yuán lái rú cǐ ., shào nǚ liǎn shàng lù chū liǎo rán zhī sè, suí hòu chōng zhe lín xuān yíng yíng yī fú :\“ duō xiè qián bèi xiāng zhù .\“
原来如此.,少女脸上lù出了然之sè,随后冲着林轩盈盈一福:\“多谢前辈相助.\“
Thus it was. The young lady's face revealed a look of understanding, and she then bowed gracefully to Lin Xuan: "Thank you for your assistance."
\“ bù yòng kè qì , zhè bù guò shì jǔ shǒu zhī láo ér yǐ , lì shì dào yǒu nǐ , sì hū bú shì mó zú , shēn fèn kě fǒu gào sù lín mǒu me ？\“
\“不用客气,这不过是举手之劳而已,俐是道友你,似乎不是魔族,身份可否告诉林某么？\“
"None needed," replied the elder. "It was merely a trivial matter. Might I ask if you are not from the Demon Realm? Could you tell me your identity, Lin?"
\“ guò ……\“ shào nǚ liǎn shàng lù chū jǐ fēn chí yí , dàn jǐn jǐn guò le jǐ xī , liǎn shàng de yóu yù jiù suí fēng dàn qù :\“ wǎn bèi xìng mìng shì qián bèi jiù de , zì rán bù gǎn yǐn mán nín , qiè shēn nǎi shì bàn mó .\“
\“过……\“少女脸上lù出几分迟疑,但仅仅过了几息,脸上的犹豫就随风淡去:\“晚辈xìng命是前辈救的,自然不敢隐瞒您,妾身乃是半魔.\“
"Per…." The young lady hesitated on her face but after a few breaths, her doubt dissipated: "My life is indebted to Senior's rescue; naturally, I dare not hide anything from you. I am a half-Demon."
\“ bàn mó , nà shì shén me ？\“
\“半魔,那是什么？\“
"A half-Demon? What does that mean?"
lín xuān yī è , yǐn yǐn jué de yǒu xiē ěr shú , sì hū zài nǎ lǐ tīng shuō guò , dàn yī shí piàn jiān , què yòu xiǎng bù qǐ lái le .
林轩一愕,隐隐觉得有些耳熟,似乎在哪里听说过,但一时片煎,却又想不起来了.
Lin Xuan was taken aback, feeling vaguely familiar with the term, though he could not quite place it.
lín xuān de fǎn yìng , shào nǚ què bù yǐ wéi wǔ :\“ yě nán guài qián bèi bù xiǎo de , nín bì jìng shì gāng gāng lái dào wǒ men shèng jiè de ,\“……, duì fāng tàn le kǒu qì , suí hòu yīng chún wēi qǐ , xiàng lín xuān wěi wěi jiǎng shù .
林轩的反应,少女却不以为忤:\“也难怪前辈不晓得,您毕竟是刚刚来到我们圣界的,\“……,对方叹了口气,随后樱chún微启,像林轩娓娓讲述.
The young lady did not take offense at his confusion: "It's understandable that Senior doesn't know; after all, you have just arrived in our Holy Realm," she sighed. Then, her cherry lips slightly parted, and she began to narrate to Lin Xuan.
bàn gè shí chén yǐ hòu , lín xuān zhōng yú nòng míng bái le , yuán lái suǒ wèi de bàn mó , jiù shì zhǐ jù yǒu yí bàn mó zú xuè tǒng de shēng wù , tā men bìng bú shì gǔ mó jiè de yuán zhù mín , ér shì ……
半个时辰以后,林轩终于弄明白了,原来所谓的半魔,就是指具有一半魔族血统的生物,他们并不是古魔界的原住民,而是……
After half an hour, Lin Xuan finally understood. A half-Demon referred to a creature with one-half demon bloodline. They were not native inhabitants of the Ancient Demon Realm but…
zěn me shuō ne , zhè yào zhuī tāo de jǐ bǎi wàn nián qián .
怎么说呢,这要追涛的几百万年前.
