Chapter 111: Fengdu Ghost City – To See the Demon God for a Beauty

Liu Yi stared blankly at the blue silk, seeing his own reflection on it, repeating over and over, “If there’s no affection, why meet? Please turn back and not look… Please turn back?” Was Qi Yue asking him to go back? Did she not want to see him?
As Liu Yi pondered, a voice came from the sky, saying, “You’ve finally arrived.”
Startled by the voice, Liu Yi asked, “Who are you? Where are you?”
The voice didn’t answer his questions but continued, “You came here to find someone, right?”
Liu Yi asked urgently, “How do you know?”
The voice replied, “Because… that person is within me.”
Liu Yi still shouted loudly, “Who exactly are you? Did you pull Qi Yue in? Why?”
The voice burst into loud laughter, which lasted for a while before stopping. Ignoring the first two questions, it directly answered the third: “It’s for you. I, like you, have a tragic life and the same fate. We are destined to rewrite the epic and redefine the world of gods. I possess supreme power, while you have the perfect body and swordmanship. If we work together, we can ensure those gods still asleep die forever.”
Liu Yi was shocked, as if realizing something. He asked, “Are you the Nine Nether Demon God? You’ve awakened, but why haven’t you left?”
The voice replied calmly, “It seems you have many questions, but I don’t want to answer them. Since we haven’t met yet, there’s no need for me to respond. Listen to this voice.”
“Silly scholar, run! He’s a monster! Get out quickly… Ah!” The voice ended abruptly, in a hurry, quickly, panicked. But Liu Yi knew it was Qi Yue’s voice. She wasn’t dead; she was still alive. Qi Yue was a strong girl, but from the voice just now, she was suffering greatly. This was all his fault.
The voice continued, “Hear that? Is she the one you’re looking for? Then come to Fengdu Ghost City. I’ll be waiting there for you.”
Liu Yi replied, “Fine. If you want to see me, I hope you won’t harm a single hair of hers before I arrive.”
The voice, devoid of emotion, said, “In this world, only you are qualified to bargain with me. I’ll ensure her safety. You may come now.”
Liu Yi replied, “Okay.” He channeled his vital energy and flew at high speed toward Fengdu Ghost City, a hundred miles away. Black clouds, gray undead, and green poisonous miasma surrounded him as he moved backward. The closer he got to Fengdu Ghost City, the thicker the miasma, the more undead, and the stronger the demonic energy. But Liu Yi no longer cared about any danger. All he wanted was to rescue Qi Yue from that terrifying place as soon as possible.
Gradually, mournful melodies arose in the sky—a combination of guqin and flute. Sad and beautiful, they seemed to touch some deep part of people’s hearts, making one feel the sorrow of the musician. Liu Yi didn’t know where the sound was coming from, but given his expertise in music, it was indeed a fine piece—only too desolate, making one feel heartbroken and want to cry.

Yet strange things kept happening one after another. Amidst the soft sounds, a woman’s sorrowful and desperate words mixed with those mournful melodies: “Autumn after autumn, the moon wanes again; years have passed by, ten years of sorrow. I only regret not knowing each other. My longing penetrates my very bones. How many times have I tried to forget my worries? Since you’re heartless, why meet at all? Please turn away and stop looking back…” It was July’s voice.

The song was filled with endless sorrow, and the lyrics carried despair. It seemed as though Liu Yi could see July’s pain as she wrote these words. He couldn’t dwell on it—he had to hurry, to enter Fengdu, the City of Ghosts, as quickly as possible.

Of course, in such a sad moment, Liu Yi wouldn’t think about whether this was a conspiracy. July’s voice had sounded so panicked just now, yet now it sounded so calm yet pitiful…

Finally, Liu Yi arrived above Fengdu, the City of Ghosts. He was stunned by what he saw. Thick layers of green poisonous mist made it impossible to see the city walls. Dead spirits floated everywhere—on the ground and in the sky—so many that they seemed crowded. Dark clouds swirled in vortices, and white lightning occasionally struck within those massive whirlwinds. Liu Yi slowly descended, retracting his “Sorrowful Dream” sword.

After taking a few steps forward, he stopped because he saw something—a mass of green mist that had taken solid form, a huge sphere floating on the city streets.

Suddenly, a voice came from within the sphere, saying, “Can you see me? This is me.”

Liu Yi asked, “Are you the Nine Nether Demon God? The demon god sealed underground by Hou Yi?”

The huge sphere replied, “Yes. Because of the power of that arrow, I’m still sealed. But these increasing numbers of dead spirits are awakening me from my slumber.”

Liu Yi was amazed, “Where did so many dead spirits come from?” But soon, that question became unimportant. He urgently asked, “Where is July? Where is she now? I’ve come here as promised. Can you promise me you won’t harm her in the slightest?”

The huge sphere suddenly split down the middle. In that instant, Liu Yi realized the sphere wasn’t the true form of the Nine Nether Demon God. Behind it were blood-red eyes and two black hands.

July stepped out, and the green sphere reformed. She wiped her eyes, seemingly in disbelief, looking at Liu Yi and shaking her head. “How could you be so foolish? I told you to leave. Why did you still come?”

Liu Yi didn’t answer her. Instead, he looked at the Nine Nether Demon God and asked, “Is she not poisoned?”

The Nine Nether Demon God replied, “I’ve given her a small portion of my fierce energy. At least for a day, she won’t die from these poisonous mists.”

Liu Yi nodded, looking at July with relief and a hint of concern in his eyes.

He stretched out his right hand and gently said, “Come here, girl.”

July looked at Liu Yi’s right hand and tears streamed down her face. At that moment, time stopped—for her sake. All the waiting had been worth it. All the sorrow turned to ashes, scattered by the wind. If July had to define time, she would surely wish it to be forever and ever.

In this world, the only one he could rely on was her. And at this moment, he was doing the same thing that moved her—rushing into this Ghost City of Fengdu without fear of life or death, just to ensure her safety. That moment was the most touching of his life, a moment he would never be able to forget…

July gently stepped forward, extending her hand. Finally, Liu Yi grabbed her hand and took a quick step forward, shielding her. If the Nine Nether Demon God tried to harm her again, he would rather step through Liu Yi’s body.

Liu Yi still didn’t let go of July’s hand. He was afraid that if he did now, he might never be able to hold onto her again. Looking at the strange form of the Nine Nether Demon God, Liu Yi asked, “Now you can tell me—what exactly is your purpose in bringing me here?”

The green sphere didn’t speak. It merely let out a deep sigh, as if sighing away thousands of years of sorrow. After a pause, it said, “Your suffering through three lifetimes was destined by that damned fate. Don’t you want to resist?”

“And as for me, why must I suffer like this? Why was I placed deep in the lowest depths of these eighteen layers of hell, in the coldest place beneath the Nine Nether, the moment I opened my eyes? Why can I only stay here in silence? Who? Who determined my fate? I refuse to accept it. So, I want to leave—forever, to get away from this cold place.”

Liu Yi replied, “That’s because of your own nature. If you leave, it will bring misery to this world. You never should have appeared in the first place.”

The green sphere continued, “Yes, perhaps I shouldn’t have appeared. But that damned fate forced me to come to this world. I don’t know why I appeared here, but I still want to fight for my rights.”

“I still don’t have the strength to break free from this seal right now. But I’ve seen you—a being with a demonic body, demonic blood, a demon with supreme swordmanship. And I possess the power of countless accumulated souls over thousands of years. If we combine our strengths, I won’t harm this world anymore, and you will gain even greater power. Together, we can change our fates.”

Liu Yi was shocked. “Are you saying you want to enter my body…”