Devilish Disciple [Transmigration] 50

Chapter 50: The Power of the Heavenly Demon

The lotus lamp, carrying a sliver of moonlight, gently floated towards the center of the formation.

Li Yu stared, disbelief swirling in her eyes.

—The Upper Spirit Lamp!

How could it be here?!

Mu Tao had pointed in a different direction. If the Lamp had been on Xiang Hanyu all along, why hadn’t Mu Tao sensed it?!

Li Yu’s mind went blank.

Then, she was jolted awake.

She could feel her spiritual energy rapidly draining.

The formation beneath her feet was absorbing her power!

But the stolen energy wasn’t flowing into Yan Buqiu; it was being drawn towards the Upper Spirit Lamp.

And Xiang Hanyu, hovering behind the Lamp, was controlling the formation, aided by the demonic energy of the surrounding birds.

Black mist swirled around her, and the blue light of the formation illuminated the snowy night.

Why was Xiang Hanyu doing this?

Was the entire story a lie, and she was the black-robed figure?

No, that was impossible, Yan Buqiu was right here!

This courtyard, this forest, the circling bird demons, they were all real.

Xiang Hanyu’s story wasn’t a lie; her motive was.

What was she trying to do? Help the black-robed figure break the seal on the Upper Spirit Lamp in exchange for his assistance?

Why did she have to rely on him? Was there something only he could do?

Li Yu could also provide spiritual energy!

Xiang Hanyu knew that Yan Buqiu wouldn’t want this, so why…

What did she truly want?

“Xiang Hanyu! What are you doing?!” Li Yu shouted. “What can that black-robed figure give you that I can’t?!”

“You’re right,” Xiang Hanyu said, a bitter smile on her face.

“…”

“Her spiritual root is damaged. If it’s not repaired, she will die when her spiritual energy is depleted.” Xiang Hanyu’s eyes were filled with unwavering determination. “And the poison within her, a curse backlash, has fused with her soul…”

“…”

“Immortal energy won’t save her; it will only clash with the poison, causing her even more pain.” Xiang Hanyu looked at the Upper Spirit Lamp. “In this world, only the power of the Heavenly Demon can save her.”

She said that the power of the Heavenly Demon could absorb all resentment and evil.

As long as the Heavenly Demon Soul Seed was awakened, Yan Buqiu could be freed from the Jie Gou’s curse.

She had to do this; she had no other choice.

Only after the poison was removed could she use immortal energy to reconstruct Yan Buqiu’s spiritual root!

Xiang Hanyu looked at Yan Buqiu and whispered an apology.

“I’m sorry,” she said.

She truly had no other choice.

She had made the best possible decision…

Li Yu finally understood.

The past was real, and so was the desire to save Yan Buqiu.

After obtaining the Upper Spirit Lamp, Xiang Hanyu must have hidden it and created a false aura elsewhere.

She had not only deceived Mu Tao’s senses but also the black-robed figure who had instructed her to steal the Lamp.

She had planned this all along, using Yan Buqiu as the core of a formation that could trap and drain the spiritual energy of anyone who entered.

Xiang Hanyu didn’t want a little bit of spiritual energy to prolong Yan Buqiu’s life.

She wanted enough power to break the seal on the Upper Spirit Lamp.

What she truly desired was the Heavenly Demon Soul Seed.

“Xiang Hanyu!” Mu Tao, still restrained, looked at Xiang Hanyu, her eyes filled with anxiety and pleading. “My Master sincerely wanted to help you! You can’t do this to her!”

“I don’t intend to harm the Exalted God,” Xiang Hanyu said loudly. “Please believe me. I only need a moment, just a moment.”

She said that once the seal was broken, she only needed a moment to use the Heavenly Demon’s power to cleanse the Jie Gou’s poison.

After that, she would do everything in her power to help Li Yu reseal the Lamp.

She wouldn’t let the Heavenly Demon Soul Seed escape, nor would she let the black-robed figure obtain its power.

She knew Yan Buqiu wouldn’t want to see the human realm ravaged by the Heavenly Demon.

So, she only needed a moment, just a moment…

Li Yu shouted angrily, “Are you crazy?! That’s not a power you can control!”

She hadn’t expected Xiang Hanyu to go this far.

“I can control it,” Xiang Hanyu said firmly. “Even if I can’t, I’ve made preparations…I won’t, I can’t destroy everything she worked so hard to protect…”

“Don’t be impulsive! We can find another way!” Li Yu was frantic but couldn’t move.

