AUOF - 129

When Sangli awoke, she was in the Luo Domain Hall of Tianze Chuan.

——She had returned to the Demon Realm.

Her forehead throbbed painfully.

Sang Sang frowned in discomfort, propping herself up with her arms as she sat up. Fortunately, aside from her limbs feeling overly weak, there were no other issues with her body.

Through the layers of curtains, she saw that the hall was silent and empty.

Just as Sang Sang was about to get out of bed, footsteps approached. The foot she had extended quickly retracted, and she swiftly lay back down, half-opening her eyes to peek outside. Unexpectedly, she caught sight of Sang Ning’s figure.

Swish!

He lifted the curtain, and the sea pearls strung on it collided, producing a tinkling sound.

“Awake?”

Sang Sang nodded.

Sang Ning sat by the bedside. “Any discomfort?”

Sang Sang shook her head.

Only then did Sang Ning’s perpetually tense expression relax slightly.

Sang Sang noticed the deep fatigue etched between his brows. After a brief pause, she asked: “Brother, what happened to me?”

Sang Ning hesitated. “You don’t remember again?”

Sang Sang grunted in frustration.

She only remembered going to the temple fair with Ji Hengyu, impulsively arranging a kidnapping scenario to test his identity, then heading to Chuiyun Ridge. After that, her memory was completely blank, unable to recall even the smallest details.

Sang Ning’s brows furrowed seriously. He placed his palm on her forehead, enveloping her in a faint white glow.

Though unsure of her brother’s intentions, Sang Sang obediently remained still.

His palm moved downward, from her brow to her dantian. His expression grew increasingly grave, filling Sang Sang with a sense of foreboding.

“Circulate your spiritual energy and see if there are any changes.”

Sang Sang closed her eyes, gathering her spiritual energy to circulate through her body once.

The spiritual energy condensed into a powerful aura, her dantian brimming with energy. After completing a small cycle, even the lingering weakness was healed.

Opening her eyes, she was somewhat surprised. “My spirit sea seems stronger.”

Sang Ning said nothing.

Including this time, Sang Sang had lost control four times since childhood.

The first time was when she was six. They were being chased by demon soldiers, cornered at a cliff with no way out.

In their dire moment, the sister he had been shielding behind him suddenly revealed her true form. Though both were of the Hu She clan, her true form was clearly different.

It was massive, terrifying, wreathed in Hellfire.

In an instant, the enemies before them were reduced to ashes, and even the grass and trees were stripped of life by her mere breath.

The second time was when she was sixteen. They had secretly built their own forces and, when the time was ripe, led troops back to Tianze Chuan, only to learn of their mother’s tragic death. Though they had anticipated it, the reality was cruel. Hearing of the torment their mother endured to protect them, the siblings were still unable to accept it.

As expected, Sang Sang collapsed once more.

This time, she slaughtered everyone in the Luo Domain Hall—demons, spirits, beasts—all were exterminated. The entire demonic palace was engulfed in unquenchable Hellfire. In the end, she even attempted to kill Sang Ning.

Sang Sang’s merciless slaughter resulted in the loss of her memories but also brought her even more abundant and powerful spiritual energy.

Every time she regained consciousness after losing control, her strength would increase further.

The third time was in the mortal realm.

When Sang Ning arrived, he found a village reduced to ashes and no trace of his sister. It was during that time that Sang Sang encountered Ji Hengyu.

Sang Ning didn’t want Sang Sang to live in the mortal world precisely because he feared there would be a fourth, fifth time…

It had only been eight short years since her last episode, and now…

The more frequent these episodes became, the more uneasy Sang Ning felt.

Gazing at Sang Sang’s bewildered expression, he couldn’t bear it, sighing as he gently patted her hair. “You encountered those people from the divine realm. They injured you.” Sang Ning didn’t want to tell her everything that had happened while she was unconscious.

In truth, compared to being a demon, she seemed to have more divine qualities.

Sang Sang was compassionate but decisive, merciful yet not weak, kind but not indecisive. He couldn’t help but wonder if the Spirit Stone had made a mistake. His sister should have been the most free-spirited soul under heaven, how could she be bound to this throne in Tianze Chuan?

Now, with this added uncertainty, he felt even more anxious.

If Sang Sang knew what she had done while her demonic energy spiraled out of control, if she knew she had nearly killed him, nearly killed so many innocent people, what would her nature drive her to do?

Sang Ning lowered his gaze, subtly concealing the emotions in his eyes.

Sang Sang had no recollection of what he spoke of.

She opened her mouth, suddenly remembering her original purpose, and cautiously asked: “Was… Ji Hengyu among them?”

Ji Hengyu among them?

At this, Sang Ning couldn’t help but want to laugh.

Not only was he among them, but he was also the renowned leader of the righteous path. If Sang Ning had arrived just a step later, Sang Sang would already be dead under that man’s sword.

But Sang Ning didn’t have the heart to tell her this truth.

Even though he disliked Ji Hengyu, he didn’t want to use him to hurt his sister.

“If you want to know, go back and see for yourself.”

Sang Sang fell silent, immediately catching the underlying meaning in his words.

She slowly lowered her head, the color draining from her lips, silently revealing a hint of desolation.

Sang Ning felt pity in his heart, took a deep breath, and softened his tone: “Sang Sang, I know you still hold hope. But you must understand, being in the royal position means you are destined to go against your inner desires.”

Her throat felt bitter.

Flashes of memories raced through her mind.

There was the figure of him carrying her out of the flames; the days and nights they relied on each other; the intimate moments over the past eight years.

