CH 69

“Quick, look, someone’s coming out of there!”

“Something’s coming out, and it smells awful, it’s a hybrid!”

“What? I’m furious right now, get someone to kill them!”

Lights flickered throughout Qilin City, and people were awakened from their sleep, disturbed by the news that the hybrids had caused trouble. They rushed out of their rooms in anger.

But within moments, everyone was left stunned.

In the past, the hybrids seen in the city were solitary, small, and child-like in appearance. However, the hybrids pouring out of the formation gate now brought an overwhelming sense of oppression, and their numbers seemed endless, forming a dark, overwhelming crowd.

People turned pale with fear and realized the danger. They hurried towards the Lord’s mansion, the safest place in their minds.

The hybrids that emerged from the gate breathed in the outside air with ecstasy. “Is it time? Is the Demon King finally going to make a move?”

They looked around and saw the panicked crowd. A bloodthirsty smile appeared on their faces, and they were about to go on a killing spree to vent their anger. But then, a figure appeared in the sky.

“City Lord-!”

“Our King-!”

Two different voices resounded over Qilin City, creating a bizarre overlapping of sounds in the noisy night.

People rushing to the Demon King’s Mansion realized something and stopped in their tracks. They looked up at the stern-faced Wen Renqin and collectively froze. “Demon… Demon King.”

On the other side, the hybrids sneered and made a lot of noise. They surveyed their surroundings and saw the panicked crowd. Bloodthirsty smiles appeared on their faces, and they were eager to unleash their fury. One of them exclaimed, “Our King, starting from Qilin City, let’s kill all these demons who looked down on us!”

“I had my leg broken by them when I was a child due to an accidental encounter with their formation. Thanks to our King, I was saved. These demons deserve to die for their crimes!”

“No need for words, kill them all!”

Thinking of their past grievances, they all showed murderous intent and were ready to slaughter every citizen in the city with the King’s command.

Wenren Qin’s gaze fell heavily on one place. The veins on the back of his hand bulged, and Zhou Xuanlan’s revelation about the hybrids was known throughout the city. In a short time, the news would spread throughout the Three Realms. With his wings not yet fully developed, there was only one path left for him.

However, Zhou Xuanlan had miscalculated in one aspect; he had underestimated him.

Wenren Qin’s smile turned sinister.

The vermilion city gates stood wide open, and the citizens who had reacted first rushed outside. But at this moment, spiritual energy condensed around them, forming a barrier. Black flames erupted from the ground, gradually rising to the sky, surrounding the entire Qilin City. The frightened crowd tried to attack the barrier with their magic tools, but no matter what kind of attack they used, it was as if their efforts were sinking into the abyss.

“What’s going on? We can’t get out this way!”

“We can’t go this way either!”

“Quick, run! The hybrids are coming!”

Panic spread among the people as the hybrids continued to pour out of the formation gate. In less than a moment, it seemed that the Qilin City would become the dominion of the hybrids, and if they couldn’t get out, their deaths were certain.

At that moment, a familiar voice spoke calmly, devoid of any emotion.

“Surrender, and you can live.”

When the words fell, Wen Renqin ignored him. He had sealed the city, and he had plenty of time to rectify the situation. All he needed to do was eliminate the culprit!

Wen Renqin opened his palm, and a shadowy fire rose, manipulating the formation. The entire ground of the Qilin City transformed like a sheet of paper, splitting apart and rearranging. Two-thirds of the hybrids were gathered in one area to deal with Zhou Xuanlan and Huajian.

Shen Liuxiang, as he switched positions seven or eight times, the people around him were swept away, and his hands froze in midair, holding small shreds of fabric from their sleeves.

Within a few miles, there was no one in sight, only the echoing sounds of battle in the air.

He blinked, and suddenly Wenren Qin appeared in front of him, wearing a chilling smile on his face as he extended his hand, saying, “Come to my side, I don’t want to harm you.”

Shen Liuxiang watched him warily, taking a step back.

Zhou Xuanlan had previously noticed something was amiss and suspected that Wenren Qin had used his soul to manipulate the formation, with his body serving as the eye of the formation.

This was an extremely dangerous method. Especially within the Senluo Mandala, which was an ancient grand formation, the slightest mistake could lead to the scattering of one’s soul.

But Wenren Qin had succeeded, and now he had complete control within the formation, making him nearly invincible.

Shen Liuxiang felt an overwhelming sense of pressure from Wenren Qin for the first time. His intuition told him he wasn’t a match for him. He said without words, “If you don’t want to hurt me, then turn around and leave!”

