Time seemed to stand still in that nocturnal hour, where the spirits of the trees whispered among the rustling leaves and the air was thick with anticipation. The ground was covered with fallen leaves, creating a tapestry of muted colors that absorbed the sound. A chilling wind carried the scent of damp earth, mingling with an electric tension that crackled in the air. Countless orbs of greenish light rose from the ground to illuminate the darkness, while the moon shone brightly above the countless treetops surrounding them. The atmosphere vibrated with the energy that Li Lun had channeled, an energy that raised the hairs on their arms and quickened their hearts.
Bai Jiu stood tense behind Li Lun, one part of him anticipating what would happen and another deepening his resolve with every breath, feeling his core resonate with his divine blood and the forest itself. He had promised Ying Lei that he would give his all, that he would keep his power steady and strong and help in any way he could, and he already had an idea that might change everything.
Near him, Yixuan was a pillar of strength, a seasoned warrior, a man blessed by the creator of humanity and tasked with protecting it. His body already showed a faint golden glow that sometimes took the form of a translucent dragon; his golden sword was already charged with his divine power. Beside him stood another warrior, her bow glowing with energy, her senses heightened, and her consciousness connected to Wen Xiao's mind, as were the others.
Wen Xiao was at the top of Li Lun's lair, her eyes taking in everything around them, her golden eyes shining brightly as she easily scanned the two approaching demons, thanks to Zhu Yan's spell. She saw the Lady in White first, precisely from where Zhu Yan already knew she would come.
"Gu Yue is here, prepare yourselves," Wen Xiao communicated to Li Lun's team, but they could all feel the tainted demonic energy that preceded her.
Gu Yue's energy was strong, oppressive, and dark, as if it belonged to the night that surrounded them, and even the moon seemed to be at her feet, for her body was charged with the energy of the many centuries she had absorbed. Even without seeing her face to face, they could sense that she felt no fear, that she had no doubt she would win the fight, even if a great demon was her enemy.
Pei Sijing could also hear her laughter, as she walked as if she owned the place, as if this fight were merely a simple exercise she would resolve in an instant, which fueled Li Lun's anger. Around him, the leaves on the ground began to levitate, a gust of wind shook the trees, and the air felt heavier and slightly distorted. At his feet, a white mist began to materialize, as did his power, which, were it not for the humans, including his mate, would have already reduced Gu Yue to ashes.
"Li Lun, calm down, remember our mission..." Yixuan used his telepathic connection to warn him, and his hand moved to grasp Li Lun's clenched fist.
"That's the only reason she's not dead yet. How dare she mock me like this?" Li Lun replied with suppressed anger.
"Let's find out the reason first, and then you can do whatever you want," Yixuan said, releasing his hand, while keeping his energy resonating with his, to relax him a little.
"Are you ready for this?" Yixuan asked, looking at Bai Jiu, and was surprised to see that the young healer's eyes had changed color, to a light gray, almost white, and that luminous filaments of energy, like glowing threads of fungus, were emerging from the ground, covering part of his legs.
"I'm ready," the young man replied in a voice even slightly stronger than his usual adolescent voice.
"You've grown so much. We're all so proud of you. Ying Lei will be thrilled, when he hears about the control you now have over your divine blood." Yixuan praised him, and Bai Jiu gave him a wide smile.
"Xiao Zhuo Ge too, right?" Yixuan chuckled.
"Of course, your Ge too." Even Wen Xiao smiled at that, but then Gu Yue walked straight up to them and stopped a short distance away.
From what Li Lun could see, she looked more or less the same as the last time he saw her. Dressed in her usual black and red, her eyes gleamed like red stars, her skin still had that pale white tone that made her look like a vengeful spirit, her long, night-black hair streaked with moon-colored strands. At her hip, she wore, the white bone whip she had created with her demonic energy, extracted from her victims, young women who couldn't defend themselves against her.
"Li Lun, it's been so long since I last saw you. How have you been? You used to be such a loner, a grumpy one, which was a shame, since you're by far one of the most attractive demons in this whole damned prison that Ying Long created for us." She teased him, and Li Lun snorted.
"I wish I could say the same, but no. Even when we joined forces in the war against the gods, your chaotic and twisted nature always makes me want to puke. You reek of malicious energy, one that I'm sure you embrace to become stronger." He practically spat the words out, but Gu Yue only laughed.
"Oh, I've been told that several times, and yes, malicious energy is like a delicious feast, like savoring the flesh of a human maiden, pure and innocent, and even more so when she screams in agony, as my fangs crush her flesh and bones... I see you have one with you. She looks a little strange, are you sure she's a demon? She's certainly carrying a human weapon, a useless one, of course." She scoffed, but Sijing remained calm and composed, even though she could feel Wen Xiao's anger back at the top.
"What are you doing here? You should know that I don't tolerate intrusions. Not even if they come from another great demon." He hadn't forgotten his priorities, as he glared at her with deep resentment.
"Well, I heard you didn't return to the demon world as quickly as you usually do, after playing with Zhu Yan, and I thought maybe the monkey had gotten tired of you and finally killed you for good this time. So, naturally, I came to check out your place, before someone else could claim it, but darn... you're back, so I figured I might as well visit, since I was already halfway here. You don't mind, do you? It's a lovely place, a perfect spot for my victims... it's getting harder and harder to find good ones since we were sealed here..."
