Chapter 1723: Blood-drenched Zhoutian (5)
"Qi'er!"
"Qinghan!!"
"Ahhh~!!"
In the sky of the northern region of the Dong Shen Domain, the heart-rending howl of Zhou Xuzi resounded.
Like the desperate roar of a wild beast, like the anguished wail of a malignant spirit... Anyone who heard this sound would never believe it could have been emitted by the Zhou Tian Shen Di.
Watching his own descendants being slaughtered in droves like humble weeds, all the nightmares he had accumulated in his life combined could not compare to this cruelty and despair.
He seemed to have completely lost his mind, shrieking and attacking the image of Yan San in the projection... But amidst the constantly twisting and shattering fragments of the projection, Yan San's wild ghostly laughter and the successive swings of his ghost claws still came through.
Chi! Chi! Chi! Chi!—
With the swinging of Yan San's arms, dark claw marks interwove into a vast dark net.
Beneath the dark net, space shattered into countless fragments, and living beings were crushed into a sky full of bloody mist.
Zhou Xuzi's body slowly stopped.
Blood blurred his eyes, then turned into countless bloody blades, cruelly slicing his heart and soul.
The whisk in his hand fell feebly, dropping straight down, crashing onto the cold ground below.
Tears of old age streamed down his face.
Less than two years ago, he had wept bitterly over the death of Zhou Qingchen. He thought there was nothing left in this world that could make him cry...
But this time, there were not only tears, but also blood... Tears mixed with blood flowed madly from his eyes, ears, nose, and mouth. The world before his eyes was sometimes pale, sometimes gray, then began to invert and spin, spinning faster and faster... faster and faster...
Pfft!
A large mouthful of blood sprayed from his mouth, exploding into a shocking mist of blood in the air.
Then his entire body plummeted straight down from the air, like a lifeless piece of deadwood, crashing heavily to the ground.
Chi Wuyue walked slowly, glancing sideways at Zhou Xuzi, who lay collapsed on the ground vomiting blood. This Zhou Tian Shen Di, revered by all for countless years, now had eyes devoid of any trace of their usual divine light—only a murky, deathly gray.
Her gaze lingered on him for a moment, then Chi Wuyue looked away. There was not even a trace of pity in her eyes, only a calm coldness. She spoke softly, "Does it hurt?"
"..." Zhou Xuzi propped himself up with his arms. He raised his head shakily, his vision blurred with blood, his face ghastly pale, like a dying man whose lifespan had run dry.
He opened his mouth, his hoarse voice dripping with blood with every word: "You... demons!"
"Heh," Chi Wuyue gave a faint smile. "Yes, we are indeed demons. When the world calls us demons, locks us up and slaughters us as demons, we can only become true demons."
"And all of this is not because of anything we have done, but only because we bear dark profound force, isn't that so?" she sneered coldly. "The righteous and selfless Zhou Tian Shen Di."
Zhou Xuzi grabbed the blood-stained whisk, slowly raising it. His gray-white pupils were dyed with blood again... this time, with a bloodlust filled with violence: "You... dark demon people... are all demons that deserve to be extinguished by the Heavenly Dao!"
His mental state had begun to become chaotic. He, who had never tolerated demon people, with the tragic death of Zhou Qingchen and the blood staining of the Zhou Tian God Realm, had his hatred for demon people driven deep into every fiber of his marrow and soul.
Chi Wuyue's eyes rippled with sorrow, and she gave a cold smile. "Four years ago, the Jie Tian Mo Di returned to the world. With just a thought, she could have made all living beings her slaves, summoned the demon gods into the world, and with the resentment accumulated in the Outer Chaos for millions of years, turned the entire God Realm into the most miserable hell."
"But this empress of demons chose to sacrifice herself and her entire clan to protect the entire world, the entire Chaos, even for beings on planes infinitely lower than her own."
"Tiansha Xingshen Mo Li, born as a demon under a demonic artifact, despite being relentlessly hunted by you, resolutely appeared and used the power of the Evil Infant to seal the Crimson Rift."
