Chapter 37: The Demonic World "You protected me just now, this time it's my turn to accompany you..."
Looking around at the unfamiliar environment, Shen Wenji's heart tightened. He subconsciously wanted to take out his sword from the storage ring, but found that his magical weapon was not at his side.
She calmed herself down and looked around carefully.
Twisting and wriggling runes were engraved on the broken stone tablet. Black and red demonic energy flashed and moved between the cold stone cracks like a living thing. In the distance, the dull sound of dragging chains could be heard faintly. It was a gloomy and eerie scene.
"How did I get here suddenly?" Shen Wenji frowned, and gathered spiritual power at his fingertips to test, but found that the surrounding demonic energy was dense, and the spiritual power flow was sluggish, as if covered by an invisible lid.
I was muttering to myself when I suddenly heard the slight sound of clothes rubbing against each other behind me.
She turned around warily, and the first thing that caught her eye was a white robe with cloud patterns, followed by a familiar face. His eyelids were drooping, and his aura was somewhat integrated with that of the demon world.
"Xie Yunqing? Why are you here too?" Shen Wenji was stunned.
Hearing her voice, Xie Yunqing looked up in surprise, and then his eyes became extremely cold. He swept his scrutinizing eyes over her, his jawline tense.
"You again." His voice was as cold as ice, each word coming through gritted teeth. "Can't you try a different approach? You always use her face to trick me. Aren't you tired of it?"
"What?" Shen Wenji didn't understand. Who was this "you" referring to? He looked... why was he so abnormal?
She was a little worried, suppressed her fear, and tentatively reached out her hand to hold Xie Yunqing's fingertips.
His hands were cold, and he even avoided her touch.
"Xie Yunqing." She met his gaze and held his wrist tightly. "Look carefully, it's really me."
"See clearly?" Xie Yunqing smiled bitterly, full of self-mockery. "It's always like this. First she uses her face to make me soft-hearted, then she takes advantage of me when I'm not prepared... In this place, I won't trust anyone."
He turned his face away, a trace of deep pain flashing in his eyes.
Shen Wenji felt a pain in her heart, and without hesitation, she tiptoed closer. The distance between them suddenly shortened, and her breath brushed against his chin. She did not let go, but held it tighter: "If you don't believe me, then try it yourself."
She brought his hand to her face, and the roughness of his fingertips brushed against her cheek, leaving a slightly cool touch.
"I am hot, I breathe, and I feel pain. If you pinch me, I will frown and get angry. These are all real."
Xie Yunqing froze, he slowly turned his head and looked down at the person in front of him.
Just like she said.
The warmth from the fingertips was real, the skin on the palms felt delicate, and I could even feel her slightly rising and falling rapid breathing.
Xie Yunqing's Adam's apple rolled, and the hostility in his eyes faded away little by little, replaced by disbelief.
"This..." He opened his mouth, his voice hoarse, "How is this possible?"
Seeing him waver, Shen Wenji loosened his grip a little, but still didn't let go. He asked softly, "Would the person you're talking about hold your hand like this and tell you this?"
Xie Yunqing was silent.
He slowly lowered his head and his eyes fell on their clasped hands.
Her hand was smaller than his and was struggling to wrap around his hand. He held it back and, exerting a little force, pulled her into his arms.
Shen Wenji bumped into his chest, heard his violent heartbeat, and heard him murmur, "It's true."
"Hey, you haven't told me why you are here?" Shen Wenji's ears flushed red, and he poked his tense waist with his fingertips, and said in a voice as thin as a mosquito: "Leave this damn place first. If you want to hug me... I'll hug you after we get out."
Xie Yunqing grabbed her mischievous hand and reluctantly stepped back a little.
He raised his hand and waved it lightly. A transparent halo enveloped the two of them, forcing the evil spirits around them back several feet.
Then he looked at Shen Wenji and warned: “The demonic energy here is overbearing. It’s not your first time here and you are not used to it. Try not to use your spiritual power.”
