Chapter 107 Just a Pawn 26
The system did not immediately respond to Ren Yi's suggestion, but Ren Yi did not rush to urge it either.
Refining system fragments is not so easy; they still have time to make a decision.
It is precisely because the fragments are difficult to refine that Xuanwei is in a very bad situation.
Xuanwei had shown signs of demonic possession long ago. Back when he witnessed Xun Que jumping off the Execution Platform, he first forcibly suppressed it with his immortal power. Later, after creating the puppet, with that lingering thought, the situation finally eased a little.
Later, A-Que "woke up"...
Xuanwei thought that the inner demon had been completely resolved.
But demons arise from the love, hatred, sorrow, and fear in one's heart, and are not so easily exorcised. Only then did Xuanwei realize that it had never been dispelled, but had merely fallen into a temporary slumber. When the time was right, it would awaken again, even more difficult to suppress than before.
Refining that immortal soul consumed most of Xuanwei's immortal power, and his condition worsened.
These past few days, Xuanwei hasn't even dared to stay by Xunque's side, fearing that the rampant demonic energy might harm the already fragile puppet.
There was still room for maneuver, if Xuanwei gave up refining the Immortal Soul and, like before, sealed off the Ninth Realm and went into seclusion again, just as he had done in the past. But Xuanwei knew even more clearly that he couldn't do it: he couldn't seal off the Ninth Realm and let Xun Que leave, nor could he give up refining that Immortal Soul.
Therefore, he could only struggle with that inner demon again and again.
In a daze, wisps of demonic energy seeped from Xuanwei's fingertips. The dark purple flower he was holding was instantly stained pure black, and in the next instant, its vitality vanished, and it withered completely into a broken branch.
Xuanwei's gaze darkened, and with a flick of his fingers, the withered branch was completely reduced to dust and vanished into the ninth level of heaven and earth.
He turned around, trying to pick a lighter-colored purple jade flower from the patch of flowers beside him, but the moment his fingertips touched the chosen flower, it was as if ink had been smeared, and the whole flower turned black in the blink of an eye.
Seeing this, Xuanwei's aura became increasingly unstable, and the surrounding flower fields began to turn black and wither in large swaths, only to be covered by the illusion in an instant. From a distance, it looked just like before, but only Xuanwei knew that it was different: this piece of purple jade, which was originally used to please his beloved, had become Xuanwei's standard for judging his own state, and the current result was obviously not good.
Xuanwei dared not go back at this time. She took one last deep look at the courtyard that was so close by, then turned and walked away with a slightly unsteady gait.
Whether it was due to his demonic possession or the effects of refining that immortal soul, Xuanwei had been able to see many things from the past these days, from a new perspective that he had never noticed before.
He saw the scene of himself bringing Aque to the Ninth Heaven years ago. When asked about the person he brought back, he casually said, "Let's call him 'Xunque'."
The Way of Heaven has its flaws, and this is the person He has sought to fill those flaws.
At that time, he did not notice the whispers of the immortals around him after their initial surprise and realization.
Perhaps he saw it, but didn't take it to heart. After all, at that time, Xun Que was just an alternative brought back by the Heaven-Mending Dao in his eyes.
Thus, a rumor spread throughout the Nine Heavens that it was a substitute that the Emperor had found to express his longing for his little disciple.
Xuanwei wasn't sure if he had heard those words back then, but he certainly didn't care at the time: whether it was Yuan Que or Xun Que, he didn't take them to heart. He didn't care who was mending the Heavenly Dao; since he hadn't found Yuan Que in the lower realm, but had found this boy with a similar fate, he naturally had to bring him back.
However, Xun Que's cultivation level was far from sufficient at that time, and the opportunity to mend the heavens was right in front of him, so he forcibly raised the cultivation level of others.
The meridians were destroyed inch by inch by the force that exceeded their limits, but were then repaired and restored by the power of immortality...
Xuanwei finally remembered from these distant memories that she had done such a terrible thing to Aque.
How could he do that?!
But the fact is, he did it, and not just once.
The pain of having one's meridians destroyed and rebuilt time and time again is far beyond what ordinary people can bear, but the child always looked at him with unwavering determination, as if he could endure anything and be indifferent to everything just by looking at him.
The emperor in the Nine Heavens was naturally respected and feared by everyone, but such a soft and trusting gaze was extremely unfamiliar to Xuanwei.
