Chapter 66: Hard to Explain One's Mind

  A gentle breeze stirred the silk curtains that filled the hall, with light purple and deep red hues rising and falling in waves, like a soft ripple. Yu Ru stood at one corner of the Huan Yin Palace, her gaze gradually shifting from the undulating curtains to the young man in blue-white robes, his face etched with pain and sorrow. Despite having suffered such a great blow, his refined features, as delicate as carved jade, remained unrivaled in their beauty, and between his eyebrows, one could still discern the faint outline of the Huan Yin world's number one beauty.

  He was Yan Jing's son, one of the few remaining relatives... Yan You bit her cheek tightly, suppressing the soft sigh that was about to escape.

  Yan Jing…… She curled up the corners of her lips and smiled silently, with a hint of mockery. The older sister who was ten years older than herself had an absolutely beautiful face and powerful demonic powers, she should have been the master of this fantasy world, leading the Meng Yu tribe to guard this land that had been lingering for nearly a thousand years, she should have stayed forever in this magnificent but responsible Fantasy Palace, day after day, year after year. Who would have thought that she would give up?

  The ancient scroll of the Mengmei clan was placed on a bookshelf in the Huanming Palace, recording the major events and strange occurrences of the Mengmei tribe over thousands of years. Xiang Jing, who had once held her own hand to read aloud every word and sentence from that ancient scroll, could she have ever imagined that one day her name would also appear on that scroll?

  "The twelfth successor, Shuang Jing, abandoned her position as clan leader due to her infatuation with the mortal world's splendor and secretly left Xuanmeng City, disappearing without a trace. Later, her younger sister Shuang You took over her duties, becoming the master of the Huanmu Realm."

  Xiang Jing, if you were still alive in this world, would you regret it?

  She slightly lowered her head, staring at the bluestone slab on the ground in a trance, when suddenly a low and mournful laugh sounded from beside her.

  "Hah, hahaha... So that's how it is, so that's really how it is!"

  That laughter carried infinite resentment, mixed with deep anger, yet uniquely without a hint of joy. Yuanyu's heart skipped a beat as she finally came back to her senses, hastily turning her head to look at the person who was slowly lifting their head not far away.

  Those eyes, once slender and beautiful, had lost their warmth and luster of old, leaving only an increasingly intense madness, a deepening crimson, like ripples on clear water spreading outwards, gradually erasing even the original clarity.

  Yan Yu, who was being stared at by those crazy and icy eyes, couldn't help but feel a sudden jolt in her heart, secretly wondering: Could this be... an omen of demonic transformation?

  "You... are indeed a child born of Yan Jing and the Human Tribe, why..." Yan You couldn't help but speak up, yet with some hesitation.

  Xuan Zhen still had that terrifying expression, woodenly repeating: "......She and the human tribe's child?" The anger in his chest was all bunched up, with no way to vent, all transformed into a voice, rampaging back and forth in his mind: So, so I'm actually the offspring of humans and demons... A monstrous creature, heaven playing tricks on people, so it turns out it's this ridiculous!

  "Just now in front of the boundary, I had already sensed that although you possess the bloodline of our Qiong Yao tribe, you don't have even a hint of demonic energy. If not for the evidence being conclusive and your resemblance to your mother, even I would have found it difficult to discover your identity... Logically speaking, this kind of anomaly shouldn't appear..." Yan You spoke slowly with doubt, while attentively watching his every move.

  "...an anomaly?" The pupils of Xuán Zhèn's eyes, filled with blood, flashed a deep light, still expressionless, murmuring repeatedly, but in his mind he was vaguely thinking: So it was because of this that the people of Qióng Huá sect didn't discover for over a decade that I am actually...the demon they detest the most?

  For some reason, thinking of the people closest to him over the years, thinking of Xuan Xiao, Yun Tianqing, Su Yu, Su Yao, Su Qing, even Tai Qing Zhenren, thinking of those who had once treated him with praise, respect and intimacy, would change color in an instant, no longer having the affection of the past. The heart that had been chilled to the bone by Xuan Zhen again faintly stirred up a wave of pain.

