Chapter 87 She can't leave!
Sheng Zhiyi's figure vanished completely in the light, leaving not even a trace of her presence.
On Yaoyue Lake, only an empty painted boat remained. The lotus flowers were still graceful, and the lake breeze was still refreshing, but Ji Fuguang felt that the whole world had suddenly become quiet, eerily quiet, so quiet that he could clearly hear the sound of his blood dripping onto the wooden deck.
"Tap...tap..."
The sword pierced extremely deep. When Sheng Zhiyi struck, she only hoped that the sword energy would damage the outer part of his heart meridian and force out a bead of blood. However, in that split second, Ji Fuguang showed no intention of dodging at all. Thus, the tip of Jing Hongyu's sword pierced his heart solidly.
With each heavy heartbeat, blood slowly and continuously seeped out, staining his dark robes even more wet and dark, clinging to his skin and bringing a sticky, icy sensation.
He could have stopped the bleeding and healed the wound immediately with just a slight change of mind and the activation of demonic energy. But for some reason, he hesitated to do so.
Did she... really run away?
These words slowly and clearly appeared in his mind. Each word was equally familiar, but when put together, they were unbelievable.
He raised his hand to his chest and touched something sticky and warm—the mark left by her sword, the only thing she had left with him—a hideous wound.
How is that possible?!
The demon palace's barrier was set up by him personally, and it was as solid as a rock. Her spiritual power had not yet fully recovered, and although the collar had been removed, spatial magic was so rare and profound; when had she acquired such abilities!
"She can't have escaped far; she must still be in the palace."
Ji Fuguang suddenly let out a cold laugh, it was unclear whether he was speaking to someone or to himself.
The overwhelming demonic energy surged outwards like a black tide, sweeping across every corner of the demon palace in an instant. His gaze, sharp as a blade tempered with ice, swept across the calm lake, the lush lotus groves, and the distant palaces and pavilions, again and again, not missing a single subtle ripple.
He even raised his hands to form a hand seal, trying to sense the lingering aura of the collar. The collar quickly responded to him, with exceptional clarity—it was lying alone on the deck not far from his feet.
It was like a silent yet sharp mockery.
It's not invisibility, it's not illusion, it's real spatial teleportation.
A chill spread from my fingertips.
"Sheng, Zhi, Yi!"
He spoke in an extremely low voice, the three words almost ground out from between his teeth, carrying a metallic, bloody stench and a seething hatred. Unbeknownst to himself, this voice also contained a rage born of utter abandonment.
"boom--!"
The entire pleasure boat couldn't withstand the immense demonic energy and began to shake violently. A raging storm erupted on the lake, and the once graceful lotus flowers were uprooted, their petals scattering like a rain of blood. He gripped the railing tightly, and the sturdy railing instantly turned to dust, the fragments fluttering down between his fingers.
He thought he had everything under control, but she escaped from his side at the moment when he was most relaxed and even had a ridiculous thought!
She lied to him; he already knew.
Unlike him, she wasn't good at pretending. No matter how eager and docile she appeared on the surface, her subtle glances always betrayed her true feelings. How could those distant, resistant, and even occasionally suppressed feelings of hatred escape his notice, no matter how hard he tried to suppress them?
But hearing her finally call out "Senior Brother" again, this act she was struggling to maintain seemed to have a unique charm for him. Watching her act so cautiously, he patiently played along with her. He even felt that she was much more vibrant than she had been before, so lifeless.
It's just a few drops of his heart's blood; he can afford to give it.
Ultimately, she was in his demon palace, and she couldn't escape. She could only pretend to be on a stage, putting on a fake play that was actually real.
Besides, she had indeed suffered a lot because of him before, and it was only natural for him to repay her with blood.
Deep down, there was even a faint hope that she couldn't quite see or was unwilling to delve into: after the blood was drawn, could all the past grievances be wiped clean, and could she continue to smile at him and cling to his side again?
However, things did not go as he wished...
She left.
No longer imprisoned, no longer bound, but truly and completely freed from his control.
Her final words, "Never again," were so resolute and firm, like a bird breaking free from its cage, never to look back.
A barely perceptible look of bewilderment flashed in his eyes.
An unprecedented surge of emotion overwhelmed his chest, making his heart feel as if it were being squeezed tightly, leaving him with an unbearable bitterness.
For the first time, Ji Fuguang realized a fact.
Sheng Zhiyi was willing to take a huge risk and use a demonic artifact whose effectiveness was unknown, in order to fight to the death and escape from him.
The Phoenix Feather Clan... should have killed all those demons back then, no, they should have tortured them to death, especially that little flower demon!
He was not skilled in spatial arts, and Sheng Zhiyi's aura had completely disappeared.
His gaze swept aimlessly across the empty pleasure boat, over the lotus flowers lying on the ground, and finally towards the boundless sky beyond the Demon Palace's barrier.
Sheng Zhiyi's bright, relieved smile at the end kept flashing through his mind.
She...it seems she really has left his side.
Why is this happening?
Has she come to hate him to this extent?
Previously, under his absolute control, she was unwilling but could only endure it. He thought time could heal all wounds, that even if she didn't want to, she couldn't leave his side...
But...did he really have her under his control...?
The thought pierced his heart like an ice pick, bringing him a long-forgotten fear.
Water dungeons, humiliation, collars, demonic palace barriers... These were the things he used to keep her from beginning to end. In her eyes, what difference was there between these and torture?
He remembered how, when she pretended to fall, he instinctively pulled her into his arms.
At that moment, her body stiffened slightly, which was not without flaws, but he subconsciously ignored it.
Because at that moment, what welled up in his heart was the joy of regaining what he had lost.
