A month later in the Nine Nether Yellow Springs,
“Welcome aboard the special express sightseeing spirit ship, Flight 721, bound for the Nine Nether Flower Sea. During your journey, you can purchase the exclusive Nine Nether fluffy package, with a choice of ninety-nine fluffy animals to accompany you. They will make your trip perfect. Wishing you a pleasant journey and joyful moments in the Nine Nether Yellow Springs.”
With the descent of a crisp mechanical female voice, the wooden ship, powered by the Southern Mountain Sect’s mechanical spiritual technique, was currently fluttering its wings, sailing amidst the boundless sea of flowers.
Red petals slowly floated in the air, eventually transforming into a shower of flowers, complemented by the starry sky in the night, creating a beauty that seemed surreal, as if in a dream.
On the spirit ship,
Fluffy little demons carrying food and drinks shuttled back and forth on the deck, serving the passengers.
Passengers, in pairs or groups of three, leaned against the deck, enjoying the scenery along the way. Occasionally, the sound of the spirit mirror “Ding! Ding! Ding!” would come from the cabin as message notifications.
Meanwhile, on an entertainment subforum of a certain cultivation forum, someone started a thread about the Nine Nether Yellow Springs travel guide.
Initially, the discussion was quite normal, focusing on travel tips and debates about which little demon had the best ears to pet. However, everything took an unexpected turn when a user on one floor suddenly brought up matters related to the Demon Lord.
[99l: Eh, I heard that purchasing the package allows you to take a photo with the Demon Lord. Is that true?]
[100l: Yes, indeed. When Nine Nether first opened, I had a photo taken with him, and there was even a discount at that time.]
[101l: Darn it! If only I had known earlier..]
[102l: Uh, is he handsome in person? How does he compare to the promotional photos?]
[103l: Handsome, very handsome, and he dresses quite revealing.]
[104l: Darn it! Why didn’t I come earlier (Frustrated cat.jpeg)]
[105l: Can you touch him then?]
[106l: (Shocked cat.jpeg) Sister, you’re so bold!]
[107l: You can touch the little demons here, but I’m not sure about the Demon Lord. Maybe you should try buying a VIP package?]
So, on the second sunny and breezy afternoon,
The topic of “Three VIP packages made it possible for me to touch the Demon Lord eighteen times in one night” directly surged into the top ten of the entertainment section’s popularity rankings in the cultivation daily newspaper.
In the majestic central hall of the Nine Nether Yellow Springs,
The little rabbit demon, holding a dish still emitting steam, knocked on the door of the innermost layer of the hall. Shortly after, he passed through the super luxurious presidential suite and arrived in the courtyard. There, he saw He Heng lying under a large tree, enjoying the shade.
Beside him, a magazine was spread out, and the centerfold featured a staged photo of He Heng with a prominent slogan:
“Newly appointed Demon Lord He Heng tops the list of the most influential figures in the immortal and martial arts world — Is it the result of ten years of hard work or the birth of a nouveau riche?”
The little rabbit demon placed the tray on the nearby stone table, appearing in a very good mood,
“Demon Lord, the number of visitors today has reached an unprecedented peak.”
“Ding! Ding! Ding!”
As various messages kept popping up on the spirit mirror in his hand, He Heng’s temple veins faintly throbbed. He snapped shut the magazine with a loud “snap!” and impatiently questioned him with his own spiritual power,
“How did these strange and baseless rumors spread?”
Early in the morning, when he woke up and saw the topic of “touched eighteen times in one night,” his head was buzzing.
Furthermore, some people even took the liberty to send several photos of faces and chests being touched. This greatly infuriated He Heng; he wished he could burst into the screen and confront those spreading false rumors head-on.
Even if he couldn’t be with Yan Qing’an now, his innocence would always be reserved for his master.
What if Yan Qing’an saw these photos? How would he handle it?
Coupled with this series of compromising pictures, it would be impossible for him to wash away the stain even if he jumped into the Yellow River.
“Demon Lord, didn’t you tell us that before?” The little rabbit demon didn’t see anything wrong. He adjusted the large butterfly hairpin on his head, resembling a cartoon character straight out of Disney.
“Don’t mind the opinions of the outside world. This is just a marketing strategy. As long as the traffic goes up, even doing a somersault and washing hair upside down for them is not a problem.”
“This is different!” He Heng rebutted while rapidly typing on the spirit mirror.
This concerned his innocence; could it be compared to such trivial marketing tactics?
