Chapter 85 Just a Pawn 04
Ren Yi just wanted to listen to stories and develop his character in peace, but reality didn't give him that opportunity. Hao Ming had an inexplicable obsession with this puppet, and he would come over every few days.
Judging from the frequency, during this period, apart from recuperating from his injuries, he has been looking for fights, or more accurately, getting beaten up.
Even so, Haoming is still alive and kicking. This is not because Xuanwei showed mercy. Ren Yi could sense that Xuanwei had genuinely intended to kill Haoming the moment he first attacked the puppet. However, as a second male lead who could compete with the protagonist for someone's affections, Haoming's cultivation level, although lower than Xuanwei's, was not something the latter could kill easily.
However, not showing weakness in front of the enemy is a basic quality, and his current state is not as good as he appears, to the point that even his trusted subordinates advised him, "It's just a puppet, Your Majesty, why bother? If Your Majesty desires it, our demon race also has puppeteers, you can certainly become one... um..."
Before the subordinate could finish speaking, his colleague next to him punched him hard in the stomach.
This shouldn't be the first time he's said something wrong. After being "reminded" by his colleague, he couldn't help but grunt, but he immediately shut up, trying to minimize his presence while protecting his vitals, for fear of being whipped to death by the raging emperor. His actions were so practiced that it was heartbreaking.
The palace remained silent for a while before the oppressive atmosphere that sent chills down one's spine dissipated slightly with a cold "heh." The Demon Emperor, seated high on his throne, said calmly, "I'm not as disgusting as him."
Once the atmosphere in the hall had eased somewhat, the demon general who had given the warning stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, please calm down. Gui Qi just said something that I agree with. It's just a puppet; it's not worth Your Majesty making such a fuss."
The Demon Emperor did not respond, and none of the demon generals in the palace dared to utter a sound.
Unlike the Nine Heavens, where the laws of immortals can be written in thousands of rules, the rules of the demon race are simpler and more straightforward—the strong are respected. The reason why the Demon Emperor is the Demon Emperor is because he is the strongest of the demon race, and his will is the will of the demon race.
After a long while, a voice, seemingly muttering to itself, came from the head of the table: "I have a guess that I want to verify."
These words were not an explanation, nor were they an explanation. At least none of the demons in the hall could understand them, but they were enough for them to understand that His Majesty had no intention of giving up. For a moment, no demon dared to speak up again.
Haoming wasn't stupid. Forcing his way into the ninth level might have been an impulsive act in the heat of the moment once or twice, but wasting so much effort was not his style. The reason he made such a big fuss was because he wanted to verify a "guess".
Thinking of this, Haoming chuckled ambiguously.
He felt that Xuanwei's madness might be contagious, and that for him to come up with such a "guess" meant that even he himself was probably not so normal.
...
Although Xuanwei's restrictions grew stronger with each iteration, for Haoming, whose cultivation was only slightly inferior to his, it was merely a matter of how long it took to break them. The frequency with which this Demon Emperor had reached the ninth level of cultivation recently had become so frequent that Ren Yi, inside the puppet body, was no longer surprised.
However, today's battle was exceptionally fierce for some reason. Haoming even revealed his true form, with his enormous dragon body soaring at the very top of the Ninth Heaven. The roar of the dragon resounded, causing the entire Ninth Heaven to tremble.
Despite its imposing presence, Haoming was still at a disadvantage. The enormous dragon's body was covered in numerous small wounds, and its massive size made it difficult to dodge attacks. The sharp sword energy severed the hard scales, and golden-red dragon blood seeped from the wounds, dripping onto the ground and corroding with a sizzling sound that made one's teeth ache.
The next moment, Haoming whipped its tail to dodge the attack that was heading straight for the Reverse Scale, but Xuanwei's powerful strike still left a deep wound on the dragon's body. Blood gushed out and corroded the barrier set up outside the only house in the center of the Ninth Realm, with a few drops of blood splashing in.
...
Haoming was seriously injured this time, and he rarely used a magical artifact to get around on the way back.
The flying boat pierced through the sea of clouds, but the person on board, clutching a still-bleeding wound on their lower abdomen, suddenly burst into laughter. The vibrations in their chest caused the blood to flow even faster, but their owner seemed oblivious, their laughter growing louder and louder, appearing almost mad against the backdrop of the profuse bleeding.
Haoming was thinking about the dragon blood that had easily splattered into the house earlier.
If Xuanwei had known about his first encounter with the puppet, he certainly wouldn't have so easily allowed his blood to stain the floor of the house. However, during their previous battles, Haoming had already sensed that Xuanwei hadn't been overly wary of his blood.
Xuanwei doesn't know!
I didn't know about that blood curse.
So who broke the blood curse? And who else is there in the entire Ninth Realm?
A possibility that he had never dared to think about before surfaced in his mind, and Haoming felt his heart beat faster.
If that's really the case, then Xuanwei has actually done something good.
Now, it's time to wait.
If I'm not mistaken, the Void Abyss in the Southern Wilderness should be around its time.
*
The small world Ren Yi is currently in is quite unique among the many worlds he's been to on his missions. It's a world on the verge of collapse right from the start of the story. The beings within this small world are far too powerful, which ironically makes it fragile. The Heavenly Dao is incomplete, and rifts called "Void Abysses" easily appear in various places. Their existence erodes the world, and some larger Void Abysses give birth to Void Beasts. Unlike ordinary demons, these Void Beasts possess the same corrosive power as the Void Abysses, making them quite troublesome even for powerful beings.