He surveyed the devastated Yaoyue Lake, ravaged by demonic energy: the overturned lotus blossoms, the churning waters, the shattered railings…
He brought the beautiful scenery to the lake with his own hands, but in a fit of rage, he destroyed it with his own hands.
Isn't this just like how he treats her?
He forcibly took her back to the Demon Palace, providing her with fine clothes and food, and a seemingly gentle cage, yet he repeatedly shattered her hopes with harsh methods.
He thought he could control everything.
But... he forgot that he couldn't control people's hearts.
If she really disappears into the crowd, or falls into the hands of someone else...
I will never see her again...
Ji Fuguang's breath hitched. His hand, hanging by his side, had nails digging deep into his palm, leaving crescent-shaped bloodstains.
The sword wound throbbed with each heartbeat, and only now did the excruciating pain truly begin, a thousand times more intense than when the startled feather pierced through.
"No……"
He muttered to himself, unaware that his brows were furrowed and a pained expression was on his face.
A strange yet familiar sense of panic swept over me.
In that instant, he was no longer the aloof and fearsome Demon Lord who commanded the terror of the cultivation world, but a vulnerable and helpless child, abandoned once again...
"She can't leave... Someone, come here!!"
Ji Fuguang summoned the demon soldiers and said in a deep voice, "Immediately seal off a hundred miles around the Demon Palace. Everyone, go..."
He stopped midway through delivering his command.
What are we going to do?
Like before, dig three feet into the ground and capture her like a fugitive? And then, lock her in a water dungeon and put on even stronger shackles?
He saw Sheng Zhiyi's last smile flash before his eyes.
That kind of smile was something that had never been shown in the Demon Palace before.
The demon soldiers kneeling on the ground felt the terrifying silence and surging demonic energy above them, and they trembled with fear, not daring to look up.
After a long silence, Ji Fuguang's voice rang out again, but this time it carried an extreme coldness and calmness, a calmness even more chilling than his previous rage:
"...Investigate, utilize all available contacts, and probe for any unusual activity throughout the cultivation world, especially anything related to spatial fluctuations or the appearance of a strange woman. But remember—"
He paused, each word seemingly carved from ice, “Do not alert her. Report back immediately upon finding any clues. No one is allowed to approach without my order, and no one is permitted to harm her in the slightest.”
This order startled the demon generals below. One of them tentatively said, "Your Majesty... the Immortal Clan is currently searching for our race throughout the cultivation world..."
With all their undercover agents coming out, wouldn't that be the perfect opportunity for the immortals to wipe them out in one fell swoop?
Before the demon general could finish speaking, his entire body flew up, his head twisting into a strange arc in the air.
Ji Fuguang calmly repeated, "Did you understand?"
"yes!"
After everyone left, Ji Fuguang stood alone by the messy lake.
He raised his hand, and demonic energy slowly flowed, restoring the destroyed lotus flowers, lakeside, and railings one by one. Yaoyue Lake quickly regained its previous exquisite beauty, as if nothing had ever happened.
However, the fallen petals and lotus leaves could never be revived.
————————
As the light and shadow completely disappeared, Sheng Zhiyi felt her body gradually turn into fragments, and then slowly reassemble.
When she reappeared, she slowly descended from the sky, her feet touching the ground.
Steadying herself, she immediately looked around warily, her hand gripping the sword hilt tightening unconsciously until her knuckles turned white.
The jade petal had completely lost its luster in her palm, turning dull and ordinary. The spatial law power that the little flower fairy had infused into it had been completely exhausted. She carefully put away the now useless petal, her heart filled with gratitude for the little flower fairy in that environment.
The scene here was extremely bizarre, beyond her comprehension.
The world above and below, in all directions, was shrouded in pure, unfathomable darkness, as if one were in nothingness. Only in the distant sky, a solitary crescent moon hung high, emitting a cold, pale light that barely allowed one to distinguish up from down and in all directions.
However, upon closer inspection, this darkness is not pure; it is filled with continuous, dazzling starlight that is slowly rotating. Looking at it for a long time gives one a sense of being drawn into it, almost as if one's mind is being drawn in.
Sheng Zhiyi quickly lowered her head, not daring to look for long. What she could see at her feet was a giant river floating in the middle. She thought she had landed on the ground, but she was actually just standing near the river.
The river water had a deep, dark color, yet it was strangely clear, allowing one to see the scenery deep within the riverbed.
The river flowed gently and silently. But strangely, each stream of water was slightly different in color, and upon closer inspection, countless images of light and shadow could be seen constantly changing and rising and falling within the water.
She subconsciously tried to discern these images. The images were numerous and chaotic, showing farmers working in the fields, officials conversing in the court, and women weeping in their private quarters... All aspects of human life and the myriad aspects of the mortal world seemed to be compressed into this strange river.
Sheng Zhiyi couldn't understand these things. After searching for a long time, she suddenly found an image. It was full of people dressed as cultivators. She moved closer and was about to take a closer look when the image in the river suddenly magnified. At the same time, an irresistible and huge suction force came and firmly grabbed her!
Suddenly, she remembered the description she had seen in the letters.
The forbidden land of the demon race, "Haiyaoyue," is shrouded in darkness on all sides, with only a solitary moon shining in the sky and a giant river floating in the air, holding the memories of the world within it, flowing endlessly...
Yes, Yaoyue Lake, Haiyaoyue... the names are so similar.
Yaoyue Lake must be not far from this forbidden area "Haiyaoyue". However, when she forcibly used an incomplete spatial secret technique in Yaoyue Lake, the resulting fluctuations unexpectedly teleported her to the most dangerous forbidden area of the Demon Clan!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
