Clarity
At first, his eyes were still somewhat confused and moist. But soon, he noticed two white fox paws tucked together awkwardly in front of him.
This is……
Yun Shu tried to lift her leg, and the fox claws within her sight stretched out, agile and powerful.
He...can he see?
Incredulously examining himself, he was astonished to find that the flow of demonic energy within his body was no longer sluggish; on the contrary, he felt lighter than ever before. The excruciating pain in his chest and abdomen was gone, the leech-like demonic poison had vanished, and the power flowing through his limbs and bones was pure and full of vitality. Although his meridians appeared fragile due to the exorcism of the demonic poison, they were completely intact.
As his memories gradually returned, he suddenly looked up, his bright eyes anxiously searching for something.
His gaze pierced through the gray chaos, finally landing on the figure not far away, with its back to him. The source of that familiar yet strange aura, which had always enveloped him in his coma, always domineering yet careful in dispelling his pain, always gently singing a lullaby, cleansing him of demonic poison, and rebuilding his foundation.
The figure was still tall and reliable, but it was broken and dilapidated. The chaotic power and ancient demonic energy surrounding it were completely different from the handsome, elegant, and dashing master in Yun Shu's memory.
"Master?" Yun Shu called softly, but her voice was a little hoarse.
Upon hearing the call, the figure instinctively tried to turn around, but was firmly suppressed. The terrifying demonic energy fluctuated violently for a moment, then quickly subsided as if startled. Yunhua's head, which was halfway turned, stiffly turned back. He took a few more steps away, his hands clasped tightly, desperately trying to hide.
"Master..." Seeing this scene, Yun Shu's eyes welled up with tears.
The enormous white fox rose gracefully, shook off non-existent dust from its fur, and then, step by step, drew a semicircle with Yunhua as the center. Finally, when it was face to face with Yunhua, it resolutely walked towards its master.
But he had only taken one step when he was scolded and stopped by the other party.
"Don't come any closer!" Yunhua felt as if she were being burned by a red-hot iron, unable to hide her panic, and staggered back half a step. "You're awake... that's good. Master is defiled, if you get any closer, you'll get hurt."
Now, all that remains of him is the power of pure destruction, which is inherently opposed to immortal essence.
Yun Shu paused. He gazed at Yun Hua's newly inflicted wounds, the pain and confusion that seemed to consume him, and her resistant yet... humble appearance. His heart ached so much he could hardly breathe.
He understood. It was his master who, in this almost self-destructive way, at the cost of completely falling into demonic possession, dragged him back from the shadow of death, and even purified him from the demonic poison, helping him regain his sight.
The white fox did not approach further. He simply lowered himself slowly, resting his head on his folded front paws, gazing at Yunhua with a completely unguarded air. In his clear, bright fox eyes, there was no fear or disgust, only overflowing heartache and trust.
“Master,” he twitched his ears and lay down on his side, “Qiuqiu won’t get hurt.”
Yunhua was suddenly startled, and looked at Yunshu with disbelief, her gaze shifting away.
His most adorable little fox lay there, its softest, most delicate fur on its belly facing him. Its clear eyes seemed untouched by the world's filth and suffering.
"Master, it's not dirty at all." Yun Shu looked at him quietly, even gently swaying her nine fluffy and beautiful tails, unusually serious. "Master has washed Qiuqiu clean. Look, aren't the tails whiter than before?"
At this moment, the raging demonic energy surrounding Yun Hua miraculously calmed down and receded completely into his body. He stared blankly at the nine-tailed celestial fox lying before him, his fingertips trembling slightly, unable to speak for a moment. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Yun Shu slowly crawled to him on her knees, her fox head lowered, and a few coquettish fox cries rolled out from her warm chest.
It seemed as if a thousand years had passed, as if time itself had stood still at this moment.
Yunhua finally slowly and tentatively raised her finger and reached towards the fox head hanging above her head. The chaotic aura lingering around her fingertips became as gentle as a spring breeze when it touched Yunshu's moist nose, which had lowered its head and pressed against hers.
"Eek".
The white fox even rubbed against it happily.
There was no burning or destruction, only a warm, vibrant, and gentle life force that flowed back from the fingertips.