"Yun Che—regarding him, I can tell you this: the first time he set foot in the God Realm, he already bore dark profound force. In other words, during his time in the God Realm, from beginning to end, he was a demon."
"But... when you were trembling on your knees before the Jie Tian Mo Di, it was he who stood up to face her alone, even somewhat ridiculously taking 'saving the world' as a mission he must accomplish."
"It was also because of him that the Jie Tian Mo Di chose to leave the Chaos forever."
A strange black light silently condensed in Chi Wuyue's black eyes, and she continued, "Who saved the world from that apocalyptic catastrophe? You, Zhou Xuzi, know better than anyone else in this world."
"The Demon Empress, the Evil Infant, Yun Che—they are demons, the most extreme and pure demons in the world. But they are also the ones who saved countless beings of the God Realm and Chaos, allowing you to still be alive to curse us as demons with such conviction!"
"..." Zhou Xuzi's throat trembled, letting out a sound not like a human voice.
The black light in her eyes deepened, and she continued, "The Demon Empress, the Evil Infant, Yun Che—all of them, through their world-saving deeds, truly embodied what it means to have a sacred heart that saves all beings, and sacred achievements that rescue all worlds."
"And you? With your mouth full of righteous benevolence, you struck the Evil Infant, who had just saved your lives, out of Chaos with a single palm, forced Yun Che, who had just saved the world, into a dead end, and even did not hesitate to lead everyone to Yun Che's homeland, causing him to lose everything in an instant!"
"Heh," Chi Wuyue gave a cold laugh. "How ridiculous is this righteousness. Zhou Xuzi, can you truly not see how ugly your righteousness is?"
"Back then, when the Demon Empress left, why did Long Bai, Nanming, and Qianye desperately want to kill Yun Che? Do you really not understand?"
"Over the years, you have led the pursuit of Yun Che. Was it for your so-called righteousness, or to erase the ugly darkness in your soul that you have never dared to touch or see clearly?"
"Shut up... shut up!" Zhou Xuzi suddenly screamed from the silence, swinging his whisk violently, but the power he released was chaotic and disordered.
Boom!
The earth cracked, but Chi Wuyue's skirt was only slightly lifted.
"Oh, and there's one more important thing I forgot to remind you." Chi Wuyue smiled softly, her magic voice gradually becoming ethereal. "Once upon a time, Yun Che, even if he encountered an unrelated mortal being bullied, he could not help but meddle and save them."
"Now, he can slaughter your Zhoutian without changing his expression."
"From a world-saving divine son, in just a few years, he has become a demon lord who wants to bathe the Dong Shen Domain in blood. Guess who forced him to become like this... who is it?"
Zhou Xuzi's body began to tremble. His head seemed as if the skull had been broken, twisting in an extremely distorted manner.
In the sea of his heart, the twelve-character prophecy that had haunted him like a nightmare for years rang out madly like the death knell of hell.
Amidst the endless chaos, Chi Wuyue's magic voice continued. Every word was as clear as if it were directly ringing in the deepest part of his soul.
"Yun Che saved the Dong Shen Domain, saved the Zhou Tian God Realm, saved you, Zhou Xuzi, saved all your family and descendants."
"And now, the Dong Shen Domain is raining blood. How many pitiful people have died without a burial place? The Zhou Tian God Realm left by your ancestors is becoming ruins and blood-soaked soil. Your clansmen, your descendants, are screaming and wailing, dying even more miserably and pitifully than the demon people you have killed in your lives..."
"Guess who gave birth to a demon that butchers the world? And who harmed his own foundation, his clansmen, and the countless beings of the Eastern Domain?"
Bang!
The whisk in his hand fell again. Zhou Xuzi's head shook even more violently, and his eyes were terrifyingly pale. "No... no... don't say anymore... it's not me... it's not me... don't say anymore!"
But no matter how his soul struggled, the soul-invading magic voice remained as clear as a nightmare: "Such sins cannot be atoned for even if you are piled into a rock monument of shame and cursed for thousands of generations."
