novelraw Chapter 79 : The Crimson of the Desire Demon
Chapter 79 : The Crimson of the Desire Demon
Chapter 79: The Crimson of the Desire Demon
“How could anyone possibly touch upon the authority of death?”
Su Youwan found it somewhat inconceivable.
The Bone Road flickered with light and shadow, illuminating the silver-haired girl’s side profile. The girl spoke again, “Even the stars of death have never shone in the cultivation world.”
Lu Changyuan said softly, “Just because it wasn’t recorded doesn’t mean it didn’t exist.”
There were three thousand Daos, and cultivators could choose to cultivate the path they were most attuned to.
But there were some Daos that couldn’t be cultivated merely by desire.
For instance, the Time Dao of Xia Lianxue—no one knew how much suffering that little immortal had endured, nor what she had done in the void, before she finally attained the Dao of Time.
The Dao of Death was the same.
There were few records regarding the Lord of the Nether; it was only known that he had emerged from nowhere, stepping into the world already at the Jade Radiance Stage.
As for the Dao he attained, it had never been recorded.
Even Su Youwan, the Little Ancestor of Cihang Palace, had never heard of the Lord of the Nether’s Dao.
Lu Changyuan said, “There’s always a group of old monsters lying dormant in this cultivation world, ready to crawl out at any time.”
Ancestor Red Luan had managed to cling to life for five thousand years.
Who knew how many of those old things from Sword Solitary Sun’s era still hadn’t been cleared out—sleeping in their coffins, waiting for the day they burst out again to stir up the heavens and earth.
Su Youwan thought for a moment before replying, “It shouldn’t matter much. Those old seniors can’t stir up any great waves.”
With Cihang Palace and the White Domain Dao Sect standing guard, those ancient monsters would have to think twice before leaping out; otherwise, if they were inexplicably slain by juniors, there’d be nowhere left for them to weep.
A massive city loomed ahead of the two. The surrounding Nether Qi surged and rolled, blurring the distance of the Bone Road.
Tap.
Tap, tap.
A rhythmic knocking sound came from nowhere—it became the only sound after they stepped onto the bridge, chilling to the bone.
It was unknown how long they had walked.
Finally, the two reached the city gates.
Upon closer look, the city was not built upon the ground but seemed to have grown out of pitch-black ink.
The bricks and stones surrounding it were engraved with ancient twisted runes, pulsing faintly like a living heartbeat.
In the hazy fog, enormous shadows occasionally slid by silently, leaving behind only fleeting traces.
Lu Changyuan didn’t bother to look at those spirits; instead, he said, “Come on, let’s enter.”
The bone-carved city gate wasn’t tightly shut, yet beyond it was only a void of nothingness.
Su Youwan suddenly reached out and took Lu Changyuan’s hand.
“Third Royal Highness?”
“It’d be troublesome if we got separated.”
That was true enough.
The girl’s soft hand was slightly cold, as though even if one were to hold her in their arms, she would still remain cold.
When their eyes closed and opened again—
A street filled with lanterns unfolded before them.
It resembled a bustling street in the mortal realm, lively and lined with markets. Everywhere were illusory figures—faceless, their bodies faint and ghostly—yet one could inexplicably tell they were attending a fair.
Lu Changyuan glanced around and said, “This is the Eastern City.”
The Nether Kingdom was divided into Eastern and Western Cities.
This was the Eastern City.
At a glance, every wooden house had lanterns hanging outside.
At this moment, the red lanterns were lit with candles.
This meant it was daytime in the Nether Kingdom. When the lanterns turned white, that symbolized nightfall.
The Nether Kingdom had one absolute rule that could not be violated—
The living were forbidden to go out at night.
If this rule were broken, Lu Changyuan might still fare well, but Su Youwan would instantly become a spirit herself, forever trapped in the Nether Kingdom.
Thus, their first priority was to find a Nether dwelling that could host the living.
“Where is Young Master Lu taking Youwan?”
“Just follow me.”
They walked along the gray-black stone road, turning and winding through several alleys before Lu Changyuan stopped.
Before them stood a small gatehouse surrounded by gray walls. On the wooden door hung an upright, grayish-black fortune character.
“Why has Young Master Lu brought Youwan here?”
Lu Changyuan didn’t answer the silver-haired girl’s question but instead pushed open the unlocked door.
It was a modest house with a small courtyard. As soon as the door opened, they saw figures inside—or rather, spirits.
Two faint figures were sitting in the courtyard. When Lu Changyuan stepped in, they were startled and let out an overwhelming surge of Nether Qi, about to lunge and tear at him.
But Lu Changyuan merely said calmly,
“This is my house. You’ve been living here for years. Now that I’ve returned, you still want to kill me?”
By the reckoning of time, the last time Lu Changyuan entered the Nether City had been seventeen hundred years ago.
He had stayed for a hundred years back then—it was reasonable for him to own some property here.
The two ghostly figures froze.
They let out broken, incomprehensible howls, as if speaking in some unknown tongue.
Su Youwan couldn’t understand them.
Lu Changyuan sneered. “You should be glad I’m not asking for rent. Now get out.”
The two “spirits” left the house looking dejected.
Halfway through, they turned back and called out to Lu Changyuan in that same strange tongue.
Su Youwan still couldn’t understand, but she could hear the pleading tone in their voices.
Lu Changyuan waved his hand. “If I leave later, you can move back in.”
Only then did the spirits finally depart.
Su Youwan had long heard of the legends of the Nether Kingdom.
In Cihang Palace’s records, the details of the Nether Kingdom were vague, but one warning had been emphasized—once inside, one must follow the rules, and above all, one must respect the “spirits” dwelling there.
Because no one knew what kind of punishment the entire Nether Kingdom would mete out if one angered a spirit.
Yet looking at Lu Changyuan’s demeanor, there wasn’t a trace of caution.
He seemed more native than the natives themselves.
Lu Changyuan turned to Su Youwan. “Next, we just wait. Once the Ghost Gate opens, the Nether River will naturally appear.”
Su Youwan stood motionless, as if frozen in place, watching him.
“Third Royal Highness?”
Lu Changyuan called again.
Su Youwan came back to herself and said softly, “Young Master Lu, don’t move. Youwan will check something for you.”
Before Lu Changyuan could react, the silver-haired girl began murmuring incantations under her breath.
Golden light shone from her palms as she gently placed her hand on Lu Changyuan’s face.
Lu Changyuan raised an eyebrow. “What’s wrong?”
A long moment passed, yet there was no result.
Su Youwan didn’t answer.
Instead, she continued her examination in other ways.
The faint sandalwood scent from her body drifted into Lu Changyuan’s nose, stirring a strange, unbidden thought.
The girl murmured, “Strange.”
“What’s strange?”
Su Youwan shook her head. “Nothing… perhaps Youwan is just overthinking.”
The silver-haired girl lowered the white cloth over her eyes, her silken hair cascading smoothly down like liquid silver. Between the luminous strands, her pale earlobes were faintly visible.
She was tall, her features exquisitely refined—her nose straight, her brows delicate. Yet those crimson eyes lent her a trace of scrutiny.
At this moment, as she stared at Lu Changyuan, she looked very much like a hunter eyeing its prey.
The girl wasn’t checking Lu Changyuan for no reason.
Just moments ago, she had indeed seen a flicker of red within Lu Changyuan’s eyes—
The crimson that belonged to one tainted by the Desire Demon.