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Chapter 37: Turning Human!

Deep within the Void, a dim star slowly moved.

Only upon drawing closer could one see that it wasn't truly a star at all, but a lost, ruined palace—so massive that, in the lightless Void, it resembled a star.

Chen Moqing rose to his feet, holding the small snow-white beast, gazing at the ruined palace that, following its fixed trajectory, would ultimately collide with them.

Was this coincidence, or had it come toward them deliberately?

The ancient vessel "Gazing at the Stars" turned its bow, veering off course—

From within the ancient ruined palace, a vast aura swept outward!

His divine sense shook violently. Chen Moqing closed his eyes, the snow lotus mark between his brows surfacing, standing perfectly still, unmoved. Cang Shun flashed directly in front of him, surging demonic power erupting skyward—

The Demon Emperor's power collided with the ruined palace's aura, the resulting shockwave howling through the Void, the ancient vessel beneath them shaking violently.

Chen Moqing sensed something and opened his eyes.

What lay before him was no longer the Void, but a vast expanse of heaven and earth. Boundless blue sky spread overhead, thick clouds churning, the distant earth nowhere in sight.

An illusory realm?

He instinctively tightened his fingers, grasping onto a ball of fur.

Not lost.

He casually pulled the ball of fur into his embrace.

Cang Shun's tail flicked lightly, winding around his wrist: 【I'm here.】

Chen Moqing toyed with the fur with his fingers while his gaze swept across their surroundings: "This must be an illusory realm left behind by some ancient expert."

His divine sense swept outward, and he noticed the small snow-white beast in his arms hugging his finger again, his fingertip pausing slightly.

The pad of his finger, which had clearly touched nothing, still seemed to retain a faint trace of warmth.

Why had he bitten him earlier?

Was he hungry?

Chen Moqing took out a small dried fish from his storage pouch, waving it in front of Cang Shun.

Cang Shun didn't take the dried fish, instead gently pressing his jaw against the pad of his finger, quietly watching him.

Crow-feather-like lashes fell silently. Chen Moqing's fingers tightened slightly—the spot the Demon Emperor had lightly bitten earlier was now being pressed against once more, slowly rubbing against it.

...He must be hungry.

He tucked the dried fish into Cang Shun's paw.

Eat up.

Cang Shun: "......"

Chen Moqing lowered his eyes, watching this little snow-white beast obediently hold the small dried fish, obediently eating it, before silently looking away.

His divine sense enveloped the space of this place, sensing what seemed to be a trace of profound aura somewhere nearby. Without hesitation, he pointed two fingers, his spiritual power transforming into a sword's edge and stabbing forward.

Winds rose and clouds surged, tearing through the waves of cloud, revealing the distant, vast earth below. A figure in wide-sleeved azure robes stood towering in the sky, a blue-white long sword beneath his flowing sleeves.

A vast, righteous aura rose between heaven and earth, as though the great path itself had descended. Chen Moqing pulled Cang Shun back in retreat—neither man nor demon could bear to look directly at that figure's face, forced to lower their gaze, able only to see the sword in that figure's hand—a blue-white long sword, ancient and simple to the extreme, strangely familiar.

The Fuxi Sword.

Not a trace of sword intent, but the true form itself.

Chen Moqing's gaze narrowed slightly.

An immortal's phantom projection?

Across the vast expanse of sky, the azure-robed cultivator pointed his sword toward heaven, splitting open the firmament. Between heaven and earth, countless magnificent auras of the great path rose up from the earth—transforming into a long staircase ascending to the heavens!

Although he understood that this scene before him was merely a phantom projection, spanning who knew how many tens of thousands of years of time, in this moment, Chen Moqing still felt the awe-inspiring grandeur that made heaven and earth themselves tremble.

Legend had it that the first immortal had used the Fuxi Sword to open the heavens and ascend.

The azure-robed cultivator holding the sword stepped onto the heavenly stairway, climbing step by step, ever higher, until the final stair—he suddenly stopped, turning slightly to the side.

