Fengdu Ghost City, the Immortal Alliance, and Gu Junshi, all were making their own arrangements, the question was whose plan was grander and more encompassing, designed to ensnare everyone in the end.
Recently, Fengdu Ghost City had been far from peaceful. The four great ghost cities had formed an alliance and launched their first attack on Rongcheng and Huacheng, only to be repelled. This was undoubtedly a disappointing probing.
The Immortal Alliance was now alerted, and the various immortal sects certainly would not sit idly by. Thus, a great war was destined to erupt between Fengdu Ghost City and the immortal sects of the Twenty-Eight Heavens.
They had not obtained any of the three city-protecting immortal artifacts, but fortunately, the three cities had also lost two of their immortal artifacts. This meant that besides Fengdu and the Immortal Alliance, a third party had also interfered.
Both sides were investigating who this third party might be.
After listening to the young master of Wushang Mansion, the Immortal Alliance had narrowed its suspicions down to the demon race.
They believed that Fengdu Ghost City harbored remnants of the demon race and was engaged in activities to revive the demon race and liberate the demons sealed within the Everlasting Abyss.
Fengdu, on the other hand, suspected the involvement of the demon race. As previously mentioned, the terms "demon" and "spirit" were often paired. They believed that the cunning and malevolent nature of the demon race was behind this act of muddying the waters.
Not long ago, it was heard that the Demon Emperor was gravely ill. The Nine-tailed Fox clan of Qingqiu had offered a treasure to aid his recovery in exchange for a promise.
The promise was to assist their Qingqiu fox clan in their resurgence and in killing cultivators.
The Nine-tailed Fox clan suddenly seemed to be irreconcilably opposed to the human race, even inciting the entire demon race to wage war against human cultivators.
Since the demon race was restless and appeared to be seeking revenge, it was not surprising that they would interfere when Fengdu and the human cultivators were clashing.
Fengdu wished for an alliance with the demon race to conquer the Twenty-Eight Heavens, and never again be subservient to the arrogance of these cultivators.
Both sides had their schemes. The Immortal Alliance, in the shortest possible time, had gathered elite disciples from a hundred immortal sects to battle. Sword cultivators, talisman cultivators, spell cultivators, and martial cultivators were scattered throughout the sky. Immortal lights struck like blades, and sword lights divided, illuminating the entire hazy sky.
At the forefront were over a dozen elders from the immortal sects, each holding their respective life-bound weapons. Their spiritual energy surged, and dazzling light expanded.
"Go—"
Over a dozen thick pillars of spiritual energy violently impacted Fengdu Ghost City's barrier.
*Bang—*
The powerful collision caused Fengdu's foundations to tremble. The people of Fengdu looked up at the sky in panic. The transparent barrier layer in the sky rippled, and the impacted sections displayed scale-like light patterns, which then smoothly returned to a curved arc.
As wave after wave of light impacted, the sky seemed as if it were about to be torn apart, exploding in all directions. Although Fengdu below had not yet been truly affected, seeing such a spectacle made their hearts pound.
"Damn, these cultivators are actually attacking our Fengdu?!"
"Why are so many people here? Can the city's barrier hold?"
At this moment, within the sky above Fengdu, ghostly energy raged, and black mist billowed and surged. It converged from the four city directions, and then the Ghost Kings of the four cities, along with their subordinate ghost cultivators, emerged from within.
The four Ghost Kings had already conferred, their synchronicity complete. Raising their hands to the sky, dark clouds began to roll, and deep vortices transformed this entire area into a place devoid of light.
"Come if you want, do you really think we in Fengdu are afraid of you?!"
Wearing a set of armor, King Shuofang's handsome face was now filled with malevolent intent. His lips were a deep black, and his arrogant, confident words flowed easily from his mouth.
—
Mu Mansion
Mu Junshi observed the battle scene through the "Round Light Mirror," her eyes already transformed into a sinister, cold red.
"Let the Immortal Alliance break the city's barrier, liberate Fengdu completely, and let everything descend into chaos."
Her voice at this moment was not her usual one, but a deep, mixed, and murky sound, as if many voices were speaking through her as a medium.
The Mu Family Head, Mu Nanxue, and a group of Mu Mansion's core members were all present. Upon hearing her words, they looked at her with alarm.
"It is time for you to depart and seize the final immortal artifact. Wait for the opportune moment to assist King Shuofang in defeating his opponents."
"Demon Lord, what if Fengdu loses this battle?"
"With me here, do you think Fengdu will lose?"
"She" looked at them with her utterly inhuman eyes, her gaze like a cold, deep abyss, sending shivers down their spines.
The Mu Family Head quickly led his clansmen: "The Mu family obeys the Demon Lord's command. We will depart immediately."
After they left, Mu Junshi suddenly looked in a certain direction.
"Who is there?"
Following her sharp shout, a black cat, appearing from who knows where, emerged from behind the door. Mu Junshi narrowed her eyes, her heart filled with suspicion, and she had no intention of verifying its origin before simply killing it.
However, she heard a hasty cry: "Young Lady, show mercy."
She looked up and saw Hua Jie entering.
Mu Junshi's expression changed slightly, and the color of her pupils instantly returned to their normal chestnut black.
She frowned and said, displeased, "Why are you here? And what is that thing?"
