Seeking the Devil - Chapter 27
Jiao Zhi guards his master.
Sensing the palpable killing intent emanating from the demonic man, he instantly moved to shield Feng Ye and Shi Liu.
Yet, the man did nothing.
To be precise, the man only slightly turned his face, opened his mouth, and drank the golden goblet of clear wine fed to him by the demoness in his arms. His blood-red eyes, brimming with a tumultuous sea of demonic energy, remained fixed on the trio without the slightest intention of making a move.
Jiao Zhi was puzzled. Could it be that he had misread the aura? Perhaps the man was just radiating overwhelming demonic energy, rather than murderous intent…
Before he could finish the thought, Jiao Zhi suddenly felt the man’s gaze shift onto him.
The blood-red eyes narrowed slightly, and the demonic man suddenly grinned. “The third on the Ferocious Beast Rankings, Jiao Zhi?”
Jiao Zhi stiffened, and the innocent smile on the thick-browed youth’s face vanished. His short hair bristled with shock. “Who are you?”
—
There were few who could see through his true form at a glance, not exactly unique, but certainly rare.
“The transformation of Jiao Zhi is akin to a chasm of the heavens. You had such a fortuitous encounter—did you perhaps enter the Nightmare Demon Valley?” The demonic man propped his forehead with one hand, his sharp, elongated eyes slanting upwards, lacking any gentleness but filled with bone-deep malice.
Jiao Zhi’s fists clenched at his sides, half-lifted and half-open, as his tiger-like eyes warily stared at the man, assuming an offensive stance.
“Who are you?” the short-haired youth demanded again, but this time, his aura was surging with demonic force—if the man did not respond, Jiao Zhi would likely strike at the man’s heart in the next breath.
“Don’t bother. I won’t fight you, and you’re not worthy of my time.” The demonic man lowered his head and gently patted the beautiful demoness, whose face had paled from Jiao Zhi’s oppressive aura. “If you damage my ship, can you afford to compensate me?”
“?”
Jiao Zhi’s advancing step came to an abrupt halt.
Confusion flickered in the youth’s wide eyes.
— His ship?
— Come to think of it, despite the commotion they had caused, not a single demon servant on this ship had come to check on them.
— Also, black hair, red eyes, and an overwhelming demonic aura… why did that sound so familiar?
Several moments later.
Jiao Zhi’s eyes suddenly widened even more. “Wen, Wen Shifei?!”
“Hm?”
The demonic prince seemed quite dissatisfied with his tone, raising his voice to correct him seriously: “I am the unparalleled first Demon Emperor of the three realms, from the ancient and desolate Sacred Domain of Wujian—His Majesty, Wen Shifei.”
Jiao Zhi: “…”
He finally found someone whose insanity rivaled that of his own master.
Jiao Zhi hesitated for a moment.
Wen Shifei’s identity was not to be taken lightly. Whether he could win was one thing, but if they fought, this ferry to the mortal realm might end up being impossible to board.
Not daring to make a decision on his own, he turned his head, waiting for his master’s instruction.
Jiao Zhi glanced back and noticed—
From beginning to end, his master had kept his head lowered, his lazy gaze fixed on the young maid in his arms, lost in thought. He hadn’t even lifted his eyelids once.
“Ahem,” Jiao Zhi softly prompted, “Master?”
Feng Ye’s long lashes lowered and then lifted.
With the eerie night outside the ship’s window as the backdrop, his eyes resembled icy crystal glass, colder and more unfathomable than the endless mist of Tianyuan Gorge.
He understood Jiao Zhi’s intent, and so, with uncharacteristic indulgence, he spoke: “You’re here to kill someone.”
Jiao Zhi: “?”
That direct?
Without hesitation, the other replied, “Yes.”
“Is the person you want to kill on this ship?”
“…”
The demonic prince stared deeply at him for a few seconds, then suddenly tilted his head back and laughed. “What if they are not?”
“Then it doesn’t matter,” Feng Ye’s voice fell coldly as he led Shi Liu forward. “On this trip to the mortal realm, kill whoever you wish, slaughter the entire human world if you like—it has nothing to do with me.”
As the three approached, the demonic prince’s eyelids twitched fiercely when he caught sight of that streak of pure white. “You really won’t interfere?”
“Why should I?”
“Haha, hahahaha, you ask why!” The demonic man’s laughter was wild and resonated through the ship, even shaking the dense mist outside the vessel.
After laughing, he abruptly turned his head, his blood-red eyes twisted with fury:
“Aren’t you the one who has always taken it upon yourself to protect the living beings of the Three Realms?”
“—”
With Feng Ye present, the alluring demonic powers were kept at bay. Shi Liu’s senses relaxed, allowing her to clearly hear the conversation between Feng Ye, Jiao Zhi, and the unfamiliar demonic prince.
She had been curious since the beginning: So this man was the Demon Emperor Wen Shifei?
