Into The Sea

Yuan Changning’s body crashed to the ground, transforming back into a massive golden lion. Lan Yueyao turned, her gaze sweeping over the massed demons behind her. “Interesting. Of the four Demon Lords, three are here.”

Xibo, his face pale, and he stammered, “My Queen… aren’t you in Yandu?”

“If I were in Yandu, how could I have seen you all acting on your own?”

Her icy gaze landed on him, and Xibo froze. After a long moment, he tried to defend himself. “My Queen, it was the humans who betrayed us first! They killed our kin, and we—”

Before he could finish, Lan Yueyao raised her hand and, with a flick of her wrist, choked him from afar, “If that’s the case, why isn’t Yun Chuhe here?”

She glanced at Ji Xing on the other side, her voice slow and deliberate. “The three of you—one has followed me for many years and earned my trust. The other two are fiercely protective of the demon race and appear loyal. Yet, in the end, only Yun Chuhe has remained obedient to my orders.”

Xibo’s face turned crimson, and he choked out a raspy voice. “It’s… it’s for the sake of the demon race that we must do this. My Queen, if we stop now, everything we’ve done will be… for nothing.”

“So, that’s what you truly think,” Lan Yueyao scoffed. “The so-called revenge for our kin is just a pretense. You just want to keep fighting, to crush the Central Region and kill all humans.”

As she spoke, she tightened her fingers. Xibo’s eyes widened in terror as he clawed at his throat, gasping for air, clearly on the verge of suffocation.

Ji Xing bit her lip and took a step back, but Lan Yueyao said without turning, “You’re welcome to try and run.”

As if an invisible force pressed down on her, Ji Xing groaned, her knees buckling. With great effort, she straightened, her crimson eyes fixed on Lan Yueyao’s back.

“I don’t know which of you three has been colluding with Penglai in secret, but it doesn’t matter,” Lan Yueyao said calmly. “I’ll just kill you all.”

As soon as she finished, Ji Xing suddenly lashed out with her whip, charging at Lan Yueyao with desperate determination. The whip sliced through the air like a serpent, the sharp barbs gleaming coldly in the moonlight. Lan Yueyao flicked her long lashes, then suddenly grabbed the end of the whip, yanking it towards her.

Ji Xing quickly released her grip and roared, “We’ve followed you for decades! Just because we acted against humans, you’re going to kill us?!”

“Yes.”

She gritted her teeth. “But this war was started by your orders!”

“By my orders?” Lan Yueyao scoffed. “You deceived me, yet you claim this was all done under my command. How laughable. You were just using me to achieve your own goals. Yuan Changning and Xibo hate humans, and with me and this war, their slaughter of humans can be justified. But you, Ji Xing, what is your goal?” Her smile vanished, and she asked, “When I was just a nameless demon, lurking in the shadows of the demon realm, why did you seek me out? I don’t understand. What was it that made you follow me for over a hundred years?”

Ji Xing’s lashes trembled, but she didn’t answer.

“Never mind,” Lan Yueyao sighed. “It doesn’t matter anymore.”

A sudden, powerful force crashed down on the cat demon, sending her sprawling. Sand swirled around her, and she coughed up blood.

Lan Yueyao’s powerful demonic energy seized her and Xibo by their throats, dragging them towards Shiling City. As she moved, the demon horde parted like a tide, closing again behind her. Countless eyes watched her, but even the noisiest demons remained silent.

Both inside and outside the barrier, an eerie silence descended.

With a thud, the two Demon Lords were forced to their knees at the entrance of the barrier. Lan Yueyao raised her head, her eyes sweeping over the tense faces on the other side. “I apologize. My subordinates have made a mistake. It’s my fault for not disciplining them properly. I can hand them over to you for punishment, but before that, I want a few people.”

The crowd exchanged uneasy glances. After a moment, Qi Yun cleared his throat and stepped forward. “Who?”

Lan Yueyao smiled faintly. “The Penglai disciples.”

The demon horde retreated several miles away, leaving only scattered flickers of firelight in the distance. From afar, they looked like a silent beast lurking in the shadows.

After a long silence, someone inside the barrier finally spoke. “We can’t make that trade. If we betray our companions for temporary peace, aren’t we no better than beasts?”