Hua Jie explained, "I was often bored and lonely, so I had someone buy me a spirit pet to keep me company."
After each demonic possession, Mu Junshi would enter a period of weakness. She listened to his explanation quietly, making no indication of whether she believed him or not. She sat down and coldly said, "Take your spirit pet and get out—"
But Hua Jie did not leave obediently. Instead, he looked at her intently, "Are you in great pain?"
Hua Jie was now adept at capturing some of the charm and tone of Liu Jiang Fusheng. His seemingly caring, yet perhaps perfunctory, question stirred a yearning within her.
It was akin to someone who had been perpetually cold and unfeeling suddenly displaying a moment of tenderness, making it both rare and delightful.
Mu Junshi paused, her gaze deepening, and she became interested.
"Come here."
Her tone changed, and with a hint of an unexplainable craving, she called him closer.
Hua Jie cast a detached glance at her but did not move.
Yet, Mu Junshi particularly favored his tactic of playing hard to get. She said no more, but rose and walked towards him.
She wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned in.
Hua Jie remained expressionless but indulged her flirtatious actions.
As she was lost in her infatuation, the ever-sober Hua Jie suddenly produced the "Demon-Slaying Arrow" from empty air and aimed it at her heart, thrusting it down.
Unfortunately, his cultivation was too low. The moment he made his move, Mu Junshi noticed it. How could someone like her fully trust another? Thus, the strike was not fatal, but she did harbor some affection for him, and in her moment of distraction, it still managed to cut through a patch of skin on her chest.
"Urgh—"
A piercing scream, like a demonic cry, erupted as large amounts of demonic energy surged from her chest.
The power of the "Demon-Slaying Arrow" was immense. Mu Junshi felt waves of intense pain, as if her entire body were burning. She endured the pain, large beads of sweat forming on her forehead.
"Hua Jie, you—dare—betray—me—"
Hua Jie, clutching the "Demon-Slaying Arrow" stained with purple blood, turned pale from the murderous intent in Mu Junshi's eyes.
Just as she was about to strike him dead, the black cat twisted, transforming into black ropes that bound her hands and feet, nailing her firmly in place.
Mu Junshi exclaimed, "What is this thing?!"
Seeing that she was trapped, Hua Jie considered running away. But... but she wasn't dead yet. As long as she wasn't dead, she would definitely seek revenge later. He couldn't leave such a menace alive.
Malice growing in his heart, Hua Jie, with trembling hands, held the "Demon-Slaying Arrow" and shakily prepared to strike again.
However, he had clearly underestimated Mu Junshi's capabilities. Seeing Hua Jie dare to approach, she gathered demonic power at the cost of her own well-being. Her false face gradually transformed, finally returning to her original peach-blossom face, and her pupils turned red.
Demonic energy erupted, shattering the "black cat's" restraints. Her figure flickered.
"What do you think you are, to believe you can kill—"
Just as her claw was about to be plunged into his chest, at the critical moment, a slender, jade-like hand seized her wrist.
She tried to struggle, but under the other's restraint, she was unable to move.
Hua Jie, having narrowly escaped death, collapsed onto the ground, his heart pounding so hard it felt like it would leap out of his throat. His palms were sweating, and the soles of his feet felt numb.
"Junior Sister Ziying."
Mu Junshi, no, now Ziying, stiffened at the mention of those four words.
Her face turned extremely grim, and she gritted her teeth, "Who are you?"
The person who had arrived was heavily disguised, and she could not discern who was intervening from within the darkness to save Hua Jie.
"Was the body-double game enjoyable?"
Ziying's eyes widened, shocked and suspicious. The other party clearly knew her and knew many things about her.
But she couldn't fathom the other party's identity.
"Who exactly are you?"
"No rush, we will meet again. Then you will know who I am."
Shaking off Ziying's hand, the black shadow beckoned, drawing in Hua Jie, who had collapsed from Ziying's poison and was now unconscious. The "black cat" then nimbly leaped onto her shoulder. In an instant, the two, along with the cat, vanished.
All that remained was Ziying, wounded by the "Demon-Slaying Arrow," staring at the empty room and letting out an enraged, frenzied cry.
—
After bringing Hua Jie back to the secret realm of the Poisonous Thorn Forest, the Human Emperor sensed a foreign presence and appeared before them.
When he asked what filthy thing she had brought back, Gu Junshi casually replied that the other party had blocked the poison for her, so she brought him back to take care of him.
When the Human Emperor saw the young man gradually regaining his youthful appearance, his expression was peculiar, as if he were somewhat gloating.
But deep down, he felt a pang of soreness. He asked in a sarcastic tone, "Do... do you only like people who look like this?"
She had previously found Liu Jiang Fusheng as her husband, and now she had brought back a young man who looked so much like him.
Gu Junshi understood what he meant.
Perhaps in the past, she wouldn't have had any particular thoughts about this question. Everyone admired beauty, and she appreciated good looks without being engrossed by them. She didn't see anything wrong with it.
But now, she clearly knew the answer to the Human Emperor's question.
She uttered two words faintly: "No."
Upon hearing her answer, the Human Emperor turned his face and stared at her, somewhat dazed.
He hadn't expected her to answer so seriously and with such certainty.
She added, "It's different."
The Human Emperor clenched his hand under his sleeve. As if indulging in self-torture, he asked with a tight throat, "Oh? How is it different?"