The next moment, several accounts discussing whether they could touch him were all silenced on the forum,
[The One and Only Demon Lord on the Entire Web: Dispel the rumors, dispel the rumors! No touching! No one is allowed! Even if you buy ninety-nine packages!]
[Anyone spreading such false rumors, I’ll have the administrators mute you directly.]
As soon as he appeared, the forum exploded.
Everyone’s attention was no longer on the possibility of being muted but on the fact that the Demon Lord was actually participating in the forum.
The thread immediately reached new heights, with most users flooding it with messages like “Taking a photo with the Demon Lord for memory.”
Meanwhile, atop the Southern Mountain Celestial Palace in the Ninth Heaven, someone appeared to be quite displeased.
This person wore an ivory white silk robe with subtle blue cloud patterns at the cuffs. A solemn black coronet adorned their head, and in the center, a white jade hairpin was secured with two flowing blue ribbons. They looked every bit like a cold and ethereal deity.
This person was named Tian Shouyu, a renowned sword cultivator from the Southern Mountain Sect, second only to Yan Qing’an in reputation across the Six Realms.
Although Tian Shouyu had grown up receiving compliments from others, the constant feeling of being overshadowed was detestable. As a fellow sword cultivator, not only did he lag behind Yan Qing’an in cultivation, but he also didn’t match up in looks.
Therefore, every time in major renowned magazines, Yan Qing’an always led by a significant margin in the votes, leaving the second place, Tian Shouyu, far behind.
Tian Shouyu often heard remarks like, “Although Tian Shouyu is good-looking too, he still falls short compared to Yan Qing’an by more than a bit.”
He hated it,
Tian Shouyu loathed this era that judged people by their appearance.
He thought he would have to be in second place forever, but who would have known that this year, an incident occurred in the Huayang Sword Sect. Yan Qing’an, while practicing the Heartless Dao, suffered setbacks, losing his cultivation and internal energy. He suddenly faded from the public eye. Upon learning this news, Tian Shouyu couldn’t help but secretly rejoice.
He knew that his long-awaited opportunity had finally arrived.
Now, within the entire Six Realms, who else’s fame could be compared to his?
Tian Shouyu was extremely confident that he would be the most influential figure in the Immortal and Martial Arts world this year.
Because he deeply understood that the comprehensive assessment of strength, character, and demeanor was just a facade. The key to deciding the final vote count was still…
The face.
Almost at the moment when Tian Shouyu believed victory was in his grasp, even having drafted his acceptance speech in advance, a dark horse unexpectedly emerged from the demon realm, a place traditionally not favored by the public.
The newly appointed Demon Lord, He Heng, emerged from seemingly nowhere, capturing everyone’s attention in an unconventional manner.
Firstly, his appearance defied traditional expectations, appearing rather unorthodox.
Next, he proposed the bizarre idea of turning the Nine Abyss Yellow Springs into a “Fluffy paradise”.
Finally, he implemented various peculiar marketing strategies, such as monthly tickets, seasonal tickets, package deals, and special offers.
But what infuriated others the most was that he actually succeeded.
At this moment, Tian Shouyu, looking at the magazine with He Heng wearing a deep V-gold-trimmed robe, and seeing the Nine Nether Yellow Springs trending, couldn’t help but show a disdainful look,
“Hmph, this marketing strategy is quite unconventional. I bet he’s hoping people will just buy a hundred packages directly.”
The young disciple beside him quickly agreed, saying, “Indeed, if he didn’t have some tricks up his sleeve, could he have stolen your limelight in such a short time?”
“Laughable. Just look at the path he’s taking. He’s pretending to be a pure and innocent character while walking this way?”
Hearing these comments, Tian Shouyu became even more furious. Anyone with a bit of intelligence would realize how fake He Heng’s deliberately marketed “silly and sweet” image was, but some people still bought into it!
What were they thinking?
It made Tian Shouyu wonder if people nowadays had issues with their sense of aesthetics.
Is the cool and restrained immortal style outdated?
How on earth did He Heng, with his flamboyant appearance, manage to secure the first position?
The more he thought about it, the angrier Tian Shouyu became, grinding his teeth in frustration. He was on the verge of smashing the screen of his spirit mirror.
The young disciple by his side couldn’t help but notice his emotional state. His mischievous eyes rolled around as if he had come up with a tricky idea.
Then, the young disciple leaned in and whispered to Tian Shouyu,
“Elder Tian, there’s no need to be so upset. This He Heng is just having a sudden surge in popularity. It seems impressive, but once the hype dies down, he might not be able to stand firmly in the Six Realms. Besides…”
As soon as Tian Shouyu sensed the young disciple’s intention, he urged, “Besides what?”
