Chapter Ninety-Eight: The Remnant Soul That Escaped to the Human World
The further into the city one goes, the denser the demonic energy becomes. The buildings along the streets gradually become more ornate, a stark contrast to the dilapidated state of the outskirts. Clearly, the "residents" here are more "dedicated" to maintaining a facade of prosperity.
In a magnificent mansion in Qinan City, the flowers and trees were neatly arranged, bursting with vibrant blossoms, and strings of bright red bells swayed in the breeze. These flowers shared the same origin as the crape myrtle flowers outside the city, yet they were far more alluring and dazzling.
In the courtyard stood graceful dancers, dressed in light blouses and skirts, their long hair flowing. Sometimes they raised their wrists and lowered their brows, sometimes they gently extended their hands, their beauty extraordinary. Their dance was beautiful and moving, but upon closer inspection, one could see that their movements had a subtle lack of coordination, like that of manipulated puppets.
The man seated in the high position had a black demonic mark between his brows, and his eerily handsome face was filled with impatience. "How boring!"
After taking a sip of his drink, he threw the glass directly at the dancing dancer, the remaining liquid soaking her already thin clothes. The dancer seemed stunned and immediately knelt down; the spot where the glass had hit her body began to dent.
The other dancers were also startled and didn't know what to do. Their faces still held perfect smiles, but their eyes were eerily empty.
"Keep jumping, stop making a fuss!" The man said impatiently, his eyes cold. "The paper doll's body is too fragile."
It turned out that those dancing beauties were actually paper figures. These paper figures were infused with demonic energy and imitated the behavior of living people, but in the end, they were just empty shells without souls.
Seated to the lower left was a monk dressed in brown robes, holding a string of prayer beads in his hand, which he kept turning. "Your Highness's magic is extraordinary; even your paper figures are incredibly lifelike. But they are, after all, paper figures, and it's normal for them to be fragile."
The monk wore a fawning smile, but his eyes were cunning like a fox's; he was clearly no ordinary person.
The man was Qi Mu, who had escaped from the Demon Realm. Years ago, he used a secret method to preserve a wisp of his soul from Jiu Ya and escaped to the human world.
"Extraordinary magical power? Ha!" Qi Mu sneered, as if he had heard a joke. If he were truly as powerful as he was back then, he wouldn't be stuck in a small, dilapidated city in the mortal realm. A trace of resentment and unwillingness flashed in his eyes, and his fingers unconsciously tightened, causing the armrest of his chair to crack slightly.
Over the years, he has been secretly accumulating power, trying to restore his former glory, and even—reclaim everything that should have been his.
"Yuantong, fewer and fewer people are coming here lately." Qi Mu's voice was filled with dissatisfaction. He needed more souls to repair his damaged demonic soul and improve his strength.
Qi Mu looked down on the human world, but upon arriving there, he discovered that human souls did have some use, aiding him in cultivating his magical power. Souls filled with fear and pain, in particular, were a great tonic for him.
“Because of the plague that year, all the people of Qinan died. After Qinan City was abandoned, fewer and fewer people passed through this place.” Yuantong knew that Qi Mu would not be satisfied with this statement. “However, Your Highness, aren’t those ghost messengers more nourishing than the souls of ordinary mortals?” A greedy glint flashed in his eyes, clearly indicating that he had also benefited greatly from them.
“If the ghost messenger goes missing, other ghost messengers will surely come looking for him. Once someone breaks into Qinan, there will definitely be ghost messengers who want to enter Qinan to take the ghost back to the underworld,” Yuan Tong said confidently, a sly smile on his face. He had already planned it all out, using the ghost messenger as bait to attract more ghost messengers, forming a virtuous cycle—at least it was virtuous for them.
Qi Mu savored the memory of those ghost messengers, a chilling smile playing on his lips. "You're right." The souls of ghost messengers were indeed far stronger than those of ordinary mortals, and they were of greater help to him. If he could capture more ghost messengers, perhaps he could quickly recover his strength, or even reach a higher level.
In his mind, the underworld had always been fragmented. Although it controlled reincarnation, anyone could trample on it. "Speaking of which, the underworld is not very powerful. It would be great if I could go there myself." His eyes gleamed with ambition, clearly not content with just making small moves in the human world.
“Although Your Highness is powerful, there are still some obstacles to your attempt to enter the Underworld under the current circumstances,” Yuan Tong said cautiously. He did not want Qi Mu to act rashly and disrupt his plans.
Qi Mu scoffed, "I'm not that stupid. I'll just sneak in quietly. Don't worry, I won't touch King Zangmi." Although he was arrogant, he knew that King Zangmi, who came from a Buddhist family, was not someone to be trifled with, so he naturally wouldn't provoke him.
Qi Mu's eyebrows suddenly twitched. "Someone has entered the city? Perfect!" His senses told him that several powerful auras had entered Qinan City, and one of them felt strangely familiar to him.
"Someone's here?" A hint of joy flashed in Yuantong's eyes. "Your Highness, should we lure them here?" He was already starting to plan how to use these new "prey."
“No need, they’re heading this way right now.” Qi Mu’s lips curled into a smug smile. “They’ve really walked right into our trap.”
Wait, why do I sense demonic energy approaching? A faint demonic aura lurked between Qi Mu's furrowed brows. It seemed some demon had escaped to the mortal realm; it was perfect for him to replenish his strength. Human souls were delicious, but demonic energy was his very essence, making it the best choice. A greedy smile crept onto his lips, as if he could already see a delicious feast.
Outside the house stood Jiu Ya and her group.
Jiuya looked up and said, "The demonic energy here is much denser than in other places. This must be the demon's stronghold."
