Under the blood moon, the desolate streets were eerily silent. The unknown terrors and the unfamiliar world they had stumbled into made everything feel both exhilarating and dangerous.
In the world of cultivation, encounters with other realms were often seen as unique opportunities for growth.
They waited in silence for a moment, making sure there were no other sounds or signs of life around them. Once they were certain they were alone, they began to relax slightly.
Su Luowei took out a fire stick from her Qiankun bag and lit it with her spiritual energy, holding it up to inspect the room.
"Look here," she said, standing in front of a dressing table. The brass mirror on the table was tarnished, a testament to the relentless passage of time.
"The other furniture in this house is quite rough, but this dressing table is delicate, and its style is no different from those in our world. It looks like something from the human realm."
She carefully opened the drawer under the table. It was difficult to pull open due to years of neglect, but with some effort, she managed to get it open.
Inside, she found two ornate jewelry boxes, the kind that had been popular in the human realm long ago. Su Luowei had never seen them in person, only in ancient books.
Wen Miaomiao came over, using the tip of her sword to pry open the top layer of one of the boxes. Inside was a container of rouge and two agate earrings, indicating that the former occupant of this room had likely been a woman who loved to dress up.
"I didn't expect to find these trinkets in the demon realm..." Xie Hanzhu leaned over for a closer look and immediately reached out to open the rouge box. However, the rouge inside had long since evaporated, leaving only a layer of dried residue at the bottom.
Wen Miaomiao stopped her from touching the rouge. "A long time ago, humans and demons could travel freely between the realms through the demon seal. Many items from the human realm were popular here, and some people even made a business of trading between the realms."
"So that's how it is..." Xie Hanzhu realized, continuing to explore the contents of the jewelry boxes, which were filled with small, delicate items that weren't particularly valuable.
"So, demons and humans aren't that different after all? I always thought they were a bunch of ruthless, bloodthirsty monsters."
"What gave you that idea?" Su Luowei had moved to the kitchen, where she found a small bag of dried castor seeds.
"Haven't you met Tian Fuling? Demons and humans don't look that different from each other," she said as she poured the castor seeds into her palm and used her spiritual energy to nourish them. The seeds, once shriveled, began to sprout tender shoots. She squeezed the juice from the sprouts and applied it to her forehead before handing the remaining seeds to the others.
Although Xie Hanzhu didn't know why Su Luowei was doing this, she followed suit. As she applied the juice to her forehead, she asked, "But all the books I've read describe the demon realm as a place filled with monstrous beings with three heads and six arms. Sister, why are we doing this?"
Wen Miaomiao, who was also applying the castor juice with practiced ease, replied, "You've probably been reading folk tales written by mortals. In reality, our sect's ancient texts clearly state that the only difference between demons and humans is that demons cultivate demonic energy instead of spiritual energy."
Applying castor juice to their foreheads was an ancient method of concealing one's human aura. The juice could mask their spiritual energy, confusing the senses of the demons.
It was fortunate they had found a small bag of dried castor seeds here; otherwise, their spiritual energy would have stood out like a beacon in the night, drawing unwanted attention.
They walked out of the house and wandered down the street. This place had likely once been a bustling city. Though now in ruins, it still bore traces of its former vibrancy.
Shop signs lay on the ground, covered in a thick layer of dust. Su Luowei cast a spell to clear the dust, revealing the words "Gui Tang Shop."
Xie Hanzhu noticed the sign and was surprised. "Hey, the characters here are the same as ours."
"Yes," Wen Miaomiao replied, carefully avoiding a spiderweb hanging from the eaves as she led the way.
"It's said that demons and humans share the same origins. They once lived together in the human realm. Later, some people discovered that they could cultivate demonic energy and progress faster, so they abandoned the path of immortality and switched to the demonic path.
These people were viewed as heretics by ordinary cultivators, so they banded together and migrated to the demon realm, where demonic energy was more abundant, and settled here."
At first, the demon population was too small to pose a significant threat, and they lacked the power to resist human cultivators, often losing in battles between the two realms.
However, eventually, a demon achieved enlightenment and was revered as the Demon Lord. Using his demonic energy and flesh, he created countless demons through a process known as "rebirth." From that point on, the demon race grew in strength. Once they became powerful enough to rival the human realm, the conflicts between the two worlds began.
No one wanted to be confined to the dark, damp demon realm, even though the demonic energy here was stronger. If given the chance, the demons still yearned to return to their original home.
Xie Hanzhu asked, "So this city was abandoned because the human cultivators attacked?"
Wen Miaomiao explained, "No, if I'm not mistaken, this is the legendary city closest to the passage between the human and demon realms, Nanwang City."
Any place near a border was bound to have thriving commerce. From the tall buildings and ornate sculptures here, it was clear that this city had once been prosperous. But as the passage between the realms closed, the city gradually declined.
Xie Hanzhu spotted a palm-sized black lizard in front of them and used her sword to flick it away before asking, "So, the demons who lived here all moved away? But even with the passage closed, they could have continued living here. Why did they leave?"
Su Luowei answered, "Because demons have a very strong sense of territory. Unless there's a special reason, all demons must live in the Demon Lord's domain for their entire lives."
In the past, the passage needed to be guarded, so the Demon Lord allowed his people to build a city here. After the passage was closed, the city was no longer necessary, so the Demon Lord called his people back.
