Inner Demons

Chapter 207: The True Self

Yet, he didn't want to flee by riding the wave, like Lady Hong had. No matter how big, a wave was still just a wave. For two powerful Yin Spirit demons to be knocked away by this thing—that was just ridiculous. Lady Hong probably felt a sense of dread, so she simply used the momentum of being knocked away to dive into the water.

But Li Yunxin didn't want to hide.

For one, he felt that the people outside the barrier might be there because of him. And secondly, how could he lose face over something like this?

While still in mid-air, he roared, and a blinding golden light radiated from his body. A few strands of the white mane that only appeared in his divine-demon form grew at his temples, and tiny scales appeared on his cheeks. He released his inner divine beast power to a limited degree, which both strengthened his body and preserved his human Qi Sea and meridians. It was a strategy that allowed for both offense and defense.

With a thunderous crash, he broke through the monstrous wave, reappearing on the lakeshore in a shower of spray and light.

Only a few short breaths had passed from the moment he was submerged until he broke through the water again.

But the fight on the shore seemed to be nearing its end.

A blazing inferno was still burning, but the giant human-like figure had vanished. Upon closer inspection, however, a change could be seen in the flames.

It was as if many tiny firebirds were flying within the inferno. Their bodies were a deep crimson, their feathers a bright orange. If you weren't paying attention, you'd mistake them for swirling air currents in the fire. Countless little birds were soaring up and down, chasing a smaller human-like figure.

Li Yunxin had only been able to make out the size of the figure before, not its appearance. Now, he could clearly see that the little people were the scattered pieces of the large figure from before. They had split into thousands of smaller figures in the flames, scattering in all directions. But the wall of fire now seemed to be a cage. The tiny figures shrieked in the fire, their forms gradually thinning. When one moved too slowly and was caught by a bird, the bird pecked and craned its neck, swallowing the figure whole.The flames burned in silence, licking at the barrier in front of Li Yunxin. There were no other sounds.

After a full half hour, the dense human-like figures in the fire were finally all consumed by the birds. The last figure fled to the edge of the flames, where countless firebirds surged forward and swallowed it. At this moment, the little figure finally spoke. Its voice was not in proportion to its size; it was deep and hoarse, like a great bell, causing the ground to tremble slightly.

"One day, I, the Emperor—"

But the voice was quickly drowned out by the flock of birds. Two breaths later, the last figure vanished.

Li Yunxin's heart skipped a beat.

The figure had called itself "the Emperor."

He didn't know which "Emperor."

Another fifteen minutes passed, and the flames also dissipated.

It was still night. As the fire died down, the whistling wind in the air gradually faded. Then, he could hear the sound of the Dongting's waves again. There were stars and a moon in the sky, and in front of him—

The receding flames parted in the middle, like two bright, magnificent curtains slowly being drawn to the sides.

The ground that was revealed had been burned dry by the fire, with a faint white smoke rising from it. A few people stood on the ground.

Their faces were cast in a warm yellow by the flames on either side, while their backs were plated in a cold light by the stars and moon. Against the silent, dark mountains and forests in the distance, and the bright fires on both sides, they just stood there, looking at Li Yunxin.

A few breaths later, the flames completely vanished. The little birds that had been flying in the fire merged into one flock and flew directly into the palm of the person in the lead. He was not afraid of the high temperature, and with a shake of a talisman in his hand, the firebirds were absorbed into it, eventually turning into a strange and mysterious character.

Li Yunxin didn't recognize the character. It must be a True Talisman of the Daoist Orthodoxy.

But Li Yunxin recognized the person.

It was Kun Wuzi.

And he realized that if his deduction was correct, this should be Kun Wuzi's true self, not just a spirit soul manifesting as a true body.

Kun Wuzi's true self had not come alone. He was followed by seven Taoist priests, all dressed in different robes. But they all had one thing in common: they looked at Li Yunxin as if he were a corpse.

After staring at him for a moment, Kun Wuzi spoke. "Open the barrier, and hand over the Dongting."

Li Yunxin stood on the waves and looked behind him. The direction of Weicheng was normal, with nothing out of the ordinary. There were no others behind them.

He spread his hands. "I can't open it. I also want to get out. Where are my people?"

"Your people?" A Profound Realm Taoist priest sneered slightly. "I heard you had some demons under your command, but they've scattered like birds and beasts and are nowhere to be seen. There's also a Taoist priest who fled with those demons. And there's a Ghost Emperor in Weicheng?"

