Chapter Ninety-Nine: Siblings in Confrontation
The moment the two demons met, the atmosphere was thick with the smell of gunpowder. Rong Jiang gave Jiu Ya time to "catch up" before dealing with the matter. She stood quietly to the side, as if watching a play that had nothing to do with her.
"So what if it was my doing?" Qi Mu raised his chin and said disdainfully to Jiu Ya, "Eleventh Sister, the mortal you brought is too ignorant of etiquette, daring to interrupt directly, which is too presumptuous!" His attention was completely focused on Jiu Ya, and he did not realize Rong Jiang's true identity at all.
Jiu Ya: Sixth Brother! What are you talking about? What do you mean by not knowing the rules? The fact that you weren't killed on the spot is already a favor Rong Jiang did for me, okay? She couldn't help but rub her forehead, feeling sorry for Qi Mu's stupidity.
"Sixth Brother, are you sure you're not mistaken somewhere?" Jiu Ya said in shock. "Who is it that doesn't know the rules?" Her gaze shifted back and forth between Rong Jiang and Qi Mu, as if to say: The person in front of you is the Lord of the Underworld, how dare you say she doesn't know the rules?
"Given that you're in such a precarious state that you could kick the bucket at any moment, shouldn't you immediately kneel down before the big boss?" Jiu Ya thought to herself, amazed by Qi Mu's recklessness.
Qi Mu's gaze swept over Rong Jiang again, but he still couldn't see anything special about her. He only felt that this mortal woman had an extraordinary temperament, but no matter how extraordinary she was, she was still just a mortal.
Jiu Ya glanced at Rong Jiang silently. It was normal that her foolish brother hadn't noticed. But, it seemed that Si Ge wasn't pretending at all, was he? Her gaze shifted to Si Ge, who was staring coldly at Qi Mu, exuding the aura of a powerful being from the underworld.
So, Qi Mu, can you feel the aura of hell? Jiu Ya almost laughed out loud. Qi Mu looked down on Jiu Ya, and Jiu Ya also hated Qi Mu's arrogance. This blind pride would ultimately make him pay a heavy price.
When it comes to power, even siblings can turn against each other, let alone Jiu Ya and Qi Mu, who are just fake siblings.
"Speaking of which, does Sixth Brother know what happened to Eleventh Sister afterward?" Jiu Ya suddenly asked, a sly glint in her eyes.
Qi Mu was taken aback, clearly not expecting Jiu Ya to suddenly bring up Shi Yi Niang. His eyes momentarily glazed over, then sharpened. "Shi Yi Niang? What happened to her?"
Jiu Ya smiled slightly, "Since the news of Sixth Brother's death came, Eleventh Sister has been heartbroken." She paused deliberately, observing Qi Mu's reaction.
Qi Mu's lips trembled slightly, and a trace of pain flashed in his eyes. Shiyi Niang was his most beloved younger sister. He had always known that Shiyi Niang was spoiled and had mediocre talent. If he were not around, Shiyi Niang's situation would be unimaginable.
“She even wanted to drag me down with her, to be buried with her sixth brother.” Jiu Ya’s voice was light and airy. “At the banquet celebrating the death of her sixth brother, Shi Yi Niang wanted to use her most proficient illusion magic and the deadly demonic poison “Other Shore Withering” that she had secretly collected to launch an indiscriminate and devastating attack. What a brilliant scheme.”
Qi Mu's face turned deathly pale instantly. He knew the power of the Other Shore's Withering and Flourishing. If Eleven Niang's plan had been followed, everyone present would have died miserably in extreme pain and illusion.
“What a pity,” Jiu Ya sighed, feigning regret, “I saw through Shiyi Niang’s scheme long ago and made preparations in advance. Just when she thought her scheme had succeeded and was about to make her move, the power of the Illusionary Poison backfired on her.”
Qi Mu's body trembled slightly, "No...it's impossible...Shiyi Niang, she..."
"I am a good older sister, how could I stand by and watch my younger sister suffer the backlash of the Illusionary Poison? I had no choice but to send her on her way," Jiu Ya said coldly.
Qi Mu let out a painful roar, "You killed her! You killed Shiyi Niang!" His demonic energy surged again, but it became even more unstable due to his emotional agitation.
Jiu Ya looked at him coldly, "She chose this path herself. Is it worth it for a brother who is already 'dead'?"
