Chapter 97 Demon Realm
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Pei Jing paused, then realized that the barrier in front of him had disappeared. Thrilled, he ignored the wounds on his hand. He picked up the Cloud Slayer Sword and moved forward confidently. He reached the entrance in a few big strides, surrounded by a bright white light. Pei Jing looked up at Chu Junyu, his smile beaming with pride. “You won’t regret setting me free.”
Chu Junyu glanced at Pei Jing’s bloody hand and calmly said, “Give me your hand.”
Pei Jing obediently extended his hand.
Chu Junyu used his magical power to heal the wounds caused by the Execution Sword. His expression remained indifferent as he warned, “Don’t call me ‘Big Brother’ anymore.”
Unable to hold back, Pei Jing laughed at his remark and asked, “Can I call you Chu Chu?”
Chu Junyu glanced at him without responding.
Pei Jing held the sword and caught up with him, feeling joyous. There was a smile in his eyes and on his lips. “Don’t be shy, Brother Chu. It’s actually fair. If you call me ‘Yuzhi,’ I’ll willingly do anything for you. You should know that I’ve never been so devoted to anyone before. You’re the first. So, in the end, you’re gaining something, not losing out.” He couldn’t help but curl his lips. “And I’m not losing out either. It’s a win-win situation. We truly are a perfect match made by destiny!”
The chubby green worm trailed behind the two sluggishly, blowing bubbles out of sheer boredom. Being an Earth Element creature, it possessed some wisdom and knowledge of human love affairs. During the ten days spent with Pei Jing, this troublesome villain had been both a threat and a forceful presence. Now, hearing his self-praise, the worm shrunk its antennae and silently criticized. What did he mean by not losing out? Meeting him was truly bad luck.
Chu Junyu got straight to the point, “When have you ever been on the losing side?”
Pei Jing choked and scratched his head, pondering for a moment before saying, “Well, there was one time, at Xuanyun Peak, when I kissed you without saying anything.”
Chu Junyu also recalled that incident.
All eyes were on them as they stood atop the black dragon, and there was that pure kiss from the youth, resembling the first snow on plants.
Remembering Pei Jing’s blushing ears and misty eyes at that moment, Chu Junyu’s expression couldn’t help but darken. However, he calmly commented, “Your kissing skills were really poor.”
Pei Jing: “…….” Damn it!
He felt a mixture of embarrassment and anger. “That was my first attempt at being intimate! But what about you? You’ve lived for thousands of years. Have you had multiple partners before?”
Chu Junyu replied, “No.” He simply wasn’t as shy as Pei Yuzhi.
The more Pei Jing thought about it, the angrier he became. “As the dream lover of all female cultivators in the entire cultivation world, with billions of young girls willing to be with me, should I have remained chaste for a hundred years?! Shouldn’t you be praising me instead of mocking me? You’ve gone too far!”
He never forgot his title as the dream lover of countless female cultivators.
Chu Junyu smiled and said, “Interesting, the dream lover of billions of young girls? Did you appoint yourself?”
Pei Jing: “…….”
When boasting reached this level, there was no room for falsehood.
So Pei Jing made up a story, “No, it’s widely recognized in the cultivation world.”
Cultivation world = Himself.
How could Chu Junyu not know who this “cultivation world” was? But he didn’t expose him, implying something deeper. “Is that so? The cultivation world has quite the discerning eye.”
Fireworks exploded in Pei Jing’s mind, his ears turning slightly red. He never imagined that being complimented for his looks, something so obvious, could make him so happy.
Pei Jing cleared his throat and modestly said, “Actually, I’m just average, nothing special.”
Chu Junyu laughed.
Just average-looking? In the Yunlan Mountain Range, you weren’t as humble as now.
Pei Jing considered himself good at understanding others, his eyes sparkling as he praised his beloved, “You’re handsome too. I really like you.”
Chu Junyu: “……”
Pei Jing noticed his sudden silence and tilted his head, his clear eyes filled with unmistakable confusion.
