I am Guhuoniao, not an umbrella demon, please do not disturb me.

Bai Qingyu stopped in his tracks, his eyes gradually losing focus. Following Yuzao's gaze, he looked in the direction Bai Qingyu was staring at, but there was nothing in the sky. Then, beneath the azure sky, in Bai Qingyu's vision, the phantom of the divine dragon had just appeared when it was entangled by a spider lily.

The nascent dragon phantom, which had just begun to show signs of improvement, gradually began to transform into a skeleton, a skeleton clad in armor, under the entanglement of this spider lily.

"This is... a Wild Skeleton?"

Bai Qingyu wasn't sure if it was true; she had only seen it in the Demon Book.

These two armored skeletons look remarkably alike.

When Bai Qingyu came to her senses, everything in front of her had disappeared, as if it had never existed.

Please vote for me, sob sob sob

Volume 1: Chapter 157 Bai Qingyu's Great Crisis

The Chosen One is someone who bears the destiny of heaven. The founder of the Great Spirit Dynasty was also a Chosen One. It was under his power and influence that the Great Spirit was born. Now, the destiny and fortune have been transferred to this person.

It can only be said that fortunes change, and the cycle of blooming and withering continues endlessly. If the red spider lily did not exist, this person would surely change the world.

It might be a year, or it might be ten years.

"So even destiny can be altered one day. Xu Yuanqing should be the real culprit."

Xu Yuanqing's reforms have given the Great Spirit a renewed upward trend in its national fortune, which naturally weakens the Chosen One—it's a perfectly normal thing. Bai Qingyu murmured to himself as he led Tamamo-no-Mae into the town.

The town was controlled by the forces led by the Chosen One. Unlike other rebel groups, they did not indiscriminately kill innocent people. Instead, they gathered the townspeople together and gave a speech in a small square, telling them that the court was corrupt and that the only way to escape their current lives was to overthrow those in the capital.

Bai Qingyu was enveloped in demonic power, making her invisible to everyone. She stood on the roof of a house near the small square, watching the person giving the speech from afar.

He was probably in his thirties, clad in armor with a weathered face. At first glance, he didn't seem special at all; apart from his powerful luck, he was just an ordinary person.

Who could have imagined that this loud-voiced rebel leader, if not for his influence in the capital, would eventually become the founding emperor?

"A very idealistic person, with lofty ambitions, but unfortunately it was all for naught."

Bai Qingyu left after saying a few words, then silently turned and left.

She wasn't particularly interested in the Chosen One; she only wanted to find the Spider Lily and Onikiri.

Looking around, the spider lily wasn't here, but it was most likely in one of the towns surrounding this one.

Once again on her journey, Bai Qingyu saw the red spider lily again in a neighboring town. She hadn't paid attention to it until she spotted a red spider lily blooming outside the town, at which point she turned her gaze to it.

Finding the red spider lily was much simpler than Bai Qingyu had imagined.

The demon, Higanbana, is a beautiful girl with black hair and red eyes. She is around seventeen years old and has an enchanting and stunning appearance. She reminds Bai Qingyu of a little snake. Higanbana and the little snake look somewhat alike, and her overall temperament leans towards allure and enchantment.

The little snake is alright; it has a kind and innocent personality, so it gives people the feeling of a pure and innocent young girl.

But the red spider lily is different.

Bai Qingyu saw her sitting on the grass under an old tree by the river, with an inscrutable smile on her face. It has to be said that the smile was truly beautiful, so beautiful that it was intoxicating.

"Do you really like me?" The red spider lily is not only captivating with its smile, but also with its mesmerizing gaze and gentle, alluring words.

Just like the glaring man next to her.

At this moment, the man wished he could throw himself into the arms of the spider lily. His eyes were filled with madness and a strong possessiveness as he looked at the spider lily. He was in a state where his soul had been bewitched and he was willing to offer everything to the spider lily.

He couldn't resist the girl's beauty, nor could he resist her captivating voice and eyes.

So he nodded eagerly and made a sweet vow in front of the girl to accompany her for life and never look back.

The girl giggled after hearing this, and the man thought his words had deeply moved her. Little did he know that the girl's smile was a mocking and cold one, and her eyes had subtly changed from alluring to indifferent, a coldness as if she were looking at a dead person.

The man was completely oblivious to the change in the girl's expression. He was panting heavily and couldn't control himself as he lunged at her. However, he immediately realized that he couldn't move his body. Looking down, he discovered that a sea of ​​spider lilies had bloomed beneath his feet, and the sea of ​​flowers was engulfing his body. In a short time, his entire foot sank into it.

Slowly, it went from his calves to his knees and then to his thighs. Completely unable to struggle, the man finally regained consciousness.

The feeling of being forced to watch yourself die is unbearable; the sense of despair is suffocating.

The man struggled desperately, weeping bitterly, but could not make a sound. His mouth was agape, his face filled with anxiety, and he was swallowed up by the sea of ​​red spider lilies in an eerie silence.

The red spider lily watched the man struggle, as if it had seen something very interesting. It covered its mouth and chuckled softly, its branches trembling.

"Heh heh heh, humans, always spouting oaths and promises. If you truly live up to your oath, then come down to the underworld with me first."

"Why are you looking at me like that? Are you confused? I'm not joking, I'm serious. Did I ever say I was human? It seems you've misunderstood something."

Even the girl's laughter was so melodious and captivating.

The man had completely vanished, swallowed up by the illusory sea of ​​spider lilies. Just as he had vowed, he was forever with the spider lilies, becoming a part of them and nourishment for their growth.

"Isn't it interesting that humans are afraid of monsters, yet they still want to get close to them?"

