Along with Ning Tao's voice, Qi Yuan instantly felt the game icon's resistance weaken slightly.
Moreover, he felt as if a pair of hands gently gave him a pull.
Qi Yuan's eyes lit up at the sight.
"Here I come!"
He had not expected such a turn of events.
Either way, he had to get into the game first.
In the Liufeng Realm, within Heavenly Heart Palace.
Ning Tao pulled the fabric back over her bare shoulder and smoothed down the black dress she had half-undone.
Her words were teasing; she was not truly willing to offer herself to the master of that voice.
When she was young and weak, she might have entertained such thoughts.
But now she was an exalted Sovereign; naturally, she could no longer act like that.
She wanted to hold the initiative.
Suspended in midair, the Soul Locking Jade had turned bright red, like an electrical component pushed to its absolute limit.
The Soul Locking Jade seemed to be tugging on something.
All of Ning Tao's strength poured into the jade.
Suddenly, a burst of purple thunder roared from high in the heavens.
*Boom!*
The entire sky went dark.
*Crack.*
One of the world's three wondrous treasures, the Soul Locking Jade, abruptly cracked in two.
A flicker of astonishment crossed Ning Tao's eyes.
Her gaze fell upon the demonic monstrosity egg beside her.
The demonic monstrosity egg sat quietly, bound by eighteen heavy iron chains.
Dressed in her black gown, her legs clad in black stockings, Ning Tao walked toward the demonic monstrosity egg, her gaze brimming with alluring charm.
"Husband, you're finally willing to come see me."
Inside the demonic monstrosity egg, Qi Yuan was somewhat dazed.
"Where is this?" he asked, looking at the young woman before him.
A veil of black gauze concealed half her face.
Yet even from the exposed half, Qi Yuan could sense just how much the Creator had favored her.
Her cloud-like high bun rose gracefully, her eyes were cold as autumn frost, and though a coquettish smile graced her face, Qi Yuan could still detect the subtle resistance beneath it.
Ning Tao wore a black gown tied at the waist with a black ribbon, finely embroidered with patterns of various birds in flight.
Her exposed skin was porcelain-white like jade, with a cool, almost sickly pallor.
Beneath the long black dress, her slender, shapely legs were wrapped in black stockings, and her stocking-clad feet hovered about ten centimeters above the floor.
Qi Yuan was momentarily stunned.
He glanced at Ning Tao's delicate feet.
*How does this world have stockings too? And black ones at that?*
*Then again, other worlds have dresses, so why couldn't they have black stockings?*
Ning Tao looked at the demonic monstrosity egg, which had turned blood-red, a hint of wariness flitting through the depths of her eyes. "Husband, this is Heavenly Heart Palace—your bridal chamber."
Hearing this, Qi Yuan froze.
He was beginning to grasp his current situation.
In truth, there was good news and bad news.
The good news was that he had entered the game.
The bad news was that he had not entered through normal means, so he had no player status. Instead, he had become... some strange NPC?
He wondered whether he should log out, advance his divine soul to late Foundation Establishment, and then enter the game properly like a regular player.
But Qi Yuan was in no hurry. Having smuggled himself into the game, he could take the opportunity to learn about its background first.
Just then, he heard Ning Tao speak: "Could it be that Husband likes seeing me wear this? Just now, I saw you secretly glance at my thigh."
As she spoke, Ning Tao lifted her hem just a fraction.
Of course, she was still covered up tight; it did not even reach her knees.
Qi Yuan did not deny it.
Black stockings? White stockings? Flesh stockings? What man of culture did not love stockings—and tearing into them?
He looked at the bizarre shell he was currently inhabiting, and at the eighteen thick iron chains binding it.
"Could you let me loose?" Qi Yuan asked.
"Husband, how would I dare? If I let you go, what if you run away?"
Ning Tao put on a pitiful, wronged expression, looking for all the world like a genuinely lovesick maiden.
"Don't worry, I won't run," Qi Yuan said.
"I couldn't possibly take Husband at his word." Ning Tao slowly walked toward him. "Last time, Husband even said you were going to string me up and beat me."