Wenren Qin suddenly laughed, and the ferocity between his brows softened slightly. “I can’t bear to.”

As he spoke, he glanced to the south and sensed Zhou Xuanlan’s movements. He decided not to say more and took action.

Delaying any longer could lead to unforeseen consequences. Wenren Qin had made all the necessary preparations and was only waiting for Shen Liuxiang to arrive. Even if he severely injured him, he had to take him away.

Bang!

Qilin City was in turmoil, except for the Seventh Demon Kings’ mansion, which remained unscathed and the only haven within the city.

Xiong You stood at the gate, wanting to go outside to see what was happening, but if he left now, the hybrids outside would certainly consider him an enemy. It was better to stay in the mansion.

As he hesitated, Wenren Qin returned, carrying someone in his arms.

The person was slightly tilting his head, with a pale face, and his lips were stained crimson with blood. His hand, which hung at his waist, was soaked in blood flowing from his wrist. It was a bloody mess, and he remained motionless, clearly unconscious.

Xiong You was shocked. “Who injured Lord Shen?”

The response he received was devoid of any emotion. “I did.”

Xiong You remained stunned in place, not reacting even when Wenren Qin took Shen Liuxiang back to their room.

How could this happen?

Inside the room, someone was waiting. When they saw Shen Liuxiang severely injured and unconscious, a woman with red lips said, “You seemed to like him very much, yet you struck him so ruthlessly.”

“Don’t waste time,” Wenren Qin said coldly, placing Shen Liuxiang on the bed. “Give me the Gu insect.”

“It’s not in vain that you’re my son; your methods are just like mine.” An Qin opened her hand, revealing two insects—one large and one small Gu.

Years ago, when she fell in love with Wenren Du at first sight, she left her Miao clan to pursue him into the Demon Realm. However, her feelings were unrequited. She resorted to some tricks, placing a Love Flower Gu on Wen Renqin. This ensured that even if his heart could escape, his body could not.

Although she fell out of favor for a while due to giving birth to Wen Renqin, she eventually became the beloved queen after disposing of Wenren Qin who loved Wenren Du to the core and continued to live happily.

Unfortunately, her son was a bit too ruthless.

An Qin sat on the edge of the bed, using her hand to control the child Gu, slowly moving it towards the fingertips of the person on the bed. “We agreed, I would help you remove the Love Flower Gu, and you would spare Wenren Du.”

“Father and mother have a deep bond, and I will naturally fulfill your wish.”

Wenren Qin squatted by the bedside, holding Shen Liuxiang’s hand, and injected spiritual energy into it. He frowned. “Make the Gu act faster; I want to take him to the Spirit Medicine Pool for treatment.”

An Qin chuckled, but there was a hint of melancholy in her eyes. Affected by her emotions, she gradually slowed down the movement of the child Gu that had crawled to Shen Liuxiang’s fingertip.

Wen Renqin’s expression darkened. “If you go back on your word, I’ll make Wenren Du disappear from this world immediately.”

An Qin fell silent for a moment and said, “If you truly like him, don’t use this method. The Love Flower Gu can control the body but not the heart. In the end, you’ll end up like me…”

“No need for your opinion!”

Wenren Qin’s eyes turned cold, and a mocking smile curved his lips. “Is this the time to be a good mother? It only makes me sick! You just need to apply the Gu. I’ll send you and Wenren Du away safely, and we’ll never see each other again. Otherwise, if I see you, I’ll kill you!”

An Qin’s slender fingers curled, and she silently urged the child Gu, which came to a halt at Shen Liuxiang’s fingertip.

“The sub-insect will take half an hour to establish itself. Once successful, a pattern will appear on his neck. When that happens, wake up the mother Gu, and it will enter your body on its own.”

Wenren Qin took the sleeping mother Gu, picked up the severely injured Shen Liuxiang, and left without looking back.

“I’ll move you to Wenren Du’s side first. He’s dying; save him yourself.”

An Qin got up, and as she did, a cluster of dried locust flowers suddenly fell from her sleeve. She looked down and was stunned for a moment. She bent down to pick it up, but the flowers disappeared from her hand uncontrollably.

Wenren Qin cleared away the aquatic herbs on the surface of the medicinal pool, placing Shen Liuxiang into the pool. The crimson bloodstains instantly spread in the water.

A stinging pain radiated from his wounds, causing him to furrow his brows. His long eyelashes trembled slightly, showing signs of awakening.

Wenren Qin sat cross-legged by the edge of the pool, adjusted his spiritual energy slightly, and when he opened his eyes again, his ice-cold phoenix eyes were fixed on Shen Liuxiang.