Qi Mu abruptly raised his head, his eyes, corrupted by demonic energy, instantly turning crimson. "I'll kill you all... I'll tear you all... to shreds..."
Si Ge snorted coldly, pointing his spear directly at Qi Mu, "How dare you, you coward!"
This spear, named Green Sinking, was forged from refined steel and cold iron. As soon as this spear was drawn, a terrifying look of horror appeared in the eyes of Yuantong, who was fixed in place.
"Who are you?" Qi Mu staggered, almost losing his balance. He was startled by Si Ge's sudden outburst of aura, followed by intense anger. He finally realized that this man who had been standing silently to the side was no ordinary person.
Si Ge coldly said, "Several ghost messengers from the underworld disappeared in Qinan. Who do you think I am?"
"You're also a ghost messenger?" Qi Mu was astonished. The aura emanating from this person was indeed similar to that of the ghost messengers he had devoured, but he also felt that this person was much stronger than those ghost messengers. Was there such a person in the underworld? An ominous premonition rose in his heart.
Si Ge's face was icy cold. "Heh!" A cold smile appeared on his lips as the spear in his hand transformed into a blade, pinning Qi Mu to the spot.
"Your Majesty," Si Ge said, awaiting Rong Jiang's instructions.
Rong Jiang nodded gently, "Huai'an, then take a look at the Yin-Yang Life and Death Scroll and see how many people have died after mistakenly entering Qinan over the years."
“Yes,” Si Ge replied. A scroll emitting a faint glow appeared in his hand; it was the Yin-Yang Life and Death Scroll, a supreme treasure of the underworld.
Rong Jiang stepped forward, waved her right hand, and sent a stream of power into Qi Mu's body.
The power coursed through Qi Mu's body, like a snake writhing and thrashing within him. A look of pain crossed Qi Mu's face, and his body trembled involuntarily.
Rong Jiang narrowed her eyes slightly. Very good, this demon devoured the ghost messengers, refining their power for its own use. She would never tolerate such a disrespectful act against the authority of the underworld.
The power remaining in Qi Mu's body surged instantly, causing Qi Mu's already fragile body to disintegrate instantly, leaving only a weak remnant soul standing there dumbfounded.
Fear filled Qi Mu's eyes. "You're not human? You're from the Underworld too? No! There's no one like you in the Underworld."
Rong Jiang did not answer Qi Mu, but instead looked at Jiu Ya, "Is this Jiu's brother?"
"Yes, it's my sixth brother. When I first ascended to the throne, my sixth brother seemed to be very dissatisfied with me. He joined forces with other demons to try to oust me, but unfortunately, he made a mistake." Jiu Ya said calmly. "At that time, I thought my sixth brother had died by my blade. I never expected that he would leave behind a remnant of his life and run around causing trouble in the human world."
Rong Jiang smiled slightly, "Is that so? Then it seems that Ajiu won't blame me for being a little reckless and making it impossible for Ajiu's brother to even make a fuss, right?"
"How could that be?" Jiu Ya quickly said, "In the Demon Realm, my sixth brother died long ago. He's just been given many years of extra life!"
Qi Mu's soul was still trapped in place by Si Ge's gun, facing Yuan Tong. Both of them had fear and despair in their eyes, knowing that their fate was going to be very tragic.
Rong Jiang examined the information about Qi Mu and said, "You are the sixth son of the former Demon Lord, named Qi Mu. You have entered the human world without permission, harmed people, devoured their souls, and ate ghost messengers. Your crimes are heinous."
She stretched out her fair hand, on which a black flame flickered. "Go."
The black flame of netherworld reincarnation flew towards Qi Mu, and the black flames quickly ignited on Qi Mu's body. The flames directly burned his soul, making him experience torment a thousand times worse than physical pain.
Qi Mu struggled and cried out amidst the flames, experiencing again and again the agony of the ghost messengers and others being devoured. His screams echoed through the silent courtyard, sending chills down everyone's spine.
In the end, Qi Mu's entire soul was in a daze, unable to stand steadily, and he stumbled and fell to the ground.
Yuantong, who acted as an accomplice to the tyrant, received the same treatment.
Rong Jiang said, "Huai'an, take both of them back to the Underworld later."
"Yes, Your Majesty," Si Ge replied. He carefully put away the Yin-Yang Life and Death Scroll, and a chain flew out from his hand, binding Qi Mu and Yuan Tong tightly.