To put it simply, this was something that happened several million years ago.
nà shí hòu , liǎng jiè dà zhàn kāi qǐ , líng jiè yǔ gǔ mó jiè shā le yí gè xuè liú chéng hé , ér zài nà yī cì de zhēng dòu zhōng , líng jiè shí lì zhàn yōu , zhǎng wò zhǔ dòng , yì zhí shēn rù dào le mó jiè zhī zhōng .
那时候,两界大战开启,灵界与古魔界杀了一个血流成河,而在那一次的争斗中,灵界实力占优,掌握主动,一直深入到了魔界之中.
Back then, a war between two realms had broken out, and the Spirit Realm's power prevailed, pushing deep into the Demon Realm. Led by three Loose Immortals and three Beast Kings, they wielded primordial treasures to reverse the laws of nature, forcibly opening a passage between the two planes.
yǐ sān dà sàn xiān yǔ sān yāo wáng wéi shǒu , shǒu chí xiān tiān líng bǎo nì zhuǎn tiān dì fǎ zé , jiāng liǎng dà jiè miàn zhī jiān de tōng dào qiáng xíng dǎ tōng .
以三大散仙与三妖王为首,手持先天灵宝逆转天地法则,将两大界面之间的通道强行打通.
Unlike a mere spatial node, this allowed thousands of cultivators to enter the Demon Realm openly. Over a million had flooded in.
nà kě bù xiàng kōng jiān jié diǎn , zhǐ néng tōu tōu mōmō de jìn rù shù shí míng xiū xiān zhě , qián hòu gòng yǒu shàng qiān wàn de xiū shì yǒng rù mó jiè zhī zhōng .
那可不像空间节点,只能偷偷mōmō的进入数十名修仙者,前后共有上千万的修士涌入魔界之中.
In that battle, despite being at a disadvantage, the Ancient Demons could not simply surrender; under the leadership of nine True Demon Ancestors, various demon tribes united and fought fiercely with Spirit Realm cultivators.
nà yī zhàn , gǔ mó suī rán chǔ yú xià fēng , dàn bié rén dǎ dào le jiā mén kǒu , dāng rán yě bù kě néng shù shǒu rèn fù , zài jiǔ wèi zhēn mó shǐ zǔ de shuài lǐng xià , mó jiè gè zú bǐng qì qián xián , gè chū jīng ruì yǔ líng jiè xiū shì dà zhàn .
那一战,古魔虽然处于下风,但别人打到了家门口,当然也不可能束手认负,在九位真魔始祖的率领下,魔界各族摒弃前嫌,各出精锐与灵界修士大战.
The fighting was so intense that it dimmed even the sun and moon. Countless demons and cultivators perished, and both sides formed an unbreakable enmity.
yī shí jiān , shā dé shì rì yuè wú guāng , xīng chén àn dàn . xiū shì mó zú yǔn luò liǎo wú kě jì shù , shuāng fāng zì rán yě jié xià le xuè hǎi shēn chóu , bù sǐ bù xiū ……
一时间,杀得是日月无光,星辰黯淡.修士魔族陨落了无可计数,双方自然也结下了血海深仇,不死不休……
However, this was a broad overview. With such a large number of cultivators entering the Demon Realm, their experiences varied widely, leading to some unexpected coincidences.
rán ér zhè jǐn jǐn shì cóng dà de fāng xiàng lái tán , bì jìng , jìn rù mó jiè de xiū shì nà me duō , měi gè rén de jì yù dōu bìng bù xiāng tóng , zhè jiù nán miǎn huì yǒu jī yuán qiǎo hé .
然而这仅仅是从大的方向来谈,毕竟,进入魔界的修士那么多,每个人的际遇都并不相同,这就难免会有机缘巧合.
Despite the chaos between the Spirit and Demon Realms, there were rare cases where a few cultivators had deep grudges with Ancient Demons but eventually reconciled, even forming dual cultivation partners.
yú shì , bié kàn líng jiè yǔ mó jiè dǎ dé shì yī tā hú tú , dàn yě yǒu jí shǎo shù xiū shì yǔ gǔ mó ēn yuàn chán mián . zuì hòu bù jǐn yī xiào mǐn ēn chóu , ér qiě hái jié wèi shuāng xiū dào lǚ le .
