Chapter 67 Yan Nanqiu must give an explanation!

Pang Ren's words were like a thunderclap from a clear sky, shattering the stagnant calm in the room.

Everyone around was stunned. Countless shocked and fearful gazes were fixed on Qiu Nan. Even Yin Lisheng's hand, which was supporting Fu Yunshu, unconsciously tightened its grip, and his knuckles turned white.

The person involved, Qiu Nan, who was stunned by this sudden accusation, could only describe his feelings as "the sky has fallen and the earth has cracked".

He froze completely. His usually smiling face instantly drained of color, leaving only a blank and helpless expression.

Qiu Nan blinked subconsciously, as if he hadn't heard the words clearly. He then raised his hand to pick at his ear, gently shook his head, and said in a trembling voice, "Did I hear wrong? What demon prince... This joke is too outrageous."

What is all this nonsense?!

He now only felt absurdity. He was clearly a legitimate disciple of the Qingyuan Sect, a genuine human cultivator. Although he was occasionally mischievous, he had absolutely nothing to do with any of those so-called demon princes!

Qiu Nan recognized every single word Pang Ren uttered, but the combination of them left him completely bewildered. Such an absurd, bizarre, and melodramatic story could only exist in storybooks.

Qiu Nan felt deeply that this Immortal Sect Competition was too surreal, a complete reversal of the natural order. The demons actually identified a human cultivator as their crown prince—what a joke!

His reaction was so natural, his genuine bewilderment was so real, and the confusion and helplessness in his eyes were not fake at all. Anyone who saw it would think that he was truly stunned by this sudden accusation.

At least Fu Yunshu felt that if Qiu Nan was acting, then he could definitely win the Best Actor award.

After a brief silence, Yan Shuangwan spoke first.

Her voice remained gentle, yet carried an undeniable firmness. She took a step forward, firmly blocking Qiu Nan's path. When she looked up at Pang Ren, her eyes were already filled with anger: "Nonsense! How could Qiu Nan be a demon? We entered the sect together, grew up together. Li Sheng and I know him better than anyone!"

Yin Lisheng immediately stood beside Yan Shuangwan, gripping his long sword even tighter. His gaze swept over Pang Ren before returning to Qiu Nan's face, and he said firmly, "I believe Qiu Nan. He is definitely not a bad person."

When Pang Ren saw that Qiu Nan denied it outright, and that everyone's reaction was completely different from what he had expected, such as "immediate suspicion and internal strife," especially since Yin Lisheng and Yan Shuangwan were so firmly defending Qiu Nan, he couldn't help but laugh.

“Your Highness, it seems you have indeed forgotten everything. However, I did not expect to meet you here.” A ruthless glint flashed in his eyes. “Since I am going to die today anyway, I might as well give you a good show.”

The viciousness in Pang Ren's eyes grew stronger. He knew that he had no way out when surrounded by many experts such as Fu Yunshu and Ji Yuanbai. The resentment and hatred in his heart burned up completely.

He stared intently at Qiu Nan, a strange, almost insane smile playing on his lips.

"Since Your Highness is so forgetful that you have even forgotten your own identity and mission... then I will help you 'remember'!"

Pang Ren's voice was hoarse, carrying a resolute determination to perish together with his opponent.

Before he finished speaking, the demonic energy emanating from Pang Ren suddenly receded, shrinking back into his body. His body swelled and deformed at a visible speed, with the blood vessels under his skin bulging as if they were about to burst through his flesh, a truly horrifying sight.

Ji Yuanbai's expression changed drastically, and he shouted sharply, "Be careful! He's going to self-destruct!" Before he finished speaking, he had already raised his hand to gather spiritual power, wanting to step forward and stop him.

Fu Yunshu didn't delay either; spiritual power surged from his fingertips, transforming into a transparent ice prison that enveloped Pang Ren.

But it was too late. Pang Ren's target was never them. In the instant before the ice prison closed, he used his last bit of strength to compress all his magic power into a dark purple ball of light. The ball of light skillfully bypassed everyone's obstruction and went straight for the unsuspecting Qiu Nan's chest.

"Qiu Nan, be careful!" Yan Shuangwan cried out in alarm, rushing over without regard for her own safety to push him away.

Yin Lisheng also hurriedly swung his sword, his sword energy slashing straight at the ball of light in an attempt to intercept it.

But Pang Ren's desperate attack was too fast. Yan Shuangwan's hand barely touched Qiu Nan's sleeve, and Yin Lisheng's sword energy was also half a beat slow. They watched helplessly as the dark purple demonic light solidly collided with Qiu Nan's chest.

Qiu Nan groaned, his body flying backward like a kite with a broken string, crashing heavily into the rock wall behind him with a dull thud. His face was ashen, his body trembling uncontrollably, and fine beads of cold sweat trickled down his forehead. After the demonic light entered his body, it ran rampant through his meridians like a wild horse, the tearing pain making it almost impossible for him to breathe.

