The real culprit has appeared.

Ji Yao looked back at Shen Zhizhou inside the protective shield, tears welling in her eyes as she gazed at him intently, as if trying to etch his features into her memory, not wanting to blink for even a second.

Shen Zhizhou suddenly understood what Ji Yao wanted to do, and pounded on the protective shield, roaring, "I don't need you to do anything for me, don't be stupid, do you hear me? I won't be grateful to you! Ji Yao..."

"Sister Ji!"

Shen Zhizhou shouted out the affectionate name he had called out countless times before, wanting his old friend to look at him again, but Ji Yao rushed towards the black-robed demon without turning her head, never looking back again.

Ji Yao heard Shen Zhizhou's roar behind her, but she dared not turn around, afraid that she would soften her heart if she did. She thought about this child she had raised since childhood...

This monster has now developed a motherly heart.

Ji Yao shed her human form and transformed into a towering, fiery red three-headed pheasant. With a single claw, she cleaved a mountain peak in two, and with a peck of her beak, the mountain crumbled and the earth split. The black-robed demon, who had just boasted that his black robe would never be damaged, now had several cracks in his robe.

The black-robed demon truly intended to kill Ji Yao and Shen Zhizhou. He sliced ​​open their backs with his fingertips and took out a weapon—a section of spinal whip.

The black-robed demon holding the spinal whip beckoned to Ji Yao with his index finger: "Come here."

Ji Yao let out a screech and swooped down, spreading her wings to blot out the sky. The black-robed demon's spine whip cracked loudly, and with one lash, half of the entire mountain collapsed. As the two demons were locked in combat, Shu Yi suddenly discovered that she could transform into human form.

Shuyi transformed into human form, hugged Shen Zhizhou, and tried to take him away: "Let's go while they're too busy to deal with us!"

Shen Zhizhou's fingers were bleeding from digging into the rock, but he felt no pain. His eyes were fixed on the two demons, unwilling to leave: "Wait a minute, I feel something is wrong. Is there something wrong with my judgment?"

Recalling Ji Yao's various actions, Shen Zhizhou felt as if he had overlooked something very important, and he kept thinking about it in his mind.

The beauty pills that her father gave Ji Yao contained cinnabar to suppress demons, and Ji Yao's reaction to her father's death was also very strange. How many secrets did Ji Yao, her father, and the black-robed demon keep from her?

Shen Zhizhou turned to Shu Yi and said, "I want to save Sister Ji. I feel like I've overlooked something very important, but I don't know what the problem is. I want to save Sister Ji and ask her..."

"Okay, then let's save them."

"Aren't you going to ask me why?" Shen Zhizhou was surprised by Shu Yi's complete lack of reservation in sharing her thoughts with him.

"I believe you. If you want to do this, you must have your own reasons. I've said it before, I will always stand by your side!"

"Okay, let's do it together then!"

Shen Zhizhou and Shu Yi broke through the protective barrier set up by Ji Yao. Shen Zhizhou held a copper coin and peach wood sword in one hand and a talisman in the other. Shu Yi took off the jade ring from her right ear and held it in her palm, ready to throw the jade ring into battle at Shen Zhizhou's command.

"Now!" Shen Zhizhou pointed at the flaw revealed by the black-robed demon and threw out a talisman.

Following closely behind was Shu Yi's jade ring, which, together with Shu Yi, fiercely sliced ​​off a large chunk of the black robe from the black-robed demon's body. The black-robed demon then made a hand seal, and a vast, spreading swamp appeared beneath its feet, beginning to devour everything in its path.

"Whatever you do, don't get into these swamps. Once you do, these things will stick to you like ghosts until they completely devour you," Ji Yao warned Shen Zhizhou and Shu Yi below, spitting out a huge fireball.

Shen Zhizhou nodded, then used his sword to cut his finger and draw a blood talisman in the air to defend against the swamp.

"It's no use. These swamps are specifically designed to deal with enemies. Whether they are human, demon, or even a god, once they get even a little bit on them, they won't have an easy time!"

The black-robed demon exerted its power, and the swamp spread even faster, with vast stretches of swamp sweeping in like an endless deep sea.

Just as Shen Zhizhou and Shuyi were in a difficult situation, a large group of monsters emerged from all around.

"Boss Shen, we've come to help you!" Huang Daxian led his demons in a frantic rush.

Shen Zhizhou stared blankly at the monsters behind Huang Daxian for a moment, then grabbed Huang Daxian's arm and asked, "Who sent you here? How did you know about this place?"

Huang Daxian was taken aback: "Ah, didn't you ask the doctor from Sheyang to contact us? We came here following your instructions."

Shen Zhizhou looked at the black-robed demon floating in mid-air and knew it was all a trick he had played. He didn't want to pretend anymore and laid his cards on the table.

“I know it’s you, Sheyang. Stop pretending.”

The black-robed demon remained silent for a long time before lifting the hood from his black robe, revealing clear and familiar features. Looking down at Shen Zhizhou below, She Yang asked curiously, "How did you recognize me?"

Shen Zhizhou looked up at Sheyang and smiled mockingly: "Habit. You didn't expect this, did you? It's our habit of living together day and night that betrayed you."

A wave of moisture welled up in Shen Zhizhou's eyes, and he raised his hand to wipe away the tears: "Actually, at first, I wasn't sure. I thought I wouldn't be so unlucky, so hateful, that two of my closest relatives would betray me. But reality is so cruel. My two relatives really did betray me and ruin my family."

