Chapter 17 A Hint of Tough Exterior, Soft Interior

Chapter 17: A Hint of Tough Talk, a Soft Heart...

Driven by urgency to find his son, Yuan Qichen strode purposefully at the forefront. Que Zizhen, as was his habit, brought up the rear, naturally positioning the three younger ones within their protective sphere.

They hadn't gone far when the rustling of leaves in the wind reached their ears.

Under normal circumstances, such a subtle noise would hardly catch anyone's attention, but Que Zizhen suddenly realized something. He pressed a hand on the hilt of his sword, Yuan Yu, and came to a halt.

There was no wind in the Karmic Realm.

In the next moment, Que Zizhen swung his sword and turned around. The sharp blade of Yuan Yu simultaneously sliced through several vines as thick as bowls, cutting them in half.

The vines paused for a moment before growing wildly and endlessly, lashing toward him.

Yuan Qichen was also under attack, but what assailed him were not these menacing, bizarre vines waving like claws. Instead, it was the resilient grass, tough as wire, that had stealthily entangled itself around his feet.

Beyond that, everything visible to their eyes began to mutate and attack them without reason.

Yu Xinchen, caught off guard, was dragged away in a certain direction. Qiu Shanshan reacted swiftly, reaching out to grab her. Unexpectedly, the vines were impossibly strong, ending up dragging him along too.

"Qiu Shanshan, let go!"

Letting go might save one, but holding on would mean both would perish.

Gritting his teeth, Qiu Shanshan still refused to let go, even tightening his grip further. His feet were dragged along the ground, leaving a noticeable trail.

Unfortunately, his strength was of little help.

At the critical moment, a long whip sliced through the air. Yuan Qichen flew over immediately, and the moment he grasped Jinghong, the whip transformed into a sharp blade, cleanly severing the vines entangled around Yu Xinchen.

Once detached from their source, the vines withered and died in an instant.

Yu Xinchen, having narrowly escaped death, let out a long sigh of relief. "Thank you... Senior, for saving me."

She never expected her savior to be Yuan Qichen, who not long ago had threatened to eat them.

Yuan Qichen replied indifferently, "Thanks aren't necessary. Just take care of yourself and avoid causing this lord trouble—that’s the real thanks."

"Oh."

For some reason, Yu Xinchen detected a note of tough talk but a soft heart in his words.

But this was the Demon Lord.

Ke Xuesong, having witnessed the scene, felt his heart nearly jump out of his throat. Struggling to fend off wave after wave of frenzied plants, he rushed over to check on his junior martial siblings.

"Are you both alright?"

Qiu Shanshan wiped his sweat, relieved. "We’re fine, thanks to Senior’s timely intervention."

The title "Senior" was becoming more natural for them to use.

Ke Xuesong, however, was different. Having dealt with Yuan Qichen before and even been taken hostage, though he hadn't suffered actual harm, the experience had left him thoroughly unsettled.

This mental hurdle wasn't so easily overcome.

Yet, as fate would have it, they were now all in the same boat.

The one steering and maintaining balance was Que Zizhen.

The direction where Que Zizhen stood had the highest concentration of mutated plants, which surged forward tirelessly.

It was his efforts in holding off the majority of the mutations that gave Ke Xuesong and the others a chance to catch their breath.

Suddenly, a dense net woven from vines appeared, blocking the path between them.

"Go."

That was the only word Que Zizhen spoke before his voice and figure were swallowed by the overwhelming swarm of mutations.

Ke Xuesong took half a step forward, urgently calling out, "Immortal Lord!"

Yuan Qichen grabbed him by the collar, pulling him back. "With Que Zizhen’s abilities, whether he lives or dies is none of your concern. You’d be better off worrying about yourself."

He glanced back once before turning away decisively.

Yu Xinchen, taken aback by his coldness, couldn’t help but ask, "Are we really abandoning Jade Mountain Immortal Lord?"

Without looking back, he walked away.

Yu Xinchen stood frozen for a moment before gritting her teeth and following with head bowed.

Qiu Shanshan did the same.

Left with no choice, Ke Xuesong made the choice without hesitation between his junior martial siblings and Jade Mountain Immortal Lord.

Because Jade Mountain Immortal Lord would undoubtedly want him to do so.

-

Yuan Xiao, unaware of the commotion his opening of the coffin lid had caused outside, stood dumbfounded, completely captivated by the beauty lying inside the coffin.

Having grown accustomed to his father’s alluring face, few could capture Yuan Xiao’s attention. Yet, the person before him was entirely different.

Naturally, Yuan Xiao, still wet behind the ears, harbored no improper thoughts—only pure admiration.

"See anything?" Tang Lin had regained some color.

Just as Yuan Xiao was about to answer, the beauty in the coffin abruptly opened his eyes, startling Yuan Xiao so much that he leaped backward, jumping three yards away.

Immediately after, a pair of hands with distinct knuckles gripped the edge of the coffin, pushing the stiff body upright.

Tang Lin: "..."

Yuan Xiao: "..."

A corpse coming back to life?!

"Don’t be afraid. This shell has been dead for thousands of years. I’m merely borrowing it temporarily to make conversation easier." The beauty smiled as he spoke, though the stiffness of the body gave it an eerie quality.

Dead for thousands of years and still so well-preserved—how terrifying!

Yuan Xiao clung tightly to Tang Lin for courage, a suspicion forming in his mind.

He asked, "Was it you who brought us here?"

The other party remained silent in response, smiling.

To Yuan Xiao, this was a silent confirmation.