"Qiu Nan!" Yan Shuangwan and Yin Lisheng rushed over, trying to help him up. Song Wenzhuo, Fu Yunshu and others also quickly surrounded him. Ji Yuanbai had already raised his hand to gather purifying spiritual power, preparing to help Qiu Nan expel the demonic energy from his body.

But the next second, everyone froze on the spot, their eyes filled with disbelief.

Within Qiu Nan's body, the impact of the foreign demonic energy seemed to shatter a long-hidden barrier. A very faint cracking sound, as if coming from the depths of his soul, as subtle as a mosquito's buzz, yet clearly audible to everyone.

Immediately afterwards, a power far stronger and purer than before suddenly erupted from the depths of his body!

Dense black demonic energy surged from his pores, swirling around Qiu Nan's body. The demonic energy was so pure that it contained no impurities, far more intimidating than Pang Ren's demonic energy, and it also carried an innate nobility and coldness that made people dare not look directly at it.

Qiu Nan doubled over in pain, his knuckles gripping the fabric tightly. It felt as if countless sharp knives were piercing his bones, trying to tear him apart. The skin on the left side of his forehead was burning intensely, the heat penetrating his muscles, as if something was pushing against his flesh, causing both itchiness and pain, making him almost unable to resist scratching.

"His forehead..." Duan Xuan exclaimed softly, hurriedly raising her hand to cover her mouth, her voice filled with panic.

All eyes turned to him—beneath Qiu Nan's forehead, a dark purple halo was slowly emerging, growing brighter and brighter over time, until it finally penetrated his skin and transformed into an intricate and strange pattern, firmly imprinted on his skin.

This line is not a simple line. It resembles an ancient script, or a natural mark. The lines are smooth and look very special, extending from the corner of the forehead to the side of the eyebrow, shimmering with a subtle light.

After the magic runes appeared, Qiu Nan's face didn't become ugly; instead, it gained a strange yet noble air. His former lively demeanor was gone, replaced by a coldness that seemed to emanate from his very bones.

These are demonic runes possessed only by members of the Yan clan, the royal family of the demon race. Currently, the Yan clan consists of only two people: Demon Lord Yan Ji and Crown Prince Yan Nanqiu, but Yan Ji has long been imprisoned by Yan Nanqiu.

The demonic runes clearly told everyone that he, Qiu Nan, was none other than Yan Nanqiu, the crown prince of the Demon Clan.

There was not a sound at the bottom of the entire lake.

Everyone was stunned by what had suddenly happened. They stared at Qiu Nan, almost forgetting to breathe. Before, when Pang Ren claimed to be the Demon Prince, no one believed him. But now, seeing it with their own eyes, they had no choice but to believe.

The most shocked were undoubtedly the younger members of the Qingyuan Sect. Their friends, whom they grew up with every day, had suddenly become the legendary Demon Prince. This change was so drastic that it left them completely bewildered.

Yan Shuangwan's tears flowed silently. She looked at Qiu Nan, who was surrounded by demonic energy and looked pained, and at the cold line on his forehead. Her heart ached as if it were being cut by a knife.

She wanted to go over to him, to comfort him, to help him, and to play with him as she had done many times before, but her feet felt like they were nailed to the ground, and she couldn't move an inch.

Was she afraid? No, not afraid, but overwhelmed by a sense of bewilderment and devastation, as if the world she knew had completely collapsed at that moment.

Yin Lisheng's outstretched hand froze in mid-air, his fingers trembling. He looked at the demonic markings on Qiu Nan's forehead, at the unfamiliar dark golden light in his eyes, and felt as if his heart was being gripped tightly by a hand.

He wanted to speak, but his throat felt blocked, and he could only utter hoarse sounds. Everything before him left him bewildered. That was Qiu Nan, his childhood friend, the person who, besides his master, had given him the most warmth, and the companion he was willing to protect with all his might.

Now, to tell him that this companion is the enemy of all righteous cultivators, how could Yin Lisheng accept this?

He instinctively looked for Fu Yunshu, for only his master was his pillar of support.

Fu Yunshu was also in a state of confusion, his eyes filled with complex emotions. Although he knew it was inappropriate to let his mind wander in such a serious moment, Fu Yunshu vaguely remembered that Gu Zhinan died at the hands of Yan Nanqiu in the original novel. However, according to Pang Ren, the two of them had actually been married. Was this some kind of melodramatic novel?

And then there's Wen Zhuo. If such a thing really happened, then what is Song Wen Zhuo?

After all, he was a child she had raised herself, so between Gu Zhinan and Song Wenzhuo, Fu Yunshu cared more about Song Wenzhuo.

Song Wenzhuo's brows furrowed tightly. Ji Yuanbai withdrew the lightning from his palm, his expression more serious than ever before. Lu Yanci gently tapped the ground with his jade staff, letting out a soft sigh. Qin Lingyue and the other cultivators exchanged surprised glances, some instinctively gripping their weapons and watching Qiu Nan warily.