Shi Liu had heard countless rumors about him along the way—
Had she not felt too embarrassed to look at the demonesses around him, who together wore less than a meter of fabric, she might have already been tempted to sneak a peek through Feng Ye’s cloak to see what the eyebrows and eyes of this demon emperor—revered as the ruler of the 80,000-li-wide demon domain—truly looked like.
But it was the demonic prince’s last sentence that startled her into silence.
The young girl peeked out from under Feng Ye’s cloak, craning her neck and staring in shock at Feng Ye, who was shielding her from the demonic powers.
She knew he was a demon.
How could he possibly take protecting the living beings of the Three Realms as his duty?
Feng Ye seemed to notice. His usually calm eyes lowered slightly, and upon seeing the pale, startled face of the girl in his arms, he couldn’t help but tug lightly at his thin lips.
“Do you believe everything you hear?” Feng Ye’s long eyes narrowed as he lowered his voice, almost teasingly. “Then look at him—does he seem like the virtuous, kind-hearted man you imagine?”
Shi Liu breathed a sigh of relief.
That’s true.
While they spoke, Feng Ye had already turned his gaze back, his expression returning to its usual coldness. “You’ve got the wrong person.”
The carpet woven with gold thread and jade had floated into the middle of the corridor, blocking most of the entrance to the room. Feng Ye frowned slightly. “Don’t block the way.”
Wen Shifei’s demonic eyes sharpened, and his killing intent grew even stronger.
This surge of hostility caused the veins in Jiao Zhi’s arms to swell as he clenched his fists, poised for defense.
But the long carpet beneath the demon emperor only retreated slowly.
Wen Shifei’s voice was a mix of anger and mirth: “Don’t you have anything else you want to say to me?”
His response was Feng Ye entering the room, his snow-white cloak sweeping aside—
“Bang.”
The double doors, made of precious coral wood unique to the Sea Dragon Palace of the Demon Domain, slammed shut in front of the demon emperor.
It was like an invisible slap landing squarely on the face of the Demon Emperor of the Wujian Demon Domain.
Wen Shifei’s eyes burned with malicious fire as he stared at the doors, unblinking, for two full breaths. Then his gaze shifted—his vast demonic aura suddenly enveloped Jiao Zhi, who was sneaking along the wall’s edge.
Jiao Zhi: “…”
Out with the old, in with the new!
His master had actually left him—helpless, weak, and alone—before a demon emperor who had lived for over ten thousand years!!
Help!!!
Jiao Zhi was internally panicking, but outwardly, he maintained his facade as the steadfast, loyal young guardian. “Your Majesty the Demon Emperor, do you have any messages you’d like me to pass on?”
Please say yes!
I don’t want a private room! I’d rather sleep at the door guarding my master!
However, Jiao Zhi’s hopes were dashed.
“There is something,” the man said, his voice ghostly, “but it’s not for him—I’m asking you.”
A hint of confusion and wariness flashed in Jiao Zhi’s wide eyes, though he still kept up his honest demeanor. “Asking me? But I don’t know anything—I’m just my master’s watchdog.”
“Third on the Ferocious Beast Rankings—being a watchdog seems adequate.”
Wen Shifei smiled mischievously, sizing him up. “But the other one, just a low-level cultivator who has barely reached the Earth Realm—why is she allowed to stand by his side?”
Jiao Zhi: “?”
It was well known that ten thousand years ago, this Demon Emperor of the Demon Domain often clashed with the Emperor of Fengdu, frequently invading the Underworld only to get beaten back each time, resulting in a deeply adversarial relationship.
But why wasn’t he confirming his master’s identity or probing whether his strength had returned? Why was he asking about a mere insignificant ant?
Could it be… that he already knew?
Jiao Zhi’s alertness spiked immediately—
The Nine-Orifices Glazed Heart was a divine treasure coveted by all beings in the Three Realms, capable of driving them mad with desire.
The more vigilant Jiao Zhi felt inside, the more naive his smile appeared. “My master’s choice of maids naturally depends on his own preferences. How would I dare question why?”
“Maid?” Wen Shifei sneered coldly. “What kind of maid is held in her master’s arms when entering a room?”
Jiao Zhi replied with a smug air, “My master’s maid.”
Wen Shifei: “…”
Wen Shifei: “?”
The scenery of Tianyuan Gorge had never changed since its creation. Outside the ship’s windows, it was always shrouded in a sea of mist, with nothing but shades of gray and deeper gray.
On the first day aboard.
Shi Liu was the only one willing to go up to the third-floor window corridor and peer out at the foggy sea.
“A vast expanse of white—do you find it beautiful?”
A lazy voice approached slowly from behind.
Shi Liu didn’t need to turn around; she already knew who the voice belonged to.
“It’s not beautiful,” Shi Liu said quietly, “but I’ve never seen it before.”