After the man disappeared, a flower from the sea of ​​flowers appeared in the other shore flower's hand. Her slender fingers held the flower stem, gazing at the bright red flower. Her eyes were flirtatious, as if she were talking to herself, or as if she were talking to someone unseen beside her.

The girl wore a long-sleeved black dress, which spread out as she sat down, resembling a blooming black flower. A red rope tied in front of her chest and abdomen was shaped like a spider lily. At first glance, it was impossible to tell whether the boy was human or demon.

Where did that person go?

Bai Qingyu appeared beside the other shore flower.

"Of course, you'll become my nourishment." Under the shade of the tree, the spider lily glanced at Bai Qingyu, her eyes calm and undisturbed.

“If you continue like this, something bad will happen one day. This world belongs to humans, and not all humans are as fragile and insignificant as you think. Aren’t you afraid that the cultivators outside will target you?”

Bai Qingyu simply sat down on the grass, not far from the spider lilies.

"I'm afraid, so I need to absorb more nutrients to strengthen myself, so that I can turn everyone who comes to me into a part of my body."

"Why bother? Is this the kind of life you want?"

"of course."

"So, after you've gathered so much nourishment and grown stronger, what are you going to do next?"

"..."

The red spider lily remained silent for a moment, then said, "This is none of your business."

"It really has nothing to do with me, I was just mentioning it casually. Have you seen this demon before?"

Bai Qingyu raised his hand, and his demonic power created the figure of Luo Qie, but faded his face and shrunk his body to the appearance of a ten-year-old. The main feature was the three long swords on his back.

The red spider lily glanced at it sideways. "I've seen it before, but why should I tell you?"

"Because I can show you the way forward."

Bai Qingyu glanced at him sideways and said, "I don't know what you're afraid of or worried about, but I can tell you that you can't stay in the mortal world. I don't care if you absorb nutrients, but sooner or later someone will come to take care of you. You should stop as soon as possible."

"Becoming stronger is for a free and unrestrained life, but right now, because you lack a sense of security, you have no sense of belonging, and you have no place to settle down, you keep searching for nourishment. Am I right?"

"As for needing nutrients to care for your flower field, I can't help you with that. But I can help you with the former. If you don't know which way to go tomorrow, if you feel lost and insecure, you can come to me anytime, as long as you don't have any karmic burdens."

Bai Qingyu stood up, raised her hand and waved it, and a pure white feather appeared in her hand.

"Use this to contact me. One day you'll need it."

Using her demonic power, she pushed the feather to the spider lily. The spider lily hesitated for a moment, then took the feather.

In fact, Bai Qingyu's aura made her feel very comfortable and safe. She could also sense that Bai Qingyu had no ill intentions towards her. She was just instinctively averse to strangers, especially strangers like Bai Qingyu whose strength far surpassed hers.

“I have adopted many lost monsters like you, and together they have formed a very warm home.”

"I'm saying all this not to get you to join me, but to make you understand that I have no ill intentions towards you, nor is there any need for me to have any. The monster I'm looking for is simply someone I hope will stop wandering outside and come home with me."

"Home..." When the other shore flower heard this word, for a moment she really wanted to mock Bai Qingyu.

This world is far from perfect, yet her subconscious told her that Bai Qingyu was very likely telling the truth.

"That demon is following a human. I don't know where it is right now. The last time I saw it was in a small town in the east that was full of peach trees."

The other shore flower opened its mouth after Bai Qingyu's feather was taken.

"Okay, then I won't bother you anymore."

Bai Qingyu stood up. "My name is Bai Qingyu. Most people outside call me Shenhuang. I look forward to meeting you again."

His figure vanished with the wind, disappearing without a trace along with his aura, as if Bai Qingyu had never been there at all.

The red spider lily remained seated under the tree in the same posture, gazing absently at the river not far away.

Bai Qingyu was absolutely right. The reason why the other shore flower was so eager to find nutrients to feed the flower sea was secondary. The main reason was that it lacked a sense of security. It had no home, neither in the underworld nor in the mortal world. It had never known what a home was.

My heart is restless, and I feel lonely wherever I go.

"Divine Phoenix..."

·

"Why didn't you just accept her?" Tamamo-no-Mae asked after they left the riverbank.

He had spent quite some time with Bai Qingyu, so he understood Bai Qingyu's personality fairly well.

"Because the time is not yet right." Bai Qingyu quickly flew in the direction indicated by the other shore flower, answering as he did so.

Why?

"I don't know. The reason is probably with that chosen one. If I'm not mistaken, he will reunite with the other shore flower in the near future because of him."

Bai Qingyu sensed something the moment he saw the red spider lily.

It was an indescribable feeling, as if a thread had connected him to the chosen one, linking the three of them—a human and a demon—who were originally unrelated.

That's why she left the feather behind, so that the spider lily could contact her at any time.

The scenery below kept receding, and soon Bai Qingyu saw the town that the other shore flower had mentioned.

Unfortunately, after searching extensively, they couldn't find Onikiri. Even his remaining aura was very faint. Conservatively speaking, Onikiri had been gone for at least three days.

Bai Qingyu frowned deeply after missing his target again.

Miketsu, Tamamo-no-Mae, and Higanbana are all so easy to find, so why is Onikiri so hard to find?

"No?" Tamamo-no-Mae looked up.

"No, I have a bad feeling."

This trip to Shangchuan Prefecture gave me a bad feeling no matter how I looked at it. At first, I thought it was related to the Ghost Gate and the fate of the nation, and then I thought it was related to the Red Spider Lily. But now it seems that perhaps none of these are true.

The entire Shangchuan Prefecture was filled with an eerie atmosphere.

"Where exactly is the problem...?"

As Bai Qingyu pondered, she followed the trail left behind by Onikiri.