Shrouded Sky

Chapter 122 - Bitter Sea Sprouting Golden Lotuses

The several old men wore expressionless faces as they stepped through the void, their presence like towering mountains bearing down, making it hard to breathe.

After breaking through the encirclement, the four elderly women of the Demon Race were utterly exhausted and covered in wounds. The seven old men facing them were no weaker than they were. If this battle continued, there was no suspense, they would be defeated. "No need to kill them, just capture them…" a purple-clad young girl said with a playful smile, transmitting her voice. Her silk dress fluttered, and her purple robes danced as if she were an ethereal sprite.

The Demon Race’s elderly women sighed inwardly. They knew they had no chance of winning. Continuing the fight would only lead to death, changing nothing. These women had weathered many storms and were not rigid. Dying here would be meaningless. In the end, they chose to break out.

All four used desperate, self-destructive tactics, fierce and unyielding. Blood sprayed as they burned their life force, finally managing to escape. But in doing so, they left Ye Fan behind.

The seven old men were about to pursue, but the purple-clad girl stopped them. She wrinkled her delicate nose and said, “Forget it. I don’t want to see bloodshed. We didn’t come here to fight. Let others deal with them.”

She then stepped forward herself, circling Ye Fan and sizing him up. “Who are you? A human cultivator, why were you with those greater demons?”

Ye Fan remained calm, stepping forward to express his gratitude. “Thank you all for saving me. I’m just a wandering cultivator who accidentally stumbled into the Demon Race’s paradise and was unfortunately captured. Luckily, you intervened.”

“Liar!” The purple-clad girl tossed her hair, flashed a charming smile, and gave him a sidelong glance. “You’re clearly with those demons, yet you dare lie to me like this. If you don’t tell the truth, I have plenty of ways to deal with you.”

“Well, it’s a long story. I had no choice, it happened like this…” Ye Fan began spinning a tale. He couldn’t possibly mention the Imperial Demon Heart. If he did, the people present would likely dissect his Sea of Bitterness on the spot to seize the sacred heart.

The purple-clad girl stepped closer, pinching one of Ye Fan’s cheeks with a mischievous grin. “Little brother, you’re so naughty. If you don’t tell the truth, don’t blame your big sister for being unkind.”

The girl was only seventeen or eighteen, while Ye Fan’s actual age was well over twenty. Being called “little brother” left him speechless.

“Why so quiet now?” A dimple appeared on her left cheek, and a sly glint flashed in her eyes. Pinching his face, she said, “I’m actually very kind. Even if you don’t tell the truth, I won’t kill you. At most, I’ll carve a little turtle on your left cheek and a little toad on your right.”

“I’m not hiding anything…” Ye Fan stalled for time while thinking of escape plans. He had to flee quickly, his Sea of Bitterness held too many secrets. If he fell into the Ji Clan’s hands, they’d likely be exposed.

In the distant sky, golden lotuses bloomed, and myriad rays of auspicious light shone. A graceful immortal figure streaked toward them like a beam of light. It was Yan Ruyu. Seeing the scene, she waved her hand, and golden lotuses blossomed in the field, instantly annihilating the seven old men, body and soul.

Yet the purple-clad girl didn’t perish. Though blood trickled from her mouth and she was sent flying, a crystalline glow enveloped her, shielding her from the golden lotuses.

Yan Ruyu struck again, her Sea of Bitterness sprouting golden lotuses, visions manifesting. The sky filled with a fragrant aroma, and blazing golden light engulfed the area below.

Yan Ruyu glanced back, transmitting to Ye Fan, “I’m being hunted. If you come with me, it’s a path of near-certain death. You’re on your own.” With that, she shot toward the horizon, vanishing at the edge of the sky. Though a descendant of the Demon Race’s Grand Emperor, ten thousand years had passed, and her lineage had long declined. If she could escape, her only option was to seek refuge with a Demon Race powerhouse.

“Cough…” Below, in the cracked canyon, specks of light flickered. The purple-clad girl, astonishingly, hadn’t died. She struggled to her feet, muttering, “That flawless demoness is terrifying…”

Her face was smeared with dirt, and she coughed up blood. Only her large, lively eyes retained their spark. Her body swayed as she stood amidst the rubble.

Ye Fan knew well how powerful Yan Ruyu was. Even the Ji Clan’s elder-generation powerhouses couldn’t withstand a single strike of her golden lotuses, yet this girl had survived. This shocked him deeply.

In the distance, fluctuations of divine sense approached. Ye Fan’s heart jolted, those must be high-level cultivators, likely the ones hunting Yan Ruyu, now searching the distant mountains. He quickly hid in the canyon below. The purple-clad girl, startled, asked, “What are you doing?” From a distance, Ye Fan made his move, summoning his cauldron to suppress her.

The purple-clad girl struggled fiercely, but she was gravely injured, barely able to stand, swaying unsteadily. Surviving Yan Ruyu’s golden lotus phenomenon was already a miracle, she couldn’t resist the descending cauldron. “You… stop this!” she cried, both angry and shocked.

The ancient cauldron, now five meters tall, pressed down with the weight of twenty thousand kilos, pinning the purple-clad girl beneath it, rendering her immobile.

Ye Fan rushed forward, unleashing beams of divine light to seal not only her Sea of Bitterness but also her physical body, ensuring no surprises. “What do you want?” The purple-clad girl blinked her large eyes, surprisingly calm, tilting her head to look at him.

“Please escort me out,” Ye Fan said. He knew the Demon Race powerhouses had drawn the Ji Clan’s attention while protecting his escape. If he were found, escape would be nearly impossible. This girl’s status was extraordinary, keeping her in hand might serve as a talisman.

