At the end of its strength
"Is anyone there? Help me!"
"You still want someone to save you? Bah! Come back with us obediently!" The demonic cultivator stepped on the woman's raised hand, pinning it against the door.
Even worse, he spat a thick wad of phlegm onto the doorframe.
"Clean it up." A cold shout came from inside the door.
The demonic cultivator stared fiercely at the door until it opened and a young man in blue robes walked out, followed by a half-human-sized spirit beast baring its teeth and letting out a deep growl.
The red-haired woman, as if grasping at a straw, raised her haggard, bruised face and pleaded, "Help...help..."
Zhu Xun glanced at him indifferently: "Save you?"
The woman looked horrified, her lips trembling.
"Yaoguang, tear them apart."
The lion leaped up and tried to bite a man, who narrowly dodged. Then, the lion struck again with its claws, sending the man flying far away.
Zhu Xun drew his sword and charged toward the other man, but the man smiled and, without dodging, flew to meet him.
The double-edged swords clashed, producing a ringing sound. Zhu Xun felt the force of the impact, his wrist going numb. He abruptly looked up at the demonic cultivator, only to see the man's confident smile growing wider and wider...
You Youju got out of the carriage, and a gust of cold wind hit his face, making him shiver. He subconsciously used magic to adjust his body temperature, but it didn't warm him up in a moment. He didn't care and went upstairs with the servant.
Hearing the door open, the three people around the table turned to look at each other. They all said in unison:
"Hey! Brother Ju is here!"
"Old You!"
"Young Master You."
You Youju readily agreed. After the servant took the cloak, she strode over, her face gentle and smiling, but her heart was filled with trepidation: "Would you like to try it first?"
Song Song shook his head and showed the mirror in his palm: "With Brother Ju as the elder, we should naturally wait."
With a pastry in her mouth and her hands busy, Xiao Baiyao said, "Ju, come on, this is my first time seeing a magical artifact, I'm so excited!"
The palm-sized mirror frame was made of brass, with an exquisitely patterned handle. Several sparkling gemstones were inlaid on the edge of the mirror, and the mirror surface had a few scratches, making it look quite old. Despite its small size and light weight, it was still exquisite and beautiful.
Song Song swallowed hard. You Youju was also engrossed in the task, while Xiao Baiyao remained calm and composed.
"The next Demon Emperor..."
"Wait! Don't rush into asking such questions right away. Let's test if it's accurate first." You Youju was terrified. Why did they suddenly unleash such a powerful move?
Song Song swallowed again, his gaze lingering between the serious-looking You Youju and the smiling Xiao Baiyao, his lips seemingly trembling: "Brother Youju is right."
Xiao Baiyao popped a peanut into her mouth, then gave one to each of them: "Hey! You two, don't be so nervous!"
Song Song cleared his throat: "I..."
You Youju held a pebble tightly under the table, ready to smash the mirror if the answer was no different.
Am I male or female?
Xiao Baiyao burst out laughing: "Hahaha! What kind of question is that?"
You Youju forced a smile, agreeing with Xiao Baiyao with a strained grin.
...
...
...
The mirror did not react.
Song Song tapped the mirror, carefully checking it from front to back, but there was no response.
Xiao Baiyao said, "Is it that it doesn't want to answer the obvious questions?"
Song Song looked at it suspiciously, then changed the question: "Has Huai Jing eaten yet?!"
This time, Xiao Baiyao spat out the tea in her mouth, but still kept laughing.
The mirror still didn't respond. You Youju frowned, her grip loosening considerably. Song Song looked to the two for help, but Xiao Baiyao waved his hand, indicating he was also helpless: "Perhaps we need magic to activate it?"
Song Song handed the mirror to You Youju, who planned to fake it. Their eyes were filled with hope and curiosity.
"Don't rush, let me try." He tried to activate the spell in his hand.
...
...
"Brother You, have you started?"
You Youju's hand froze in mid-air.
Immediately, cold sweat began to trickle down my back.
There was absolutely no spiritual energy flowing within his body!
He coughed lightly: "Perhaps I was drunk last night and am not in good condition today."
Xiao Baiyao laughed again: "That excuse sounds familiar."
He snatched the mirror, examined it from all angles, and said, "Dude, to be honest, this is just an ordinary mirror. You know a little bit about mirrors, can't you tell?"
Upon hearing this, Song Song hurriedly took out a spirit stone that was suspended by a rope from his sleeve and shook it in front of the mirror—but there was no reaction.
You Youju felt that her undergarments must be wet.
How could this be? If he has no spiritual power, what is his purpose in this world?
When did this happen? Why didn't I notice it before?
How can he protect Zhu Xun?
Bamboo Seeking!?
He immediately stood up, leaving behind the still angry Song Song and the onlooker Xiao Baiyao, and said, "I have urgent business!! I'm leaving first!!"
Seeing him rush down, the coachman quickly put down the footstool: "What happened, young master?"
Before Youyou could answer, he pulled a dagger from his sleeve, cut the horse's reins, and slashed the horse's rump with the dagger, galloping wildly against the wind.
The cold wind was like a knife, cutting into You Youju's face, making him squint and tremble uncontrollably. The cold wind was like a whip, lashing every part of You Youju's body, but he couldn't care less. The unease from midday swept over him again, and he wished he could go faster, faster!
"It must be overthinking, it must be overthinking! Zhu Xun will be alright! He'll be alright!"
The pendant on her chest was burning hot, and then it shattered.
When You Youju arrived outside the bamboo forest, a red-haired woman was huddled behind Zhu Xun's slender frame... fair-skinned and tall. You Youju felt a sudden pang of fear, as if she had been punched hard.
That woman was none other than Yuehua.
