Chapter One Hundred and Twenty-Six: Identity Revealed

Cao Yu’s true form was severely wounded by Qing Hong. Once the giant whale returned, it swallowed its true body and dove into the deep sea to recover. Qing Hong, meanwhile, brought Yuzhi and the Dragon Maiden to a nearby reef to take refuge.

"This time, the loss is enormous." His mana had been completely exhausted. Silently visualizing the Dao Capital Diagram, he drew upon the light of the heavens, sun, moon, and stars to restore his energy.

The moon was bright and the stars were brilliant, casting silvery radiance upon Qing Hong.

Before long, Yuzhi was the first to wake. She looked at Qing Hong with a complex expression. She first checked the Dragon Maiden’s pulse, and upon realizing she was only temporarily unconscious, she breathed a sigh of relief.

She then walked silently to Qing Hong’s side, her fingers trembling slightly as mysterious black and white energies condensed into a Dragon-Whisker Sword. Her expression was hesitant and conflicted as she gazed at him.

Suddenly, Qing Hong opened his eyes. "Senior Sister, you’re awake. How are your wounds—" Before he could finish the word "doing," the immortal maiden pressed the Dragon-Whisker Sword against his throat.

The sword, formed from black and white energy, was a manifestation of the "Yin-Yang Dragon-Whisker" technique. Protecting the Dragon Maiden behind her, Fairy Yuzhi pointed at Qing Hong, her face cold as frost. "Who exactly are you?"

Qing Hong looked innocent. "Senior Sister, what is the meaning of this?" His eyes remained fixed on the blade, trying to nudge it away. If this sword were pressed even slightly, his head would surely fall. He possessed no techniques for "severed-head regeneration" and had no way to reattach it.

"Don't move!" Fairy Yuzhi barked. "Stop pretending. You used the techniques of the Yin-Ming Sect—what is your true background?"

Qing Hong’s eyelids twitched, and he feigned confusion.

"Hmph! Still pretending?" Fairy Yuzhi flipped her palm, revealing a thumb-sized jade nail. "I allowed Cao Yu to wound me on purpose, intending to use the Heart-Slaughtering Nail to ambush him. I didn't expect to witness such a remarkable scene. Junior Brother, your methods are quite impressive. The River Styx techniques, the Nine-Nether Weak Water, and the ability to transform into a demonic dragon—this is the 'Mysterious Fiend Dragon Sutra' of the Yin-Ming Sect, isn't it?" Her tone turned assertive.

Qing Hong’s mind raced, secretly annoyed. "I didn't expect this 'convenient' Senior Sister of mine to be so calculating. So she was planning to ambush Cao Yu? Regardless, I was prepared for such a scenario. Time for Plan B."

He coughed lightly and brought out a pre-prepared excuse. "Senior Sister knows I come from a background of rogue cultivation. I had no guidance and had to fumble through cultivation on my own. Later, by chance, I stumbled upon demonic scriptures and used the distinction between the clear and the turbid to comprehend the Yin and Yang. Senior Sister also knows that our Yunxiao Pavilion’s methods emphasize the path of Yin and Yang. I used these two energies to cultivate the Great Dao of Yin and Yang."

Yuzhi pondered this briefly and sneered. "Hmph, are you trying to fool me? The 'Mysterious Fiend Dragon Sutra' you practice, while not top-tier, is still an orthodox demonic manual. How could the core mantras of the demonic path be leaked so easily? To learn them, one must swear a demonic blood oath. Without such an oath, one cannot practice these arts."

If one attempted to practice demonic arts without the blood oath, they would be crushed by the power of the Dao Fruit from the void. One either swore the oath or was destroyed by the curse. It was a failsafe established by the demonic overlords. Only by swearing the oath could one practice demonic arts safely.

"Have you sworn the demonic blood oath?" The fairy immediately deduced this, and another thought occurred to her. "Fu Yutang’s family was killed by someone from the demonic path. Based on my deductions, that person practiced techniques similar to yours, and was of a similar age. And he claimed it was done by your younger brother?"

Fairy Yuzhi’s gaze sharpened. "Is this some old trick of brother fighting brother? Or are you two on the same path, and this is a bitter-flesh ruse?"