Before entering this realm, they had passed through a temporal rift—then it felt as if someone had yanked them violently. When they opened their eyes, they were already inside that corridor, with no visible entrance.

“Sir, why have you invited us here?” Tang Lin asked politely—using the word “invited,” yet his eyes brimmed with wariness.

The beautiful figure smiled coldly and said, “Perhaps you’ve heard of my name—I am Mo Zhu.”

Yuan Xiao scratched his head awkwardly, embarrassed to admit he’d never heard of him. Fortunately, Tang Lin knew: “Demon King Mo Zhu? But you should have died long ago.”

“Correct. Yet this is the Karma Realm.”

He was not the true Mo Zhu, but rather a fragment of consciousness left behind after Mo Zhu’s death—trapped within the Karma Realm.

Or rather, both his residual consciousness and his physical body were imprisoned here.

“He deceived me—and yet expected me to continue loving him as if nothing had happened, caging me like a bird.”

“Who is ‘he’?” Yuan Xiao asked sharply.

Mo Zhu uttered another legendary name: “Liu Qi.”

Tang Lin had no time to ponder the complicated relationship between Demon King and Demon Lord—he only sensed something deeply wrong: “Isn’t this *your* Karma Realm? Why say you’re imprisoned in a cage?”

His question struck the core. A bitter smile flickered across Mo Zhu’s stiff face: “This is *his* Karma Realm too.”

So…

“I’d like to ask a small favor of you.”

-

“Damn it—why are these things so hard to deal with? They just keep coming!”

“Quick—this way!”

“No good—this direction’s blocked too!”

It wasn’t only Yuan Qichen’s group under attack—others who had entered the Karma Realm were also targeted.

Dragging three companions who slowed him down, Yuan Qichen fled from the frenzied mutated plants until they reached a cliff edge—nowhere left to run.

Before Qiu Shanshan could utter “We’re doomed,” the pursuing plants abruptly retreated entirely.

As if something even more terrifying lay ahead.

Yu Xinchen and Qiu Shanshan gasped for breath, collapsing unceremoniously onto the ground—looking utterly disheveled.

Ke Xuesong fared slightly better—at least he remained standing—but that was all.

Others gradually escaped to this spot. Besides those they’d seen earlier, cultivators from other sects, rogue cultivators, yaoguai, and mo had also arrived.

Many were injured. Compared to them, Yu Xinchen and his companions were relatively unscathed—and fortunate.

One could surmise that far more had likely perished.

Yuan Qichen’s arrival once again stirred unease—but having narrowly escaped death, the others had lost all arrogance.

All who had entered the Karma Realm gathered here—including the demon who’d overestimated himself and attacked Yuan Xiao in the Ascension Pavilion. Yet still, there was no sign of Yuan Xiao or Tang Lin.

Could it be they never entered the Karma Realm at all?

If so, that might actually be a blessing.

But Yuan Qichen’s brow remained furrowed.

Why hadn’t Que Zizhen caught up yet?

It made no sense.

“Why hasn’t the Immortal Lord arrived yet?” Yu Xinchen voiced the very thought on Yuan Qichen’s mind.

Ke Xuesong was equally anxious—but unwilling to further panic his shimei, he could only offer reassurance: “Perhaps he was delayed by something.”

With a moment to catch their breath, the others began speculating about the earlier anomaly: “Those vines withdrew the moment we reached this place—could it be they deliberately led us here?”

“Maybe something beneath the cliff terrifies them.”

“Could it be the legacy of the Karma Realm?”

At those words, everyone fell silent—and every heart raced with excitement.

Hadn’t they come precisely for the Karma Realm’s legacy?

But…

“Who can guarantee this isn’t a trap?”

Below the cliff hung thick black mist—obscuring everything beneath. It could be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity—or a one-way descent into oblivion.

“This is simple enough,” Bian Xi said, grabbing a cultivator from an immortal sect and tossing him over the cliff without hesitation.

“You—!”

The unfortunate cultivator belonged to a minor sect—only a few members present—and none of them spoke up for him.

Besides, the others didn’t necessarily oppose Bian Xi’s method.

The victim’s screams faded rapidly into the distance as he plummeted into the abyss—yet no impact echoed back.

“See?” Bian Xi declared, as if doing them a favor. “Since it’s safe, I’ll go first.”

Without hesitation, he leapt down.

The others exchanged glances—and followed.

Yuan Qichen continued staring in the direction they’d come from—until only the four of them remained at the cliff’s edge.

“Senior, should we wait here for the Immortal Lord?” Yu Xinchen asked.

This time, Yuan Qichen’s response seemed less decisive—but his answer remained unchanged: “Whether you wait or not is your decision. Don’t ask me.”

In the end, they chose to trust the Jade Mountain Immortal Lord—and followed Yuan Qichen downward.

Upon landing, Yuan Qichen was unsurprised to find himself in familiar scenery.

This was indeed the valley where Mo Zhu and Liu Qi had once lived in seclusion. Yet now, veiled in black mist, it was dark and desolate—a stark contrast to the scene he’d witnessed in Mo Zhu’s memories.

He recognized it largely because of that plain, yet strangely incongruous, house.

Others noticed the house too—but the moment someone approached, demonic energy engulfed them, and they collapsed, blood gushing from all seven orifices.

The crowd instinctively turned to Yuan Qichen—eyes filled with fear and suspicion.

Yuan Qichen laughed at their foolishness: “Why look at me? Take a look for yourselves.”

The house door swung open—and a young man stepped out. Seeing the crowd crowding outside his threshold, he said with mild annoyance: “My humble abode is too modest to host so many guests.”

Author’s Note: