Jin Yu Lan asked with some confusion.
"Why can't the Dragon Roar Sword freeze the Seven Star Sword?"
Liu Xiang explained to him, "Because the Seven Star Sword is forged from ten-thousand-year profound iron, that's why the Dragon Roar Sword cannot harm it."
"In that case, Liu Mu Ye only possesses a sword that can contend with the Seven Star Sword."
"No need to worry, we just need to watch quietly. If Xing Ye cannot resolve it, I will lend him a hand."
Hearing this, his heart skipped a beat. It seemed someone had to die today.
In South Sea City, He Lian was very anxious as she hadn't seen the Demon King return all day.
She suddenly thought that since it was a master, why didn't he come openly but instead sent a flying arrow? It was very likely to lure the Demon King to go alone.
The more she thought about it, the more frightened she became. In the end, she decided to tell the elder about it. She hurried to the main hall and indeed saw the elder there.
"Elder, Elder, I have something important to tell you."
Seeing her flustered appearance, Lin Er quickly asked, "What happened?"
"It's just that early this morning, I found a flying arrow tied to a wooden pillar outside the house. I took it to the Demon King.
After the Demon King saw it, she told me an old friend was looking for her, so she went out and hasn't returned yet."
Lin Er also vaguely felt something was wrong, so he instructed her.
"Hurry and call Liu Shi Nian, and also Hei Feng and the others. Have them go out and search together."
"Yes."
Upon receiving the instructions, He Lian quickly ran out to call them one by one, explaining the situation to each.
Suddenly, everyone became flustered, and they all left the royal palace, mounted their horses, and rushed out of the city to search for the Demon King.
Meanwhile, I was still fighting with Li Xing Ye. Liu Xiang watched for a long time and could tell that Li Xing Ye was not using his full strength and was deliberately holding back. He said with dissatisfaction.
"Xing Ye, you haven't been putting much effort in today. You're not using your full strength."
Li Xing Ye suddenly panicked. He knew Liu Xiang was watching, and he couldn't keep holding back. If he didn't use his real moves, Liu Xiang would definitely intervene himself, and then Liu Mu Ye would surely die.
He gritted his teeth, suddenly swung his sword, and struck my sword, sending me flying.
Liu Xiang was finally satisfied. "Now that's more like it."
However, this was still not a solution. A choice had to be made.
While he was lost in thought, I suddenly swung my sword. Just as it was about to hit him, Liu Xiang suddenly waved his bone fan, blowing me away, and rebuked him.
"What's wrong with you today? You're distracted. It's not your first time killing someone. What are you afraid of?"
Jin Yu Lan was also helpless, only able to watch Li Xing Ye anxiously.
He sighed inwardly, and helplessly swung his sword to entangle with Mu Ye again. We exchanged blows for over ten rounds. He suddenly lost focus and I wounded his left arm.
Liu Xiang could no longer watch. He said angrily.
"So useless. It seems you've been bewitched by that woman's tender affections. I'll do it myself."
Saying that, he flew out and landed in front of me, fanning a gust of wind at me. Suddenly, a sword was drawn across in front of his eyes. His palm trembled, and the strong wind shifted, failing to injure me.
He looked at Li Xing Ye in disbelief, anger rising in his heart. With a wave of his fan, he sent him flying, and then fanned again, bringing him back.
Li Xing Ye spat out a mouthful of blood and suddenly knelt on the ground, kowtowing.
"Sir has shown me great kindness. Even if I die ten thousand times, I cannot repay your kindness.
However, if Liu Mu Ye dies, the world will fall into chaos, and all living beings may face the dilemma of survival and rebellion.
I cannot bear to abandon the world for my own personal vendetta, so I beg you, sir, to let her go."
I didn't expect Li Xing Ye to be so reasonable. However, if he wanted to save me, it would be equivalent to betraying Liu Xiang, and according to Liu Xiang's usual methods, he would definitely not let him go.
Liu Xiang didn't expect him to plead for his enemy. He felt a pang of sadness and chuckled coldly.
"Hahaha, ridiculous, truly ridiculous. You actually speak for your enemy. Fine.
You have followed me for many years and are considered my right-hand man. I will not kill you out of consideration for our past relationship. As long as you kill Liu Mu Ye, you can continue to stay by my side."
He shook his head helplessly. "I cannot kill her."
"If you don't kill her, I will do it myself!"
Seeing his stubbornness, Liu Xiang finally lost patience and acted himself.
Unexpectedly, Li Xing Ye suddenly stood up and blocked me, preventing him from killing.
Liu Xiang said angrily, "Do you really intend to do this?"
"Yes."
"Good, very good, excellent. I will fulfill your wish."
With that, he raised his hand and waved. Suddenly, a fierce fire erupted from the ground, surrounding Li Xing Ye.
I knew Liu Xiang was a ruthless killer, cold-blooded and merciless. Now Li Xing Ye was about to be burned alive for saving me.
As a benevolent ruler, how could I watch others die for me? I roared at Liu Xiang.
"Liu Xiang, you want to kill me, not him. Let him go, and I'll let you kill me."
Liu Xiang looked at the person he had hated for some unknown time and chuckled coldly.
"What? Are you two going to perform a play of mutual salvation? Since you want to save him, show some sincerity."
I immediately knelt before him and begged him, "Alright, I beg you, let him go, and kill me."
Li Xing Ye shook his head and advised me.
"I have committed too many sins. Only through death can I atone for the souls of the wronged in the underworld.
However, you cannot die. If you die, no one will be able to control your alliance, and they will inevitably become a poison that wreaks havoc on the world. By then, even more people will die."
He turned to Liu Xiang and pleaded again, "Sir, I am willing to die in her place, one life for another."
Liu Xiang did not expect that the person he had raised would end up dying for the person he hated the most. His heart was filled with unspeakable pain, sorrow, and sadness.
He reluctantly gritted his teeth and was about to execute him.
Suddenly, urgent calls were heard from the distance.
"Xing Ye! Xing Ye!"
At this moment, pieces of pink peach blossoms rained down, and a beauty arrived from afar on a cloud made of peach blossoms.
When she landed on the ground, she saw Li Xing Ye surrounded by fire. Without hesitation, she jumped into the fiery circle and embraced Li Xing Ye tightly.
The scorching flames burned the corners of her clothes and the delicate flowers on her head, but she didn't care. She just clung to Li Xing Ye's embrace and blamed him.
"Why did you leave without telling me? I looked everywhere for you."
Li Xing Ye touched the tattered peach blossoms on her head and shed a tear, saying helplessly.
"Why did you come?"
Yu Jiao looked at him and smiled sweetly, gently wiping away the tears on his face and comforting him.
"I've looked for you for a thousand years, and I don't want to look anymore. Wherever you go, take me with you."
Li Xing Ye had intended to die alone, thinking that Yu Jiao would eventually forget him. But he had underestimated Yu Jiao's love for him; she had still found him.
To see her again before his death, he was content. However, thinking that Yu Jiao would have to die with him, his heart was like being cut by a knife.
He could no longer control himself, and large tears fell like rain onto her face.
Yu Jiao comforted him.
"I am not afraid of death. Whether it is the underworld or the present world, as long as you are there, I will be there. If you are not there, then I will not be."
Listening to Yu Jiao's sincere and heartfelt thoughts, Li Xing Ye was deeply moved. He held her tighter, his heart filled with guilt.
Looking at the old couple still in love and willing to follow each other to death, I was filled with envy. Looking at Liu Xiang, in this life, I probably only had hatred for him.
Jin Yu Lan felt guilty and also pleaded for Li Xing Ye.
"Sir, Xing Ye has followed you for many years, and he has completed many tasks excellently. Please spare him, considering his hard work if not his merits."
Liu Xiang recalled the bits and pieces of the past few years and finally couldn't bear it. He waved his hand.
"Enough, enough. You may leave."
