Chapter 56: 【Current Protagonist Blackening Value: 99%!】p1
Although the innkeeper’s firecrackers were finished, the night remained lively.
The quiet New Year’s Eve was ignited by that first spark, crackling sounds echoing continuously.
Later, colorful fireworks lit up the distant city walls.
“Fireworks!” a child wearing a tiger hat pointed at the sky.
The innkeeper patted the child’s head and said with a playful smile, “Look, fireworks! They’re scaring away the Nian beast!” [T/N: 年兽 (Nian shou(beast)) is a mythical beast in Chinese folklore, said to appear during the New Year.]
Mu Tao stood beside them, her eyes wide, her mouth slightly open, gazing at the sky.
Suddenly, she blinked and ran back into the inn, up the stairs, and into their room, jumping onto the bed beside Li Yu.
“Master!” Her eyes were shining.
“Hmm?”
“Let’s watch together!”
“Okay.”
The human New Year was lively, and amidst this liveliness, Li Yu was reminded of her past.
A past even before arriving in this world.
—Her childhood.
New Year’s Eve as a child was truly lively.
Many relatives gathered around a table, squeezed together.
The table was laden with food, and the children, after filling their bowls, would gather at the coffee table, sitting on small stools, playing cards while eating.
Everyone talked and laughed, their voices loud enough to drown out the TV.
She remembered being one of those children, sitting on a small stool by the coffee table, watching TV.
Red envelopes from the elders were piled on the sofa behind the coffee table.
Later, the adults would take the children to the rooftop to watch the fireworks unobstructed.
After the fireworks, after the cold wind, everyone would return to their homes, cook dumplings, eat, and then go to bed, lulled to sleep by the ending notes of the Spring Festival Gala. [T/N: Spring Festival Gala, is a televised New Year’s Eve variety show in China.]
New Year’s Eve as a child was truly special.
As an adult, she rarely watched fireworks anymore.
Not that there weren’t any, but even when she heard them, she only found them noisy, no longer feeling the urge to watch.
But tonight was different.
It wasn’t as lively as her memories, but she felt the same warmth.
The distant fireworks lit up the sky.
They were probably less dazzling than a single spark of spiritual energy, but even having seen countless brilliant spells, she still found them beautiful.
And such a scene was even more meaningful with company.
That night, Mu Tao asked Li Yu many questions about the human New Year traditions.
They huddled together in the small bed, their voices soft, talking until they yawned and finally fell asleep.
After a night of rest, they left the small inn and continued their journey, following the system’s guidance.
A long time seemed to have passed, and the immortal sects’ Soul Searching Techniques never ceased.
These techniques were different from sensing auras directly. Her concealment spell couldn’t hide from them; she had to constantly maintain a more energy-consuming barrier.
Li Yu felt more alert, her control over spiritual energy improving.
Although these improvements were born from fear of being caught, she believed they would be useful in the Demon Realm.
Now, the question was, how far was this legendary Demon Realm?
The system’s answer made her want to roll her eyes.
【Almost there!】
Almost there! Such a helpful answer!
So concise, so definitive, and so vague.
In the past, she would have pressed for a more concrete answer.
But now, she didn’t bother.
She had asked this question countless times, and the answer was always, “Still very far!”
And if she asked how far “very far” was, whether it could estimate the time, the answer would be no.
Because the host is injured, your travel speed fluctuates, so the system can’t calculate it accurately, boohoo!
Thinking positively, the answer changing from “very far” to “almost there” meant they were indeed close.
But their journey hadn’t been completely undetected.
The immortal sects might have already deduced their destination based on their movements.
It wasn’t her imagination; the closer they got to the Demon Realm, the more frequent the Soul Searching Techniques became.
This forced Li Yu to expend more energy on concealment.
Fortunately, they had slowed down, spending less time traveling and more time resting, allowing her to recover slightly. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have been able to handle this constant harassment.
The original story mentioned a unique energy flow at the entrance to the Demon Realm, a one-way vortex that made entering easy but leaving difficult.
This, besides the demons’ intolerance of heat, was another reason why there were so few demons in the human realm.
Besides heat, demons also loathed immortals and righteous cultivators.
Demons themselves were generally tolerated in the Demon Realm, but human cultivators, without sufficient power, would likely be captured and devoured.
In the original story, the male protagonist dared to send the protagonist to the Demon Realm precisely because of this.