He is clearly the one who brought all this suffering upon himself.
Xuanwei felt unusually at a loss.
After countless attempts, he finally stopped this almost torturous process of improving his cultivation.
Compared to this time-consuming and laborious approach, finding the missing element is a faster and more convenient method.
Using this reason, Xuanwei easily convinced himself, but before he could go down to the mortal realm again to search for him, Yuan Que returned on his own, having lost a significant amount of his cultivation.
Repairing the Heavenly Dao was Yuan Que's destiny and duty. Now that he has returned, Xun Que no longer needs to bear responsibilities that are not his own or endure pain that he should not have to suffer.
Xuanwei naturally focused his attention on Yuan Que, who had returned, watching as this "disciple" stabilized his cultivation. As if avoiding the issue, he deliberately ignored Xun Que's situation.
He did it, but never considered how his actions would affect Xun Que's already precarious situation, or what kind of gossip it would provide for the rumors spreading throughout the Nine Heavens.
Even when she later discovered that Xun Que was still using external forces to forcibly improve his cultivation, she couldn't suppress her nameless anger and severely reprimanded him.
Doesn't he know how dangerous it is to forcibly increase his cultivation level like this?! Is he trying to completely destroy his own foundation?!
Repairing the Heavenly Dao is Yuan Que's destiny, so what does it have to do with him?!
The scene from that time reappeared before his eyes. Without the influence of any extra emotions, he finally saw the expressions on everyone's faces.
Xun Que's panic and helplessness, Yuan Que's hidden smugness, and the whispers among the immortals...
Everything he showed seemed to indicate a special fondness for Yuan Que.
Everyone, including A-Que, thought so.
...
"Master just missed me but couldn't find me, so he found a fake like you."
"Let me see your cultivation level? Earth Immortal, ha, and a forcibly elevated Earth Immortal at that. How dare you stand beside your master?"
"..."
"What was Master's attitude? Didn't you see it?"
"Why can't you be a little smarter and get out of here—"
"..."
Xuanwei recalled the vicious words he found when he searched Yuan Que's soul later.
As fate dictates, Yuan Que cannot die, but Xuan Wei also shattered Yuan Que's cultivation, suppressing his realm to that of a Human Immortal, which is even lower than that of an Earth Immortal. If it weren't for the existence of the Void Abyss in the Southern Wilderness, he wouldn't have left Yuan Que with even this much cultivation.
But is this really just a problem of missing elements?
No……
That's not the case.
Suddenly, another voice rang in his ears, carrying a cold mockery, yet revealing a truth even more chilling than the first: [You were the one who pushed him into that precarious situation.]
This is his own voice, the voice of his inner demons.
Xuanwei felt a tightness in his chest. He was trying his best to suppress the deviation of his inner demon's immortal power, which caused a spasm of pain in his meridians.
[Does it hurt?] The voice seemed to relish his suffering, immediately tinged with amusement, but its tone quickly returned to its somber tone. [He suffered far more than this back then!]
[Do you remember? You did it yourself. He bled a lot, and he cried out, "It hurts!" He cried out to you, "It hurts!"]
Fragmented images flashed before his eyes. Xuanwei gritted his teeth, trying to focus on suppressing his inner demons, but the voice wouldn't let him go, still pressing on, "[And you? When he was crying and begging you in pain, how did you treat him? How did you react?]"
Xuanwei couldn't help but recall how he had treated Aque back then.
He remembered, it was... utter indifference.
The immortal power, which had barely returned to normal, went astray once again. Xuanwei groaned, and a trace of blood spilled from the corner of his lips.
The voice laughed triumphantly, as if it had achieved some victory, but it didn't stop.
The inner demon used a mysterious voice, but
That exaggerated tone, brimming with malice, was definitely not something Xuanwei would normally use.
[He hates you, of course he hates you! What reason does he have not to hate you?!] The soaring tone suddenly dropped, and the last sentence, spoken as if stating a fact, [He wishes he could kill you.]
The mystery lingered for a moment.
In that instant, countless images flooded my vision—images of disgust, hatred, and aversion…
In the illusion, he died at A Que's hands time and time again.
...He really wanted to kill him.
Xuanwei coughed muffledly, blood mixed with fragments of internal organs staining his chest. His clothes ripped open, and he finally lost his composure, his voice almost ferocious as he roared, "Shut up!!"
The inner demon truly stopped speaking; it simply laughed.