In the original story, Zhu Xun is an extraordinary person and inevitably gets captured and "experimented." But there seems to be another woman in the same cage named "Yuehua."
Yuehua's unusual features include naturally red hair, sharp ears, and sharp teeth; she was raised among demons from a young age. When You Youju first read about Yuehua, she always thought of her as a small and adorable elf.
Actually, it would be normal if she were a demon, but the Regent's henchmen discovered she was human and captured her. Although Yuehua looks like a demon, she is actually a very gentle person. She is very kind to the children in the prison, and uses her meager magic to heal their wounds and share her food with Zhuxun.
She said his eyes were as beautiful as her hair.
When only the two of them remained in the prison, Yuehua, knowing her days were numbered, took off the necklace that had been with her for eighteen years and gave it to Zhuxun, hoping that he would give it to the fairies who had raised her after he got out.
Unfortunately, the first person to be affected was Zhu Xun. The pendant contained a fake death curse, which was only cast when the owner's vital signs were low. This was also a common trick used by the lesser demons of the Yuehua clan.
And so, he "died," and she died.
In the original text, Zhu Xun's gratitude towards Yuehua was irreplaceable, to the point that he named his palace Yuehua Palace. He believed that Yuehua had given him his life.
......
Zhu Xun was kneeling on the ground, his sword broken. Opposite him stood two demonic cultivators, who, judging from their clothing, were of slightly higher rank.
Her hair was tied with a purple crown, and the edges of her clothes were also purple.
The demonic cultivators' clothing, in order of height, is borderless, yellow-edged, blue-edged, purple-edged, and crimson-gold-edged.
I don't let Zhu Xun practice his martial arts much, but only let him solidify his basic skills and speed. Zhu Xun is definitely not as good as these two now.
You Youju gritted her teeth, her hand already reaching for the red-tailed snake bone whip at her waist.
He thought to himself, "Damn it, so many plot points have changed, why do they still manage to run into each other?"
You Youju felt a tightness in his head and his hands trembled uncontrollably. The cold wind had numbed him, and he seemed unable to control his every move. In any case, he had to try to activate the Crimson Tail Serpent Bone.
The mountain wind howled, carrying Zhu Xun as if it were about to take him away.
"Crimson Flame! Slash!"
A long whip lashed out, catching the two demonic cultivators off guard and causing them to fall behind.
The wounded Yao Guang then pounced on the two demonic cultivators.
Zhu Xun gritted his teeth and looked over, his face already splattered with blood, his hair fluttering in the wind, his sleeves billowing, and his long braids hanging down on the boy's shoulders. When he saw him, his eyes lit up.
The barrier concealing the color of his eyes was about to collapse, ready to shatter at the slightest touch.
The newcomer's face was ashen, his eyes were red-rimmed, his blue robes billowed, and dark clouds rolled across his once bright and cheerful face, his aura was extremely low.
"Uncle..." Zhu Xun called out weakly.
You Youju swallowed the blood in her mouth, her body tensed, and she was about to lose her balance. She didn't know how many more lashes she could unleash.
He dared not touch Zhu Xun in front of him. Zhu Xun seemed to be injured all over, and he didn't know where to start, afraid of hurting him again.
Zhu Xun shook his head, unable to speak anymore. His lips and teeth were covered in blood, which clenched You Youju's heart tightly, twisting it several times.
"Sweetie, go back and wait for me."
He summoned Yaoguang, took out a pill from his treasure pouch, and fed it to her. He then took out another pill and fed it to Zhuxun: "Yaoguang, take these two children back."
Yao Guang tossed Yuehua and Zhu Xunxian onto her back, then turned and ran away.
You Youju stopped one of the demonic cultivators who was about to give chase, holding his whip, and said coldly, "Which hand injured your ancestor?"
The two demonic cultivators had just witnessed the power of the crimson whip in his hand. The whip was covered with barbs, and a single lash could tear off a layer of skin. It was incredibly vicious. Fortunately, they were not hit.
One of them cupped his hands in greeting: "Hmph, Crimson-tailed Serpent Bone. It seems you are no ordinary person. May I ask your relationship with those two? We are from the Demon Realm, and we are here on the orders of the Demon Regent..."
"Crack!" Another lash of the whip struck the man's face, the end of the whip going deep enough to expose bone, sending him flying a distance.
He wouldn't even let anyone finish speaking. What a despicable person.
"I'm beating you, you demon lackey! If you know what's good for you, get lost!"
The three men were on the verge of firing their swords, ready to draw their bows at any moment.
These two demonic cultivators were skilled in double hooks and were adept at close combat. You Youju felt a churning pain in her chest and numbness in her arms.
One person tried to get close but was caught by the red-tailed snake bone and flung away violently. Once the whip was released, if it were someone of a lower level, they would probably be skinned alive.
The blood in his lungs was flowing uncontrollably down his chin, and he was still trying to figure out when to leave: "It's not too late to leave now."
"You're already at your limit, what are you trying to do, play the hero?"
The other person, no longer able to cooperate, continued to move without slackening despite being injured. Seizing the opportunity, he attacked, but only managed to cut off a strand of You Youju's waist-length hair.
The demonic cultivator condensed several black spheres in his left hand and continuously hurled them at You Youju.
Even though You Youju quickened her pace, she still couldn't avoid the abrasions. Unexpectedly, the demonic cultivator who had just fallen to the ground flashed out from behind and used his blood to split blade, piercing into You Youju's limbs.
Then there was silence.
The orange tree, unable to withstand the impact, collapsed directly.
He was thankful that the cold snow had numb his body, so the pain wasn't too intense. He glanced back at the figure that had already disappeared into the bamboo forest, and closed his eyes in relief.
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