Xuan Chongzi frowned as he saw the wounds on his sister Ye Huilan. To dare harm herâtruly they had taken him lightly. Today he would see who in the Celestial Realm had such audacity!
Wait a moment... who was that cloaked figure, exuding such dense demonic aura? A member of the Demon Clan? Why was his sister allied with her?
Before Xuan Chongzi could speak, Ye Huilan recounted the events, emphasizing Xu Nanqiao. âIf not for this sister-in-law, I might already be dead,â she added, then turned to Xu Nanqiao. âBut itâs oddâwhen you both saw the real person, you remained so unmoved?â
Xu Nanqiao blinked in disbelief. âThis is... Ye Yu?â She looked at Xuan Chongzi, puzzled. In her memory, Ye Yu had always looked young. Why was he now an old man? And there were no traces of his former appearanceâas if he were an entirely different person.
She sighed inwardly. Ye Yu had died and been reborn, changed from demon to immortal, even his status had transformedâso why not his face? With that, Xu Nanqiao drew back her hood, revealing her true visage: two demonic horns atop her head. Her eyes glowed faintly red as she whispered, âI am Xu Nanqiaoâdonât you remember me?â
Xuan Chongziâs mind went blank. Who? Xu Nanqiao? Who was that? What was happening?
Ye Huilan read his turmoil and transmitted, âWhat, youâve truly forgotten? Your old flame in the Mortal RealmâXu Nanqiao. Sheâs devoted wholly to you. You canât # NĐŸvĐ”light # be ungratefulâespecially since sheâs now a Demon Lordârealm powerhouse, a great asset to our sect.â
Xuan Chongziâs eyes flickered. An old flame? Impossible. He had been a celibate eunuch since birth; even if he admired someone, it was only from afar. No one knew this secret. If anything, he had renounced desire entirely upon ascending. How could he have a demon consort? The only possibility was that this demoness had mistaken him for someone else.
But he would not admit thatâfacing late-stage Ghost King and Immortal King powerhouses, he could not afford to lose face. He needed to draw her to his side first; identity revelations could wait. So he said, âI didnât expect you to seek me out. This is no place for talkâslay these immortals!â
At once Xu Nanqiao nodded. With âYe Yuâ by her side, she felt fearless. Jiang Yumo, however, looked bewildered. What was happening? But no matterâfight first, question later.
Just as both sides prepared to strike, a small azure flying calf appeared above Xu Nanqiao, bubbles drifting from its muzzle stained with ink. Everyone gaped: what was that?
Then a figure streaked in: Ye Yu himself, newly returned from the Demon Realm. Upon arriving in the Celestial Realm, he had immediately forced Xu Nanqiaoâs ink brush into the calfâs bellyâand the Celestial Realmâs holoâmap had led him straight here. Sure enough, Xu Nanqiao was present, though the situation was... odd.
âWhat are you all doing here?â he called.
The assembled immortals blinked. Jiang Yumo retorted, âAnd how did you get here?â
âI came looking for her!â Ye Yu pointed at Xu Nanqiao. She looked between him and Xuan Chongzi, bewildered. âWhich one of you is the real Ye Yu?â
Their minds reeled. What on earth?
Ye Yu shifted and stood before Xu Nanqiao. âI am Ye Yu. Reallyâcould there be two of me?â
Ye Huilan yanked Xu Nanqiao behind her. âStop this nonsense! My brother Xuan Chongzi is the real Ye Yu!â
Her tone left no doubt, nearly shaking Ye Yuâs confidence. After a moment he shook his head. âThat old man is impersonating me?â
Xuan Chongziâs face tightened into silence. Indeed, a lie reveals itself in time.
Ye Huilan sneered, unconcerned. âMy brother, the Lord of Niepan Pagoda, impersonate you? Impossible. Youâre the one pretending to steal my lovely sister-in-law! The Celestial Realm has grown so debasedâimpostors and frauds everywhere.â
Xuan Chongzi tugged at his sisterâs sleeve. âEnough. I understandâIâm the fake.â
But Ye Huilan brushed him off with a flourish of her sleeve. âNo matterâwe have the truth on our side.â
By this point Ye Yu saw the ruse clearly: someone was using his name. Hilariousâif youâre going to impersonate me, at least choose someone who even resembles me! A feeble old man?
He drew the Ancient Demonic Halberd
Yehuo Fentian Ji
, and the air tremored with demonic power. At that moment Xu Nanqiao realized who was genuine. With joy she leapt into his arms.