No Return
The Demon Realm, deep within the Demon Palace.
The incessant battle reports were sent to the Demon Palace, their contents mostly consisting of the blind snakes launching another invasion offensive and Murong Jin bearing the fate of the world on his shoulders.
The emptiness in his chest churned with something indescribable, finally erupting upon hearing the news of Night Asura's disappearance. If even those born from the Abyss of Demons couldn't shoulder that burden, who could possibly be worthy of it?
The answer is obvious.
Therefore, Mo Yiheng asked the demon soldier who reported, "Is there anything unexpected at the Jade Guanyin's place?"
"Your Excellency, although Lady Si Xun bled from all seven orifices after returning from the Blackwater Abyss, she was otherwise unharmed. However... when she passed through the border, she led the demon army to fight against the leader of that strange creature in order to protect a caravan that was going to trade with humans. She was seriously injured."
Using the image-recording stone presented by the demon soldier, the Demon Lord easily saw that the so-called 'leader' was actually the black-robed man who should have died at Yunhua's hands.
Is there more than one...?
He waved away the demon soldier, then gazed alone towards the Western Regions, and after a moment, towards the Demon Abyss. His body and mind, which had survived the attack of the black mist, were told by his heart in the Western Regions: his beloved was growing weaker, yet still resolutely ventured into the lair of the false god.
Master... you will be safe and sound, won't you? The Three Realms are in chaos right now, and Heng'er is unable to leave and accompany you... you will understand, won't you?
The answer is definitely yes—after all, he was personally sent back by Yun Shu.
Perhaps, Yun Shu sent him away so ruthlessly just for this moment.
At this point, he had no more hesitation. His black robes billowed, carrying with them the mournful cries echoing throughout the Demon Realm, and in an instant, he appeared in the Demon Abyss. The "ancestors" whom Grandmaster Yunhua had ordered him to keep under control were still roaring restlessly; having lost the suppression of the most powerful demon god, they were all extremely excited.
Clearly, only the irrational demonic energy remained, yet it still yearned for destruction and craved desire.
Desire... Mo Yiheng clenched his fists, his gaze piercing through the boundless darkness, straight to the bottom of the abyss.
For a demon lord, becoming a demon god is not a difficult task.
It only requires a harmless price, nothing more. He closed his eyes and, imitating Yun Shu, spread his divine sense outwards, searching for his missing subordinates within the chaotic Demon Abyss.
Before he could succeed, an aura emanated from Yunhua Mountain behind him. The Grand Elder of Yunhua Immortal Mountain, as an assistant to the Demon Realm and an elder, gripped Mo Yiheng's shoulder without saying a word, intending to pull him out of the Demon Abyss, this place of trouble.
However, having practiced demonic techniques, Mo Yiheng's strength had already far surpassed that of his senior brother. He remained unmoved, leaving the Grand Elder alone, seething with rage.
"Are you insane?" The First Elder's thick eyebrows furrowed. "Don't you know the price to pay for becoming a demon god?!"
"No, I know very well." Mo Yiheng said calmly, breaking free from the Grand Elder's restraints and stepping forward again to face the demonic auras that mocked him. "I was born as a sacrifice to the previous Demon Lord, and I am now the Demon Lord. No one in the world understands the price better than I do."
"Then hurry back with me!"
Go back? The Demon Lord listened to the mournful cries echoing in his ears, then looked at the human world where poisonous insects were gnawing at the dragon veins, and slowly but irresistibly shook his head.
He was a disciple of Yunhua Mountain and a child of the Demon Clan. If he could not shoulder the responsibility of being the Demon Lord at this moment, not only would his beloved master Yun Shu be disappointed, but his clan would also pay a heavy price—at least he understood that the false god's purpose was to simultaneously pressure all realms, forcing a breach to appear in a certain place first, and then breaking through and devouring them one by one.
It seems that this gap is the Demon Realm where Mo Yiheng is located.
“Therefore, I need power.” He pushed the Grand Elder, sending him out of the Demon Abyss, and said, “Senior brother, I will trouble you to do your best to protect the Demon Realm while I am still in power. My friends and family need me to suppress the Demon Abyss and become the new Demon God.”
The elder wanted to say more, but was stopped by another person.
"Let him go." Yunhua's illusory figure appeared here at some point. He was probably still on the mountaintop, only glancing over briefly to observe the current state of the Demon Realm.
"Demon Lord," Yun Hua's scrutinizing gaze revealed a hint of satisfaction for the first time, "that you have returned alive."
Mo Yiheng understood that this was a signal that his grandmaster had accepted him. He bowed deeply to the illusory figure, and then, without hesitation, leaped into the Demon Abyss.
Placing oneself under a high concentration of demonic energy was not pleasant. The lingering resentments of demons with varying personalities tore at his consciousness and soul, dragging his legs and making it difficult for him to move forward.
His burning blood gradually cooled, and a chaotic mix of demonic energy filled his limbs and bones, pushing his body to the brink of explosion. He remained silent, biting his lower lip tightly, clutching the shard of jade as he advanced. While opening his body to welcome the demonic energy, he forced himself to stay alert and search for the lost Night Asura.
The price of becoming a demon god is the loss of emotions and humanity. Night Asura's emotional detachment stems from this.
He could feel his memories being gradually eroded, becoming blurred and indistinct. His love for Yun Shu was the first to be affected.
