Great Demon - Chapter 3

Zhuyou’s problem of becoming blind after excessive use of spiritual power seemed to be an irreversible condition. Originally, few knew about this in the Devil Realm, but unfortunately, some curious individuals always seek out information. When they learned that her eyesight deteriorated periodically, they spread the news far and wide.

Recalling past events, Hanzhu’s heart suddenly pounded, her body stiffening.

If she remembered correctly, her mistress didn’t enjoy mingling with others. Yet devils were often lustful, and some dared to flirt with her. Despite the formidable power of the fallen phoenix, her blindness coupled with her beauty stirred sympathy.

What happened after that?

She remembered. Those devils were stripped naked and thrown into a pit filled with burning aphrodisiacs, with serpents that hadn’t developed wisdom…

Hanzhu held her breath, afraid to dwell on it.

“Let’s leave. I have never seen a dragon egg so carefully protected. Could this egg hatch into a dragon adorned with gold and silver?” Zhuyou held the egg tightly, sensing it stir in her arms. Her vision blurred as if veiled by smoke, everything appearing as a white haze, only vague outlines visible.

“Mistress, this egg must be extraordinary.” Hanzhu swallowed hard.

Zhuyou nodded slightly, completely composed as if she hadn’t just barged into someone’s home. She even added, “Indeed, it’s quite unusual. But I have a karmic connection with this egg, though I don’t know its origin. I can only take it with me and see what it hatches into.”

“Perhaps anything or anyone that grows exceptionally carries some karmic weight,” Hanzhu replied cleverly. Though she praised, her skill in complimenting seemed shallower compared to when facing those immortals. It wasn’t her fault. Faced with her own mistress, she was too nervous to spare the time to carefully consider her words before praising.

Zhuyou smiled, clearly enjoying such words. But the next moment, her expression darkened. “After I forcibly manipulated the spiritual energy to alter the formation, the Dragon Clan will eventually sense something amiss in this chamber.”

Hanzhu understood and cautiously asked, “Then, Mistress, how should we proceed?” Before she could finish her sentence, Zhuyou tightly gripped the fabric of her shoulder. Zhuyou’s slender fingers squeezed her shoulder, the force slightly heavy, causing her some discomfort.

“I suddenly remembered there’s something very important left undone,” Zhuyou interjected.

Just as Hanzhu was about to inquire, her mistress, who had been standing beside her, suddenly dispersed into thick smoke. The smoke, as dark as ink, seemed like claws or the gaping maw of a beast, and with a whoosh, it disappeared into the cracks of the wall.

In an instant, only Hanzhu remained next to the jade stone disc. She trembled, feeling lost and confused. But as she turned her head, she caught sight of a wisp of gray mist hovering on her shoulder.

She breathed a sigh of relief, grateful that her mistress hadn’t forgotten about her.

The gray smoke that crashed through the wall didn’t leave the Dragon Palace but swiftly flew along the corridor, slamming into a serving girl holding a wine jug.

The serving girl was knocked back but managed to steady herself, the gleam of her blinking eyes altered. She rubbed her eyes with a hand, and glanced around, her eyes now clear. With a slight twitch of her nose, she placed the wine jug on a rock and began to follow a scent with ease.

After passing through corridors and pavilions, she easily pushed open the door of the White Jade Pavilion, the spell on the door futile against her. And with a flick of her jade finger, the silver lock on the pedestal clicked open.

Inside the locked box was nothing but an ordinary-looking stone, peculiarly wrapped in several strands of red thread—a marriage stone.

What she had been tracking was the lingering aura left by the old man from the Upper Realm who meddled in marriages.

As her palm passed over the marriage stone, she wore a surprised expression, murmuring, “Interesting. I didn’t expect the other imprint in the marriage stone to be so faint and feeble, seemingly a mortal. That shouldn’t be the Second Phoenix then.”

She withdrew her hand. She had originally intended to ruin the relationship between the Second Phoenix and Mangfeng. But if the other imprint in the marriage stone wasn’t the Second Phoenix, then so be it.

A love affair between a human and an immortal, huh? Mangfeng might just end up banished to the Mortal Realm. How intriguing.

The serving girl’s eyes closed, and with a thud, she fell to the ground. Soon, a wisp of black smoke wafted out from her body.

Back inside the chamber, Hanzhu had been waiting anxiously, unable to leave her mistress behind. Her shoulder was suddenly gripped tightly again, and when she turned, she saw her mistress’ silver hair. Before she could say anything, she was lifted abruptly.

Hanzhu thought to herself, Mistress doesn’t need any support; she can lift me with just one hand.