  The fierce wind swept away, rolling up the broken clothes in the air with a rustling sound. The corner of the garment embroidered with the Qionghua badge flickered and disappeared, piercing Xuanshen's eyes. He trembled as he raised his hand to pull down the garment, but when he saw his palm, it shook slightly. His slender and powerful fingers were now stained with dust and bloodstains, yet they could not hide the sharp armor that was gradually becoming sharper and more prominent at the fingertips. It turned out that the strange change had begun without him realizing it.

  Hmph... If it were those people from the Qionghua Sect, seeing themselves now, would they still dare to address themselves with a respectful tone as "Senior Brother"?

  Just then, a sudden burst of footsteps broke the tense atmosphere in the hall.

  Before long, the figure of a man wearing a long robe appeared behind the layers of curtains. Xuan Zhen only took a glance and knew that the man must also be a shape-shifting Qiong demon, as he had a pair of cold, purple-red beastly eyes and white hair that was almost indistinguishable from Yu Rou's and Gui Ye's, except for the slight mixture of gray in his hair. The Qiong demon was not as robust as Gui Ye, but he was not short either, and he looked somewhat refined. His cheeks also had many crimson demonic tattoos, which made him look like a handsome man with beautiful eyebrows.

  That strange creature walked in and saw the entire hall being ravaged by strong winds, with countless silk curtains torn to shreds. However, its expression remained unchanged, still calm and composed as it walked up to Yu Ru and bowed: "Lady Yu Ru."

  "What's wrong?" Yu Wei was slightly startled, raised her hand and asked, "Didn't I tell you to guard the boundary and wait for Gui Xie and the other generals to return? Why did you come here instead?"

  That Xizhong, the rhinoceros demon, finally stood up straight and said in a low voice: "Lady Yuanyu, just now there was an extremely strong spiritual power that descended upon the east side of Xuandream City. General Mingfeng led a group of rhinoceros demons to go and investigate, but they have not returned for a long time. When we went to search again, even his aura could no longer be detected. I fear..."

  Before he could finish speaking, Yan You's slender eyebrows were already furrowed, and the air around her forehead was even more menacing. With a fierce swing of her sleeve, she coldly said: "Even Mingfeng... these people from the mortal realm are not here for good!" A wave of energy surged up, and silently, the green stone bricks at her feet were already covered in cracks.

  "It's exactly as I said." Xi Zhong's calm face showed a hint of worry, and his eyes glanced at the motionless Xuān Zhèn beside him before continuing, "I sensed that something was amiss, so I also sent some of my clansmen to investigate. According to them, they had barely left the boundary of Xuán Mèng City when they encountered a group of humans. Not only did those humans not retreat, but they even attacked, and among them was a white-haired youth who was extremely formidable - from over ten feet away, he could release an unusual glow from his sleeve, slaughtering many of my clansmen... I suppose the powerful force I sensed earlier must have been referring to him."

  White-haired youth? Xuan Zhen's mind stirred slightly, and even in this dazed state, he had already guessed the person's identity with a single thought. Among the Qionghua Sect, there were only a handful of young men with powerful abilities who could easily slay multiple demons with their swords, and among them, there was only one with a head full of white hair... Who would have thought that after himself, even Chong Guang, one of the three great elders, had also entered this demon realm?

  "Being able to kill the Netherwind, this person's strength is certainly not weak. However, there has been one thing hidden in my heart for a long time, and no matter how much I think about it, it remains unclear... I wonder what purpose these people have entered the Phantom Realm for?" By the last sentence, Yu Rou's delicate eyebrows had even more folds, as if she was extremely perplexed.

  Xuan Zhen's lips moved slightly, wanting to speak but stopping. Beside him, Xi Zhong fell silent for a moment before speaking: "Although Xi Zhong cannot be certain of the malicious intentions of those human tribes towards our Meng tribe, according to the fortunate survivors who escaped from that white-haired youth's sword, when they saw their own kind being killed and scattered, although they were extremely delighted, they didn't bother to pursue and annihilate them completely. This allowed them to escape and return."

