Blood Lanterns, a type of monster from the demon realm, are understood differently by deities and demons alike.
Demons believe they are lifeless, only gaining new life by feeding on blood and painful memories. The task of the Blood Lanterns is to ensure that no trace of kindness remains in the demon lords of the demon realm. When a demon lord with benevolent thoughts passes by, their good memories are absorbed, causing new suffering and resentment to arise within their bodies.
Deities, on the other hand, believe that Blood Lanterns themselves are monsters with life, and it is because they are alive that they commit evil. What intrigues the deities most is not the Blood Lanterns themselves, but their master: is he a deity or a demon? This is what the old man has always pondered.
Of course, his greatest concern now is Feng Qishi and Mu Anxiao. As for how to save Mu Anxiao, he truly has no idea!
"..."
Seeing the old man fall silent, Zhang Yan began to wildly speculate about his meaning. He then clenched his fist, "Old man, why are you so selfish? You only think of your disciple, disregarding my disciple's safety. What do you mean by this?" Decades ago, the old man did not hesitate to sacrifice disciples from other families to save the life of his eldest disciple. Zhang Yan had witnessed all of this. Now, seeing his silence, Zhang Yan naturally thought the same.
"You've been paying attention to this ghost cave," Zhang Yan pointed to the screen, "You wouldn't know what happened to them?" Just as Zhang Yan imagined, the old man had seen everything that had just happened in the ghost cave. However, he truly didn't know how to explain it. What if Feng Qishi had killed Mu Anxiao? But if that were the case, it would surely ignite Zhang Yan's hatred for Feng Qishi. He believed that if Mu Anxiao were alive, she would not want to see such a scene. Therefore, he truly didn't know...
"I'm asking you!" Zhang Yan said sternly.
The old man turned his back. "..."
Seeing the old man's half-spoken, half-silent demeanor, Zhang Yan became anxious. Clenching his fists, he looked up at the Blood Lanterns in the ghost cave and at the figure beneath the lanterns. "Fine, I'll go to the demon realm now. I'll ask Feng Qishi what exactly happened."
Upon hearing this, the old man quickly turned around and said, "I'll tell you."
Zhang Yan calmed down. "You."
Then, the old man recounted everything that had happened in the ghost cave. After listening, Zhang Yan did not get angry; on the contrary, his attitude was very calm.
"She was like this back then," he said in a low voice, "sacrificing herself for Feng Qishi. This time, she's like this again. So foolish!" In the mortal world, Mu Anxiao had given back all her spiritual energy to save Feng Qishi, enduring all the pain and becoming a cripple. Now, for Feng Qishi, she had offered herself to the Blood Lanterns. Zhang Yan could only describe her actions as foolish.
The old man had witnessed everything Mu Anxiao had done for Feng Qishi. Seeing that Zhang Yan did not resent Feng Qishi, he breathed a sigh of relief.
"My eldest disciple is there."
Hearing this, Zhang Yan was stunned and turned to look at the old man. "You are Shen Xian?" The old man had not intended to tell Zhang Yan, but he thought that if it weren't for Shen Xian, Mu Anxiao wouldn't have ended up like this. Therefore, he revealed it.
"Yes."
"He suddenly disappeared from prison ten years ago, was it..." Zhang Yan thought for a moment, "...he went to the demon realm."
"I didn't explain many things clearly to him back then. I think his descent into demonic ways is also related to me." In those days, Shen Xian descended to the mortal realm to seek a celestial maiden, but he became involved with a woman named Gu An. Gu An, in order to ascend, deceived Shen Xian by claiming to be a matchmaker. Shen Xian, being unfamiliar with the mortal realm, agreed. From then on, Gu An began to follow Shen Xian, helping him find celestial maidens. Unexpectedly, fate is unpredictable. Xu Lanyan's senior brother, who was descending to the mortal realm at the time, met Shen Xian and became infatuated with Gu An. He then traveled with Shen Xian to convey his feelings to Gu An. The old man did not know what happened afterward, but Gu An eventually ascended with Shen Xian and became his wife. Not long after, while Shen Xian was away, she secretly stole elixirs from the alchemy furnace. Shen Yan saw this, fought with her, and after injuring her, she left the celestial realm. When Shen Xian returned from his duty, he believed Shen Yan had driven her away and fought with Shen Yan for several days and nights. News of Gu An's death came from below. Shen Xian and Xu Lanyan's senior brother were both furious and turned against the old man, causing a great disturbance in the celestial realm. However, they were subdued by the old man within a quarter of an hour. Legend has it that to protect Shen Xian, the old man secretly took all the blame for Xu Lanyan's senior brother. In the end, he died. Shen Yan blamed himself for this. To prevent Shen Yan and the green-clothed man from being affected in their cultivation, the old man self-destructed his spiritual energy and erased their memories of Shen Xian. Because Shen Xian had spent so little time in the celestial realm, most deities didn't know of him, so his departure went unnoticed. It was not until ten years ago that the old man learned that Gu An was actually from the demon realm. That year, she had truly fallen for Shen Xian. As for why she stole elixirs from the celestial realm's alchemy furnace, he still didn't know. However, the old man suspected that the Blood Lanterns were definitely related to Gu An. Of course, Zhang Yan was also aware of this matter.
Zhang Yan said, "I suppose that woman named Gu An should have been reincarnated by now?"
"Likely. Although she was from the demon realm, she never did any evil deeds."
"Why did she come up to steal elixirs from the alchemy furnace?"
The old man shook his head slightly. "Alas, the events of that year are truly perplexing."
"Indeed."
"By the way, you're quite something. To protect your disciple, you caused Xu Lanyan's senior brother to die. What were you thinking?"
"That young man was not killed by me."
"If not you, then who? To protect your disciple, you blamed everything on him. I suppose," Zhang Yan sighed, "he was as pitiful as my Mu Anxiao."
The old man: "..."
Zhang Yan stood there, sobbing.
Inside the ghost cave, Feng Qishi was still searching for Mu Anxiao. At the same time, the blood-red lanterns once again emitted various sounds. This time, Gu Xiao, casting aside all fear, roared, "Stop calling out!" As he shouted, his gaze began to wander over the lanterns again. After Gu Xiao's outburst, the blood lanterns paused for a few seconds before resuming their calls. Feng Qishi, sweating profusely, ignored their cries and continued to search for the distinctive lanterns. Ultimately, he found nothing!
Gu Xiao asked, "What should we do?"
Feng Qishi stood in place, panting. "It's all my weak will. It's all me!" He struck his own chest twice forcefully.