Return (I)
"That...that tree demon...I don't know what kind of evil magic...she used to bring her heavenly thunder tribulation to me...Luckily...luckily someone rescued me, and I managed to escape with my life..."
He Shu subconsciously raised his hand to cover the wound on his heart that had never healed. The tree demon's cold whisper seemed to linger in his ears again.
"It's the Concentric Disaster Transformation Technique..."
Xuan Tongzi stepped forward and supported He Shu, who was swaying slightly, and said in a deep voice:
"The one who hurt you wasn't a tree demon, but the shadow demon Huaiguang. She's skilled in hiding, mimicking, and deceiving people. She and Chunfei... are both immortal messengers of Luzhu Mountain."
The unfamiliar words pierced his ears, and He Shu felt the hands holding him tighten slightly, followed by a sigh.
"On the day we first met in the mortal world, I saw the signs of your doom..."
"So, when I was treating your headache, I secretly passed a strand of my true energy to protect your heart meridians. Unexpectedly, Huaiguang... harbored such evil intentions, attempting to use evil methods to divert the heavenly tribulation! After noticing the strangeness of your injury, I immediately went looking for her, but she had already escaped..."
I see!
He Shu lowered his head and understood.
No wonder the shadow demon used a vine soaked in her own blood to stab him in the heart in the mortal world. It was to draw blood for a spell...
He felt a chill in his heart and a chill running up his spine.
How could he have provoked such a lunatic? He almost became the scapegoat for someone else's tribulation. What bad luck...
"Then this shadow demon has successfully transcended the tribulation? No wonder it can disguise itself as an immortal servant without being discovered."
Yun Han Xian Qing said as he walked to the side of the cat demon.
"How could she not know the backlash of using forbidden techniques? She's put so much thought into this plan. Stealing the pill is probably just a cover... a diversion, a false move, and the real plan is something else."
He Shu looked in the direction of the sound and saw that the already wilted cat demon Chi Yu began to struggle violently again when he heard the word "plot".
She roared softly, but could not say anything clearly. The immortal chains clanged, and the remaining demonic power almost collapsed under the suppression, and she could hardly maintain her human form.
"Poor little cat demon..."
Yun Hanxianqing's voice sounded again. He leaned forward and spoke seductively:
"Being teased to this extent..."
"If it were me, I would never let go of the person who used me... I must tell him everything I know, including her hiding place, her..."
"Immortal Yunhan."
Madam Xi moved slightly, standing in front of the dying cat demon. She frowned slightly and looked away, but her voice was calm and unquestionable:
"She has reached her limit and a further trial will be of no benefit."
She raised her hand to signal, and two heavenly soldiers immediately stepped forward, carefully lifted the almost unconscious cat demon, and quickly retreated.
"Take her to the hospital for treatment first, and then send her back to the prison."
"Madam Xi's compassion seems to be misplaced. The shadow demon is so dangerous, and right now only this cat demon may know something about the inside story..."
Madam Xi watched the heavenly soldiers leave, turned around, glanced at Yun Hanxianqing, and resumed her usual cold demeanor.
"Didn't you say that this cat demon was being used? If so, how much could it possibly know? Asking more would be futile."
"If you are truly anxious to find the shadow demon, why don't you go there yourself? With your abilities, capturing the shadow demon shouldn't be difficult."
She said no more, stepped forward, and bowed to the Emperor of Heaven:
"Your Majesty, the story of the drought in the north has been investigated and is completely false. It was not a natural disaster, but a man-made one, caused by mortals fighting for water resources."
"Although there was a spring drought in the north, it didn't constitute a disaster. It was simply that the inhabitants of one river upstream blocked the flow of water, leaving those downstream without it. This led to a quarrel between the two sides. The government had already begun to mediate, but unexpectedly, all the people along the river died overnight. I don't know how the rumor of a drought demon started spreading, and they fabricated a disaster to lure me in."
"I believe this is a strategy to lure the tiger away from the mountain, with the intention of capturing He Shu. His body, having not yet experienced the tribulation, is the perfect candidate for the 'United Heart to Transform Tribulation Technique'."
"What a huge chess game!"
An unknown immortal in the hall exclaimed, triggering a suppressed whisper.
"It is indeed rare to see such a plan to disrupt the Heavenly Court..."
The immortals looked at each other in bewilderment. It had been a long time since the Heavenly Court had heard of such a bold and presumptuous rebellion.
"He used the cat demon to disrupt the Heavenly Palace, then devised a plan to send Madam Xi away, leaving Little Crane alone... everything connected. It seems this shadow demon has big plans, not just for ascension!"
Madam Xi raised her head, and He Shu felt her gaze as sharp as a torch falling on him, and he subconsciously shrank behind Xuan Tongzi.
"It's all too coincidental. He Shu was transferred to my office not long ago, and this time he came down to the mortal world because Tao Hua was injured and took his place. We know that he hasn't experienced the thunder tribulation, and we were able to arrange for him to come down to the mortal world... There might be someone in the Heavenly Court..."
"Madam Xi, you're worrying too much."
Xuan Tongzi turned sideways, completely blocking He Shu behind him, and said firmly:
"I know Huaiguang well, but she's cunning and good at hiding herself. I don't have the ability to see through everything."
"But--"
Madam Xi wanted to say something more, but was interrupted by a sudden shout from behind:
"Report—No, this is bad!"
"have……"
A sudden shrill cry arose outside the hall, tearing the stagnation inside.
