Chapter 3: The Demon Realm

Chapter 3: The Realm of Demons

The trio watched in astonishment as Wen Dingjue conjured a glowing scroll out of thin air, resembling country bumpkins.

"Weren't those people from the gas pipeline inspection outside?" Wen Qinxue guessed, noticing Wen Dingjue's panic.

With fumbling hands, Wen Dingjue hastily unrolled the scroll, his voice urgent. "They're here to check... No, they're from the Exorcist Association. I'll be taken away without my residency permit, and Little Yin will too."

Wen Ying & Wen Qinxue: "..."

Lin Tianbao: "...Did you sneak into this world illegally?"

"What does sneaking have to do with it? I'm here to seek my destiny," Wen Dingjue hastened his actions, his eyes never leaving the scroll. "Anyway, it's a huge hassle now."

"Hello, is anyone home?"

To Wen Ying, the voice outside sounded like a harbinger of doom. Swearing by his innocence, he had never been afraid of any official institutions before. As a law-abiding citizen, this was his first experience with such trepidation. He crouched down, grabbed a three-headed dog plushie, and hugged it for comfort.

"Great-grandfather..."

In Wen Dingjue's hands, a scroll unfurled, revealing glowing, unknown characters that illuminated one by one.

"You must go to the Demon Realm. Once your demonic bloodline awakens, you'll perish if you stay here, either naturally or by being captured by the Exorcist Association for various purposes, like becoming a specimen or an enchanted weapon," Wen Dingjue wiped the sweat from his forehead.

Wen Ying: "..." He seemed to have missed something in his great-grandfather's words. What did the Exorcist Association want to do with him, an ordinary and vulnerable citizen? Make him into a specimen or an enchanted weapon?

"Bam! Bam! Bam! Is anyone there?"

Wen Ying hastily put on his clothes.

"Let's go!"

The scroll shone brightly, and its magical power surged. Outside, Wei Ranfeng's gaze sharpened as he violently kicked open the door.

"My God..." The freshman trailing behind him was stunned by the scene.

"Senior's physical strength is outrageous..."

Wei Ranfeng rushed in anxiously, but saw no trace of a demon. Instead, he spotted two ordinary humans, a man and a woman, exiting the room.

One of the men, his brow furrowed, stepped forward and shielded the woman beside him. He stood straight, his expression menacing. "What are you doing kicking our door down? Are you here to rob or burgle?"

Wei Ranfeng was stunned. He saw the other party pull out their phone as if to call the police, so he quickly reached out with a smile. "Hold on, hold on, we're... people from the government."

Wen Ying was also dumbfounded. In the span of a dozen seconds, the world spun around him. Before he could even register the awe-inspiring primeval forest, Wen Ying leaned against a tree trunk and vomited uncontrollably.

"Ugh..."

This was worse than motion sickness. After retching for a while, Wen Ying gradually recovered, his mind still in a daze as he surveyed his surroundings. This was the Demon Realm.

He muttered, "It's like being deep in an old forest."

"What are you muttering about?" Wen Dingjue suddenly emerged from behind a tree, holding a brightly colored fruit that he attempted to stuff into Wen Ying's mouth.

Wen Ying's dizzy brain snapped back to reality. "Great-grandfather, don't!"

With his mouth open, Wen Ying had no choice but to let Wen Dingjue push the fruit in. His face paled.

"Don't worry, the fruits in the Demon Realm come in all sorts of colors," Wen Dingjue teased. "This is an antidote, just in case you get bitten by poisonous insects later."

Wen Ying clutched the cuddly three-headed dog plushie from the human world close to his chest and said with a lackluster tone, "Is this Demon Realm still in its primitive era?"

"What are you talking about?" Wen Dingjue strode forward, pulling Wen Ying along with him.

This primeval forest was truly vast. As Wen Dingjue whisked Wen Ying through the towering trees at high speed, the sensation of not touching the ground made Wen Ying subconsciously flutter his wings.

Wen Dingjue observed closely and nodded in silent satisfaction, accelerating his pace.

"Grandfather, please take it easy," Wen Ying's voice trembled slightly. His great-grandfather was already ninety years old; such exertion couldn't be good for his health.

The forest was filled with tall trees whose branches blocked most of the sky, allowing only fragmented sunlight to filter through. It was eerie and mysterious, occasionally punctuated by crow-like cries that sent shivers down one's spine.

Suddenly, a massive snake head lunged out from the side. Its mouth could easily swallow Wen Ying whole, causing his scalp to tingle. "Grandfather, there's a snake!"

Wen Dingjue unfurled a pair of white demonic bat wings from behind him, instantly altering their trajectory. He muttered an incantation under his breath, and a fierce flame burst forth from the palm of his open hand, engulfing the giant snake in flames.

"Hisssss—"

In pain, the snake slammed into the surrounding trees, causing leaves and branches to rain down. Wen Dingjue effortlessly dodged with Wen Ying in tow.

Wen Ying resembled a captured fledgling, hugging himself tightly and motionless, too afraid to move.

The startling scene came and went quickly. When Wen Dingjue landed on the ground, Wen Ying finally set foot on solid earth, collapsing to his knees in exhaustion.

Wen Dingjue expressed his disappointment with a tinge of frustration, "You're far too weak. It was just a low-level magical beast."

Looking at the elder with a face full of disdain, the corners of Wen Ying's mouth twitched slightly. He hugged the doll in his arms tighter and, upon feeling a card, paused for a moment before pulling it out. It had been stuck to the doll.

"Grandfather, do you know what this is?" It couldn't be an ordinary card; the ominous black fog and grimacing face were clearly visible on it.

Wen Dingjue took the card, studying it as he walked forward. "It appears to be an inferior demon. Where did you get this? I've never seen an enchanted item in this card form before."

