AUOF - 81

Ji Hengyu nodded: “Yes.” He said, “The Mirror Demon originally had the ability to shatter the void. He probably used some method to strip away the Mirror Demon’s power, then transformed the common folk into vessels for this evil art.”

This would explain why he ordered his disciples to capture so many people.

The success rate of doing this was undoubtedly minuscule; failure would result in transformation into a monster. If successful, however, it would allow him to open the Heavenly Gate and venture beyond to obtain spiritual energy.

Ji Hengyu narrowed his eyes at the writhing mass of flesh before him.

The spiritual energy in the world was inherently limited. At Tian Mingzi’s level, the scant spiritual essence in the cultivation realm likely couldn’t satisfy him, which is why he sought to plunder energy from outside the Nine Spirit Realms to increase his cultivation.

However, the vast universe has its own rules.

Defying them forcibly would only invite retribution.

The spiritual energy permeating the Four Regions was tainted with evil, gained through devouring humans. Though Tian Mingzi appeared powerful and difficult to destroy, the accumulated karma was sufficient to draw divine punishment.

Ji Hengyu sneered slightly, his gaze once again falling on the evil entity.

Though Lu Qinghe was also entangled in bloodshed, it was justifiable. Had he not been searching for clues about Lin Xiang’er’s disappearance and accidentally uncovered the sordid affairs of Wuji Sect, he wouldn’t have been captured and turned into this monstrous being.

Moreover, he possessed the Linglong Bone. If he used evil to counteract evil, he might be able to dispel this karma.

[Ji Wu.] The fan tapped lightly against his palm. [Help him kill Tian Mingzi.]

Ji Wu was taken aback, not entirely approving: [He has amassed quite a bit of evil qi, which could offset a lot of cultivation. I wanted to consume him myself.]

Ji Wu was an evil soul; the more wicked the soul, the more it could enhance his cultivation and abilities.

If he grew stronger, Ji Hengyu would naturally become stronger too. In the past, such opportunities would never fall into others’ hands.

Ji Wu couldn’t help but mock: [Do you really want to be that savior god?]

Ji Hengyu remained silent, anger flickering across his face.

Ji Wu didn’t want to lose a body and memories over a mere meal—it would be a poor trade-off. Reluctantly, he stopped arguing and floated into the body of the evil entity, infusing part of the malevolent qi into Lu Qinghe.

The two energies didn’t clash. Lu Qinghe charged forward recklessly, displaying unstoppable force.

Sang Li worriedly asked, “Should we go over and help?”

Ji Hengyu shook his head, pulling Sang Li by the waist and flying up to watch the spectacle from above.

“Do you know why he became like this?”

Sang Li, of course, had no idea.

Ji Hengyu held out his hand: “Bell.”

Sang Li handed over the bell.

He spun the bell, extracting a strand of memory, and slowly placed it into her consciousness.

Sang Li closed her eyes, accepting a past that wasn’t hers.

In the vision, Lu Qinghe scoured everywhere for Lin Xiang’er, accidentally hearing about the Heavenly Gate. Enraged, he confronted Tian Mingzi.

Tian Mingzi lied, claiming Lin Xiang’er was trapped in the Wan Shui Prefecture, inaccessible to ordinary people. Only by becoming half a Mirror Demon could he rescue her. Thus, Lu Qinghe became Tian Mingzi’s first human experiment.

But the process went awry. With a sliver of awareness remaining, Lu Qinghe eventually uncovered the truth.

Staring at his reflection in the mirror—neither human nor ghost—he completely broke down. Before losing his sanity, he remembered only two things: finding Lin Xiang’er and exposing Tian Mingzi’s deeds to the world. He stole the Fushi Bell, infused with a drop of Tian Mingzi’s blood, and fled from Wuji Sect…

Sang Li opened her eyes, looking down silently at the evil entity battling Tian Mingzi, sighing soundlessly.

No fate was crueler than that of star-crossed lovers.

“What will happen to him?”

“A valiant death in this battle would be his best end,” Ji Hengyu’s tone was devoid of emotion. “If he can take Tian Mingzi down with him, his karma may be offset, granting him a chance at rebirth.”

Sang Li suddenly understood. Ji Hengyu was giving Lu Qinghe an opportunity.

She couldn’t help but gaze at the man beside her, feeling he had changed much. The Ji Hengyu from the original story never showed such softness. Even when she first arrived, he was distant and cold.

Suddenly, Ji Hengyu’s somewhat aloof eyes met hers: “Why are you looking at me?”

Caught staring, Sang Li awkwardly turned her head, honestly replying, “I feel you’ve become more humane.”

Humane?

What a novel term.

Ji Hengyu smiled intriguingly: “Good or bad?”

“Both,” Sang Li replied. “If you were just Ji Hengyu, compassion would be good. But if you’re the Celestial Lord of Gui Xu, compassion is superfluous.”

This statement surprised Ji Hengyu.

He always knew Sang Li was different from him—kind, bright, compassionate yet perceptive. He expected a straightforward answer, but…

Ji Hengyu chuckled softly: “True. As the Celestial Lord, emotions cannot be indulged.” He lounged on the pavilion. “But with you, I only wish to be Ji Hengyu.”

Free-spirited and unrestrained.

Even lying in the wilderness under the moon, enjoying the breeze, was delightful.

The two continued watching the battle unfold. After a while, Tian Mingzi noticed their presence and targeted Ji Hengyu.