于是,别看灵界与魔界打得是一塌糊涂,但也有极少数修士与古魔恩怨缠绵.最后不仅一笑泯恩仇,而且还结为双修道侣了.
While this was unusual, given over a million cultivators, even a one-in-a-thousand chance meant quite a few such cases existed. These matters could not be openly discussed; both demon and spirit realm cultivators would consider them traitors.
bù yòng hào qí , suī rán zǒng tǐ lái shuō , zhè zhǒng shì qíng shì jí shǎo shù . dàn shàng qiān wàn de xiū xiān zhě , nǎ pà jī lǜ zhǐ yǒu wàn fēn zhī yī , zhè zǒng shù yě jiù bù shǎo le .
不用好奇,虽然总体来说,这种事情是极少数.但上千万的修仙者,哪怕几率只有万分之一,这总数也就不少了.
The thought of others fighting while you were enjoying your love life would surely drive anyone mad with envy!
dāng rán , zhè hé shì qíng kěn dìng shì bù néng shēng zhāng de , bù lùn mó zú hái shì líng jiè xiū xiān zhě , dū huì yī lǜ jiāng tā men shì wèi pàn tú .
当然,这和事情肯定是不能声张的,不论魔族还是灵界修仙者,都会一律将他们视为叛徒.
---
xiǎng xiǎng yě shì de , bié rén zài zhè lǐ dǎ sǐ dǎ huó , nǐ què zài nà lǐ ēn ài fěi cè , guāng shì xiǎng xiǎng , zhè xīn tài jiù huì jí dù de bù píng héng a ！
想想也是的,别人在这里打死打活,你却在那里恩爱悱恻,光是想想,这心态就会极度的不平衡啊！
Both races issued edicts: kill on sight.
liǎng zú dōu sòng xià fǎ yù . shā wú shè ！
两族都颂下法谕.杀无赦！
Thus, these lovers who risked everything became pariahs. Many found themselves in the same boat but some managed to escape. With the vastness of the Demon Realm, a few inevitably slipped through the cracks and even had offspring.
yú shì , zhè xiē wèi ài bù gù yī qiè de xiū shì yǔ mó zú jiù chéng le guò jiē lǎo shǔ , hěn duō dōu chéng wéi tóng mìng yuān yāng le , rán ér mó jiè miàn jī guǎng bó , què shì nán miǎn yǒu lòu wǎng zhī yú de .
于是,这些为爱不顾一切的修士与魔族就成了过街老鼠,很多都成为同命鸳鸯了,然而魔界面积广博,却是难免有漏网之鱼的.
These were known as half-Demons.
zhè xiē rén bù jǐn duǒ guò le zhuī shā , hái xiāo yáo kuài huó , shèn zhì lián hòu dài dōu shēng xià lái le .
这些人不仅躲过了追杀,还逍遥快活,甚至连后代都生下来了.
The term was apt; their bodies contained equal parts human and demon blood.
yě jiù shì suǒ wèi de bàn mó .
也就是所谓的半魔.
Ancient Demons did not outright kill them, but their status was lowly. Due to impure demon bloodlines, their cultivation potential was limited.
zhè chēng hū dǎo shì xíng xiàng dào jí chù , tā men tǐ è nèi rén zú yǔ mó zú de xuè tǒng běn lái jiù shì gè zhàn yí bàn de .
这称呼倒是形象到极处,他们体垩内人族与魔族的血统本来就是各占一半的.
Survival of the fittest—this was a harsh rule in the cultivation world. Half-Demons faced many hardships.
duì yú tā men , gǔ mó dǎo shì méi yǒu gé shā wù lùn . rán ér dì wèi yě shì jí qí dī xià , ér qiě bàn mó xuè tǒng bù chún , xiū xiān de zī zhì yě jiù shū fá kě chén zhī chù .