Qi Yuan remained silent.
He saw Ning Tao float up above him, lifting a dainty, exquisite foot as if to step on his body. "So, I took the liberty of stringing Husband up instead. Shall I step on you?"
The small, black-stockinged foot was right before his eyes; delicate, rounded toes were neatly aligned like sculpted works of art, fair and exquisite.
On Blue Star, Qi Yuan might have expected a foul stench.
But not here—he could even catch a faint, delicate fragrance.
However, as if recalling something, Ning Tao withdrew her foot. "No, I mustn't humiliate Husband like this. Then again, it might just be rewarding Husband."
Qi Yuan was helpless.
For now, he was the meat upon the chopping block, and she held the cleaver.
"What do you want?" Qi Yuan could only ask.
"Husband, shouldn't I be the one asking what you want?" Ning Tao's charming gaze turned sharp. "When I was still young, you appeared in my world. Just what... are you after?"
A powerful aura surged forth.
The air throughout the subterranean palace grew thick and suffocating.
The eighteen iron chains binding Qi Yuan rattled and clanged loudly.
Qi Yuan also felt that terrifying, mountain-like presence.
Such pressure!
It was more terrifying than a Divine Infant!
Hiding within the demonic monstrosity egg, he held his tongue.
Across the revealed half of Ning Tao's gorgeous face, a look of reminiscence appeared.
"At first, I thought you were a blessing bestowed upon me by the heavens."
"Later, though, I understood that no blessing in this world comes without a reason."
"Either you harbored ill intentions toward me, or you shared some special connection with me."
"You existed only beside my ear, arriving like a gentle breeze, then vanishing just as quickly."
"I could hear your voice only once every century or so. I began to think I was ill, suffering from auditory hallucinations."
"And yet," Ning Tao said, staring fixedly at Qi Yuan, "I wasn't ill. You truly exist."
"To think you truly exist!" The look Ning Tao directed at Qi Yuan was exceedingly complex—filled with fear, wariness, longing, and a tender caution.
Hearing this, countless thoughts flashed through Qi Yuan's mind.
The first time he had heard Ning Tao's voice was only three months ago.
Yet according to her, hundreds or even thousands of years had passed in this world.
*Is the time difference really that vast?*
"I have a special power. Every now and then, I can hear other people talking. If I hear it, I might reply once in a while," Qi Yuan said, half-truth and half-lie.
In any case, trying to explain it to an NPC would likely be a lost cause.
"Is that so?" Ning Tao let out a soft laugh. "To endure for nearly three thousand years without ever coming to see me, yet whispering in my ear from time to time... With such cunning, I doubt I could pry anything out of you anyway. But that doesn't matter. Now that you're by my side, everything will be under my control."
"I will seal your memories, and then..." Ning Tao licked her lips, looking all the more seductive. "When you break out of this shell, you will call me Mother."
Hearing this, Qi Yuan fell silent.
Only after a long while did he speak:
"You NPCs sure have wild tastes."
Ning Tao did not quite understand Qi Yuan's words, but she did not care. In the past, she had failed to understand plenty of the things he said.
"From now on, you'll be my canary."
"My little birdie."
She spoke as she walked toward him.
Qi Yuan looked at Ning Tao. "Catch you later!"
He gave up and logged off immediately.
In the subterranean palace, Ning Tao froze. "Where did he go?"
A hint of panic flitted through her eyes before she steadied herself. "Did he fall asleep?"
***
The Northern Blood Sea.
A vast expanse of ocean.
Within it, endless demonic monstrosities brewed.
Suddenly, the sea of blood churned as a colossal Demonic Crocodile raised earth-shattering waves, exposing its gigantic head above the waters.
A dozen or so Sovereigns stationed at the Northern Blood Sea hurriedly took to the air. "Greetings, Demonic Crocodile Sovereign!"
The Demonic Crocodile Sovereign opened its jaws, and the blood sea's waters gurgled into its colossal body.
"His Eminence has decreed: heavenly secrets have sounded the alarm, an otherworldly demon has entered the world. Slaying the demon brooks no delay!"