"Do you know who I just killed?"

Li Yunxin was silent for a while, then he looked up. "Oh. So you took care of Emperor Li? In any case, it couldn't have been Emperor of Ye—from the looks of you, you wouldn't need to make such a big fuss to kill him."

Kun Wuzi smiled slightly. "That Emperor Li killed several cultivators from our Daoist Orthodoxy, and yet he chose to flee in the direction of Weicheng. My true self and my disciples were here, and we just happened to run into him. It's a pity that he was once on the verge of the Supreme Indifference realm, but now he is only in the Abstruse Profound Realm."

"So, I killed him. It did take some effort, though. If it weren't for this thing, I wouldn't have let you enter the Dongting so easily before. Now, Li Yunxin, hand over this Dongting. You have ties to the Two Saints. Even though you have a demon body, it's not impossible for you to join our Daoist Orthodoxy. I am not that Lingkongzi; my words are not empty promises."

The seven Taoist priests behind him remained silent, but their expressions were not pleasant at all. They seemed to dislike how "friendly" this Sect Master of Langya Grotto-Heaven was being with a demon.

Li Yunxin listened to him finish and was silent for a while longer. Then he frowned. "Is a war coming?"

When he said this, Kun Wuzi's expression remained as calm as ever, but the faces of the seven people behind him changed in an instant. It was as if he had spoken a great secret they all knew, and they were shocked that Li Yunxin knew about it.

Because of this great astonishment, one of them couldn't help but let out a low growl. "How do you know about this?! Tell us, are you truly in cahoots with those demons?!"

The speaker's age was indiscernible. He looked like a middle-aged man. He had a short, three-pronged beard and very thin lips that were always pursed, giving him an air of untamed arrogance. He was tall, even a full head taller than Kun Wuzi. He stared at Li Yunxin with wide, angry eyes, but there was a strange look in them.

It wasn't just the disgust one would have for a demon or an enemy. There was also a hint of a softer emotion—disappointment.

But Li Yunxin had no idea when he had ever met this guy or when he had given him any reason to have expectations of him.

He looked at the man and sighed. "Is this so hard to guess?"

"Since all of you have come to Weicheng and the Dongting with such great fanfare and one after another, you probably already know that a part of the True Dragon's spiritual soul is sealed in this Dongting. And now you're so impatient to seize this Dongting, you even helped me before by getting rid of the Lord of Dongting. You must have been plotting to get your hands on this place for a while."

"You've set your sights on a True Dragon. If it weren't for a coming war, why would you do something so sensitive?"

Kun Wuzi hadn't spoken yet, but the man interrupted him again. "You actually know that there's a True Dragon's spiritual soul in this Dongting. Hmph, you really are... Oh, sigh! To have gone down this path—why would a perfectly good person choose to become a demon?!"

Li Yunxin frowned and watched him for a while, then looked at Kun Wuzi, spreading his hands and tilting his head in silent communication.

It seemed that body language was universally effective. Kun Wuzi understood what Li Yunxin meant. He cleared his throat and glanced at the person next to him. "Tong Ji."

So, that person's name was Tong Ji.

But Kun Wuzi's reminder didn't seem to have any effect. The Taoist priest named Tong Ji was still a bit agitated. Even the six people around him looked at him strangely. It was... sympathy?

Tong Ji scoffed and looked at Li Yunxin. "Listen to me, and you'll know that my Taoist name is Yue Chenzi. Your mother was led astray by an evil, outside cultivator and became deluded, and then she gave birth to you. Although she has unfortunately passed away, I will remember the love we once shared—it has become a karma for me."

"I just didn't expect you to be... Hmph, just as evil as the outside cult! Why would you not be a human?! Your body and hair are a gift from your parents, and your mother carried you for ten months to give you this great body. Is that body just to be thrown away for nothing?!"

"Now—immediately unlock the Dongting barrier and tell the Sect Master everything you know. If you explain everything clearly and reflect on the sins you've committed, then I will remember my past with your mother and protect you. You can give up your cultivation and re-cultivate the Great Dao in my Langya Grotto-Heaven. You can also use this demon body to atone for you and your mother's sins to the Daoist Orthodoxy and the Sword Sect—isn't being a pure and clean person better than anything?!"