"I was attacked by this thing at home just now," Wen Ying followed Wen Dingjue. "Then, some strange things happened. I can't recall parts of it, but when I regained my senses, I had this card in my hand."

After a long silence, Wen Dingjue said, "Play fewer card games."

"Why?"

"To think that someone would turn their racial talent into something like this." Dismissing it from his mind, Wen Dingjue returned the card to Wen Ying.

Wen Ying disregarded his great-grandfather's disdain and, invigorated by the mention of a life-saving ability, he quickly caught up to walk alongside Wen Dingjue, eagerly asking, "Great-grandfather, what innate abilities do our clan possess?"

Wen Dingjue stroked his white beard, lifting his chin slightly with an air of pride as he said, "We are the Mirror Clan, born with a talent that other races envy."

He opened his palm, revealing a scroll that Wen Ying recognized. "See, my talent medium is this scroll. Whenever we witness someone else using a skill, our Mirror Clan can replicate it and record it onto our own talent medium."

The prospect sounded promising, and Wen Ying's tail, unseen behind him, involuntarily perked up.

"However," Wen Dingjue's tone softened slightly, "it depends on chance. Sometimes the replication fails, and even if it succeeds, the effectiveness of the skill varies depending on luck and magical power levels."

"That card of yours contains a skill you replicated. You saw that low-level demon cast a fireball, didn't you?"

Wen Ying's tail drooped, and he nodded, disappointment weighing heavily upon him.

Sure enough, he was still not favored by fate. He had foolishly hoped for a divine advantage.

As they continued walking, Wen Ying suddenly realized something, freezing him in his tracks, turning him to stone inch by inch.

"Why have you stopped?" Wen Dingjue noticed his great-grandson standing motionless, his expression distant, and frowned.

Wen Ying replied in a daze, "Nothing."

Oh no, he was an unlucky fellow who couldn't change his fate with money. If his innate ability turned into a gacha system, he might end up dying in the demon realm within three days with nothing but R-ranked outcomes.

A sudden gust of fierce wind swept across the sky, something whistling past, hidden from view by layers of branches. Wen Ying could only glimpse a massive black shadow rushing by at high speed.

Just as he was lamenting the futility of his power, a fierce beast flew overhead. Throughout the journey to their destination with Wen Dingjue, Wen Ying was in a trance, convinced that his life was about to end.

"Wondering about something, looking so dispirited?" Wen Dingjue slapped a hand on Wen Ying's shoulder. "We're here."

Wen Ying snapped back to reality, startled by the sudden appearance of a castle before him.

Wen Dingjue spoke with a hint of nostalgia, "This used to be the residence of an old friend of mine."

The enormous castle walls were covered in vines bearing lovely, unknown flowers, filling the air with a delightful fragrance that mingled with the scent of various herbs. Through the iron gates of the castle, Wen Ying could see a multitude of plants that seemed to be medicinal in nature growing within.

A paradise for plants.

So the demon realm wasn't just a primitive forest, Wen Ying mused to himself. Suddenly, the castle gates opened, and a man emerged. As he drew closer, Wen Ying realized he wasn't an older man but a young man in his early twenties.

The man was exceptionally tall, requiring Wen Ying to crane his neck just to look up at him.

This young man with slightly curly hair exuded a fierce and bloody aura. His red eyes were like deep pools, cold and hollow, instilling fear with a mere glance. His slanted, upward-tipped eyes and slightly gloomy countenance gave off a chilly vibe. He was tall, boasting an ideal inverted triangle physique with broad shoulders, a narrow waist, and long legs that moved with a commanding presence. His well-toned muscles radiated an intimidating air of a menacing individual.

He was a demon, complete with black bat-like wings and a thick tail trailing behind him. Unlike the stereotype, he lacked horns but had pointed ears.

The demon's formidable presence caused the surrounding plants to wilt slightly. Unconsciously, Wen Ying clutched the doll in his arms tighter. He realized that the man was looking at him, specifically at the cute, three-headed dog plushie in his embrace.

The towering demon's gaze was initially devoid of emotion, but it stirred slightly when it fell upon the doll.

Wen Dingjue broke into a sweat on his forehead, about to speak, when the demon suddenly took flight.

As soon as that powerful demon left, the air currents returned to normal. Wen Ying realized that he had been holding his breath all along. He despairingly thought that perhaps his hope of surviving for three days was overly optimistic. He might not even make it through a single day alone in the Demon Realm.

"Grandfather, perhaps you should take me back to the Human Realm," Wen Ying suggested. "Demons consume humans, right?" That hand just now—its nails were sharp, and the fingers looked strong and capable. A mere swipe across his throat would have snapped it.

Judging from the shape of the demon's ears, Wen Ying imagined his bones would crack noisily if they got a hold of him...

"No worries," Wen Dingjue wiped the sweat from his forehead and patted Wen Ying's shoulder. "I have faith in you."

Wen Ying: "..." Where did his great-grandfather get the confidence to believe that he could become the Demon King?

A peculiar fragrance suddenly grew stronger.

"That's Old Mirror, isn't it? It must have been a century since we last met."

Wen Ying turned his head to see a kind and amiable old lady in his field of vision. She was dressed elegantly, wearing a Western-style dress with a shawl over her shoulders, adorned with luxurious brocade and a single eyeglass with a golden chain hanging from its frame, matching the necklace around her neck.

Ignoring her aged appearance, she seemed like an extraordinary young lady of refinement.

"Yes, it's been a century," Wen Dingjue sighed, nudging Wen Ying forward. "This is my great-grandson. I brought him for you to play with."

Wen Ying: "?"

The kindly old lady covered her mouth and chuckled. "I don't engage in human research much these days."

Wen Ying: "!"