Chapter 101: The River’s Secret
They traveled far upstream, but they didn’t encounter any demon cultivators. The Demon Realm was essentially a land of exile, its inhabitants scattered, gathering only in areas with relatively hospitable environments.
And mortals couldn’t survive here.
“Help! Save me! Help!”
A woman was struggling in the river, her body bobbing up and down in the black water.
Bai Jingxue, of course, couldn’t ignore her. She cast a spell, pulling the woman to shore.
The woman, soaked through, coughed up mouthfuls of black water, her face pale, her lips blue. She was clearly poisoned.
He Rong, who had some knowledge of medicine, quickly examined her, then used her demonic energy to purge the poison.
The woman, her body weakened, lost consciousness.
He Rong clapped her hands together, her voice filled with pride. “I cured her!” she exclaimed. “I’m such a genius!”
Bai Jingxue, though annoyed by He Rong’s arrogance, had to admit she was skilled.
She examined the unconscious woman, her brow furrowing as she realized she was a mortal. It was strange for a mortal to be in the Demon Realm.
Then, she noticed a thin, nearly invisible thread attached to the back of the woman’s neck, its other end submerged in the Black River.
She grasped the thread, pulling it gently. A resistance, a force pulling in the opposite direction, met hers, the thread stretching taut, then snapping.
The broken thread dissolved into nothingness.
Bai Jingxue stared at her hand, then at the river.
She expanded her divine sense, realizing there were more mortals nearby, their bodies moving stiffly, their expressions vacant.
One of them stumbled into view, then, without hesitation, jumped into the river.
Bai Jingxue, repeating her previous action, pulled him out. He hadn’t been in the water for long. The poison wasn’t as potent.
He Rong quickly healed him, then, looking up, she saw more mortals approaching the river, their movements determined. Even the one she had just healed was struggling to stand, his gaze fixed on the water.
This was a disaster. This was just one section of the river. Were there more mortals being drawn to the water further upstream?
They had no time to waste. They quickly rescued the remaining mortals, restraining them and severing the threads attached to their necks.
The moment the threads were severed, their struggles ceased.
But the surface of the river suddenly began to churn, bubbles rising from its depths.
The bubbles burst, releasing wisps of black smoke.
“Hold your breath!” Bai Jingxue shouted.
A demon crow, flying over the river, inhaled the smoke, then let out a shriek, its body plummeting into the water.
Bai Jingxue watched in horror as the crow’s body dissolved, her eyes widening.
The Black River was poisonous, but it shouldn’t have been this potent. And the mortals who had fallen in hadn’t dissolved.
Perhaps it was the black smoke.
The bubbles were coming from the riverbed. Was there something down there?
Before she could ponder this further, five threads shot out from the water, their targets Bai Jingxue and her companions.
Bai Jingxue unleashed a burst of flames, incinerating the threads, then increased the intensity of her flames, purging the black smoke from the surface of the river.
The river calmed, its surface still once more.
Bai Jingxue, her body surrounded by a protective layer of flames, turned to Lü Qingyan and the others. “I’m going down there,” she said. “Qingyan, protect them.”
The river seemed dangerous. Lü Qingyan was worried, but she knew she couldn’t stop Bai Jingxue. “Be careful,” she said. “Call me if you need help.”
Bai Jingxue knew what she meant. If she was in danger, she should teleport.
“Don’t worry,” she said. “I value my life.”
Then, she jumped into the river.
The water was dark, obscuring her vision, but her flames didn’t extinguish. Instead, they purified the water, pushing back the darkness.
A small area around her became clear, and she descended, finally reaching the riverbed.
She expanded the range of her flames, the darkness receding, revealing the riverbed.
To her surprise, there was nothing there, only bones.
But the way the darkness retreated was familiar. It was similar to the secret realm she and Lü Qingyan had stumbled into. That realm had also been filled with a black mist that had recoiled from her flames.
Her heart skipped a beat. Was this another illusion?
She cautiously scanned the area, but there was nothing there, only bones.
She was about to leave when she noticed something beneath a pile of bones.
She paused, removing the bones, then her eyes widened.
It was a small statue, its appearance familiar. She had seen it twice before: once in the Spring Snow Sect, and once in the temple where they had met Zhu Er.
She felt a strange unease. She emptied a spatial ring, then carefully placed the statue inside.
Lü Qingyan, meanwhile, paced the riverbank, her anxiety growing. Bai Jingxue’s flames had only purified a small area. The rest of the river was still dark. She couldn’t see what was happening below.
She wanted to jump in, but she knew she couldn’t. She continued pacing, her gaze fixed on the water.