If one day the Void Abyss spreads and Void Beasts roam freely, then this small world will be declared extinct.
However, those worries are things of the past. After the previous emperor, who was also Ren Yi's tool, sacrificed himself, the Heavenly Dao was nourished, most of the Void Abysses were forcibly closed, and the remaining small Void Abysses were sealed and quietly awaited the world to repair itself under the cover of the barrier.
The only difficult issue is that the abyss in the Southern Wilderness has not been completely filled. If left unattended, it will gradually expand, leading to a chain reaction that could destroy the sacrifice of the previous emperor. This is why, every ten thousand years, a person with a specific destiny needs to exhaust their cultivation to continue filling this Heavenly Dao.
In the original storyline, Xun Que, as a substitute for the protagonist, had a similar fate, but was ultimately inferior to the original. His sacrifice in despair only maintained stability for a thousand years. In the end, it was the protagonist who saved the world.
The chosen one, favored by Heaven, would not be destined to exhaust his cultivation every ten thousand years. In the end, Xuanwei completely refined the immortal soul left behind by the previous emperor and gave it to his disciple through a contract. Yuanque also used the immortal soul to mend the rift in the Southern Wilderness and became a true "savior of the world".
An emperor and a savior finally confessed their feelings for each other and became Daoist partners amidst the blessings of the entire Lingyuan Realm.
Whether it's the big or small account, Ren Yi has been a complete "tool".
However, these matters are not of immediate concern. More importantly, until the story concludes, the Void Abyss in the Southern Wilderness remains unstable, with Void Beasts frequently emerging from the cracks. Each time, the Emperor must personally intervene. Finally, Haoming, having been thoroughly humiliated last time, hadn't returned for a long time, allowing Ren Yi to peacefully gather information from Xuanwei's stories. But before he could hear much of it, news broke of trouble in the Southern Wilderness, and Xuanwei was leaving again.
Ren Yi: "..."
He felt that the world's consciousness was preventing him from impersonating the protagonist.
Xuanwei, on the other hand, seemed even more reluctant than Ren Yi, repeatedly reassuring the puppet that he would return soon, and reinforcing the existing barrier with many more layers. Ren Yi knew without the system notification that the danger level markers on the nearby map were now a deep, almost blackish red, indicating that anyone who used even a little immortal or demonic power would be instantly annihilated.
Ren Yi: I dare not move, I dare not move.
Although Xuanwei said he would be back soon, Ren Yi didn't believe it.
Haoming visited several times, but each time he was defeated and left, and the last time he was seriously injured. However, Xuanwei was also seriously injured. No matter how long it took him to go to the Southern Wilderness in the past, this time it would definitely take longer.
After Xuanwei left, Ren Yi, a puppet, was unable to move or speak, essentially locked in a dark room, which was rather chilling to think about. However, Ren Yi was busy and had no time to care about such things: he had to piece together Yuan Que's image based on his meager memories and Xuanwei's narration.
After spending half a day reviewing the system, Ren Yi could only sigh that Xuan Wei's filter was probably more than 800 meters thick. The little disciple who Ren Yi remembered as almost turning the Nine Heavens upside down was actually a pitiful little thing who swallowed his anger and bullied others without saying a word in Xuan Wei's eyes.
Ren, who is repeatedly proven wrong and is often used as a tool, said: This can no longer be explained by filters; it must be selective blindness!
This contradictory image presented Ren Yi with great difficulty in portraying the character. For a moment, he didn't know whether to recreate the spoiled brat he remembered or the pitiful little girl Xuanwei remembered.
This is no longer the difference between the real Li Kui and the imposter, but the difference between Daiyu and Lu Zhishen!
It must be said that this is one of the important reasons why Ren Yi has not taken any action until now.
Ren Yizheng was discussing this issue with the system when he suddenly realized something was wrong.
Xuanwei closed the puppet's eyes before leaving. The Emperor of the Nine Heavens wasn't easily fooled, and to avoid being discovered again, Ren Yi hadn't manipulated the puppet to make any movements except for the time he broke the blood curse. His vision remained completely dark. Given that every step in this room would trigger three barriers, Ren Yi didn't dare use his divine sense to scan the area. Instead, he checked with the system: "[Has someone arrived?]"
It couldn't be Xuanwei. If it were, he would have already approached the puppet by now. The only person Ren Yi could think of at this moment was Haoming, who had been causing trouble recently. But it shouldn't be... The instability of Xuyuan is a major event for the entire Lingyuan Realm. As the Demon Emperor, Haoming must be present. Otherwise, given his previous persistence, even if Xuanwei set up many layers of barriers, he wouldn't dare to leave the puppet alone.
Ren Yifei quickly considered the current situation, but received the system's reply: [No one.]
Ren Yi was taken aback by this unexpected answer, thinking it was just a hallucination caused by his nerves being too tense these past few days.
Just as he was thinking this, he felt a lick on the puppet's cheek, with barbs that were a bit prickly.
Meow~
Ren Yi: ? ? ?
The system continued from the previous sentence: [It's a cat.]
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