———
~ Please support this site by disabling your ad-blocker ❤️ ~
______
CHAPTER 31: The Moon Upon His Heart
And she, if she made a fuss about it, this devil would surely revert instantly and pretend the entire thing had never happened.
Sure enough, seeing her reaction, the Demon Lord grew restless. He immediately made to retreat. "If it doesn't suit, I'll change back."
Evidently, for an unbridled Archdevil, turning himself into this likeness felt awkward. Moreover, as one who had always considered himself the supreme power under heaven, he was even less accustomed to showing vulnerability before another.
Snapping out of her daze, she caught his sleeve. Her eyes suddenly overflowed with a shimmering mirth.
She had simply recalled the little devil from many years ago, who possessed this exact same brand of overweening arrogance.
Suddenly, she spoke to him. "Lower your head."
He eyed her with deep suspicion, yet he still leaned that beautiful face toward her.
Who could have guessed that in the next breath, she would reach out and seize his demonic horns, rumbling his hair into a mess,much like one would pet the small pup back on Bright Moon Mountain.
He froze for a moment, and then instantly flushed with humiliated rage. "You dare!"
Cunning human cultivator!
Despicable human cultivator!
Yet she wasn't afraid of him in the least. Pressing her lips together, she smiled like a pretty little fox that had just successfully stolen a treat, refusing to let go. Driven to exasperation, he used his horns to nudge her away and shot her a resentful glare, his phoenix eyes gleaming like burning black jewels.
She suppressed another smile.
He yanked her inside and slammed the door shut.
He stared at her for a long time, his expression shifting like shadows and light. She really wasn't, and now she’s starting to push her luck!
When he pressed his finger against the center of her brow, she was still staring at him intently, as if she couldn't see enough of him.
He said gloomily, "Am I really that pleasant to look at? Am I usually hideous?"
She replied in earnest, "You are always handsome."
He let out a cold snort. Glittering words from a silver-tongued cultivator!
"However," she added, "you looked best when you were a bride."
The Demon Lord’s face went black.
"Close your eyes," he said chillingly. "Stop looking."
She obediently shut her eyes, knowing that if she kept watching him, he would truly snap from embarrassment.
She opened her divine sense.
She knew this devil possessed a fierce pride; since he was willing to take this form for her, she did not want to fail his kindness. This time, she focused on laying her consciousness bare to him, stripping away all resistance.
Perhaps because he had transformed himself into the young devil, the manifestation of his divine sense had also shrunk. This created a vast distinction between him and the Demon God. Facing this younger version of him, she no longer associated him with that terrifying deity.
Indeed, when his divine sense entered her sea of consciousness this time, it encountered no violent rejection.
Both of them exhaled in a simultaneous breath of relief.
But at the very end, the Demon Lord caught sight of a new memory.
It was a vision of her in a field of snow, her heart pierced by ten thousand arrows.
She had been slowly opening her mind to him, but as they delved back to this memory,the deepest, most inescapable nightmare in her consciousness,she instinctively tried to seal it off.
He withdrew immediately.
Though she had closed it off with incredible speed, he had still seen the image. He didn't understand why so many memories of things that had never happened were appearing in her mind.
Was it her nightmare? If so, it was far too vivid.
For a time, both fell into silence.
To enter a sea of consciousness is to traverse a person’s inner world, to touch their deepest thoughts and their darkest terrors. It is like touching the hidden scars at the bottom of a person's heart.
Since she didn't speak of it, he had no intention of tearing at her wounds. However, he found it impossible to ignore that image.
Pressing his lips together, he suddenly spoke. "It won't be like that."
His phoenix eyes were like burning black gems as he let out a cold huff. "If such a day ever truly comes, you may simply use this Venerable One as your shield."
"Demons do not die as easily as your human race."
"I do not fear pain."
"Ten thousand arrows through the heart... even that will not hurt me."
As he spoke, he still bore the appearance of a youth, yet his tone was one of absolute disdain for the world. At first glance, this flamboyant little devil seemed to be boasting,but she knew he was capable of it.
The little devil had always kept his word since childhood; he had never lied to her.
Seeing her silence, he leaned his beautiful face closer, lifting his long lashes to reveal his strikingly handsome eyes. "What? You don't believe me?"
She suddenly let out a soft laugh and reached out again to touch his horns. He instinctively tried to dodge, but remembering that dream, he hesitated for a moment and tilted his horns toward her anyway.
