Chapter 118.2 The Celestial Demon’s Return (2)
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Pei Jing didn’t know how it managed to nibble without teeth, and whether it would die after eating. After all, it was a creature of ancient origins. It shouldn’t be foolish enough to eat itself to death.
Pei Jing chose to trust it.
Indeed, the worm didn’t have teeth, but its secreted saliva was highly corrosive, instantly dissolving the wall upon contact. The earth and stones crumbled, revealing a suspended red line. Pei Jing was taken aback as the worm crawled upward, its secreted fluid corroding the entire appearance of the line on the interlocking walls—a remarkably thin tube, actually. The blood in the tube was congealed, leading upward!
Simultaneously, the closer the contact, the stronger the sensation he felt from the Execution Sword.
Pei Jing even felt that there was something awakening within the Execution Sword.
Buzzing, the blade trembled, emitting a dazzling blue-white light.
The worm continued to climb upward until it reached the top of the celestial wall, then descended along the tube once again.
“…You’ve worked hard.”
The chubby green worm’s antennae drooped as it crawled onto Pei Jing’s shoulder.
Despite consuming so much earth, its body remained unchanged, transparent and crystalline.
Suddenly, a memory flashed in Pei Jing’s mind— the relief carving he saw on the pillar when he first entered the hall.
“A sword, plunged into a pool of blood. The Celestial Demon nurtured by the Execution Sword…” He looked up at the slender tube. “So, is this the blood pool that once nurtured the Celestial Demon?”
Pei Jing leaped into the air and landed at the top of the room.
He tried patting the wall with his hand but found it to be hard and sturdy. He infused spiritual energy into his sword, attempting to cleave it open, but it left no trace.
Pei Jing realized the problem. “How could the Celestial Demon Clan place the blood pool so openly in front of outsiders? To enter this room, one must navigate through twists and turns, even pass through the void.”
At the same time, he inwardly complained that even if he was up there, it seemed impossible for him to reach it.
“…Let it go.”
Pei Jing jumped back down to the ground.
The chubby green worm’s antennae twitched, as if rolling its eyes.
“Don’t think you can be proud or look down on me just because you can eat dirt.”
Pei Jing had used it enough and unceremoniously tossed it back, letting it continue its stay in the Transient Jade Lotus.
“……”
The chubby green worm gained a new level of understanding of this person’s shamelessness.
Pei Jing searched the inner chamber again but found nothing.
Just like before, he pushed open the door and found himself back in the palace where he had initially landed, not the dark mist.
It seemed like a sealed space with no doors in the main hall and walls that couldn’t be breached. There was simply no way out.
After a while with no results, he approached the inner chamber once more.
“What should I do? Should I really wait for Chu Junyu to find me?”
After thinking for a moment, Pei Jing decisively abandoned this idea. He estimated that Chu Junyu would only come after everything else was taken care of.
Moreover, Chu Junyu would never allow him near the blood pool.
Chu Junyu truly had no trust in him.
However, from a different perspective, Chu Junyu might also think that he lacked any self-awareness.
Pei Jing tugged at the corner of his mouth. “Forget it, I’ll find my own way.”
The blue light on the Execution Sword kept flickering slightly, puzzling Pei Jing. He raised it up and said, “Don’t just keep flashing, be useful! Can you break through the wall if you can’t eat dirt?”
The Execution Sword completely ignored him.
Pei Jing made another round, staring at the closed blood-colored tube in the wall crevice for a while. Suddenly, something flashed in his mind. He remembered something he had deliberately ignored since he entered.
The white-clad youth turned around and returned to the center of the room, looking at the lifeless and ferocious snake on the ground.
“It seems like the blood on Blood Spider Mother’s clothes also got contaminated and flowed back onto the ground. Only a little bit seems to have stuck to the snake’s body. The Execution Sword came from that pool. It should have a connection to the pool water.”
Pei Jing fell into silence for a long time. Finally, he sighed and squatted down, feeling defeated. The moment he saw the patterns on the snake’s body, his scalp tingled, but now he had no other choice. He had to find the bloodstains. Enduring the disgust, Pei Jing noticed a faint red mark near the snake’s head.
“Let’s make a bet.”
Pei Jing took out his sword and used its tip to touch the tiny red mark. In that instant of contact, the hilt of the sword suddenly became scorching hot, causing him to feel his flesh and blood burning underneath. However, he couldn’t let go.
Pei Jing gritted his teeth.
The tip of the sword emitted an intensely dazzling white light, illuminating the entire room in pure white. Then came a clear buzzing sound, as if it originated from ancient times, the echo of the universe’s first resonance in the chaotic void. The scorching sensation on the hilt grew stronger, while the blade itself turned extremely cold, emitting an icy aura and cloaked in a layer of blood. It was a dichotomy of ice and fire. Pei Jing felt as if his soul was on the verge of being shattered by the formidable power, and his fingers were forced to let go.
However, the Execution Sword didn’t fall to the ground.
It seemed to be awakened by the pool water.
It hovered in the air and then broke through the windows and doors, charging forward.
Pei Jing: “??”
