Jing Chen, unfazed by Feng Jiuyuan’s attitude, continued calmly, “You have the demon bloodline within you, which is why the Buddha Sect constantly monitors Nine Abyss City. They worry that one day the seal on your bloodline will break, turning you into a full demon and bringing devastation to the continent.”
Upon hearing this, Feng Jiuyuan’s expression changed from arrogant to cold.
The year he was born, many monks from the Buddha Sect came to Nine Abyss City intending to kill him.
His father was the city lord, and his mother…
The Buddha Sect failed, but what they couldn’t achieve once, they tried a second time, and if the second time failed, there would be a third. His father didn’t want his life to be constantly in danger, so he promised the Buddha Sect he would seal Feng Jiuyuan’s demon bloodline.
With much effort, his demon bloodline was sealed. To downplay the fact that he indeed had a demon bloodline, his father spread rumors saying it was a lie.
Whether it was a rumor or not, those who knew the truth kept it to themselves. Those who didn’t know just treated it as a tale and didn’t take it seriously. Over the years, many came to believe it was merely a rumor.
And his father frequently beating him, making it widely known, was to show everyone that he wasn’t spoiling him and wouldn’t let him become lawless.
The family weapon wasn’t given to him either, for fear that he would become even more uncontrollable.
However…
Feng Jiuyuan looked at Jing Chen, his blood-red eyes cold and his voice now icy, “Why are you telling me all this?”
Jing Chen wasn’t just anyone; he was the young master of the Mirror Snow Palace, and his father was extremely powerful. It was understandable that Jing Chen knew about the sealing because his father had helped with it.
But why bring it up now?
“The Buddha Sect monitored you for ten years until the emergence of Fuxin,” Jing Chen said. “Fuxin’s emergence posed a significant threat to the Buddha Sect itself.”
“Before Fuxin appeared, the Buddha Sect was seen by the world as the guardians. But with Fuxin, while they continued to be guardians, the term ‘guardian’ was now prefixed with ‘cold and ruthless’ because of him.”
“Fuxin is even more troublesome than you. Furthermore, due to Fuxin’s immense strength, the Buddha Sect believes that even if your bloodline were to be unsealed, you would still be no match for Fuxin, so they stopped monitoring you.”
“Your father was relieved because of this,” Jing Chen said, a brief smile crossing his face, though it quickly disappeared. Feng Jiuyuan noticed it, his already cold expression growing even colder.
Jing Chen continued, “But at the age of ten, you were displeased.”
“You were displeased that the Buddha Sect stopped monitoring you because they found Fuxin more formidable. During that period, you challenged many disciples of the Buddha Sect, trying to prove that you were no weaker than Fuxin and just as difficult to deal with.”
Feng Jiuyuan’s face darkened.
That was a dark chapter in his history, one that resulted in him being beaten by his father and carried back to Nine Abyss City.
As his black history was brought up, Feng Jiuyuan grew angrier, glaring at Jing Chen. “What exactly are you trying to say?”
Jing Chen replied, “The Buddha Sect exists because of the demon race; their cultivation techniques are specifically designed to combat demons.”
“So?”
“I didn’t want you to follow because this place has a power similar to that of the Buddha Sect,” Jing Chen explained. “Although your demon bloodline is sealed, it’s not completely suppressed. Those similar powers are highly likely to harm you.”
After hearing this, a look of surprise appeared in Feng Jiuyuan’s eyes.
“A power similar to that of the Buddha Sect?” Feng Jiuyuan asked, his curiosity piqued. “What do you mean?”
Jing Chen explained, “I don’t know the specifics either. I just sensed a similar power. If your bloodline weren’t sealed, you should be able to sense it too.”
After hearing this, the look of surprise on Feng Jiuyuan’s face quickly vanished. He asked, “If you can sense it, does that mean Huang Quan and the Great Priest can also sense it?”
Jing Chen nodded. “Possibly. I don’t know about the Great Priest, but I’m certain Huang Quan can.”
Feng Jiuyuan, seeing that Jing Chen wasn’t entirely sure, asked, “Where did you sense that power?”
Jing Chen replied, “Right behind you.”
Behind him?
Feng Jiuyuan turned around and saw the tower.
Jing Chen added, “I’m not sure about the specifics, but you can ask Huang Quan. She probably knows more than I do. If you’re not comfortable asking her, I can do it for you.”
Feng Jiuyuan responded, “No need. I’ll ask her myself when she returns. There’s no inconvenience.”
“Alright,” Jing Chen nodded, then asked, “Not angry anymore?”
Feng Jiuyuan looked at him but didn’t respond.
Jing Chen, however, seemed to understand and said, “If you’re not angry anymore, let’s head back. It’s risky to stay alone.”
Feng Jiuyuan’s face returned to its usual nonchalant smile. “I’m a demon, a powerful one.”
Jing Chen corrected him, “Half-demon. And there’s a stronger presence, Fuxin.”
Feng Jiuyuan: “…” Ouch, that hit the mark!
