing the demonic energy within, essentially allowing them multiple “lives.”
Man-eating demons are among the vilest, most disgusting of the demon types. Though hard to detect initially, over time they emit a stench of rot, impossible to conceal, making them easy to track.
At that thought, both Gu Baiqing and Mo Xuanli realized the same thing at once.
Zong Ziming must have only just fallen into demonic corruption, so he didn’t yet understand his own nature, nor realize what kind of end awaited him. He probably still thought he could continue being a spy and serve the demon clan. In truth, he was nothing more than a discarded pawn left behind by the demons, planted specifically to deal with Mo Xuanli. Only, the demons had miscalculated this move.
Mo Xuanli didn’t know as much as Gu Baiqing did, but he too was now completely certain: someone among the demons was targeting him. They knew of his bloodline and wanted to drive him into becoming a demon.
This realization sent a chill through Mo Xuanli’s body. Yet, it didn’t seem like the demons intended to kill him in one strike, they were probing, testing, or perhaps waiting for something.
A restless unease began to stir in Mo Xuanli’s heart.
Meanwhile, Zong Lei had already flown into a rage. He had always doted on his daughter and disregarded his son; now, learning that his daughter had died so horribly, he completely lost his reason. Enraged beyond control, he attacked Zong Ziming madly, but others quickly stopped him.
Zong Ziming was a demon spy, he surely knew many secrets. They couldn’t allow him to die so easily.
Panting heavily, eyes wide with fury, Zong Lei finally forced himself to calm down for the sake of his position. “Speak! What does the Demon Realm want with the hostages?”
Zong Ziming was gravely injured, his body barely human-shaped, yet he still sneered defiantly, refusing to yield. “You want to know? Get on your knees and beg me!”
“Beast!” Zong Lei roared and slammed a palm down onto Zong Ziming’s head. Thunderous lightning poured straight into him.
Zong Ziming’s entire body convulsed violently, the agony nearly as great as before.
What was even stranger was that, under this assault, Zong Ziming suddenly began to speak as if under some kind of control. He wasn’t someone who would easily submit, yet his mouth opened mechanically, his teeth chattering as he forced out words:
“They took hostages… first, to keep balance, to prevent the cultivation world from attacking, to buy time. Second… because… for the final activation of the array… they need living human sacrifices.”
Everyone had suspected the first reason already, but when they heard the second, it was as if they had fallen into an icy abyss. Some whose loved ones had been taken trembled so hard they could hardly stand.
They thought back to what the Hidden Gods Clan had said about the Demon-Summoning Array and about the possible breaking of the Demon-Seal Mark. Both likely required living sacrifices. The Demon Realm had set its sights on them long ago. It was utterly monstrous!
Fury rippled through the crowd.
Just then, Zong Ziming seemed to regain his senses. He looked at his father in disbelief, speaking in a voice that was almost his last breath:
“You… you actually placed a control seal on me so early… You’d treat your own son like this… You won’t die well! Zong Lei, even if I die, I’ll drag you to h*ll with me!”
The crowd was still reeling from the shocking revelation when everything suddenly changed.
Zong Lei had been planning to keep pressing for more information, to salvage some advantage for himself, but in order to control Zong Ziming he had gotten too close and in an instant, Zong Ziming, now completely out of control, grabbed him tightly.
Filled with searing hatred and driven fully mad, Zong Ziming’s demonic aura surged like boiling water. His body cracked open like a shell, and ominous light burst out from every fissure.
He was self-destructing, a demon clan self-detonation.
A demon’s self-detonation meant total annihilation of body and soul. Few demons ever did it, fewer still could, but when they did, it was with absolute, unshakable resolve. Its destructive power was immense, one of the cultivation world’s most dreaded attacks.
In an instant, black mist erupted like a hurricane. Amid the piercing screams, no one could tell if they came from father or son, a crimson light flared outward, exploding across the battlefield.
All the cultivators retreated or tried to defend themselves with spells and weapons, but it was too late to fully escape the blast. The demonic aura swept over them.
Those merely brushed by the aura felt their minds tremble but could still maintain control; it was painful, but not fatal.
Gu Baiqing immediately pulled Mo Xuanli behind him, raising Morning Snow to block the wave of demonic energy. Though he himself would be affected, to someone of his cultivation and mental strength, it was nothing more than an itch but Mo Xuanli would not withstand it.
Fortunately, their strongest protector was still beside them. The dragon’s massive body coiled around the two of them, sealing them within a nearly airtight circle.
Ao Hang yawned lazily, paying no attention to the drifting black mist, standing in stark contrast to the chaos around them.