"Your descendants—if you have any—will inherit your shame and sins for generations, be cursed by the world, and can only cower in dark corners forever, never able to raise their heads."
"When you reach the Yellow Springs, your ancestors will never forgive you. They will only personally nail you to the most painful rack of hell!"
"Shut up!!!"
Zhou Xuzi suddenly jumped up, his hands swirling with chaotic profound energy, grabbing at Chi Wuyue's neck.
Chi Wuyue did not move. Zhou Xuzi's grab missed and struck heavily on the ground.
He did not stand up. His ten fingers dug into the cold earth, and a trembling whisper came from his mouth. "I am not wrong... not wrong! He is a demon god who butchers the world... he killed my son... demon people should not exist... the Evil Infant should not exist... I did it all for the people... for righteousness..."
"I am not wrong... not wrong... not wrong..."
At that moment, the black light in Chi Wuyue's eyes suddenly disappeared. An invisible black shadow pierced straight into Zhou Xuzi's soul.
Zhou Xuzi was completely unaware, with no reaction.
The corners of Chi Wuyue's lips lifted slightly, and a strange cold light flashed in her eyes.
Zhou Xuzi's soul was much more fragile than she had anticipated. Perhaps, in the years Yun Che had been in the Northern Domain, he had been suffering from some kind of mental torment that he was unwilling to face, or even unwilling to see clearly.
The projection in the sky continued to show scenes of tragedy too painful to behold. Zhou Xuzi banged his head against the ground. His will was desperately trying to block his hearing and vision, wishing he could faint and wake up to find it all just a nightmare.
Chi Wuyue walked closer, reaching out her hand... At that moment, three pale profound lights shot over.
Chi Wuyue turned her body and instantly teleported several miles away. Beside Zhou Xuzi, three guardians who had returned appeared.
"Master, go!"
With a mournful roar, they lifted Zhou Xuzi and, without a moment's hesitation or delay, fled at full speed into the distance.
Chi Wuyue did not pursue. She quietly watched Zhou Xuzi being dragged away by the guardians.
Her enchanting eyes were like an endless dark night shining with countless stars, and the slight smile on her lips was exceptionally strange.
"Xiao'er," she murmured softly. "I said, everyone who has hurt you, failed you, I will make them pay a thousandfold."
"Death is too easy for him. Let him live and enjoy the rest of his life well."
A soft, seductive, soul-stirring whisper, yet the most cruel demon's curse in this world.
————
The fierce battle in the Zhou Tian God Realm continued.
Yan San had already pounced on Taiyu Venerable. Injured and with his heart shattered, Taiyu was easily suppressed by Yan San and soon covered in wounds.
As for Qianye Ying'er, she was forcibly pushed out by Yan San's power.
Ridiculous! He, a dignified Yan Ancestor, would need to join hands with another to deal with a mere guardian? Did he have no face left!
Qianye Ying'er put away the Oracle, walked over to Yun Che, glanced at the projection array in the sky, and said, "How do you feel? Have you vented your hatred?"
"Hatred?" Yun Che smiled coldly. "I am merely taking back what they once bestowed upon me. But even if they die a thousand or ten thousand times, what they owe me, what I have lost, can never be returned."
"..." Her mother's figure flashed before her eyes. Qianye Ying'er's gaze was momentarily dazed, and she did not speak for a long time.
Just then, a faint demonic light flickered in Yun Che's eyes. A sound transmission profound formation appeared before him. He said in a deep voice, "Has the Yue Shen Realm already moved?"
"No," came Huajin's voice from the formation. "There is good news. Shui Meiyin is no longer in the Yue Shen Realm. She may have secretly escaped much earlier. The Yue Shen Realm, in their search for Shui Meiyin, had their forces scattered not long ago, and it is almost impossible for them to regroup quickly."
"Oh?" Yun Che's eyes narrowed, a grim smile on his lips. "That is... truly wonderful!"