Following the dense purple demonic aura, Shi Luoyi saw the blazing fire.
She recognized it as Wei Changyuan's true fire and hurried over with Bian Lingyu.
In the midst of the raging flames, Wei Changyuan held his sword, walking out with a delicate girl behind him.
Shi Luoyi immediately saw Wei Changquan. His light blue clothes were stained with the sticky fluid of demons, and he had suffered many injuries. The Qinghong Sword gleamed coldly, still carrying the lingering fighting spirit of its master. Countless untransformed toads were burned to death behind them.
In contrast, the girl behind him looked clean and tidy.
Bian Qingxuan followed closely behind him and was almost unscathed. She was well protected by him.
Shi Luoyi stopped in her tracks from afar, gazing at Wei Changquan's pale and determined face.
This scene before her overlapped with her memories from her past life. In her momentary daze, she realized that she had also encountered them here in her previous life.
She was deceived by the fake "Wei Changyuan" transformed by the untransformed toad demon, falling into a beautiful dream of her father waking up and spending her life with him. Later, she saw through the trickery of the untransformed toad, fought bitterly, and suffered severe injuries. Though hurt and exhausted, she was still worried about her master and fellow disciples' safety, and gritted her teeth to go look for them.
The result was seeing Wei Changyuan guarding Bian Qingxuan to death. His stance of refusing to retreat even in the face of death to shield Bian Qingxuan completely shattered her last glimmer of hope.
And now, as this scene replayed, Shi Luoyi found it somewhat absurd.
Unconsciously, she pressed her hand on her heart. In the past, she had been extremely afraid.
Her mother had died, and mortal lives were only a hundred years or so. Nanyue would eventually see a dynastic change. Later, when her father fell into slumber and the sect master took control of Buye mountain, she had no home to return to. Her only remaining family was Wei Changyuan.
Why did even he abandon her too?
The demon in her heart surged, making her become extreme and terrifying, filled with murderous intent. Originally, she had decided to call off her engagement for everyone's sake, but she was driven by the paranoid demon in her heart to forget about it. Fortunately, Han Shu appeared in time, sensed that something was wrong, and stopped her.
The feeling of being controlled by the inner demon was too terrifying, so much so that Shi Luoyi still had lingering fears. This time, across the sea of fire, she hurriedly recited the Heart Sutra silently, fearing that the inner demon would come out and cause chaos.
Fortunately, her mind was calm, and nothing unusual happened.
Across the sea of fire, Shi Luoyi realized for the first time that he was no longer the Wei Changyuan who loved her when he was young, and she was no longer the Shi Luoyi who had fallen into paranoia.
Bian Lingyu glanced at her coldly, then looked at Wei Changyuan.
The bone spurs in his sleeve were still itching to hook the soft fingers of the girl in front, but Bian Lingyu held them tightly. A shallow coldness overflowed from his eyes, how touching, how fated, to actually let her follow her intuition and find her beloved.
Bian Qingxuan saw Bian Lingyu there too and smiled with an unclear meaning.
This scene was nothing new to Bian Lingyu. He stopped in his tracks, did not follow any further, and slightly turned his head away. He was both disgusted by Bian Qingxuan's methods and tired of seeing such scenes.
Wei Changyuan also caught sight of Shi Luoyi.
Shi Luoyi's face was stained with traces of blood, she seemed to be injured, looking somewhat disheveled. She pressed her hand to her heart for a moment, then let go, appearing very calm.
For the first time, she saw him protecting Bian Qingxuan without getting angry or upset.
Under the burning of the true fire, Qingshui Village lost the severe cold of winter and became a little hot.
Shi Luoyi watched him from afar and said something.
Her voice seemed to be far away from him. Wei Changyuan didn't hear clearly. His face was pale and he almost couldn't hold onto his sword for a moment.
He felt a lump in his throat, a splitting headache, and could hardly understand why things had turned out this way. But he also knew that between him and Shi Luoyi, it was over.
He had held on for so many years, gradually forgetting the past. After making up his mind, he felt relieved, yet inexplicably heavy.
Bian Qingxuan curled her lips silently behind him.