It started as a low, muffled chuckle, but it grew louder and more unrestrained until it finally burst into loud laughter. As the laughter grew louder, the originally hazy black mist around Xuanwei thickened, as if something was being nurtured within it.
Xuanwei tried his best to weaken the dense fog that was almost condensed into liquid. The collision between his immortal power and the fog produced a sizzling sound that made one's teeth ache, but the degree to which he weakened it was far from keeping up with the speed at which the black fog was gathering. Finally, a figure vaguely appeared in the fog. Xuanwei's movements suddenly stopped, and he watched as the person slowly stepped out of the fog and stood in front of him.
One black and one white, like twin mirror images, the inner demon has taken shape.
Xuanwei's face was extremely ugly, but Xinmo was quite the opposite. He slowly curled his lips into a smile that seemed to indicate he was in a very good mood.
*
Ren Yi originally thought he and the system had plenty of time to consider, but the ninth level suddenly changed. The familiar aura instantly reminded Ren Yi of the demonic energy that flashed by on Xuan Wei that day.
Ren Yi: ?!
—Could Xuanwei have fallen into demonic possession?!
If that's the case, he has to send out the signal before this small world is sealed off due to the worldline anomaly.
The ample time suddenly became tight.
Ren Yi disregarded the restrictions placed in the house—he had studied them during this time and knew that as long as he didn't leave the ninth realm, these restrictions would at most serve a monitoring purpose, and if Xuan Wei were truly possessed by demons, he probably wouldn't have time to observe the situation here—he headed directly towards the place with the densest demonic energy.
Thanks to Xuanwei, Ren Yi's cultivation level is now quite ordinary, but he has a lot of immortal artifacts and talismans on him. Going anywhere (as long as he doesn't leave the Ninth Realm) is just a matter of a thought.
However, when Ren Yi arrived at his destination, he found that the situation was more complicated than he had expected.
Immortal power and demonic energy intertwined and solidified, and under such an energy storm, Ren Yi could not see what was happening within the area shrouded by the energy.
Ren Yi stared at the energy storm, which was so distorted it almost tore space apart, for a while, then gritted his teeth and decisively walked inside.
system:! ! !
—This is too dangerous!
It hurriedly tried to stop it: [Staying here—!]
The word "host" was left unsaid, the rest of it swallowed back down.
As Ren Yi walked in the direction he had gone, the two completely opposite energy clusters that were intertwined and fighting each other seemed to unanimously make way for an absolutely safe path.
Ren Yi let out a long sigh: He won the bet.
As expected of the protagonist, even in front of the demon-possessed Xuanwei, the identity of "Yuan Que" is a shield against harm.
...If the car overturns, it will probably be crushed into dust.
Ren Yi recalled the filtered version of Yuan Que's personality as seen through Xuan Wei's eyes, then took a deep breath and continued walking inside.
He had to be even more careful. Xuanwei hadn't fallen into demonic possession even when he was completely insane before, so Ren Yi couldn't imagine how unstable and unpredictable a Xuanwei would be if he did, especially since he had already messed up once, making the margin for error even lower than before.
Ren Yi, on high alert, headed toward the center of the energy vortex, but before he reached the innermost circle, he was suddenly hugged from behind.
He instinctively wanted to attack, but...
The Daoist power exploded even faster beside him, and the person who was attacked dodged it lightly, as if having Ren Yi, a living person, in his arms did not affect his movements at all.
The tangled and mixed energies calmed down considerably at the center of the vortex, allowing Ren Yi to clearly see who had made the move—it was Xuan Wei.
And what's behind him...?
Just as he was thinking this, a soft laugh came from his ear. The person who was half-embracing him (Ren Yi preferred to call it "kidnapping") spoke, his voice filled with exaggerated surprise, "A-Que, you're here."
It was Xuanwei's voice, but this "emotionally rich" tone was definitely not something Xuanwei would say.
Ren Yi had a guess in his mind, and turned his head to look over.
Sure enough, they met a pair of blood-red eyes.
—It is Xuanwei's inner demon.
When he met Ren Yi's gaze, the inner demon smiled and narrowed his eyes as if he was very happy.
The demonic energy condensed and transformed into a pure black dagger, which was placed in Ren Yi's palm.
At the same time, the inner demon who looked exactly like Xuanwei smiled and asked softly in a seductive tone, "A-Que, you hate him, don't you?"
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