Chapter 210 - Reborn as a Human in the Next Life
"Demons are demons. Devils are devils. That place is the devildom—a realm where even ghosts bow down!" Red Lotus' eyes glowed red. "The gates of the Endless Netherworld have only been open a few years, and already they've shaken the Demon Continent to its core. What the future holds is anyone's guess."
"I've heard that during the last calamity, a new world portal was blasted open right over the Demon Continent..." the Gu Emperor mused.
"True! Old Snake went in to explore, but so far, not a peep. Let's hope it's not another endless underworld," Red Lotus murmured softly.
"This land of the Demon Continent, it's tangled in too many fates!" The Gu Emperor shook his head.
"Indeed..." Red Lotus straightened up, ready to greet their new friends, but after a quick look around, she asked, "Where's Lil Tian?"
"He must have gone to see Moon Fairy," the Gu Emperor replied.
"Is there a problem?" Red Lotus asked.
"We'll see!"
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In a dimly lit courtyard, deep in autumn, the ground was carpeted with crimson maple leaves.
Moon Fairy stood barefoot on a slate stone, his gaze fixed on a woman in a pink dress with her long hair flowing loose, tears brimming in her eyes.
"You've reached the Late Demon Saint Realm... You've absorbed all their Desolate Essence," Lady Hua Lian said, her eyes filled with sorrow and her pretty face etched with worry.
"Yes." Moon Fairy loosened his body, his bones cracking loudly—a sensation of unprecedented strength. He was as strong as a mountain!
"Why?" Lady Hua Lian's tears fell as she shook her head, looking at Moon Fairy. "Why did you have to kill them?"
"Master, I wish to be the Emperor of the Demon Continent. They were all my rivals!" Moon Fairy stepped forward, gripping her fragrant shoulders. Now, he was stronger than her, completely dominating her aura.
"But you've betrayed the Demon Continent!" Lady Hua Lian cried out in despair, her lips trembling.
"Not at all! By consuming their Desolate Essence, I've become more powerful, capable of doing more for the Demon Continent!" Moon Fairy locked eyes with her. "Master, if demons don't act for themselves, they face divine destruction! Sacrificing them has made me stronger. My worth surpasses that of those two thousand demons!"
"So, I can be sacrificed too, is that it?" Lady Hua Lian said, lowering her head.
Moon Fairy paused, then said earnestly, "No, you're different..."
"There's nothing different about me. Even if I don't want war, I'm still a demon, and you, colluding with the humans, are a traitor! You should be silencing me by now..." Lady Hua Lian suddenly grasped his arm, her eyes fiery red as she stared at him, "Moon Fairy, you deceived me, toyed with me. I hid your origin, and now I've made a grave mistake. I can't face the souls of the Demon Continent. Could you grant me a swift end?"
Looking at the heartbroken beauty before him, Moon Fairy's gaze was complex as he slowly shook his head. "Master, can we pretend nothing happened? You don't know anything."
Lady Hua Lian grew even more distraught. "Then, should I continue to help you, gathering information on the demons for the Divine Continent, aiding in the destruction of my own kind? What do you take me for? Even as a fox, I can't betray my kind..."
Moon Fairy was stunned. He stared at the fox demon before him, speechless for a long time.
"Lil Moon, you should go. The Eclipse Demon Emperor is not easily fooled. You've drawn Yun Xiao into battle twice and survived; he will eventually come for you. Don't be greedy; when the time comes, it'll be too late to run..." Lady Hua Lian's tearful gaze met his.
"I won't leave." Moon Fairy shook his head.
"If you don't leave, I will tell him everything! We'll seek redemption together!" Lady Hua Lian's gaze hardened as she bit her lip.
"Are you serious?" Moon Fairy suddenly grabbed her throat, pressing her against a stone.
Lady Hua Lian's face turned pale, tears streaming down as she stared blankly at Moon Fairy.
"Kill me, then go..." she said dimly.
Moon Fairy's hands trembled with tension. But in the end, he let go, not glancing back at her as he turned and walked away.
"Lil Moon," Lady Hua Lian called out.
Moon Fairy turned coldly, seeing her pull a heart-shaped jade earring pendant from her bosom. The heart-shaped pendant was carved with a fox face.
"I bought it in the market that day, for you." Lady Hua Lian wiped away her tears with her sleeve, her other hand shakily holding it out.
"Why?" Moon Fairy stood still, not reaching out.
"The human world is beautiful, and so is this. If demons take over, there won't be such beautiful things anymore," Lady Hua Lian said softly.
"Heh." Moon Fairy took the heart-shaped pendant, wore it on his left ear, and turned into a mist, vanishing before Lady Hua Lian's eyes.
"It will keep you safe..." Lady Hua Lian's words trailed off, for the silver-haired youth had already vanished from sight. She leaned forlornly against the stone, her gaze vacant and lost.
BUZZ! Suddenly, a youth in black appeared before her! His gaze immediately fell upon the claw marks on Lady Hua Lian's neck!
"He fled that way!" Lady Hua Lian's heart skipped a beat as she quickly pointed in the opposite direction.
From the icy stare of the youth in black, she knew he was suspicious of her.
WHOOSH! In an instant, the youth dashed off in the other direction!
Meanwhile, Lady Hua Lian was drenched in cold sweat. She looked towards the direction Moon Fairy had left, slowly closing her eyes, whispering, "Till the next life, my sweet Moon."
BOOM! Soon after, the youth in black reappeared in the courtyard. As he landed, the ground cracked open, sending stones hurtling towards Lady Hua Lian!
THUD THUD THUD! She was covered in bloody wounds.
The youth in black extended his claw, grabbing her throat, piercing it, as dark blood gushed forth.
