Great Demon - Chapter 71 Part 1

“Did you see the mortal desert in the Turbid Mirror, Mistress?” Hanzhu tilted her head and asked. She knew that such places existed in the Mortal Realm, but unlike the devil’s domain, the deserts there were scorching under the blazing sun, with water scarce and the land desolate, perhaps not even a city in sight. She paused for a moment, then cautiously added, “What did you see in that desert?”

“Sea of fire.” Zhuyou hesitated, then continued, “And devils.” 

Countless ancient devils, each fierce and skilled in battle, with beastly horns atop their heads, their skin a dark brown, and devilish patterns densely covering their bodies.

“But… how could devils set fire to the Mortal Realm?” Hanzhu racked her brains, unable to recall any tragic incidents of devils wreaking havoc in the human world.

Zhuyou looked up at the sky, where the churning seawater was no longer visible, and said, “That was a long time ago.”

Hanzhu awkwardly responded, “Are you certain that the desert was in the Mortal Realm?”

Zhuyou glanced at her. “Other than the devil’s domain, where else in the Three Realms could there be endless yellow sand, with dusk shining through?”

Hanzhu quickly agreed, “Indeed, it seems there is no other place but the Mortal Realm.”

Exactly, Zhuyou had pondered for a long time, and apart from the Mortal Realm, she couldn’t think of another place that matched so well.

“What is in that desert that you’re so eager to find?” Hanzhu chattered on, her mind conjuring images of a lone smoke rising from the vast desert.

“I saw a wasteland in the Turbid Mirror, from a time when heaven and earth were not yet separated, and chaos had not yet been divided. Thus, the sky was a vast ocean, while below was a barren expanse of yellow sand,” Zhuyou recalled the scene she had witnessed in the Turbid Mirror, speaking slowly.

If she hadn’t been later drawn into the chaotic realm of illusions, hadn’t personally experienced being the Vermillion Phoenix who subdued devils with fiery feathers, she might have been deceived by Changying. The more she thought about it, the more something felt off. Without seeing it for herself, the knot in her heart would never be untied.

“Could Devil Lord’s hun soul be there?” Hanzhu turned over every possibility in her mind. Her eyes widened, unable to hide her joy, and she quietly lowered her voice.

Hearing this, Zhuyou felt a mix of emotions. She looked down at her hand, her fingers pale and slender. She had once held that hun soul in her grasp, but had failed to hold on tight, and it slipped away when the dragon intervened.

“No,” she said with a complex expression.

“Did you find the Devil Lord’s hun soul when you entered the mirror before?” Hanzhu paused, as if carefully choosing her words, after glancing nervously at the sky, she quickly lowered her head, her voice as soft as a mosquito’s buzz, “Did… did that person try to stop you?”

“I did see it,” Zhuyou said lightly. “And no, she didn’t stop me.” Not only did she not stop her, but she even injured her own hun soul because of her.

Changying must have returned to the Nine Heavens by now, likely consuming divine light to heal her po soul. She had always fed on divine energy and spiritual power, a method of cultivation that resembled that of evil devils, yet she was a celestial being.

When Changying was young, she was extremely afraid of pain, always clinging to her side with a pained expression whenever she was hurt. Now, she had grown colder, perhaps not even frowning much in the Nine Heavens.

“That one… didn’t stop you?” Hanzhu was incredulous, “But… but isn’t she…” Isn’t she the Divine Venerable of the Nine Heavens?

Any devil hearing this would find it unexpected. What celestial being would allow devils to run amok?

Zhuyou lowered her eyes and smiled faintly, “She truly didn’t stop me. In fact, when the Turbid Mirror tried to trap me in the chaotic realm of illusions, she attempted to wake me.”

In the Turbid Mirror, every word Changying spoke and every action she took was done with utmost seriousness, as if she held her close to her heart.

Hanzhu shivered. Just a few days ago, merely looking into Changying’s golden eyes had made her own eyes burn unbearably. Changying’s cultivation was such that she could kill her five or six times over with a snap of her fingers. How could such a cold and emotionless deity care so deeply for her mistress?

A hundred years ago, just speaking a few extra words with her mistress had earned her a cold glare from that dragon, as if she had coveted someone she shouldn’t have.

“That one… really knows how to repay kindness.” Hanzhu broke out in a cold sweat.

Zhuyou neither shook her head nor agreed.

Hanzhu followed silently for a while, then suddenly her eyes lit up. “Since you’ve seen it, doesn’t that mean you know where Devil Lord’s hun soul has reincarnated?”

Zhuyou shook her head. “I didn’t see it. At that time, I only retrieved one hun soul and didn’t pay attention to where the other two went. Just as I was about to leave, something unexpected happened, so I couldn’t bring them out successfully.”

