Chapter 281

Chapter 281

At that moment, the murderous intent in Pei Qiyu's eyes was directed unreservedly at Ning Yuzhou.

Immediately after, a crack of a whip was heard, and several small ice shards grazed Pei Qiyu's cheek as they flew past.

Pei Qiyu's expression turned cold. His gaze shifted from Ning Yuzhou's smiling face to the female cultivator sitting beside him, who held a stone-golden whip, seemingly casually striking it against the frozen desert.

Wen Qiao gripped the long whip, its handle tapping rhythmically on the icy sand, sending ice shards flying toward Pei Qiyu—a clear warning.

Her husband wasn't someone anyone could provoke lightly.

Ning Yuzhou suddenly turned his head and smiled at Wen Qiao, his smile carrying a reassuring tone.

Su Molan's heart raced, her scalp tingling as she watched this scene, thinking that if a fight broke out, she... would still help Wen Qiao and the others.

So she avoided looking at Pei Qiyu, sitting quietly, her eyes fixed on the fire, but her ears perked up attentively.

With Wen Qiao's intervention, the atmosphere suddenly became somewhat strange.

Pei Qiyu quickly reined in his murderous intent, even the coldness that had surfaced after his identity was exposed vanished, and he resumed an indifferent demeanor, saying indifferently, "So what if I am a demon seed?"

Ning Yuzhou replied, "Whether you are a demon seed or not is none of my concern, but Miss Su..."

Pei Qiyu's face stiffened slightly, his body tensing as he sat there rigidly.

He could feel Su Molan's gaze, but whether it was curiosity, disgust, or indifference... he didn't know and dared not look back.

Just as his emotions were in turmoil, Su Molan's voice finally sounded: "What is a demon seed?"

"A demon seed naturally has something to do with the demon race," Ning Yuzhou said softly.

Pei Qiyu's gaze instantly turned sharp, staring intently at Ning Yuzhou, his face showing signs of restraint and hesitation, as if debating whether to restrain him.

Wen Qiao's eyes remained fixed on him, and she tapped the whip against the sand again, clearly conveying her message: dare to make a move and I'll beat you to death!

She didn't care what Pei Qiyu was; threatening her husband right in front of her was unacceptable.

Pei Qiyu: "..."

"Could it be that Mister Pei is a demon?" Su Molan's face changed dramatically, immediately recalling the demon den suppressed by Suzhou. Looking at Pei Qiyu again, her feelings had changed significantly, and she blurted out, "Is the demon den in Suzhou Valley related to you?"

Pei Qiyu turned his head in surprise, meeting her eyes.

Once, her eyes always seemed misty, giving off a sense of fragility and melancholy. But now, those eyes shone with a brightness that could burn, as if she had made a decision that would affect her life profoundly, transforming her from weak to strong.

Now, her eyes stubbornly stared at him, filled with a determination that felt unfamiliar yet intense.

"It has nothing to do with me!" Pei Qiyu said calmly. "I am a reincarnation of a demon seed, with all my past erased. Now, I am a human cultivator."

Su Molan frowned slightly, half-believing his words, and couldn't help but glance at Ning Yuzhou.

Compared to Pei Qiyu, she trusted Ning Yuzhou and Wen Qiao more.

Pei Qiyu noticed this, his eyes dimming slightly, and he also looked at Ning Yuzhou, his expression turning cold.

Ning Yuzhou tossed a fire talisman into the fire and then said, "Mister Pei's words should be true. A demon seed reincarnates with all past memories erased, becoming a half-human, half-demon entity, capable of either becoming a demon or a human. Mister Pei risked stealing the Heaven Mirror from Demon Sky Sect to conceal his demonic nature, correct?"

Pei Qiyu nodded grimly.

At this point, there was no need to hide anything.

The Heaven Mirror was a high-grade demonic artifact that could conceal a demon's nature, making them indistinguishable from human cultivators. Additionally, it was an invaluable illusionary artifact for those practicing illusionary arts.

During their encounter on Floating Island, when Pei Qiyu was attacked and suddenly disappeared and reappeared, it was due to his practice of the illusionary art known as "Mirror Flower Water Moon."

Having his carefully hidden secret exposed, Pei Qiyu's mood soured, and he asked coldly, "What do you intend to do with me?"

Wen Qiao and Su Molan remained silent, both thinking it wasn't their responsibility since they hadn't exposed his identity.

All eyes turned to Ning Yuzhou.

He maintained a calm and gentle demeanor, "Since the three realms' passage closed, communication between them has been severed for a long time. I'm curious how you managed to come to the human realm and why you chose to be reborn as a human?"

