The next morning, Yichen woke up, not feeling cold, but strangely deprived of the things he had grown accustomed to. Since meeting Zhu Yan, they had always been together, which meant that this time, he had woken up alone, on the mat they had shared the previous night, before falling asleep from exhaustion. For the past month, Yichen had slept nestled in those strong arms of his, feeling safe and warm, but that morning, only the warmth remained, probably because the place was Li Lun's enchanted home in the forest, or perhaps due to a spell cast by Zhu Yan himself.
He sat down on the mat and looked around. The place still looked ethereal, for within the cocoon formed by the beautiful trees, there was a layer of shimmering grass, soft to the touch and brimming with energy. This energy sometimes escaped from the grass in tiny bubbles that resembled fireflies from the human world. It was a beautiful sight, not to mention that the entire place smelled of fresh flowers in full bloom, emanating from the surrounding trees. The magical glow of the turquoise water, combined with the gentle murmur of the flowing stream, was an added charm that lulled them into a peaceful slumber.
However, no matter how much he looked around, he couldn't find Zhu Yan anywhere, which made him panic. He pushed the blankets aside and got up, trying to sense his lover's presence within their magical refuge. Although the rest of the group, including Li Lun, who lay beside his brother, were scattered throughout the spacious area, Zhu Yan was nowhere to be seen.
"Come on, Zhu Yan, where are you?" Yichen thought to himself, and finally, he detected a faint red glow above his head. Suspended in the air several meters above him, on a bed of roots or perhaps vines, Zhu Yan was resting on his back.
He considered discreetly going to Li Lun to ask for help, to reach Zhu Yan, as he was too high up for him to jump. However, as if reading his mind, a root detached itself from the network supporting Zhu Yan and gently coiled around his waist, lifting him up to where Zhu Yan was and gently placing him beside him. He stumbled, as the network wasn't stable and shifted under his weight, causing him to fall next to Zhu Yan.
"Zhao Yuanzhou... what's wrong with you? Can you hear me?" Yichen asked as he gently touched Zhu Yan's forehead to see if he had some kind of demonic fever or something that pointed that he was sick. Immediately after Zhu Yan felt his touch, he took his hand and brought it to his lips to kiss it.
"Don't worry about me, Baobei. I just need some time to meditate. This realm is unexpectedly calling to me, it's resonating with my core, and I'm trying to control it." Zhu Yan opened his eyes to look at his beloved, already snuggled up next to him, as he usually did when they were in bed.
"What is that supposed to mean? Are you okay? You're glowing red, how can I not worry?" Yichen asked, and Zhu Yan smiled at him.
"I swear, I'm fine. What's happening to me isn't anything bad. You see, my father sacrificed his body and his cultivation to create this realm. Just like in the stories of the ancient gods, his flesh, bones, blood, and energy gave life to the mountains, the forests, the rivers, the sky, the sun, the moon, and the stars. His presence is everywhere, and even the stones contain his essence. So, naturally, as the son of its creator, sharing the same power and blood, this world is calling to me. It wants me to become a god, badly. Therefore, it's trying to give me the remaining energy my core needs to achieve immortality, but the time isn't right yet. Unfortunately, that forces me to leave my Baobei alone in bed, after he falls asleep, and I try to cultivate some of that energy to avoid losing control." Yichen pulled Zhu Yan closer and hugged him softly.
"Then I'll stay with you," Yichen said confidently, and Zhu Yan smiled.
"Did you miss me that much?" Zhu Yan teased.
"Of course I did. Waking up without you beside me, feels strange now." Zhu Yan smiled and hugged Yichen back.
"Then close your eyes and cultivate with me. My father will also welcome you here. You are his son too... In fact, now that I think about it, you might also be affected by this world at some point. Knowing my father, he will want you to become stronger, as he already offered you." Zhu Yan, of course, wasn't wrong in thinking that, because Yichen had felt watched ever since they entered the demon world, but he didn't expect it to come from the entire realm.
"Your father was very kind, helping us all to become stronger. He already gave us a great boost in our previous training." Yichen whispered as he rested his head on Zhu Yan's chest and closed his eyes, feeling the energy emanating from Zhu Yan, or perhaps, it was Ying Long, since his spirit still lived within Zhu Yan's pendant.