—System, System, do something!

The seal on the Upper Spirit Lamp couldn’t be broken!

In the original story, the Lamp remained sealed until the end. How could it be broken here?

The most powerful demon in the world was sealed inside; if it was released, everything would be chaos!

“I know, no matter what I say, you won’t believe me…so I had no other choice.”

As Xiang Hanyu spoke, her vision blurred.

She was a Linchi bird, a master of disguise. [T/N: 林鸱鸟 (Linchi bird) or Frogmouth, a type of bird known for its camouflage.]

She had always been good at deception, deceiving her own heart in the past, now deceiving someone who genuinely wanted to help her.

Her lies were always a mix of truth and falsehood, deceiving others, sometimes deceiving herself.

If only immortal energy could save Yan Buqiu, she wouldn’t have to lie to anyone.

The black-robed figure had given Yan Buqiu a bit of his spiritual energy. That’s how she learned that Yan Buqiu’s body could no longer handle immortal or divine energy.

He had promised that if she stole the Upper Spirit Lamp for him, he would use the power of the Heavenly Demon to cleanse the poison.

And after the poison was gone, he would reconstruct her spiritual root.

The black-robed figure hadn’t broken his promise; she was the one breaking hers.

She helped him create the formation; she saw the human cultivators die before it.

He gathered evil demons in the City of the Undying, promising them freedom and power after the Heavenly Demon’s revival.

They roared and cursed, their eyes filled with resentment and rage.

Demons, though powerful, were always hated and ostracized.

Why should immortals and gods reign supreme? And why should those frail, short-lived humans be protected by them?

The black-robed figure sat silently on the altar, an immeasurable loneliness within that vast, starry sky.

He slowly stood up, and the noisy demons fell silent.

In the silence, he said calmly, “The Upper Spirit Lamp is sealed within Mount Chao Yao.”

His voice was emotionless.

He said that normally, a direct assault would be impossible, but Mount Chao Yao was no longer at its peak.

Cangming Revered One, Li Yu, was still recovering from her injuries; Qingxuan Revered One, Si Qinglan, was never a threat; and Lingyao Revered One, Weisheng Xuanzhu, was nearing his hibernation. Once he was asleep, they could easily conquer Mount Chao Yao and obtain the ancient treasure—the Upper Spirit Lamp.

Then, the Heavenly Demon would be revived, and the order of the Three Realms would crumble.

Demons would finally regain their long-lost freedom.

The demons cheered upon hearing his words.

Beneath the sea of resentment, they drank the wine stolen from the human realm, dreaming of a future of freedom under the Heavenly Demon’s rule.

These evil demons desired a world without rules, without restraints.

As long as their fists were strong enough, they could take anything they wanted, without fear, without consequence.

The black-robed figure promised them such a world, but would it truly satisfy them?

When there were no rules, when power was unchecked, wouldn’t they, who preyed on the weak, also become prey for the strong?

The black-robed figure didn’t care about the demons’ fate; he clearly had other motives.

She didn’t know what he truly wanted, but she sensed that if he obtained the Heavenly Demon Soul Seed, he would destroy the human realm.

That wasn’t what Yan Buqiu would want.

But she had no other choice.

Only the power of the Heavenly Demon could remove the poison from Yan Buqiu.

Yan Buqiu had already achieved immortality; her damaged spiritual root could only be repaired with immortal or divine energy, something she, a demon, couldn’t provide.

But was there truly no other way?

Before going to Mount Chao Yao, looking at the blood-red sea of resentment, she had thought long and hard.

She came up with a plan, a risky plan, but better than being manipulated by the black-robed figure.

She hid and, using her memories of the human realm, created a pair of Mirror Talismans with a forbidden technique.

She would embed the “real” talisman within herself and give the “mirror” talisman to her clan, instructing them to take it far away.

This way, her aura would be diverted, leading the black-robed figure on a wild goose chase.

She secretly returned to Lingzhou while the black-robed figure was away, put Yan Buqiu into a deep sleep with a spell, and set up this formation that could trap immortals and gods, draining their spiritual energy.

She followed the black-robed figure’s instructions, went to Mount Chao Yao with her clan, and, using his power, stole the Upper Spirit Lamp.

Before leaving, she gambled.

She gambled that the injured Exalted God would follow and that she could convince her to come to Lingzhou.