She knew what Wei Changyuan meant to Shi Luoyi. For the little peacock who had no parents and no home to return to, Wei Changyuan was her life-saving straw. He was even an indispensable part of Shi Luoyi's inner demons, but from this moment on, Wei Changyuan was destined to be a puppet and chess piece in her hands.
Bian Qingxuan waited for the little peacock to get angry or furious, or even better, to turn her sword against her. Wei Changyuan would definitely protect her, after all, she was the benefactor who had sacrificed so much to save his life.
Shi Luoyi approached, holding her sword in her hand.
Her Shen Yun sword was blood-red, contrasting with the sea of fire, adding a touch of allure to her slightly pale lips and fair face.
Bian Qingxuan waited for her to speak the first sentence, and Wei Changyuan was also waiting.
They both looked at Shi Luoyi, and Shi Luoyi spoke first, "Where is Elder Han Shu? Have you met her?"
Wei Changyuan pressed his lips tightly and shook his head.
Bian Qingxuan frowned, sizing up Shi Luoyi. What's wrong with Shi Luoyi? Why isn't she hysterical anymore?
After Shi Luoyi finished asking, she looked at Bian Qingxuan as well.
Under her gaze, Bian Qingxuan's heart unexpectedly rose with a bit of expectation. However, Shi Luoyi's eyes carried a chill as she spoke, "Little Junior Sister, I've brought your brother back, safe, so take good care of him and don't lose him again."
She turned around and called out behind her, "Bian Lingyu."
At some point, Bian Lingyu also raised his head and looked at her. Shi Luoyi had accompanied him all the way, and now she no longer had the bad feelings towards him as before. She motioned him to follow Bian Qingxuan and said, "You are safe now."
Staying together must have been insecure and difficult for him. Now that she handed him over to Bian Qingxuan, he should be able to relax a bit.
The girl put away her Shen Yun sword. "I'm going to find Elder Han Shu. Do you want to come along?"
Saving people is the priority. She headed towards where the demonic aura was stronger, having already taken several steps out in the blink of an eye.
Her slender figure did not linger on past grievances; she had finally grown into a free-spirited wisp of wind.
Bian Lingyu remained silent, following her figure without even sparing a glance at his "reliable" younger sister.
Bian Qingxuan's expression was strange, and finally said, "Senior Brother Changyuan, let's go find our Master and the others as well."
Wei Changyuan stared at Shi Luoyi's back in a daze, the Qinghong Sword emitted a low hum in his palm, as if sighing, and perhaps even crying. After a long time, he calmed down and said in a hoarse voice: "Okay."
Before going far, Shi Luoyi saw the heavily injured Han Shu at the ruined ancestral hall.
Xue An and a few disciples supported her as the ancestral hall collapsed with a loud crash, leaving a puddle of pus and blood on the ground.
Seeing Shi Luoyi, Han Shu also breathed a sigh of relief, "Are you okay?"
Shi Luoyi shook her head. She approached them and subtly sniffed around. Not smelling the stench of the untransformed toad on them, she felt relieved. It was indeed Han Shu and her fellow disciples, not the untransformed toads.
She looked at the pool of pus and blood on the ground. "What's this?"
Han Shu's expression was complicated as she answered, "Untransformed toad."
The usually cold Han Shu had a rare look of sadness on her face. Many disciples had died in Qingshui Village. When she first met them, she had nearly died by letting her guard down.
Fortunately, she remembered Shi Luoyi's reminder not to trust anyone easily, which saved her from falling into a trap. But the deceased disciples were doomed never to return to the Hengwu Sect with her.
Han Shu was knowledgeable and had some understanding of the untransformed toads.
"Under the ancestral hall is the dragon vein that the untransformed toad relies on for survival. Feilan and I destroyed the dragon vein, and the untransformed toad is dead. If we burn this place with true fire, it should be over."
The lotus pond where the untransformed toads stayed couldn't be left behind.
Shi Luoyi looked at the motionless pool of pus and blood wondering if the untransformed toads really died like this. Did Han Shu really save her life because of her reminder?
Bian Lingyu's gaze also fell on the pool of pus and blood, his eyes turned cold.