Puzzlement showed on a Sovereign's face. "May we ask what characteristics this demon possesses?"
"Blood Demon!" the crocodile answered before submerging back into the blood sea.
Only after more than a hundred breaths did the surface of the blood sea calm down once more.
Bewilderment lingered in the eyes of the dozen-plus Sovereigns guarding the northern sea.
"What does this 'Blood Demon'... refer to?"
"Could it be related to demonic monstrosities?"
The Sovereigns present speculated endlessly.
Regrettably, none dared question the Demonic Crocodile Sovereign, much less disturb His Eminence in the depths of the sea.
His Eminence was beyond fathom.
They feared might, not virtue.
***
Over the next few days, Qi Yuan logged into the game from time to time.
Unfortunately, he remained trapped inside the demonic monstrosity egg, utterly unable to play.
It frustrated him to no end.
Getting captured by an NPC before he could even start playing was simply humiliating.
Still, over this period, he gathered plenty of vital information.
Time flowed differently in the game world than in the Canglan Realm: a single day in the Canglan Realm was nearly ten years in the game world.
From Ning Tao's lips, he also learned the setting of the game world.
The world was called the Liufeng Realm.
One piece of information was especially crucial: when cultivators in the Liufeng Realm died of old age at the end of their natural lifespans, they would... turn into demonic monstrosities.
How remarkably similar this was to the extraterrestrial demons Qi Yuan had encountered in Dijue!
Qi Yuan even suspected those extraterrestrial demons might have originated from the Liufeng Realm.
If that was true... could he potentially use the passage the extraterrestrial demons had taken to the Wangyue Continent to go and see the Wangyue Continent for himself?
Currently, the Liufeng Realm was divided into north and south.
Southern cultivators were known as Demon Slayers.
By law in the southern territories, cultivators were required to end their own lives before their lifespans expired, preventing the birth of demonic monstrosities. Whenever a demonic monstrosity appeared, southern cultivators would hunt it down.
The laws of the northern territories, on the other hand, imposed no such restrictions on great cultivators: if they died of natural causes, so be it, and if demonic monstrosities were born, so be it.
Due to these conflicting laws, a stark divide had formed between north and south.
In the south, ordinary mortals lived well, but every year, many cultivators fled to the north.
In the north, there was virtually no room for ordinary mortals to survive; if mortals wished to live, they had to serve cultivators as slaves and servants.
North and south viewed each other with hostile enmity, locked in a fight to the death.
Nearly a century ago, the North-South Accord was signed.
North and south were to wage a war that would decide their fate and survival.
In the Central Plains, one hundred and eight thousand cities were erected.
These one hundred and eight thousand cities were backed by the major sects and nations of the southern Demon Slayers, garrisoned by cultivators they dispatched.
The one hundred and eight thousand cities were to clash with the army of demonic monstrosities "commanded" by the Northern Seventeen Kings.
If the cities fell, the south would lose all its lands, falling entirely under northern rule.
If the army of demonic monstrosities "commanded" by the Seventeen Kings was defeated, the northern lands would return to the south, and all would face the great calamity of demonic monstrosities together.
By now, the battle under the North-South Accord had been raging for over twenty years.
The south's situation was grim.
"In a supernatural world where ordinary mortals can only ever be consumables, the north is bound to overpower the south," Qi Yuan sighed.
For this was human nature.
It was just like what the extraterrestrial demon had told him back then: *I shed blood for my clan; why shouldn't I enjoy my old age in peace?*
During this time, Ning Tao also tried sealing Qi Yuan's memories.
Unfortunately, her efforts were entirely useless.
For now, Qi Yuan was like a captive rather than a player.
Yet Qi Yuan did not really resent Ning Tao.
After all, without her, he would not have been able to sneak into the game early and learn the setting.
He had no desire to repeat what happened on the Wangyue Continent, clearing nearly every dungeon before finally figuring out the game's premise.
Besides, she was just an NPC.
"Senior Brother Qi Yuan, the Sect Master requests your presence."