He dispelled the fire and turned to leave dejectedly.
Jin Yu Lan breathed a sigh of relief and closely followed Liu Xiang's footsteps.
Yu Jiao also breathed a sigh of relief, but she fainted from exhaustion.
Li Xing Ye could no longer hold on and collapsed to the ground with her. I immediately rushed to them and tore off a corner of my clothes to bandage Li Xing Ye's wound.
At this moment, a call was heard from the distance.
"Mu Ye! Demon King!"
It seemed they had found us.
A group of people arrived on the mountain shortly after, but they saw a surprising scene.
Yu Jiao and Li Xing Ye were lying on the ground, and Mu Ye was squatting beside them, as if quietly guarding them.
Everyone was momentarily confused, but with Mu Ye's reminder, they hastily carried the two back to South Sea City.
Upon returning to South Sea City, in that small room, a crowd of people were present. Lin Er asked me.
"Demon King, what happened?"
I then told everyone.
"When I went out to meet an old friend, I encountered a powerful enemy. Fortunately, Li Xing Ye appeared in time and saved me."
However, this was clearly illogical. Li Xing Ye had been determined to kill Mu Ye before, so why would he save her now?
Liu Shi Nian was puzzled.
"This Li Xing Ye was determined to kill Mu Ye. If he wanted to save Mu Ye, what was his reason? Looking at his injuries, it seems he was prepared to die."
Liu Shi Nian's analysis made everyone feel strange. Yue Jiu asked from the side.
"What was the powerful enemy Mu Ye encountered like?"
Although he had not yet reached the level of peerless invincibility, he was aware of rare masters in the world.
I knew it would not be beneficial for them to know about Liu Xiang, and Liu Xiang was targeting me.
To avoid causing panic, I could only make up a story.
"As soon as I arrived, I was knocked unconscious, so I didn't see who it was. When I woke up, I saw Li Xing Ye and Yu Jiao lying on the ground.
Seeing their injuries, I guessed that they must have been like this because they were trying to save me."
Liu Shi Nian was clearly very suspicious of this explanation. He looked at me with doubt, as if guessing I had a secret I couldn't tell.
At night, after everyone had left, he found me and asked.
"Mu Ye, have you encountered something troublesome?"
Seeing that there was no one around, I called him into the garden. As we walked, I said to him.
"I suppose so."
He suddenly remembered something I had told him a long time ago, and only that person could inflict such injuries.
"Is it Liu Xiang?"
I nodded.
"He wants to kill you!" Liu Shi Nian's pupils suddenly widened, and he immediately guessed.
I didn't hide it from him and told him.
"When I parted ways with him, we made a promise. When I have achieved mastery, that will be the day we fight to the death."
"But I still don't understand why you would make such a promise with him."
I said faintly.
"It all stems from the very beginning. I was young and ignorant then, and I made a promise of a battle with him.
Afterward, he lurked by my side, waiting for the day of the battle. Only when we parted did I realize he had grown tired of waiting, so we made this agreement again."
"So, was he inviting you to a duel to the death today?"
I shook my head. After experiencing so much, I seemed to be able to understand some of his thoughts.
"I guess not. Perhaps he wants to test me, or perhaps he is planning a grand conspiracy."
"Then what about Li Xing Ye and the others?"
"They were indeed injured by Liu Xiang while saving me. I owe them a life."
Liu Shi Nian understood the entire cause and effect and was filled with emotion. He still couldn't understand.
How the Ah Li who once laughed and played with him, ate and drank with him, had become a demon who only knew how to kill.
Yet, he also felt a warmth. He didn't expect Mu Ye to trust him so much as to tell him the entire story.
I instructed him.
"Don't let anyone else know about this. If they knew what a powerful enemy they were facing, it would surely cause great panic among the troops."
"Alright, I won't let a second person know."
"It's very late now, you should go back and rest."
"Alright, you should also rest early."
"Okay."
After parting with him, I didn't head to my own chambers but walked towards Lin Er's residence. I had something to say to him.
