A Bizarre Turn of Events
The pouring of the moonlight was nearing its end. Xiangxiang was clearly the one who had absorbed more of it; its round belly was even shimmering with flowing light.
Due to Shuangjian's intentional indulgence, this greedy little pig was not punished in the end. It only ended the competition because it was completely stuffed and couldn't eat anymore. Then, just like when it was digesting the Nether Demon Lord's severed arm, it fell into a drowsy state.
Yingshi was once again certain that Xiangxiang was charging up its power. It continuously devoured substances containing immense power, as if fueling itself.
But what was the purpose of its charging? Was it preparing to unleash an ultimate move to attack the Nether Demon Lord, or to attack Shuangjian?
The latter was something she absolutely could not tolerate!
I can't take it anymore, let's go to Mount Holy Spirit right now! Yingshi gritted her teeth and said.
Now that the demon essence had been absorbed, there was no longer any need for them to stay in the Demon Realm.
Not only did they have to prepare for the final decisive battle in three days at the Immortal-Breaking Cave on Mount Holy Spirit, but before that, they also had to try and uncover the secret behind Xiangxiang. Even Mr. Hundred-Thousand-Know-It-All didn't know what it was, but its connection to this world was that it was a product of Mount Holy Spirit. If Jing Fengliu really planted it here to do something, he would surely give it a reasonable disguise, right?
Otherwise, if it was purely a Deus ex machina, as a reader, she would absolutely not accept it!
Regarding how to get to Mount Holy Spirit and how long it would take, Yingshi had already asked Mr. Hundred-Thousand-Know-It-All during their card game a few days ago.
Mount Holy Spirit was not a mountain in the ordinary sense. It was somewhat like an isolated plateau, but there was no snow on this plateau; instead, it was like spring all year round.
The words Holy Spirit were actually quite fitting. This place did not belong to human cultivators, nor were there any sects or factions established here. This plateau belonged to the sky, the earth, the white clouds, to every blade of grass and tree, and to every spiritual pet nurtured from the spiritual energy of the universe—it solely did not belong to humans.
For a cultivator to climb Mount Holy Spirit, it would feel like a pilgrim hiking up the Tibetan Plateau, but even more difficult than that.
Ordinary cultivators would find it hard to truly enter Mount Holy Spirit in their entire lifetime, often stopped by the endless trials along the way.
And getting to the Immortal-Breaking Cave was even harder. It was located in the deepest part of Mount Holy Spirit. Those who could be broken there could already be considered immortals.
Yingshi and Shuangjian left the Demon Realm. Through flying mounts and teleportation steps, they finally arrived at the edge of Mount Holy Spirit's domain at dusk on January 16th.
Under the twilight, this mysterious realm appeared even more unreachable. It was indeed vastly different from all the cultivation locations Yingshi had visited so far. Although it didn't have a glaringly bizarre-colored sky as a marker like the Demon Realm, it was the place that gave off the strongest fantasy vibe.
It was just... how to put it, there was a feeling that there were simply no living humans on this land!
However, just as she was thinking this, before they had even started climbing the mountain, an imposing living human suddenly tore through the air and stood before them in an instant.
Yingshi was a split second away from reflexively attacking, but Shuangjian reacted faster than her and made no move, which clearly meant they knew this bizarrely appearing person—
...?!
It was absolutely absurd!
Why would Perfected Lord Dongming suddenly flash over to Mount Holy Spirit and block their path?
His entrance was as eerie, smooth, and abrupt as an AI-generated video!
That's right, this person making an untimely entrance was none other than Perfected Lord Dongming, whom they hadn't seen for many days.
He stared at the two of them with a straight face and said in a deep voice, I have finally found you. You have been traveling outside for a long time, and it is time to return to the Dao One Immortal Alliance. Follow your master back now.
...Huh?
Yingshi was both bewildered and shocked, her brain crashing for a second.
Was this logical?!
Perfected Lord Dongming bafflingly appeared at Mount Holy Spirit and bafflingly wanted to take them back to the Dao One Immortal Alliance... No, he shouldn't even have any screen time at this point, let alone know their exact location! Her and Shuangjian's excuse for leaving was to return to the Cloud Water Sect for a handover!
Even if Perfected Lord Dongming was bored out of his mind and wanted to find two disciples who hadn't formally joined his tutelage yet, he should have gone to the Cloud Water Sect to look for them. For him to chase them directly to Mount Holy Spirit was completely a bizarre plot twist one would only imagine after eating toxic mushrooms!
Yingshi subconsciously turned her head to look at Shuangjian and asked in panic, Is this the trial of Mount Holy Spirit? Do we have to defeat this illusion that has transformed into Perfected Lord Dongming?