She felt as if she were petting a massive dog. Even if this "hound" was exceptionally fierce.
By stroking his horns, her mood began to lift. "I believe you. If that day comes, Yan Xueyi, I will certainly use you as my shield. Do not blame me then for being heartless and unjust."
He spared her a glance and gave a huffing laugh. "Protecting a tiny human cultivator like you is well within this Demon’s capabilities."
"As long as I live, you shall not die."
He had done it. In her past life, when she died,he was already gone.
She felt her fingertips grow hot, and her heart trembled. She had been betrayed, abandoned, and used; she thought she could never again treat another with pure sincerity. She claimed she could trust, yet she remained like a patient in a feverish night, afraid to close her eyes.
However, like a thick sheet of ice labeled "Trust," her defenses began to melt before this mass of scorching fire.
"Let’s try again," she said.
She thought that this time,she could surely do it.
His divine sense invaded her mind once more. She thought of the way he had been panicked to the point of shock the first time she kissed him, and the way he had pulled her from the barrier of the Great Sect Array...
Sure enough, Yan Xueyi encountered no further resistance. He passed through the barrier smoothly and quickly entered her sea of consciousness.
Generally, a cultivator only ever knows their own inner world. Even among the most intimate of Dao companions, few would truly open their minds to one another.
Chao Jinsui’s sea of consciousness was, in fact, modeled after Bright Moon Mountain.
There were lush forests and elegant bamboo, with a gentle breeze blowing through. A small stream trickled down from the mountain peak to a bamboo hut. By the river sat a tea set, with a few scrolls scattered on the ground, a zither, and a library pavilion.
It was quiet and refined, yet it felt remarkably lonely.
The Kunlun Sword rested by the bamboo hut, while the Kunlun Sword Manual floated in mid-air. They say the sea of consciousness is a reflection of one's inner world; hers was excessively desolate.
Once the devil entered, he acted as if he were in his own home. He directly commandeered her bamboo couch and sprawled out, hooking one long leg up, looking for all the world like he intended to stay indefinitely.
Chao Jinsui waited for a long time, only to find he wasn't moving. "Yan Xueyi, get up and get to work."
He merely spared her a glance, snatched the book from her hand to cover his face, and mumbled, "Taking a nap first."
Chao Jinsui: "..."
Was this the consequence of delivering one's trust? She was already starting to regret it.
He dawdled on the bamboo couch for a long while. Only after she had called "Yan Xueyi" three times did he sluggishly pull the book away and look up to survey her mind.
Because her spirit was unstable, the "sky" above her sea of consciousness appeared mottled, as if it were riddled with holes. The so-called spirit-mending was the process of helping her patch these fragmented sections.
The little devil leaned in, immediately starting to haggle. "Call me 'Brother' once, and I'll mend it for you right now."
Her gaze was dark. "Yanyan, if you don't start, I’m going out to find Guangping."
He snorted, pulled her over, and closed his eyes.
She couldn't help but knit her brows, feeling a powerful sense of intrusion. This mending was essentially a form of stitching, using his own spiritual power to patch her mottled soul.
They were very different people,one like a ball of black flame, the other like cold frost. Clearly two opposite elements, yet using the black fire to repair the ice felt strangely harmonious.
The sensation was bizarre, as if a mystical connection had been forged between them in that moment. It felt somewhat like their first kiss. Breath entwining, lips and teeth depending on each other, a mutual nibbling. The intersection of ice and fire brought a strange dizziness.
The mottled spirit was gradually being repaired.
After an unknown amount of time, just as they sought to go further, both felt a sense of rejection from the fractured consciousness. They had reached the limit.
She left her inner world, her body drenched in sweat, her mind reeling. When she opened her eyes, she saw the devil staring at her lips, his thoughts unreadable.
He had already returned to his normal form, radiating aggression and dominance. As he took a sip of cold tea, the slight movement of his Adam's apple made him look like a predatory beast that hadn't quite had its fill.
He thought to himself: It feels quite like kissing. Hmm, not bad.
We can do this a few more times.
Good thing I didn't let Guangping do it!!
However, the Demon Lord likely didn't know that for most people, mending a soul was never this compatible.
Compared to the satisfied devil, it took Chao Jinsui quite a while to soothe the intense vertigo. Her only comfort was that her condition had significantly improved. Soul-mending was undoubtedly a massive undertaking; having completed a third of it, she would likely need two more sessions to be fully restored.
Suddenly, she paused.
