Hun Yao was the one who noticed the anomaly an hour ago.
The first thing that made him feel uneasy was the flock of birds. A large number of sparrows flew high from the bottom of the cliff, chirping and refusing to land.
The Demon King slowly squinted his eyes, looking down the cliff. Everything seemed normal there, but his instincts, soaked in battle and assassination for a long time, almost immediately made his nerves tense.
He knew there were guards arranged by the royal court below. The birds were startled and flew away, most likely due to a battle.
And now, on the barrier cliff, there was nothing but a crippled Demon King. If there were invaders, they were definitely coming for him.
…In the end, he couldn’t avoid it.
Hun Yao was silent for a moment, returned to the wooden house, took down the bronze curved knife from the wall, and weighed it in his hand.
This beloved knife, which had been with him for more than a decade, was a bit heavy for him now.
Hun Yao simply left the scabbard behind, holding the curved knife alone, and walked out of his wooden house.
Before going down the mountain, he looked back once, taking a deep look at the top of the barrier cliff.
The sunlight fell on the cliff, and the rugged rocks cast mottled shadows. Some small flowers had already bloomed early, those were the seeds left by Langmuir.
This was just the first spring after the barrier was broken, and in the future, the plants would become denser and the soil would become more fertile.
So, he thought.
At least there should be no more war and corpses here.
A quarter of an hour after Hun Yao left, he encountered the demons who had surrounded him.
The leader was not unfamiliar, Guleilong sat on the back of a lizard, looking at the slowly approaching figure with a gloomy face, and raised his hand to stop the soldiers holding spears behind him.
“Hmph, now you really are a broken horn Demon King.”
Guleilong said, “Back then, you let the human take away my son’s demonic breath, and now you yourself have fallen into a state of silent demonic breath. What a good retribution!”
Upon hearing this, Hun Yao couldn’t help but laugh.
In the past, Langmuir had once “borrowed” demonic breath from Yinsha in order to open the barrier. As a result, he slapped the Holy Monarch back to the human world. That unlucky newly born Demon King would never be able to regain his power in this lifetime.
“Just say it,” he asked, “What are you here for?”
Guleilong: “A mighty Demon King, what kind of image is it to stay in such a wilderness? I, Guleilong, can’t stand it and want to invite my King to visit my tribe!”
He waved his hand, and two demons walked out from behind him, each holding a chain, approaching Hun Yao.
“I see,” Hun Yao said, “You want to capture me to threaten the royal court.”
As he spoke, he lazily hummed and actually walked towards the two demons, “Then come.”
Guleilong showed a trace of satisfaction. He was originally worried that if Hun Yao noticed their tracks and chose to run away, it would be over if he dragged it to the royal court to send troops. But now it seemed that capturing the Broken Horn Demon King was just a matter of catching a turtle in an urn. (TL: object to be captured is already within the grasp and is very easy to catch.)
“Don’t worry, I, Guleilong, am not an ungrateful demon.”
He arrogantly hummed, “The barrier of the abyss was opened because of you. As long as you obediently follow us, my tribe will never harm your life…”
Before he finished speaking, there was a flash of knife light.
The first thing heard was the crisp sound of metal collision, and the demon soldier on the left screamed, and the chain slipped from his hand.
The curved knife brought up the wind, and the tip of the knife picked up the chain and turned a big circle. The iron handcuffs hit the temple of another soldier directly. That demon stared and fell back, and he was out of breath before he fell to the ground!
Hun Yao’s eyes burst with cold murderous intent, shook the curved knife, and stepped on the back of the lizard in three steps. That heavy knife was slashed at Guleilong’s head!
“You!!”
Guleilong was sweating profusely, and only had time to draw out his saber, filled with demonic breath to block it.
But at this moment, he was straddling the lizard, without support from his lower body, and when the two knives collided, he couldn’t help but cry out in pain. His upper body fell back, and he almost rolled off his mount!
Hun Yao laughed loudly, “If you say you are here to take my life, I would think highly of you!”
He flipped back, narrowly avoiding the spears stabbed by several soldiers. As he landed, he swung his knife backhand and slashed the lizard’s eyes!
Blood spurted into the air, and the beast went mad, roaring and running wildly on all fours. Guleilong was thrown out, fell to the ground, and ate a mouthful of mud.
“Leader!”
“Leader, be careful——!”
Guleilong got up with a gray face, and couldn’t believe what had just happened: It was said that the Broken Horn Demon King had lost his will after losing his demonic breath. Where is there a depressed look!?
What does he want to do, knowing that he has no demonic breath, is he prepared to confront a group of soldiers with only physical strength? Is this seeking life or seeking death?
Looking at Hun Yao again, after the hit just now, his right hand holding the knife and his forearm were already burned by Guleilong’s demonic breath, and the scales were curling and cracking.
But he seemed to be completely unaware of the pain, holding the knife and rushing towards the demons who were coming up. The leading soldier was scared and hesitated for a second because of this desperate posture. The Demon King took the opportunity to swing the curved knife for a big spin, and the soldier’s head flew into the air with blood!
Guleilong was furious with shame, “Everyone do it! Just leave a breath!”
The soldiers cautiously approached from all sides and surrounded the Broken Horn Demon King.
After all, Hun Yao had no demonic breath, and he couldn’t hold on for long and gradually fell into a disadvantage. There were more and more wounds on his body, but he still refused to retreat.
The Demon King’s idea was simple: if a fight suddenly broke out at the barrier cliff, the royal court would definitely get the news. As long as he could delay for a moment… whether he could survive was uncertain, but Guleilong’s tribe was bound to be slaughtered.