"If your brother joined the demonic path first, how could he let his older brother escape and cultivate in the righteous path? Could it be that you are a member of the Yin-Ming Sect, sent by the demonic path to infiltrate our Immortal Dao as a spy?"

"No... that’s not right. If one of the two brothers died long ago, it wouldn't be impossible for the survivor to play both roles!" Her eyes turned cold, thoroughly piercing the thoughts of Qing Hong—or rather, Ji Feichen.

Seeing this, Ji Feichen waved his hands hurriedly. "Senior Sister, don't let your imagination run wild! My nephew’s family is still alive! This was a plan between myself, Lady Chen, and several senior predecessors of the Qi Refiners. On the contrary, it is not the demonic path infiltrating the righteous, but the righteous path infiltrating the demonic, using their strength to plan for the rise of our Yunxiao Pavilion."

Seeing his identity guessed, Ji Feichen immediately activated his second plan, calling upon Lady Chen to vouch for him.

"I can guarantee that since I began my cultivation, I have never killed anyone who did not deserve it! Nor have I laid a hand on the innocent! My nephew’s family is involved in my 'proof of allegiance' to the demonic path; they have been protected by Lady Chen with great power, using Earth Immortal arts to conceal their fate. Once you ask her, you will know the truth."

Ji Feichen tried his best to look sincere. "My true name is Ji Feichen. Qing Hong is merely my Daoist name, used when traveling in the Central Plains."

Fairy Yuzhi still refused to believe him.

Ji Feichen had no choice but to swear a poisonous oath in public and release a wisp of the Scorching Drought Demon’s divine fire from his brow. "If I harbored any malicious intent, this divine fire would have long since consumed me. Besides, with the Dragon-Whisker Fan in my hand, does Senior Sister still doubt my identity?"

"Then what are you doing in the demonic path?"

Ji Feichen immediately adopted a compassionate expression. "I have observed that many in the demonic path are actually inclined toward the righteous path and were forced into demonic cultivation. I wish to reopen the righteous path for them and demonstrate the true teachings. Moreover, for our Yunxiao Pavilion to revive, we must leverage the strength of these people."

Fairy Yuzhi remained silent for a long time, then whispered, "Do you know Cao Yu’s background?"

"I don't."

"He was a famous disciple of the Eastern Demonic Sect. In terms of seniority, he was the eldest disciple of his generation and the personal student of the Sect Master. But... he was once an immortal." The fairy looked melancholic. The current scene felt as if she had experienced it before.

An immortal? Ji Feichen understood. From the attitude between the fairy and Cao Yu earlier, he could guess a thing or two.

"Years ago, he abandoned his path and fell into darkness. He initially felt that demonic cultivation could also be a righteous path, wanting to keep the essence and discard the dross, leading the demonic practitioners toward the light. But, you know the result."

A once high-spirited immortal of the righteous path had now become a ruthless demonic cultivator.

"In the great melting pot of the demonic path, examples of step-by-step degradation are everywhere. I have heard of those from the righteous path falling into the demonic, but never of a demonic cultivator successfully turning toward the light and shaking off the shackles of the path." The fairy’s attitude was cold. "So, do you think I will trip over the same stone twice?"

The young man before her seemed to overlap with her past acquaintance.

All this talk of creating a righteous path for the demonic sect. It sounded pleasant, but in the end, wouldn't he just fall into the abyss as well?

Yet, this man was the key to the revival of the Yunxiao Pavilion. This factor left the fairy in deep conflict.

Like that person from the past, he had thoughts of opening a righteous path for the demonic. But with the precedent right before her eyes, although she wanted to strike before Qing Hong fell deeper to prevent the birth of another fiend, the thought of the Yunxiao Pavilion’s future made her hesitate. After all, this was only a possibility for the future.

The fairy thought of her masters' earnest expectations and her own longing for the revival of the sect. No matter what, she could not bring herself to strike.

But then, she immediately recalled that past incident. Once, she had captured Cao Yu at the beginning of his fall. But moved by his earnest words, she had let him go. In the end, it caused the death of her benefactor and created a monster for the world.

Between sentiment and justice, her heart was in turmoil, unable to find peace for a long time.