Bai Xiao paused in surprise, staring at Ye Yu with astonished eyes. This unsettled Ye Yuâcould he have seen through his identity? Before he could ponder further, Bai Xiaoâs eyes turned red and he trembled as he whispered, âFor tens of thousands of years, whenever I proposed this theory, everyone called me madâonly you did not. A kindred spirit!â
As he spoke, Bai Xiao reached out to grab Ye Yuâs handâbut Ye Yu deftly evaded him. âHey, brother,â Ye Yu said earnestly, âwe can talk all we like, but keep your hands to yourself. I have wivesâI donât care for male Demons!â
âOh, oh, sorry! I got carried away!â Bai Xiao wiped the tear in his eye, then placed his hand back upon the planar chart formed of demonic qi.
âWhen I was young, I took great interest in ancient history and pored over every text I could find. I discovered that when the Five Realmsâ passages still existed, the worldâs spiritual qi was most abundant. At that time, the Demon Realm boasted its greatest number of powerful cultivatorsârecords show nine Demon Emperors. But after the passages shattered and demonic qi faded, their numbers dwindled until only one Demon Emperor remained. I believe this to be a cycle of rebirth. Now that the Demon Realmâs qi has revivedâjust enough to awaken Demon Emperorsâit began increasing further from yesterday. That led me to suspect the passages might reappear! And once the DemonâHeaven passage forms, the others will follow.â
Ye Yuâs expression darkened. Another cycleâbut unlike the omen inscribed on the stele by the Demon Sovereign, Bai Xiao had independently discerned this pattern. That was no easy feat. Without his Dream System and his wivesâ testimonies, Ye Yu himself might have believed Bai Xiao wholeheartedly. Yet in truth, no sign of the other passages had manifested even after an Emperorâs awakening. So why had the DemonâHeaven passage returned so swiftly? What had caused it?
He fixed his gaze on Bai Xiao. âDo you think the formation of these passages is driven by the worldâs natural forces, or by some great cultivatorâs divine art?â
Bai Xiaoâs tone was resolute. âOf course itâs the worldâs power. These passages seem ordinary, but they cleave through heaven and earth, linking two distant planes and ignoring all obstacles. Such a grand work no single person could achieve.â
Ye Yu nodded thoughtfully, then pressed on. âTwo more questions: first, why do you speak only of Five Realmsâ passages when there are six Realms? Second, if you predict the Five Realmsâ passages will return, when will the remaining one restore?â
Bai Xiao replied at once. âThe Divine Realm remains a mystery. Ancient texts repeatedly state there is no passage thereâonly a way to break through the void itself. Thatâs why I speak only of Five Realms. As for timing...â
Before he could finish, the heavens trembled once more. A surge of demonic qi swirled westward, and soon a blue beam of light appeared on the horizon. Upon seeing it, Bai Xiao cried excitedly, âAnother Realmâs passage has restoredâand faster than I ever imagined! Letâs go take a look.â
Without hesitation, Ye Yu formed the
Shen Gui Zhen Tu
(Divine Spirit Formation Chart) to condense a teleportation array, sending himself and Bai Xiao westward. Approaching the glowing pillar, they saw the passage identical in form to the last, save for its blue hue. Standing there, Ye Yu clearly felt the stir of a wild, bewitching auraâit must be the passage to the Monster Realm.
Bai Xiao twitched his nose. âSuch unrestrained energyâdefinitely the Monster Realm. At this rate, the Five Realmsâ passages will soon all be restored. Next, why donât we discuss when the final passage will open?â
Ye Yu shook his head. With the Monster Realm passage open, his first priority was to find Nangong Jingtang. Too many variables had shifted; passages heâd never encountered in his dreams were appearing one by one. He worried for Nangong Jingtangâs fate.
âLetâs save that discussion for another time. But hereâs a thought: might this so-called cycle you speak of really be a battle in the Divine Realm?â
With that, Ye Yu stepped into the passage and vanished at once. Bai Xiao remained, his expression growing ever more serious. A Divine Realm battle? Though fantastical, it was not impossibleâand could explain much if pursued further.
Moments later, the space beside Bai Xiao rippled violently, and the Demon Respect cultivator who had argued with Ye Yu appeared. âDemon Lord, I still donât understand,â he complained. âThat youthâs aura was so concealed, yet he spoke with such arroganceâwhy did you stop me from attacking him?â
Indeed, the cultivator had only ceased his assault because heâd intercepted Bai Xiaoâs inner-voice message. Bai Xiao smiled softly and said, âWu Kang, havenât you realized? That youth is not a Demon at all, but an Immortal.â
Wu Kangâs eyes widened in disbelief. âImpossible! He gave no sign of immortal powerâonly demonic qi. How can he be an Immortal?â
âWhy not? He concealed his divine energy completely, so you sensed none. The demonic qi you felt was merely camouflage emanating from his demonic-immortal artifact. Once you reach the half-step Emperor †NĐŸvĐ”â ight †(Read more on our source) Realm, youâll see it clearly.â
A golden glint flickered in Bai Xiaoâs eyes as he gazed toward the Monster Realm passage and murmured, âWhat a fascinating Immortalâand he seems to know more secrets than I do.â
Meanwhile, Ye Yu arrived safely in the Monster Realm. Much like the Demon Realm, numerous Monsters clustered around the passageâbut rather than slaying Immortals, they merely observed with curiosity. Upon spotting Ye Yu, they rushed forward to inquire, only to see his form flicker and vanish the next moment.
(âSorry, brothers, I had a fever this morningâ38°Câbut Iâm feeling better now; this is just finished. My update is late; please excuse me.â)