In the vast, dark room, hundreds of people lined up, kneeling on the ground.
A man slowly walked through the rows of black-clad figures, none of whom had any distinguishing features.
The demonic aura emanating from the man made all the kneeling demons tremble.
Straight ahead.
The manâs gaze was fixed on the end of this long path.
"I am glad to see you have returned safely."
The calm voice from the end of the path made the manâs steps quicken slightly.
Swoosh.
"GrrrâŠ"
"AAAARGH!"
The demonic aura from the manâs footsteps suppressed everything around him, mingling with his emotions.
"You seem very angry."
Despite this, the man sat leisurely on a rock and took a sip of wine.
The man growled at the sight.
"Are you satisfied now?"
His short, sharp words were laced with demonic aura.
Clearly, it was due to his turbulent emotions.
"What do you mean?"
The demonic aura that had spread throughout the area suddenly surged at the manâs words but dissipated just before reaching him.
Grinding his teeth, the man clenched his jaw at the scene before him.
The power of the Heavenly Demon still protected the man.
"Leader, I donât understand why you are so angry. As a primitive, I cannot comprehend it."
The man ran his hand through his long hair.
A deep scar ran across his cheek and over his eye.
"We successfully occupied Sichuan and drove out the Tang family."
And within, the Poison Master met his end alone.
"Though there were unexpected deaths in the war, ultimately, we gained more."
We eliminated most of the major figures of the righteous factions and succeeded in deposing the alliance leader on the grounds of irresponsibility.
However, the Demon Sword Master is dead.
"What is the problem?"
The manâs voice, tinged with a smile, tickled the manâs ears.
He covered his mouth with a delicate fan.
The man suppressed a throbbing headache.
"Leader."
The man called out to him.
Zhuge He.
Among countless demons, he was the only one who was both a demon and not a demon.
The man who had become the core of the new religion with just his tongue smiled like a fox at the man.
"Everything is according to the will of the Sect Leader."
"You canât cover the sky with your hand, yet you try to block the sun with your mouth."
"Leader, what exactly are you so dissatisfied with? Is it because some woman died?"
Crack!
The sudden surge of anger engulfed the vast room, but the flames did not reach the man.
"ARGH!"
"My body⊠my body is burning!!"
The flames began to consume the innocent demons, but the manâs gaze remained fixed on Zhuge He.
Zhuge He smiled lightly, finding the situation amusing.
"Your subordinates are all burning, Leader. Calm down."
The flames that had spread throughout the area showed no sign of diminishing.
As the manâs emotions fluctuated, the flames grew even hotter.
Sichuan, once a place of conflict between the demons and the Tang family, had become uninhabitable, and the Poison Master met his end alone in the poisonous fog.
Under the moonlight, the Demon Sword Master, swinging his sword and gazing at the sky, finally closed his eyes, having failed to find the moon.
The moon and sky he loved so much were now hidden by dark clouds, no longer visible.
What was left, then?
Nothing.
Anyone would know that sacrifice is inherently such a thing.
Why was he so angry?
Was it because he still had a lingering attachment, even after giving up his humanity?
It was a ridiculous contradiction.
The hand that had been about to strangle the manâs neck gradually lowered.
The heat that had been rising from his back also began to subside.
Zhuge He chuckled at the sight.
"Have you calmed down now?"
"Shut up, Iâm trying not to tear your mouth apart."
"I hope you donât misunderstand, Leader."
Zhuge Heâs eyes, which had been closed, opened slightly.
"We all came here of our own accord. Your attitude is not beneficial to the sect."
"What are you trying to say?"
"Always remember that only the Sect Leader is above you."
Zhuge He tapped the manâs shoulder with his folded fan.
The man, clenching his teeth, glared fiercely at Zhuge He before finally turning away.
If this was just a trivial conversation, it was a meaningless meeting.
"The Celestial Venerable is dead."
The voice continued, but the man ignored it and continued walking.
"The Venerable of the South will also die tonight."
He did not stop.
"The Sword Venerable has lost an arm, so the Heavenly Demon need not exert himself."
At the end of his steps, he grabbed the doorknob.
"Then who is left?"
He stopped abruptly.
Zhuge Heâs smiling voice made it impossible to continue.
The man did not turn around.
He was unsure if his expression was still composed.
"Think carefully. The Sect Leader will certainly entrust this to you."
Creak.
The sound of metal bending.
The doorknob in the manâs hand was warped by his grip.
"I hope you make the right choice, Leader."
Zhuge Heâs smiling voice now sounded like an insult.
The man burst out of the room, his aura flaring as he shouted.
His voice, as if spitting out blood, quickly turned into heavy breathing.
After a while, the man began to move, his distorted expression slowly returning to normal.
Although demonic aura still surged within him, he had to hide it.
The man moved forward slowly.
His next destination was Henan.
******************
The Heavenly Demon, a being so absurd that he might have transcended humanity, was ultimately just one person.
No matter how strong, the Demon Sect, centered around the Heavenly Demon and gathered by demons, was still a group.
In a sense, a small group, and each individual a demon (éäșș) consumed by madness, was far from a normal state.
The reason the Demon Sect had reached a level where it could engulf the entire region was solely due to one man.
The biggest reason Sichuan, home to the Four Great Families and the First Evil Sect, could be erased by the Demon Sect.
The reason the Wu Lin Alliance, the heart of the righteous factions, had fallen.
Zhuge He, the brain of the Demon Sect, known as the Heavenly Demonâs mouth and ears.
The monster I wanted to find first after my regression.
The person who made me feel a small sense of unease because I couldnât find him easily.