Among all the sects, only the Hidden Gods Clan and the Wuxiang Temple remained unscathed. Li Xiuran, standing near Ji Chuling, was also well protected.
When the black fog finally dispersed, only the shattered corpses of the Zong family remained, broken and incomplete, their souls obliterated.
Ao Hang uncoiled himself. Gu Baiqing and Mo Xuanli exchanged a look, confirming each other’s safety.
Everyone let out a long breath, thinking the ordeal was finally over but then a sect leader suddenly shouted, “What’s that!?”
More cries followed one after another.
Even He Jingyuan and the elder from Rufeng Sect raised their voices in alarm.
Their disciples were in chaos because the demonic energy had fully invaded their bodies! Several people immediately spat blood, driven mad by the qi deviation. Others rushed to help, forming circles and urging them to steady their minds, but everyone was terrified. The power of a demon’s self-detonation shouldn’t have caused such lingering harm. No one knew what was happening, they could only watch helplessly as their comrades lost control, unable to recover on their own.
“Father!” He Zixuan cried out, instantly turning toward Li Xiuran.
Li Xiuran rushed forward, using the Dingtian Sword and the shard of the God-Slaying Sword embedded within it to stabilize their minds but it barely helped. The demonic energy had already seeped deep into their bodies.
“D*mn it, we’ve been tricked,” He Jingyuan swore.
“What’s going on? Why is it that some were only slightly affected by the demonic aura, but you—” He Zixuan asked in shock.
He Jingyuan’s face twisted, and for a long moment, he couldn’t speak. He slowly lowered his head, as if too ashamed to say the words.
Then, the elder from Rufeng Sect, already deeply corrupted by qi deviation, cried out in panic, “It must be because when we helped Zong Lei control the Immortal-Trapping Formation, our spiritual power was linked with his! When he was attacked, we were affected too, d*mn it, we forgot to withdraw our power just now!”
As soon as those words were spoken, the expressions of everyone present became quite a sight to behold.
Gu Baiqing immediately turned to Mo Xuanli. “You—”
Mo Xuanli shook his head. “I’m fine.”
It was clear that only the sect masters who had connected their spiritual power suffered backlash. Watching them one after another fall into qi deviation, forced into confronting their inner demons to recover, Gu Baiqing couldn’t help but want to laugh. Wasn’t this a case of “losing the chicken while trying to steal the rice”?
At their level, once trapped in an inner demon trial, it was no simple matter to escape. Even if they did, their cultivation, while perhaps not declining, would likely stagnate for years. Compared to those who had only been grazed by demonic energy, they were far worse off.
And these very people had just been the most unreasonable ones targeting Mo Xuanli. Gu Baiqing had to work hard not to laugh out loud.
Soon, though, one of the great medical masters on site proposed a possible solution to help them recover quickly.
“We can use heavenly thunder to force them out of the inner demon state but the thunder attribute…”
Someone immediately thought of Gu Baiqing.
And Gu Baiqing, naturally, thought of himself too.
The next second, just as someone turned around, ready to shamelessly ask for his help, they saw Gu Baiqing already collapsing into Mo Xuanli’s arms.
Mo Xuanli panicked, holding him tightly, calling out with genuine distress, “Master!”
The people of Zixiao Sect rushed over, along with the same medical master who had just spoken. Everyone was tense, some thinking this fainting fit was just too coincidental, could it be that Gu Baiqing was angry over what had just happened and was pretending to be unconscious to avoid helping? Wouldn’t that be petty and vindictive? It wasn’t as if everyone had meant to target his disciple; now that disaster had struck, shouldn’t he lend a hand?
Even Fu Zhiyi thought Gu Baiqing was faking it but this time, he approved. There was no reason to heal them. Returning kindness for resentment was not their way.
Only Mo Xuanli believed his teacher had truly fainted. In his eyes, his Master would never do something so petty.
But when the medical master examined him, he blanched in shock. “What’s going on? He has no spiritual power!?”
Fu Zhiyi and Mo Xuanli’s faces both changed, as expected.
Fu Zhiyi hadn’t thought it would really be this bad, but he couldn’t let outsiders know Gu Baiqing’s condition. He quickly said, “He was injured back on Constellation Island during the teleportation array battle. After what just happened, almost fighting several times, the old wound must have relapsed. He needs to go back to rest and recover. Baiqing wants only our own people to care for him. Physician, please focus on saving the other sect masters.”
The medical master hesitated. Gu Baiqing’s condition was beyond his comprehension, but he could only trust their words and nodded. Now that the man’s spiritual energy was completely exhausted, of course he couldn’t be expected to help others. The rest would have to fend for themselves.