"But..." Xie Hanzhu blinked, still not fully understanding. "What happens if the Demon Lord dies? Will his people be taken over by another Demon Lord? If they are, won't they have to move again?"
"The Demon Lord's lifespan is much longer than that of ordinary demons, so there's no need to worry about that. Also, demons only serve the Demon Lord who gave them their bloodline. If that Demon Lord dies, his people won't pledge allegiance to another."
Throughout history, there had only been four beings in the demon race who could be called Demon Lords.
And out of those, only one remained alive today, the most powerful Demon Lord, Fuguang.
In ancient language, "Fuguang" meant "sunlight."
The demon realm had no sun, so the name Fuguang was fitting.
Su Luowei and her companions cautiously made their way through the abandoned city. This once-thriving hub of commerce was now nothing more than crumbling ruins.
After walking for a while, still without encountering a single person, Xie Hanzhu silently moved closer to Wen Miaomiao and squeezed her hand. "It's too quiet here; I'm getting a little scared."
Wen Miaomiao glanced at her, not letting go of her hand, but still teasing, "You seemed pretty excited when you first found out we were in the demon realm."
"That was just an act," Xie Hanzhu replied seriously. "I was terrified inside, but I didn't want you to worry, so I pretended to be excited."
Wen Miaomiao chuckled. "If you say so, Sister."
They walked a little further, and Xie Hanzhu, noticing the calm expressions on their faces, couldn't help but ask, "Why do you both know so much about the demon realm? It's like you've been here before."
"I've read several books about the demon realm in the sect's library when I had nothing better to do," Su Luowei replied, glancing at Wen Miaomiao with a look of curiosity. "But I wonder, why is Junior Sister Wen so knowledgeable about the demon realm as well?"
Wen Miaomiao smiled, her eyes narrowing slightly. "I'm just like you, Sister."
Suddenly, the sound of sword flight broke the silence above them. Su Luowei's expression tightened, and she quickly pulled the other two into a dilapidated shop with its door wide open. Through the gaps in the shop's roof, they saw someone flying overhead on a sword, fleeing in haste.
The person was dressed in black, with a tall and graceful figure, and an elegant appearance—it was Meng Shuying.
Behind Meng Shuying were four or five demon cultivators riding on demonic beasts. As Meng Shuying flew over their heads, she seemed to sense the presence of people below and, without hesitation, sent a burst of spiritual energy downward. The energy transformed into a bright flame that illuminated the room.
The demon cultivators paused, noticing the three women hidden in the building below. They immediately abandoned their pursuit of Meng Shuying and dove straight down toward Su Luowei and her companions.
The burst of fireworks not only attracted the demons' attention but also illuminated the faces of the three women. Meng Shuying had only glanced down to see who had been unlucky enough to be caught in her makeshift trap, but her gaze met Su Luowei's.
Startled, Meng Shuying hesitated for a moment, then forcibly redirected her flying sword in mid-air, like a shooting star, to slice a foul-smelling demon beast in half just as it was about to reach Su Luowei.
The death of their companion instantly enraged the other demonic beasts. They spread their wings and surrounded the women. The demon cultivators quickly blew their whistles, barely managing to keep the beasts under control.
One of the demon cultivators, who was riding the largest of the beasts, spat out his whistle and let out a low, lewd whistle of his own. "Well, what do we have here? Today must be my lucky day, running into so many pretty girls."
He grinned, revealing sharp canine teeth, his tongue running over each one as he continued, "It's been a while since I've seen such tasty little morsels. Let's have some fun."
The demon cultivators behind him tugged on their beasts' reins, echoing his whistle with their own.
The demonic beasts growled low in their throats, as if agreeing with their masters.
In the demon realm, the strong preyed on the weak. To these demon cultivators, the four women, who exuded an aura of harmlessness, were nothing more than lambs to the slaughter. Even if one of these lambs turned out to be stronger than expected, they wouldn't escape being devoured.
Su Luowei moved to draw her sword and face the demon cultivators head-on, but Meng Shuying stepped in front of her.
"Be careful, Sister. These men are not to be underestimated."
Behind them, Xie Hanzhu rolled her eyes so hard they nearly reached the back of her head. If it weren't for Meng Shuying, they wouldn't have been targeted by the demon cultivators in the first place!
The silver-white light of Meng Shuying's sword flashed, and in an instant, several of the sneaky demonic beasts were pierced through with bloody holes.
Seeing how easily Meng Shuying dispatched the beasts, Xie Hanzhu began to relax.
She sneered, "You really think you can have your way with us? Dream on!"
Of the demon cultivators, only one had reached the Nascent Soul stage, while the others were at the Core Formation stage. Overall, their strength was roughly equal to that of the women.
But when the fight began, Xie Hanzhu quickly realized that even if their cultivation levels were similar, human cultivators who had grown up in relative peace were no match for demons who had survived in a world of constant bloodshed.
The demon cultivator sitting atop the largest beast watched the battle with interest, licking his lips in anticipation of the carnage. He was just about to enjoy the spectacle when the woman with the highest cultivation among the four suddenly appeared in front of him.
Without a word, she thrust her sword at him, the cold intent of her blade bearing down on him like a tidal wave.
He could sense an extremely dangerous aura from that single strike.
His pupils contracted in fear as he desperately commanded his beast to turn and flee. Only after putting some distance between them did he dare to look back, his expression dark and uncertain.
"Who are you? Why do you have the Demon Lord's aura?"