对于他们,古魔倒是没有格杀勿论.然而地位也是极其低下,而且半魔血统不纯,修仙的资质也就疏乏可陈之处.
The young lady spoke hesitantly, her words tinged with sorrow. Her life had been filled with hardship from birth. She managed to reach this stage through great effort, and locals said she had good potential; with more effort, she might even enter the Condensation Core stage.
ruò ròu qiáng shí , zhè shì xiū xiān jiè de tiě lǜ , kě xiǎng ér zhī , bàn mó de rì zi huì shì duō me nán guò .
弱肉强食,这是修仙界的铁律,可想而知,半魔的日子会是多么难过.
She yearned for it but needed some medicinal pills to aid in cultivation. However, their impoverished stone wasteland lacked resources, a fact beyond their control. Half-Demons could not live near densely populated demon territories or risk being exterminated. Thus, they settled in such barren lands.
shào nǚ qī qī ài ài de jiǎng zhe , yán yǔ duō yǒu shāng xīn zhī chù , duì tā lái shuō , jī hū shì yī chū shì shēng huó jiù chōng mǎn le xīn kǔ .
少女期期艾艾的讲着,言语多有伤心之处,对她来说,几乎是一出世生活就充满了辛苦.
Despite poverty, there were still things cultivators needed; just more effort was required.
hǎo bù róng yì cái xiū liàn dào rú jīn de jìng jiè le . tóng cūn rén dōu shuō , zì jǐ de zī zhì suàn shì hǎo de , rú guǒ zài nǔ nǔ lì , yě xǔ yǒu jī huì jìn rù níng dān qī .
好不容易才修炼到如今的境界了.同村人都说,自己的资质算是好的,如果再努努力,也许有机会进入凝丹期.
This girl had endured much hardship to find some spirit herbs but on her way back, she encountered those six-armed Ancient Demons.
shào nǚ yě hěn xiàng wǎng , bù guò xiǎng yào jié dān hái xū yào yī xiē dān yào fǔ zhù , kě tā men jū zhù de zhè mò shí huāng yuán zī yuán què tài guò xī bó , zhè yě shì méi yǒu bàn fǎ de . bàn mó dì wèi dī xià , gēn běn jiù bù kě néng jū zhù zài gǔ mó dà liàng jù jū zhī suǒ . fǒu zé zǎo jiù bèi miè le , suǒ yǐ tā men de ān jū zhī chù . duō bàn dōu shì zhè yàng de bù máo zhī dì de .
少女也很向往,不过想要结丹还需要一些丹药辅助,可他们居住的这墨石荒原资源却太过稀薄,这也是没有办法的.半魔地位低下,根本就不可能居住在古魔大量聚居之所.否则早就被灭了,所以他们的安居之处.多半都是这样的不毛之地的.
Lin Xuan knew the rest of the story well: killing and looting. The girl was smart enough to surrender when outnumbered and handed over the herbs to avoid further trouble. But the demons persisted, wanting to capture her soul for some dark purpose.
hǎo zài pín jí guī pín shòu , bìng bù dài biǎo jiù méi yǒu xiū shì xū yào de dōng xī , zhǐ shì xū yào gèng duō de fù chū yǔ nǔ lì .
好在贫脊归贫瘦,并不代表就没有修士需要的东西,只是需要更多的付出与努力.
Had it not been for Lin Xuan's intervention, she would have had little chance of survival.
cǐ nǚ jiù shì rú cǐ , fèi jǐn qiān xīn wàn kǔ , cái zhōng yú zhǎo dào le jǐ zhū líng yào , rán ér zài huí qù de lù shàng , què yǔ nà jǐ míng sān tóu liù bì de gǔ mó xiá lù xiāng féng .
此女就是如此,费尽千辛万苦,才终于找到了几株灵药,然而在回去的路上,却与那几名三头六臂的古魔狭路相逢.
