The mountains were shrouded in mist as Yun Ye walked briskly along the mountain path.

“Rou Rou? Bai Xiaoro?”

When he woke up this morning, the little rabbit that had been sleeping beside him was nowhere to be found. He quickly searched around Luexia Peak several times but found no trace of the chubby, white ball of fluff.

Frowning, Yun Ye muttered, “Where did this little rabbit run off to?”

Suddenly, a sharp sound, like a blade cutting through the air, came from behind him. Yun Ye drew his black bamboo fan from his waist, flicking it open just in time to block the sword that had been aimed at his back.

He raised his eyes, irritation clear on his face. “Wu Jiu, are you done yet?”

The figure before him still had the face of Mu Xi, but now, his eyes were filled with surging demonic energy.

Wu Jiu spoke with a mocking tone. “Yun Ye, the righteous sects are preparing to declare war on the Demon Abyss. If you don’t come back now, do you really plan to wait for them to annihilate your entire clan?”

Yun Ye’s expression faltered for a moment.

He pushed Wu Jiu aside and sheathed his Taichu sword. “If you want to protect the Demon Abyss, you should hurry back and seal the rift you opened. That way, the righteous sects will never find its location.”

“Is this how you’re going to retreat?”

Wu Jiu sneered, his voice turning harsh. “Why should the Demon Abyss remain forever trapped in that dark place? They didn’t give us a way to survive, so we’ll carve one out for ourselves. The righteous sects all believe that those who aren’t of their kind have evil hearts. The only reason they’re letting you stay here is because they don’t know your true identity yet.”

“…What do you think would happen if they did know?”

Before Yun Ye could respond, a surge of demonic energy suddenly erupted from Wu Jiu’s body. Tendrils of black mist quickly enveloped him.

Yun Ye was struck by the force of the demonic energy and had to retreat several steps.

He raised his eyes to look at Wu Jiu, his brows furrowed in confusion.

Wu Jiu was currently possessing a disciple of Tianyan Sect in his spiritual form, so how could he have such powerful demonic energy?

Unless…

Yun Ye’s eyes flickered. “You’ve used the forbidden technique of the Demon Abyss?”

Wu Jiu was momentarily surprised. “You know about the forbidden technique? Not bad. This body of mine doesn’t have enough power, so I had a disciple of Tianyan Sect help me gather spiritual beasts. I used their power as a source, which allowed me to activate the forbidden technique and summon a large amount of demonic energy.”

“You’re crazy,” Yun Ye hissed. “You can’t handle this much demonic energy. If you keep going like this, your meridians will reverse, and you’ll die.”

Wu Jiu’s face turned pale, but he let out a low laugh. “The young master actually cares about me. Don’t worry, I won’t die. Because… the path of this demonic energy doesn’t lead to me…”

Before Yun Ye could react, the black mist spilling from Wu Jiu’s body condensed into a mass and violently surged into Yun Ye’s body.

“Ah!” Bai Tu suddenly sat up, his chest heaving violently. His red eyes stared blankly ahead, lost in thought.

Beside him, a gentle male voice called out, “What’s wrong with the Immortal Lord?”

They were seated inside an immortal carriage, pulled by three airborne spiritual beasts, cruising steadily through the clouds.

Bai Tu turned to look, and saw Xun Yi resting his head on Pei Ran’s lap, holding a wine jug that swayed as he asked, “Were you dreaming?”

“Yes.” The scenes from the dream continued to replay in his mind. Bai Tu lowered his eyes and softly said, “I need to go back to Tianyan Sect.”

Xun Yi frowned. “What nonsense are you talking? We’ve been traveling all night, and we’re almost there. Are you really going to turn back now? Don’t you think you’re making things more difficult?”

Bai Tu was firm. “Something’s happened at Tianyan Sect.”

Xun Yi gave him a long, deep look before responding, “Tianyan Sect is the number one immortal sect in the world. Even if something has happened, they’ll have a way to handle it. Besides, in your current state, how do you plan to get there?”

