Chapter Sixty-Five: The Everlasting Presence of Demons in the World

All around were walls of ice. Su Fan was pressed against one wall, and then another wall pressed the one with Su Fan against yet another wall. It was as if he were surrounded by an enormous mirror, dazzling his eyes until he was forced to close them.

Seated cross-legged on the ground, Su Fan’s hands moved ceaselessly, weaving spell after spell, each formation flickering into the void and vanishing. Yet in that instant of disappearance, a nearly imperceptible fine thread flashed and vanished. The formations he cast did not strike the same place; after countless attacks, Su Fan exhaled heavily, sighing, “What manner of formation is this, so strange and wondrous?”

Though his words carried awe, his expression was full of disdain. With that, Su Fan’s hands formed precise seals, sending formations in a rhythmic pattern toward the unseen, and a sound like shattering porcelain echoed forth. Su Fan smiled faintly and stepped forward, then sat back down, smoothing his sleeves and raising his hands again to summon white beams that struck at the void.

Suddenly, a voice rang out, “If you set down another restriction, you will die a most miserable death.” The voice was like a specter from the deepest underworld, yet possessed a tyrannical authority that compelled belief. Su Fan felt an urge to obey, as if his formation really would bring death if he cast it.

He rose slowly, looking at the ice coffin and tentatively asked, “Restriction?” The voice was silent for a long while, then replied, “Restriction—so what?”

The voice was weak, sounding as if it had no desire to respond. Su Fan felt awkward; his knowledge was too shallow, and he knew little of such restrictions.

He stroked his chin and asked, “What is a restriction?” The voice paused again, this time with a hint of anger, coldly responding, “You do not know what a restriction is? Are you not curious about who I am?”

Su Fan gave a bitter smile. “Your identity, elder, has nothing to do with me. If I have disturbed you, I will leave at once.”

This time the voice replied swiftly, “You wish to leave? Without my permission, no one can leave.” Su Fan, helpless, asked, “Then, what must I do for you to allow me to leave?”

No more sound came. As Su Fan puzzled over this, a pitch-black vortex formed three inches in front of the ice coffin. The voice sounded again, “Step in.”

Su Fan demanded, “Why must I enter?” The voice replied impatiently, “You have no other choice.”

Su Fan shook his head and stepped forward; this time, he did not return to where he started but walked straight into the vortex. His vision turned gray, reminiscent of a dream, but Su Fan now knew this was no dream—it was reality.

Burnt animal corpses, smoldering giant trees, and rigid black crows perched on branches. The sky was shrouded in gray clouds; not a bird could be seen, only swarms of ants crawling across scorched earth.

Suddenly, from the void, a red foot stepped out, followed by a creature entirely crimson. It was as red as fire, with a pair of golden horns that seemed symbols of power and authority. The creature let out a furious roar, then pointed skyward and declared, “By the identity of my royal immortal-demon lineage, I summon the Divine Blade of Solar Incineration!”

As the words fell, the heavens quaked, and the clouds parted as if obeying some command. Sunlight streamed in through the gap, scorching and fierce, as if to burn the world to ashes.

At the heart of the blazing sun, an intense white light appeared, the kind that could only exist at temperatures higher than the sun’s itself. The red creature beckoned, and the white beam flew toward him, leaping up to seize it, a long blade manifesting in his grasp. The blade was ancient and worn, yet dazzlingly luxurious and noble—a royal artifact, a treasure of the immortal-demon clan.

Su Fan sighed inwardly. If not for this primordial era, could there truly exist beings stronger than cultivators? Were these immortals? The immortal-demons possessed legendary power, but called themselves demons—could true demons exist, those who slaughtered without remorse and thirsted for blood?

He ceased his musings, his gaze fixed on the immortal-demon. With a sweep of the Divine Blade, the clouds turned blood-red. The earth split open into deep chasms, and flames engulfed the ground, a true sea of fire, with flames capable of melting anything.

Slowly, the immortal-demon raised his left hand and opened his palm, revealing a red orb the size of a pill, riddled with cracks. He slashed his right hand with the blade, and a drop of bright red blood fell onto the orb. He looked at it, and when the blood fully merged, he smiled in satisfaction.

