Chapter 389 - 211: Ten Years Ago

Chapter 389: Chapter 211: Ten Years Ago

"So you’re the real Heart Demon. You’re the Monk’s alternate personality. All these years, it’s always been you, usurping his place! Otherwise, with your power ten years ago, you would have had the chance to kill the Monk. You wouldn’t have spared his life."

Fan Yao shuddered. He clutched the wound on his neck. Zheng Xiu’s words were like a direct, devastating blow, completely shattering his defenses.

’That’s right.’

’I’m the real "Heart Demon." I’m the so-called "alternate personality"! I’m the part that "shouldn’t exist"! I’m the one who should be despised and cast aside!’

’It was I who suppressed Huahua for all those years. It wasn’t until I was sucked into the painting that Huahua could be reborn as the "Playful Monk," like a pure, unblemished blank slate.’

’When I spoke with Zheng Xiu that night, I acted as if I’d seen through it all, as if I’d let everything go. But in truth, only I knew the resentment and Anger in my heart. I have to get out. I have to leave this place. I refuse to be some vague, ethereal "Heart Demon" whose very existence is in question!’

SQUELCH!

Suddenly.

The ground beneath Zheng Xiu gave way. The solid earth had bizarrely turned into a mire, sucking his feet down into it.

At the same time, the ground beneath Fan Yao, who was also trapped in the "Bird Cage," underwent the same transformation as his expression twisted into a ferocious snarl.

In an instant, the entire battlefield became a bizarre mix of black and red. Pure black and lurid red, like two paints splashed together at random, suddenly transformed the area into an indescribable cauldron, engulfing everyone within.

"AAAAAHHHH—"

Screams echoed from all directions. Zheng Xiu and Fan Yao turned to see an inky light rising from the mire like an illusory barrier, pushing upward from the ground. In an instant, everyone’s vision was awash in a dreamlike, inky hue. Every gesture, every movement, left behind a trail of dazzling light.

But beauty often conceals lethal danger. The moment he saw this, Zheng Xiu was horrified, his scalp tingling. Whirlpools like quicksand formed in the ground, and the Knights sank into them. A terrible smoke rose from their bodies, corroding them completely in an instant. Their flesh dissolved into a bloody pulp, and in the blink of an eye, only white bones remained.

’The Darkness... has opened!’

’It’s too fast!’

SWOOSH!

With a piercing cry, Cheng Xiao’s body became covered in sinister black markings. The long saber in his hand instantly doubled in length, its blade wrapped in a scorching, blood-red aura.

Before him, the monster Arturo—the beast that had killed nearly a hundred Knights—lay in a heap of shredded flesh, its original form long gone. As the Darkness opened, the hundreds of pieces of flesh crumbled like dust, turning into a dense cloud of black particles that drifted upward like smoke and mist.

HISS!

The black mist above Arturo’s gory remains was especially thick. A thicket of brilliant red flowers suddenly burst forth from within it, continuously encroaching upon the world.

"Dead? Arturo’s dead? Impossible!"

"Is that... the Corpse Sewer’s Magic?"

"That wasn’t Arturo!!"

"It’s a fake! It’s all fake!"

At this sight, the ferocious look on Fan Yao’s face was replaced by boundless terror. He stared at the heap of shredded flesh in disbelief, his gaze flickering between Zheng Xiu and Cheng Xiao. His pupils dilated as he began to count, muttering insanely, "One, two, three... One, two, three... One, two, three..."

’He lied to me?’

’No, he lied to Lou Mengkong!’

’Lou Mengkong is the third person!’

"One-two-three, one-two-three!"

"It’s enough! There are enough here! There are actually enough!"

"Not one more, not one less! Not one more, not one less! Not one more, not one less!"

"Hahaha! So it turns out... not one more, not one less! It’s exactly three people!"

"None of us can leave! We can’t leave! We can’t leave!"

"It was all part of ’his’ plan! Gongsun Mo actually managed to ’draw’ him into existence!"

"Hehehehehe!"

「In the distance.」

"Old Chu! Old Chu!"

Chu Chengfeng and Wen Shishan were sunk to their waists in the mire, the searing pain twisting his face into a demonic grimace. Each of them held one of Xie Yunliu’s feet, letting him stand on their bodies.

Xie Yunliu’s face was a mess of tears and snot as he struggled, trying to pull Chu Chengfeng from the mire.

"Don’t waste your energy! Stop being such a goddamn crybaby!" Chu Chengfeng roared through the pain. "Fuck, I’m a goner! My balls are getting cooked! If I can’t have kids, I might as well be dead!"

"Listen to me, Old Xie! Before we sink completely, before you get dragged down too, use us," Chu Chengfeng forced a smile, "and escape this hellhole!"

Chu Chengfeng and his wife exchanged a look and smiled. Suddenly, the pain was gone.

With a simultaneous palm strike, Chu Chengfeng and his wife thrust Xie Yunliu high into the air.

Soon, only Chu Chengfeng’s head remained above the mire.

He struggled to raise a hand. Bone was exposed, molten flesh and blood dripping from it.

The skeletal hand clenched into a fist.

Chu Chengfeng laughed. "Old Xie, my debt to you is paid!"

"Mr. Chu."

"Yes?"

"Do you think we can have children... down there?"

"We can!"

The two embraced and sank into the abyss.

The Knights’ wails grew fainter. The agony they were enduring was far worse than death itself; perhaps dying would have been a mercy. Knights, soldiers of the Western Regions, the Divine Martial Army—all of them sank into the scalding mire. Their flesh and blood quickly became nutrients for the opening "Darkness." In the blink of an eye, the sky was filled with lurid red flowers.

The flowers constantly tried to push their way into the Bird Cage, causing it to buckle inward. Around the cage, space itself seemed to twist and collapse.