"Why are you here?"
Anger crept into my voice without me realizing it.
A younger appearance, with white streaks covering half of his black hair.
His bangs covered half of his face, so I brushed them away with my hand.
"�?"
The horrific scar that covered half of his face in my previous life was not there.
Or, perhaps it wasnât there yet.
"Hey."
I called out to him.
He did not respond, just met my gaze silently.
Even after a moment, he remained silent.
Was he ignoring me?
The thought made me feel a surge of heat.
A cold sensation rose from my dantian.
The suppressed killing intent surged to the top of my head.
âShould I just kill him now?â
The thought filled my mind.
In reality, I had always wanted to kill him, so there was no need to hesitate...
"Stop!"
"âŠ!"
Xin Noyaâs sudden shout snapped me back to reality.
"Canât you even pull yourself together? Get away from him!"
Get away? From what?
I realized my hand was around his neck.
ââŠWhen did I do that?â
What was I about to do?
A cold sensation passed through my throat.
No matter how emotional and weakened my body was, to act so recklessly?
Something was off.
Even though I was overwhelmed by heat, to lose control like this?
ââŠSomething.â
It felt like I was being controlled by something...
"What are you doing!"
Someone shouted, and I was pushed to the side, landing on the grass.
I rolled and struggled to regain my composure.
"âŠWhat are you doing, just appearing like this?"
A sharp voice.
Looking over, I saw the plum blossom robe of Huashan.
Her short hair slightly over her shoulders and the distinctive upturned eyes of her family.
Despite this, her face didnât look particularly fierce, likely because she resembled someone other than her family.
In a way, it had been a long time since I saw my younger sister.
I didnât expect to meet her like this.
Gulinghua shouted at me.
"Seeing your face is already a burden, why are you trying to torment me again!"
"What⊠suddenlyâŠ"
"What were you going to do to someone who canât even speak? Did you think I would be hurt if you did that to someone important to me?"
"What?"
"How did you find me hereâŠ"
What did Gulinghua just say?
Someone canât speak?
I looked at Zhuge He with surprise.
He still had a blank expression.
Despite being suddenly and forcefully grabbed by the neck, he only slightly touched my hand, his expression unchanged.
âCanât speak?â
The realization that the person I thought was Zhuge He was mute made my mind go blank.
âŠItâs not him?
No scar, and he canât speak.
The only things that matched were his age and the white streaks in his hair.
It could be someone else, but...
I somehow knew.
The crouching boy was Zhuge He.
"Pull yourself together first."
Following Xin Noyaâs advice, I calmed my breathing.
As soon as we left the residence of the sect leader, Xin Noya appeared again, complaining about the frustration of not being able to speak.
I wasnât sure if this was due to the residence or the power of the Plum Blossom Immortal.
But there was no time to investigate.
The Plum Blossom Immortal immediately leaped high after instructing the scholars to find a place for the others to rest.
I followed quickly.
âWhatâs going on here?â
A little distance from Huashan.
In a beautifully grown forest, an old, weathered hut.
Zhuge He was there.
Gulinghua was also there, but I was drawn to the boy in front of me.
Xin Noya asked.
"Do you know this child?"
â...â
"Itâs not like I can deny it, given how my body reacted."
What happened in my body without using my inner energy?
As I finally calmed down, the Plum Blossom Immortal approached.
"You seem to have a much closer relationship than I thought."
A sudden and unexpected comment.
"What do you mean�"
"You were angry to see your sister with another boy, werenât you?"
"âŠWhat?"
What kind of crazy talk is this?
It seemed the Plum Blossom Immortal had some flowers blooming in his head.
Gulinghuaâs face turned sour.
She alternated her gaze between me and Zhuge He, shuddering as if repulsed.
She seemed to want to shout but held back, likely because the person in front of her was the sect leader.
Creak.
The door of the hut slowly opened.
A thin, white-haired old man stepped out.
Who is he�
"He doesnât seem to be a martial artist."
I agreed.
From his appearance and aura, he didnât seem to be a martial artist.
However, it was a hasty assumption, given that the Sword Venerable also had a similar appearance.
The old man scanned the area and spoke.
"Why are you making such a racket in someone elseâs yard!"
The Plum Blossom Immortal laughed good-naturedly.
"Taiyi! Iâm here!"
The old manâs brows furrowed at the Plum Blossom Immortalâs words.
"You bastard⊠You buried me in the mountains and now you show up!"
To call the sect leader of Huashan by such a name...
On the other hand, the Plum Blossom Immortal didnât seem bothered by the harsh words.
He pointed at me, seemingly unconcerned.
"Take a look at this child, Taiyi!"
The old man glanced at me, his eyes filled with annoyance.
I remained silent, unsure of what to say.
The old man quickly turned his gaze back to the Plum Blossom Immortal.
"Go away, you dog!"
Bang!
The door of the hut slammed shut.
In the silence, I quietly asked the Plum Blossom Immortal.
"Who is that�"
The Plum Blossom Immortal, looking embarrassed, stroked his beard before answering.
"Just an acquaintance. He seems a bit sensitive today."
"âŠAh, I see."
"Come, letâs go in."
"Wait, he just said not to come inâŠ"
The Plum Blossom Immortal laughed out loud.
"He said to go away, not to not come in. Itâs fine."
"Thatâs the same thing, isnât it?"
Ignoring my words, the Plum Blossom Immortal pushed open the door and walked in.
- Taiyi!
- Hey, you⊠damnâŠ!
The shouts from inside the hut made me lose my composure.
Somehow, the image of Elder Li overlapped with the high-level Daoist of Huashan.