Shen Wenji followed his instructions and gathered his spiritual energy, but doubts grew in his heart. "Why did we suddenly break into the Demon Realm? Was it a change in the formation, or was someone plotting against us?" Xie Yunqing didn't answer directly. Instead, he pulled her toward him, moving her to the center of the light circle. He took her hand, squeezed it gently, and asked irrelevantly, "Were you practicing just now?"
"Yes." Shen Wenji nodded: "I can't sleep, I wanted to calm down, but I don't know why..."
"It's the inner demon." Xie Yunqing interrupted her, his voice low and deep: "You have a deep inner depression that is difficult to resolve, and it has triggered the latent evil energy of the demon clan, which is why you are dragged into this inner demon illusion."
A demonic illusion? Shen Wenji was startled, then looked around. Those twisted runes seemed to be shaking slightly, and the sound of chains also had a strange echo.
"Isn't this the real demon world?"
"Half true, half false." Xie Yunqing's eyes were complicated. "Using your inner demon as a guide, it connects to the aura at the edge of the demonic world, forming a domain field. If you indulge in this place, your mind will be corroded by the demonic energy."
Is this really the case? The demons are too despicable, actually taking advantage of the opportunity to participate in the inner demons of the immortal cultivators, hoping to secretly eliminate these people and finally blame everything on the demonic possession.
No wonder so many righteous people have fallen due to going astray in recent years.
Shen Wenji seemed to understand, and she asked, "Did you also come in because of your inner demon?"
Xie Yunqing's body stiffened, and he nodded, "Yes, I can barely be considered a regular customer. I've been here quite a few times."
He pretended to be relaxed, his voice casual, "This place is just a bluff. We'll get out of here by daybreak."
"Isn't it said that everyone has different inner demons? Why are we trapped together?"
Xie Yunqing initially doubted Shen Wenji's identity because of this reason.
In this domain set up by the demons, everyone has their own inner demons, and they are all independent of each other. This also prevents the possibility of outside forces entering and trying to rescue them.
Anyone who enters this demonic fantasy world can either rely on willpower to survive until the next morning, or kill the demon with their own hands. There is no other possibility of getting out.
But he had heard that if two people's inner demons were intertwined and overlapping, they would be forced to be together.
But he didn't know whether this rumor had any basis. He had been to this place hundreds of times, and today was the first time he saw someone else.
Xie Yunqing didn't tell anyone about this ambiguous rumor. He just shook his head at Shen Wenji and said, "I don't know."
As soon as he finished speaking, a woman's shrill cry suddenly came from the distance, and the voice was somewhat similar to Shen Wenji's.
Shen Wenji looked in the direction of the sound and saw a blurry figure tied to a stone tablet with chains, surrounded by demonic energy, and struggling in pain.
Opposite the figure stood a man in white with his back to them. His face could not be seen clearly, but his figure was 70% similar to Xie Yunqing.
"No, you clearly said you loved me..." The woman cried, her voice breaking, "Why are you going back on your word?"
The man in white was silent. He raised his hand and swung out a beam of white light, which, with strong murderous intent, hit the woman's heart mercilessly.
The graceful figure dissipated in an instant, turning into bits of demonic energy that were absorbed by the stone tablet.
Shen Wenji's pupils suddenly shrank and the blood in his body froze.
This scene and this conversation vaguely coincided with the deepest fear in her heart.
"Don't look." Xie Yunqing suddenly reached out and covered her eyes, the calluses on his fingertips itching. "It's the inner demon at work."
The warmth of his palm blocked out the glaring sight, but it couldn't stop the cries echoing in his ears.
Shen Wenji's body trembled slightly: "If she chose to cut off all feelings and love, would her fate be different?"
Xie Yunqing was silent for a moment, and roughly guessed that the inner demon of Shen Wenji just now should be the lover she confided to the host today.
She was going to break off all love and affection for such a worthless scumbag? Then what would he do...
"Don't let your imagination run wild." He suppressed his surging anger, and said soothingly, his voice close to her warm ear: "The inner demons and illusions should not be taken seriously."