She didn’t go to the designated meeting place, didn’t join the attacking demons, and didn’t give the Upper Spirit Lamp to the black-robed figure.

She betrayed him, or rather, she had never intended to follow him.

He would surely follow her diverted aura, searching for her in some unknown place.

Her clan would do their best to hide, but with his power, she didn’t have much time.

She had to bring Li Yu to Lingzhou, into this prepared trap, as quickly as possible.

As long as Yan Buqiu was at the core of the formation, Li Yu, while transferring her spiritual energy, would unknowingly activate it.

Then, she could use the Exalted God’s power to break the seal on the Upper Spirit Lamp, borrow a sliver of the Heavenly Demon’s power, and cleanse the poison from Yan Buqiu’s body.

If everything went smoothly, she could even use the formation’s power to repair Yan Buqiu’s damaged spiritual root.

She had told Yan Buqiu about this plan before going to Mount Chao Yao.

But Yan Buqiu just grabbed her hand and shook her head, telling her not to do it.

“You don’t understand what the Heavenly Demon is. Even ancient gods struggled against it. Even a moment’s contact could corrupt your mind completely.” A deep worry appeared in Yan Buqiu’s usually dim eyes. “This is too dangerous, you can’t control it, you won’t be able to withstand it…”

“I won’t be corrupted! I just want to save you, please believe me!”

“Don’t do this…”

“Just a moment, just a moment. After I save you, I’ll release her!” She pleaded with Yan Buqiu. “I’ll help her reseal the Lamp, I’ll help her return it to Mount Chao Yao… Believe me, I can control it, I can withstand it, I can, I can save you…”

She swore to Yan Buqiu that the worst wouldn’t happen.

The Heavenly Demon Soul Seed wasn’t a physical entity, just a soul fragment. When the seal was broken, she would contain it within her own body.

If she lost control, the other Linchi bird demons would immediately abandon her and transform the formation from a spirit-trapping formation into a demon-destroying one.

Then, as long as the Exalted God used the formation’s power to destroy her body, the birds would help reseal the Heavenly Demon Soul Seed.

“Hanyu, it’s not worth it…”

She knew Yan Buqiu would say this, but she had already made up her mind.

She choked back tears and said, “You don’t get to decide whether it’s worth it or not.”

“If you truly care about me, then let me go…”

“…”

“You can live without me. Weren’t you happy during those years when we were apart?”

“…”

“Hanyu, you said that no matter where you went, you always thought of me… Doesn’t that mean… I’m always with you, in your heart…”

“…”

“You care about me, and so do I…I don’t want to leave you…” Yan Buqiu whispered, a tear rolling down her cheek. “I promise you, I won’t go far… Let’s make a promise… If you’re willing, from now on, the wind in this forest, the snow in the sky, whenever they touch you, it will be me, reaching out to you…”

This promise wasn’t good at all.

Yan Buqiu was so annoying, always treating her like a child.

She must have been crying uncontrollably then.

So, Yan Buqiu reached out, wanting to wipe away her tears.

But she just grabbed Yan Buqiu’s wrist and used a spell to make her fall asleep.

As the snow silently fell, the frail woman closed her eyes.

She knew this was dangerous.

But she had to try.

Even if it meant destruction, she had to try.

Because this was the only way to save Yan Buqiu.

This forest, without her, wouldn’t change.

But without Yan Buqiu, it wouldn’t be the same.

Thinking this, a bitter smile appeared on Xiang Hanyu’s face.

Within the formation, streams of blue spiritual energy assaulted the seal on the Upper Spirit Lamp.

The eternal blue flame flickered, turning crimson.

She saw the Exalted God’s serious expression and heard the little girl’s anxious cries from outside the formation.

Almost there, just a little more, and she could break the seal.

Xiang Hanyu gritted her teeth, pushing her demonic energy to its limit.

The Mirror Talisman, unable to withstand the surge of power, disintegrated into ashes.

The power of the Heavenly Demon, about to burst forth from the Upper Spirit Lamp, filled the world.

Everything seemed to tremble.

Suddenly, a cracking sound, carried by the wind, reached her ears.

The seal on the Upper Spirit Lamp wasn’t broken, but the eternal flame on its wick had turned completely blood red.

The cracking sound came from outside the formation, from the girl bound by the black mist.

Xiang Hanyu’s wings faltered.

