Chapter 23 - The True Truth

Chapter 23: The True Truth

The power of the inner demon was far more terrifying than Ye Xuan had ever imagined. Although he managed to expel it from his body, the demon alone was powerful enough to instantly kill Elder Qing Yan and his wife. All of its actions were merely toying with Ye Xuan.

Controlling Yu Ling’er’s body, the demon effortlessly killed the eldest senior brother, Yu Hao, and then plunged a sword into the heart of the second senior brother, Yu Yu.

As he fell to the ground in disbelief, Ye Xuan desperately shouted, “Stop it—!!!” But at this moment, he too was immobilized by the inner demon. And what was he in front of this demon?

Just a pitiful toy.

“Giggle…” The inner demon, controlling Yu Ling’er, laughed with a sound like silver bells. Its gaze turned towards Elder Qingyan and Mistress QingShuang.

“Stop, please stop—!!!” Ye Xuan realized what the demon intended to do.

“Stop? You refused my power earlier, and now you beg me?” The inner demon sneered, “Too late.”

Approaching Mistress Qingshuang, it lifted the bloody sword, licking the blood off it, “Delicious… This sword, if it could taste the blood of a birth mother, would surely be even more delicious.”

Mistress Qingshuang closed her eyes in despair. She realized that Ye Xuan hadn’t cultivated some demonic technique; he was possessed by the inner demon. In the grand Taihua Immortal Gate, how could such a demon have infiltrated?

“No—!!!” Accompanied by Ye Xuan’s agonized cry, Yu Ling’er’s sword easily claimed the lives of Mistress Qingshuang and Elder Qingyan. Her parents lay dead at her feet, her eyes showing a wicked glee.

“Kid, how do you feel now?” The inner demon, as Yu Ling’er, proudly approached Ye Xuan, wrapping her arms around his neck, “Tell me about it?”

This was what Ye Xuan had always longed for, to have his beloved senior sister in his arms. But now, the woman’s body brought only a bone-chilling coldness…

“No… This can’t be… It’s impossible—!!!” Yu Ling’er’s eyes widened in despair, filled with disbelief. “Impossible… The one who killed my parents wasn’t Brother Yu Xuan… It was me?!!”

At this moment, she felt her will dissipating. How could such a thing happen? “I… I clearly saw it was him who killed them… Could I have been wrong?!! But how could I possibly remember it wrong—!!! Even in death, I wouldn’t forget—!!!”

“You… you demon—!!!” Ye Xuan cursed at Yu Ling’er in his arms.

“A demon? I am a demon indeed, and you calling me evil almost makes me shy,” the inner demon, as Yu Ling’er, smiled at Ye Xuan, “But you, whom I value, even though you tried to betray me, I’m willing to forgive you. Now, I give you another chance. Will you accept me, or let me stay in the body of your beloved woman?”

“Let me tell you, my power cannot be opposed by ordinary people. Even if she regains her will, she cannot escape my control… Otherwise, I would hardly be worthy of the name ‘inner demon.’ Only you, valued by me, have a chance to break free from my bonds.”

“I accept you—!!!” Ye Xuan hastily agreed without even thinking.

“Tsk tsk, such devotion,” the inner demon, as Yu Ling’er, showed a moved expression, “Too bad this girl will never understand how much you love her.”

Hearing this, Ye Xuan choked, then bitterly smiled. Indeed, his senior sister would never understand. In her heart, there was only Yu Shou. He was just the coward who had abandoned her, whom she despised. And now, he was about to become her greatest enemy in life.

“…I understand… I truly understand—!!!” Watching the scene unfold, Yu Ling’er was already sobbing uncontrollably. At this moment, how could she not realize how deeply Ye Xuan loved her? Yet she had deeply hurt him. And not only once, but even after being reborn, she continued to hurt him, even intending to take his life herself.

Amidst her tears, Yu Ling’er was puzzled. Why was this different from what she remembered? Why was it her who had killed her own parents and senior brothers? Why did Ye Xuan feel that he would become her greatest enemy in this lifetime?!!

“Ah, kid, your body is the most suitable for me.” In the scene, the inner demon had returned from Yu Ling’er’s body to Ye Xuan’s. It proudly said to Ye Xuan, “I sense the experts of Taihua Immortal Gate are on their way. You better take this girl and leave quickly.”

However, Ye Xuan didn’t leave as the inner demon expected. Instead, he awakened Yu Ling’er with a surge of demonic energy and then used his demonic power to move the bodies of Master Qing Yan, Mistress Qing Shuang, eldest senior brother Yu Hao, and second senior brother Yu Yu to his feet. He then picked up Yu Ling’er’s sword and stabbed it into his master’s corpse.