She wasn’t someone who easily fell in love. Since their mother’s passing, she had grown much stronger. Yet recalling these memories still brought tears to her eyes, making her heart ache.

Sang Sang turned her head away, quietly wiping away a fallen tear. “You don’t need to tell me, Brother. I already know what to do.”

She had always known, always understood, always been clear-headed.

Sang Ning’s throat tightened. At the moment she shed tears, his heart inevitably softened. “Sang Sang…” Sang Ning paused. “If he truly cares for you and is willing to return with you, then it’s not impossible.”

This was the greatest concession Sang Ning could make.

He disliked the divine realm, disliked Ji Hengyu even more, but he hated seeing his beloved younger sister unhappy even more.

Before Sang Sang could respond, Sang Ning abruptly changed the subject, his expression turning ruthless: “If he refuses, I’ll drag him here!”

Sang Sang had been feeling distressed, but seeing Sang Ning so serious, even though she knew he was joking, she couldn’t help but smile.

However, her brother was right. Whether or not, she had to see for herself.

After tidying herself up, Sang Sang returned to Qingyang City.

She didn’t raise any alarms, concealed her presence, and first returned to the residence. Not finding Ji Hengyu, she then went to the pharmacy.

Lingxiu and the apprentice were diligently working. Presumably, Sang Ning had arranged things beforehand, not telling them about her injury.

Sang Sang then went to the inn, only to learn that they had already checked out.

After some inquiries, she quietly found the villa where the disciples of the divine realm were staying.

This place was remote, located at the foot of Qingyang Mountain, with barriers set up around the villa. However, these barriers were insufficient to withstand Sang Sang’s current abilities. She didn’t even need to break the barrier, effortlessly concealing her presence and sneaking in.

Throughout the process, Sang Sang remained silent, leaving no trace.

Just as she entered, she encountered two patrolling disciples. She pressed herself against the wall, quietly listening to their conversation, learning that Ji Hengyu was in the main courtyard. She swiftly climbed onto the roof, moving along the eaves.

Soon, she reached the residence and used her Heaven-Gazing Technique to clearly observe the situation below.

There were quite a few people in the room: Situ, two upper-level immortals with considerable spiritual energy, and… Sang Sang’s gaze roamed until it settled on the unconscious man lying on the bed.

——Ji Hengyu.

Ji Hengyu’s lips were pale, his face ashen, but his limbs were blackened.

Sang Sang frowned, instantly recognizing that Ji Hengyu had been poisoned with Half-Moon Death.

As the name implied, victims of this poison could survive at most half a month. After that, they would dissolve into corpse water, leaving no trace of their bones. Judging by the speed at which Ji Hengyu’s poison was spreading, the one who poisoned him possessed profound spiritual energy, and the potency of the poison far exceeded ordinary Half-Moon Death by a hundredfold.

Half-Moon Death was a witchcraft poison unique to the Demon Realm. Few demons could refine it to such an extent. That left only… her brother?

Sang Sang was shocked. Collecting herself, she continued observing.

“If you’re incapable, I’ll take Senior Brother back to the divine realm! I believe Lord Daozun will surely find a way to save his life!”

They had wasted ten days here already. Ji Hengyu remained unconscious, and the poison continued to spread without any signs of slowing.

Situ had exhausted her patience. Nearly half of her fellow disciples had perished at the hands of the Demon God. She was both angry and grief-stricken, constantly fearing that the demons would discover their whereabouts and catch them off guard.

Under such anxiety, her emotions were always on the verge of exploding.

The accompanying healer tried to console her: “The poison has attacked his heart meridians. If we move him now, he may not survive the journey back to the divine realm before succumbing to the poison.”

“Yes, every action has its consequences. I understand your concerns, Divine Maiden, but we cannot act rashly. Please wait a little longer. We’ve already sent word to the divine realm. Within two days, Lord Daozun will surely send someone.”

Wait, wait, always waiting!

Situ stamped her foot in frustration, wanting to say more when she suddenly sensed something unusual above her head.

She sharply looked up, locking eyes with Sang Sang. Caught off guard, Sang Sang hastily withdrew her Heaven-Gazing Technique and leapt away, hiding behind a rockery outside the courtyard.

Lord Tianheng.

Sang Sang’s breathing quickened.

Yes, Situ had mentioned Lord Tianheng.

In her worst-case scenario, Ji Hengyu was at most a disciple of Tiange.

But who was Tianheng?

He was the famous sword master whose single strike stabilized the four directions; the most accomplished disciple of the supreme Daozun; the future stabilizer of the three realms, revered and worshipped day and night by mortals as the Sword Immortal!

To persuade him to abandon his immortal essence and fall into demonhood—how could that be possible?

Sang Sang pressed her back against the cold rockery, her palms gripping tightly. With a crack , her fingers snapped off a piece of the hard stone.

As the fragments rolled down, her heart crumbled along with them.

Sang Ning had said she was injured by the disciples of Tiange.

But how could ordinary disciples of Tiange approach her? The so-called disciple of Tiange was likely only Ji Hengyu, and the Half-Moon Death was probably the poisoned arrow shot by Sang Ning in a moment of desperation!

Her chest felt heavy.

She tilted her head, staring at the bright blue sky. The blinding sun pierced her eyes, making them ache terribly.

Sang Sang struggled to control her emotions. After Situ and the two healers left, she leapt back onto the roof and shifted into the room, appearing beside Ji Hengyu’s bed.

Standing before him, she gazed deeply at her lover’s sleeping face.

This was her husband.

The man she had pledged under the moonlight to spend her life with.

Yet at the same time—

He was also her sworn enemy, destined never to coexist with her.