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Chapter 38: Not Allowed to Do This or That

Vast expanse of sea, wind rolling through layered waves.

A young cultivator in white robes flew above the vast sea, his robes fluttering like snow, black hair falling against the white fabric, atop his head a fluffy tuft of snow-white fur.

That round little fluffball lay atop his head, indignantly lifting a paw, then gently setting it down again, rubbing at the smooth black hair with its soft paw pads.

Chen Moqing calmly raised his hand, brushing aside a long tail that hung down beside his face, ceaselessly rubbing against his cheek, then opened his hand toward the snow-white little beast on his head.

Want a hug?

The noble Demon Emperor turned his head away coldly in anger.

No!

Chen Moqing lowered his hand and stopped looking at him.

Cang Shun: "......"

Cang Shun lay atop his head for a moment, and seeing that the young human truly wasn't going to touch him, quickly stood up and jumped down.

Landing in the arm the man had raised.

Chen Moqing gathered the restlessly moving little fluffball into his wide robe sleeve, his slender fingers brushing over the fur ruffled by the sea wind, patiently smoothing it down, then flicking at the round, soft beast ears.

Cang Shun gripped his sleeve, saying nothing as that scented hand stroked him over and over, feeling the gentle pressure of the fingertips.

After a while, the little snow-white beast's round eyes narrowed slightly, and he curled into a soft little heap in the young human's arms.

Chen Moqing's palm gently covered that soft back, rubbing it, and he heard the little fluffball start to purr contentedly.

Coaxed into good humor.

He looked at the soft little lump of white sugar cake on his arm, thinking that this form was still the best to pet.

After transforming into human form, the Demon Emperor not only left nowhere to start petting... but also seemed to suddenly grow several extra hands.

The instant this thought crossed his mind, the snow-white little beast in his arms suddenly raised its head.

【Do you dislike how I look after transforming?】

The Demon Emperor's voice drifted over, faint and distant.

Chen Moqing: "How could that be? His Majesty the Demon Emperor has a golden constitution and jade-like features, sword-brows and star-bright eyes, an imposing bearing that makes anyone who sees it feel ashamed of themselves in comparison."

The snow-white little beast jumped onto his shoulder: 【Then why did you make me change back!】

Chen Moqing looked at him and, without a word, raised his hand.

His palm sank completely into that soft, fluffy, silky fur, and he stroked it a couple more times.

No words were needed at all—the meaning had already overflowed into plain sight.

Cang Shun: "......"

Fine, then.

Cang Shun rolled over, pressing his furry belly against Chen Moqing's palm: 【Even in transformed shape, you can still touch me】

A show of great generosity.

——Then he heard no sound at all from the young human.

No words, just endless stroking.

Cang Shun: "......"

Never mind.

The snow-white little beast shook out his fur and burrowed further beneath the young human's palm.

Anyway, whatever he likes is still me.

Chen Moqing lowered his eyes; the little fluffball beneath his palm seemed to puff out its chest proudly.

He scratched at that furry jaw again, and the little fluffball caught his finger, rubbing its head against his fingertip.

Small is still cuter.

The corners of his mouth lifted slightly.

Islands floated above the sea, and the branches and leaves of the Nirvana Tree spread open into golden forest waves.

Cang Shun sat on the young human's shoulder and watched him land lightly, white robes sweeping up and settling back down, like an elegant white crane.

Really good-looking.

"Well now, to what do I owe the honor of your visit? Forgive me for not coming out to greet you sooner."

A strange, mocking voice drifted over, and Vermillion Bird walked out from beneath the Nirvana Tree.

"So you two still remember the way to my home, and you still know to come back for a visit, truly this king's good fortune."

Cang Shun: 【What's he going on about】

Chen Moqing calmly patted the snow-white little beast: "We were delayed some time returning from the void to the Demon Realm."

Vermillion Bird: "Some time?"

Chen Moqing met his eyes: "How long?"

Vermillion Bird spread open his full palm.

Chen Moqing: "Five months? My apologies for the trouble, Demon King."

Vermillion Bird gritted his teeth: "Five years!"

Chen Moqing fell silent, exchanging a glance with Cang Shun.

In that ruined hall floating in the void, they had witnessed a scroll of tens of thousands of years passing, thinking the illusion realm had lasted only a moment—never expecting that five years had already passed in the mortal world.

"Five years! Do you know how this king spent these five years!" Vermillion Bird paced back and forth beneath the Nirvana Tree, leaving a deep pit with every step, "The Demon Realm's heavens have descended into chaos! A bunch of bastards arguing back and forth every single day—I don't even know how much of my fur has fallen out from it!"