Lin Xuan nodded: "That makes sense. Are there any demon settlements nearby?"
hòu miàn de qiáo duàn lín xuān yě hěn shú xī le , wú fēi shì shā rén qiǎng bǎo , qí shí zhè nǚ hái hái suàn shì hěn cōng míng de , yǎn jiàn bù dí , pò cái xiāo zāi , yǐ jīng jiāng nà jǐ zhū líng cǎo jiāo chū , kě duì fāng hái qióng zhuī bù shě , xiǎng yào jū ná qí hún pò liàn zhì mǒu hé xié wù .
后面的桥段林轩也很熟悉了,无非是杀人抢宝,其实这女孩还算是很聪明的,眼见不敌,破财消灾,已经将那几株灵草交出,可对方还穷追不舍,想要拘拿其hún魄炼制某和邪物.
"No," replied the young lady. "The Stone Wasteland is remote; the nearest Demon City is a million miles away. It’s late today; if Senior doesn’t mind, how about we visit our village for the night?" she said eagerly.
ruò bú shì lín xuān chū shǒu , tā táo chū shēng tiān de jī huì shí zài shì bù duō .
若不是林轩出手,她逃出生天的机会实在是不多.
Even though Lin Xuan was also an Ancient Demon, this newly ascended elder seemed to have no ill will toward them. If he could glean some cultivation insights from him, it would be invaluable.
lín xuān diǎn diǎn tóu :\“ yuán lái shì zhè yàng , nà zhè fù jìn kě yǒu gǔ mó de jù jū zhī suǒ ?\“
林轩点点头:\“原来是这样,那这附近可有古魔的聚居之所?\“
"Your village?"
\“ méi yǒu , mò shí huāng yuán dì chù piān pì , zuì jìn de mó chéng jù lí zhè lǐ yě yǒu bǎi wàn lǐ zhī yuǎn , rú jīn tiān sè yǐ wǎn , qián bèi ruò shì bù qì , bù rú qù wǒ men de cūn zi zuò zuò rú hé ?\“ shào nǚ yīn qín de shuō .
\“没有,墨石荒原地处偏僻,最近的魔城距离这里也有百万里之远,如今天sè已晚,前辈若是不弃,不如去我们的村子坐坐如何?\“少女殷勤的说.
"Yes, there are nearly a hundred like me," she confirmed.
suī rán lín xuān yě shì \“ gǔ mó \“ dàn zhè wèi xīn fēi shēng de qián bèi míng xiǎn duì tā men méi yǒu shén me dí yì , ruò néng cóng tā kǒu zhōng tǎo jiào jǐ fēn xiū liàn xīn dé , zì jǐ jiù shòu yòng bù jìn le .
虽然林轩也是\“古魔\“但这位新飞升的前辈明显对他们没有什么敌意,若能从他口中讨教几分修炼心得,自己就受用不尽了.
"Alright."
\“ nǐ men de cūn zi ?\“
\“你们的村子?\“
Lin Xuan hesitated but agreed. He had just arrived and did not need to rush; gathering more information from these half-Demons before resting for the night seemed reasonable.
\“ ń , dōu shì xiàng wǎn bèi zhè yàng de bàn mó , yǒu jìn bǎi rén zhī duō .\“
\“嗯,都是像晚辈这样的半魔,有近百人之多.\“
Seeing his agreement, the young lady was delighted: "Thank you for your time, Senior. I’ll lead the way; please follow closely."
\“ hǎo ba !\“
\“好吧!\“
She bowed again and transformed into a streak of light, flying ahead. Lin Xuan smiled and followed at a leisurely pace.
lín xuān lüè yī chí yí , jiù diǎn diǎn tóu tóng yì , zì jǐ cái chū lín guì dì , yě yòng bù zháo jí zhe gǎn lù , ruò shì néng cóng zhè xiē bàn mó de kǒu lǐ , duō liǎo jiě yī xià cǐ jiè de xiāo xī , xiē shàng yī wǎn , nà yòu yǒu hé fáng ne ?
林轩略一迟疑,就点点头同意,自己才初临贵地,也用不着急着赶路,若是能从这些半魔的口里,多了解一下此界的消息,歇上一晚,那又有何妨呢?