Wait,
She discovered that at some point, a massive skull had appeared in her sea of consciousness. She looked closer, and the skull immediately transformed into the likeness of the little devil, drifting around her mind.
One moment he was lounging with his legs crossed on her bamboo couch, the next he was frowning as he inspected her sword, and then he ducked into her bedroom, refusing to come out.
It was as if he had left a line of text: On such-and-such a day, a certain Demon Lord visited this place and claimed it as his own.
Chao Jinsui: "..."
She went to confront him, but he had already transformed into a wisp of black smoke and drifted back next door.
She knocked on the wall. "Yan Xueyi, this isn't fair. I haven't been to your sea of consciousness yet!"
He had already made himself at home in hers.
His lazy voice drifted back, laced with malice and that signature demonic arrogance. "This Venerable One isn't the one with an unstable spirit."
He was definitely retaliating. Retaliating for her touching his horns and ruffling his hair like a dog.
He tempted her: "If you have the skill, why don't you try breaking in?"
The danger of breaking into a Demon Lord's mind was self-evident. She wasn't stupid; who would go looking for trouble!
In the opposite room, the Demon Lord sat by the window, a smirk playing on his lips. He thought lazily: Unless the day comes where she can break in herself, I will never let her see it.
A devil's sea of consciousness was, in truth, the likeness of the Demon Realm,a place of eternal night containing a massive Abyss of Ten Thousand Demons. The eternal night of the Demon Realm was different from the nights of the cultivation world; there were no stars, and there would be no moon,only miasma and darkness.
And yet, within this devil's mind, there hung a full moon.
The moonlight stretched for thousands of miles, illuminating his desolate wilderness.
With a third of her spirit repaired, it was enough for Chao Jinsui to use her spiritual energy normally. Previously, she had felt "disembodied," as if a veil existed between her and her own physical form. Now, her perception of her body was much sharper.
Consequently, she immediately realized,
Her dantian was faintly gathering milky-white spiritual energy, swirling in circles, slowly expanding her meridians and dantian. Clearly, this change hadn't just started; because of her unstable spirit, she hadn't been able to perceive her body's transformation.
She was about to enter the middle stage of the Nascent Soul realm!
Since her awakening, her cultivation had remained at the early stage. This speed was already considered fast; for instance, Chao Taichu had remained at the early stage for fifty years, only stepping into the middle stage when he reached four hundred.
Perhaps it was due to re-studying the Kunlun Sword Manual, but her advancement was occurring much earlier than in her previous life. She recalled the fluidity she felt when defeating the giant spider, and her new insights into the first three stages of the manual... The opportunity was too good to miss. Chao Jinsui hesitated no longer; she informed Yan Xueyi and began a period of secluded cultivation.
The difference between each sub-realm of the Nascent Soul was vast. From the early to the middle stage, one's meridians would broaden, and the capacity of the dantian would double!
Spiritual energy capacity was vital for a cultivator. When facing the Great Sect Array, her dantian had been nearly drained by the killing blow; when facing the out-of-control Demon Lord, she had been forced into close-quarters combat because her energy was exhausted. These were all consequences of insufficient reserves.
She closed her eyes, letting the milky-white energy nourish her body and broaden her meridians, washing over her dantian repeatedly as she entered a profound state of meditation.
One month later.
She opened her eyes. The golden light on her body circulated for three full cycles before slowly fading. Her entire body felt incredibly light; her dantian had successfully expanded, and even the movement of her spiritual energy had become exceptionally smooth.
She stood up, deactivated the barrier, and tested her movement over the City. She found herself more agile, her body as light as a feather, transcending its former weight.
She reached the outskirts, drew the Kunlun Sword, and tested the Frost Realm. In an instant, an entire mountain road was frozen over with layers of ice! The surrounding trees froze and shattered into countless fragments!
She performed a flourish and sheathed the sword! The ice receded, and the surroundings returned to their warm, spring-like state.
Before, at the early stage, the Frost Realm was suitable for large-scale attacks but lacked lethality. Now, if she condensed it into frost-swords, each strike would likely claim a life.
Yet she knew this was not enough.
The gap between the Soul Transformation realm and the Nascent Soul realm was as wide as heaven and earth. In her previous life, at the Soul Transformation stage, her fifth-tier Frost Realm could freeze land for thousands of miles.
She possessed the knowledge of a Soul Transformation cultivator from her past life, which was an invaluable treasure, along with the Kunlun Sword Manual. She had to reach Soul Transformation even faster than before.