【No wonder he looks bald】

Vermillion Bird: "???"

Chen Moqing skillfully raised his sleeve to shield the snow-white little beast, blocking the two of them from each other's sight, and said, "Has the human realm side acted up again?"

"Heh. Jinwu Sect lost eleven elders, its upper echelon of combat strength almost entirely wiped out—if not for the one remaining Grand Elder at the peak of Mahayana, the foremost sect of Tianming Prefecture would already exist in name only. As for that one from Tianshu Sect, he did manage to flee—hasn't set foot outside his sect gates once in five years."

"As for the humans who'd originally been stirring up trouble, after that battle they all curled up like cowards, not even daring to touch the borders of the Demon Realm."

A single battle that slaughtered eleven cultivators at the Void Refinement and Body Integration stages, even one at early Mahayana, was simply too shocking and terrifying—word of it never spread through the cultivation world at large, only circulating in secret among the great sects and clans of the upper prefectures. After hearing of it, no matter how the undercurrents raged beneath the surface, those upper prefectures remained outwardly silent.

As for revenge, Jinwu Sect, having lost eleven elders, had never once brought up the matter.

"These five years have actually been the most peaceful five years the Demon Realm has seen in nearly a thousand years." Vermillion Bird laughed once, looking at Chen Moqing, "Still, the two of you never came back—some said you'd died."

Chen Moqing's expression stayed calm, "This time, we'll have to ask Demon King Vermillion Bird to keep it secret for us."

Cang Shun toyed with the long fingers before him: 【What about Qing Fen and the others?】

Vermillion Bird turned, "Come."

Beneath a thousand fathoms of sea, ninety-nine layers of restrictive seals, forming a prison of cold water.

"Qing Fen, Crimson Flood Dragon, White Tiger, and a few others corrupted by the Demon Abyss are all here. The rest are held over with Nine-Tails and Xuanwu."

The moment Vermillion Bird led them into the prison, a light, delicate scent of flowers drifted toward them.

Nine tails like white jade spread open; a tall, slender woman in flowing gauze robes, her pale yellow hair like a blooming lily.

Her bright eyes, even in the dim depths of the sea, shone clear as a morning star. Her gaze landed on the snow-white little beast on Chen Moqing's shoulder, paused briefly, then drifted to Chen Moqing's face, wandering up and down.

Chen Moqing gave her a faint smile, a gesture of greeting.

Cang Shun: "?"

He raised a paw to block the person beside him.

Not letting her look.

Vermillion Bird glanced between them as if about to say something, then held back, speaking instead: "What are you doing here?"

The Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox Xuanji still looked at Chen Moqing, the backs of her hands folded at her slender waist, her tails swaying gently behind her, "Here to scold Qing Fen, of course. It's all his fault, he's caused this elder sister so much trouble."

She took a long stride, trailing that elegant floral scent as she circled around Vermillion Bird, drifting down beside Chen Moqing like a falling petal.

Chen Moqing stood perfectly still. In the depths of his calm, ink-black eyes, Xuanji circled him as though appraising some rare treasure, her nine tails swishing this way and that, brushing lightly now and then against the hem of his robe, curling past his waist and arm.

"You have such beautiful eyes." Xuanji's eyes curved into a smile, "This elder sister likes them very much."

Cang Shun: "?"

The snow-white little beast immediately leapt onto the young human's arm, claws extended, batting away one tail after another as they came, fiercely staking claim to his territory, thoroughly occupied with the task.

Don't touch him!

Xuanji: "...Stingy little thing."

She rolled her eyes, quickly withdrawing the tail that had nearly been slapped bald in one patch.

"Ow... ow..."

Deep within the prison, the emerald sea shimmered with phosphorescence, massive chains binding a crimson flood dragon a hundred zhang in length.

His tail glowed with black flame, submerged in a small patch of seawater, his entire dragon body draped over a block of cold jade, like a listless, lifeless ribbonfish.

Chen Moqing stopped before the prison cell. The Crimson Flood Dragon turned toward him, and upon clearly seeing his face, jolted up from the cold jade in shock, his whole serpentine body plastering itself against the stone wall behind him.

"You—you—you're still alive?!"

Chen Moqing glanced at his tail, continuously being burned by the black flame, and said, "A thousand years ago, you were already corrupted by the Abyss?"

The Crimson Flood Dragon said nothing, only screaming silently, burrowing desperately into the cracks of the rock.

Cang Shun raised an eyebrow slightly and swatted down with a paw.