Two hours later:
jiàn lín xuān tóng yì , shào nǚ bù yóu de dà xǐ :\“ duō xiè qián bèi shǎng guāng , wǎn bèi zhè jiù yǐn lù , nín yào gēn jǐn le .\“
见林轩同意,少女不由得大喜:\“多谢前辈赏光,晚辈这就引路,您要跟紧了.\“
"Senior, cross this barren mountain, and in half an hour, we'll reach our village," said the young lady with a smile.
shào nǚ shuō wán , chōng zhe lín xuān yíng yíng yī fú , suí hòu jiù huà wèi yī dào jīng hóng , xiàng qián miàn fēi qù le .
少女说完,冲着林轩盈盈一福,随后就化为一道惊虹,像前面飞去了.
"Hmm." Lin Xuan nodded but suddenly frowned as he realized that according to her, their village was only a few thousand miles away, yet he had detected no trace of spiritual energy.
lín xuān liǎn shàng lù chū yī sī xiào róng , shēn xíng yī shǎn , bù jǐn bù màn de gēn zài hòu miàn .
林轩脸上lù出一丝笑容,身形一闪,不紧不慢的跟在后面.
Could it be…?
liǎng gè shí chén yǐ hòu .
两个时辰以后.
Lin Xuan did not speak. Perhaps there were unknown reasons; without confirming, it was premature to jump to conclusions.
\“ qián bèi , fān guò zhè zuò huāng shān , zài fēi bàn zhǎn chá de gōng fu , jiù dào wǒ men cūn zi le .\“ shào nǚ wēi xiào zhe xiàng lín xuān zhǐ lù .
\“前辈,翻过这座荒山,再飞半盏茶的功夫,就到我们村子了.\“少女微笑着像林轩指路.
After flying for a while, they indeed saw the village.
\“ ń .\“ lín xuān diǎn diǎn tóu , zhèng yào jiē kǒu , què tū rán méi tou yí zhòu , zhào duì fāng de shuō fǎ , nà cūn zi jù lí cǐ dì , yě bù guò shù qiān lǐ , zěn me zì jǐ què fēn háo yě méi yǒu chá jué dào líng lì bō dòng .
\“嗯.\“林轩点点头,正要接口,却突然眉头一皱,照对方的说法,那村子距离此地,也不过数千里,怎么自己却分毫也没有察觉到灵力bō动.
But the young lady gasped in horror as she saw that the entire village lay in ruins, reduced to rubble and debris. Corpses of fellow villagers littered the ground.
nán dào shuō ……,……
难道说……,……
"How could this happen?" The young lady's tears fell as she sobbed. Lin Xuan’s pupils constricted as he turned his head slightly to the left. @.
Thus it was. The young lady's face revealed a look of understanding, and she then bowed gracefully to Lin Xuan: "Thank you for your assistance."
"None needed," replied the elder. "It was merely a trivial matter. Might I ask if you are not from the Demon Realm? Could you tell me your identity, Lin?"
"Per…." The young lady hesitated on her face but after a few breaths, her doubt dissipated: "My life is indebted to Senior's rescue; naturally, I dare not hide anything from you. I am a half-Demon."
"A half-Demon? What does that mean?"
Lin Xuan was taken aback, feeling vaguely familiar with the term, though he could not quite place it.
The young lady did not take offense at his confusion: "It's understandable that Senior doesn't know; after all, you have just arrived in our Holy Realm," she sighed. Then, her cherry lips slightly parted, and she began to narrate to Lin Xuan.
After half an hour, Lin Xuan finally understood. A half-Demon referred to a creature with one-half demon bloodline. They were not native inhabitants of the Ancient Demon Realm but…
To put it simply, this was something that happened several million years ago.
Back then, a war between two realms had broken out, and the Spirit Realm's power prevailed, pushing deep into the Demon Realm. Led by three Loose Immortals and three Beast Kings, they wielded primordial treasures to reverse the laws of nature, forcibly opening a passage between the two planes.
Unlike a mere spatial node, this allowed thousands of cultivators to enter the Demon Realm openly. Over a million had flooded in.