In his bewildered eyes, the endless pain seemed to shatter under a faint light. He opened his blood-soaked palm and carefully covered the fox-like kiss that Yun Shu had placed on him, gently rubbing it.
"It's nothing..." he murmured, a single tear sliding down his cloudy eyes.
"Yes, it's alright." Yun Shu licked away the tears from her master's eyes and smiled as she wiped the blood and dust from her master's palms. "Qiuqiu is all better now. Master healed her, and Master cleaned her up. Thank you, Master."
After a long while, Yunhua looked at his unharmed, smiling little apprentice, and finally, with difficulty and awkwardness, a smile curved his tightly clenched lips. It was a smile that belonged to Yunhua, not that of the demon god. He exerted a little force, and the white fox understood and lay down, letting Yunhua hug its soft yet strong shoulders and neck, the two of them snuggling together.
"Master, I'm so happy that Qiuqiu can see you again." Yun Shu patiently comforted and reassured her best master, gently trying to ease Yun Hua's pain with her demonic power. "You've been asleep for so long, Qiuqiu missed you, and your senior sister missed you too... Master, shall we go home with Qiuqiu? Let's go home and wait for your senior sister to come back together."
The warmth emanating from him, the burning sensation of his tears, and the closeness and trust conveyed in Yun Shu's words suddenly stirred up more long-buried fragments of Yun Hua's memories. He saw Xiao He running around playing hide-and-seek across the mountains and fields, and Qiu Qiu chasing butterflies with its nine large tails. He saw himself playing chess and drinking tea with his close friends and family... He also saw Yun He and Yun Shu with tears streaming down their faces and eyes full of reluctance as he entered the seal.
"Little Crane...miss me too?" He said this almost unconsciously, gripping the white fox's belly fur even tighter.
A pang of pain shot through her heart, and Yun Shu nodded vigorously: "Yes, it's Senior Sister. Senior Sister is currently searching for medicine to save me. She doesn't know yet that Master has secretly cleaned Qiuqiu. Master, shall we go home and give Senior Sister a fright?"
After a moment of silence, a faint glimmer of clarity finally broke through Yunhua's eyes. He hugged Yunshu's neck tightly, cast his gaze across the surrounding chaos, and said in a deep voice, "...Alright. Master, take Qiuqiu home."
The rift in the "Primordial Chaos" reappeared, and Yun Shu, carrying her master on her back, slowly and steadily walked out.
Meanwhile, atop Yunhua Immortal Mountain.
Mo Yiheng shed his magnificent black robes befitting a demon lord, donning only a plain, simple black everyday garment, and knelt alone outside the forbidden spiritual spring. Before him stood a newly set incense table, wisps of smoke curling upwards, a place to calm the mind and spirit.
There were no ceremonial guards, no attendants, not even the Night Demon.
He knelt upright, his expression more calm and devout than ever before, willingly burning incense, kowtowing, and confessing his sins again and again.
There were no flowery words, no pretentious performances; he simply lowered his eyes obediently and recounted, word by word, everything that happened in the Demon Abyss that day. From the rebel conspiracy to his arrogant "playing along," to the accidental explosion and Yunhua's awakening, and finally to Yunshu's serious injury and disappearance by Yunhua.
"You wicked disciple, Mo Yiheng," he kowtowed again, "I acted carelessly and failed to consider matters thoroughly, causing Grandmaster Yunhua to be frightened and Master Yunshu to be seriously injured; this is my first sin. I bear demonic blood, murdered my father to seize power, and occupy the position of Demon Lord without any ambition; this is my second sin. I burn incense here to confess my sins, not to seek leniency, but only to wish for the early and safe return of Grandmaster and Master. The entire Demon Realm is willing to do everything in its power to help Yunhua find a cure to soothe the pain of Grandmaster and Master. Heaven and earth bear witness to this heart and this promise."
He bowed again and paid his respects solemnly.
Silence reigned all around, broken only by the slow curling of incense smoke, sending his vows into the sky and proclaiming them to all things. In the shadows, several elders of Yunhua wore complex expressions—from Mo Yiheng's words, one could truly sense his self-reproach and sense of responsibility, which were not feigned.
This Demon Lord, who had been taciturn during his cultivation in Yunhua, seemed to be quite different from what they had imagined.