Bian Qingxuan stood nearby, standing tall and graceful. While everyone else looked disheveled, she still remained beautiful and immaculate. The few surviving disciples surrounded her, showing concern. Xue An looked at Bian Qingxuan with complicated eyes. He subconsciously wanted to go over, but thinking about how close he came to doing things with the untransformed toad who had this face, he felt uncomfortable.
The psychological shadow left by seeing the untransformed toad laying eggs was too great, to the extent that he couldn't face his junior sister properly.
Xue An realized the few other disciples keeping their distance from her had the same reaction, their eyes were avoiding Bian Qingxuan, no longer as warm as before.
Han Shu and Li Feilan set fire to the pond and said to the disciples, "Let's go back to Hengwu Sect and report."
When they came, the disciples were full of confidence, but when they returned, everyone's expressions were grim.
Although the untransformed toads had been eliminated, more than ten fellow disciples had died on this trip. With the camaraderie they shared, no one could feel happy.
The untransformed toads not only deprived people of their essence, but also used their bodies to lay eggs and hatch more demons. It was disgustingly vile.
The path out of the village appeared in front of them again, and they could vaguely see the situation of Cangshan Village outside.
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief at the same time. They could finally leave this ghostly place of Qingshui Village.
Constantly falling into illusions, doubting whether those around you are real or fake, was far too nerve-wracking and maddening.
Some disciples couldn't wait to cheerfully run towards the exit.
But Bian Lingyu stopped in his tracks.
Bian Qingxuan also vaguely felt that something was wrong. She didn't even have time to dwell on why Shi Luoyi was no longer angry or whether she still cared about Wei Changyuan. She approached Bian Lingyu and whispered, "Brother, what's wrong?"
"We can't get out."
His voice was as cold and calm as ever. But Bian Qingxuan couldn't help but shudder. It seemed that it wasn't just her imagination. She gritted her teeth, "I keep feeling like something is watching me."
It made her feel disgusted, as if it was drooling.
"Did you use your life-bound divine artifact?" Bian Lingyu asked.
She didn't deny it, sulking in silence, feeling unlucky. Bian Lingyu glanced at her, his brows sank.
He looked up at the pale and depressing sky, where it seemed as if there was an invisible eye there, staring back at him with oppression.
Bian Lingyu warned everyone, "Don't go any further." Although he knew such a warning was futile - whether they walked or not, they couldn't leave.
Everyone stopped in their tracks, Xue An looked at him displeasedly, "What are you, a mortal, blabbering about? Do you want to stay here?"
Bian Lingyu gave him a cold glance.
Xue An had always disliked him and now he couldn't even be enthusiastic towards his own junior sister. He provocatively walked a few steps towards the outside of Qingshui Village.
"Look, did something..."
Before he could finish his sentence, as if confirming Bian Lingyu's words, a thin mist surged up, swallowing him whole, leaving no trace behind.
Everyone's face changed drastically.
Shi Luoyi's face also turned pale. The scene in front of her reminded her of the scene when she was almost swallowed by the mist. Elder Han Shu grabbed her and ended up falling into the mist herself. Shi Luoyi fell unconscious and never saw Elder Han Shu again after waking up.
Han Shu stayed there forever.
A terrifying thought came to everyone's minds - the Untransformed Toad wasn't dead!
Then what did they kill, and could they still escape from Qingshui Village?
Like a nightmare, the ground began to rumble, and the mist they had dispersed with the dry soil formation quickly spread over, engulfing everyone.
Shi Luoyi instinctively grabbed Han Shu's hand, trying to push her out of the mist.
But this mist in this life, seeming like the untransformed toad's wrath, was even denser than her previous life.
The sky instantly darkened, and in an instant, it swallowed everyone. This time, not a single person escaped the mist.
Someone hoarsely chuckled, "Stay here with me."
The mist flowed like water into the spirit tablets of the ancestral hall. The ancestral hall was rebuilt in an instant, and lotus flowers bloomed once again.
Qingshui Village transformed back into a summer day, with lotus leaves spreading out, and lotus flowers blooming in large clusters.
A slender man sat cross-legged on a lotus leaf boat.
He coldly watched the cultivators whose bodies were wrapped in the huge lotus leaves, but the corners of his lips carried a gentle smile.