"Sijing, move! She's coming for you!" Wen Xiao's shout came just in time for her to instinctively move, following her command, as the bone whip had lashed out, with such speed that she couldn't see it, much less block it. Luckily for her, she had the flexibility of a dancer and let Wen Xiao guide her movements as if they were a single mind.
She completely trusted Wen Xiao, so she felt no fear in that battle and moved with agility, shooting arrows at Gu Yue whenever she could and dodging her attacks when she couldn't. Her heart was beating steadily, despite the adrenaline that coursed through her veins, because this time she had the ability to face a high-level demon, and she didn't plan to lose to her. Then, Li Lun's roots burst from the ground, pushing Gu Yue away from Sijing.
"You're no fun, Li Lun. I need some fresh material! How about this one?" Gu Yue said, shifting her target. Transforming into white petals, she darted through Li Lun's roots and Sijing's spiritual arrows, flying straight towards Bai Jiu, who didn't move a muscle to avoid it. Even if Wen Xiao hadn't warned him that she would materialize in front of him, with her whip already in motion, he would have known that this would be her next move.
The reason was that Bai Jiu felt a pulse of life all around him, resonating with the beat of his own heart. He felt as if the very earth was guiding him on how to act. So, when Gu Yue transformed again and lashed out with her bone whip, crackling with demonic energy and aimed at his heart, he was ready. With a fluid movement of his hand, white roots sprouted from the ground, intertwining to form a shield that blocked and dissipated her demonic energy. The whip struck the barrier, splintering the bark and sending fragments flying, but unable to penetrate the tough shield that expanded at his will, sending her back towards Sijing's arrow.
Gu Yue shrieked in rage as she dodged Sijing's rain of arrows with blurring movements, that were barely perceptible, but Wen Xiao could see them. Seeing that attacking the woman and the young man wasn't working, she turned to go after the last one, while avoiding Li Lun's relentless roots and energy blasts. The man had a golden glow, but he didn't seem dangerous, though he looked far too colected.
She transformed again, taking the form of one of those glowing green orbs, and sped towards the man. With so many orbs floating around, due to the winds of battle, it was impossible for him to distinguish which was an ordinary light orb and which wasn't. She even passed right by him and then turned around to attack from behind.
However, while Yixuan couldn't see seconds into the future like Wen Xiao, he did possess his own version of golden eyes, allowing him to see through all of her transformations, including the orb form.
"You'll find it harder to hit me than you think, Lady in White," Yixuan declared, narrowing his golden eyes as he followed her shifting form. With a sudden burst of speed, Gu Yue lashed out with her bone whip, its crack echoing like thunder, as it cut through the air towards him. But Yixuan's aura flared brightly, also transforming into that of a golden dragon amidst the attack, unleashing a powerful blast with his sword that sent waves of light cascading through the white mist of Ying Long's power at his feet, empowering them as well. directly toward her.
This time, Gu Yue was struck hard, and Li Lun condensed his power into his roots, which surged towards her, trapping her legs and arms, squeezing them tightly, throwing her to the ground with the force of her own demonic energy also impacting her. Then, Bai Jiu cast one of the sealing spells that Ying Lei had taught him and that he had been constantly practicing for the past week until he had mastered it.
A golden light flashed as a translucent cage made of ancient, living symbols materialized above Gu Yue, trapping her. She tried several times to shapeshift, transforming into different types of demons she had fed on, large and strong, and slammed against the barrier, trying to break free, but to no avail. She screamed loudly and pushed with all her might, but the containment cage was made of a divine power older than herself.
"Why? Why is this happening?! You were supposed to be weakened from your fight against Zhu Yan! You were supposed to be dying by now! It was all a lie! Damn you! I curse you!" Gu Yue shrieked, just before feeling an intense pain within her, a searing pain that threatened to tear her apart.
"Get away!" Wen Xiao shouted in their minds, and Li Lun wasted no time in hugging Yixuan, to protect him with his own body. And at the same time, creating a powerful barrier around them. It was done, just in time to protect them all, from the potent energy explosion that erupted from Gu Yue's inner core as it imploded, releasing the accumulated energy of thousands of years of cultivation all at once.
Bai Jiu's seal was no joke and contained most of the blast, but it cracked in a few places, through which the demonic energy leaked out and slammed against Li Lun's barrier, making it tremble, but luckily it held thanks to the extra layer Bai Jiu had added. At the top of Li Lun's rocky inselberg, Wen Xiao saw the blurry image of a demon staring at her, before it disappeared from her mind.
Although it only lasted a second and his features were not entirely clear, Wen Xiao recognized the demon, thanks to the training they had received with Zhu Yan. He had even warned them that they should be wary of him the most. And simultaneously, Wen Xiao, Li Lun, and Zhu Yan (who was also fighting Luse Zhimei), whispered a name in unison.
"Huan Jing...", the cunning and powerful nine-tailed fox demon, known for being a master of deception and a strategist of astonishing precision.
AN: So, now, who is this cunning demon? How is he moving things around? I hope this was exciting and enjoyable. A notice that Zhu Yan's team is also fighting the Painted Skin more or less at the same time Li Lun team is, which will come next chapter. Thanks for reading, take care, darlings.