She Yang looked at Shen Zhizhou with a smile on his lips, but his eyes were full of complex emotions. In fact, he was a little hesitant at first. The Shen family was the kindest and most benevolent anti-monster he had ever met. So, in addition to monitoring Ji Yao and the Shen family, he also wanted to see if there was a chance for monsters and humans to coexist peacefully.

Until that day, when Shen Zhizhou's mother, Wen Yi, caught him molting, he knew...

Some roads you have to walk down to the bitter end.

"Did Sheyang really exist?" Shen Zhizhou asked seriously.

Sheyang nodded and replied just as seriously, "He existed. When your father first found him, he was a human. I took his skin, used his name and body... to live as him."

It turned out to be a scam from the very beginning. Looking at Ji Yao flying in the sky, Shen Zhizhou realized that it was all a carefully planned scheme from the start. It was a wonder that the Shen family actually treated them like family.

"And what about my mom and dad?" Shen Zhizhou asked again.

“Aunt Wen… stumbled upon my molting and knew that I had infiltrated the Shen family by devouring the real Sheyang. She wanted to report me, but that spider demon was actually taking the blame for me.” Sheyang paused, recalling the events of that day: “When that spider demon saw that I wanted to harm her, she actually overestimated herself and stood in front of her, trying to protect her. It was ridiculous. Where did she put me, a ten-thousand-year-old demon,? I only used a little trick, and I sent them both to the Yellow Springs.”

Thinking of something amusing, Sheyang burst into laughter, pointing at Ji Yao and saying, "You wouldn't believe it, would you? Aunt Wen was actually taken care of by your sister Ji herself. When she was too injured to move, it was me... who personally sent her on her way. Of course, I also left her with her last breath so that you and your son could meet and settle your affairs. Aren't I very kind?"

Sheyang laughed out loud, but tears streamed down his face. In truth... he too had once longed for the simple joys of life.

But in the end, he extinguished that spark himself.

So he told himself that those who achieve great things don't concern themselves with trifles, and that everything he did was for the good of the demon race. He kept saying this for many years, until he himself began to believe the lie.

After killing Shen Zhizhou's mother, Sheyang could not turn back; one wrong step led to another.

As for Shen Zhizhou's father, it was because he only had some guesses about Ji Yao, but he didn't expect...

Ji Yao, his once most loyal follower,

She actually told him that she no longer wanted to deceive the Shen family and no longer wanted to be an accomplice to evil.

Sheyang thought, if he can't turn back, why should anyone else be able to?

He wouldn't allow it.

During the argument, Shen Ran discovered the clues, and in the end, they drew their swords against each other.

But he never expected that Shen Ran would be so resolute as to set himself on fire!

After learning the truth about his parents' deaths, Shen Zhizhou raised his sword and said to Sheyang, "Do you remember when we were kids, we fought over little red flowers? Now... let's duel in the same way."

Sheyang smiled contemptuously: "Why should I agree to your request? I could kill you with just a flick of my wrist right now."

"Because you owe me."

She Yang's expression froze, the mocking smile on his lips faded, and after staring at Shen Zhizhou for a while, he nodded in agreement: "Okay, then let's do it the way we did when we were kids."

He knew that Shen Zhizhou was trying to buy time, but he also wanted to see if this enemy, with whom he had once spent every day, could defeat him.

What makes you so confident that you can do something your parents couldn't do?

Neither the human nor the demon used any magical artifacts or weapons; they were just like two children, using their fists to demonstrate their attitude.

You punched me in the waist and abdomen, I slapped you in the chest, and both of us, human and demon, ended up with bruises on our faces. Shu Yi watched silently, cheering for Shen Zhizhou in her heart.

"Why did Shuyi lose her memory?" Shen Zhizhou asked, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth.

Sheyang clutched his stomach and glanced at Shuyi: "Who told her to be so unlucky? After descending to the mortal realm, she fell into my territory. I saw that she had the mark of the Heavenly Court on her, so I directly erased her memories and sent her to your side."

“I was the one who brought you two together. According to human custom, I have to sit at the head table, Shen Zhizhou.” When She Yang talked about this, a genuine smile rarely appeared on his lips.

His gaze fell upon Shen Zhizhou, his eyes dark and unfathomable.

Shen Zhizhou looked back at Sheyang and curled his lip, saying, "Dream on, maybe in your next life."

The two longtime friends anticipated each other's next move and pulled out weapons from their pockets to stab each other.

Blood dripped onto the ground and weapons as Shen Zhizhou and She Yang stared intently at each other.

"I want you dead, to atone for my parents' sins!"

"What a coincidence, that's what I was thinking too. I'll choose an auspicious burial site and bury my godparents and you, the three of us, together in a neat and tidy manner."

"I will no longer show you mercy, Shen Zhizhou." She Yang took a deep breath, and when she opened her eyes again, they were icy cold.

Many years later, when Shen Zhizhou recalled this scene, he kept thinking about it.

Did Sheyang release the cause, or did the Shen family sow the seed of the fruit?

Ji Yao, Shen Zhizhou, Shu Yi, and the arriving monsters launched an attack on Sheyang.

After a flash of white light, the black robe protecting Sheyang shattered.

Sheyang touched the skin on his face, looked down and raised his hand to look.

The skin is destroyed

Sheyang transformed into a giant dragon reaching the sky, its large, lantern-like, yellow eyes staring at the demons, and the black breath it exhaled caused the surrounding trees to wither instantly.

Shen Zhizhou knew that today was bound to be a fierce battle.