Jiu Ya understood that when this ghost and monster arrived in the underworld, a luxurious feast would likely await them. However, those who had been murdered had truly suffered an undeserved calamity. Jiu Ya asked, "Ranran, have all the people who entered this place been harmed by these two?"
“There’s no sign of life.” Rong Jiang said, her gaze sweeping across the entire city, a hint of pity flashing in her eyes. “Si Ge, take a few of them out of the city first.”
Si Ge replied, "Yes." He didn't know what Rong Jiang was going to do, but that didn't stop him from obeying orders. Si Ge chanted a spell, then put Yuan Tong and Qi Mu into his sleeve, saying, "Demon Lord, please."
"Shall we leave the city first?" Jiu Ya was very puzzled. What was Rong Jiang going to do? Her eyes were filled with doubt, but she still chose to trust him.
Jiu Ya called to Li Yue and Bai Yu, and together with Si Ge, they left the city. They walked back along the road they had come from, and the "passersby" were still watching them with greedy eyes, but dared not approach.
After leaving the city, Jiu Ya discovered that Qinan City, without Qi Mu using magic to maintain the illusion, was clearly a lifeless, dead city.
Before entering the city, the Manling Flower, which was still a bud, had already quietly unfurled its petals. It seemed to be due to the demonic energy released when Qi Mu died. However, having lost its most fundamental source of demonic energy, the unfurled petals were on the verge of withering, and the bright red flowers were visibly fading away.
Jiuya sighed, and with a wave of her hand, the vine-like flowers clinging to the birch trees outside the city walls withered and disappeared in an instant. Those demonic flowers that should never have existed in the human world turned to ashes under her power.
Seeing that Jiuya had destroyed the Manling Flowers, Sige asked in confusion, "Why did the Demon Lord destroy these flowers?"
Jiuya explained, "That's a crape myrtle."
Sige asked, "The Mandarin Duck Flower from the Demon Realm?"
"Exactly. It is very similar to the hanging bell flower in the human world, but the vine bell flower has no leaves when it grows buds." The flowers of these two flowers are identical, except for their different habits.
Si Ge said in a low voice, "It is similar to Manhua in habits." The Manhua he was referring to was the red spider lily, also known as Manjusaka, which is the flower of the underworld.
The red spider lily has leaves but no flowers, and flowers bloom without leaves. This peculiar habit is quite similar to that of the crape myrtle.
Si Ge spoke in a low voice, which Jiu Ya couldn't quite hear. She asked in confusion, "What?"
“The Manjusaka flower of the Demon Realm does bear some resemblance to the Lycoris radiata of the Underworld,” Si Ge explained, raising his voice slightly. His gaze swept over the now-empty birch forest outside the city, as if he could still see the swaying of those eerie flowers.
Jiu Ya smiled and said, "The flower is not seen in the leaf, and the leaf is not seen in the flower; they are indeed similar."
"But when the Manling Flower blooms, its stems are as thin as silk, and from a distance, their color and shape are very similar to the leaves, enough to fool the eye." Si Ge's eyesight was excellent; before Jiu Ya destroyed the Manling Flower, he had already seen its subtle features clearly.
Hearing this, she nodded. "That's true. If one is not familiar with the habits of the two, it is very easy to confuse them."
Seeing that all the vine-like flowers outside the city walls, which should not exist in the human world, had disappeared and turned into fine demonic dust that dissipated in the wind, Jiu Ya smiled with satisfaction. Her eyes crinkled as she smiled, and the dimples on her cheeks appeared and disappeared, easing the solemn atmosphere from just now.
"Speaking of which, we've already left the city. What is Ranran doing all by herself in the city?" She turned to look at the silent Qinan City.
Jiu Ya couldn't understand why Rong Jiang had sent them out of the city first, taking Yuan Tong and Qi Mu, the two culprits, while she herself remained in that desolate, empty city. Hadn't the culprits who caused Qinan City to be in this state already been brought to justice? What else required the Underworld Emperor to personally stay?
Si Ge's lips twitched slightly. His Majesty wasn't even present, so why was this Demon Lord addressing her so intimately? Was His Majesty very familiar with her? Si Ge pondered inwardly, but remained outwardly calm, maintaining the proper conduct of a subordinate, and said indifferently, "His Majesty has his own reasons. We will obey."
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