Chapter 63: Burning Heart with Fire (Middle)

  The sound of the wind in my ears, the chaos in my mind, all seemed to come to a standstill at that moment.

  Xuan Zhen stood stupidly on the ground, and it was only after a long while that he found his own voice again. He trembled as he said: "Y...you said what?"

  The woman's eyebrows furrowed even tighter, her eyes darting back and forth, the inquiring look in her eyes growing more intense. Just as she was about to speak, the demon general beside her, Gui Yao, couldn't help but exclaim: "This is impossible! Tribe leader, this little guy... he's clearly a human being, how could he be one of my Dream Demon tribe's..."

  Tribe leader! Xuan Zhen's eyebrows jumped, and his gaze at the woman couldn't help but add a hint of astonishment. He never thought that this delicate and charming woman in front of him would be the leader of those ferocious beasts. However, looking at Gui Xie's respectful attitude towards her, he couldn't help but believe it.

  The woman also stared intently at Xuān Zhèn's face, lifting a hand as white as jade from her crimson sleeves that flowed like sunset clouds. Jiāo Xié saw this movement and hastily lowered his head, no longer speaking, and the golden spear in his hand pointing at Xuān Zhèn's throat slowly drooped down.

  "The barrier of the Phantom Realm was set up by my own hands, and it is filled with demonic energy. There are also various restrictions in place. Unless one has the bloodline of our clan, it would be impossible to easily pass through it and arrive here. This barrier has always been set up by the successive clan leaders, and even if there is a slight abnormality, I can detect it. It was meant to block those who would dare to desecrate the Phantom Realm and cause chaos in my Rotating Dream City... Who would have thought that today, someone who looks no different from a human... would break through?"

  Xuan Zhen was silent, only staring at her quietly and listening attentively. Behind him, on the light wall above his head, a faint purple-black glow flowed back and forth, casting an eerie reflection of three faces on the ground, which seemed inexplicably strange.

  The woman paused for a moment, the flowing light in her eyes gradually sinking, and the astonishment on her face also slowly subsiding, restoring her expression to its previous state without any emotional fluctuations. She continued: "You... although there is no hint of demonic energy on your body, I knew as soon as I saw you that you are absolutely not one of those foolish and ordinary humans from the outside... If it were those people who approached this place, they would have been burned to death by the demonic power attached to the seal. But you came to Xuanmeng City without any hindrance, isn't this the best proof?"

  Silence gradually spread in this not-so-large space. After the woman finished speaking, she didn't say another word, only standing still with her sleeves lowered and her head bowed, gazing at Xuan Chen from a distance that was neither far nor near, as if lost in thought, but her eyes seemed to pass through him, looking towards an unknown void.

  After putting away the long spear, he walked to the back of the woman and stood still. He was tall and sturdy, much taller than the woman in both width and height. As a result, Xuān Zhèn could see clearly that after the woman finished speaking, her originally heroic face twisted into a very distorted shape, occasionally casting a suspicious and disbelieving glance over.

  But all of these were nothing to Xuan Zhen. At this moment, his heart was a stormy sea. The woman's every word, he seemed to have understood, yet wished that he hadn't understood anything at all.

  He lowered his head, looking at himself in the blue and white Taoist robe, although it was tattered and disheveled everywhere, but the four floating clouds embroidered on the sleeve corners wrapped around a sword were still very clear, shining brightly in front of him, but when he looked again, he felt dizzy.

  "After nineteen years of cultivating in the Quan Hua Sect, I... am clearly a human being... how can I be a demon now?" He muttered to himself, his grip on Chun Shui's hand tightened again and again. "This sword was originally held for saving people and eliminating harm, but now you're telling me... that I don't even have the qualifications to hold it? Who are you, what makes you think I should listen to your demonic words?"

  The woman hummed a sound, the voice was not loud, but in this quietness it was very loud. She coldly laughed and said: "Believe or not, it's up to you. I am the master of this Phantom Mist Realm, why bother with your identity here?" Although she said so, her beautiful eyes still scanned back and forth on Xuanshen's face, as if there was something stuck in her heart that she couldn't spit out. After a while, she continued: "My Dreamyak clan has been living in this strange land since we discovered it a thousand years ago. This realm is not only a separate paradise but also full of spiritual energy, so the whole clan settled here and never left. If you say there was still some bloodline flowing outside a thousand years ago that has been passed down to this day, I absolutely won't believe it. So, you can only be... her son."

  Who is she again? Xuan Zhen's mind was a jumble, but he felt that the words of the self-proclaimed mistress of the demon realm, Yan You, were laced with deep meaning. He couldn't help but strongly argue back: "I don't know who you're talking about, but from the day I joined the Qinghua Sect nineteen years ago, I have considered myself a cultivator, and it has been my duty to eliminate demons and protect the Dao. All of this is deeply etched in my heart, and it's not something that can be erased by your few words!"

  "Hmph……" Yu Wei let out another cold laugh, suddenly pouncing forward. Xuan Zhen only felt a flash of red before his eyes, a wave of fragrant wind hitting him in the face, and that icy jade-like face was already right in front of him. Her lips were slightly raised, revealing a hint of mocking smile, her wide sleeves fluttering, her slender fingers already reaching out to grab him. Xuan Zhen tried to struggle free, but felt a powerful demonic energy enveloping him, like a huge net binding him tightly, his whole body covered in cold sweat, unable to move even an inch.

