Heishi City was eerie even during the day.
In the vast mountainous terrain, jagged black rocks rise abruptly, intertwining in layers. At a glance, the entire mountain appears to be cast from pitch-black iron slurry. A round red sun set at the end of the mountain range, stretching shadows that tint the black stones red, creating a silent yet eerie twilight.
Bu Jian stopped: “This is the Demon Realm.”
Mimi extended her claws and dug into the soil beneath her feet. No longer a small kitten, her playful gesture now left deep gouges in the ground. The stirred dust startled the black crows perched on the withered branches. The crows, with their crimson eyes, glanced at the people below before flapping their wings and flying towards the sunset-stained distance.
Zanxing felt a bit dazed.
She had split open the Abyss of Extreme Ice with a single strike, severing the chains that had bound Bu Jian for years. Leaping out from the collapsing chasm with Bu Jian, she stood under the vast starry sky, not knowing where to go next.
The azure Demon King Seal was branded on her forehead, and the bloodline of the Demon King had awakened. Whether Zanxing liked it or not, she was now the daughter of the Demon King, the demoness hunted by everyone in the cultivation world. She could no longer return to Gufeng Mountain, nor to the Yang family in Yuecheng. On the entire continent of Duzhou, wherever someone discovered her demonic identity, what awaited Zanxing was nothing but the torment of another Ten Thousand Killing Array.
So Bu Jian brought her back to the Demon Realm.
“The last time you were here, you couldn’t even speak.” Bu Jian didn’t know what she was thinking about, her gaze softened as she took the lead and walked forward, “Let’s go, follow me.”
Since the creation of heaven and earth, the human and demon races had each lived in their own territory, separated by the Mingming River. It was said that the Mingming River buried countless lost souls, and not even a goose feather could float on it. Even the most expensive spirit boats would immediately sink to the bottom if they entered the river.
Except for the Heavenly Demons, only the Black Dragon Fish, a spirit beast of the Demon Realm, could swim through it. Ordinary demons who wished to cross the river could ride the dragon fish. Humans could neither command the dragon fish nor cross the river. For this reason, after the Demon King’s death, the remaining demons retreated to Heishi City, avoiding total annihilation by the cultivation world.
Unlike the cities of Duzhou, Heishi City, though called a city, had no streets. The mountains of Heishi were dotted with countless caves, each one serving as the residence of a demon clan. Zanxing and Bu Jian walked to the city gate, where two black-clad demon cultivators were sitting against the wall, engrossed in a card game. Perhaps because no one had come here for many years, they were so focused that they didn’t hear Zanxing and Bu Jian’s footsteps. It wasn’t until Mimi curiously walked over and stuck her furry head between them that one of them sensed something amiss. Turning around, he faced Mimi’s yawning, bloody mouth and let out a scream, “Mother, mother!”
Mimi growled and swiped, knocking off the man’s helmet.
Only then did the other man notice Zanxing and Bu Jian. He stared at Bu Jian in disbelief for a long moment before finally realizing who it was. With a thud, he knelt down, clutching Bu Jian’s leg and wailing, “Your Highness, you’ve returned—”
The Demon Queen had returned.
The entire Heishi City erupted in excitement.
Two years ago, the Demon Queen Bu Jian had mysteriously disappeared. After that, a strange young man with golden eyes broke in, claiming to be the Demon King’s son, and massacred the entire Heishi City. Those loyal to Bu Jian were captured by him using the Asura Umbrella to extract their souls, and those who surrendered did not fare much better. Gui Yansheng’s capricious nature, alternating between laughter and sudden bouts of violence, only exacerbated the demon clan’s already declining situation after the Demon King’s fall.
Many demons couldn’t endure it and secretly left Heishi City by riding dragon fish. Those who remained either followed Gui Yansheng, planning to overthrow the three realms, or stayed behind, enduring the hardships and waiting for the Demon Queen Bu Jian’s return.
This hope was slim and grew dimmer by the day, but to their surprise, their patience paid off, and today their wait was over.
Bu Jian sat in the grand hall, looking at her tearful subordinates, and asked, “Where is that madman?”
There was no trace of Gui Yansheng in Heishi City.
“Your Highness, Gui Yansheng has been missing for a long time. Recently, there was a purple thunder tribulation in the sky, and the spiritual veins of the Demon Realm began to flow again, throwing the city into chaos. The little human girl who was with him took advantage of the confusion to escape. Her whereabouts are unknown, and she hasn’t been found yet,” a man’s voice replied. “Heishi City is full of fierce beasts, she might have been eaten.”
A man stepped out from the crowd, dressed in a dark blue robe with a high collar and a matching scholar’s cap. He looked refined and gentle, like a well-mannered scholar. Zanxing found his face somewhat familiar and stared at him intently for a moment before suddenly exclaiming, “Xiao Shuang!”
The young man was startled and looked back at Zanxing, his eyes showing a hint of hesitation. “Do you know me, miss?”
Zanxing: “…”
She did indeed know this person. Long ago, in the Gufeng Mountain’s Xumi Mustard Seed Diagram, Zanxing had seen the two-headed Shura, Xiao Shuang, drawn with spiritual power in the examination hall. At that time, she had defeated the two-headed Shura and had briefly glimpsed Xiao Shuang’s true face. Back then, she had dealt with a mere shadow drawn with spiritual power. Unexpectedly, she was now fortunate enough to see the real person.
The real person looked even better than the shadow.
Xiao Shuang seemed to sense something unusual about Zanxing as well. He stared at her with a peculiar look in his eyes.
Bu Jian rose from her high seat, holding Zanxing’s hand, and slowly walked up the steps. Her long red robe trailed over the pitch-black steps, the black flying sky patterns embroidered on it both luxurious and dazzling. The Demon Queen spoke in a calm voice, “Two years ago, Gui Yansheng defeated me and imprisoned me in the Abyss of Extreme Ice.”
The demon cultivators were stunned.
The Abyss of Extreme Ice was the harshest prison in the Demon Realm. No one could come out alive from there.
“My name appeared on the ice wall, and for two years, I could not leave.”
“Until Zanxing entered the abyss.”
“She split open the Abyss of Extreme Ice, shattered the stone locks, walked out from the abyss, and brought me back to the Demon Realm.”
She recounted this calmly, and the surroundings fell silent. The gazes of the demon cultivators in the hall fell on Zanxing. This young girl had a captivating face, a serene expression, gentle eyes, and a spark of vitality and clarity that was starkly different from the demons.
Demons were usually violent, excitable, or else fallen and indulgent, rarely possessing such tranquil gazes. Gui Yansheng could be considered one, and this girl was the second.
However, this girl… was she a demon?
Bu Jian continued speaking, “As you all know, years ago, the major sects relentlessly pursued the Demon Realm. With the fall of the Lord and the depletion of the spiritual veins, at that time, I was already pregnant.”
Except for Xiao Shuang, the other demons in the hall immediately showed expressions of astonishment.
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Hey all, if you spot any errors in the translation (repeated chapters, spelling mistakes and/or grammatical errors), please report it in the comment section of this novel’s homepage, instead of the corresponding chapter’s. This is because we translators are not notified when someone comments. Please do mention the chapter number and what the mistake is. Thank you.