The Crimson Flood Dragon let out a howling "Aooo!" and crashed to the ground, rolling rapidly, sending seawater splashing everywhere.

"It was actually a few hundred years ago!" he forced out a smile, his face fawning, "What else would you like to ask?"

Vermillion Bird, off to the side: "......"

Chen Moqing stroked the fur of the snow-white little beast who had raised his head to look at him, rubbing that little head, and said, "How did Jinwu Sect find you?"

"Jinwu Sect? I never had any dealings with them, it was Qing Fen who pulled me into this," the Crimson Flood Dragon honestly lowered his head, continuing to soak his tail in the seawater, "You could turn left and ask him."

"He wasn't involved in the matter of the Qingluan Secret Realm," Vermillion Bird said flatly, "It was only right before the Ten Thousand Demons Assembly that Qing Fen came to recruit him."

Chen Moqing turned and, holding the snow-white little beast, walked out of this cell, the listless groaning of the Crimson Flood Dragon sounding behind him once more.

In another part of the prison, the dim light faded low; Qing Fen, Demon King of the Sacred Sparrow clan, sat with his eyes closed, unresponsive no matter what was asked, as though cut off from the world entirely.

"Ever since he was brought here, he's sealed off his five senses, refusing to communicate with the outside world."

Hearing Vermillion Bird's words, Chen Moqing looked at Qing Fen's left arm, black flames ceaselessly burning at the pallid skin.

He said, "Corrupted by the Demon Abyss, with no cure?"

Vermillion Bird's gaze darkened, and he shook his head without a word.

【The Heavenly Dao's curse, a method beyond the ordinary laws of this world】Cang Shun's voice was cold. 【I will find a solution for them, at the very least, so they won't die from the Demon Abyss's corruption】

Chen Moqing was quiet for a moment, a flicker of silver light passing through his eyes: "Perhaps, I can try."

In that ruined hall in the void, he had witnessed the Demon Abyss's descent upon the world twice through the scroll of eternal ages, and had gained some measure of understanding.

Cang Shun looked up at him, about to say something, when Chen Moqing had already gently brushed a hand along his back: "I'll act within my limits."

Cang Shun was quiet for a second, then pressed lightly against his finger: 【Don't hurt yourself】

He floated up into the air, pressing close against the young human's shoulder.

Chen Moqing raised a finger, palm facing down; a drop of fresh blood fell from his fingertip, transforming upon landing into crimson-red array veins, extending outward in all directions with him at the center.

Cang Shun: "......"

He raised a paw and scratched at the empty air, staring intently at that bleeding finger.

In the blink of an eye, a great formation with a crimson-red base spread open, the white-robed cultivator standing at its center point, his eyes turning to flawless silver-white, the formation beneath his feet gaining a layer of silver radiance as well, the deep crimson-red and pure silver-white interweaving—a formation both eerie and sacred, continuously extending, illuminating the dark depths of the sea.

Vermillion Bird was faintly astonished: "Soul path techniques?"

"How many of the younger generation nowadays have mastered soul path techniques," Xuanji laughed softly, "Extraordinary. Truly extraordinary."

Vermillion Bird said nothing more, only gazing intently at that figure.

As a great demon naturally born of heaven and earth, the very first Vermillion Bird had been born in ancient times, and every subsequent generation of Vermillion Bird inherited the memories and bloodline of the one before, an unbroken lineage. Because of this, he was among the great demons most deeply attuned to heaven and earth.

The moment he'd first laid eyes on this person, he had seen through that he was not of the demon race, and had also sensed upon him... the aura of the Great Path.

Ancient and enduring, a Great Path spanning eternities of time.

Silver radiance submerged the crimson-red, the formation continuously extending, tinting the murky depths of the sea with a thin glow. The white robes rose with the wind, Chen Moqing's figure standing tall and straight, his wrist held level throughout, drops of blood falling one after another, staining red the porcelain-pale bones of his fingers.

Cang Shun's low voice took on a note of urgency: 【Enough!】

The moment the words left him, the great formation surged, splitting one into two, two into three, layer upon layer, instantly spreading and merging, countless formation patterns interweaving in complexity, transforming into an elaborate great array, sweeping through the frigid seawater and covering a thousand fathoms of ocean floor!

Above the prison cells of the Crimson Flood Dragon, the Sacred Sparrow, White Tiger, and the other demon kings, the interwoven silver and crimson-red light of the formation blazed magnificently, burning brilliantly—at the bottom of the deep sea, it seemed as though a second sky had risen.