Pei Qiyu's brows furrowed slightly, instinctively unwilling to answer.

But with Ning Yuzhou exposing his identity in front of Su Molan, if not handled properly, the consequences could be dire, especially given the current state of Suzhou Valley and the sensitivity surrounding demons.

Demon cultivators were different from demons; demon cultivators were fundamentally human, while demons were a completely different race from human cultivators.

Pei Qiyu said, "Actually, I don't know much. My memories have only recently awakened, and they are fragmented and incomplete. I don't know who brought me to the human realm. I only know that I came here to find something."

"What are you looking for?"

"Sorry, I don't know. Perhaps when I find it, I will understand."

As a demon seed, Pei Qiyu did not realize he was a reincarnation until recently.

Only in recent years did he vaguely awaken some memories related to being a demon seed, which led him to defect from Demon Sky Sect and steal the Heaven Mirror.

"I have no ill intentions toward the human realm," Pei Qiyu said seriously.

"I believe you," Ning Yuzhou observed. "You haven't tainted yourself with too much bloodshed, but of course, it's possible that you have a larger scheme allowing you to temporarily suppress the evil in your nature."

Pei Qiyu was unsure whether to be grateful for Ning Yuzhou's belief or annoyed that he had exposed his identity.

At this moment, Ning Yuzhou continued, "Are you wondering why I saved your life and kept you here despite knowing your identity?"

Pei Qiyu remained silent, but his slightly furrowed brows indicated that Ning Yuzhou's actions left him utterly perplexed.

Su Molan and Wen Qiao didn't quite understand either.

However, Wen Qiao had a good habit. She knew that Ning Yuzhou never did anything unnecessary and always had his own purpose.

Ning Yuzhou said, "Do you know that in ancient times, there was a warning in the Three Realms: 'When the demon seed appears, all living beings will suffer'?"

Pei Qiyu's expression stiffened slightly.

Su Molan was also startled, and she couldn't help but look at Pei Qiyu. Could he bring destruction to the Human Realm? She couldn't help but think of the demon den suppressed by the Pleiades Star.

"Of course, warnings are just meant to caution people; whether they should be taken seriously is another matter," Ning Yuzhou said slowly. "I heard that if given a chance to grow, the demon seed could reach a terrifying level, one even gods and demons would be unable to kill."

The demon seed, the embodiment of all evil from myriad demons.

The demon seed is inherently the source of all evil, hence the saying, "When the demon seed appears, all living beings will suffer."

However, now the demon seed has reincarnated as a human, given a new life with its own thoughts and judgment, becoming an entirely new being. The demon seed's life has been imbued with human emotions and desires, no longer a pure demon seed.

Pei Qiyu asked calmly, "So, you want to kill me?"

"No, killing you would be simple. Compared to that, I find it more meaningful to keep you alive," Ning Yuzhou's smile became enigmatic. "However, since I've brought this up, I can't let you leave freely."

"What do you want to do then?" Pei Qiyu was increasingly puzzled, feeling that this person's behavior was strange everywhere.

His intuition had proven correct. The first time he met this person, he felt an inexplicable unease, making him instinctively wary and wanting to avoid him.

"We need to leave the Pleiades Continent, and you'll come with us for now," Ning Yuzhou said, glancing meaningfully at Su Molan.

Pei Qiyu: "..."

Pei Qiyu's face instantly turned extremely grim.

***

As night deepened, Ning Yuzhou pulled Wen Qiao back to the tent to rest, leaving only Su Molan and Pei Qiyu by the fire.

In the quiet, cold desert, the sound of black scorpers moving across the sand could be heard from afar.

Su Molan poked at the fire with a spirit sword, her brows slightly furrowed, as if something troubled her.

Suddenly, she threw away the spirit sword and looked up, meeting Pei Qiyu's gaze head-on.

Pei Qiyu casually looked away, as if it were just a coincidence.

Su Molan ignored the coincidence and asked earnestly, "Is the demon den in the Pleiades Valley really not related to you?"

Pei Qiyu pursed his lips and replied, "It has nothing to do with me."

Su Molan smiled, her voice lighter, "That's good. If the demon den really had anything to do with you, I would have killed you."

Pei Qiyu seemed unmoved and lowered his eyes, "Why do you think it would be related to me?"

"Isn't it because you're the reincarnation of the demon seed?" Su Molan said matter-of-factly. "Young Master Ning said that if the demon seed grows, it would become very powerful. Young Master Pei saved me before, and I hope we will never become enemies, nor face each other with swords in the future..."

As she spoke, a hint of sadness appeared on her face.