“What did you do?”

As Shen Liuxiang’s consciousness returned, he sensed something moving erratically within his body. His handsome face was filled with frost.

Wen Renqin spoke, “I put a rare and precious spirit grass in the spirit medicine pool. Is the injury better?”

Shen Liuxiang didn’t answer, he spoke once more, “It’s the Love Flower Gu.”

Although Shen Liuxiang had never heard of it, the moment he heard the name, he knew it couldn’t be anything good. He opened his mouth, and suddenly, a sharp pain in his chest made his cheeks pale as snow.

Wenren Qin’s expression changed, and he reached out to touch Shen Liuxiang’s shoulder, about to speak. But he was interrupted by Shen Liuxiang’s hoarse voice. “Don’t touch me!”

WenRen Qin was taken aback. “Do you despise me that much?”

Shen Liuxiang’s expression was indifferent.

Wenren Qin suddenly gripped his shoulder tightly. “Is it because of what I’ve done? Creating those hybrids? Others may not understand, but you should! If I didn’t intervene, if I didn’t act, who would help those poor creatures in the Three Realms? No one! Absolutely no one! I just didn’t want others to suffer the same fate as me. I just wanted hybrids to have a place in this world! Don’t you understand? What have I done wrong?”

Shen Liuxiang asked, “Is this your reason for forcibly creating tens of thousands of hybrids?”

“There must be sacrifices,” Wenren Qin said, clenching his hand until his fingernails almost pierced his palm. “Did you know that of all the people and demons I captured, after completing the mission, I released every single one of them without killing anyone?”

Shen Liuxiang’s eyes widened.

If that was the case, why had no one ever exposed Wenren Qin’s actions?

Wenren Qin laughed when he saw Shen Liuxiang’s expression. “Do you find it unbelievable? But that’s the truth. They all kept their mouths shut, not one of them was willing to let it be known that they have hybrid children.”

As he laughed, Wenren Qin’s expression turned icy. “Since we share the same bloodline, why would you so easily abandon them?”

Wen Renqin’s gaze remained fixed on Shen Liuxiang, his tone slightly changed, and a hint of confusion and helplessness crept in. “Do you know why I insist on taking a nap in the morning? When I was a child, they locked me in a pitch-black cell for research. This was the rest time he designated for me. Even after I killed them later on, I couldn’t change this habit.”

“I’ve already escaped from the grim and dark water cell, but I often have moments of confusion. Perhaps everything now is a dream, and I’m still in that cell, desperate and howling.”

“No one saved me.”

“Until the Heart Demon found you.”

Shen Liuxiang asked, “Xiao Qi?” He guessed that Xiao Qi was Wenren Qin but didn’t expect that it was the manifestation of the Heart Demon.

“He liked you a lot, but I’m different,” Wenren Qin’s expression was complex. “I’m no longer him. Whether I like someone or not doesn’t matter. I’m just too lonely, and I’ve grown a heart that can feel jealousy.”

He looked at Shen Liuxiang. “Zhou Xuanlan and I are the same kind of people. But why is he so lucky to have you by his side, while I have nothing?”

Shen Liuxiang replied, “He’s not the same as you.”

Wenren Qin sneered, “He’s just lucky not to have tasted the bitterness of despair like I have. Otherwise, he might be crazier than me…no…”

Wenren Qin’s expression suddenly turned joyful. “I took you away from him, and now he’s on the brink of madness. I wonder if he’s tired of killing all the subordinates under my command. If he is, death won’t be far off.”

Shen Liuxiang remained silent, focusing on quickly restoring his internal energy.

At this moment, Wen Renqin’s hand rested on Shen Liuxiang’s neck, and he used one hand to grasp Shen Liuxiang’s soft, black hair while pulling down his robe. His gaze fixed on Shen Liuxiang’s pale neck. “It should be about time.”

However, Wenren Qin didn’t anticipate that when he pulled at the robe, it remained as immovable as a rock, tightly adhering to Shen Liuxiang’s body.

Especially since this action triggered a minor spell, causing a voice to suddenly resound above the medicinal pool, its momentum fierce and full of malevolence.

“Don’t think that just because I’m not here a mere little Demon King can succeed! Release your hand from this young master now!!!”

T/N: Yeah okay I felt for Wenren Qin’s backstory, in fact, I lowkey liked him, but then he had to go do all that with the dungeons and all… sigh… anyways Immortal Shen is NOT going to be happy when he finds out there is a whole insect running laps inside of him.