Whether intentional or by chance, this ancient immortal turned toward where Chen Moqing and Cang Shun stood.

The immortal's aura was so vast and expansive, as though heaven and earth themselves were pressing down together, yet it carried no trace of malice. Chen Moqing and Cang Shun both stood perfectly still, unable to look directly at the immortal, uncertain whether that gaze had truly pierced through eons of time to fall upon them.

Time seemed to freeze in this moment, both infinite and fleeting. At last, the azure-robed cultivator turned his body back around, taking the final step.

Chen Moqing's gaze shifted.

In that instant, from the corner of his eye, he glimpsed a red token now resting in the immortal's palm, engraved with a newly-sprouting branch.

The Withered Wood Spring Revival Decree!

The azure-robed cultivator's wide sleeve stirred gently, and the Withered Wood Spring Revival Decree dissolved into countless points of light, scattering down across the earth.

Before the immortal ascended to the heavens, he had bestowed a season of spring upon the mortal world.

It wasn't until who knew how many tens of thousands of years later that the mortal world gained a young sword cultivator who had recreated this immortal's token.

The sea of clouds once again covered the vast sky; between heaven and earth, only the righteous aura of the great path remained, sweeping through all directions—the immortal nowhere to be seen.

Chen Moqing closed his eyes. Although this was merely an illusory realm, his divine soul was still steeped in the immortal's aura, vast as heaven and earth, his cultivation realm quietly climbing higher.

Cang Shun's eyes likewise took on a faint golden glow, radiance swirling within them. After a moment of focused concentration, he murmured to the person beside him: 【Just now, it seemed like he was speaking to someone.】

Chen Moqing's lashes stirred, meeting his gaze: "What kind of existence could hold a conversation with the very first immortal to ascend to the heavens?"

Cang Shun shook his head: 【It was just a feeling.】

The Demon Emperor had been born from the fortune bestowed by the Heavenly Dao, and held a connection with heaven and earth itself—what he called a "feeling" was likely nothing less than fact.

Chen Moqing stroked the snow-white fur beneath his palm: "Perhaps, it's the master of this ruined palace."

No sooner had he spoken than the celestial phenomena shifted once again—in an instant, heaven and earth seemed to pass through hundreds of thousands of years of change, countless scenes flashing before their eyes, piercing straight through their sea of consciousness, so vivid it felt as though they were living through it themselves.

Chen Moqing and Cang Shun seemed like a pair of bystanders, witnessing countless powerful beings emerge into the world, dominating the realm, and once again witnessing the Demon Abyss's descent, the fall of the Changyao Sect, a host of powerful beings vanishing along with ten thousand stars, the ancient Taichu continent shattering into what were now the Nine Thousand Prefectures... Among these, the landmass where the Changyao Sect had once stood, its spiritual energy exhausted, shattered into the smallest fragment, falling continuously, ultimately landing in the place where the moon now rose.

Oceans turned to mulberry fields, and again tens of thousands of years turned by. On a wild, untamed continent, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth converged upon a single point, triggering celestial phenomena that spanned countless miles—at the heart of this grand, momentous phenomenon, a new living being was born.

Chen Moqing fell silent.

Cang Shun fell silent too.

What they saw was... a small, round, snow-white little ball of fur.

No bigger than a palm, its fur fluffy and slightly puffed out, radiating a faint moonlit-frost sheen.

The moment it was born, it arrogantly shook out its fur, surveyed the heavens and earth around it, and let out a loud, domineering meow, as though proclaiming its arrival to all the world.

Chen Moqing: "......"

A little white sugar cake he'd never seen before.

Absolutely no way to guess which one it was.

He turned his face away slightly, his shoulders trembling faintly.

Cang Shun: "????"

The Demon Emperor felt as though struck by lightning—the sky itself was about to fall!