"Bang--"
He Shu turned his head, his pupils suddenly shrinking——
The heavenly soldier who had just entered the hall to deliver the message was now thrown in the middle of the hall like a broken sack! Also curled up beside him was a maidservant, covered in blood and unrecognizable.
The body of the heavenly soldier was covered with marks from vines, and the fatal wound on his neck was still entangled with several broken black vines.
This was obviously the method used by the shadow demon, with an arrogant and provocative look, bloody and exposed in front of the immortals.
The guarding heavenly soldiers gathered around, and under the command of the Emperor of Heaven, some of them went to track down the murderous demon, while the rest carried away the horrific corpse.
He Shu staggered backward, his back hitting the cold palace pillar heavily.
No wonder... No wonder the heavenly soldier hasn't returned yet, it turns out he's been harmed...
A chill suddenly came over him, causing him to shudder.
He Shu clenched the corner of his clothes tightly, his knuckles turned pale from excessive force. The huge shock strangled his breath, and every breath he took was accompanied by a slight tremor. It felt like there was a caged bird flapping wildly in his chest, hitting his ribs and causing pain.
"Peach painting——"
A figure flashed by, and Heqi rushed to the side of the blood-stained waitress like an arrow. She knelt on her knees, and with trembling fingers, she carefully brushed away the hair that was stuck to her cheek and clotted with blood.
“It’s a peach painting…it’s a peach painting!”
She hurriedly pulled the person into her arms and looked up at Madam Xi who was walking quickly towards her.
The strong smell of blood gradually spread and rushed into He Shu's nose. He looked over and stared at Tao Hua who was lying on the ground dying. His pupils were slightly dilated due to excessive tension, and his vision was a little blurry and shaking.
"Madam, is Tao Hua seriously injured..."
Madam Xi stepped forward quickly, half-knelt to investigate, and sighed after a moment:
"Ah...poor child."
She took out the pill and fed it into Tao Hua's mouth.
"Fortunately, the foundation is intact and their lives are safe."
He Shu suddenly turned his head away, his eyes wandering around in panic.
The face in front of him, which was no different from the Shadow Demon, instantly brought back painful memories of vines piercing his heart and neck and the noose.
That creepy smile and whisper seemed to reappear, and fear and an indescribable complex emotion tore at his heart, making him freeze in place, with no way out.
"How outrageous! How dare they commit such a crime right outside of High Heaven Palace! This shadow demon is truly so audacious and presumptuous! We must capture it and punish it!"
Marshal Zhenqiong pushed aside the agitated immortals, strode forward and knelt on one knee. His voice was as deep as iron, filled with suppressed anger and self-blame:
"Your Majesty! I failed in my duty and failed to intervene in time, allowing the scoundrels to run rampant, the cat demon to infiltrate, and the shadow demon to wreak havoc... I beg Your Majesty to grant me the right to lead the heavenly soldiers to apprehend these beasts, and to redeem myself for my crime!"
His chest heaved violently, his Adam's apple rolled up and down, his voice was as rough as sandpaper, and every word hit the ground, each word was sonorous, wrapped in an irrepressible and majestic immortal power.
He Shu was affected by the pressure and his knees went weak. If Xuan Tongzi had not been quick to support him, he would have almost fallen to his knees on the spot.
Emperor Yuanji Tiandi waved his hands wearily, leaning back in his chair, his brows filled with weariness. He let out a barely audible sigh:
"Go ahead..."
Marshal Zhenqiong received the order and rushed out with great vigor. He Shu followed the figure as it disappeared outside the hall. Turning around, he bumped into Xuan Tongzi's thoughtful face. He saw him smack his lips lightly and whispered:
"Young man, it's better to be a little more angry..."
"Tsk, I shouldn't have mentioned him when I was talking about Yaodan Yuanjun just now. Now..."
As Xuan Tongzi finished speaking, He Shu caught a glimpse from the corner of his eye that Yaodan Yuanjun fed Tao Hua another pill, and then walked towards them angrily. His heart tightened, and before he could say anything, a shadow of a whisk wrapped in anger came towards him.
“Ouch!”
Xuan Tongzi dodged swiftly and shouted:
"Yuan Jun, we can talk it over, why did you suddenly start fighting?"
"It's not you..."
Yaodan Yuanjun snorted angrily, and Heshu quickly retreated, fearing that he would be accidentally injured.
“Cough cough cough——”
A violent coughing sound came from Heqi's arms. Heshu's gaze involuntarily turned to Taohua. Seeing her slowly waking up, he subconsciously walked forward, but stopped a few steps away.
Although he knew that Tao Hua, who was lying in He Qi's arms, was extremely weak, the cold barrier in his heart was like an insurmountable chasm.
He Shu lowered his hands dejectedly, his feet stuck in place, unable to move forward.
"Tao Hua...Tao Hua...how are you?"
Heqi asked with a sob.
"I……"
Tao Hua opened her eyes with difficulty under the effect of the elixir. Her breath was weak and her body was still very frail due to her severe injuries.
Her eyes swept across the crowd, paused when she saw He Shu, and finally fell on Madam Xi with shame, her voice as thin as a thread:
"Madam...it was me who let the wolf into the house...it was me, it was me who, out of consideration for our old brotherly relationship with Huaiguang, aided and abetted the evil, causing such a disaster..."
"Everything... everything is my fault... I brought this upon myself..."
"Hmph, you brought this upon yourself. How could the people you harmed be innocent? You brought this upon yourself..."
"alright!"
Yun Han Xian Qing's words were stopped by the Emperor of Heaven. He snorted coldly and left in a huff.
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