A small head peeked out from behind the Second Elder. Jinzhu looked at the "bad guy" who was said to have poisoned and blinded the Fox Fairy and been expelled from Yunhua Immortal Mountain, and now he was kneeling there so quietly. She felt a little sad for no reason.
"Second Uncle," she nudged the elder's sleeve and asked softly, "Will he... will he continue like this? I have a feeling... he's about to cry."
"You little rascal, you're quite perceptive." The Second Elder patted her head, his gaze distant. "To err is human, to forgive divine. Let's see what he does from now on."
The incense stick burned out quickly.
Mo Yiheng slowly rose, and finally bowed deeply towards the depths of the forbidden area, towards the spiritual spring that had once enveloped and soothed Yun Shu. Then he turned around, dragging his aching legs from kneeling, and stumbled down the mountain. His back remained upright, yet it seemed as if he had shed some heavy shackles and taken on something else entirely.
When he reached the mountain gate, the disciple on duty hesitated for a moment, but still stepped forward to stop him and handed him a small jade bottle.
"...What is this?" Mo Yiheng was somewhat stunned.
"Master told me to give it to him." The disciple was clearly nervous, his eyes darting around, constantly looking to the Second Elder for encouragement. "He only said it would be beneficial to the Demon Lord's old injuries. It doesn't represent Yunhua Mountain, it's just... just... anyway, it's not to harm you."
But I just couldn't bear it. Before the Demon Abyss that day, Mo Yiheng had also rushed towards Yun Shu without regard for anything.
He silently accepted the medicine bottle, his fingertips able to feel the gentle medicinal power of the elixir within. He glanced once more at the mist-shrouded mountain peak, then carefully tucked the jade bottle into his robes.
Thank you.
As he stepped out of the mountain gate, he transformed into a streak of dark light and disappeared into the horizon.
He should go back to the Demon Realm.
The Western Regions, the headquarters of the Red Lotus Sect.
After handing the Earth Fire Lotus Seeds to the old man, the Red Lotus Sect leader, having recovered from his serious injuries, was extremely grateful to the two. To express his gratitude, the leader, without further ado, sent his disciples to give the two a lot of Western Region treasures, and even offered to personally cook some of his signature dishes for Yunhe and Wuying to try.
"Your Excellency has just recovered from a serious illness, so it would be better for you to rest more," Yunhe advised, changing the subject to chat with the leader of the Red Lotus Sect about anecdotes from the Western Regions.
The sect leader readily agreed. During their conversation, Yunhe mentioned his encounter in Jinran Mountain and asked if he had heard of that strange technique.
Upon hearing this, the leader of the Red Lotus Sect suddenly became solemn: "To be honest, the sinister person that the immortal described... actually reminded me of an ancient legend from the Western Regions."
"Oh? Please enlighten me, Master."
"Legend has it that in ancient times in the Western Regions, there was a secret sect whose members neither cultivated immortal arts nor practiced magic, but instead specialized in the art of 'theft.' Through their internal, mysterious rituals, they could steal the bloodline, cultivation, and even destiny of others, and then use it for their own purposes. Because their methods were extremely insidious, they were intolerable to both immortal and demonic sects, and thus the sect was destroyed by a joint effort of immortals and demons long ago, and has remained hidden for ten thousand years. It is said that their members acted in secrecy and were ruthless, making it difficult to discern their whereabouts, as if they were faceless, or as if they had a thousand faces..."
Yunhe and Wuying exchanged a glance, their hearts sinking.
The so-called theft of bloodline cultivation is extremely similar to the actions of Liu Qing, who was beheaded, the person who poisoned the Demon Realm Medicine Platform, and the treacherous shadow who wanted to steal Zhu Ming's egg. If it is not a trick of fate, then the three must be connected.
"Thank you for informing me, Master." Yunhe said solemnly. "This matter is of great importance, and we need to investigate it as soon as possible. We cannot stay here any longer, and we hope that you will understand."
The sect leader also rose to return the greeting, and then personally escorted the two out of the Red Lotus Sect. Before leaving, he said only, "This matter also concerns the safety of our Western Regions. If the immortal has any needs, please give the order, and the Red Lotus Sect will do its utmost to assist you."
"nature."
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