Bai Tu’s voice remained calm. “I remember, brother, you have some immortal medicine that temporarily boosts cultivation.”

A bright sword beam cut through the sky and landed in front of Tianyan Sect’s gates. Bai Tu stepped out from the sword’s glow and immediately saw the destruction before him—charred grass, broken bricks, and shattered tiles.

He instantly recognized the signs—it was the aftermath of a demonic energy collision.

His heart sank, and he hurried forward. A group of elders and disciples were gathered at the martial arena on the front mountain, looking disheveled and worn.

“Immortal Lord!” “It’s the Immortal Lord returning!” “The Immortal Lord has finally come back, what about Yun Ye…”

The chatter filled the air, but Bai Tu didn’t spare a glance. He slowly walked forward, resolute.

The crowd automatically parted, revealing a figure lying in the center.

It was Mu Xi.

He had been dead for some time, his body covered in dark purple bruises. His eyes were wide open, as if he had endured immense pain before his death.

Ling Weijun also saw Bai Tu. He stood up from beside Mu Xi and nodded at Bai Tu. “Immortal Lord, you’re back.”

Bai Tu’s throat was dry. “Yun Ye… where is he?”

“Yun Ye? He’s a demon!” A white-haired elder shouted from the crowd. “As everyone has seen, the demonic energy around him is so pure; he must be from the Abyss!”

“Yes, I haven’t seen such pure demonic energy in ages. The last time was from the Lord of the Abyss.”

“The Lord of the Abyss? There were rumors before that the previous Lord’s only son fled to the human realm. Could it be…”

The crowd murmured, their voices filled with indignation.

Bai Tu couldn’t bear to listen anymore. He interrupted, “Where is Yun Ye now?”

“He left.” Ling Weijun shook his head with a sigh. “An hour ago, I sensed an overwhelming surge of demonic energy from within the sect, so I immediately went to investigate. I saw Yun Ye rush from Luoxia Peak to the front mountain. It was clear that he had fallen into the demonic influence.”

“We tried to capture him, but none of us were a match for him. Yun Ye injured several elders and disciples before escaping the Tiantian Sect.”

“I sent people to Luoxia Peak, and halfway there, they found Mu Xi’s body.”

Bai Tu’s face paled slightly. After hearing this, he turned to leave but was stopped by someone.

“Yun Ye is the Immortal Lord’s personal disciple. With things turning out this way, doesn’t the Immortal Lord intend to give us, the righteous sect, an explanation?”

Bai Tu lifted his gaze to look at him. “What kind of explanation do you want?”

The man froze under his gaze, his imposing presence faltering as his mouth opened, but no words came out.

Bai Tu spoke softly, “You’re right. Yun Ye is from the demon race.”

The moment he spoke, the crowd was stunned.

“Yun Ye has never done anything harmful to the righteous sect since joining Tiantian Sect. There is something else going on here. I will investigate the matter thoroughly and provide you all with an explanation.”

Bai Tu scanned the surroundings, his voice cold and resolute: “Until the truth is revealed, I will vouch for Yun Ye. Anyone seeking revenge may come for me.”

“…I will accompany you to the end.”

After saying these words, Bai Tu transformed into a streak of sword light and left Tiantian Sect.

From that day on, Immortal Lord Zhaohua never returned to Tiantian Sect, and Yun Ye never appeared in public again. The righteous sects redoubled their efforts to investigate the Demon Abyss and the demon race, but after three months, they had still found nothing.

As winter passed and spring arrived, glaciers melted, and everything began to revive.

A thousand miles away from Tiantian Sect, nestled in a forest, stood a house surrounded by a garden full of flowers and plants.

In the early morning, a figure pushed open the door and walked outside.

Though it was early spring, he still wore a light fur cloak, wrapped tightly from head to toe.

Bai Tu silently closed the door behind him and turned to walk toward the garden. But then, a lazy voice drifted through the air: “Where do you think you’re sneaking off to this time?”