Tian Mingzi’s bloated body crawled toward him, shaking the earth and collapsing columns. The entire Ancestral Hall began to crumble.

Below, the elders were still wailing—

“Ancestor, please don’t! That hall houses the ancestral tablets!”

Tian Mingzi paid no heed, each step causing deeper collapse.

The foundation sank, burying the surviving disciples amidst screams.

“Celestial Lord, why not join me in this Bodhi Realm!” Tian Mingzi wriggled, emitting hoarse sounds. Faces covering his body screamed, laughed, cried, or sang mournfully.

His body swelled as if about to burst.

Sang Li’s hair stood on end, fear mingling with revulsion.

“He cultivated forbidden techniques not of this world, going berserk. Retribution is imminent.” Ji Hengyu calmly pulled Sang Li aside.

Sure enough, moments later, several holes exploded on Tian Mingzi’s body.

What burst forth wasn’t blood but a viscous yellow liquid, accompanied by a foul stench.

[Ji Wu, hurry.]

It would be best if Lu Qinghe killed him before self-destruction, ensuring the credit went to Lu Qinghe.

Ji Hengyu’s urging made Ji Wu increasingly impatient.

He tightened around Lu Qinghe’s spirit veins, conjuring lightning in his palm, charging forward, and piercing through his abdomen.

Tian Mingzi let out a piercing scream, biting the evil entity’s throat. Ji Wu seized the chance to escape.

At this point, everyone present froze.

A torrent of blue-green blood spurted from the evil entity’s throat, mixing with the viscous substance from Tian Mingzi’s body. The stench spread throughout Wuji Sect via the eerie wind.

Boom—!

Divine punishment thunder struck down.

Eight bolts of heavenly lightning hit Tian Mingzi and the evil entity.

But this wasn’t the end.

The dark deeds committed by Wuji Sect couldn’t be erased by Tian Mingzi alone.

Eighty-eight bolts of lightning rained chaotically upon every corner of Wuji Sect.

Ji Hengyu looked up; thick layers of storm clouds pressed overhead. The thunder fell like pillars, each strike splitting the mountain with deep, enduring fissures.

This punishment targeted not just individuals but the entire mountain.

The spiritual veins beneath fractured, dispersing spiritual energy. It would take a thousand years for the veins to heal, during which time the mountain would be unsuitable for cultivation.

“Let’s go.”

Before things worsened further, Ji Hengyu wanted to quickly take Sang Li away.

Gazing at the corpse of the evil entity amidst the ruins, Sang Li hesitated.

Ji Hengyu saw through her thoughts immediately: “His body will soon dissipate, taking nothing with it, but…”

Ji Hengyu pursed his lips, saying no more, gently patting her shoulder: “Wait for me.” With that, Sang Li watched him blink and appear before the corpse.

Distracted, she didn’t notice the purple lightning rolling down from above.

In an instant, an arrow shot from above, splitting the lightning, dividing it into two, and blasting two fine yet deep fissures into the ground.

Sparks danced at her feet, the smell of scorched earth keeping her mind adrift.

Sang Li followed the direction of the arrow to see Yanshijing maintaining his bow-drawing stance, eyes heavy, his expression dark.

“It’s done.”

Everything happened too quickly; Ji Hengyu knew nothing of it.

Returning to Sang Li’s side, he now held a complete jade pendant pieced together—the token of Lu Qinghe and Lin Xiang’er’s love.

Ji Hengyu handed it to Sang Li: “Find a place to bury it.”

Holding the jade pendant, Sang Li nodded, avoiding looking back at Yanshijing, and followed him away from Wuji Sect.

She didn’t need to look back to know Yanshijing was following her.

Sang Li pretended not to notice, and Ji Hengyu, aware of it, didn’t care. She specifically came to the peach grove where Lu Qinghe and Lin Xiang’er first met, burying the pendant beneath the peach tree where they pledged their love.

It wasn’t peach blossom season yet.

By next spring, the blossoms would surely cover the mountainside, and the lovers resting here would witness it.

Coincidentally,

Just as Sang Li stepped out of the peach grove, the sky darkened, and torrential rain engulfed the Peach Mountain.

Through the rain mist, a long shadow stood still.

Separated by the rain curtain, the two faced each other. Despite the dense fog, Sang Li could still feel his intense and insistent gaze.

Ji Hengyu clearly noticed Yanshijing too, his expression no longer calm, but harboring a subtle, barely perceptible killing intent.

After much deliberation, Sang Li finally made up her mind.

“My Lord, may I speak with him alone?”

Ji Hengyu deliberately shielded them both from the rain.

Unsoiled by dust, all the rain and wind bypassed him. Nonetheless, a thin layer of frost clung to his long lashes, casting a somber shadow over his features.

Under such a gaze, Sang Li felt inexplicably guilty, solemnly promising: “At most fifteen minutes. Once we’re done, we’ll return to Gui Xu together.”

She used “we” and said “return.”

Ji Hengyu’s brows relaxed, nodding lightly: “I’ll wait here for you.”

Sang Li looked up, giving him a smile, stepping out of his magical barrier. Her figure gradually blended into the rain curtain.

Almost instantly, coldness replaced all his expressions.

Ji Hengyu opened his palm, holding an icy-blue sword blade between his fingertips. The cold light emanating matched his hidden emotions.

He concealed the sword behind him while conjuring a small butterfly, sending it fluttering through the storm in the direction the two had gone.

Ji Hengyu gripped the sword, advancing step by step.