A mass of black mist, like ink flowers, suddenly bloomed on the ceiling of the chamber.

Zhuyou held the green-clad peafowl and soared toward the swirling black mist above. The dense black fog enveloped them, wrapping tighter and tighter, as if trying to twist them into knots.

Meanwhile, outside the chamber, faint shouts from the Dragon Palace guards could be heard. However, the spiritual patterns on the stone door shook them off indiscriminately, preventing them from entering.

Hanzhu trembled with fear, afraid that once the stone door opened, the guards would see the large mass of black mist above.

“Move aside!” Mangfeng shouted from outside.

With a clang, the stone door slowly swung open, splitting the unified array pattern in half.

Zhuyou’s fingers clenched, and the black mist suddenly condensed to the size of a fist, then to the size of a grain of rice.

Hanzhu almost screamed in pain, feeling like she was being squeezed into a pancake. But she dared not make a sound and only silently endured the agony.

As the stone door fully opened, Mangfeng stepped into the chamber.

The jade stone disc remained unchanged, still surrounded by the lingering dragon energy. The cold chains floated as before, and the dragon egg on the pillar stood intact. There was no residual devilish energy, everything seemed as good as new, and the black mist that had previously hung overhead was nowhere to be seen.

Yet, Mangfeng furrowed his dark brows, casting a deep glance at the dragon egg. Then he turned and exited the chamber. Once the stone door closed behind him, the split spiritual patterns on the door sealed shut again, and a faint blue light flashed along the intricate lines.

“How is it?” The Dragon King waved off the soldiers who had gathered behind him.

Mangfeng shook his head. “It’s still there. The formation hasn’t changed, and there’s no trace of devilish energy inside. I don’t know where that devil could be hiding.”

“Could it be that the devil came to embarrass my Dragon Clan?” The Dragon King’s expression darkened.

“I’ll check on Jingyi,” Mangfeng hurriedly offered.

The Dragon King nodded slightly while looking at the spiritual patterns on the closed stone door where a faint glow had appeared.

In the bridal chamber, the immortals whispered to each other. The toppled wine jugs had been set upright again, and the exquisite fairy fruits and jade cakes were back in place.

The bride, whose face had been brushed by the black mist, had her veil half covering her face, her fair hand tightly pressed against her cheek. She knew who had come just now, but she couldn’t say.

***

Moments later, the suddenly disappearing black mist unfolded once again like a black lotus, but the surroundings were no longer the Dragon Palace filled with white jade and pearls.

Surrounded by darkness and silence, the landscape appeared desolate. Decrepit mountains leaned in the distance, while black clouds loomed in the sky, engulfed by raging winds carrying coarse yellow sand.

Suddenly, the sky lit up and lightning struck down from the black clouds with a deafening roar. The dry trees on the sandy slope ignited, engulfed in black smoke, and swiftly consumed by flames. The towering stone mountain behind was faintly lit with fire. Even the clouds were tinged with crimson.

Half as cold as an ice cellar, half as hot as the blazing sun, this was the Devil Realm, a place that seemed unfit for habitation.

Zhuyou loosened her grip, and the peafowl demon she was holding fell to the ground.

After entering the misty Devil Realm, her consciousness returned to her body, but she found herself still half-blind, as if her spiritual power had inexplicably been drained away.

It was truly strange.

The bewildered Hanzhu looked around for a while before realizing she had returned to the Devil Realm. The devilish energy on her body was no longer suppressed by Zhuyou’s spell, and it broke free like an insect emerging from its cocoon.

Zhuyou was still holding the egg. Her eyes might be duller, but she gestured precisely toward Hanzhu, “Rise and support me.”

Hanzhu immediately got up and carefully supported Zhuyou’s arm, her heart pounding with lingering fear. “Mistress, your cultivation has improved a lot.”

“If I didn’t improve, wouldn’t my seclusion have been in vain?” Zhuyou covered the egg, intending to hide it in her sleeve, but unfortunately, it was too large and heavy to fit properly. If she tried to conceal it, it might end up broken into pieces.

Such a precious egg couldn’t be dropped.

She had stopped hiding her aura the moment she returned to the Devil Realm, so the entire realm should have felt her chilling diabolic presence.

On the previously serene and peaceful wasteland, the sound of hurried and chaotic hoofbeats suddenly echoed, indicating the arrival of many individuals, each with their own unknown intentions.

Zhuyou wasn’t keen on meeting those devils, which was why the moment she emerged from seclusion, she took Hanzhu and headed to the East Sea. Now blind, she couldn’t see what ugly creatures came riding on horseback. She couldn’t bear the frustration of her blindness and didn’t want others to know that she emerged from seclusion after a hundred years still half-blind.