"I……"
"Chen Wenji," he turned her body, forcing her to face him, "you're insecure about your feelings, so you're holding back, right?"
Shen Wenji's heart was exposed by his words. He looked up suddenly and bumped into the complex emotions in his eyes.
She tried to retort, but found her throat tightened.
Xie Yunqing suddenly raised his hand and gently stroked the corner of her eye with his fingertips, which had become wet without her knowing.
"If there is a person who will neither lie to you nor betray you, will you choose him?" His voice was very soft, as if he was asking her, but also as if he was asking himself.
Shen Wenji was stunned, looking at his face so close to him, his heartbeat inexplicably quickened.
She opened her mouth, wanting to ask something, but no words came out.
At this moment, the surrounding demonic energy suddenly became violent, and the runes on the stone tablet lit up red, as if something was about to break out of the stone.
Xie Yunqing's expression changed slightly, and his spiritual energy trembled violently, but he still protected her behind him, his back straightened with endurance: "It's not advisable to stay here for long. Find a safe place to stay for a while. Wait until dawn, and then you can leave."
"What about you?" Shen Wenji grabbed his sleeve tightly.
Xie Yunqing smiled bitterly: "Based on my experience, the next thing is my inner demon, so I naturally can't leave."
Shen Wenji knew that his spiritual power was restricted, and staying would not only be of no help, but might even become a burden to him.
She bit her lower lip so hard that she could almost taste the blood. Finally, she hardened her heart, turned around as she was told, and ran quickly towards the pile of rubble not far away.
Halfway through her walk, she suddenly stopped and looked back worriedly.
The blood light that erupted from the stone tablet had condensed into a thick, swirling blood mist, and finally took the form of several twisted and painful human figures.
They dragged their heavy chains, uttered inhuman howls, and with heart-wrenching pain, they approached Xie Yunqing, who was isolated in the center, step by step, like vengeful spirits crawling out of hell.
Xie Yunqing's spiritual energy shield fluctuated violently, nearly collapsing. But he still gritted his teeth, forcibly separating a ray of spiritual light, transforming it into a small protective light ball, and accurately shot it in the direction of Shen Wenji. He said in a hoarse voice, "Go! Don't look back."
The voice that was once familiar to him now turned into continuous cries that pierced his eardrums.
The voices were chaotic, but Xie Yunqing could clearly distinguish each person's voice.
There was his mother's weeping and wailing before her death, his sister's helpless crying as she married far away, his grandmother's desperate sobbing, and the servants' screams as their throats were torn out by the demons... layer upon layer, weaving into an impenetrable net, trapping him inside.
"Yunqing, I'm sorry... From now on, no matter what others say, you must remember that I never regret giving birth to you."
"Brother, if there is an afterlife, don't be reborn into a family like this... Promise me that you will run away from us in the future."
"Young Master! The demons are killing madly. Hurry, run..."
Xie Yunqing half-curled up, slowly covering his head with his arms. His body trembled constantly. But it wasn't fear, it was hatred and pain deep in his bones, the sharp blade that repeatedly tortured him in his dreams at midnight.
Although Shen Wenji did not understand what happened during the time Xie Yunqing disappeared.
But at this moment, seeing him trembling slightly, a strong impulse instantly broke through the dam of reason.
What danger? She didn't care about it at all.
She turned around suddenly, without hesitation, and ran towards the figure who was overwhelmed by pain.
"Xie Yunqing." She called his name softly, walked behind him, held his hand on his head, and the warmth of her palm stubbornly passed to him.
"I won't hide anymore." Her voice was not loud, but extremely clear and firm, piercing through the suffocating cries around her.
Hearing the sound, Xie Yunqing raised his head, bloodshot eyes spreading, like a trapped animal forced into a desperate situation, he subconsciously shrank back and hid: "Stop it, this is my inner demon, it will hurt you."
"So what?" Shen Wenji met his red eyes, tightly holding his hand, his voice calm and gentle, "You protected me just now, this time it's my turn to accompany you."
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