Pei Qiyu wasn't the first to show her kindness, yet it deeply moved her. Even a demon cultivator was willing to be kind to her, so why couldn't those righteous cultivators?

Pei Qiyu remained silent.

***

Inside the tent, after setting up a silencing spell around them, Wen Qiao asked Ning Yuzhou how he knew Pei Qiyu was the demon seed.

"There are records about the demon seed in my inheritance. A little probing revealed the truth," Ning Yuzhou answered calmly, as if Pei Qiyu's disguise was so crude that it was easy to see through.

Wen Qiao didn't doubt his words and asked, puzzled, "Then why did you choose to take him along?"

Ning Yuzhou smiled, "Isn't it for the sake of the Star Map? The demon den in the Pleiades Continent isn't something ordinary cultivators can handle. Even with the help of high-level Yuan Saints, it might still be impossible. In the end, only the Star Map can suppress it. But the Star Map is damaged, and who knows when it can be fully restored."

Wen Qiao fell silent.

"Moreover, the Pleiades Star was severely injured because of that demon den."

"Really?" Wen Qiao looked at him in surprise.

Ning Yuzhou nodded, his face showing a hint of seriousness, "The Star Map and the Divine Sound Treasure Tree are similar. Their power will eventually be exhausted from suppression, until they can no longer hold it down."

If not for discovering that the Star Map's power had weakened to the point where it could barely suppress the demon den, he wouldn't have suggested taking the Star Map with them, allowing Su Molan to search for a celestial artifact capable of restoring it.

This was a last resort, leaving the Pleiades Continent temporarily vulnerable to the demon den.

"Repairing the Star Map won't be easy. By the time it's strong enough to suppress the demon den again, the demon within might have accumulated enough power."

Hearing this, Wen Qiao finally understood his intention, "You want the demon seed to help deal with the demon in the Thousand Demon Den?"

"If necessary, we have no choice," Ning Yuzhou admitted, stating the worst-case scenario.

Wen Qiao couldn't help but frown. This plan was too risky, akin to dealing with a tiger. If the demon seed grew to a level where even gods and demons couldn't kill it, would it turn against them, causing real suffering?

A hand gently rubbed her head. Wen Qiao looked up, meeting his warm gaze.

"Don't worry, everything will be fine," Ning Yuzhou said softly. "Since I dare to keep him, I have ways to control him."

Wen Qiao's heart quickly settled, nodding firmly, believing his words. He had never disappointed anyone with his promises.

Thus, Wen Qiao happily sat on the spread-out carpet and began meditating.

Ning Yuzhou rarely meditated. He leaned against the wall, his gentle and clear eyes watching her tenderly, his mind wandering far away.

***

Half a month before the black wind would start blowing, they finally arrived at the teleportation array.

The protective formation Ning Yuzhou had set up near the teleportation array showed no signs of damage, indicating that very few cultivators usually came here, and even the black scorpions were scarce.

Seeing the teleportation array, Pei Qiyu couldn't help but sigh, "I see."

Xing poked its head out from Wen Qiao's shoulder to look at him, quickly hiding when Pei Qiyu glanced over. However, remembering that Pei Qiyu had become one of them, it boldly revealed itself again.

Xing already knew from Wen Qiao and Ning Yuzhou the reason they had decided to keep Pei Qiyu with them.

Naturally, Xing was happy that Ning Yuzhou had gone to such lengths for it, but it also shared Wen Qiao's concerns. However, because Wen Qiao trusted Ning Yuzhou so much, it chose to trust him as well.

Pei Qiyu stared at Xing for a while before shifting his gaze to the teleportation array.

Su Molan cast several wind spells to sweep away the yellow sand, revealing the teleportation array beneath, and asked joyfully, "When are we leaving?"

Ning Yuzhou replied, "Anytime, but..."

Everyone turned to look at him.

"I don't have the coordinates for other continents' teleportation arrays, so I'm not sure which continent we'll end up on. Are you sure you want to go?"

Su Molan affirmed firmly, "I am." To repair Xing, she was willing to visit any continent.

Pei Qiyu spoke slowly, "The black wind will soon start blowing in the desert, and there's only half a month left, which isn't enough time for me to safely leave the desert. So, I'll have to go with you."

Hearing this, Xing glanced at him again, but naturally, it couldn't read anything from his expression.

Ning Yuzhou said no more, taking out top-grade spirit stones and placing them into the grooves of the teleportation array.

The four stood inside the teleportation array, and as a flash of spiritual light enveloped them, the familiar pull drew them into a dark tunnel...

When the light faded, the four found themselves standing on solid ground once again, looking around.