Chapter 33: The One Thing He Never Dared Confirm Part 1

Zhao Lixuan had never truly set foot on a battlefield before.

The Moon Hunt was merely a cleanup of stray demons, and he hadn’t participated in the Immortal-Demon War twenty years prior. Back when he studied at Fu Xi Palace, he hadn’t taken it seriously either, and he’d never properly read any mortal military treatises.

His ability to see through the Demon Clan’s diversionary tactic right now came entirely from the instincts honed by years of building defensive fortifications.

If it were him laying out the battle, he would definitely prioritize destroying these formations that could dictate the flow of war first!

And sure enough, reality played out just as he expected.

Not long after the battle ignited above the Immortal Court, Tu Ji left her trusted demon general Fang Yishu to feign an assault on the front lines while she personally led her deputy Jia Ling and the rest of her elite forces straight toward the Central Hub Grand Array.

Though she had her own calculations, she was still quite surprised—the vital core of the Unstained Immortal Realm’s mechanisms wasn’t hidden deep in some underground palace as expected, nor perched atop the nine layers of clouds.

Instead, after she labored to shatter layer upon layer of restrictive barriers with demonic light, it manifested in a silent, empty field of lush spirit herbs.

The spirit plants swayed in the wind, just like a dream from twenty years ago.

Behind Fu Xi Palace, there had been a similar verdant herb garden, tended personally by Rumu Immortal Lord.

In the crisp mornings when the first rays of dawn broke, Rumu Immortal Lord in his azure robes would bend down among the fields to care for the herbs, the sunrise gilding his gentle profile in soft golden light.

He fed the birds, then noticed the gaze peeking from behind the corridor. Across the entire garden, he looked over with a faint smile. “A’Tu, come here.”

It remained, to this day, the most beautiful scene she had ever witnessed in her life.

The Unstained Immortal Realm truly was beautiful. Everything was pristine, untouched by dust.

But alas…

In the end, their paths had diverged.

Dark purple demonic flames erupted from Tu Ji’s fingertips as a twisting bolt of purple lightning snaked roaring into the center of the herb field.

In an instant, the spirit soil churned, and countless runes emerged from the depths of the earth veins, weaving together in the air into a massive stellar lock array. The lightning serpent gnawed madly at the lock core, its splashing electric light turning the entire sky into flickering shadows.

“Almost… just a little more…”

The thunder raged around the array’s nexus, demonic light blazing in Tu Ji’s eyes. The lightning serpent had already condensed into the shape of a key, poised to slot into the lock.

Soon… soon…

“Boom—!”

Pitch-black karmic fire and pristine white immortal sash tore through the sky together. The Nine Heavens Immortal Sash transformed into a light lattice that firmly guarded the nexus, while the edge of the Floating Life Ember Edge sword bore down with incinerating black flames right at her face.

“Princess, watch out!”

Jia Ling hurriedly raised a demonic shield, but it shattered like paper before the black karmic fire. Tu Ji twisted aside with all her might, yet a deep gash still opened from her left shoulder to her waist, demonic blood raining down.

“Princess!!!”

Jia Ling shielded her as they retreated in a flash. Tu Ji forced down the sweet tang rising in her throat and looked up—

In the lightning’s glare, two figures shattered the demonic barriers.

On the left, the black-robed Immortal Lord had sharp features, the Floating Life Ember Edge trailing pitch-black karmic fire with long inky phoenix wings. On the right, the Immortal Lord in moon-white robes had fluttering sleeves, his fingers spinning the immortal sash’s clear radiance like shimmering moonlight; wherever it passed, demonic qi melted away like ice and snow.

Even without having met them before, how could she not recognize these two Immortal Lords who shook the Three Realms?

“Immortal Lord Li Xuan, Immortal Lord Jiang Chen.” She wiped the blood from her lips with a cold laugh. “You two arrived faster than expected.”

“But too late by one step!”

With those words, demonic qi around Tu Ji transformed into a sky full of crow feathers, pouring madly toward the pair. The demon soldiers behind her formed ranks and charged, Jia Ling leading the way like a black tide surging toward the nexus.

Immortals and demons countered each other—Human Immortals over human demons, Demon Immortals over demon demons…

No need for words. Zhao Lixuan spun and unleashed the Nine Heavens Immortal Sash, its pure immortal power turning into countless beams of radiant sword rain. Jiang Chen thrust his sword edge into the ground, pure black karmic fire erupting into a ring-shaped barrier that firmly shielded the nexus, blocking all the demon soldiers outside.

Tu Ji retreated and dodged urgently, only to see the immortal sash feint past her shoulder. Where its clear light swept, the demon soldiers disintegrated into dust.

At the same time, Jiang Chen split several streams of flame from the karmic fire barrier, precisely repelling Jia Ling and the shadow demon guards trying to sneak attack from behind. In the night, amid flashing blades and swords, the two Immortal Lords’ robes intertwined; their coordination was flawless, offense and defense in perfect harmony, forcing the demon army to a standstill!

Meanwhile, the battle above the Immortal Court had already reached a decisive turn.

Since demon general Fang Yishu was only feigning an attack, once High Priest Yu Changxin summoned the sun-moon twin wheels and Immortal Emperor Shen Fengyu unleashed heavenly gang sword qi, the demonic formation crumbled to pieces wherever the silver glow passed, the demon soldiers turning entirely to flying ash.

“Master, I’ll activate the realm-protecting grand array to shield the Human Emperor and evacuate the civilians.” The young Immortal Emperor’s sleeves flipped as he formed triple spell seals, a golden barrier like a dome enveloping the Immortal Capital. “I’ll leave the Central Hub Grand Array to you for reinforcement.”

