In the darkness, I dreamed of countless memories from long ago, all revolving around Qing Han. To see him again, even in dreams, I wouldn’t mind staying asleep forever.
As the dreams continued, they began to feel eerily real. I could almost sense someone holding my hand and hear a hoarse voice calling me “Master,” filled with guilt, unease, and trembling hesitation.
I don’t know how many days I slept, but when I finally began to wake, the first thing I heard was a voice outside.
“You are the Demon King. Now that you’ve climbed out of the Demon Abyss and returned to the Three Realms, you should take up your role as ruler. Marry me, lead the Demon Clan’s soldiers, and expand our territory! It’s time to vent the anger we’ve bottled up for years under the oppression of those Heavenly Realm bastards. But instead, here you are, hiding on this mountain with a half-dead celestial hermit!”
From the voice, it seemed the current Spirit Maiden had returned. This time, though, she didn’t resort to violence. I blinked at the ceiling, too disinterested to care.
“And let me remind you,” she continued, “do you know how many of our Demon Clan’s warriors this woman killed back in the day? Even our Ancestor Queen perished because of her! To stay with her is to betray the Demon Clan.”
“So what if I betray them?” Liu Yue replied coldly. For a moment, it almost sounded like the Spirit Maiden was choking on her anger.
I found the exchange amusing, and my mind cleared slightly. As it did, realization struck me like lightning. No wonder Liu Yue’s name had sounded familiar before. Could it be... the famous Demon King who fell into the Demon Abyss centuries ago and never returned?
As this thought settled, my body tensed.
This Demon King—he had climbed out of the abyss.
A jolt shot through me, and I bolted upright, not even bothering to put on shoes. I stormed out the door. When Liu Yue turned to see me, his eyes lit up, but before he could speak, I grabbed him by the collar.
“Was it just you? Or did anyone else crawl out of there?”
Liu Yue stared at me silently.
Not wasting time, I turned my gaze to the Spirit Maiden. She flinched under my glare, like my eyes were daggers piercing her. She shrank back but quickly straightened, clearing her throat in an attempt to regain her composure. “What do you want?”
“Did anyone else come out of the abyss?”
Her eyes darted nervously. “You’re asking about your disciple, aren’t you?”
“Answer me!”
My shout startled her into trembling. Stammering, she replied, “That place... we’ve thrown countless people into it over the centuries. No one’s ever come back except the Demon King...”
She hadn’t even finished her sentence when I summoned all my spiritual energy and headed straight for the Demon Abyss.
I should have gone to find Qing Han back then. If the Demon King could climb out, maybe Qing Han could too. And even if he couldn’t, maybe I could have found him there. I shouldn’t have just waited above—I should have been with him.
What kind of life have I been dragging out all these years?
I reached the edge of the abyss in an instant. Hovering high above, I looked down at the massive chasm. Nearby, I noticed a group of demons gathered at one point along the edge. Descending to investigate, I heard someone shout from the crowd, “Where’s that bastard?! Make him give me my body back!”
Another voice chimed in, “He looks a lot like that kid who killed Prince Li back in the day...”
My heart jolted. Pushing through the crowd, I moved forward, but before I could get close, a bloodcurdling scream pierced the air. The demons scattered, yelling, “He’s eating demons!”
As they fled, I finally saw him.
Ten paces away stood the boy I had raised, now ragged and disheveled, his hair wild and eyes brimming with malice. He was biting into a demon’s neck, drinking their blood.
“I am your king!” he bellowed. “Give me your blood—all of you!”
I stared at the frenzied figure before me, blood dripping from his mouth. Even though he wore Qing Han’s face, I knew instantly this wasn’t Qing Han.
This was a demon—no, the Demon King. He resembled the ancient creatures I had only read about in books, monsters untouched by the civility of the Heavenly Realm. Bloodthirsty. Unstoppable.
The Liu Yue who had come to my courtyard...
The realization struck me too late. By the time I understood, I had no chance to turn back and flee with the others. The Demon King’s eyes were already locked on me.
In the past, I would have stood my ground. Even against a newly emerged Demon King, I could have fought him for hundreds of rounds. But now? I was too old. My body, weak and worn, couldn’t even lift a blade.
The Demon King moved like the wind, appearing before me in a flash. I had pushed myself too hard coming here, and I had no strength left to resist as he grabbed me by the throat.
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