  Her slender eyebrows slightly raised, she keenly sensed something from Xi Zhong's words and asked: "Didn't have time to finish them off? What were those humans doing at that time?"

  Xie Zhong glanced at Xuan Zhen again and slowly said: "They... are robbing the purple crystal stones of my clan."

  Before Yuanyu could react to Yizhong's words, another sound of footsteps came from the layers of curtains in the great hall above. This time, the sound was much more urgent, revealing the anxiety in the heart of the owner of those footsteps.

  The newcomer seemed extremely impatient with the canopy in front of him, and all along the way, the sound of tearing silk was heard continuously. Later, a very familiar voice shouted loudly: "Lady Yuanyu!" The tone was full of urgency.

  "General Gui Xie, what's wrong with you?" Xi Zhong looked at Yu Rou for a moment and asked loudly to the figure who was walking quickly towards them. When he saw that the face getting closer and closer was covered in bloodstains, and blood was dripping down continuously, he couldn't help but be stunned. "You... how did you get hurt so badly?"

  "Xi Zhong, what are you doing here?" Gui Xie saw him and was also taken aback. Upon hearing his question, he lowered his head to examine himself, shook his head and said, "This minor injury is nothing to me... Lady Yu You, just now a group of humans appeared outside the eastern boundary, and the purple crystal stone there..."

  "This matter has already been told to me in its entirety." Yan You nodded slightly and said, "Not to mention the rich spiritual energy of the purple crystal stone that helped our clan's cultivation greatly, even a single stone or speck of dust here is an object of our Fantian Realm. How could we let these people plunder them at will?" After a slight pause, Yan You's voice became even colder, like ice piercing through bones, "Moreover, they slaughtered so many of our kin, how can we forgive and forget?"

  "Not bad!" Gui Ye nodded heavily and responded, "They also killed Ming Feng... These detestable humans, they must pay for their crimes with their own blood!"

  "Xie Zhong, return." The cold and gloomy gaze of the woman fell on the cracks on the bluestone slab, her voice icy as she said, "Since a formidable figure has emerged among those humans, I'll go meet him. Let's see who's stronger, him or me, the master of the demon realm? As for those insignificant people, leave them to you to deal with. Make sure they don't return."

  "Yes, Lady Youyu!"

  "Your Excellency Xiang Liu, no!"

  Gui Xie and Xi Zhong spoke at the same time, but their words had completely opposite meanings. Gui Xie's face was filled with joy, his expression spirited, while Xi Zhong's eyebrows were furrowed in worry, his expression even more solemn. He stepped forward to advise: "Lady Yu Xiao, you are the leader of our clan, it is enough for you to sit back and command from a distance. Moreover, the seal of Xuan Meng City relies solely on your own power to support it, why must you personally take to the battlefield and compete with that person?"

  "My mind is made up, no need to say more." Seeing him wanting to continue, Yu Rou's slender eyebrows rose, and she raised her hand to stop him. A hint of extreme arrogance flashed across her face, and a fierce red light burst forth from her eyes, "A small cultivator like you, I, Yu Rou, don't even consider you worthy!"

  Xie Zhong saw that it was impossible to persuade him anymore, so he could only lightly shake his head and retreat.

  Yan Yu turned around, gazing at Xuan Zhen, and suddenly smiled coldly. "My Dreamweaver clan has lived in this realm for a thousand years, without any conflicts with the world. I didn't expect that we would still attract these people who are pressing in on us. They dare to slaughter my kin and steal our crystal stones! These people have such big audacity! You... do you want to come with us to see the ugliness of those people, and then think carefully about whether or not to continue helping them bully others?"

  P.S. Seeing everyone's various guesses about the subsequent development, I'm suddenly overflowing with inspiration (￣▽￣";)