to escape, he would punish me twice as hard."...Little Qiao, my little wife, you truly are made of water... Humph..."Yes, yes, Zijiao. You mentioned it before... There's a whole pouch of sweet necta...Who is speaking

I didn't have time to open my eyes, I didn't know what fell on the back of my hand, it felt like a shard of ice, so cold it pierced my flesh.

"Qi Yun, Qi Yun--"

Just as I shouted twice, a force wrapped around my waist, pulling me backward. I fell into a familiar embrace.

A slight chill, icy and infused with a subtle fragrance.

"What's wrong with your eyes" Jiang Qiyun asked in a deep voice.

"I saw a flash of white light—"

"Light" Jiang Qiyun asked in confusion, "Where's the white light"

I strained to open my eyes, the dryness in my pupils making me well up with tears.

Across the small courtyard, a black cloud gathered in the main hall opposite. The old Taoist lay unconscious at the threshold.

What just happened

"What's wrong with you What did that old Taoist do to you" Jiang Qiyun's furrowed brows stared at me intently.

"My back of my hand feels like it was pricked by an ice cube..." I raised my hand and looked, but there was nothing unusual about it.

I looked at Jiang Qiyun in bewilderment. He shielded me behind him, a long sword materializing in his hand.

In the black mist of the main hall, a tiny ice shard suddenly flew out and shot straight toward my face —

"Clank." Jiang Qiyun parried the ice blade with his sword.

That clump of black mist emanated a frigid aura, and the scope of the black mist was larger than I had ever seen before—this was a fissure created by demons.

"Qi Yun, what is this thing—ah!" Before I could finish my question, the old Taoist on the ground stood up like a marionette.

Jiang Qiyun quickly recited the incantation, a gigantic Ghost Gate rose from the ground behind me —

This is not the usual underworld that I, Lu Shouxie, guard. The underworld summoned by Jiang Qiyun is unlike any other.

This is Mount Dusuo, the gateway where all ghosts in the world enter and exit.

Shen Tu and Yu Lei, the two Ghost Emperors, are depicted in full form on the door. They hold their swords, magical artifacts, aloft as the Ghost Gate opens wide, facing directly at the black mist across from them.

It seemed as though they were locked in a standoff, the black mist unwilling to yield and expanding its range. The entire main hall was shrouded in the darkness.

"Are they demons They have ferocious beasts that can suddenly rip open space fissures, moving so fast you can't even react—" I said anxiously.

Jiang Qiyun gently pushed me towards the Ghost Gate, saying, “No matter how fast you are, you can’t outrun me… I’m more worried about you. Standing before the Ghost Gate, even Shentu Yuli and the two Ghost Emperors might not be able to protect you.”

I nodded and took a few steps back.

As soon as my heels touched the threshold of hell, a pair of long, bony hands suddenly grabbed my shoulders from behind. The force was incredible!

"Little Empress, be careful... If you fall into the Netherworld Gate, your cultivation would suffer greatly..." Bai Wuchang's voice echoed behind me.

Bai Wu Chang's wrists were very slender, his fingers long and thin, but he was incredibly strong!

I still, to this day, look at his wrist and remember the terror of him holding me up by one hand, suspending me over the well.

"Seventh, the Seventh Lord..." I'd never seen him without a smile before.

Actually, he wasn't laughing. His lips were curled up, but there was no sound of his usual giggles. Instead, he was silently sneering.

Hei Wu Chang also walked out from the door, holding a soul-calling paper in one hand and a soul-hooking rope in the other. His black face solemnly said: "My Lord Emperor, this mortal is not dead yet, it's not appropriate to detain his soul..."

Based on the few people I've seen before, if someone is a "demon" or possessed, their whole body seems to be filled with malice. Their eyes become bloodshot and dark red, but they don't die.

This old Taoist should be the same, although his form is obstructed and his movement is inconvenient, he should only have lost consciousness.

