Inner Demons

Chapter 128: A Thousand-Year-Old Past

Li Yunxin also looked directly at the Lord of Dongting, took a deep breath, and said in a clear voice—

"My friend was the Wei River Dragon King who made a divine appearance in Weicheng a few days ago. He called himself Young Master Nine—the method of eating meat that Your Majesty uses was what he told me. That day, as I was passing..."

Li Yunxin recounted his deep "friendship" with Young Master Nine in a continuous narrative. When he reached the emotional parts, he choked up several times, unable to continue.

"...I was killed by that Liu Ling, so I don't know the details of what happened afterward. I only later learned that Liu Ling had another conflict with a great demon—I think it must be because that great demon had something precious in her hands, and the two had another internal strife!"

The imposing Lord of Dongting's expression changed as he listened to this point.

"That Feathered Cloak," he sighed softly. "It was because of that Feathered Cloak."

Li Yunxin was slightly stunned but remained composed. On the day he died, Liu Ling had scattered his soul. He only began to reform his Spiritual Soul after the two had fought their way out of the city.

Therefore, he only knew that his plan had succeeded. But there were certain things he did not know.

For example, what the Lord of Dongting had just said.

But looking at it now... it seemed to be a lucky guess.Li Yunxin frowned. "What Feathered Cloak?"

The imposing Lord of Dongting seemed to be thinking about something. After a moment's hesitation, he finally said, "That great demon is not a great demon of this mortal world. Her adoptive father is the Golden-Winged Great Peng, the lord of all feathered creatures in the world. This Bai Yunxin... feeds on scaled creatures, and her favorite food is Dragon's Son."

He sighed again at this point. "Although I do not know where the Golden-Winged Great Peng King resides, I know it is not in this mortal world. That Bai Yunxin needs the Feathered Cloak to enter and exit her own home."

"But a thousand years ago, her Feathered Cloak was forcibly taken by a Taoist priest of the Daoist Orthodoxy with the surname Niu, and she has been unable to return since. For this past thousand years, she has been trying to find her treasure... now... alas."

Feathered Cloak.

Li Yunxin committed this to memory. He realized that this could be one of the key factors to victory.

The Lord of Dongting's eyes suddenly darted. He slowly sat down.

"Since you are already dead, how did you cultivate into this form of a netherworld god?" he asked slowly. "What you said is reasonable. But... how did you know to come find me?"

The most crucial and fatal question was here.

Li Yunxin had almost no information related to the Lord of Dongting.

He had only one method—to let this great demon answer it himself.

"Young Master Nine... rarely mentioned Your Majesty." After saying this, he quickly glanced at the Lord of Dongting's expression and immediately added, "In fact... it could hardly be considered mentioning."

"In this world, I am probably the only friend who has heard news of Your Majesty from his mouth. He regarded me as a bosom friend and said he often felt lonely. We two had similar interests, and although he was sometimes capricious, I ultimately knew his true nature."

At this point, the Lord of Dongting was still sitting upright.

Li Yunxin then said, "And so, perhaps... he would only say it to me. He has a proud nature—some emotions are hidden in his heart, perhaps if he said them, he would be afraid of being ridiculed. But there was only one time..."

"He had drunk too much and said that in this Wei River... there was only one person he wanted to get close to, but could not..."

As soon as his voice fell, the Lord of Dongting's face changed instantly.

And so Li Yunxin knew he had hit the "spot."

"You say you are his sworn friend. Do you... have any proof?" The two whiskers of the Lord of Dongting trembled slightly as he spoke. "Do you have proof?"

His reaction made Li Yunxin slightly surprised.

He was very confident in his own abilities. He didn't think it was a big deal to deduce conclusions by observing the other party's actions, expressions, tone, and pauses during a conversation, and then quickly adjusting his own responses to ultimately obtain the information he wanted. But he was still a little surprised by the Lord of Dongting's obvious emotional display.

The moment he realized in the middle hall that this Taoist Priest Li was the Lord of Dongting, he felt he had fallen into a terrible crisis.

A three-thousand-year-old great demon!

Young Master Nine had even acquiesced to his existence for so long, and to have such a palace on Junshan!

In his impression, this Lord of Dongting should be a terrifying existence with boundless magical power, a deep and almost demonic cunning, and even the slightest smile would have a hidden motive.

However, after this round of verbal sparring, he realized...

The Lord of Dongting was not on the level he had imagined.

He wasn't stupid. He was even more vigilant and clever than many people. As a demon, he could even be called upright and peaceful, almost human.

But this... didn't seem like an old demon who had lived for three thousand years and seen much of the world.

Li Yunxin took note of this point, realizing that his previous reaction had been a bit excessive—if he had known earlier that this Lord of Dongting was this kind of guy.

But there are no perfect plans in the world.

Everything can be adjusted.

He now understood... perhaps there were some inside stories and misunderstandings between the Lord of Dongting and Young Master Nine.

Young Master Nine didn't want to mention him, but this Lord of Dongting... was now getting excited because of that one sentence.

Therefore, he let out a soft breath. He reached into his clothes... and took out that reverse scale.

This thing was actually just the "key" to lead him to the Chiwen divine seat. now that he had returned to his position, this reverse scale was just a memento.

Li Yunxin didn't think about why he had brought it with him, but it was certainly useful now.

He presented this reverse scale on the table in front of the Lord of Dongting and said—

But the words stopped at his lips. He hesitated for a moment.

Perhaps it was because he knew that the Lord of Dongting was not as terrifying as he had imagined—at least on the level of personality and cunning—that he suddenly felt a little dispirited.

Suddenly, he didn't much feel like talking.

It was... for this reason, right?

And not for any other reason, right?

But he had to speak—he had to pull himself together, to reinvigorate himself through continued breathing and certain suggestions, to forget that small, small interlude, and say mournfully—

"He gave me this reverse scale to serve as my personal armor. After I died, I was supposed to enter the cycle of reincarnation, but for some reason, my soul attached itself to this reverse scale..."

"After he died... he still protected me."

"And because of this, I thought... I must come to Dongting Lake to search! I happened to meet these three people, and hearing them talk about the Lord of Dongting, I wondered if this Taoist Priest Li building a palace on Junshan... had any connection with that Lord of Dongting."

"Perhaps it was Young Master Nine's spirit in heaven protecting me—I truly did meet Your Majesty!"

The Lord of Dongting listened to his words and fell silent for a while.

Then he just stared at the reverse scale on the table without touching it. After a long time, he finally said, "Did he really say... he wanted to get close, but could not?"

"Yes."

The Lord of Dongting fell silent again, and the green light swirling around him gradually dimmed.

Then he waved his hand. "This reverse scale, you take it back."

"This Taoist priest, you take him away too." He sighed again. With a sigh, a hazy mist rose from his mouth and nose. This reminded Li Yunxin of an incense burner, or of Young Master Nine staring at him before he died that night.

"I have known him for some years. I summoned him today to ask about this matter. Since you have explained it clearly... you can dispose of him."

The Lord of Dongting sighed once more.

This time, his entire body was shrouded in a swirling mist, his face almost invisible.

Li Yunxin didn't know if this was a demon crying. (To be continued.)

***