  Xuan Zhen's heart was greatly shocked, he didn't expect that the master of the demon realm, who looked weak and delicate, would be so strong and difficult to defeat. With just a wave of her sleeve and a movement of her foot, Xuan Zhen hadn't even drawn his sword yet and already found it hard to parry. Looking at Yuanyu's powdered face with a hint of majesty, he didn't know how he would be dealt with if he fell into the hands of this demon woman. Xuan Zhen furrowed his brow, secretly making up his mind that no matter what kind of severe punishment or torture the demon would inflict on him, he couldn't do anything to betray his sect.

  She saw the determination on his face, but soon realized what was going through his mind. Her pretty face sank, and she said coldly: "Do you think I would torture or kill you like those shameless humans who invaded my Phantom Realm? How ridiculous! I, Xuan Yu, have never done anything to harm humanity, yet it's the humans who have been invading our territory, slaughtering my fellow Dream Foxes. Are we really more despicable than them in your eyes?"

  Xuan Zhen's mouth twitched slightly, about to speak, but unfortunately found that he didn't even have the strength to move his tongue tip, and could only gaze at Yu Rou faintly, conveying his unyielding spirit through his eyes.

  Her slender eyebrows were furrowed, and with a swift motion of her wide sleeves, she had him lifted off the ground in an instant. Xuan Zhen was a young man, originally much taller and heavier than her, but now that his collar was grasped by her, he didn't even have the strength to struggle, his throat constricted tightly, almost unable to breathe, truly uncomfortable.

  "Rebel, you and Mingfeng, Jipu, lead the troops of demonic beasts to kill your way out of Xuanmeng City! Since those humans dared to intrude into the Fantasy Realm, let them know the price of offending our tribe!"

  Xuan Zhen was caught by Yuanyu, and naturally couldn't see her expression when she gave the order, but from the cold tone in her voice, it was clear that this demoness had been enraged and would fight to the death with Qionghua.

  "Yes!" Gei Ye listened to the order of the clan leader and hastily bowed his head, loudly responding.

  That cold and cruel voice behind him continued to say, "I and Xi Zhong will be waiting in the Huan Ming Palace for your triumphant news, this little guy will be handed over to me to deal with."

  This time, before Guī Xié could respond, Xuán Zhèn suddenly felt the force on his neck tighten again, and in front of him, Guī Xié's respectful face was momentarily obscured by a hazy purple light.

  When the purple light dissipated, the scene in front of him changed again, and Gui Xie didn't know where he was going. Xuán Zhèn hadn't even seen clearly where he had arrived when the force that bound his neck suddenly loosened, and with a dull thud, he fell to the ground. Except for a three-foot square bluestone brick in front of him, nothing else could be seen.

  A faint sound of footsteps came from behind, and after a moment, a red shadow appeared in front of him. The fragrance that had been lingering around his nose grew stronger, and Xuan Zhen knew that the master of the demon realm had arrived before him. He was probably still wearing that cold and mocking expression, looking down at him with disdain. Although he wanted to lift his head and glare back to show his determination, the invisible demonic energy that bound him had not loosened its grip, so he could only unwillingly stare at the tip of a shoe peeking out from under the red skirt on the brick floor in front of him, wishing he could bore a hole into it with his gaze.

  "No matter what I say, you don't believe that you are a Dreamweaver, do you?" A voice suddenly came from above her head after a moment.

  Her cold voice didn't have much malice in it, but to Xuan Zhen's ears, it was inexplicably detestable. Feeling the demonic energy on his body relax slightly, he hastily nodded vigorously and said, "Monsters are accustomed to bewitching people's hearts, I, Xuan Zhen, won't fall for your trick!"

  "Do you really not believe it, or are you just unwilling to believe?" Yu Rou asked again.

  Xuan Zhen was taken aback, and a wave of confusion suddenly swept through his mind. Ah, why did he keep denying the words of that demon girl? Was it because he really didn't believe what she said, that he might have demonic blood flowing in his veins, or was it simply because he refused to accept the fact that he might be a demon himself?

  No, no! How could I be a demon? Xuan Zhen argued strenuously in his heart. If I were a demon, how could the Qionghua Sect tolerate me, and how could my master accept me as a disciple? And how could those disciples in the sect possibly acknowledge that they are my juniors?

  If I weren't a demon... then why would the master of the demon realm deceive myself? Yes, I've been in the Qinghua Sect for 19 years, but what about before that? Those memories... Xuan Zhen's whole body shook, and he felt his hands and feet gradually trembling, as if a cold intention was spreading from the bottom of his heart to his entire body, like being placed in an ice cellar.

  Nineteen years ago, nineteen years ago... The scene in front of me changed, and the intense pain that had been dormant for a long time rose again from my mind. Xuan Zhen trembled as he stared at the bluestone bricks in front of him, his eyes blurry, but the image in his mind gradually fixed on a very deep and icy cave.

  Nineteen years ago on that day, the moment I opened my eyes, with nothing remembered and a blank mind, what was the first thing I saw?

  The author has something to say: Special thanks to Yī Zuì Nán Huì's landmine ~ MUA

  Thank you to the scattered Philo, beini1127, LuLu, Yishuihan, Huadeng, Cheng, Suimianpianpian, I am a loyal dog with a cute face but actually a black-bellied and perverted crazy dog who wants to lock up his master every day and roll around in bed sheets (your name is so long that my fingers are cramping (￣_￣|||)), Yizui Nanhuai, CJ's Xizi, smiling comments~

  P.S. The Master's true identity revealed...

  PPS. This chapter was originally going to be posted last night, but the school network suddenly went down ahead of schedule, so I had no choice but to post it today, and I plan to post another chapter later tonight, everyone please look forward to it o(*￣︶￣*)o