“Besides, he’s a demonic cultivator, isn’t he?”
“His marketing strategy is undoubtedly very successful. Not only did he create a contrast in his character design, but he also made people overlook the fact that he comes from the demonic realm and is a demonic cultivator. However, these deep-rooted prejudices against the demonic realm won’t easily disappear.”
“You just need to subtly remind others of this fact.”
“Oh,” Tian Shouyu’s interest was piqued, and he abandoned his previous anger. Smiling, he asked, “For example?”
Upon hearing this, the young disciple continued,
“I heard that He Heng has been deeply influenced by demonic energy since childhood. Those demonic souls even entwined with his spiritual roots. He can barely control the demonic energy within him because he hasn’t really used his spiritual roots to manipulate his inner energy for various purposes.”
“But if something unexpected happens in the Nine Nether Yellow Springs, like a demonic creature riot, He Heng will have to use his cultivation to deal with these situations. And as far as I know…”
“There are still several ancient demonic creatures that escaped from the Cangshan Abyss wandering around in the mortal realm.”
In the evening, the Nine Nether Yellow Springs appeared exceptionally lively, and dazzling fireworks lit up the pitch-black night sky.
Passengers rushed from their rooms to the open balconies, filling the air with laughter and joy.
However, at this moment, there was a person dressed in white, carrying a long sword on their back. They silently walked alone, moving away from the lively crowd.
In these days, Yan Qing’an found a secluded place to enter closed-door cultivation. With the help of the inner core, his meridians and inner energy quickly recovered, and before long, his cultivation returned to its original level. However, he discovered that, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t recapture the same feeling he had before.
Even though he used the same cultivation method and techniques, he couldn’t touch the edge of the Heartless Dao this time.
During this period, He Heng’s face would involuntarily appear in his mind.
Yan Qing’an couldn’t calm his heart, and his restlessness increased. Coincidentally, he encountered Master Yidian of the France Temple passing through the area on a charitable mission.
Seeing Yan Qing’an in this state, Master Yidian smiled faintly and told him that the Dao is born from the heart. It was precisely because his mind was clouded with distracting thoughts that he couldn’t cultivate the Heartless Dao.
As for what exactly his mental block was, Yan Qing’an probably understood it better than anyone.
After Master Yidian finished speaking, he left.
Upon hearing these words, Yan Qing’an chose to temporarily set aside the Heartless Dao. In the end, he strapped a sword to his back and started wandering aimlessly.
As he walked, he arrived at the entrance of the Nine Nether Yellow Springs.
Watching the lively crowd, he felt increasingly lost, unsure of where he could find He Heng.
Eventually, he was stopped by a little demon at the entrance of the Demon Realm Palace.
The little demon looked at him and said, “What are you here for?”
Yan Qing’an: “I want to find your Demon Lord.”
Little demon: “Do you have a Super Package?”
Yan Qing’an: “…”
He was stunned for a moment, then said, “No.” In his heart, he couldn’t help but think that He Heng had really come a long way. Now, he couldn’t even see him without a Super Package.
Seeing his reaction, the little demon shook his head. “I’m sorry, but you can’t see our Demon Lord unless you purchase—”
Before he could finish speaking, his arm was pinched. The little demon paused, only to see the rabbit-eared demon, who always followed the Demon Lord, had appeared seemingly out of nowhere.
“Can this one go?” The rabbit-eared demon first lowered his voice and complained to the little demon, indicating that he lacked foresight.
Then he smiled at Yan Qing’an, “It’s okay. You can come with me directly. I’ll take you to find him.”
During these days, the rabbit-eared demon often played the role of a secretary following He Heng. Over time, he noticed that He Heng would sigh and lament while looking at a photo during quiet nights, as if afflicted by some lovesickness.
So today, as he wandered downstairs, he unexpectedly encountered Yan Qing’an being stopped at the entrance.
At first glance, why did this person look so much like the one in the photo?
Upon realizing that the visitor had come to find He Heng, the rabbit-eared demon immediately understood. This must be He Heng’s long-lost White Moonlight.
The little rabbit demon promptly led Yan Qing’an inside, thinking about giving He Heng a big surprise.
On the other side,
He Heng lay alone in his luxurious courtyard.
He ate the organic tomatoes that the little demons had just picked. These fruits and vegetables were grown by the demons themselves in the back mountains. The once wild and barren land had been transformed into a large farm, filled with various organic crops for visitors to pick.