Just then, a flying crane landed outside the wooden cabin and called out to Qi Yuan.
"The Sect Master?" A thoughtful look appeared in Qi Yuan's eyes.
Ever since returning from the Heavenly Dragon Immortal Realm, Qi Yuan had sensed fleeting, indistinct gazes falling upon him from time to time.
It seemed... they were connected to the Sect Master.
"Right away." Qi Yuan glanced back at Xiao Jia. "Xiao Jia, let's go."
Xiao Jia immediately turned into a streak of light and imprinted herself onto Qi Yuan's chest.
Qi Yuan followed the white crane and met True Monarch Kumu by the shore of a lake within the Divine Light Sect.
Looking at Qi Yuan, True Monarch Kumu said slowly, "I have a tremendous opportunity to grant you. Would you like it? However, before I bestow it upon you, you must pass my test."
In the past, Qi Yuan might not have agreed; he would have found it too much trouble.
But now, the threat of the Hundred Cities Blood War and the Palace of Light hung over his head like a dangling sword.
He needed to seize more opportunities to bolster his strength.
He had to form a Golden Core quickly to deal with the Palace of Light.
If an Immortal-grade Golden Core was not enough, he would strive to condense an Immortal-grade Divine Infant!
"Please speak, Sect Master," Qi Yuan agreed.
"Come with me," True Monarch Kumu said. With a lift of his hand, a breeze of spiritual wind enveloped Qi Yuan, and he swept Qi Yuan along into a streak of light, heading toward an unknown destination.
While flying through the air, True Monarch Kumu tossed a mask to Qi Yuan.
"Put this on. Do not reveal your identity."
Hearing this, Qi Yuan donned the mask.
Once on, it concealed not only his face, but his figure as well.
The two flew through the air. After an unknown amount of time, another streak of light appeared, revealing a masked woman.
The woman glanced at Qi Yuan, then leaned gently against True Monarch Kumu's shoulder like a bird seeking shelter, softly whispering, "Husband."
True Monarch Kumu wrapped his arm around the woman without the slightest reservation, making a point of glancing over at Qi Yuan.
Seeing this, Qi Yuan was thoroughly speechless.
He already knew that this woman was the Empress of Great Shang, a powerful expert at the Divine Infant stage herself.
Roughly three shichen passed.
Qi Yuan descended into a mountain valley alongside True Monarch Kumu and the Empress of Great Shang.
Within the valley, Qi Yuan immediately sensed nine powerful auras.
Every single one was at the Divine Infant stage.
As True Monarch Kumu brought Qi Yuan down, an aged voice rang out.
"A total of nine Divine Infants. Are we all here?"
The speaker was an old man leaning on a cane.
Just then, a hunchbacked old crone chimed in with a shrill voice: "How curious. Two Monks Wudian showed up, yet there are still only nine Divine Infants. I thought there would be ten."
At once, two barefoot Divine Infant cultivators glared furiously at each other: "I am Monk Wudian!"
"Who on earth are you, daring to impersonate Monk Wudian?!"
Qi Yuan glanced at the two, swept his eyes over the nine great cultivators present, and finally looked at the hunchbacked crone.
[An ordinary cultivator who has always liked walking barefoot. As a result, many people like disguising themselves as him, and on occasion, he even disguises himself as himself.]
Qi Yuan felt utterly speechless.
Aside from the nine great cultivators, there were over a dozen Origin Core cultivators present.
The leading elder turned his gaze upon Qi Yuan. "If I am not mistaken, he should be in Foundation Establishment. Are you certain you want him to participate in the battle?"
True Monarch Kumu nodded. "Yes."
The leader said no more.
The others, especially the Origin Core cultivators, looked at Qi Yuan in surprise, as though trying to see through his disguise.
After all, in today's operation, even Origin Core cultivators ran the risk of falling. What was a Foundation Establishment cultivator doing meddling here?
At this moment, the leader spoke again: "One hundred li from here lies Ten Thousand Demons Ridge. This old man has already found Old Demon Black Chicken's immortal cave."
Chapter 94