Feng Ye stopped behind the window but did not look at the fog outside. Instead, he lowered his eyes to watch the girl in front of the window. “This isn’t your first time on this ship, so how could you not have seen it?”
“?”
Shi Liu tilted her head up slightly. “It’s really my first time…”
Halfway through, she paused, recalling something, her eyes dimming as she pursed her lips.
Feng Ye seemed unaware, his tone faintly mocking. “You were born in the Shi family, and we met in the Ghost Prison. You’re still going to claim you’ve never been on this ship—are you going to try to fool me into thinking you’re an orphan again?”
Shi Liu lowered her gaze and, after a few moments, replied softly, “I was kidnapped and brought to the Underworld.”
“?”
Silence settled beside her.
Shi Liu rested her chin on her arms, quietly gazing at the mist outside the window, speaking as if telling someone else’s story. “It was supposed to be the second time, but back then, I was drugged and dazed along with other children. I was barely conscious the entire way and remember almost nothing before we arrived in the Underworld.”
Feng Ye listened without much emotion. “I thought you left home on your own.”
“At first, I did,” Shi Liu said, feeling a bit embarrassed. “They had me locked up, and one day I ran away on my own. But just as I reached the foot of the mountain, I was drugged and taken away.”
Feng Ye was silent for a few moments. “Come here.”
“Hmm…?”
His voice had a strangely cold edge, leaving Shi Liu bewildered as she slowly straightened up.
Before she could move, Feng Ye had already closed the distance between them.
His broad robe sleeves blocked her path, and his hand pressed against her butterfly-like shoulder blades. He raised a finger, and a cold sensation touched her forehead.
Startled, Shi Liu jerked back in panic. “What are you doing?”
Feng Ye hadn’t intended to force her or cause her any harm, so his touch was light. As a newly ascended cultivator, Shi Liu managed to break free with a single struggle.
His brow furrowed slightly as he glanced at her with his dark eyes. “I’m examining your soul.”
Shi Liu stiffened. “You… don’t believe what I said?”
“No.”
Feng Ye’s frown deepened noticeably, his expression turning colder. “You may not remember, but if I examine your soul, I might be able to find the faces of those who abducted you back then.”
Shi Liu hesitated. “What’s the point of finding them?”
“Skin them alive, break their bones, shatter their souls, or throw them into the pit of wraiths to be tormented for lifetimes,” Feng Ye’s tone was casual, his demeanor indifferent and lazy. “Whatever you want to do with them, you can.”
Shi Liu: “…”
She was reminded of the wraith demon whose soul he had tortured until only fragments remained.
As expected, there was no mercy in the methods of a demon—only whether he bothered or not.
“In the vast Three Realms, finding just one or two people is nearly impossible,” Shi Liu said, holding her forehead as she moved away from Feng Ye. “They are nothing but a past nightmare to me. Since I can’t reach them, I’d rather not waste my time pursuing them.”
Feng Ye sneered coldly. “I fear your forgiveness won’t be met with gratitude.”
“It’s not forgiveness,” Shi Liu corrected earnestly. “It’s my own choice. There are so many beautiful sights in this world—I don’t want to waste my time on such scum.”
Feng Ye remained indifferent. “With me around, you can live another ten thousand years. Wasting some time is no big deal.”
Shi Liu: “?”
The girl looked at him in disbelief.
Feng Ye narrowed his eyes slightly. “What, you don’t believe me?”
Shi Liu looked away. “I know you’re powerful, and I know you can do it. But I also know you have far more important things to deal with, and I’m not significant to you.”
Perhaps they had hit a small pocket of spatial turbulence because the ship gently rocked.
The sway stirred the darkness in the demon’s eyes.
After a breath or two, the demon laughed, though it sounded more like a cold breeze brushing over a newly manifested flute in his hand. His voice was just as icy. “Yes, compared to what I have to do, you’re not important.”
“Mhm, and also…”
The girl paused, glancing up at the faint light filtering through the mist outside the window. Her soft smile radiated gentle warmth.
She said quietly, “Besides, I don’t want to live that long. It’s too lonely being by oneself.”
“——”
The demon’s gaze suddenly turned frigid.
It was likely the first time.
In his endless, boundless existence, he felt something he had never experienced before—fear. It surged violently, pounding against his hollow chest like fierce, sharp waves crashing and shattering upon pitch-black rocks.
The rocks were carved in the shape of embracing the waves, but once the waves had passed, nothing remained within their grasp—emptiness.
If one day she were to die.
This world would be nothing but emptiness.
Storyteller Niasser's Words
This is going to be adapted as a drama!
Comments for chapter "Chapter 27"
NOVEL DISCUSSION
Support Site
"We require funds to enhance and develop additional features for the site! If you'd like to show your support, consider buying us a Ko-fi. Additionally, explore our more affordable subscription tiers for novels under the Teamaster's name."