After all, in Hun Yao’s concept, it was fine for him to beat other demons, and it was also fine for him not to beat other demons. But if other demons had ideas about him, once they came, they would never be able to leave intact.
Hun Yao swung his knife again.
The price was the demonic breath bombarding his right shoulder.
…He remembered Langmuir saying that he didn’t want him to die in battle.
But the Holy Monarch had already left, so no one could control him.
He deliberately distanced himself from the top of the barrier cliff. Even if he died, Langmuir wouldn’t know–just like he didn’t know whether the Holy Monarch was alive or dead now. That’s fine, they were originally on different paths, they deserved it.
However, just when Hun Yao thought of this sentence in self-abandonment.
The sky suddenly darkened.
It seemed as if a hole had been burned through the high sky, and demonic breath spread wildly from that hole, as if a god had accidentally spilled thick ink.
The cloud curtain was burned and turned into a black sea of fire; the golden sunlight was swallowed, and after a winter, the abyss briefly returned to eternal darkness.
“Leader! Look at the sky, there is, there is…!”
Space was artificially distorted. That was the power of the law that could cross the confinement, and it used to require the joint efforts of five temple elders to open the large array–
Because of the Holy Monarch’s anger, it reappeared in the world.
Above the high sky, a silver-haired demon figure appeared.
A pair of pale purple eyes like glass silently overlooked the earth.
Langmuir’s expression was cold, he stretched out his arms in the void, and the demonic breath gathered in his palm into the shape of a long bow and arrow.
Dark light surrounded him, embellishing his flying sleeves, and the terrifying pressure enveloped the entire barrier cliff.
Time seemed to freeze, no demon dared to move anymore, and no one dared to shout again. All eyes were extremely terrified and converged on the arrow condensed with deep demonic breath.
Only Hun Yao opened his eyes wide and looked at the archer.
“Lang…!?”
Everything was the same as fourteen years ago.
It’s just that, back then, golden light illuminated the eternal darkness of the abyss.
At this moment, it was the dark light that drove away the sun of the abyss.
The Holy Monarch released the invisible bowstring, and the gale descended from the sky, drowning the name murmured by the Demon King.
…Langmuir.
When that demonic breath arrow rushed towards him, for a tenth of a second, the Demon King vaguely felt that the Holy Monarch had finally decided to kill him.
He was very confused and shocked: Wait, what are you doing, just because I am not willing to follow the death method you arranged, you are willing to open the spatial array to kill me personally?
Can you not be so unreasonable, after all, are you the Demon King or am I the Demon King!?
——Until that arrow brushed past his ear.
Hun Yao looked back and saw that Guleilong’s throat had been pierced with a blood hole, and he fell straight to the ground, stirring up a piece of sand.
The darkness in the sky dissipated, and the sunlight returned to the earth.
The figure of the silver-haired, white-robed demon in the clouds also faded with the failure of the spatial law, and it was about to disappear like a bubble.
“Langmuir, don’t go, Langmuir!!”
Hun Yao’s mind was buzzing, and his blood was boiling. Without thinking, he rushed to the top of the barrier cliff.
Guleilong’s subordinates scattered like they had seen a ghost, and they dared not touch the Demon King anymore.
And in Hun Yao’s eyes, there were no more of these miscellaneous soldiers. He even lost his knife and plunged headlong into the most remote path.
Langmuir came to save him, that is, the Holy Monarch saw him at the other end of the barrier cliff…
The Demon King even had the urge to cry. How good, his Langmuir survived, recovered, and came to see him and the flowers he planted as promised in the spring.
That arrow must not be the end, Hun Yao inexplicably determined. He must be able to see Langmuir again…even if it’s just once, even if it’s the last time.
Just let him see him one last time.
While running, branches and rocks quickly passed by on both sides, and suddenly it opened up in front of him.
It was still the peaceful and quiet top of the cliff, the breeze came slowly, the early flowers accompanied by the green grass were illuminated by the warm sun, and a harp was placed under the steps of the small wooden house.
Hun Yao was panting heavily, swaying a bit and then steadying himself. He took a step forward, and then another.
“…Langmuir.” He stared straight at the spatial confinement above his head, murmuring, “Langmuir.”
Langmuir, are you up there?
Are you looking down at me right now?
What is your expression at this moment, are you smiling, or are you showing that sad look again?
Will someone accompany you, will someone hold you tightly like I used to, holding your hand and not letting you cry?
How much has your illness improved, why has it completely demonized?
Will the humans treat you harshly because of this?
If you are bullied, who can protect you?
Will opening the spatial array worsen your illness, why didn’t anyone stop you?
Have you really been better, have you been free as I wish?
Is there anyone who loves you like I do, or even more than I do?
And you, will you also fall in love with someone in the future, and spend the rest of your life with them, spend a longer time than our fourteen years…
These questions, almost to burst the Demon King’s chest.
Hun Yao’s heart felt like being twisted with a knife, and before he could speak, tears fell first.
He wanted to step forward and pour out these questions one by one, but he was afraid that his current appearance of new injuries on top of old ones would scare the human on the other end.
“My King.”
But suddenly, a familiar voice sounded behind him.
The footsteps rustled through the grass, and the breath that had accompanied him for seven years approached from behind.
In an instant, Hun Yao’s brain went blank, and he stiffened and dared not turn his head.
But then, his wrist was gently pulled up, and that gentle force made the Demon King have to turn around–
Langmuir looked at him peacefully, touched his broken horn with heartache, and said softly, “My King, I’m here.”