Hanzhu hadn’t expected this and widened her eyes. “What happened?”

Zhuyou immediately pursed her lips, her ears tinged with a blush, feeling embarrassed, though nothing particularly unspeakable had occurred. If Changying hadn’t suddenly leaned in close, she wouldn’t have lost focus and given Changying an opportunity to take advantage.

“As long as Mistress is unharmed,” Hanzhu quickly added, seeing her expression change, thinking it must not be a pleasant memory.

Zhuyou nodded slightly, her fingers slowly twisting the mustard seed she held. Her gaze drifted far away. Even though she had left the Turbid Mirror, she still remembered how, when Changying had leaned over her in the mirror, her once cold heart’s blood had boiled with heat.

Her blood, which had flowed through her entire body, seemed to have been infused with a hint of alcohol, making her feel dizzy and weak when her heart’s blood boiled.

“But if it really was before the chaos was divided, how could you have seen it, Mistress? Could it be… that that person led you to see it?” Hanzhu followed Zhuyou, chattering like a bird.

Zhuyou quickly snapped out of her thoughts. “I initially thought she led me to see it, but upon further reflection, it shouldn’t have been her.”

Her ears were burning, so she quickly hid the mustard seed in her hand and reached up to touch her earlobe. As soon as her fingers touched her ear, they felt as if they had been scalded.

Was the connection between heart’s blood really that strong?

“But… but…” Hanzhu stammered for a while without forming a coherent sentence. But her mistress has been in this world for less than five hundred years. Let alone the conflicts a thousand years ago, how could she have seen the ancient devils from before the chaos was divided?

Zhuyou pinched her earlobe, pretending to be free of distracting thoughts as she walked forward, passing through the mortals. When she stepped into an empty alley, her figure suddenly vanished only to reappear in the outskirts of the city.

The official road bore several wheel tracks, but the surroundings were silent and devoid of people.

Hanzhu hurried to follow, almost losing sight of her mistress.

Zhuyou turned to look at her and added, “The Turbid Mirror is extremely picky. When it was my turn, I had no choice in the matter. The mirror decided what era I would see, and I could only see that. But if it were her, she could see whatever she wished, unhindered by the mirror.”

“How strange!” Hanzhu was stunned for a moment. She hesitated, opening and closing her mouth several times, but no words came out.

“Why are you hesitating? What do you want to say?” Zhuyou glanced at her.

Hanzhu then awkwardly said, “Could it be because Mistress and that one… are on different levels?” She had once looked down on that dragon, but who could have guessed that in just a hundred years, that dragon would rise to become a Divine Venerable.

Zhuyou coldly glanced at her, saying lightly, “The Turbid Mirror is, after all, a sacred object. It’s not easily manipulated by others. Perhaps my level is still insignificant in the mirror’s eyes.”

Hanzhu shut her mouth tightly. How many in the world today could reach such a level? Probably even a three-year-old could count them. She held her breath for a moment, then suddenly spoke again, “Mistress’ cultivation is unmatched in the Three Realms. It’s that stupid mirror that doesn’t know any better!”

Zhuyou truly enjoyed listening to this peafowl demon speak. She nodded in agreement, even her furrowed brow relaxing. She then added, “In the mirror, if one harbors greed, anger, obsession, or hatred, it’s easy to be drawn into the chaotic realm. What one sees there is all fabricated by the Turbid Mirror to deceive. But to deceive, it must be based on one’s own experiences. I saw the ocean hanging in the sky and the rolling yellow sand, but I don’t know why.” Her gaze darkened.

“Could it be…” Hanzhu’s heart stirred, and she exclaimed in surprise, “Mistress has seen this scene before, but just doesn’t remember?”

Zhuyou wasn’t sure whether to nod or not, knowing her thoughts were indeed bold and presumptuous.

Hanzhu, however, pondered for a moment and said seriously, “In that case, it’s best to go and see for yourself.”

“But it’s been so long since the chaos was first divided, it’s uncertain if any traces can still be found.” Zhuyou frowned.

Hanzhu lowered her eyes and thought for a while. She wanted to ask why her mistress didn’t enter the mirror again, but considering the danger… Last time the dragon was with her, but if she entered again, her mistress would be alone.

She fiddled with her fingers and said, “I will definitely follow Mistress, whether we find anything or not.” She paused, then whispered, “But what if that dragon comes looking for us?”

Zhuyou didn’t pause for even a moment—she took a single step and was already a hundred feet away. Frowning, she said, “The Turbid Mirror is still in my hands. She will come looking for it. Don’t take her for a fool.”

Hanzhu shook her head. She didn’t dare assume as much. After all, she wasn’t even sure what kind of realm the Nine Heavens’ Divine Venerable had reached.