Half of the man's face was peeled off, looking extremely grotesque and terrifying. However, the other half of his face appeared serene and elegant with gentle eyes.
If Shi Luoyi were here, she would immediately recognize him, Jiang Yan.
This was Jiang Yan's true appearance.
When he pushed Shi Luoyi down the Ten Thousand Demon Abyss, the Chuanyun Sect, afraid of Daojun's anger, swiftly carried out the punishment of skinning him alive before the Daojun could even take any action. Jiang Yan, still a young man at the time, could never restore his appearance.
This was his true face.
From the beginning, he had been playing everyone like puppets.
Among all the ancient surviving demons, each had its own inheritance and talents. The Untransformed toads were never the strongest, but over millions of years, those mighty demons that could summon winds and rains had all perished, while it continued to live.
It relied not on its body that could destroy the world, but on its terrifying reproductive ability and its innate "Kun-qian Realm" talent. [Yin-Yang realm or Earth-Heaven realm or Universe]
It could create its own secret realm on the dragon veins.Those who entered the secret realm were like an ant for it to toy with.
From the moment everyone entered Cangshan Village, they had already entered its secret Kunqian realm.
The reason it was called the "Untransformed Toad" was because its true form was not actually a toad.
It, or rather he, had always appeared in human form. Only his spawned offspring and the devoured mortals and cultivators would transform into toads. He alone would never become a toad, even in death.
Initially, it was just a fragmented spirit that nearly got destroyed by the Daojun Shi Huan in that calamity ten years ago. By chance, it escaped to Qingshui Village and was nourished by the dragon vein for ten years, eventually regaining its consciousness.
But now, he was the Untransformed Toad, as well as Jiang Yan.
All the cultivators were wrapped in lotus leaves by him. When they were completely digested and born out of the sludge, they would become new untransformed toad demons. These cultivators were much more powerful than ordinary mortals, so they would all become his offsprings in the future. He was somewhat looking forward to one of them, a young girl with the flute, she seemed to be called Bian Qingxuan, her carcass smelled so good that he was salivating.
That there was actually someone in this world capable of setting up illusions in his own realm? That flute also looked somewhat familiar, though Jiang Yan's memories were a bit jumbled and he couldn't quite recall what it was for the moment. But if she hadn't used it, he might not have discovered her.
Jiang Yan lowered his head, gazing at the only girl who hadn't been thrown into the lotus leaves.
Shi Luoyi slept on the small lotus leaf boat, curled up, frowning uneasily, with her robe and skirt scattered around her.
Jiang Yan commanded two untransformed toads to act as scapegoats to destroy the remaining two peach wood swords around her waist before resting his chin in his palm to look at her.
"Shi Luoyi," he murmured softly, momentarily unable to discern whether he was the untransformed toad or Jiang Yan, "your father almost sealed me with his own hands, and you've disfigured me like this."
"You father and daughter from the Shi family are so hateful."
As hateful as it was, he did not immediately turn her into an untransformed toad demon. The toad demons were ugly, with cold and hard bodies, solely focused on creating illusions and seducing people to reproduce and lay eggs.
For some reason, Jiang Yan didn't want to see her like that. He didn't want to see her seduce others and give birth to a bunch of little monsters.
He could no longer distinguish who he was, the memories of ancient inheritance intertwined with the Jiang Yan, who belonged to the human race. It made him frown and clutch his head.
The consciousness belonging to the demon gained the upper hand. His gaze turned cold for a moment as he remembered the new grudge. "You bastard, you chopped off one of my heads!"
That was his second life, gone just like that due to his underestimation of the enemy and the girl's deception!
Untransformed toads had always cunningly deceived the world, but this time, he was deceived by a young girl.
Rage surged in his heart and he grabbed the girl's neck. Seeing her struggle to breathe and her pained expression, his face twisted for a moment, and then hesitantly, he let go of his hand.
He sized up Shi Luoyi.
Even in the eyes of an untransformed toad, she was very beautiful.
In ancient times, he had seen many fairies and goddesses, but after all the gods had fallen, there were very few people who could still look as beautiful as her.
He remembered something and clapped his hands maliciously: "Shi Luoyi, wake up."