In that battle, despite being at a disadvantage, the Ancient Demons could not simply surrender; under the leadership of nine True Demon Ancestors, various demon tribes united and fought fiercely with Spirit Realm cultivators.
The fighting was so intense that it dimmed even the sun and moon. Countless demons and cultivators perished, and both sides formed an unbreakable enmity.
However, this was a broad overview. With such a large number of cultivators entering the Demon Realm, their experiences varied widely, leading to some unexpected coincidences.
Despite the chaos between the Spirit and Demon Realms, there were rare cases where a few cultivators had deep grudges with Ancient Demons but eventually reconciled, even forming dual cultivation partners.
While this was unusual, given over a million cultivators, even a one-in-a-thousand chance meant quite a few such cases existed. These matters could not be openly discussed; both demon and spirit realm cultivators would consider them traitors.
The thought of others fighting while you were enjoying your love life would surely drive anyone mad with envy!
---
Both races issued edicts: kill on sight.
Thus, these lovers who risked everything became pariahs. Many found themselves in the same boat but some managed to escape. With the vastness of the Demon Realm, a few inevitably slipped through the cracks and even had offspring.
These were known as half-Demons.
The term was apt; their bodies contained equal parts human and demon blood.
Ancient Demons did not outright kill them, but their status was lowly. Due to impure demon bloodlines, their cultivation potential was limited.
Survival of the fittest—this was a harsh rule in the cultivation world. Half-Demons faced many hardships.
The young lady spoke hesitantly, her words tinged with sorrow. Her life had been filled with hardship from birth. She managed to reach this stage through great effort, and locals said she had good potential; with more effort, she might even enter the Condensation Core stage.
She yearned for it but needed some medicinal pills to aid in cultivation. However, their impoverished stone wasteland lacked resources, a fact beyond their control. Half-Demons could not live near densely populated demon territories or risk being exterminated. Thus, they settled in such barren lands.
Despite poverty, there were still things cultivators needed; just more effort was required.
This girl had endured much hardship to find some spirit herbs but on her way back, she encountered those six-armed Ancient Demons.
Lin Xuan knew the rest of the story well: killing and looting. The girl was smart enough to surrender when outnumbered and handed over the herbs to avoid further trouble. But the demons persisted, wanting to capture her soul for some dark purpose.
Had it not been for Lin Xuan's intervention, she would have had little chance of survival.
Lin Xuan nodded: "That makes sense. Are there any demon settlements nearby?"
"No," replied the young lady. "The Stone Wasteland is remote; the nearest Demon City is a million miles away. It’s late today; if Senior doesn’t mind, how about we visit our village for the night?" she said eagerly.
Even though Lin Xuan was also an Ancient Demon, this newly ascended elder seemed to have no ill will toward them. If he could glean some cultivation insights from him, it would be invaluable.
"Your village?"
"Yes, there are nearly a hundred like me," she confirmed.
"Alright."
Lin Xuan hesitated but agreed. He had just arrived and did not need to rush; gathering more information from these half-Demons before resting for the night seemed reasonable.
Seeing his agreement, the young lady was delighted: "Thank you for your time, Senior. I’ll lead the way; please follow closely."
She bowed again and transformed into a streak of light, flying ahead. Lin Xuan smiled and followed at a leisurely pace.
Two hours later:
"Senior, cross this barren mountain, and in half an hour, we'll reach our village," said the young lady with a smile.
"Hmm." Lin Xuan nodded but suddenly frowned as he realized that according to her, their village was only a few thousand miles away, yet he had detected no trace of spiritual energy.
Could it be…?
Lin Xuan did not speak. Perhaps there were unknown reasons; without confirming, it was premature to jump to conclusions.
After flying for a while, they indeed saw the village.
But the young lady gasped in horror as she saw that the entire village lay in ruins, reduced to rubble and debris. Corpses of fellow villagers littered the ground.
"How could this happen?" The young lady's tears fell as she sobbed. Lin Xuan’s pupils constricted as he turned his head slightly to the left. @.