It really broke through the wall.
The sealed wall was shattered.
Outside, it was pitch black. Pei Jing followed closely behind, and he realized that he was in the void.
Meanwhile, the light of the Execution Sword condensed and formed a path beneath his feet, leading forward. From a distance, the end of the path seemed to be another palace that looked identical to this one.
With the power to control the celestial laws, one could also manipulate space. The place he was just in should have been a projection of a palace within the void, but the slender tube was a tangible existence or perhaps overlapping in functionality, leading to the same destination.
Pei Jing murmured softly, “Where are you taking me?”
They pushed Pei Jing through that door.
Chu Junyu turned around and returned directly to the position at the entrance of the palace.
For everyone else, it was pitch black.
But when only he remained, a faint bluish light descended from the center, dispelling all darkness.
The reliefs on the four stone pillars began to contort and rumble. The palace doors closed completely. And there, alone under the green light, stood Chu Junyu, with silver hair and a black robe, emanating a chilling aura like the God of Death.
The palace revealed its true form, with a throne piled with white bones ahead. Two twisted and intertwined ladders were positioned beside the throne, leading upward.
A soft sigh echoed from above.
Chu Junyu lifted his head, his blood-red eyes icy cold.
An old man descended from the ladder, leaning on a cane made of bones. He was the Elder of the Celestial Demon Clan, his thumb adorned with an emerald green ring.
Bent over with wrinkles covering his face, his body reduced to a mere skeleton, seemingly on the verge of disintegration. He walked to the side of the throne and stood silently, like an unwavering guardian from thousands of years ago.
The Elder sneered. “So this is how you’ve come. I thought you would shatter the Trnscendent Jade Lotus, open the Nine Hidden Demon Realm, and come directly to kill.”
Chu Junyu glanced at him and calmly said, “I don’t mind lending a hand to you bunch of worthless people, but someone won’t allow it.”
The Elder sneered, but his life was hanging by a thread. He laughed until he coughed up blood. He could only support his chest, filled with resentment, and said, “No one in this world has the ability to make the Lord of Tianyan City step back. It’s just that you don’t want to, just like those hypocritical damned righteous cultivators, pretending to care about the world.”
Chu Junyu laughed briefly, his eyes icy and devoid of emotion.
He guessed wrong.
He truly didn’t care about the people of the world. From the very beginning, this world was all illusory to him, and everything was but an illusion. The only things that were real were Ji Wuyou and the Heavenly Dao. The root of his hatred.
If he could bury the entire world with Ji Wuyou’s death, he would be more than willing. It was only the Heavenly Dao that constantly obstructed him.
But now, things were different.
There was an additional person.
And that person believed he was kind and caring for the well-being of others.
Little did he know, if he didn’t feel anything, in a certain sense, he was more of a villain to the beings of this world than the Heavenly Dao.
“Where is the Demon Pool?”
Chu Junyu didn’t want to waste words.
The Elder had already given up all resistance when he saw him. He had even anticipated that he would come, so in a short amount of time, he dedicated himself entirely to the Demon Lord.
Now, weak and smug, he laughed. “Why would I take you to the sacred grounds? I’m about to die, and you can no longer do anything to me.”
Chu Junyu’s robes brushed against the icy palace, his silver hair gently flowing. He spoke softly, “Even if you die, I can still preserve your soul and extract memories through soul refinement. It’s because of fools like you that the Demon Clan ended up in this state thousands of years ago.”
The Elder’s expression stiffened for a moment, then he erupted in anger. Consumed by rage, he couldn’t even speak before he spat out a mouthful of blood. The blood splattered on the nearby skeletal throne. The Elder’s face instantly turned pale. He crouched down, trembling, using his sleeve to wipe away the bloodstains.
Chu Junyu had already approached him, the handsome silver-haired man bending down, his eyes a deep crimson. “If you won’t die, then I’ll lend you a hand.”
A black butterfly appeared from somewhere, landing on the tip of the Elder’s nose.
Powder fluttered down from its wings, seemingly entering his body.
After a moment, the Elder felt his Nascent Soul being entangled, constricted, and severed by countless thin threads. The pain was unbearable. He writhed on the ground, his aged fingers gripping the edge of the throne tightly.
He knew how terrifying Chu Junyu was. He dared not confront him directly within the city walls of Tianyan. It was only after Chu Junyu left the city that he dared to make moves from behind.
His Nascent Soul was torn apart, his voice weak, filled with resentment and bitterness. He laughed strangely, “So what if you find the Demon Pool? Along with the other two Elders, we awakened the guardians of the gods with our lives. Even if you find it, you’re just another sacrifice from the past. No matter how extraordinary your methods are, you’re nothing more than ants before the gods! Ants!”
His old face turned crimson, his voice hoarse and filled with age, shouting until it cracked.
To Chu Junyu’s ears, it sounded like a joke.
Chu Junyu said, “That’s fine. Originally, I sought out the Demon Pool to force her true form to reveal itself. Now, you’ve actually helped me with that.”
The Elder’s eyes widened in shock—what was he saying?!
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