However, Shuangjian's expression was even darker.
...This disciple must respectfully decline.
His serious response made Yingshi's eyebrows twitch. She looked back at Perfected Lord Dongming in astonishment, and that cheap master had already furrowed his brows: Mount Holy Spirit is not yet a place you can set foot in... Right now, following me back to cultivate diligently and stabilize your Dao foundation is the most important thing. Do not delusionally think about reaching the heavens in a single bound!
No... what do you mean?
Yingshi could lock onto Shuangjian's emotions through their blood pact, which further verified the reality of this moment. Although it was more illogical than a dream, this actually wasn't a dream! She couldn't help but interrupt, Perfected Lord Dongming, why are you here?! Why do you know Shuangjian and I are here, and why are you urging us to go back? Is this logical?
A very faint trace of bewilderment flashed through Perfected Lord Dongming's eyes, and he muttered to himself, I...?
Yingshi's questioning made him freeze for a moment. He himself seemed to experience a momentary confusion about the words he had blurted out and his behavior of appearing in this place.
But this confusion was fleeting. He looked at the two of them again, his tone regaining some of its steadiness, though lacking the firmness from earlier: ...Anyway, I have already sought out the two of you and fulfilled my duty to inform you. That is all I have to say. Whether you listen or not is up to your own destiny.
After saying that, he surprisingly didn't say another word. He turned around, transformed into a streak of cyan light, and vanished into the horizon in an instant. He came abruptly, and left even more abruptly.
But there is always a higher mountain; an even more abrupt event was yet to come.
The light and shadows from Perfected Lord Dongming's departure hadn't even fully dissipated when two men, one middle-aged and one young, came rushing from afar on the path behind them. The young man's cultivation base was clearly very poor; he needed to be dragged by the collar by the middle-aged man just to barely keep up with the speed of the teleportation steps. Moreover, he seemed completely unable to withstand the invisible oppressive aura of Mount Holy Spirit, and his face was already deathly pale as they approached.
It was too... terrifying.
Seeing them approaching, Yingshi's legs even went weak.
In a daze, she heard that long-lost scolding—
Xu Yingshi, you unfilial child! Xu Mingcheng's chest heaved, clearly furious. As he spoke, he raised his finger and pointed at her and Shuangjian with bitter disappointment. Are you really going to elope with this piece of trash?! Being away from home for so long, what kind of proper behavior is this! Do you still have any respect for me as your father!
Xu Yingshi... you are my sister! By doing this kind of thing, are you trying to make me lose all my face too?! Come back with us! Xu Xiaoran's chest was also heaving violently, but that was entirely because he couldn't catch his breath.
With his cultivation level, he shouldn't even be here. He vaguely felt like his body was about to explode and die, yet instead of calling for help at this moment, he was actually scolding his long-unseen sister. His face was clearly already purple from holding his breath... This wasn't right. Why couldn't he stop?
As they took a step closer, Yingshi couldn't help but take a step back. She felt her blood run cold, feeling as if she was experiencing the most terrifying scene since entering this book world.
Under this hair-raising terror, she couldn't even make a sound, only blindly retreating. Shuangjian sharply grabbed her hand, scooped her up with one arm, and pushed off the ground to fly away. In the blink of an eye, they left the newly arrived Xu Mingcheng and his son far behind.
Their figures shrank into tiny specks. Yingshi saw Xu Xiaoran seemingly collapse on the spot, while Xu Mingcheng appeared to "struggle" in place for a long time before finally taking his son and exiting the stage...
"Shuangjian... what is happening?" Yingshi's voice trembled as she spoke. She could only grip Shuangjian's hand tightly, wanting to draw some warmth from it.
"Jing Fengliu wants to stop us." Shuangjian held Yingshi in his arms, his expression gloomy. He was about to speak again when a rustling sound of loose dirt suddenly echoed from the ground beneath their feet. Immediately after, a face they had just parted ways with not long ago popped out from a mound of earth.
Mr. Hundred-Thousand-Know-It-All crawled out covered in dirt. He shook off the mud clinging to his whiskers and cupped his hands to Shuangjian of his own accord, saying, "Young Master! The demons of the Demon Realm have reached a consensus and wish to crown you as the new lord! You bear the spiritual core of the former Demon King and displayed your majesty at the Blood Moon Sacrifice. It is truly the mandate of heaven! Please return to the Demon Realm with this old man and rebuild our homeland!"
"Senior Hundred-Thousand?! Have you gone mad too? When did you get here?" Yingshi cried out in a breakdown.
She felt a massive sense of absurdity.
In such an environment, a person would begin to doubt everything. The boundary between reality and illusion was becoming blurred, and she would lose herself too!
