Outside the Haotian Mirror.
Taiyin Empress Wen Yaxian breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed that she was not the Taiyin Demonic Physique after all, but the Taiyin Divine Physique.
Even Beiming Empress Leng Luoxue looked at the scene in the Haotian Mirror with surprise. Things hadn't taken the turn she expected. Could it be that everything was really done by her master?
"No, it can't be... it can't be..."
The situation hadn't completely unfolded yet. There might still be twists ahead. She believed that her master wouldn't do such inhumane things. As long as she kept watching, the truth would eventually come to light.
Inside the Haotian Mirror.
Although Xiao Fan no longer stopped Wen Yaxian from cultivating, he still felt uneasy. He made sure to emphasize to Wen Yaxian that if anything strange happened, she must tell him immediately.
"Hehe, okay, Master." Wen Yaxian didn't seem to take his warning seriously.
Xiao Fan could only watch Wen Yaxian's behavior more closely in the future. He couldn't shake off a sense of foreboding.
Days passed peacefully. Wen Yaxian's cultivation progressed steadily, and she showed no signs of abnormality. Until one day, Wen Yaxian returned from gathering herbs, and Xiao Fan smelled a faint scent of blood on her.
He inspected Wen Yaxian and found bloodstains on her skirt, although she wasn't injured. Xiao Fan asked, "Whose blood is this?"
Wen Yaxian was momentarily stunned, then said, "I found an injured deer while gathering herbs today. The blood must have gotten on my skirt accidentally."
"Injured deer?" Xiao Fan frowned. "Do you often encounter injured animals?"
Recently, Wen Yaxian often mentioned finding injured animals in the mountains. But without any dangerous beasts around, it was odd for animals to be injured so frequently.
Xiao Fan sensed something was amiss.
Faced with Xiao Fan's questioning, Wen Yaxian looked puzzled and couldn't give a clear explanation. Seeing her confusion, Xiao Fan decided to investigate the mountains himself that night.
If Wen Yaxian occasionally found one or two injured animals, it was normal. But finding injured animals daily was suspicious.
At night, after ensuring Wen Yaxian was asleep, Xiao Fan went to the mountain where she often gathered herbs. As soon as he arrived, he detected a faint scent of blood in the air. His enhanced senses, sharpened by his previous blindness, picked up on the scent.
Following the blood scent, Xiao Fan found the source. He was shocked by what he saw. A large pit filled with animal carcasses, their bodies twisted and limbs severed. Fresh blood covered the ground, and terrified eyes stared back at him.
At the top of the pit was a fresh deer carcass. Xiao Fan immediately realized the situation was dire. This was likely Wen Yaxian's doing, driven by the unconscious influence of the Taiyin Demonic Physique.
He had severely underestimated the Taiyin Demonic Physique's insidiousness. Its malevolence was beyond mere brutality; it manipulated its host into believing they were helping when they were actually committing atrocities.
But if Wen Yaxian used her Taiyin energy to heal his eyes without issue, why was there no abnormality? Xiao Fan quickly understood that the Taiyin Demonic Physique concealed its malevolence when sensing a stronger presence.
Realizing this, Xiao Fan rushed back to the village, fearing the worst. But it was too late. The village reeked of blood, and corpses littered the streets, their limbs broken and faces frozen in terror.
Xiao Fan trembled as he recognized the villagers he had grown fond of. His time in the village had been peaceful and joyful, free from strife and filled with kindness. But now, that tranquility was shattered.
Rushing to Wen Yaxian's home, he found the bodies of her parents. Her father's chest was torn open, his face streaked with tears and disbelief. Her mother, barely alive, whispered his name.
"Xiao... Fan..." Wen Yaxian's mother murmured.
Xiao Fan hurried to her side. Her chest was also torn open, likely by a human hand. "Was it Yaxian?" he asked, his voice trembling.
She didn't answer, but her sigh confirmed it. "I'm sorry. If I hadn't taught her to cultivate, none of this would have happened," Xiao Fan said, tears streaming down his face.
"It's not your fault," Wen Yaxian's mother said weakly. "I forgot the most important thing about the Taiyin Demonic Physique. Its malevolence makes the host kill their loved ones, driving them to madness and ensuring they fall completely under its control."
"Xiao Fan, I have a favor to ask," she said, her voice growing weaker. "Don't let Yaxian know about this... please... save her..."
"I promise," Xiao Fan said, tears falling as he held her hand.
With her last breath, Wen Yaxian's mother smiled faintly, her eyes closing peacefully. Xiao Fan gently laid her hand down, his heart heavy with sorrow and determination. He vowed to honor her dying wish and save Wen Yaxian from the darkness threatening to consume her.