Just as she was about to lose her patience, Bai Jingxue emerged from the river, her body rising swiftly.
She had barely landed when Lü Qingyan rushed forward, hugging her tightly.
“Jingxue, I was so worried!”
Bai Jingxue, startled, patted Lü Qingyan’s head, chuckling. “You were only gone for a little while,” she said.
Their affectionate display made Fu Yuan quickly shield He Rong and Jwan Jwan’s eyes.
Jwan Jwan, however, was unimpressed. She didn’t think their interaction was inappropriate. There was no need to shield the children.
She shook her head, then her gaze met that of a demon crow perched on a nearby tree.
Her eyes widened. “Someone is watching us!” she shouted.
Her voice, sharp and loud, startled the other crows, and they scattered, their wings beating against the air.
She pointed a wing at the crow flying furthest away. “That one!”
Before Bai Jingxue and the others could react, a vine shot out from He Rong’s sleeve, wrapping around the crow, pulling it down.
But it was too late. The observer had already severed the connection. They couldn’t track them.
Lü Qingyan, staring at the unconscious crow in He Rong’s hand, her voice filled with annoyance, said, “They got away. I wonder who that pervert is. I’ll find them eventually!”
The left envoy, unaware of her new title, was surprised. She hadn’t expected to be discovered. They would be more cautious now. Observing them would be difficult.
Remembering what she had seen, she felt a surge of anger. She lashed out at the tree she was sitting on, snapping off its branches, until only the one she was sitting on remained.
A group of people lay unconscious beneath the tree, their bodies connected to the Black River by thin, nearly invisible threads, just like the mortals Bai Jingxue had rescued.
But these weren’t mortals. They were cultivators, though their cultivation levels were low, barely reaching the Qi Gathering stage. And they were all righteous cultivators.
She had rescued them hoping to extract information. She had planned to wake them up and use her mind control technique.
But Lü Qingyan and Bai Jingxue’s antics had been too entertaining. She had postponed her interrogation.
She stared at them, her eyes gleaming with a jealous rage. She could tell that Bai Jingxue’s flames were special. And that was just one of her abilities.
That Fu Yuan girl was a top-grade cauldron.
But judging by the markings on her neck, she was still untouched. That was surprising.
And that dragon, although the left envoy despised her, was undeniably powerful.
Speaking of that dragon, she had been planning to return to the Demon Palace to assist the overworked right envoy when that dragon had appeared.
The Demon Palace’s defenses had been useless against her spear. The right envoy had had to intervene, stopping her at the edge of the palace’s protective formation.
The dragon, unable to enter, had simply shouted, “Mo Li! I’m here to take responsibility!”
The left envoy, her diligent work interrupted, had snapped her brush in half, then, unable to contain her fury, she had rushed out, joining forces with the right envoy to drive the dragon away.
But the diligent left envoy had quickly learned the dangers of gossip.
Demon cultivators were more open-minded than their righteous counterparts, so the rumors were even more scandalous.
As a high-ranking official, the others in the Demon Palace only gossiped behind her back. They were still respectful to her face. But the right envoy hadn’t hesitated to ask.
The left envoy, enraged, had abandoned her work, leaving the Demon Realm, hoping to create some trouble for the right envoy.
She had seen the right envoy’s work. She was lazy, but not stupid. She would be able to handle things.
She snorted, her voice laced with a bitter resentment. “If only they were all serving the Demon Lord,” she muttered. “But they’re all with Luo Nianshang.”
“Who are you talking about?”
The voice, sudden and unexpected, startled her, and she turned to see Ying standing beside her. She was sitting, so she had to look up.
Her face hardened. Why was this dragon so persistent?
She couldn’t defeat her. She grabbed her hair, her voice filled with a desperate frustration. “Are you even a dragon?!”
Dragons weren’t known for their loyalty or their devotion. She didn’t believe her own charms could alter Ying’s inherent nature.
Had Luo Nianshang sent Ying to seduce her?
“You cunning fox, Luo Nianshang!” she thought.
But Luo Nianshang had no such intentions. She was preparing for her bath. As she passed Cai Lian’s room, she remembered that the child hadn’t spoken much lately.
Children needed extra care in unfamiliar environments. She knocked softly. “Cai Lian?”
The door opened, revealing Cai Lian, her expression sullen.
Luo Nianshang paused, assuming she had neglected Cai Lian while she had been busy with the Demon Lord’s unbinding ritual.
She crouched down, pulling Cai Lian into her arms. “I have some free time today,” she said, her voice gentle. “Would you like to go out with me?”
Cai Lian was about to refuse, but her original self’s will, a silent command, forced her to nod.
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