After all, she couldn’t stand others seeing her as weak because any sign of weakness might lead to contempt.

“Mistress, someone’s here,” Hanzhu whispered while supporting her. Knowing her mistress couldn’t see again, she boldly looked at her face.

Even tainted by devilish energy, this divine offspring looked stunningly unattainable. The innocent and bewildered look of her eyes made her appear almost lost. Her cultivation had nearly returned to its peak—like before the extraction of her immortal bones and recasting of diabolic bones—albeit with some gap compared to before her tribulation.

Such a beauty with unfathomable cultivation seemed lost like a lamb, arousing playful thoughts in people’s minds.

But Hanzhu dared not provoke. As soon as the thought emerged, she raised her hand and slapped herself, loud and crisp.

“Why are you hitting yourself?” Zhuyou looked over at the sound.

Panicked, Zhuyou explained hastily, “Having just landed, I wasn’t quite clear-headed. So, I slapped myself to sober up.”

Zhuyou chuckled. “Are you awake now? Should I slap you, too?”

“How dare I trouble you, Mistress?!” Zhuyou shuddered all over, thinking to herself that if her mistress were to slap her, she might lose half her life.

As they stood amidst the swirling yellow sand, the sound of hooves grew closer. Zhuyou’s expression changed slightly. “Back to the hall.”

But after looking around, Hanzhu realized she had lost her direction.

In the hundred years that her mistress had been away, she had also secluded herself, only leaving a strand of consciousness guarding the cave where her mistress secluded herself so that she could rush to the entrance the very moment her mistress emerged from seclusion. She hadn’t been home in a hundred years and had forgotten even which direction her home’s door faced. She quickly performed a spell to locate the deserted hall that had been abandoned for a century.

Zhuyou had no idea what spell she had cast. She only saw her blurry figure seem to move a little.

As Hanzhu cast her spell, several galloping steeds had already crossed the sand dunes.

The steeds, blackened with devilish energy, neighed as they galloped forth. When the riders saw the figure standing in the yellow sand, they immediately dismounted, dropping to their knees with a thud and clasping their fists in deference.

Though Zhuyou couldn’t see clearly, she recognized the sound of knees hitting the ground, knowing that these devils were quick to kneel as if she could demand their lives with a glance.

Well, this spared her the need to reassert her authority.

But…

“Why haven’t the Three Lords come to greet me personally?” Zhuyou inquired.

The Three Lords were the three devil leaders who divided the Devil Realm into three after the fall of the Devil Lord. Before Zhuyou had secluded herself, they had always shown utmost respect. But now, upon her emergence, they seemed negligent.

The lesser devils kneeling on the ground trembled with their heads bowed, not daring to even glance at her.

One of the stronger-looking devils was nudged forward and hastily replied, “Forgive us, Your Grace, but the Three Lords have been absent from the Devil Realm for some time.”

Zhuyou was puzzled. The Three Lords had always stayed in the Devil Realm, especially since the Devil Lord’s essence was still safeguarded within the Crystal of Law, preserving his memories. If the crystal were destroyed, the Devil Lord wouldn’t be able to return.

What could have made the Three Lords disregard the Devil Lord’s safety and leave the Devil Realm?

“Where have they gone?” Zhuyou asked again.

The lesser devils felt deeply troubled, trembling on the ground, unable to provide an answer.

One of them, apparently quick-witted, hastily suggested, “Your Grace, shall we return to your hall? We’ll tidy up immediately.”

Zhuyou nodded slightly. “Lead the way.”

Subsequently, the lesser devils enthusiastically led the path, outwardly warm but inwardly confused. Why did it feel like they were playing the gracious host, escorting a guest from afar back to their residence?

The lesser devils trembled slightly. They kept stealing glances back, but their gazes did not dare to wander. Suddenly, they noticed something in the arms of the black-robed divine offspring.

Those covert glances were indeed fervent. Though Zhuyou couldn’t see clearly, she could sense it distinctly. She shifted her hand slightly. Her crimson-tinted lips, slightly thin but clearly defined, curved upward slightly even when not smiling. “Do you like it?”

“Very much! It’s beautiful!” The lesser devils nodded eagerly, even though they hadn’t clearly seen the white object.

Zhuyou cradled the egg in her hands, her words striking like a bolt from the blue. “Do you think this egg is something you can casually gaze upon?”

Author’s note:
Zhuyou: My wife is not someone you can casually look at.