Behind him billowed a towering black mist, like an inky lotus blossom in full bloom, supporting the old Taoist's body.

The old Taoist's shriveled lips twitched slightly, emitting a voice entirely different from before.

"...Northern Tai...Emperor..."

Bai Wuchang raised one sleeve to cover his mouth, his other hand drooping. A chain fell from the fluttering folds of his robe: "This smells just like the rift behind Xugu Mountain. Those shapeless creatures always come to the underworld to feast on heavily burdened ghosts. Your Excellency, your defenses are lax..."

The old Daoist's lips moved again, as if this time the connection was even better, his words more coherent: "Chaotic things have no spiritual or mental consciousness; they simply act according to instinct."

Bai Wu Chang narrowed his eyes and said in a low voice, "Oh... it's rare to hear... you speak in your true form..."

This one This is the esteemed master himself Not a scout like Chong Mo

Jiang Qiyun frowned, staring at the black mist. He said in a low voice: "…The Black Emperor of the North, the overlord who controls the demons of the north, resides in the pristine world of Yu Tan Wild... This seat thought it was some kind of Black Pure God, but I suspect it's a veiled name used by his followers to avoid attention. Later generations just continued using this title."

The Black Emperor of the North, the Demon God

Isn't that one of the demon kings listed in Yuqing Yin Shu

I leaned against the edge of hell, peeking through the gap between Bai Wu Chang and Jiang Qi Yun.

In the black mist behind the old Taoist, a pair of eyes... appeared.

Those eyes were downcast and immense, shimmering with a silvery light that complemented the white moon in the sky.

It seems like they're reflected from different spaces, separated by a layer of ice.

Bai Wu Chang's voice was soft and low as he addressed those eyes: "……You rule over the North of the Demon Realm. Even if you don't come to the human world yourself, there are always followers who fall into the demonic path. How could you possibly contain yourselves~~~~and want to open a passage to the human world Are you bored and seeking trouble, wanting to bring chaos to the Three Realms…"

Those eyes were fixed on Jiang Qiyun, but I had a strange feeling, as if their gaze went past him and landed on me.

According to Bai Wu Chang, this Lord rules over the northern part of the demon realm. His position must be quite prominent. What could he possibly want from a small fry like me

I'm not very skilled, and I don't have much magical power. Even if you ate me, it wouldn't do any good, would it It wouldn't even be enough to fill a beast's teeth gap!

Moreover, the demons of Taoism are not ordinary monsters and ghosts.

This is a duality in Taoist cultivation, so-called "one thought becomes a fairy, one thought becomes a demon."

All kinds of creatures, from fish, birds, and insects to beasts and worms, can become demons. Even deities, humans, ghosts, and the five immortals have the possibility of falling into demonhood.

The demon world is not a place for immortals. It is filled with demons and chaos, which is why there are concepts like Chong Mo's belief in strength above all else.

At this time, this demon lord, borrowing the old Taoist's mouth, said faintly: "The mortal world is not the underworld's territory. How this deity acts does not require you to say much."

Jiang Qiyun let out a cold snort: “The Underworld Queen is still cultivating in the human world. Anything related to her is related to the Underworld. If you don't want to provoke the Underworld deities, I advise you... stay away from her.”

I wouldn't even dare to go outside. I really am not some high-level cultivator, capable of opening interdimensional portals. Why are you all focusing on me

And this distinguished person's activities are quite considerable, it is estimated that his subordinates, scouts, and followers are all acting secretly, and those in the yin-yang circle inevitably encounter them frequently.

I am still serving as a special advisor. If the Yin-Yang Circle and this honorable person's subordinates continue to clash, sooner or later they will form hatred and cause a big incident.

Thinking about this, I gathered my courage and whispered, "May I... say something..."ound for years, but I've only known you for a month. Of course, I'm curious about everything," I said softly."Well, whatever you want to know, I'll tell you." His tone was unusually soft.Could it be t...