As she looked at Mu Tao, the tension in Li Yu’s heart snapped.

The scene from the original story, the protagonist’s Demon Bone awakening, causing a phenomenon…

Was it happening here?

The cracking sound echoed in her heart.

The Upper Spirit Lamp’s strange behavior was affecting the Demon Bone, dormant within its seal for so long.

The flickering flames seemed to burn the little girl’s body.

The black mist binding Mu Tao was suddenly devoured by an invisible force, vanishing without a trace.

The little girl, who had been crying and screaming, her eyes filled with anxiety, now looked terrified and in pain.

“Master…”

The moment the seal on the Demon Bone shattered, a terrifying power surged through her previously blocked meridians.

She had never felt such raw power coursing through her body.

It felt like countless claws tearing at her flesh.

The pain was excruciating, making it hard to breathe.

She didn’t know what was happening, her legs giving way as she stumbled towards the formation and collapsed.

“I…I hurt…”

Mu Tao reached out towards the trapped figure within the formation, but her hand couldn’t reach her master.

Her eyes gradually turned crimson.

Even the miasma in the forest seemed to be drawn towards her.

Resentment flowed towards her from the distant horizon, like threads of red.

The scattered stars and the faint moonlight were swallowed by the approaching darkness.

Threads of crimson, like streams finding their way back to their source, flowed into the suffering girl’s body.

The streams turned into a torrent.

More and more resentment surged from afar, enveloping the entire forest.

Xiang Hanyu froze, shock in her widened eyes.

“Xiang Hanyu! Stop!!” Li Yu shouted, her heart pounding. “You can’t break the seal on the Upper Spirit Lamp! You’ve underestimated its power!!”

“I…”

“You can’t control this! The consequences will be disastrous! Mu Tao can’t control this power! If you don’t let me suppress her demonic energy, everything will be out of control!!”

“…”

“Do you think she won’t have to bear the consequences of your actions?!” Li Yu gritted her teeth, and seeing Xiang Hanyu’s hesitation, said coldly, “If the Heavenly Demon is revived, we will all be held accountable, no one can escape the blame.”

She looked down at Yan Buqiu and sneered. “Let her wake up and see what you’ve done.”

The resentment in the sky had formed a vast sea.

Lightning flashed and thunder rumbled within the sea of resentment, illuminating the turbulent night sky.

Blood-red lightning, like writhing dragons, roared and threatened to tear the world apart.

This phenomenon was powerful enough to alert the entire Three Realms.

The surging resentment flowed towards the small, writhing figure on the ground.

The shock in Xiang Hanyu’s eyes turned into a dull, empty stare.

The birds stopped circling, and she deactivated the formation.

Finally able to move, Li Yu rushed to Mu Tao’s side.

The blue spiritual light, no longer bound by the formation, dissipated like scattered stars.

As she helped Mu Tao up, a terrifying power surged into her, enveloping her, almost stopping her heart, stealing her breath.

Mu Tao, thrashing, grabbed her arm, her sharp, almost bestial claws, carrying dark red resentment, piercing through Li Yu’s protective spiritual energy, tearing her clothes, sinking into her flesh.

The pain jolted her awake.

—System, help!

She didn’t wait for a response, just raised her right hand with great effort.

A barrier, seemingly capable of dividing the world, erupted around them, enveloping the resentment-filled forest.

The next second, a deep blue light, like the depths of the sea, glowed from her fingertip, piercing through the thick resentment, its brilliance almost blinding.

Suddenly, the blood-red sea of resentment, the lightning and thunder, the swirling bamboo leaves and snowflakes, along with the dispersing blue light, began to spin rapidly.

The birds scattered, fleeing in terror. Xiang Hanyu landed, using her remaining energy to create a small barrier around Yan Buqiu.

She saw a wisp of dark green poison slowly being extracted from Yan Buqiu’s body.

It floated towards the blue light—not just the poison, but everything swirling in the air seemed to be drawn towards the light, converging, collapsing…

Finally, it transformed into a faint spark,

And gently entered Mu Tao’s forehead.

The pain subsided, and Mu Tao stopped struggling.

“It’s alright now, don’t be afraid…” Li Yu pulled her into her arms and whispered comforting words.

As silence returned, the miasma in the forest dissipated.

The flame on the Upper Spirit Lamp’s wick turned blue again.

The setting moon cast its light on the falling snow.

The world was silent, as if nothing had happened.