As soon as he finished, Qi Yueyao said, “Companions? You think of them as companions, but do they think of you the same way? Forget Wangliang City—tonight’s demon attack was their doing!”

“Nonsense!” The Penglai cultivator jumped up again. “I already said that Ji Lingyue, that demon, was trying to open the barrier! We just happened to catch her in the act! If you don’t believe me, ask the cultivators on duty!”

“They’re still unconscious! What can they tell us?”

Ye Qingjun, supported by Danbai, stood up, her voice hoarse. “Besides Ji Lingyue and those Penglai disciples, I was the first one here tonight. But at that time, those Penglai disciples were wearing masks.” She looked up. “Could you explain why, in the middle of the night, Penglai disciples were at the barrier wearing masks?”

The man paused, his expression shifting slightly. “What masks? Stop talking nonsense. Sect Leader Ye, I know that Ji Lingyue was once your prized disciple at Haochen Mountain, but don’t let old feelings cloud your judgment!”

“You!” Danbai gritted her teeth. “Then explain why you Penglai disciples were here at the barrier in the middle of the night!”

“If Ji Lingyue can come, why can’t we?”

“Of course you can, but coming in groups of three or five is suspicious!”

“How is it suspicious?”

Danbai had never met anyone so unreasonable. Her fair face flushed with anger. “If you’re really innocent, why does the Demon Queen want you?!”

Her words sparked a commotion. “She’s right! Why does the Demon Queen want Penglai disciples? There must be a reason.”

Qi Yueyao quickly said, “I know! Wen Shiyu, quick, tell everyone the truth!”

Wen Shiyu, surprised, glanced at her. “Senior sister?”

“I’m not good with words. You do it. Use that silver tongue of yours and—”

“I’ll do it.”

A voice suddenly rang out from the crowd. Everyone turned to face the tall figure standing outside. “This is indeed a mistake Penglai made in the past.”

Ji Lingyue, who had been silent for so long, finally raised her eyes, looking at the impeccably dressed Chu Jiangchi.

The man sighed and walked into the center of the crowd, then knelt down, shocking everyone. They rushed to help him up. “Brother Chu, what are you doing?”

Chu Jiangchi shook his head, his voice heavy. “It was Penglai, and it was my fault. I owe everyone an apology.”

“Why are you saying this all of a sudden? Brother Chu, what happened?”

Chu Jiangchi hesitated, as if making a difficult decision. “Years ago, our Chu family was too eager for power. To rapidly increase our cultivation, we captured merfolk and extracted their blood. That’s what brought this disaster upon us.”

The crowd gasped. “Merfolk? Extracting their blood?!”

The man continued, “This shameful past was buried with the older generation. Neither my son nor the current Penglai disciples know anything about it. They, like everyone else, are focused on cultivation, on subduing demons and protecting the people. As for the Demon Queen, she’s a surviving merfolk who hates Penglai. The demon attack on Penglai years ago was her doing. That night, too many young disciples died innocent deaths. And all of this is my fault. If a trade must be made, hand me over. As the island master, I should bear this responsibility.”

He lowered his head, his forehead hitting the ground. “I only ask that you protect my disciples. They are good children and shouldn’t suffer for this sin. They are innocent!”. They’re innocent!”

In the silence that followed, Qi Yueyao hissed softly, leaning over to whisper to Wen Shiyu, “Why do I feel so uncomfortable hearing this?”

Wen Shiyu blinked and whispered back, “He’s playing the victim. Some people will fall for it.”

Sure enough, a burly man walked up to Chu Jiangchi, grabbing his arm. “Brother Chu, you don’t have to kneel. Tell me, when did this merfolk blood extraction happen?”

Chu Jiangchi replied softly, “About… two hundred years ago.”

“Two hundred years! How old were you back then? What does this have to do with you? The people who did that are long dead. The Demon Queen attacked Penglai and killed so many innocent disciples. Who owes who is still up for debate!”

Others echoed his sentiments. “That’s right, Brother Chu, don’t worry! We won’t hand you over! We’re not as heartless as those demons. We’ve seen what you’ve done all these years. If it comes to it, we’ll fight the Demon Queen together!”