Inside the great hall, everyone sat cross-legged, some to face their inner demons, others to purge demonic energy from their bodies. Those less affected had no choice but to guard them.
Fu Zhiyi turned to speak to Mo Xuanli, but before he could, Mo Xuanli had already lifted Gu Baiqing in his arms, his face filled with worry and anxiety.
“Forget it,” Fu Zhiyi said with a sigh. “Take your Master back. Stay with him. This time, your Master truly did everything he could for you. Go. We’ll talk about the rest later.”
When he finished, Fu Zhiyi released Chu Fei, ordering him to escort the two back.
Chu Fei, already fed up with Fu Zhiyi’s ways, didn’t think twice. As soon as he was free, he gave Fu Zhiyi a fierce kick, then glared darkly and barked to Mo Xuanli, “Go!”
Mo Xuanli paid him no mind. Before Chu Fei could move, Mo Xuanli had already carried Gu Baiqing into the void-space and returned to the floating island of Zixiao Sect, completely forgetting Ao Hang and Three Bean.
Right now, his entire heart and mind were filled with Gu Baiqing. Even though he knew what his Master’s condition was, his chest still surged with emotion: fear, guilt, anguish.
After laying Gu Baiqing gently on the bed, Mo Xuanli sat at the bedside, quietly staring at him. He couldn’t help but reach out, his fingertips trembling as they brushed across Gu Baiqing’s cheek, shaking from tension and fear.
At last, he couldn’t hold back. He bent forward, burying his face against Gu Baiqing’s shoulder, gently wrapping his arms around him.
“Master… Master…”
The words came out weakly, tinged with a childlike plea and sorrow, as if he wanted to pour out all the grievance, helplessness, fear, and unease he had bottled up in the great hall. Even the scent of cold plum blossoms couldn’t calm him.
His body trembled uncontrollably. The agony that had been pressed deep inside him now finally broke free, like a drowning man gasping for air. But none of this emotion was because he had almost failed or nearly died—
It was because—
He had come so close to losing this person forever.
How could he bear that?
Since the moment of his birth, he had never imagined that one day someone would stand so firmly before him, protecting him so completely even while still keeping secrets from him.
Mo Xuanli slowly raised his head, looking at Gu Baiqing’s peacefully sleeping face. His voice trembled with pain. “Master… I’m sorry. I lied to you… I’m… a hybrid. I’m half demon. I’m sorry… I’m sorry. I don’t deserve…”
His lips parted, but the rest wouldn’t come. Don’t deserve what? Don’t deserve his Master’s kindness? His trust? Don’t deserve… to like him?
But in the end, Mo Xuanli couldn’t bring himself to be so noble. Perhaps there really was demonic nature in his bones because even knowing it was wrong, he still wanted to love greedily.
At this moment, he understood something deeply: no matter how much Gu Baiqing reasoned with him before, no matter how he doubted himself, it was all useless. In this lifetime, he could never truly separate or define what he felt for this man. All he knew was that his feelings for Gu Baiqing filled every corner of him, overflowing until it drove his very soul mad.
Because this person was the most important, the best of all.
He liked him. Was that so wrong?
Mo Xuanli seemed to sink into obsession. His eyes fixed on Gu Baiqing, and their color slowly changed from black to red. Along with it, his courage, his greed, his desire, all grew stronger.
Loving someone until it hurt, Mo Xuanli could no longer control himself. As if possessed, he lowered his head and gently pressed his lips against Gu Baiqing’s.
The light touch wasn’t enough, this demon wanted more of that shared breath. Even though the other’s jaw was clamped shut, even though it was taking advantage of someone in a helpless state, he couldn’t bring himself to repent for the sin he was committing. Like a wild beast conquering a city, he wanted to devour everything before him.
He only dared to do this while the person before him was unconscious. Only dared, in secret, to steal this stormlike kiss, claiming all of Gu Baiqing’s breath as his own, intoxicated, addicted.
No one would ever know that, in this silent room, a disciple who was supposed to be well-behaved who not long ago had sworn to stop his delusional thoughts was now gripping the unconscious master’s arms, wantonly offending him.
But Mo Xuanli didn’t realize that the person he was overstepping with was actually clenching his fists hard to endure, just to keep from revealing that he was only pretending to be unconscious.
Gu Baiqing: How the h*ll could I dare wake up now?! One wrong step and it’s just mistake after mistake!
Stop kissing me already! You little maniac, don’t you even breathe? I’m going to suffocate here!
