All returned to the Ghost Tribe... The ghosts exchanged glances, their heads drooping as they left.
The barrier that had been crowded with figures gradually emptied.
Ying Xing, who hadn't gone far, saw this scene and felt a surge of panic. He cautiously raised his eyes and looked at Zhong Zi, who was leading the way.
"The King, the King she..."
"Is an exceptionally good woman," Zhong Zi's light laughter reached him. He had long seen through Ying Xing's petty thoughts.
Hearing this, Ying Xing's unease subsided slightly, but Zhong Zi's next words sent his heart into his throat.
"She rewards and punishes justly."
Zhong Zi's voice cut through, and Ying Xing shivered, seemingly anticipating the scene of his soul scattering.
...
"Divine Lord, those ghosts have left," a woman said, walking slowly towards him.
Bai Li Xiao stood with his hands behind his back, the corner of his white robe fluttering in the breeze. His azure eyes were exceptionally striking.
"Mm," he nodded slightly and then began to walk away.
Wu Si followed closely, a hint of hesitation on his face. "Divine Lord... since we're not going to help Miss Bai, why are we staying here...?"
It was as if... they were deliberately observing the movements of the two tribes...
Bai Li Xiao lowered his gaze, his long eyelashes obscuring his azure eyes. Wu Si couldn't decipher his expression.
He didn't answer, merely continuing to walk forward.
In truth, he himself wasn't entirely sure why he was staying. By the time he realized it, he found he couldn't bring himself to leave.
...
"Thump—" His knees buckled, and Ying Xing directly knelt down, kowtowing.
"King! This subordinate knows his mistake!"
He dared not look up at the person seated before him, for the oppressive atmosphere in the room told him everything he needed to know about the King's displeasure.
Outside the house, a group of people gathered by the door, eavesdropping on the conversation within as if watching a show.
"Hey, do you think he'll have his soul scattered?" Jiang Ye leaned against the door crack, his ear pressed firmly against it, listening intently.
Jing Feng cast a disdainful glance at him. "Whether he has his soul scattered, I don't know. But if Miss Bai finds out, you'll certainly be in for a rough time."
Zhu Que had been caught eavesdropping once before, so this time he wisely kept his distance from the door.
"What about that brat?" Long Yu arrived fashionably late. He scanned the crowd gathered outside the door, but Dragon Jin Han was nowhere to be seen.
Jing Feng recognized the voice as that of Venerable Long Yu. After all, only he dared to address the Sovereign in such a manner.
"Reporting to Venerable Long Yu, the Sovereign has already returned to the Demon Realm."
"Returned to the Demon Realm...?" Long Yu frowned, deep in thought, then raised his eyes to look at Jing Feng.
"Why didn't you go back with him?"
Jing Feng answered unhurriedly, "The Sovereign ordered this subordinate to remain by Miss Bai's side to ensure her safety."
"Mm," Long Yu nodded, that made sense. "Why was the barrier broken just now?"
Uh... Jing Feng averted his gaze, unsure how to answer.
Venerable Long Yu didn't know that Miss Bai was the Ghost King, nor that she was the prophesied Chosen One. Should he tell the Venerable?
But without the Sovereign's permission, could he?
"What, I have no power and no influence, so I can't command you?" Long Yu could tell at a glance that Jing Feng was hiding something.
Jing Feng pursed his lips and looked pleadingly at Xiao Zi in the distance, making a series of exaggerated facial expressions.
Xiao Zi glanced at Jing Feng, raised an eyebrow, then walked to a corner, picked up the half-hidden little mink, and brought it before Long Yu.
"Venerable, it's this little fellow," Xiao Zi said to Long Yu with a smile, holding up the stiff little mink.
Long Yu's suspicious gaze fell upon them. The little creature silently turned its head away...
"Fox spirit, are you doing this on purpose!"
The little mink's telepathic voice echoed in the mind. Xiao Zi acted as if he hadn't heard, continuing, "Venerable, don't let this little thing fool you. Although she's only a mystical beast, she was able to break through the barrier."
"Oh?" Long Yu stroked his chin, appraising the little mink with great interest.
Seeing that his attention had been diverted, Jing Feng finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"But I somehow feel like you look a bit familiar..."
Xiao Zi froze, seeing Long Yu staring at the tail behind him. Curses, he forgot to take the disguise pill!
Long Yu's sharp gaze swept across his face like a knife. "King of the Demon Race?"
The tail, the ears, the true form of the man before him was a fox, but so many tails were the symbol of the King of the Demon Race...
Xiao Zi was speechless, how could he explain that he was no longer the Demon Emperor...
Jing Feng pressed his forehead. He had hoped Xiao Zi would help him, but instead, he had dragged Xiao Zi down with him.
"You two needn't try to fool me. Jing Feng, you clearly know what I'm asking."
Jing Feng pursed his lips. Long Yu's question about the broken barrier implied he was asking who the Chosen One was...
The resonant bell chimed, celestial phenomena appeared, followed by the breaking of the demon barrier. Could such a coincidence exist?
There was only one reason: the Chosen One was in the demon race, and right among them...
"It must be Miss Bai, right?" Long Yu wasn't asking, but stating a certainty.
Jing Feng looked up, seeing Long Yu's gaze fixed on the closed door, his expression complicated.
"King of the Demon Race, Demon Lord of the Demon Realm, Divine Emperor of the Divine Realm..."
"Sigh—" Long Yu sighed, his cloudy eyes filled with worry. "If Miss Bai isn't the Chosen One, then who else could she be..."
"I am old now, and I can no longer participate in the conflicts of your generation—"
Long Yu shook his head. At this moment, his back was hunched, his eyes were clouded, and only then did everyone remember that he was an old man with one foot in the grave...
"Do you know what the Chosen One meant in our generation?" Long Yu turned, meeting Jing Feng's gaze.
Jing Feng pursed his lips, then slowly shook his head. "Please enlighten me, Venerable."
"Have you heard the legend of the creation of heaven and earth?"
Gradually, Jiang Ye, who had been eavesdropping, drew closer. Zhu Que also leaned in, listening quietly to Long Yu's words.
"A man surnamed Bai created heaven and earth with a single sword. After his death, he used his flesh and blood to forge the Exquisite Bell in the very center of the Nine Heavens."
"When the Exquisite Bell rings, the Chosen One appears..."
"The Chosen One will unify the four realms and usher in an unprecedented era of prosperity."
"She is, in essence, following the path laid out by that man surnamed Bai."
Jing Feng was stunned. It took him a long time to comprehend Venerable Long Yu's words.
In other words, the man surnamed Bai created heaven and earth, allowing all living beings to grow, and when their civilizations developed to a certain extent and could no longer advance further.
The Chosen One would appear to unify the four realms? To further spread the civilization of living beings?
Xiao Zi and Jiang Ye also shed their casual expressions, revealing unprecedented solemnity.
Unify the four realms...?
"However, this is all just what we elders passed down. It might be false information, for all we know."
Long Yu gazed at the closed door, his expression tinged with melancholy and emotion.