"Lady Hua Lian, you've become the first traitor in the history of the Demon Continent. You've truly made history, disgracing the Fox Clan!" He sneered. The fact that he hadn't caught anyone following the direction she pointed to said it all. Previously, he even thought she was just being used!
At this moment, Lady Hua Lian's dress soaked with blood, her whole body stained red.
"I'm sorry." She stopped resisting, tears in her voice. "I'm willing to die to atone."
"Your life as a lowly fox is worth nothing!" The youth in black spat out a black flame, engulfing her in fierce fire!
SIZZLE SIZZLE SIZZLE! Her long hair, dress, and flesh burned to ashes under the vicious black fire. The black inferno consumed everything, leaving only her face and eyes full of longing. "In the next life, if only I could be human, how wonderful that would be."
PUFF! The fox vanished in smoke and mist.
"Summon everyone! Inform the Demon Continent to detain all foxes, and after the war, execute them all! From now on, in both the Divine and Demon Continents, foxes are the lowliest creatures, free to be killed on sight!" the youth in black declared fiercely.
"No, you can't do this!" Within the black flames, a soul that should have dissipated upon hearing these words, miraculously coalesced again, refusing to depart!
"Oh, you still have enough spite to form a ghost?" the youth in black sneered coldly at the vengeful spirit. "Perfect. You can watch with your own eyes the enormity of the crime you've committed!"
With those words, he strode away.
Leaving behind the tormented and twisted spirit of the fox.
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"Hah..." Moon Fairy quietly left the Ancestral Temple, hidden in the shadows. He looked back at the place shrouded in darkness, sighing softly, "If she denounces me in front of the Demon Emperor, she should be able to keep her own life, right?."
Moon Fairy's next meeting with his master would be as enemies. Regretting not enduring a little longer to gather some crucial information, he felt frustrated. Now, temporarily losing his utility beyond battle, he was considering retracting this body double.
However, Moon Fairy walking on the road suddenly felt a sharp pain in his heart.
"Why..." His eyes reddened slightly as he looked back at the Ancestral Temple.
From there, the roars of millions of demons could be faintly heard, 'The Fox Clan has betrayed us, execute them all...'
"No!" Blood surged in the Moon Fairy's eyes. He turned back to the Ancestral Temple! A mist rolled into the courtyard!
"Master..." He lifted his head, only to see black ashes where once stood a beautiful woman, now no longer of this world.
"Ah!" Moon Fairy felt as if struck by thunder.
Yun Xiao, far away, also choked, struggling to breathe.
"A fox! A demon! Why did I..." From the start to the end, he had only been using her! He loathed demons, and with that mindset, it was hard for him to truly recognize a demon as something more. But when that very demon died before his eyes, the tearing pain was undeniably real.
In the courtyard, Moon Fairy stood dumbfounded before the black smoke, eyes red-rimmed, his sharp teeth biting into his lower lip, a frenzy of murderous intent growing in his heart!
"Eclipse Demon Emperor!" He looked beyond the courtyard, barely able to contain his urge to kill!
"Lil Moon..." Suddenly, a soft call quenched the fiery rage in his heart. He turned around quickly. Before him, a wisp of a soul transformed into a woman with long, pale hair. Her face was tear-stained, looking at Moon Fairy.
"Master!" Moon Fairy reached out. But she was just a spirit, ungraspable. Emptiness filled his hand!
"I'm alright. Everyone meets their end someday. I've seen the sun and moon change, experienced the world's splendor. My death is not to be pitied..." Lady Hua Lian said softly.
But Moon Fairy couldn't accept this reality!
"Lil Moon, the fact that you came back shows that someone in this world loved me. That is the best answer I could have," Lady Hua Lian whispered again.
Moon Fairy shook his head, his heart in turmoil.
"But..." Lady Hua Lian looked outside, her voice filled with despair, "The Eclipse Demon Emperor will take his wrath out on my Fox Clan. My death is deserved, but my clan is innocent. I beseech you, save them!"
Her plea was earnest! This was her unyielding wish even in death!
"This is my responsibility, don't worry!" Moon Fairy searched himself, and finally remembered the heart-shaped earring on his ear.
"Master, for now, stay in this jade stone!" Moon Fairy held up the earring, his hands trembling as he presented it to her.
Lady Hua Lian gave a pained smile, "I'm already dead, what use is there to cling to these remnants?"
"The fate of the Fox Clan hangs in the balance, dare you die now?" Moon Fairy bit his lip.
"...I dare not." Lady Hua Lian bowed her head, her refusal to die had turned her into a vengeful spirit. But she was weak, oh so weak! She needed a vessel!
"Not daring to die, then stay here with me!" Moon Fairy took a deep breath. "Legends speak of a technique to resurrect the dead. Someday, I'll rebuild a body for my master!"
Lady Hua Lian was stunned, gazing at Moon Fairy as the tears of her spirit cascaded once more.
"Master, the next life is too far away. I don't seek the afterlife but cling to this one. Please allow me this!" Moon Fairy knelt. He wouldn't kneel to the Demon Emperor, but now, he offered his knees in a plea to retain her! Each word he spoke would be a thread for Lady Hua Lian's lingering spirit! Like Yun Xiao's unyielding spirit after death!
Lady Hua Lian's lips trembled with tears, her eyes beginning to shine. "Alright..." She gently descended onto the heart-shaped earring.
From then on, the jade fox face on the earring seemed to come alive.
"Damn it, why must a fox like you be so kind to me..." Moon Fairy gently caressed the earring, then stood up abruptly. Turning to look at the myriad demons outside the Ancestral Temple, his eyes brimmed with a raging desire for vengeance! "The Heavenly Hound devours the moon, but you, you will surely die!"
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