She also felt an overwhelming anger, especially after seeing Mr. Hundred-Thousand-Know-It-All's response—
The rat demon raised his eyes and sighed. A faint glimmer of tears actually shone in his beady rat eyes as he murmured, "This old man... doesn't know..."
With that, he stopped trying to persuade them. Instead, he took one look at Yingshi and Shuangjian before jumping back into the hole. When he left, he didn't even say goodbye.
But Yingshi saw Mr. Hundred-Thousand-Know-It-All's tears.
This rat demon knew.
He also knew his lack of free will, knew the collapse of this world, and knew that the "destiny" looming "above" could arbitrarily arrange everyone, even arranging all his "knowing" and "unknowing."
"..."
Yingshi covered her ears and buried her face in Shuangjian's chest.
"Shuangjian, let's run away," she said with a sobbing tone. "We won't go see Qiaoyuan, we won't ask about Xiangxiang anymore, we won't care about anyone else. Let's just run away..."
CR
Don't let anyone find us.
Even if we just escape for one night, that's fine.
Don't even bring Xiangxiang along! Even if we come back to find it after the dust settles...
She was scared.
It turned out that being inside a book and watching helplessly as oneself and everything around was manipulated felt this awful.
The powerlessness that rose straight up could instantly annihilate a person's will to fight.
She was afraid that the destination she was striving to reach wasn't "going home together"!
She was afraid there wouldn't be a certain, beautiful, and happy ending!
Most importantly, the closer it got to January 18th, and the closer they got to the Holy Spirit Mountain, the more panicked her heart became. It was as if her sixth sense was warning her that something beyond her control was about to happen...
Shuangjian set down the sleeping little pig and wrapped both arms around Yingshi, comforting all the tears she shed in her panic.
"Okay," he replied hoarsely.
Even if, under the vast sky, they truly had nowhere to run.
... The only way was to escape this very sky.
...
"Shuangjian, have I... not yet told you my address in the modern world? And my phone number, my school, my major..."
Yingshi's eyes and nose were completely red, but she was no longer crying.
Under the veil of night, she leaned against Shuangjian's shoulder. They looked like a true pair of eloping lovers, hiding at the bottom of a cliff covered in little flowers, snuggling against each other.
"I'm afraid that after we both get out, I'll still be me, but you might descend into some unknown corner. I'm afraid you won't be able to find me." As Yingshi spoke, she traced that string of numbers onto Shuangjian's palm. "Just borrow anyone's phone. Memorize this number, and I will appear immediately to come pick you up!"
"... Okay."
"If you end up descending into the girls' dormitory with me, that would be the worst-case scenario, but I will definitely find a way to get you out safely..."
"... Okay."
"The ID card situation will be a bit tricky, but it's definitely not impossible. It's just that you look too striking. I'm worried someone walking by might snap a quick picture of you and put it online. Then the netizens would start digging, only to find absolutely nothing about your past. If that happens, even forging an identity would be very difficult..."
Yingshi was still talking, but Shuangjian's grip on her hand tightened.
At that moment, she also felt a vague premonition. She couldn't help but hold her breath and look up toward the edge of the cliff.
A barefoot young woman in a yellow dress was slowly walking over. In her arms, she held the still-slumbering little pig, stopping a few meters in front of them.
"Is this Soul-Guiding Beast yours?" Qiaoyuan asked.
Xiangxiang, whom Yingshi had intentionally left a few kilometers away during their escape, had been picked up.
And was deliberately brought right back to their side.
At that moment, Yingshi truly felt a sense of dazed powerlessness. She quickly connected the young woman to the most iconic female supporting character of the Holy Spirit Mountain, Qiaoyuan. And she also heard the name Qiaoyuan gave Xiangxiang—the Soul-Guiding Beast.
... What was that?
Did it mean what she imagined it meant?
Before she even had time to ask, Qiaoyuan placed Xiangxiang on the ground. Then, without saying another word to them, she simply looked up at the sky and vanished in a flash, looking deeply worried.
She was almost fleeing as well, because the sky right now looked absolutely terrible.
The sky... Yingshi stared blankly upward, seeing thick clouds rolling overhead. From time to time, purple lightning already flickered within the cloud layers.
The wind had picked up.
Moreover, the wind was growing stronger and piercingly cold.
The Holy Spirit Mountain rarely experienced such weather. The vegetation along the cliff wall was uprooted, tumbling together with dust and fallen leaves in giant swirling gusts.
Yingshi's hair was blown into a wild dance. She exchanged a glance with Shuangjian.
It turned out that time had passed so quickly.
And the Nether Demon Lord, just like the date of January 18th, was an existence destined to descend.
Now... he was coming.