Rong Jiang nodded. She had followed the demonic energy to find her way here. She glanced at the heavy gate of the mansion, then at Si Ge. No words were needed; a single look was enough to convey her intentions.
Si Ge immediately understood, walked through the gate, and with a single palm strike, the heavy gate collapsed to the ground with a loud thud.
Qi Mu, sensing the magic within the mansion, eagerly emerged, only to find the gate blasted to the ground. Enrage surged within him. These fools, daring to run wild on his territory!
"How dare you, a mere rat, be so insolent before me?" Qi Mu roared.
Jiu Ya suddenly saw a man in dark gold robes emerge menacingly. Upon closer inspection, she was met with a handsome yet otherworldly face—a single black demonic mark between his brows made his pale skin appear even more striking. She recognized that face all too well; it was none other than her sixth brother, Qi Mu, whom she had personally defeated and who should have been annihilated!
The moment Jiu Ya saw him, she could hardly believe her eyes. "Sixth Brother?!" How could it be him? Qi Mu was clearly dead; she had personally ended his life—yet she also knew that a wisp of his soul had indeed escaped back then. For years, she had secretly ordered Li Yue to investigate, never imagining that he was hiding among mortals, and that she had failed to detect it so long ago. A chill crept up her spine. The scene before her was both unexpected and yet perfectly logical—yet it still set off alarm bells in her heart.
"Jiuya! It's you!" Qi Mu roared in anger as soon as he saw her.
If it weren't for her, that lowly woman who ascended to the Demon Lord's throne by sheer luck, how could he have fallen to such a state? Escaping the Demon Realm with only a wisp of his soul, he cowers like a stray dog in a desolate human town, not knowing when he'll regain his former strength. All the humiliation and pain he's endured over the years erupts at this moment, transforming into boundless hatred, a desire to tear her to pieces!
Upon hearing this, Jiu Ya laughed exaggeratedly, "Ah, I really didn't expect that Sixth Brother still cares about me."
Qi Mu was furious. What kind of talk was that? He wasn't thinking about his unlucky sister all the time! He was thinking about when she would die! His fingers clenched into fists, his nails almost digging into his palms, and his demonic energy surged uncontrollably around him.
Qi Mu's expression was mocking. "You weren't crippled by You Chi and the others and exiled to the mortal realm, were you?" His gaze swept over Jiu Ya, trying to find signs of her weakened strength. In his view, Jiu Ya's sudden appearance in this small town in the mortal realm must mean that something had happened.
Following behind Qi Mu, Yuan Tong was taken aback when he saw several people. Seeing the tense atmosphere between Qi Mu and Jiu Ya, he realized this was the Demon Lord Qi Mu hated so much. Yuan Tong's legs went weak. If Qi Mu, defeated by the Demon Lord, was so powerful, how strong must the Demon Lord be? Fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead, and he spun his prayer beads even faster.
Yuantong lived up to his Buddhist name, being extremely shrewd and opportunistic. Sensing trouble, he tried to slip away, but instead met a pair of eyes that seemed to be both smiling and not smiling. He froze, standing there motionless. Sige's gaze was fixed on him like a tangible object, making him too afraid to even lift a foot.
Si Ge sneered. A ghost, trying to escape from him? What wishful thinking!
Jiu Ya said, "Thanks to you, You Chi, Gong Liang and Sixth Brother were just like each other back then."
"You—" Qi Mu was taken aback, but then he thought about it. Elders You Chi and Gong Liang were highly skilled, and their families were not to be underestimated. How could Jiu Ya, with her meager cultivation, possibly kill them? A hint of doubt flashed in his eyes, which then turned into disdain.
He sneered and said disdainfully, "You?"
Jiu Ya raised her eyebrows and said with a hint of teasing, "Hmm, I suppose Sixth Brother has a big misunderstanding about me! With my meager cultivation, even Sixth Brother was no match for me back then, wasn't he?"
These words struck a nerve with Qi Mu. He had always looked down on his younger sister, Jiu Ya, both because her birth mother was a human-demon hybrid of lowly status and because of her lack of talent and mediocre cultivation. Therefore, his brothers and sisters, who considered themselves the pride of heaven, all looked down on Jiu Ya. But who would have thought that this seemingly ordinary and incompetent sister, whom they had always disregarded, would eventually become a true supreme ruler of the demon realm?
"You—" Qi Mu's eyes turned red with anger, and his breathing became much heavier. The demonic energy around him surged uncontrollably, but because his strength had greatly diminished, it appeared to be a bluff.
Jiu Ya looked Qi Mu up and down, her words full of sarcasm, "It seems that Sixth Brother hasn't been having a good time lately. Look at this magic power, it seems that it can't even reach one-tenth of what it used to be, right?"
"Huh? This monk's entire soul exudes demonic energy. Could it be Sixth Brother's doing? I remember Sixth Brother used to look down on mortals. Now he's actually cooperating with mortals? That's quite impressive." Her tone was clearly sarcastic, making Qi Mu's face even uglier.
"A mere mortal!" Qi Mu immediately retorted, his eyes wide. "Is he worth cooperating with? He's just somewhat useful, doing things for me."
Upon seeing Qi Mu, who had remained silent until now, Rong Jiang coldly spoke up, "This city must be your creation?"
Upon arriving at the mansion, Rong Jiang realized that the demon within was closely related to Jiu Ya. This demon was on the verge of death; even though it appeared to possess considerable magical power, it was merely at its last gasp. Its name was already faintly appearing in the Yin-Yang Life and Death Scroll, and its kinship was connected to the demon lord beside her.
To be honest, demons are quite troublesome these days. They only appear in the Yin-Yang Life and Death Scroll after they die. Rong Jiang believes it's necessary to make them like humans. This idea has been brewing in her mind for a long time, and perhaps it should be put on the agenda after she returns this time.
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