Chen Moqing turned his face away for a moment, then saw that this little ball of fur in his arms—not much bigger now than it had been at birth—had completely puffed up in outrage, waving its paws and meowing loudly in a fury.

As for the low male voice murmuring something beside his ear, he couldn't understand it, didn't hear it at all.

Cang Shun: "......"

A large mass of fluffy dandelion fur flattened itself directly against Chen Moqing's arm, spreading out into one long strip of puffed-up white rice cake, as though it had fainted from anger.

Chen Moqing's fingers toyed with the fluffy fur, meeting Cang Shun's brooding gaze, and once again couldn't help but turn his face away, his shoulders trembling slightly.

Cang Shun: "............"

Just now, they had witnessed heaven and earth's transformation across countless ages, and what had emerged wasn't just powerful beings of the human race, but also great demons from every corner. The Vermilion Bird had been born draped in feathers of fire, towering over mountains; the Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox had sprouted nine tails the moment it touched the ground, spiritual power surging skyward. Every manner of great demon had come into being in some extraordinary way.

Only one particular little white sugar cake had, the moment it was born, meowed unusually loudly.

Once Chen Moqing had finished laughing, he turned his head back, his expression turning serious: "Mewing really did have an imposing bearing, even from such a young age."

No wonder the classical texts recorded that the Demon Emperor from a thousand years ago had never once shown his true form to anyone.

Of course.

No surprise there at all.

Cang Shun: "............"

The small snow-white beast burrowed silently into his sleeve without a sound.

Saw nothing.

Heard nothing.

The illusion shifted once more. In Chen Moqing's eyes reflected a sheet of pitch-black flowing flame, his expression tightening slightly.

He witnessed the Demon Abyss's descent once again, black flames scorching the sky, dragging the entire mortal realm down into the underworld's abyss. Above the mountains of corpses and seas of blood, a solemn and dignified snow-white demonic beast stood like a bright moon suspended in the sky, using its own body to resist the falling heavenly abyss... ultimately transforming into a long beam of light that illuminated the world, burning away all darkness.

Chen Moqing's smile gradually faded. He tilted his head back slightly, his gaze lingering for a long moment, his palm brushing across his sleeve, gently cradling the small tuft of fur within.

Several more thousand years passed. In a mortal town, within a wooden house, candlelight dim, a small infant cried out loudly.

There was no celestial phenomenon, no gathering of spiritual energy—only, within the dim wooden house, an exhausted woman wrapping the frail infant in worn old clothes, softly humming a tune.

Chen Moqing stood perfectly still, his gaze lingering on the woman's gentle, tender features, as though the moment had frozen in place.

His sleeve lifted slightly, and a small furry head poked out, gazing at the woman, then glancing over at the wailing infant curled up in the worn clothes.

So he'd been good-looking since he was small.

It poked out a little further, leaning in for a closer look.

Chen Moqing raised two fingers, pressing them against the small head, pushing the little ball of fur back inside.

Cang Shun: "?"

The illusion ended abruptly, and they found themselves back on the ancient vessel, the Void stretching on endlessly, the ancient ruined palace nowhere to be seen.

Chen Moqing closed his eyes slightly, the final scene he had just witnessed still etched vividly in his mind.

A long while later, he slowly opened his eyes.

Traversing the long river of time and space, passing through a scroll depicting an era gone by. Perhaps this was a lengthy letter that immortal had left behind in this world, for those who came after.

And yet, the Nine Thousand Prefectures only knew of the first immortal who had ascended to the heavens—they knew nothing of the Taichu continent, nothing of the Changyao Sect... that ancient era seemed to have been deliberately erased.

Chen Moqing shook out his sleeve, shaking loose a little ball of fur.

Cang Shun leapt onto his arm, and seeing that this young man's expression had returned to normal, was just about to say something when he heard a burst of laughter: "Mew-mew was already this... big at birth? Wouldn't that make him an easy target for bullying?"

Cang Shun: "......"