Chu Jiangchi shook his head. “No, no, I can’t drag all of you into this. If my life can buy everyone some peace, it’s worth it.”

His words garnered even more sympathy. Just then, a cold voice said, “Then go and make the trade.”

After a moment of silence, everyone turned to the source of the voice.

Ji Lingyue, arms crossed, scoffed, “You’re good at talking, but if you really mean it, go out there now. No one’s stopping you.”

Chu Jiangchi’s face changed slightly. After a moment, he lowered his head. “I understand. You and that Lan Wu are close. She’s a merfolk, so it’s natural for you to resent me…”

“Is it just her?” Ji Lingyue looked at the faces around her. “A bunch of fools who can’t tell right from wrong, who can’t see the truth even when it’s right in front of them. You’re being sold out, and yet you’re counting the money for them. And you dare claim to protect the people? The people are truly pitiful to be protected by the likes of you.”

“You! You’re a demon! What right do you have to speak here? The matter of the barrier tonight isn’t over yet!”

“Indeed, it’s not over,” a voice suddenly interjected. Lan Wu pushed through the crowd and stood beside Ji Lingyue, smiling. “Island Master Chu, I’ve been looking for you. I didn’t expect you to show up in person. Now that you’re here, the truth can finally come out.”

Chu Jiangchi froze, a bad feeling creeping into his heart.

As expected, the woman called out clearly, “Chu Jiao, get up.”

He looked up in shock to see Chu Jiao, who had been lying unconscious nearby, now standing. She wiped the blood from her lips and walked over calmly.

“You…” He stared at her in disbelief. “Weren’t you—”

Suddenly, he realized what was happening. “You’re working with them!”

“Sort of,” Chu Jiao said indifferently. “We haven’t been working together for long.”

In front of everyone, Chu Jiao looked around and declared loudly, “I can testify that Chu Jiangchi destroyed Wangliang City’s protective formation. And tonight, it was he who sent Penglai disciples to open Shiling City’s barrier. He tried to let the demons in!”

Her words caused an uproar. “What did you say?!”

“Lies!” Chu Jiangchi roared. “You’re bewitched, slandering your own people! Have you forgotten that you’re from Penglai? If your mother knew—”

“Don’t you dare mention my mother!” Chu Jiao interrupted him. “She’s dead, killed by your orders! Yes, I am from Penglai, and that’s why I know all of this—because I was involved from the very beginning!”

Chu Jiao turned around, ignoring the gasps, and continued, “Back in Wangliang City, it was me who tricked Qing Zibai into revealing how to open the forbidden area. It was also me who led Chu Jiangchi into the forbidden area and destroyed the formation’s core! As for the cultivators on duty tonight, they’re unconscious because I planted Gu in them. I did all of this myself, and I won’t try to justify my actions. But Chu Jiangchi, you won’t escape this either!”

Chu Jiangchi gritted his teeth, sensing the change in the eyes of those around him. “Chu Jiao! I know Penglai hasn’t treated you well in the past, but that’s no reason to slander your fellow disciples! Our internal matters should be resolved within the sect, not dragged out in public for everyone to see!”

Chu Jiao sneered. “Weren’t you just offering to trade your life for peace? Why care about being humiliated in public now?”

“You… you…”

His face turned pale, beads of sweat forming on his forehead. The Qing family also pushed through the crowd, asking grimly, “Chu Jiangchi, is what she said true?”

“No!” Chu Jiangchi said through gritted teeth. “She’s lying!”

The standoff intensified the tension. Just then, a flippant voice rang out from the crowd. “Oh my, what’s all the commotion here?”

Lan Wu froze, then turned around in pleasant surprise. “Sister!”

The crowd parted, and Lan Yuan walked to the front, her arms crossed, smiling freely. “I just got back and heard Island Master Chu babbling away. What a coincidence—we have a witness too.”

She stepped aside, revealing a few figures behind her. Lan Wu instinctively looked over, and in the flickering light, her silver lashes trembled.

Amid the gasps of the crowd, a slender figure stepped forward, her beautiful face breaking into a familiar smile. “Long time no see, you two.”