Chu Junyu now felt that each of his glances burned into the depths of his heart, melting the icy barrier and tearing at his flesh. It was a bloody mess, yet strangely satisfying.
Pei Jing asked, “What’s wrong with you?”
The pain spread up his throat, but Chu Junyu’s lips curved slightly, and his blood-colored eyes reflected a hint of fear from Pei Jing.
“Pei Yuzhi, two things.”
In his eyes, amidst the distance, emotions blazed like molten lava, bubbling with resentment and hostility.
“First, don’t call me Big Brother. Second, don’t say you like me anymore.”
Pei Jing: “???” Why?
But he didn’t dare provoke him now, so he hesitated, stiffly nodded his head.
Then, a sense of realization washed over him. If he had known that calling Chu Junyu “Big Brother” would have such a profound impact, why was he still being dramatic on Tianqian Peak?
Pursuing a wife didn’t require preserving one’s dignity. Apparently, being a little brother was acceptable too. If someone from the Institute of Celestial Ascension heard his inner thoughts, they would probably be infuriated or frightened to death.
They stood in complete darkness. Beneath their feet was a suspension bridge, beside which wooden mechanisms emitted swirling black mist, making whistling sounds. After walking for an unknown distance, a faint green light illuminated the path before them.
Pei Jing looked up and saw a palm-sized lotus blooming in the sky. Each petal was pristine white and radiated colorful lights. It was both untouchable and anciently profound. The true form of the Transient Jade Lotus, born from the primordial chaos. Even from a distance, it carried a sense of awe inspired by the heavens and earth.
Pei Jing murmured, “So this is the Transient Jade Lotus.”
Chu Junyu raised an eyebrow. “Are you here for it?”
Pei Jing hesitated for a moment, then nodded, and asked, “And what are you here for?”
Chu Junyu didn’t hide his intentions. “I’m here to destroy it.”
Pei Jing was startled and quickly thought of Yu Qinglian’s advice. “Can’t we refrain from destroying it? It is the heart of Yingzhou, not an evil object.”
Chu Junyu glanced at him but didn’t respond.
Suddenly, the bridge beneath their feet activated some mechanism, slowly lifting them until they stood before the Transient Jade Lotus. Its light, gentle yet powerful, carried a faint scent of blood. As Pei Jing approached, he noticed scattered bloodstains at the base of the lotus, intermittently flowing upwards.
Pei Jing lowered his head and saw a horrifying sight that made his scalp tingle.
Underneath the abyss, countless wriggling worms were present, but they were not the usual green color. Instead, they were transparent and blood-red. The cultivators who tended to these worms had grotesque faces, all dead. These worms surged through their minds, and blood-red threads constantly emerged from their bodies, gathering and swirling beneath the Transient Jade Lotus. It seemed like they were trying to seize its power.
Chu Junyu said, “Beneath your feet is the realm of the Celestial Demons. The lotus is rooted here, blocking the entrance to the Demon Realm. Only by destroying it can we open it.”
Pei Jing was a bit confused and asked, “…Why do we need to open the realm of the Celestial Demons? Doesn’t that mean allowing the Demon Clan to roam freely?”
Chu Junyu calmly folded the flower and replied, “Because I want to kill someone.”
The lotus trembled, emanating a brilliant radiance.
Pei Jing became anxious and hurriedly grabbed his sleeve. “Brother!”
Chu Junyu pursed his lips, his expression still cold, but his wrist turned, offering the flower to Pei Jing.
Pei Jing’s hands were occupied, so he could only lightly bite the petal of the lotus flower with his mouth. His eyes gazed at Chu Junyu through the lustrous lotus petal.
Chu Junyu said, “This will be the last time.”
Pei Jing released his grip in a daze, then cradled the Transient Jade Lotus in his palm.
His mind felt a bit empty, but as he understood Chu Junyu’s intentions, a sweet and joyous emotion surged through his entire body.
He grinned like an innocent child.