Inside the Moon Gazing Pavilion, the warmth of sharing pastries nestled in Yun Shu's arms; the despair of being expelled from the sect by Yun Shu amidst the wind and snow; the heartache of seeing Yun Shu revert to her original form in the Yi Lan Palace; the tenderness Yun Shu showed him on the day he regained his sight; the intimate heartbeat with Yun Shu in the underground temple… and the vulnerability of Yun Shu entering the door alone, transmitted through his heart. Each and every event is vividly remembered.
No. He didn't want to forget his master, he couldn't forget Yun Shu.
His life began with Yun Shu. His cultivation was guided by Yun Shu. The love he never spoke of in his youth was tied to that immortal who had traveled far away.
Even though this feeling might never be known to the other person in his lifetime, he was unwilling to abandon the figure that gave him a new life.
He made a promise with his master to protect the Demon Realm and everything that his master cared about... Did his master care about him as well?
Perhaps it was Yun Shu, far away in the Western Regions, who sensed his unease, or perhaps it was just Yun Shu habitually looking down to check on the little black lump of coal, but the warmth and tenderness transmitted through his heart could not be faked.
Ah... that includes him. In Master's world, he has a place.
From then on, Mo Yiheng no longer hesitated, nor did he try to resist the chaotic demonic energy that carried malice.
"I am the Demon Lord Mo Yiheng, disciple of the White Fox Immortal Lord Yun Shu... You are but a few remnant souls, how dare you devour your master!"
He spread his arms wide, using his own will as a guide to devour and refine all the demonic energy that attempted to steal his memories, dissolving the vast, ocean-like legacy of the demon god here. His demonic energy circulated wildly between disintegration and reconstruction, his bones emitting agonizing howls, and his soul burning on the verge of destruction.
His arms grew stronger, his consciousness grew more blurred, as if his soul had left his body and escaped to the deepest hell.
Just when he thought he was about to be completely assimilated, he suddenly felt a chill between his brows, and his mind cleared. His floating body seemed to regain its weight, and when he opened his eyes, he saw a ghostly face.
The woman wearing the ghost mask withdrew her fingertips, leaned closer to examine them, and muttered to herself, "It's a demon... but it carries the scent of my master... no, the scent of the White Fox Immortal Lord's herbs and trees, as well as the twilight of Yunhua Mountain."
The woman nimbly leaped behind him. Mo Yiheng didn't know what she was doing, but a strong premonition prevented him from resisting.
"...When good and evil are out of balance, good should take precedence." The woman said softly, then nodded after noticing the broken jade in his palm. "I see. It's Junior Brother... no, it's... the disciple of the White Fox Immortal Lord."
Is there any difference between these two statements? Mo Yiheng finally couldn't help but ask, "Senior Sister, why..."
Before he could finish speaking, Daiyue sealed his mouth with a talisman.
"Hush. Call me Judge of Good and Evil, not Senior Sister." The woman explained in a low voice, "Those who enter the Netherworld must not speak of anything related to the living, otherwise they will bring disaster upon them."
...So that's how it is. Feeling a little sad, Mo Yiheng still obediently changed his form of address and asked why the Judge of Good and Evil had come.
"This..." Even through the mask, Dai Yue's doubts were still evident. "I didn't originally intend to come here. I only wanted to capture a fugitive from the Netherworld... However, when I passed through the Demon Realm, I saw that the demonic energy was surging and the death energy was thick. Fearing that something might go wrong, I told my companions to go to the fugitive's location first, while I changed direction."
Then, she looked intently at her junior brother whom she was meeting for the first time: "Why are you here? And why do you wish to become a demon god?"
After the whole story was told, Daiyue fell into deep thought again: "So that's how it is... Back then, I did indeed commit suicide by drinking poison in the Western Regions. I just never imagined that a false god would be living there... He actually dared to extend his reach into... the Netherworld."
Afterwards, Mo Yiheng told his senior sister in detail about the modified poisonous insects and the Quicksand Kingdom that had been stripped of its original appearance, and also told her about the current situation of the Three Realms in great detail.
After listening silently to her junior brother's words, Daiyue sighed softly: "The evils of the world are ultimately impossible to eradicate... So be it. Wasn't my suicide precisely to end evil...?"
The Demon Lord was about to speak further when the Judge of Good and Evil touched his brow with his fingertip. Dai Yue said to him, "I am aware of this matter. Within three days, the Lord of the Underworld will weep for this. The guilty will ultimately fall into the hands of the Judge of Good and Evil, never to be reincarnated. Your friend has found you. Go back, newborn Demon God... I assure you in the name of the Judge of Good and Evil that the Underworld will not stand idly by."
Her figure gradually faded away. Before parting, Mo Yiheng struggled to take one last step forward: "Master... Judge of Good and Evil, may I know the name of that Netherworld fugitive?"
"The name of the fugitive, Ubak."
Then darkness returned, and the body was resting on someone's shoulder.
"Your Majesty, you acted rashly." Night Asura hoisted one of the Demon God's arms, with several enormous serpents lying behind him, yet his voice remained calm. "But congratulations, you have absorbed all the remnants of the Demon God within the Demon Abyss and become a new Demon God."
...Ha. As expected, even with his soul on the verge of collapse, the librarian of the Demon Realm remained detached from emotion. Mo Yiheng wanted to laugh, but he couldn't help coughing twice as soon as he opened his mouth, so he had to give up.
"Si Xun is unharmed, Si Shu has no need to worry," Mo Yiheng said casually, and indeed Ye Xiuluo paused for a moment.
"I did not inquire about this matter."
"It's alright. Night Asura, take me to the Blackwater Abyss and see how Jade Guanyin's friends are doing."
"yes."
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