Qiu Nan is currently suffering from both physical and mental torment.

The awakening of power brought a tearing pain. The demonic markings on his forehead burned as if they were about to pierce his bones. The world he saw became both strange and clear—he could "see" the faint demonic energy floating in the air, "hear" the subtle sound of the lake flowing in the distance, and even the intense emotional fluctuations of everyone around him felt like real objects impacting his senses.

But what tormented him even more were the fragmented and chaotic images and sounds flooding into his mind.

Cold chains, a blurry figure of his father, and a gentle female voice urging him to flee. These images and sounds violently assaulted his present memories, turning his decades-long understanding upside down.

I am not... I am not a demon... I am Qiu Nan, Qiu Nan of the Qingyuan Sect...

He screamed inwardly, trying to deny it all. But the burning sensation on his forehead, the strange look in his eyes, and the powerful yet icy demonic energy flowing through his body coldly mocked his struggle.

He raised his head, meeting Yin Lisheng's shocked and conflicted gaze, Yan Shuangwan's tearful and bewildered eyes, the serious scrutinizing eyes of his teachers, and the fearful and wary expressions of the surrounding cultivators...

“No…no…” Qiu Nan squeezed out a few words with difficulty, his voice hoarse and trembling, “I…I don’t know…this…” He tried in vain to explain, to drive away the demonic energy around him, to erase the lines on his forehead, but it was all in vain.

Pang Ren's maniacal laughter before his death still seemed to echo in my ears: "Your Highness, do you remember?"

What did he remember? He couldn't remember anything! His mind was filled with chaos, pain, boundless fear, and fragmented images.

He is not the Demon Prince! He is not Yan Nanqiu! He is Qiu Nan!

But...where is the evidence?

Looking at the increasingly unfamiliar gazes of those around him, and feeling the increasingly difficult-to-control, chilling power within his body that even frightened him, an unprecedented panic and helplessness completely overwhelmed Qiu Nan.

He couldn't take it anymore.

He couldn't face the shattered trust in the eyes of his former friends, the probing gazes of his teachers, or even the sudden, unfamiliar, and terrifying version of himself.

In the instant before his sanity completely crumbled, the dark golden light in Qiu Nan's eyes suddenly burst forth with a blinding brilliance, a mixture of pain, fear, and resolve. He let out a low, almost collapsing roar, and the newly born, violent demonic power within his body erupted with a deafening roar!

"boom!"

A powerful surge of demonic energy exploded outwards from him, forcing Yin Lisheng and Yan Shuangwan, who were nearby, to take several steps back. Qiu Nan didn't even dare to look at them again. His body transformed into a swift stream of dark light, and like a wounded wild beast, he rushed out of the lake without regard for anything else.

"Qiu Nan!"

Yin Lisheng and Yan Shuangwan's shouts were filled with panic and urgency, but Qiu Nan had already vanished without a trace.

The two of them wanted to give chase, but a malicious voice rang out:

"stop!"

Shi Jin, the leader of the Jiuyang Sect, was the first to launch an attack.

He strode out, blocking Yin Lisheng and Yan Shuangwan's path, his face grim, his gaze sharp, fixed on Fu Yunshu and Song Wenzhuo.

"Fellow Daoists, you all saw those demonic runes clearly just now!" Shi Jin's voice was loud and imposing. "Those were the unique demonic runes of the Yan family, the royal family of the Demon Clan. Qiu Nan is the Crown Prince Yan Nanqiu of the Demon Clan. The evidence is conclusive."

He paused, glanced at the cultivators from various sects around him, and saw many looking surprised and suspicious, whispering among themselves. A secret sense of pleasure flashed through his mind. He continued, "This is very strange. How could the Demon Prince have hidden in the Qingyuan Sect for so many years without any incident? He even became an inner disciple, participated in the Immortal Sect Competition, and spent every day with the elites of various sects! Tell me, how could he have done this without someone inside protecting and covering for him?!"

The implication was clear, and someone immediately echoed it. It was an elder from the Yu family in the Southern Territory. He stroked his beard, his eyes gleaming: "Sect Leader Shi is right. The Demon Prince is hiding in a righteous sect. This is definitely not a trivial matter. Qingyuan Sect... shouldn't it give us all an explanation?"

“Especially Peak Master Gu,” he pointed directly at Gu Zhinan, “not only is he Yan Nanqiu’s master, but he is also the ‘Demon Clan Crown Princess’. If you say you don’t know anything about it, I’m afraid no one will believe you.”

Someone said indignantly, "What else is there to say? Gu Zhinan has long been in cahoots with the demons. This matter must be explained!"

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Author's Note: A few warnings: ① Gu and Song are both virgins. Gu and Yan have no romantic relationship and are not exes. This will be explained in detail in the Demon Clan arc. However, Gu and Song will indeed have some tragic scenes. ② Yin and Fu's relationship is progressing slowly. Their relationship is slow-burning in the early stages, but a major turning point is coming soon, so please be patient.