Among the many immortal sects in the human realm, how many disciples could freely enter and exit the Demon Realm?
And among those who could, how many could withstand the demons’ hostility?
Even immortals would hesitate to enter the Demon Realm to retrieve the Demon Bone.
It was a place easy to enter, but not so easy to leave.
But the little protagonist was different.
With the Demon Bone, other demons were wary of her, and even if anyone dared to attack, the Bone would protect her.
Thinking of this, Li Yu couldn’t help but sigh.
The once weak protagonist, after entering the Demon Realm, not only became the new Demon Lord but also led the demons out of that one-way passage.
The power of the Heavenly Demon was like a cheat code; no wonder the immortal sects insisted on destroying the Demon Bone.
But even though they wanted to destroy it, they didn’t dare enter the Demon Realm.
Li Yu knew that the immortal sects also knew that if the protagonist truly intended to enter the Demon Realm, their only chance to destroy the Demon Bone was to ambush her at the entrance.
The path ahead wouldn’t be easy, but she believed she could do it.
Even if she didn’t believe in herself, she should believe in the protagonist’s halo, right?
Thinking this, Li Yu felt reassured.
With this newfound confidence, she and Mu Tao continued their journey, finally arriving at the entrance to the Demon Realm at the end of winter.
This entrance was hidden in a mountain forest in the human realm.
There was a small river in the forest, and within the river, a hidden “eye.”
This “eye,” closed at the bottom of the river, was invisible and intangible to ordinary beings. Only with sufficient spiritual power could it be temporarily opened.
As expected, the place was heavily guarded by cultivators from the immortal sects.
Li Yu had expected an ambush, but she realized she had been overthinking it.
These cultivators were incredibly obvious, their interception formation set up in plain sight, no attempt at concealment, either incredibly confident or simply…stupid.
Regardless of the reason, their waiting game had indeed caught their target.
But this large-scale deployment made Li Yu hesitate.
Soul Searching Techniques covered the entire forest, forcing her to constantly maintain her concealment barrier, a significant drain on her energy.
But if they left now, where could they go?
The surrounding area was filled with cultivators; would they have to retreat further, continuing to hide and wait for them to leave?
Who knew how long they would stay…
As long as Mu Tao didn’t enter the Demon Realm, the danger remained.
And here, in the human realm, these cultivators could attack freely, while she had many restrictions.
If they left now, and were found later, the situation might be even worse.
“Master, what do we do now?”
Mu Tao’s worried voice brought Li Yu back to reality.
She frowned and said in a low voice, “We go through.”
Mu Tao’s worry deepened. “But Master, in your current state…”
Li Yu: “Delaying this will only make things more difficult. Even if we don’t go through today, we’ll have to eventually.”
Mu Tao: “…”
Li Yu: “Constantly hiding and running is draining my energy, preventing me from recovering. It’s better to use our remaining strength to enter the Demon Realm; they won’t dare follow us there.”
Mu Tao bit her lip, her brow furrowed, but didn’t speak.
Li Yu sighed, took her cold hand, and said seriously, “This time, it’s your turn.”
Mu Tao looked up, her eyes wide with disbelief.
Mu Tao: “I… I can?”
Li Yu: “You can sense the power of the Demon Bone, can’t you?”
Mu Tao blinked, confusion and surprise in her eyes.
Li Yu: “You can sense its presence, and you can try to use it, right?”
Mu Tao nodded hesitantly. “But Master, you never wanted me to use it…”
Li Yu gently patted her hand. “The situation has changed. We have no other choice now; we need its power.”
One couldn’t hold it in forever.
When there was no other choice, why not use the power of the Demon Bone?
They were at the entrance to the Demon Realm; using it here wouldn’t reveal their location or affect the human realm.
Once inside, Mu Tao would be truly free.
Li Yu knew Mu Tao must be afraid, but to survive, she had to learn to control that power.
Before, she had only told Mu Tao not to use it.
Now, it was time to teach her when to use it.
Li Yu: “Everyone says the power of the Demon Bone is evil, but how do we define ‘evil’?”
Mu Tao opened her mouth, unsure how to answer.
“Many in the human realm believe that demons are evil and immortals are good. But there are demons who become immortals, and immortals who fall into darkness. Good and evil, like right and wrong, aren’t always clearly defined.” Li Yu tightened her grip on Mu Tao’s hand. “Everyone wants to kill you, but I’m willing to protect you, because I believe that good and evil reside in the heart. You’re my disciple; you won’t do anything I wouldn’t approve of.”