"That's right, but I warn you. The energy of this realm is raw and wild, as it has evolved since my father created it. Perhaps because the world was never completely sealed, and tainted energy slipped in. Or perhaps it was the resentment and hatred that Cheng Huang cling to, which escaped from Bing Yi's seal, that contributed to further twist the energy of this world. You must be careful, on how you use that extra energy."
"Has it become dangerous?" Yichen asked with a mixture of intrigue and concern.
"In a way, you could say yes, and I'll give you an example. As I am now, I can defeat several great demons at once. My current level of cultivation and power give me that ability, which is why they fear me. But there's something they fear even more. A god, who has the power to create, also has the power to destroy. Currently, I can create dimensions on a smaller scale than my father, since a world like this would require me to sacrifice myself, as my father did. However, if I cultivate all the energy this realm offers me, I will eventually be able to accumulate enough power as a newborn god to destroy it. If I so choose."
"So, Baobei, you must be careful what you choose to do with that energy, because sometimes, if you let yourself be carried away by power, you can do things you'll regret later. Therefore, even if you become stronger, you must never lose sight of your true goals." Those were the wisest words, Yichen had ever heard from his mischievous monkey, which filled him with pride. He loved him so much, that he showed it by kissing Zhu Yan's jaw.
"I agree that the title of world destroyer doesn't suit you. And you don't have to worry about me becoming too greedy, if I ever have the chance to become insanely strong. I know my mission, I know my place, and I know that my father-in-law gave his life to protect the demons from themselves, not to destroy them. So, if there's a way to purify this realm and improve it, I will use all my power to try to achieve it. I don't wish to become something I'm not or go against my principles. My own father and brother would beat me senseless, if I ever became that arrogant." Yichen nuzzle Zhu Yan's neck, and the great demon turned to face his young lover.
"My Baobei is so wise for his age... let me show you how impressed I am..." Then, they kissed, as they often did in the mornings, which brought back to Yichen that feeling of belonging he had lost upon waking up alone.
They kissed in silence a couple of times, but Zhu Yan gently pulled away before things could escalate. They had too much to deal with, now that two demons were approaching their hiding place. That was already worrying, because although the nine demons were initially heading toward the gate, at some point they changed course, which looked more like a coordinated ambush than anything else. Besides, how did they know exactly where they would be?
Li Lun was a permanent resident of that realm, only crossing the gate occasionally, when he was bored or felt nostalgic for the close relationship they had once shared. However, those moments of absence from the demon world were brief and didn't cause any stir or provoke any reaction from other high-level demons or great demons. So why were they heading in a group toward his territory, instead of the gate?
Furthermore, considering that Li Lun's demonic energy was the most powerful among the great demons of that realm, it made their behavior even more suspicious. No demon less powerful than him should dare approach, for fear of being crushed like a twig in a storm.
To be honest, Li Lun was furious and was willing to show them how stupid their decision to chanllenge him, would turn out to be. First, they had believed themselves too much, if they thought they could defeat him, even if they joined forces. Second, as a demon who had recently just bonded with his life partner, it was a suicidal act to defy him when said partner was in his lair. This was, because, a demon with a mate would fight to the death to protect him, which meant that Li Lun, would show no mercy to anyone who tried to hurt Zhuo Yixuan, and the same was true for Zhu Yan with Yichen, or even Yun Guang with Pei Siheng, regardless of whether their relationship was fleeting or not.
"I can sense you're still worried. Zhao Yuanzhou, what else is there, that you are not telling me?" Yichen asked, noticing the tension in Zhu Yan's body and his slight energy fluctuation.
"The demons are approaching. Two at a time, and they're heading straight for this place." The statement caught Yichen by surprise, and he leaned closer to Zhu Yan to get a better look at him.
"What do you mean? Weren't they heading towards the gate? This place can't be on the direct route, right? It's Li Lun's territory for thousands of years. And how did they know that Li Lun has returned? That can't be right," Yichen pointed out quite accurately.
"Indeed, it's not right, but it's no less true. We need to change our strategy and plan multiple simultaneous encounters. I don't know why the nine demons are on a direct collision course with us, or how they know about Li Lun or us, but we can't let them get in our way." Yichen's mind was racing as he listened to Zhu Yan, and something seemed to click inside of him.