Realizing he might get more hurt by continuing the conversation, Feng Jiuyuan stood up and obediently followed Jing Chen back to where everyone else was.
…
In the outskirts of the ruins.
Unlike the vast, dilapidated Luo You City, the outskirts of the ruins were more primitive. There were forests and large rocks, resembling a mountainous forest area.
The Great Priest had half a map and quickly found a landmark on it: a stone stele.
“The place where I appeared can’t be pinpointed on the map, but I can confirm that the first place I appeared was not far from the stone stele. After entering the ruins, I walked for about a quarter of an hour before I saw the stone stele. After passing it, I encountered that strange person not long after. He was in a very tall tree. He climbed down when I saw him.”
“He was very surprised to see me, and I was also surprised to find someone else in the ruins. He tried to run, and I tried to catch him. In the struggle, the map fell from him, got torn, and he escaped quickly.”
After hearing this, Huang Quan stared intently at the map.
Though the map was only half and incomplete, Huang Quan could mentally outline a complete map.
The stone stele was outside the city. On the map, there was only one stone stele in the outskirts. From the stone stele to the city, aside from a few landmarks, there was nothing much until the city, where details increased significantly.
It was clear that the map focused on the city—or rather, the tower within the city.
“The outer area is vast; half an hour may not be enough to find him,” the Great Priest said.
Huang Quan said nothing more, only replied, “Wait for me here.”
The Great Priest looked at her and asked, “Where are you going?”
“Half an hour indeed might not be enough to find him,” Huang Quan said, returning the map to him. “But we can make him come to us.”
The Great Priest was stunned by this and asked, “Is that possible?”
Huang Quan nodded. “It is.”
The Great Priest no longer doubted and asked, “How do we do that?”
“Just shout loudly,” Huang Quan said. “Just call out that Rong Mian wants to see him.”
The Great Priest, who had entered the third level of the tower, naturally knew who Rong Mian was. However, the controller wouldn’t let anyone except Huang Quan discover the lifeline problem, so even the Great Priest, who possessed a dead line, hadn’t seen the crucial clues.
Moreover, the Great Priest considered Rong Mian to be merely a person from the city’s past. Saying such things would imply that Rong Mian was still alive.
Thinking of the man who always appeared on the screen, the Great Priest frowned. “That man is Rong Mian?”
Huang Quan nodded. “Most likely.”
Anything could have deviations, especially with the presence of the inexplicable tower, so Huang Quan didn’t speak with absolute certainty.
The Great Priest frowned, about to say something, but Huang Quan interrupted, “Just shout here. Say, ‘I know you’re there, Rong Mian wants to see you. If you want to see Rong Mian, come out.’ I’ll go to the city.”
“What are you going to the city for?”
“To set up a barrier,” Huang Quan replied. “With such a wide outer area, you’ll need to add spiritual power to your shout for it to spread. People in the city might hear it, and I don’t want them to know, so I’ll go set up a soundproof barrier.”
“Oh, right,” Huang Quan added, “this time, don’t let him escape, and don’t hurt him. He can’t withstand any harm.”
The Great Priest’s mouth twitched. “You do the shouting, and I’ll set up the barrier.”
Huang Quan was about to say something when the Great Priest’s communicator suddenly lit up with a message from Jing Chen: “Fohsin has trapped everyone with a barrier, so you can search without worry.”
The Great Priest wasn’t surprised that Fohsin would block those people and asked, “Is the barrier soundproof?”
After a while, the reply came: “No.”
Before the Great Priest could respond, Jing Chen sent another message: “I just talked to Fohsin, and he changed the barrier. It’s soundproof now.”
“Good,” the Great Priest said. “Stay inside, we’ll be back soon.” After sending the message, the Great Priest looked at Huang Quan. “You don’t need to go back now. Shall we shout together?”
Huang Quan nodded. “Okay.”
So…
“I know you’re there. Rong Mian wants to see you. If you want to see Rong Mian, come out…” Such words, infused with spiritual power, echoed throughout the outer area.
After shouting several times, Huang Quan stopped the Great Priest, who was about to shout again. She listened carefully, then smiled and said, “He’s coming.”
Hearing this, the Great Priest stopped shouting.
They waited in place, and after a quarter of an hour, a person dressed in a black robe emerged from the forest in front of them and walked up to them.
The person was wearing a black robe with a hood that covered most of his face. Combined with his hair, it was impossible to see his features clearly.
When Huang Quan saw him, she frowned.
A living dead…
His soul was no longer there!
The person took step by step until he stood before them. After stopping, he spoke with great difficulty, “A… A-Mian… did you… see him…?”
Having not spoken for a long time, his speech was difficult, and his voice was harsh, but he managed to finish.
Huang Quan looked at him and said, “He’s in the tower.”
Upon hearing this, the person in front of them became instantly agitated, “Yes… yes, that tower… imprisoned… A… A-Mian.”
“I… I dragged… down… A… A-Mian.”
Huang Quan understood immediately.
It seemed that the person the woman saw walking out of the tower should indeed be Rong Mian.