A flicker of something appeared in Mu Tao’s eyes.
Li Yu: “No matter how ‘evil’ the power, as long as it’s in your hands, I believe it will be used for protection, not destruction.”
Mu Tao: “Does Master…really think so…?”
“Of course!” Li Yu said seriously. “I didn’t want you to use it before because you couldn’t control it. I was afraid you would do something you regretted.”
Mu Tao lowered her gaze, her face filled with worry. “But can I…control it now…?”
“It’s within you, no longer sealed. You can choose not to use it, or you can try.” Li Yu gently cupped Mu Tao’s face. “Remember what I said, we just need to enter the Demon Realm. We can injure those who block our path, but we cannot kill.”
“Injure, but not kill,” Mu Tao repeated seriously.
“Yes!” Li Yu smiled and pinched her cheek gently. “Trust yourself, you can do it.”
Mu Tao pursed her lips, her expression nervous, but she nodded resolutely.
“Don’t feel pressured, just treat it as a simple trial. I’ll be right beside you.” Li Yu smiled gently. “It’s okay to make mistakes; I won’t let you make any irreversible ones.”
Mu Tao’s eyes teared up, and she nodded vigorously.
The sky above the forest darkened.
Li Yu took a deep breath and asked softly, “Ready?”
Mu Tao nodded.
The next second, the concealment spell dissipated, and the Soul Searching Techniques immediately locked onto them.
“The Demon Bone is there!”
A shout echoed through the forest, followed by a flash of blue light.
Li Yu, carrying Mu Tao, instantly flew towards the river—this flying technique, which she had just learned, was much more efficient than the crane, especially without having to maintain its form.
“Activate the formation!” someone shouted.
Before Li Yu could even land, countless golden lights erupted beneath their feet.
At the same time, resentment gathered in the sky, like threads of red in the wind.
Li Yu sent a blast of spiritual energy towards the river, parting the water.
The light dissipated at the bottom, touching the hidden “eye.”
The “eye” slowly opened, revealing a bottomless darkness.
Ignoring the formation beneath their feet, Li Yu pulled Mu Tao towards the darkness.
But with her depleted spiritual energy, breaking through the formation wouldn’t be easy.
The golden light blocked their path, its swirling energy like sharp blades, trapping them.
Li Yu released Mu Tao’s hand, formed a hand seal, and created a protective barrier, shielding Mu Tao.
“Break the formation!” she shouted.
Mu Tao took a deep breath, and a dark red mist emanated from her raised hands.
The resentment in the sky, bypassing the golden light of the formation, converged towards her palms.
A black flame suddenly erupted from the red mist.
Mu Tao’s eyes turned crimson.
Her expression hardened, becoming cold and menacing, like a death god.
The black flames, like a growing flower, surged upwards, silently enveloping the world.
As the last vestiges of daylight vanished, even the falling snow turned black.
It was as if black fire had consumed the sky and clouds, leaving behind dark, falling ashes.
The “ashes,” though light, burned through the golden light of the formation like fire on paper.
A gust of wind, and they were gone.
Terror filled the eyes of the immortal cultivators.
The black snow fell on them, and someone cried out in pain.
Panic erupted, some fleeing, some trying to defend themselves, the formation now unguarded.
“Let’s go!” As the barrier dissipated, Li Yu grabbed Mu Tao’s hand.
But Mu Tao didn’t respond, the crimson in her eyes deepening.
“Mu Tao!” Li Yu frowned and channeled a sliver of spiritual energy into her forehead.
Mu Tao’s body trembled.
The crimson in her eyes faded, and the blood-red mist in her hands disappeared.
The black flames above continued to burn, embraced by the swirling resentment, the black snow staining the white earth.
The immortal cultivators struggled in the black snow, their protective spiritual energy flickering and fading.
Mu Tao, shocked by the scene, let Li Yu pull her towards the dark abyss at the bottom of the river.
“The Demon Bone has escaped!” someone shouted, but they were powerless to stop them.
They plunged into the entrance to the Demon Realm, disappearing instantly, like a speck of dust in the vast world.
The “eye” at the riverbed slowly closed, the parted water flowing back together.
The black flames in the sky gradually dissipated, and the snow turned white again.
Only wisps of resentment lingered in the air.
Was that…the power of the Heavenly Demon?
The injured cultivators stared at the broken formation, speechless with fear.
…