I grew up at the foot of Cang Lan Mountain and know it like the back of my hand. The vast expanse of Cang Lan Mountain, stretching a thousand miles, has thousands of streams and rivers that converge into the bottomless Ling Jing Lake. I also know the legend of the Cang Lan Sect, which says that at the bottom of this lake is sealed the great Demon Lord who wreaked havoc on the world three hundred years ago. The seal is said to be maintained by a mystical mirror at the lake's bottom, and removing it would release the Demon Lord, unleashing destruction upon all living beings once again.
But I never imagined that one day, I would be the one to release him…
That night, under a dark sky and a fierce wind, I was planning to sneak into the Cang Lan Sect to steal something crucially important to me. Unexpectedly, I was discovered by a disciple guarding the mountain gate. Panicked, I fled and dove headfirst into Ling Jing Lake, swimming downward in a frenzy. Unintentionally, I reached the lakebed, stumbled into the icy cave where the Demon Lord was sealed, and—by sheer accident—found the mystical mirror embedded in black ice.
I swear to the heavens, I didn’t do anything on purpose!
I only… out of curiosity, used my finger to scrape at the edge of the mirror. And then… how was I supposed to know that something so important would be so poorly secured?! With a loud “clang,” the mirror fell into my hands!
Terrified, my legs trembled uncontrollably. I almost wished I could chop off my own hands and toss them, along with the mirror, to the ends of the earth.
But I didn’t even have time to do that. In the next instant, the supposedly unbreakable mystical mirror cracked in my hands with a sharp “snap.” At the same time, the black ice in front of me also fractured with a sharp crack. A piece of ice fell away, revealing a single eye with a striking curve, buried deep within.
The eyelashes quivered gently, and the eyelid slowly opened to reveal an unfathomably deep black gaze that seemed to hold the brilliance of countless stars.
In that gaze, I saw my own stupefied, dumbfounded face reflected back at me.
But before I could remain dazed for long, the mystical mirror in my hands suddenly split apart with two crisp cracking sounds. Its fragments scattered, dissolving into fine dust in the lake water. At the same moment, the black ice in front of me completely shattered.
The force of the water’s shockwaves sent me tumbling backward, rolling several times before I finally stopped.
Looking up, I saw the legendary Demon Lord emerging from the broken ice. The lake water swirled around his robes and long hair, creating strange arcs. He was staring at me, his brows slightly furrowed.
Remembering the stories of his merciless killings, I was so terrified that I didn’t even try to stand. Crawling on all fours, I scrambled toward the exit of the ice cave. But before I could escape, the lakebed suddenly trembled violently. The shaking left me dizzy and nauseous, as if the earth were a cradle tossing me back and forth. Eventually, it flung me directly to the Demon Lord’s feet.
Already disoriented and on the verge of vomiting, I instinctively grabbed onto the Demon Lord’s leg and held on tightly.
“Let go,” came the Demon Lord’s cold voice of warning from above.
I was terrified he might kill me on the spot, but behind me, a vortex was forming, its growing strength threatening to suck me in. I was even more afraid of being torn apart and ground into pieces the moment I was pulled into the whirlpool.
Faced with two equally deadly choices, I obviously opted for the one that seemed less gruesome.
“Demon Lord! I’m the one who released you! At least save my life!”
“Get lost!” His tone was full of fury.
In this life-or-death moment, I suddenly recalled something the foolish disciples of the Cang Lan Sect often said: “I won’t go first! If we die, we die together!” This sentiment perfectly matched my current mood. Hugging his leg tightly, I shouted, “If we die, we die together! I won’t let you leave me behind!”
0 Comments