In the Qiankun Realm, Jiang Yan was the master. He looked down on the cultivators who entered Qingshui Village to eradicate demons. Apart from Shi Huan, who was about to ascend to godhood, no one was his match. But even Shi Huan was gone.
The girl obediently opened her eyes as he wished.
Her gaze was vacant, yet she was still beautiful, even more so than when her eyes were closed.
Jiang Yan suddenly felt it was fine if she didn't become an untransformed toad demon, but she had to remain by his side this way. The girl was too cunning and ruthless. With only one life left, he couldn't let her regain consciousness.
The ghastly half of his face that belonged to the demon was grim and twisted, filled with malice. But the half of his face that belonged to Jiang Yan was clear and refined, vaguely still the brother Jiang Yan that Shi Luoyi met when she was young.
"Since you agreed to marry him, how could you harm him?" His expression was strange, as if he could no longer distinguish his own identity. "Shi Luoyi, have you ever hated Jiang Yan?"
The girl's dark eyes met his, and in his gaze, she slowly nodded. "He deceived me."
Her tone carried the grievance of being deceived by a friend for the first time.
Instead of being angry, he was rather happy and chuckled softly, "So in Qingshui village, you recognised me at first sight?"
She nodded.
Jiang Yan felt very happy. In a gentle voice, he said, "Me too, I hate you too, Shi Luoyi."
He said he hated her, but he cupped her face and leaned in to gently kiss the corner of her lips.
"Your father is gone, you are as pitiful as me. We've always been the same. Wan Xun never belonged to my father, but you belong to me, right?"
She nodded in a dazed manner.
The coldness of the untransformed toad completely disappeared from his eyes, and Jiang Yan's expression became even gentler. He whispered, "That's good. I have something that I forgot to give you."
He untied his qiankun bag and took something out, placing it in the girl's arms.
"Do you like it?" Jiang Yan's intact half of the face gradually curved up into a smile. It was perhaps the most sincere smile of a demon. However, before that smile could fully bloom, his head was violently twisted off.
"Ah—"
Although the untransformed toad wasn't skilled in fighting in its true form, it had never imagined that it would die. With Shi Huan gone, it had healed its body in the Dragon Vein and, when it opened its eyes, it forcefully took over Jiang Yan's body. This young master's looks might have been ruined, but his will was firm and talents exceptional, barely sufficient for its use.
There should be no one left in this world capable of restraining it!
How could this happen? He couldn't believe it, he was unwilling to accept it. Exhausting all his strength, he finally turned around to see just who he had lost to.
A bone spike pierced through, and Jiang Yan finally saw him.
The person broke through the lotus leaves and retracted the bone spike as he approached it. Jiang Yan's twisted face, belonging to the untransformed toad, gradually became incredulous. "How could it be... you..."
He wanted to ask how could you kill me, who are you exactly. But he was destined to never be able to finish this sentence, and along with him, the Qiankun realm shattered into pieces with thundering noise.
The mist dispersed, and the sky was no longer gloomy and oppressive. Without the control of the untransformed toad, the sun appeared outside.
The winter sun wasn't particularly warm, but it didn't hinder the melting of snow in the mortal realm.
The few days they thought they had spent in Qingshui Village had actually been over a month outside.
With the beginning of snow melting in the mortal realm, it was no longer a world of ice and snow.
Bian Lingyu stepped onto the small boat and squatted down, gazing at the girl. The ancient monster's demonic technique was unlike the cultivation techniques of cultivators. Even though the untransformed toad had died, its influence still lingered on Shi Luoyi. She sat on the boat, and opened her eyes to look at him ignorantly, her beautiful dark eyes focused intently.
Bian Lingyu picked up the paper kite from her arms, and didn't remove the spell. He asked nonchalantly. "He is Jiang Yan?"
She obediently nodded.
He casually flipped through the paper kite, asking in a calm tone, "So, do you like him, or Wei Changyuan?"
The spell that the untransformed toad had placed on Shi Luoyi was a puppet technique meant to please its master. Hearing this, the girl blinked and shook her head obediently, cleverly finding the correct answer.
"I don't like either of them, I like..."
Bian Lingyu suddenly raised his hand to cover the girl's lips, preventing her from saying that "you" word. He coldly stared at her, having to admit that some of the untransformed toad's techniques were indeed despicable yet pleasurable.