Before I had taken a few steps, I suddenly heard a voice call out, "Demon King, are you looking for me?"
I turned around and saw Lin Er standing behind me.
"How did you know I was looking for you?" I remembered I hadn't sent anyone to relay a message beforehand.
He explained, "I saw that the Demon King's expression was unsettled and her thoughts were in a turmoil today, so I knew you would come to find me tonight, and I was waiting here early."
I smiled slightly and praised, "You know me best, Elder. I do have some words I want to tell you."
I walked up to him and said in a low voice.
"You must have the Shadow Guard army strictly monitor each mountain lord and closely watch the merfolk. If any mountain lord attempts to rebel, they can be killed, and their subordinates will all be conscripted into our ranks.
As for the merfolk, if they want to dominate, then we will strike first."
Lin Er did not expect me to have thought of everything so thoroughly and praised me silently in his heart.
"She is becoming more and more like a monarch."
After saying this, I also instructed.
"If anything unfortunate happens to me, you must keep everyone in check and not let them act recklessly."
Lin Er was very surprised. He knew that I must have encountered something bad today to make such a significant decision.
"What kind of enemy could threaten the Demon King's life?" he couldn't help but wonder.
I smiled slightly and told him, "It's a powerful adversary. You will meet him one day."
Lin Er, however, began to speculate in his heart.
"In the present world, no wicked person has this ability. The only ones who could match him are the lords of the Four Cities.
But they generally do not show themselves easily, and they are busy with their affairs, so they would not have the leisure to engage in single combat."
Thinking this, he then thought of someone else.
"The legendary God of Zhong Mountain, Liu Xiang, who lives in the extremely cold lands of the north. He is an ancient celestial being who can control time and manipulate great winds.
His power is terrifying, and no one can defeat him.
But he has always lived in legends, and no one has truly seen him.
Those who are said to have seen him all describe him as wearing red robes, holding a bone fan, and having a handsome appearance. Could the powerful enemy the Demon King mentioned be him?"
Thinking of this, his heart became uneasy. If this were truly the case, I'm afraid the Demon King would be doomed, and Black Mountain would once again face disaster.
After instructing him on everything, I said, "It's late, you should go back."
He cupped his hands in a salute and withdrew.
On his way back, his thoughts became clearer.
The fact that Black Mountain could reach its current state was truly a miracle. Therefore, no matter what happened in the future, he would share life and death with Black Mountain.
However, there was still one person who found it difficult to sleep at this time, sitting in the courtyard outside the house, playing the flute alone. This person was He Lian.
Her flute music rose and fell, sometimes joyful, sometimes sad, just like her absent-minded yet orderly thoughts.
I lay in bed, not calling her, but thinking about what would happen to everyone after I left, and what would happen to the Ghost Clan.
This melancholic thought seemed contagious. In this South Sea Royal Palace, besides He Lian, there was another person who couldn't sleep, and that was Yue Yao.
Yue Yao pushed open the window and sat by the window, gazing at the pitch-black night outside.
She suddenly remembered that Liu Shi Nian didn't seem to have the kind of relationship with her that she had imagined. He looked at her as if he were looking at a sister.
But she had given her whole heart to him. If he didn't love her, who would he love?
She suddenly thought that Liu Shi Nian's gaze towards the Demon King was always different. Although he didn't say it openly, his eyes revealed his affection for her.
Yue Yao was momentarily at a loss and began to compare herself with me.
"The Demon King is powerful, loves people, is brave and resourceful. Who wouldn't like her?
I, Bi Yao, am innocent and cute, I love flowers and plants, I can sing and dance, and many people like me too. It's just that I haven't reached the Demon King's level yet."
She suddenly became flustered and said helplessly, "Oh, this is so annoying!"
However, she still secretly made up her mind.
"The Demon King will never like Brother Liu. He will definitely be mine. No matter what, I will not give up."
Thinking this, she encouraged herself.
"Come on, Bi Yao, come on!" And then she happily returned to bed to sleep.