“What… what’s happening to me…” In a daze, Yu Ling’er opened her eyes. The next moment, her eyes widened in shock. Her parents and both senior brothers lay dead beside Ye Xuan, who, with a fierce expression, stabbed her father’s body, then coldly pulled out the sword. “No—!!!” This scene completely shattered Yu Ling’er’s spirit. She screamed in agony, “Yu Xuan, what are you doing?!!!”

However, Ye Xuan didn’t explain and instead turned his gaze to Yu Shou, who had been crippled by him. “Almost forgot, you’re still alive.” As Ye Xuan moved to attack Yu Shou, Yu Ling’er, now fully conscious, wanted to protect him, but how could she match the speed of Ye Xuan now possessed by the inner demon?

Just then, the inner demon whispered to Ye Xuan, “Kid, don’t think I don’t know what you’re planning. You want to kill Yu Shou and then die bearing the blame for killing your masters and brothers, right? I won’t let you do as you wish. I’ve finally found someone as interesting as you; I can’t let you die so easily. Now, you have two choices: either flee immediately or die here. But if you die, this Yu Shou will surely take advantage of your beloved woman’s feelings for him and make her marry him.”

“Damn it—!!!” Ye Xuan cursed inwardly. Then he said, “Yu Shou, you better confess all the despicable things you’ve done to Senior Sister Ling’er—!!!” Meanwhile, he formed a shield of demonic Qi behind him to block Yu Ling’er’s attack.

“Yu Xuan, why are you doing this, why—!!!” At this moment, Yu Ling’er, seeing only Ye Xuan killing everyone, had no idea what he was doing. In her grief and anger, she just wanted to fight Ye Xuan to the death. What Ye Xuan wanted Yu Shou to confess didn’t matter to her.

“I…” Yu Shou, now blind and crippled, knew he would die if he didn’t obey Ye Xuan. To save his life, he was about to repeat his earlier confession.

But just then…

“How dare demons run amok in my Taihua Mountain! Cease your evil deeds—!” A cold voice rang from the sky. Suddenly, a zither sound echoed, and ice rose from beneath Ye Xuan’s feet, immobilizing him. The experts of Taihua Immortal Gate had arrived…

“Kid, hurry up and leave. I won’t let you kill Yu Shou today. If you don’t flee, you’ll have to watch your beloved girl marry the person you hate most after your death.”

Ye Xuan snorted unwillingly. With demonic Qi surging, he broke free from the ice, glanced at Yu Ling’er, and said, “Senior Sister Ling’er, you are too weak. You can’t even reach one of my fingers. You want to kill me for revenge? Heh, maybe in your next life—!” After saying this, he vanished from the grand hall of Qingyan Peak.

“Kid, you are truly loyal and righteous, taking the blame for killing your masters and fellow disciples, and to avoid suspicion, you deliberately spoke such words to make the woman you love hate you? Just to provoke her to cultivate harder and not be easily deceived by Yu Shou… Is it worth it?” the inner demon asked Ye Xuan.

“You are an inner demon; of course, you wouldn’t understand human emotions,” Ye Xuan replied.

“No, I understand,” said the inner demon, “I understand better than you how many lovesick men and women there are in this world. Their resentment is my best delicacy. I just can’t comprehend it. But, kid, you’re lucky. We are already surrounded by the experts of Taihua Immortal Gate. If we don’t break through quickly, death is near.”

As they spoke, several elders of Taihua had set up the Taihua Confinement Array in the sky, sealing off the space around them to prevent Ye Xuan’s escape. In an instant, several figures stood in the sky, powerful immortal energy converging to form mysterious immortal patterns, creating a circular array with Tai Chi, Four Symbols, and Eight Trigrams, demonstrating extraordinary power.

Sword Qi’s soared, targeting Ye Xuan, while chains of Dao patterns tried to bind him. However, with the help of the inner demon, Ye Xuan displayed strength far beyond ordinary immortals and rapidly escaped Taihua Mountain.

The battle in the sky, as Ye Xuan fled from the high-level experts of Taihua Immortal Gate, was incredibly intense. But for Yu Ling’er at this moment, it no longer mattered. She just stared blankly at Ye Xuan in the scene, tears streaming down her face.

So, this was the real truth? The one who killed her parents and senior brothers was herself. Brother Yu Xuan was merely bearing the sins for her. He loved her so deeply that he disregarded everything. But she, she hated him to the bone.