It seemed that… to deal with Chu Junyu, all it takes was calling him “Brother”? Or perhaps, as long as he softened up and acted coquettish?
Pei Jing remembered the instructions of the Goddess of Yingzhou and carefully stowed the lotus flower in his sleeve. At the same time, he furrowed his brow, his gaze cold as he looked at the hundreds of corpses in the abyss below. Destroying the Transient Jade Lotus meant opening the gate to the realm of the Celestial Demons. So, Zhuihun Palace used people to feed the insects, not to awaken the Jade Lotus, but to devour it? After all, these insects bred from human hosts didn’t seem normal or docile.
The plump green worm that had followed them crawled into the heart of the Transient Jade Lotus, its body becoming translucent and faint, as if reuniting after crossing thousands of years.
Pei Jing voiced his doubts, “Is Zhuihun Palace trying to open the gate to the Demon Realm?”
Chu Junyu replied, “Not them, but the three awakened Elders of the Celestial Demon Clan.”
The three Elders of the Celestial Demon Clan had awakened.
However, the most important person, Ji Wuyou, the Son of the Celestial Demons, had not awakened yet.
Pei Jing asked, “So, you want to open the gate to the Demon Realm to go inside and kill someone?”
Chu Junyu smiled, but there was no trace of amusement in his eyes. “Yes. I’ll lend those fools a helping hand.”
Pei Jing: “……”
Chu Junyu said calmly, “I know you won’t agree. By moving forward like this and opening the gate, it’s destined to bring calamity upon all living beings. However, in my original plan, Tianyan City was supposed to have no survivors.” Even this land wouldn’t find peace.
“Are there any other ways to get in?”
“Of course, there are.”
Otherwise, how could those three Elders have escaped back?
The wooden plank protruding from the bridge beneath their feet began to move again, rising upwards. Gradually leaving the darkness behind, they found themselves appearing directly in the center of a crimson tower, surrounded by ribbons of blood. It seemed as if they had suddenly arrived in the heart of a towering building.
Pei Jing frowned, a vague premonition emerging. He remembered the eighteen-story tower he had seen before entering the lake.
Chu Junyu said, “To enter the inner city, we have to go through a trial set by the Celestial Demon Clan. Quite interesting.”
The inner city, the trial of the Celestial Demons. Pei Jing and Chu Junyu went straight from underground to the first floor of the Tower of Spiritual Refinement, where the wooden plank stopped.
Pei Jing could finally see the structure of the tower clearly. It had no bottom, extending into darkness without end. Only numerous stairs crisscrossed haphazardly, suspended in mid-air. From the outside, it appeared to be an eighteen-story tower, but inside, it was a confined space.
Chu Junyu stepped onto the stairs, and Pei Jing followed.
As they ascended, they finally reached the top of the Tower of Spiritual Refinement.
Before them lay a wooden plaque with the words “Spiritual Refinement” written on it, exuding a menacing and wicked aura. The character for “Spiritual” was stained with blood, chilling and malevolent.
Pei Jing looked around and said, “Could this be an array formation? I have a feeling that this entire tower is like a formation.”
Chu Junyu said, “The heavens you see above Zhuihun Mountain are all formations.”
Pei Jing was stunned.
The black robe fluttered without wind as the young man with silver hair reached out his hand and crushed the wooden plank.
Crack! The floating stairs within the tower instantly halted.
It felt as if everything had solidified, with a chilling gust of Yin energy swirling up from the depths.
The red ribbons at the eaves of the tower exploded. Starting from the top, the entire building disintegrated into ashes. Revealed beneath was a pure sky, untouched by any impurities, a pristine blue. Pei Jing reached out his hand and gently touched that piece of sky.
The blue ink-like color rippled, revealing a menacing darkness.
Then, in an instant, the world turned upside down, truly and completely.
Pei Jing felt everything around him warping and distorting.
His body plummeted!
Midway, Chu Junyu held his hand, preventing him from getting lost in the raging winds.
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