She turned around to see a "devil" watching from a tree, leaning against the trunk. Who knew how long he had been watching?
He said lazily, "Congratulations. Want a fight?"
The girl with the sword smiled at him. "No rush. I have someone else to fight first."
He paused, his lazy expression replaced by a brooding reminder: "Don't forget, you still have two-thirds of your spirit to mend."
She looked at him and finally spoke the words. "Yan Xueyi, I cannot go back to the Demon Realm with you right now."
She had to follow the clue left by Chao Xiaotu to find the Heaven-Mending Stone. If she guessed correctly, it should be at Taixuan Wuji.
She expected him to fly into a rage or glare at her, but he didn't. He simply went quiet and stared at her.
Now, he couldn't even bring himself to promise he wouldn't hurt her.
He was silent for a while. "Perfect timing I also has business to attend to."
In the spring air, the peach blossoms were brilliant. The devil gazed at her with a look bordering on greed, as if trying to carve her image into his heart. He loathed separation; leaving her side for even a second made him irritable and uneasy, like a beast watching its treasure leave its sight. Previously, perhaps when they were always at each other's throats, he could endure long periods without her.
But now that she smiled at him and called him "Yanyan," everything felt as beautiful as a dream. A dream this devil had likely fantasized about for a long time.
Facing each other, they fell into silence. After a long while, they spoke almost simultaneously:
"Are you leaving now?"
"Are you leaving now?"
Both were stunned. The Demon Lord let out a soft laugh, masking the loneliness in his eyes. He spoke lightly:
"If you want to go, fine. Take the 'Little Eyes' and Hong Niang with you. Take that Lingyun girl too; our Demon Realm has no use for human cultivators."
Chao Jinsui found that he had said everything there was to say, leaving her somewhat amused. She watched as he slowly turned his back, and she suddenly said:
"Then... take care on the road."
"Stay safe."
The Great Demon Lord’s back stiffened. Having fought his way out of the Abyss of Ten Thousand Demons, he had never heard such an admonition in his life. After all, who would care if an unbridled, ferocious devil encountered danger?
Safe. Take care.
He thought: What a long-winded cultivator.
If this is a dream, I wish I could stay in it a bit longer.
He tossed back a single sentence: "So fussy, you'd think you were my wife."
Having said that, the Archdevil dissolved into a black mist and vanished instantly.
Chao Jinsui looked up. He was gone.
Guangping and the Demon Lord appeared amidst a desolate mountain range. The demon general Moye had already assembled dozens of demonic officers, standing ready.
During the month Chao Jinsui was in seclusion, Guangping and the Demon Lord had returned to the Demon Realm. Yan Xueyi wanted to do something,something so important that he would rather temporarily leave the sword cultivator's side to complete it.
In the ten thousand years of the demon race, losing control of demonic energy was an instinct for almost all demons, no demon had ever managed to remain conscious during an invasion of demonic energy.
But now, the Demon Lord felt this could no longer continue. He wanted to change.
Guangping sighed. "Lord, you know that this is virtually impossible."
The Demon Lord said calmly, "Guangping, I have done it."
Guangping showed surprise.
The Demon Lord continued: "When I stabbed her with my blade, and almost took her life... The blade’s tip veered by an inch."
Though it required immense willpower, and though it may have lasted only a second, it was an incredible feat.
Guangping spoke no more. Demon Lord Yan Xueyi was himself the most powerful demon in ten thousand years. Aside from the dense demonic energy of Mandarin Duck City, Guangping had never seen him lose control; he was a miracle among demons.
In ten thousand years, no demon had ever thought to maintain their sanity while losing control. He was the first. Perhaps,he really could do it?
Not long ago, the Demon Lord had received news: Taixuan Wuji had recently acquired a precious cultivation technique called the Clear Mind Manual, which allowed cultivators to maintain clarity during Qi Deviation. It was said to have come from the secret realm of a Soul Transformation cultivator who fell ten thousand years ago. Its appearance had caused a sensation in the cultivation world, but the news soon faded.
To humans, it seemed of limited use; after all, no one suffered Qi Deviation every day. Finding such a thing in a legendary secret realm was rather disappointing!
However, Yan Xueyi had caught wind of it. If he could maintain even a moment of clarity while the demonic energy invaded, even if just for a second...
Though he didn't know if the news was true or how effective the Clear Mind Manual would be for a demon, he decided to act. Bringing these men along was enough to go and seize the item from Taixuan Wuji.