Bai Tu paused, turning his head in the direction of the voice.

Xun Yi was casually reclining in a wicker chair, a playful smile on his lips as he watched him.

Beside him, a spiritual beast was balancing a wine jug at its feet.

Since leaving Tiantian Sect, Bai Tu had been living in seclusion here.

Xun Yi had placed several spiritual beasts nearby to attend to Bai Tu’s needs—partly to care for his daily life, and partly to keep an eye on him and prevent him from wandering off.

However, it was rare for Xun Yi to visit personally.

Bai Tu silently cursed his bad luck. He stepped forward, his face impassive, and said, “It’s too stifling here. I’m going out for a walk.”

“Come on.” Xun Yi glanced at him and mercilessly exposed the excuse, “You’ve used that one seven times already.”

Bai Tu hesitated. “Then… I’ll go down the mountain to buy some things?”

“Immortal Lord Zhaohua.” Xun Yi dragged out his words and gave him a helpless look. “Are you planning to go find Yun Ye again?”

Bai Tu muttered defensively, “No…”

“Then what are you planning to do?” Xun Yi stood up, scolding, “Your precious disciple hasn’t shown his face in three months, and the righteous sects have practically turned the entire Central Plains upside down looking for him. Where else could he have gone, except to the Demon Abyss?”

Bai Tu lowered his voice. “That makes me want to find him even more.”

“You—” Xun Yi started to speak but stopped himself. After a moment, he said, “These days, the Demon Abyss seems to have disappeared from the world, but rumors about it never stop. Some say your precious disciple has mastered demonic arts and become the new ruler of the Demon Abyss.”

He paused, his gaze turning serious. “Let me ask you, if Yun Ye really has turned into a demon, what will you do?”

Bai Tu replied calmly, “Bring him back.”

“What if you can’t bring him back?”

“I don’t know.” Bai Tu lowered his eyes, his voice soft. “But I don’t think he will…”

“Won’t he?” Xun Yi scoffed. “How do you know he won’t? Perhaps this is his true nature.”

Bai Tu sensed the underlying meaning in his words and asked, “Senior Brother, what brings you here today?”

Xun Yi tilted his head, not answering.

Bai Tu pressed further, “Is there news of Yun Ye?”

Before Xun Yi could respond, the Waterlight Mirror in the room flashed and automatically flew toward Bai Tu.

Bai Tu glanced at Xun Yi, then raised his hand to summon the mirror. Inside, a figure appeared.

It was Ling Weijun.

Ling Weijun spoke, “Greetings, both Immortal Lords.”

Bai Tu asked, “What does the Sect Master wish to speak to me about?”

Ling Weijun hesitated for a moment, his expression conflicted. “There is news of Yun Ye.”

One day ago, Tianyan Sect received a challenge letter from the Demon Abyss, or more precisely, from Yun Ye.

The letter stated that the Demon Abyss would attack Tianyan Sect in ten days.

Yun Ye daring to declare war on Tianyan Sect naturally meant he had made preparations. Thinking back to what happened three months ago, Ling Weijun was now in a state of urgent distress. After much deliberation, he could think of no one else to turn to but Immortal Lord Zhaohua.

After hearing this, Bai Tu turned his gaze toward Xun Yi. “Did you come to find me because of this matter?”

Xun Yi sighed softly, tacitly acknowledging it.

Bai Tu lowered his eyes, his hand gently brushing his abdomen.

He was now more than four months pregnant, with a slight curve in his abdomen, though it was entirely concealed by his loose cloak, making him appear even more slender than before.

Bai Tu turned to Ling Weijun and said, “Leave this matter to me. I won’t let the Demon Abyss attack Tianyan Sect. You can rest assured.”

“This…”

Before Ling Weijun could finish his sentence, Xun Yi furrowed his brows and interrupted, “How do you plan to handle this?”

Bai Tu calmly replied, “I’ve already located the entrance to the Demon Abyss.”

“I will go to meet him personally.”

=^_^=