Li Yunxin listened to him say all this in surprise, and he finally couldn't help but ask Kun Wuzi—

"Who is this idiot?"

Yue Chenzi was instantly enraged. "You—"

Kun Wuzi sighed and said in a low voice, "Enough! How long are you going to carry on?"

When the eight people first appeared, accompanied by flames and darkness, they were truly impressive and awe-inspiring in Li Yunxin's eyes. Kun Wuzi had come in his true form, and the seven people behind him each seemed to possess unique abilities. Standing there with pursed lips and just staring coldly, they were a great deterrent.

But after Yue Chenzi said all that, the other six people started to try and calm him down. They pulled him back, telling him to cool down and not to be disrespectful in front of the Sect Master. Some of them looked at Li Yunxin with a hint of disgust while they were comforting him. The aura of a high-level cultivator was completely gone, and it became like a casual family conversation in the market.

However, you could also see that the seven people behind Kun Wuzi seemed to have a good relationship. This should be an anomaly in the world of cultivation. He had always thought that the cultivators of the Daoist Orthodoxy and the Sword Sect were supposed to be cold and emotionless. They had, after all, to transcend tribulations. But now they looked like brothers. There might be other reasons.

Kun Wuzi saw him staring at the seven people and frowned. "They are the Seven Masters of Langya under my command. That Tong Ji—was once acquainted with your mother, Shangguan Yue..."

"Then tell him to keep his mouth shut." Li Yunxin frowned. "And to pay attention to his IQ."

Yue Chenzi was stunned when he heard this. Then he widened his eyes, and even his six "brothers" couldn't stop him. He shouted, "You brat! Do you know that your mother was supposed to become my Taoist partner?! If it weren't for that demon... Oh, this infuriates me! Now you are also so stubborn and ignorant. In the future, I will definitely discipline you well and let you know that you and your father—"

Seeing that he was getting more and more ridiculous, Kun Wuzi simply waved his large sleeve, and Yue Chenzi's mouth was moving, but no sound could be heard.

He thought for a moment, then said, "The matter between him and your mother is complicated. His attitude is not without reason. But I brought his doppelganger here to let you know that my previous guarantee was not just empty talk."

"Perhaps you already know, or perhaps you don't know enough. Your mother, Shangguan Yue, was a descendant of the Two Saints, and you are also a descendant of the Two Saints. The attitude of the Daoist Orthodoxy and the Sword Sect towards you is the same as Yue Chenzi's attitude towards you—they lament your misfortune and are angry that you don't fight to change it. No one wants to be a demon if they can be a human. I also know a little about some things..."

"You previously told my doppelganger that there is another force at play, trying to stir up trouble in this world. The misfortunes of your parents were probably a tragedy caused by that force. And because of that tragedy, you, a young man, had to survive alone and were forced to do some wrong things, kill some people you shouldn't have, and make the choice you've made now. As I've said, it can all be summed up in four words: 'forced to do so'."

"If it were anyone else, even with those four words, it would be difficult to forgive. But your body, after all, flows with the blood of the Two Saints. We cultivators don't place much importance on blood relations and emotions, but this matter is right in front of us. It is also a matter of blood and karma."

"Therefore, I told you to unlock the barrier and hand over the Dongting."

"Then, come back to the mountain with me. If you want to give up your cultivation, you can do so and re-cultivate the Great Dao. If you don't want to, you can remain a demon."

"After all, you were once a human, and demons are demons. You can't fully appreciate the joy of being human when you're with them. To be honest, the Daoist Orthodoxy is more suitable for you. Li Yunxin, you've also seen great waves. Although you are young, you are more mature and steady than many people I have met. Think about it carefully. Put aside your emotions and think carefully—to be a demon or a human?"

"They say that being a demon is carefree and joyful. But a demon has to be on constant guard against being targeted by high-level cultivators of the Daoist Orthodoxy. And when they reveal their true form, they will cause fear and unrest among the ordinary people. It's one thing if you were born a demon, but you've been a human for fourteen years. Can you truly endure such a life?"

"You have to know, the choice you make now... will affect the next hundreds, or even thousands of years. I am now speaking to you sincerely, just because of the blood of the Two Saints."

Kun Wuzi sighed softly, his eyes clear as he looked at Li Yunxin. "Come back."

Li Yunxin listened to him say all this seriously, and he also sighed.

Honestly... he was indeed tempted. (To be continued.)