"Wait... is that the reason why this realm resonates with you? Could it be that something is pushing the demons in a specific direction? Maybe Cheng Huang is awakening too? What if the demons have spies in...?" The avalanche of questions hit Zhu Yan like a wave, and he pulled his anxious lover in to calm him with a kiss, which at first made Yichen groan in protest, but he relented soon after. When the kiss ended, Yichen pouted so adorable that Zhu Yan almost laughed.
"That was rude..." Yichen complained, and Zhu Yan smiled.
"I'm sorry, Baobei, but filling your mind with so many questions and worries, will only make you unnecessarily restless. No matter what is moving the demons, it won't stop us." Yichen smiled in agreement.
"So, we should be discussing this now. If two demons are heading towards us as we speak, we need to prepare to fight them. Who are the demons coming?" Yichen asked as he sat on the vine net.
"The Lady in White, Gu Yue, and the Painted Skin, Luse Zhimei. Both have similar abilities and ways of fighting and attacking, as you already know from the information I gave you about all the demons. Both can change shape easily, are fast, have a predilection for female flesh, and are able to imitate others almost perfectly, which makes them dangerous." Zhu Yan responded and Yichen frowned.
"Isn't this too much of a coincidence? Two female demons with similar powers? Are they after the women in our unit? Do they know us?" Yichen asked, sitting next to him.
"Let's not speculate for now. But I agree with Baobei, we should make plans... lots of plans. Now, let's go down..." But Yichen abruptly moved away from Zhu Yan.
"No, thank you. I'd rather not jump with you again. I could be traumatized for life." Zhu Yan smiled.
"Ah, Baobei, jumping from very high places is part of this new reality that you have decided to be a part of. To fight the demons, we need to go down from this place, and it is higher than the distance we jumped before," Zhu Yan joked.
"We might be very high up, but you're not going to fool me with this one. I have this gentle vine or root, I'm not sure what it is, that will help me to climb down slowly. You jump by yourself, you cheeky monkey!" Yichen said, and a loud burst of laughter came from below. It was Li Lun's laughter.
"Serves you right, after the foolish thing you did back then, you deserve it. Come down, we need to talk." Then, the same vine that had held Yichen the first time caught him again, while Zhu Yan complained that it wasn't fair, but no one paid attention to his whining.
Hours later, after much debate about the possible reasons the demons might have for challenging Li Lun's territory, after thousands of years of peace, and finding nothing conclusive, they moved on to planning. They needed a new strategy that would give them an advantage, since they were in Li Lun's lands and knew exactly where the demons would come from.
Li Lun's lair was situated in a high place, the highest point in the landscape, offering a strategic view of the surrounding terrain. Although the demons would come from different directions, since they could only confront them in the small, open valley in front of the snow-capped mountains in the distance, they could use this advantage to their benefit.
Wen Xiao had the ability to see, seconds into the future with her golden eyes, and with the help of Zhu Yan's spell enhancing her view even further, she could coordinate the battles on two fronts, observing them from a safe distance and providing real-time information. This gave them a greater chance of success against the demons, as they not only needed to defeat them, which was relatively easier, given Li Lun's anger, but also to find answers to their questions about why they were making such absurd mistakes.
They wanted to know what motivated them, what they knew about their group or their arrival, or who was coordinating them. Any information they could glean from their encounter, however insignificant, would help them confront the other demons that were approaching and better understand the changes that had occurred during Li Lun's absence, and whether these had any direct connection to Cheng Huang's awakening.
In the end, the two teams were formed as follows: Li Lun, Zhuo Yixuan, Pei Sijing, and Bai Jiu would face the Lady in White, while Zhu Yan, Zhuo Yichen, Pei Siheng, and Ying Lei would confront Luse Zhimei, better known as the Painted Skin. By separating the two demons, they could gather more information, since fighting them together might yield no results, as one could silence the other or vice versa. From the hilltop, Wen Xiao would observe the battle and provide them with insights through their telepathic connection, while with her golden eyes, she would carefully examine the two demons for anything unusual, that they should be aware of, for future battles. Bai Jiu, had already prepared his most potent elixir, which would last for several hours, to mitigate the headache she experienced when using her power.
When the time for battle came, the two teams descended into the valley, following Li Lun's style, and waited for their respective demonesses to appear. When they did, they were ready to both, stall them from long enough to gather information from them and defeat them.
AN: Alright, now the battle is inminent and we will see, what surprises they can get out of them and what else may come next. Thanks for reading and until next time, please take care.