Guangping pressed his palms together. "Do you know what it look like you're doing?"
The Demon Lord paused.
"Like a lion, striving to pull out its own claws and grind down its own fangs."
Guangping added, "But you should know, is a lion without claws and fangs still a lion?"
The Demon Lord was quiet for a moment, then let out a lazy laugh. "Monk, that is not for you to worry about."
Inside Taixuan City.
Half a month ago, Chao Xiaotu had returned to Taixuan Wuji with a coffin. She knelt before her grandfather, Shi Chunqiu’s door, and pleaded:
"Grandfather, I beg of you! You must have a way! Please save Senior Brother Su!"
After a long time, an old man with white hair and beard walked out. "Why bother? His soul lamp is extinguished, his aura gone. He has been dead for a long time!"
"But... but Madam Zi said she had a way! She said Senior Brother could still return to the living! Grandfather, you are the most skilled in Yin-Yang arrays; you must have a way!"
After a long sigh, he said, "I will try."
However, even after Shi Chunqiu performed the Great Yin-Yang Soul-Seeking Array, he found nothing. Chao Xiaotu stayed by his side for a day and a night without closing her eyes, full of expectation.
Finally, Shi Chunqiu shook his head at her. "I am powerless. His soul has long since dissipated into the cycle of reincarnation."
Chao Xiaotu collapsed to the ground, murmuring, "How can that be?"
She sat in a daze for a long time before suddenly jumping up to rush outside. "No, I’ll find Father! I can find someone else! Doesn't the Hehuan Sect have others?"
Shi Chunqiu stopped her. "The soul has dissipated; it cannot be found even in reincarnation. How can he be brought back to life?! Men, take the Young Mistress back. Stop this nonsense!"
With the last shred of hope shattered, Chao Xiaotu was teetering on the edge. The disappearance of her senior brother and the loss of her father’s arm combined were nothing compared to the impact of Shi Chunqiu’s words.
Senior Brother Su is the male lead, the one with great destiny. How could he die?
She didn't understand. She had been reborn; she knew the general plot; she had even gained Su Liuyun’s favor. She clearly held every advantage!
By the time Shi Chunqiu noticed something was wrong, Chao Xiaotu was already showing signs of Qi Deviation! He immediately grabbed her and headed for the inner chamber, pouring several bottles of spiritual medicine into her and preparing to knock her out. Suddenly, Chao Xiaotu grabbed his arm.
"Grandfather! Grandfather!"
"Grandfather! I know Taixuan Wuji values justice above all! Did you know that Chao Jinsui... She colluded with the demons and killed Madam Zi! She even caused the death of Senior Brother Su’s entire family!"
"What did you say?" Shi Chunqiu frowned deeply. "Is this true? Do not speak nonsense."
Chao Xiaotu immediately raised her fingers. "I swear, Senior Brother Su, Uncle Su, and Madam Zi all died because of her! If there is a single lie in my words, let heaven strike me down with thunder!"
She made her vow, but no thunder rolled.
It was evident that there was no falsehood in this; it wasn't a lie concocted from Chao Xiaotu’s madness. Shi Chunqiu’s expression grew solemn.
"I am aware of this matter now. It will be thoroughly investigated. Rest now."
Shi Chunqiu handed Chao Xiaotu over to Aunt Ping. Looking at her, Aunt Ping sighed. "Why did she come back like this after living so well in Kunlun?"
Chao Xiaotu’s gaze was vacant; she couldn't hear a word. She could not accept Su Liuyun’s death,if he was dead, what did her sacrifices in her past life matter? What did her careful planning in this life matter? It was as if a gambler had placed all their bets, fully expecting to win, only to lose everything.
A person who has lost everything is desperate to find an outlet for their terror.
Chao Xiaotu suddenly asked Aunt Ping, "Auntie, once Taixuan’s wanted order is issued, has any cultivator ever survived?"
Aunt Ping said calmly, "Since the founding of Taixuan Wuji five thousand years ago, no wanted cultivator has ever been left alive."
Read only on https://royaltywrites.com.ng/
.jpeg)
We hope you enjoyed this chapter! You can vote for this novel translation and drop a review on Novel Updates!
Show support by clicking on the support button below!❤️
.jpeg)
.jpeg)
.jpeg)
.jpeg&description=THE WHITE MOONLIGHT ONLY HAS A HAPPY ENDING - CHAPTER 31){kind=link}
0 Comments
What's on your mind...