"Little Zhu, no letters today?"
Every day, she would receive a letter from her grandfather. Though the letters were not long, they were enough to bring Bai Ran a sense of peace.
Zhu Que shook her head, her eyes curved into a smile, "Perhaps the carrier pigeon flew in the wrong direction?"
It could only be so. Yet, for some reason, Bai Ran felt restless, unable to calm her heart.
The method to separate the inner demon was known, but the most crucial characters had been burned by fire. Even Shi Tian was fighting against another version of himself.
Suddenly, Bai Ran's gaze snapped towards the door. Her brow furrowed sharply.
Darkness permeated the outside, and the courtyard was silent. Only Bai Ran's room remained brightly lit.
At the doorway, a shadowy figure slowly coalesced. Within its eyes, a faint, flickering emerald green could be discerned.
"Lin Ze...?"
Bai Ran narrowed her eyes, turning to face the figure with a hint of wariness.
Lin Ze had perished in the Divine Realm. Why would his soul not enter reincarnation and instead appear in her room?
"The plan for the demonized... " the shadowy voice stammered, indistinct. Kuai Shu Ge.
"Kill... everyone... break... the seal..."
"Hurry back..."
Kill everyone to break the seal? Bai Ran's pupils trembled, instantly connecting it to the letter she had not received today.
The Nine Disasters and Wang Yu had been absent for a long time, while Qian Qiu approached her from time to time...
Monitoring her! Bai Ran clenched her fists, her expression grim.
Qian Qiu's objective had always been to monitor her! But where had the Nine Disasters and Wang Yu gone...
The answer sent a chill down her spine...
"Damn it! To the lower realm!" Bai Ran burst out of the door, her steps urgent.
Qian Qiu's surveillance was merely to prevent her from interfering with Wang Yu and the Nine Disasters' plan!
If things went ideally, Bai Ran would trust Qian Qiu; if not, she would at least receive information from her.
As for Wang Yu and the Nine Disasters, they were gathering intelligence, collecting information on everyone close to Bai Ran...
Grandfather, Dean Xuan Yuan, Fang Tian Hui, Qin Mu Bai...
Their target was not her! From the very beginning, they had aimed their hostility at the people around Bai Ran!
Knowing that Bai Ran had the ability to suppress the inner demon, they shifted their focus to strike at those closest to her!
Watching Bai Ran's hasty departure, Lin Ze's soul began to fade.
Good... finally... I told her...
"Miss Bai? Where are you going in such a hurry?"
Jing Feng blinked sleepily. The fiery figure left without looking back.
Zhu Que, close behind, shouted urgently, "Quickly wake everyone and head to the lower realm!!!"
Bai Ran's blood ran cold, her heartbeat a deafening roar.
"Don't go... please don't go..." the Wu Shi Beast pleaded desperately. It was too late... everything was too late...
It was the same before time flowed backward. After being pierced through the heart by Dongfang Wuji's sword, she had watched powerlessly as those close to her were killed one by one by demonized humans.
In the end, the inner demon successfully possessed Bai Ran's body, and the demonized humans incited a great war, plunging the world into chaos...
"Little Zhu!" Zhu Que transformed into its original form, its fiery figure soaring into the sky. Bai Ran leaped up and landed on Zhu Que's back.
Jing Feng, who had been drowsy, immediately sobered up. He also sensed that something was terribly wrong and rushed towards the rooms of Jiang Ye and the others.
With a flap of its wings, Zhu Que's feathers trembled in the cold wind, Bai Ran's heart pounding.
It would be alright... it would be alright...
The teleportation array to the lower realm lit up. Under the blinding light, a colossal figure emerged, flying at full speed towards the Bai family.
But the scene before her caused Bai Ran's heart to freeze instantly, a chilling dread coursing down her spine.
Flames... immense, raging infernos engulfed the entire lower realm...
Wails echoed incessantly, and the air was filled with the smell of burning corpses...
The entire lower realm had become an ocean of fire. Even the flowing blood was immediately consumed by the conflagration.
The dark night sky was illuminated as if by daylight by the fiery glow...
Bai Ran's pupils constricted, her teeth clenched tightly. Her body trembled violently with fear.
"See—it's all your fault—" a sweet, seductive voice echoed in Bai Ran's mind once more.
"Everyone around you dies, and the entire lower realm turns into a sea of fire. Even the middle realm cannot escape—"
"Am I wrong? Disaster Star—"
Bai Ran's fists clenched, her eyes blazing with fury, "Shut up!"
Flames surged, engulfing the entire Bai family. Charred corpses lay scattered everywhere.
Bai Ran leaped down, charging into the inferno, "Grandfather!!!"
Bai Zhan Tian's room was empty. She searched frantically amidst the flames, but could not find Bai Zhan Tian anywhere.
Her flesh sizzled and burned, yet Bai Ran felt no pain.
"Finally, you're here. We've waited so long."
Jiu Zai sat on the eaves and slowly stood up, smiling at Bai Ran.
The surrounding flames instantly extinguished. Bai Ran's rage reached its peak. "Where are they?"
Her voice was ice-cold, her killing intent undisguised. Her dark pupils turned blood-red in an instant.
Looking at Jiu Zai before her, he smirked, "If you wish to see them, follow me."
Spiritual energy emanated from Bai Ran in layers, and the flames in the entire lower realm were extinguished in the blink of an eye.
Jiu Zai raised an eyebrow and turned to leave. Bai Ran, clenching her fists, followed.
An open space, untouched by the flames, surrounded by mountains of corpses...
Bai Ran's steps became incredibly heavy. This scene... it was the vision from the Heavenly Revelation Leaf...
Wang Yu chuckled and slowly walked up to Bai Ran, "Do you want to see your grandfather?"
On the ground, a large brocade box lay quietly. A thick scent of blood seeped from its edges...
"Thump—thump—thump—"
Her ears buzzed, and Bai Ran's vision gradually blurred with tears. A massive stone seemed to press down on her chest, making it impossible to breathe...
The vision in the Heavenly Revelation Leaf would surely come to pass one day...
Bai Ran opened her mouth, her throat feeling choked, unable to utter a single word.
She dared not open the brocade box, dared not face this sudden turn of events...
Wang Yu leaned closer to Bai Ran and whispered in her ear, word by word, "You killed them—"
It's fake... it must be fake...
Bai Ran's breath trembled. She slowly knelt down and picked up the brocade box.
"Click—" Wang Yu's smile turned sinister as he lifted the lid in front of her.
Blood flowed from the box, staining Bai Ran's hands crimson...
Grandfather... Dean Xuan Yuan... Fang Tian Hui... Qin Mu Bai...
"Ahhhhhh—"
The scene, identical to the one in the Heavenly Revelation Leaf, unfolded before Bai Ran's eyes...
"Ran Ran, if you're tired, come back. Grandfather will take care of you."
"Bai girl, don't be afraid. This old man will always stand by your side."
"Sister Bai! The Dean said I'm having a girl! If Sister Bai has a boy in the future, shall we be in-laws?"
"Alright, alright, I was wrong, Heroine Bai! Heroine Bai is truly courageous!"
...