Then, he cast a cold glance over the endless sea of fire, tossing the orb into the flames. In a deep voice, he declared, “I bestow upon you the name ‘Exterminator of Immortals’. Within ten thousand years, should you achieve greatness, return to my clan.” With those words, the immortal-demon stepped into the void and vanished.

Su Fan was deeply shaken; he knew he would never witness such a scene again in his lifetime. Then he felt as though he himself had become the red orb, spending countless ages in the fire sea. He felt no heat, no discomfort, only a quiet slumber.

He could not tell how much time had passed, nor how many birds had fallen from the sky. The flames beside the red orb seemed to dwindle, and Su Fan gave a low exclamation, watching closely. The orb, like an egg, was covered in cracks. More flames disappeared, and Su Fan saw clearly—they were being absorbed into the orb.

The cracks grew, the gaps widened, as if something within was about to break free. With a faint crack, the orb split open, revealing a tiny figure the size of a thumb. Not a human, but an immortal-demon, with red skin and barely visible golden horns.

The small immortal-demon seemed delighted in the fire, swimming through the sea of flames that could melt all things. As the fire dwindled, the immortal-demon grew, and the golden horns became more pronounced. Su Fan sighed inwardly; this was the process of the immortal-demon clan nurturing their offspring.

The newborn immortal-demon was Exterminator of Immortals, and Su Fan felt a sense of wonder at the clan. More than that, he felt awe for cultivators—so this world’s greatest power lay elsewhere.

Exterminator of Immortals grew to the height of an ordinary adult, though Su Fan sensed he was still an infant. If he reached adulthood, based on the immortal-demon Su Fan had seen before, he would be several times larger than a common man.

The fire sea shrank, and Exterminator of Immortals stood in the void, king of the heavens and earth. Suddenly, a drop of water from the void fell on his hand, and he roared wildly. The immortal-demon clan forbade the existence of water in the world; all water must retreat before them.

But dark clouds covered the red clouds, rain quenched the flames, and terror shone from Exterminator of Immortals’ red eyes.

He pointed to the sky and shouted, “Let the first sun appear, destroy all water in the world!” Words became reality—sunlight broke through, but in a tremor, the sun vanished from the void. A bright moon appeared, darkness fell, rain poured, and cold descended.

Exterminator of Immortals whimpered like a child, then threw flames in a desperate attempt to drive away the cold. At last, he collapsed, powerless, lying in the rain, letting the hated water fall upon him.

The rain ceased, wind rose—a cold wind. The rain froze into ice, and Exterminator of Immortals went mad, striking at his golden horns with a fierce blow. The hand fell, the horn shattered—one horn broke completely, the other only partially, but Exterminator of Immortals had vanished.

Who knew how many ages passed? The world was sealed in ice. Su Fan felt a stabbing pain in his mind. When he opened his eyes again, all was red; nothing but a crimson world.

He looked around, and with a sudden grasp into the void, caught a person—a short young man, with a shifty face and light blue Taoist robes. He looked at Su Fan with disdain, his gaze saying clearly: this is my domain, do not be arrogant.

Su Fan glared coldly at the youth. “Why did you harm me?”

The youth looked up dismissively. “Harm you? I would not bother to lay a hand on you.”

Suddenly, Su Fan formed a seal, and the youth fell to his knees, crying out, “Master, spare me, I’ll tell you everything!”

Su Fan coughed, thinking inwardly, How could a Nascent Soul stage cultivator behave so erratically?

With a blank expression, Su Fan asked, “Who are you? What is this place?”

The youth, seeing Su Fan did not act, rose hurriedly and flattered, “Master, you are so handsome and powerful. I wish to be your servant.”

To have a Nascent Soul stage cultivator as a servant—what prestige! Su Fan paused, then snorted coldly.

The youth’s expression changed dramatically. “My name is Liu Xiaoyu. You may call me Xiaoyu.”

Su Fan grew impatient. “Where is this place?”

Liu Xiaoyu replied, “Inside the body of the immortal-demon.”

Su Fan asked in confusion, “Immortal-demon?”

Liu Xiaoyu answered proudly, “Didn’t you, master, sense that vision?”

Su Fan nodded slightly, not minding Liu Xiaoyu’s change of address.

Liu Xiaoyu continued, “If you can take me away, I can grant you unimaginable fortune.”