“Alright, take care of yourself.”

Yu Changxin nodded, then transformed into a silver rainbow streaking through the sky.

…

At this moment, the battlefield at the Central Hub Grand Array had devolved into a brutal stalemate.

Just as the demon soldiers seemed on the verge of collapse, Tu Ji suddenly bit her fingertip and smeared the blood on her brow.

Seeing this, Jia Ling immediately formed seals to protect her. Black mist surged as a Soul-Devouring Banner rose from the ground before Tu Ji, its surface flapping wildly in the wind. Countless twisted-limbed demons crawled out from the churning black fog beneath the banner, their bony, spike-covered bodies reeking of rot.

Zhao Lixuan’s head throbbed.

Ancient records stated that tens of thousands of years ago, when immortals and demons split, the Demon Clan’s foremost crime was summoning these demons to wreak havoc across the Three Realms.

But back then, the Demon Clan denied it vehemently, insisting the demons were naturally born from heaven and earth, framed by the Immortal Clan.

Later, over millions of years, mortal realm storybooks often cried injustice for the Demon Clan.

And later still, Zhao Lixuan had seen those naturally spawned demons in the Misty Crevice Abyss with his own eyes. Plus, Yu Rumu said the Demon Realm also suffered greatly from demons emerging from underground.

He had almost—almost—believed the Demon Clan were victims too!

But now, seeing with his own eyes as the demons crawled straight out of Tu Ji’s Soul-Devouring Banner, where was there any injustice for the Demon Clan?

Before him, the demon tide pressed down like dark clouds, dense as those in the depths of the Demon Abyss back then.

Zhao Lixuan instinctively stepped back half a pace, his back pressing against Jiang Chen’s. Just like those four days and nights in the Demon Abyss facing countless demon pupae, their gazes met and understanding passed in an instant.

In a heartbeat, the Nine Heavens Immortal Sash became a sky-spanning light net, its pure immortal power washing away demonic qi like tides. The Fleeting Ember Karmic Fire coiled like an ink dragon, black flames and white immortal qi weaving into a massive taiji diagram in the air. Immortal winds pulverized everything in their path, demons turning to ash wherever they passed!

“Princess!”

Seeing the dire situation, amid Jia Ling’s cry, Tu Ji decisively bit her finger again, her blood curse sinking into the banner like a venomous snake.

The Soul-Devouring Banner blazed with bloody light, shuddering violently as black mist shot skyward. The thick demonic qi condensed in the air, slowly forming a colossal Rotten Flesh Giant Demon that blotted out the sky.

The monster towered like a mountain, its body of twisted limbs pieced into a form that pierced the clouds. Countless rotting eyeballs rolled across its surface, pus and blood cascading like waterfalls from between bone spikes. In the shadow it cast, Tu Ji and Jia Ling seemed as insignificant as ants.

What the hell is this thing…

What kind of abomination roars out toxic fog that withers spirit plants on contact, turning the entire herb field to scorched earth?

Tu Ji… Tu Ji.

Zhao Lixuan’s thoughts churned.

Over these years, he hadn’t been without curiosity about what this Demon Clan woman—who had mercilessly deceived Yu Rumu back then—might look like.

She was indeed extraordinary!!!

No wonder Rumu Shixiong was no match for someone like her.

For now, they could only hold out.

Zhao Lixuan gritted his teeth and pushed the Nine Heavens Immortal Sash to its limit, its radiance forming a light curtain that clashed fiercely with the toxic fog from the giant beast. Jiang Chen seized the moment to direct his karmic fire, black inferno coiling like a flood dragon around the demon’s torso.

Yet though the karmic fire scorched scorch marks on its surface, fresh rotten flesh covered them in moments!

In an instant, the giant demon raised a claw pieced from countless bones, slowly pressing down toward the Central Hub Grand Array.

This is bad, Zhao Lixuan thought. Ignoring everything else, he could only grit his teeth and rush to the nexus, pouring all his pure qi into the barrier for a full-powered defense—

If the core was destroyed, not only would the spirit veins maintaining the Three Realms’ balance fall into total chaos, but several peripheral cities around the Immortal Capital would suffer devastating backlash. Ordinary immortals would likely perish in an instant!

Even at the cost of his life, he absolutely could not let the demon destroy the nexus!

Boom!

The deafening crash of the claw slamming the barrier rang in his ears.

Blood surged in Zhao Lixuan’s chest, his ears buzzing, yet there was no expected agony.

Under the endless pressure, he forced his eyes open and discovered that beneath the barrier he held overhead, Jiang Chen had laid down another layer of pure black protective array.

Countless runes flickered between the two light curtains, absorbing the full force of that strike for him.

He heard heavy panting.

And… the crisp crack of bone. Jiang Chen’s body slumped softly against him, forehead resting on his shoulder, warm blood trickling down his neck and staining his collar red.

Everything had happened too fast.

It all felt so real; he was certain this wasn’t an illusion. But why had they suddenly ended up here? How had the Demon Clan breached the defenses? Too many mysteries remained unsolved.

Unresolved matters, without answers.

“Jiang Chen.”

“Hm?”

“Are you afraid?”

“…”

“Not afraid. You?”

Of course he wasn’t afraid either.

Just a bit dazed.

If twenty years ago, someone had told the little Zhao Lixuan back then that though he and his beloved wouldn’t have a happy ending, in the end, this lifetime…

They would die together on the battlefield.