Suddenly, Ye Fan heard the sound of flowing water from deep in the canyon. His divine sense, exceptionally powerful, projected a golden beam from the small golden sea at his brow, piercing the dark crevice. “An underground river…” Turning, he lifted the girl and leaped into the dark fissure.

“Hey, hey, hey! I’m scared of the dark, don’t jump! I can guarantee the Ji Clan won’t touch you. Let’s go back up!” The purple-clad girl panicked. Being abducted like this could lead to unforeseen dangers. “I prefer to keep everything under my control, not pin my hopes on others,” Ye Fan replied calmly.

His divine sense was astonishingly potent, almost terrifying. The golden sea at his brow glowed like a third eye, illuminating the dark crevice as if it were daylight. Everything was clear to him.

They plummeted four or five hundred meters before reaching the underground river. The current was swift, icy, and bone-chilling, its destination unknown.

Splash.

Ye Fan, carrying the girl, leaped in, letting the current carry them forward.

“You’re insane!” the purple-clad girl shrieked, her large, watery eyes wide, long lashes fluttering. “Underground rivers are the most dangerous. You could be trapped for days, even months, without seeing daylight. They might lead to the sea or into regions filled with baleful energy.”

“Still safer than falling into the Ji Clan’s hands,” Ye Fan replied.

The purple-clad girl flashed a charming smile, her dimple appearing, and said in a sweet, coaxing voice, “Little brother, you should trust me. Once we’re out, I can ensure your safety. I even let those Demon Race grannies go.”

“Who are you to the Ji Clan? What’s your relationship with Ji Haoyue?” Ye Fan asked, unmoved.

“He’s my seventh brother. If you let me go, the benefits will be endless. I can even get him to teach you how to cultivate the phenomenon of the Moon Rising Over the Sea,” she said, her eyes twinkling, gently persuading.

Ye Fan sucked in a breath. This girl’s status was no small matter, she was the sister of the God-King Physique Ji Haoyue. He muttered, “Looks like I’ll have to be ruthless and destroy the flower.”

“You… don’t do anything reckless!” The purple-clad girl jumped in fright.

“You’re an important figure in the Ji Clan. If they find out I’ve abducted you, I’ll be hunted down and killed. So, I’m sorry, but I have no choice,” Ye Fan said.

The purple-clad girl struggled, saying, “If you want to live, you absolutely can’t kill me. Don’t you know? Some special Ji Clan members have marks planted on them. If we die, no matter how far away, the Ji Clan will know exactly what happened.”

“A mark… you’re one of the Ji Clan’s special members?” Ye Fan had vaguely heard of such things.

“Don’t act rashly, or you’ll doom us both,” the purple-clad girl said, genuinely afraid he might kill her on the spot. “I survived the flawless demoness’s golden lotus phenomenon without being killed instantly. That should tell you everything.”

Ye Fan sensed this girl was extraordinary, though he leaned toward the idea that she carried a powerful treasure. Smiling, he mimicked her earlier tone. “I’m actually very kind. Even if you don’t tell the truth, I won’t kill you. At most, I’ll carve a little turtle on your left cheek and a little toad on your right.”

“You… what do you want me to say?” The purple-clad girl was both angry and shocked, her large, watery eyes wide.

“Hand over all the treasures you have.”

“What?!” The purple-clad girl’s small mouth fell open, her lashes trembling, her face full of disbelief. “You… you’re robbing me?!”

“That’s right. I’m robbing you. Hand over everything you’ve got.”

A full month passed before Ye Fan and the purple-clad girl emerged from the underground river, swept into a vast lake. They felt immense water pressure, ordinary people would have been crushed to pieces.

The water was pitch-black, impossible to see through with mortal eyes, but it posed no issue for Ye Fan. The golden lake at his brow radiated light, his powerful divine sense scanning all directions, everything clear in his mind. “What is this place?” He was astonished. At the lake’s bottom lay ruins, crumbled walls and remnants of palaces. Ye Fan moved cautiously through the water.

The purple-clad girl, enveloped in his godpower, could barely see two or three meters around her within the light barrier. She gasped, “Heavens, could this be a relic from before the Desolate Era?”

Ye Fan pressed forward, then his heart jolted. Ahead stood a massive bronze palace, grand and imposing, almost the size of a small city. Its aura was overwhelming, and though covered in mottled green rust, it remained largely intact, exuding an ancient, majestic, and desolate air. He could hardly imagine where he’d been swept to.

“Ah!” The purple-clad girl in the light barrier suddenly screamed. If she could move, she’d likely have fled in terror.

Ye Fan had been so captivated by the city-like bronze palace that he hadn’t noticed his surroundings. Only now did he see dozens of corpses. As he moved, the water stirred, and the bodies floated up from the ruins, trailing behind him.

Their faces were unrecognizable, sealed in a waxy, oily layer, as if encased in cocoons, giving them a demonic appearance. “Just a few corpses. What’s so scary? Every lake has drowned bodies.”

“These… are wax corpses from before the Desolate Era!” The purple-clad girl cried, her face pale. “Normally, even one is rare. To find dozens here, maybe more, heavens, what is this place?!”

Ye Fan’s heart grew wary, and he cautiously approached the bronze palace. As they drew near, the purple-clad girl’s face turned ashen upon seeing the massive, city-like structure. “The Bronze Immortal Palace… how is this possible? It actually exists in the world!”

“What’s wrong?” Ye Fan asked, her expression heightening his unease.

“Leave, we have to get out of here, or we’ll both die!” The purple-clad girl, who hadn’t shown fear even when abducted, was now visibly terrified.

Ye Fan’s heart sank. “What is this place?”