Xuanji raised her hand, her pale palm catching a few scattered points of light.

The shimmering, pure silver radiance drifted down together with the deep-red points of light, like a rain where stars and flowing fire intermingled, falling in scattered profusion, submerging the ocean floor.

She swished her tail, and among her nine tails, three revealed tail-tips scorched by black flame, actively meeting the falling points of light. Soon, that black flame symbolizing the Demon Abyss's corruption—began gradually dimming and withering!

After a thousand years of continuous corrosion, signs of it receding had finally appeared!

Xuanji blinked, her tails swaying. In the other cells, the Crimson Flood Dragon rolled about screaming, White Tiger clutched one of his own feet in shock, while only Qing Fen, having lost all five senses, remained unmoving.

Voices clamored noisily around him, but Cang Shun's brow furrowed deeply, his eyes fixed only on that white-robed figure standing beneath the falling silver-and-crimson light, and the blood dripping ceaselessly from his hand.

Once the great formation was activated, it couldn't be stopped—if forcibly interrupted, this person would surely be gravely injured.

And still, giving no thought to himself...

Unlike the Celestial Fox's raised nine tails, the Demon Emperor's tail drooped low, his beast ears sagging along with it, nearly flattening against his head.

His fingers were cold, soaked through with blood; Chen Moqing's eyes slowly closed.

His figure swayed, tipping backward.

Vermillion Bird raised an arm, Xuanji's nine tails spread open—but faster than either of them was an arm that wrapped around the young human's waist.

Long black hair swept up in the wind, silver ornaments among the strands flashing with a sharp, cold light. A man in black, his presence dark and forbidding, caught the unconscious young human, letting the thin white robes brush against the deep black fabric, like a handful of nearly-melting snow gathered up on a cold night.

Cang Shun buried his head deep, his slightly curled hair tangling with the smooth, soft black locks, pressing against Chen Moqing's pale temple, nuzzling against the corner of his gently closed eyes.

Then, without so much as a glance at the two remaining, he lifted the person in his arms and strode away.

In the dim, deep-sea prison, that tall, upright figure almost completely blocked the person in his arms from view; all that could be seen was the black hem of his robe, sweeping with each long stride, brushing repeatedly against the soft, trailing white robes—before he soon vanished into the depths of the sea.

Vermillion Bird, Xuanji: "......"

Xuanji: "Did you see his face?"

Vermillion Bird: "Does he have a face?"

Xuanji's tail swayed gently, "Why be so secretive about it, not even letting us see his face. And with power like that, could it be that he's the Demon Emperor's—"

"His illegitimate son?"

Vermillion Bird: "......"

"Whether it's him, or whether it isn't, makes no difference."

Vermillion Bird said calmly.

"He doesn't want us to know his identity. Then let's pretend we don't."

...

A dreamless sleep, light as scattering clouds.

His dark eyes opened, reflecting the carved patterns of the roof beams above, and... a large expected mass of fluff.

Puffy and full, layered over him like dozens of thick blankets, not letting in the slightest draft.

Chen Moqing thought to himself, if it were winter, he could hold this while watching snow fall and wouldn't even need a stove.

He raised a hand, stroking the fluff on top of him.

The fluff didn't move at all.

Chen Moqing pushed gently again.

Still wouldn't budge.

"I'm awake."

"......"

The fluff lowered its head, a pair of crimson demon eyes glaring down at him indignantly.

Chen Moqing patted this Demon Emperor who had, for some reason, puffed up into a dandelion again: "If you would, please let me sit up."

【Not allowed to get up!】

The Demon Emperor barked loudly.

【Lie down, don't you dare move!】

Chen Moqing pushed again, still couldn't budge him, completely pinned beneath the Demon Emperor, unable to sit up.

That large mass of fluff indignantly lowered its head, rubbing wildly against his neck, rubbing until his robes loosened slightly, revealing a stretch of pale skin beneath his slender neck.

Cang Shun caught sight of that jade-like whiteness from the corner of his eye, his movements pausing slightly; he raised a hand and gently pressed it down.

【Stay here, don't go anywhere】the Demon Emperor's voice was low, crimson slowly welling up in his eyes, 【And you're not allowed to see anyone else either】

The young human lay beneath his palm, robes slightly parted.

So close, within easy reach...

Chen Moqing's eyelids lifted slightly, his gaze sweeping over the Demon Emperor's darkened eyes, and he said "Oh" in a flat, indifferent tone.

He withdrew his hand and closed his eyes.

Lying back down peacefully.

Cang Shun: "......"

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