No wonder Jiang Yan did this.
"Don't finish that sentence." He didn't like to deceive himself like that remnant. If he continued like that, what would be the end except self-destruction?
Bian Lingyu lowered his eyes again and looked at the carefully crafted paper kite in his hand. The paper kite was a beautiful butterfly. Even though he didn't understand the women's preferences, he could still see the exquisiteness of the paper kite and the man's sincerity behind it.
His eyes were cold.
When Bian Qingxuan asked Bian Lingyu how confident he was, he didn't lie to her. It was really about thirty percent.
Having lost everything, facing this ancient demonic remnant like the untransformed toad spirit, unless it revealed its true form, he realistically only had a thirty percent chance. Because the untransformed toad spirit excelled at illusions and its own Qiankun realm, making it nearly impossible to fight him alone, as it would surely hide its head extremely well.
Unable to find its true form, there was no way to kill it, he could only be worn down to death eventually.
However, Bian Lingyu had never expected Shi Luoyi to be so capable - able to sever the phoenix candle's flame and make Jiang Yan repeatedly soften towards her. Instead of immediately refining them, he had revealed his true form twice and even gifted her this paper kite.
The thirty percent chance was forcibly increased to eighty percent.
"You're really amazing," Bian Lingyu mocked lightly, never having seen anything more absurd. The untransformed toad might have regretted it to its death for choosing a mortal body that had been moved by emotions.
"Can you get up?" Bian Lingyu tossed the paper kite aside and stepped off the leaf boat first.
The "puppet" girl nodded and didn't wait for him to pull her up. She nimbly climbed out of the boat on her own.
Bian Lingyu wasn't happy. In order to save people, he didn't immediately remove the spell. The puppet girl mistook the owner of the spell and thought the paper kite belonged to Bian Lingyu. She tilted her head, picked up the kite thrown away by Bian Lingyu from the boat, hugged it in her arms, and followed him step by step.
Perhaps sensing the deep affection that another man had never openly declared, and then seeing her unwillingness to let go of the paper kite, he gave a cold smile, "You're quite something."
The little puppet couldn't understand the meaning behind his words, but being "praised," she proudly raised an innocent smile at him.
Bian Lingyu ignored her. There was no point in bullying a puppet. Letting her follow him, he went to the lotus leaves and released Shi Luoyi's fellow disciples one by one.
They inhaled the toxic mist and all fell unconscious, except for Bian Qingxuan who would wake up after a while. The rest would only wake up until nightfall.
"Little Puppet" Shi Luoyi obediently followed behind him, eagerly watching him save people. In her current state of confusion and ignorance, she didn't recognize anyone and was curious about everything she saw.
In the end, Bian Lingyu released Wei Changyuan.
The puppet girl just stared fixedly at the unconscious Wei Changquan as he was released.
Bian Lingyu remained silent, enduring for a moment. Seeing that she was still staring, he pinched her chin and forcefully turned her face.
He couldn't hold back anymore, and finally used his fingertips to vigorously wipe her face and lips.
All those were the places Jiang Yan had touched.
The girl's cheeks and lips were rubbed red by him, yet her expression remained dazed and innocent. She still clutched the paper kite, not understanding why he suddenly got angry, and looked a bit timid.
Though she had temporarily become a puppet, Jiang Yan didn't intend to let her become a permanent untransformed toad spirit, nor did he really wanted to turn her into a puppet forever. She still retained some consciousness for thinking, so when she was bullied, she would feel aggrieved.
Bian Lingyu fell silent for a moment, and eventually didn't snatch the paper kite from her arms to throw it away. "I'm not angry with you. It's just that I'm becoming more and more useless and can no longer protect you."
Whether it was Bian Qingxuan's hostility, Wei Changyuan's coldness and neglect, the hurtful words from her fellow disciples, or Jiang Yan's frivolousness…
In the face of all these, he only became more and more powerless.
He had even weakened to the point where he couldn't immediately break free from the mist and save her in time.
The girl seemed to be lost in thought for a while, then reached out and soothingly leaned into his arms, and hugged him gently.
"I don't blame you." The little puppet said softly.