The Demon Emperor huffed indignantly, grabbing hold of the slender finger before him.

【No! I ate them all!】

Chen Moqing nodded, "Truly worthy of being the Demon Emperor—so domineering, even fresh out of birth."

Cang Shun: "..."

He looked at this person's smiling eyes and brows, and, fuming, held his tongue.

After a little while, he leapt onto Chen Moqing's shoulder and spoke as though nothing had happened: 【Your mother was very beautiful.】

Then, as though it were nothing, he pressed a little closer, murmuring quietly beside his ear: 【You look a lot like her.】

Chen Moqing smiled faintly.

Passing through the Void, they returned to the Demon Realm, arriving now at another desolate continent.

Chen Moqing remembered this place—the Taichu Ruins, the birthplace of the little ball of fur.

This place was an independent and mysterious space within the Demon Realm; it was said that any innate great demon born here would, in the future, inevitably influence the fortune of the entire Demon Realm.

As far as the eye could see, though the land was barren and tinged red, it brimmed with immense spiritual power.

【I've had a realization, I need to re-form my body here.】

Cang Shun gently tugged at Chen Moqing's sleeve, giving it a shake.

【Wait for me.】

Chen Moqing squeezed the furry paw: "Alright."

It seemed that the long scroll of time they had just witnessed had granted the Demon Emperor another insight into the great path, allowing his cultivation to recover further still.

He sat down on the ground, letting the little snow-white beast curl up in his lap, scattering talismanic runes to raise a barrier, and began to cultivate alongside him.

His mind settled into meditation, sitting upright within his sea of consciousness.

Not knowing how much time had passed, a slender hand gently ran through his hair.

Chen Moqing opened his eyes.

A striking, devastatingly handsome man in black robes sat beside him, left wrist propping up the side of his face, right hand idly playing with his black hair, his own long black hair falling loose and unrestrained, silver ornaments woven through it glinting with a sharp, cold luster.

His features were deep and striking, a pair of brilliant, star-bright eyes beneath sharp, elongated brows, a few strands of black hair falling against the side of his face, the ends of his long hair curling slightly.

Seeing his own reflection mirrored in those dark, deep-set eyes, the handsome man's eyes curved slightly at the corners, laughter welling up within them.

"I've formed my human body!"

Chen Moqing thought to himself: no more meowing, then.

He raised his hand, lifting a corner of the black robe's hem—the fabric felt thin, cool, and smooth, like silk, nothing at all like fur.

Cang Shun spread his arms wide, letting him lift it freely.

"Why is it that the little white sugar cake turns black once he takes human form?"

Cang Shun: "?"

Cang Shun lifted his chin, answering a question that hadn't been asked: "I'm taller than you!"

As he spoke, he raised a hand and wrapped it around the young man's waist.

Chen Moqing: "......"

He took a small step back, avoiding the arm, saying in his usual even tone: "Let's go."

Cang Shun stepped forward again, taking hold of his hand instead: "Alright."

Well-defined, knuckled fingers slid between those slender, fair fingers, interlocking tightly.

Chen Moqing's footsteps paused.

"A gentleman uses his words, not his hands."

Cang Shun looked at him: "Oh."

He kept holding his hand, showing no intention of letting go.

Chen Moqing: "......"

He walked forward.

Cang Shun strode forward with his long legs, following this person step by step, his burning gaze tracing over the high-bound black hair, sliding downward, following the ends of the hair down to the young man's slender waist.

He raised his hand, the back of it resting lightly against the waist, taking a measure.

One hand could encircle it entirely.

The corners of his mouth curved up slightly, and he tugged at the soft black hair ends again, winding them around his finger, coiling them round and round.

His fingers trailed further up, gently pressing against the slender back, hooking the hair ends, brushing back and forth against the pale nape of his neck—

Chen Moqing stopped walking.

His tone flat, without a trace of fluctuation, he said: "Turn back."

Cang Shun: "?"

Cang Shun: "???"

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