The juice of the tomatoes was bright red and full, with a sweet taste. Nearby, vibrant fireworks lit up the sky. Even though He Heng was in the best viewing spot, he couldn’t muster any enthusiasm.
Since leaving Yan Qing’an and coming to Nine Underworld Yellow Springs, He Heng had been busy during the day. However, once he paused from his tasks, he felt a hollow emptiness in his heart, an indescribable discomfort.
For example, at this moment, he opened the spirit mirror and retrieved a photo secretly taken during their monster-hunting trip to Red River Village.
In the photo, Yan Qing’an still had his white and round fox-like ears.
Although he was now in a fluffy world, no fluffy hands could compare to the pair of ears belonging to his master.
“Ah,” as he continued looking at the photo, He Heng sighed again.
He wondered how his master was doing now, whether he had mastered the Heartless Dao. If not, maybe he could secretly run to Wang An Ju and bring him back tied up in a sack.
Lost in thought, He Heng absentmindedly swallowed the remaining half of the tomato in his hand.
But the next moment, the courtyard door suddenly swung open with a loud “bang”. He looked up in bewilderment, locking eyes with Yan Qing’an. The small rabbit demon standing nearby gave a faint smile, forming the word “surprise” with his lips before quietly closing the door for the two of them.
In the midst of great surprise and joy, He Heng choked on the tomato in his mouth. He covered his mouth and began coughing violently, and the vivid red juice spilled from the corners of his mouth.
“Cough! Cough! Cough!”
Coughing uncontrollably, he turned around frantically, trying to disguise his nervousness.
The sudden arrival of Yan Qing’an caught He Heng off guard. He hadn’t thought about how to explain himself, and as a result, Yan Qing’an witnessed him in this embarrassing state.
It was truly humiliating!
In his urgency, he somewhat incoherently said, “Master, cough! Cough! Weren’t you supposed to go cultivate the Heartless Dao? How come…”
“You’re like this! Why are you still bringing up the Heartless Dao with me?”
Unexpectedly, as He Heng turned to retreat into the room to tidy up, he was embraced from behind by Yan Qing’an.
Just moments ago, Yan Qing’an was greatly alarmed by He Heng’s appearance of “coughing up blood”. Now, coupled with He Heng’s attempts to hide and avoid facing him, a terrifying thought suddenly crossed his mind.
Could it be that He Heng had long been seriously ill? And in order not to let anyone find out, he chose to return the inner core to himself, and in the end, quietly left alone.
The moment Yan Qing’an thought about He Heng enduring illness alone, he immediately felt a hitch in his breath, and his heart faintly ached. Disregarding everything, he embraced He Heng and anxiously asked,
“Are you sick?”
He Heng: “?”
Instinctively, he vehemently denied, “I-I’m not sick!”
Yan Qing’an thought to himself that even with He Heng coughing up blood like this, he still insisted on being stubborn. Suddenly feeling distressed, his tone softened,
“Don’t talk back to me. If you’re sick, let’s go back and get you treated, okay?”
Feeling the warmth coming from behind and the soft touch of the person behind him, although He Heng felt that being embraced by Yan Qing’an in this way was very enjoyable, and it would be even better if he continued to hug him for a while, but…
He really wasn’t sick!
At this silent moment, He Heng heard the person behind him saying again,
“If you really don’t want to go back, I can stay here with you.”
In the unseen perspective of Yan Qing’an, He Heng raised an eyebrow. Suddenly, he felt that pretending to be sick might not be a bad idea.
“Cough! Cough!”
Immediately, he covered his mouth and deliberately coughed a few times, “Master, are you serious? Not cultivating the Heartless Dao anymore?”
“Yeah.”
Yan Qing’an’s tone sounded extremely anxious. He urgently grabbed He Heng’s shoulder, wanting to check his condition,
“You quickly turn around and let me take a look. Is it severe? Why did you cough so much blood just now?”
Hearing the other person say this, He Heng was stunned again. In his mind, he sought help from the 996:
‘Darn it, what should I do now? I’m not really sick. If he sees me, won’t I be exposed?’
‘Is there any other way? Hurry, save me!’
996: [Speechless, why didn’t you tell him the truth just now? Well, never mind, just go for it now!]
In a split second, He Heng’s mind was filled with 996’s words to “just go for it”.
“What’s wrong with you? Why didn’t you tell me?” The person behind him continued to ask.
Without giving the other any chance to catch his breath, He Heng decisively turned around. He grabbed Yan Qing’an’s chin and kissed him fiercely.
“Um~”
Yan Qing’an was completely unprepared for He Heng’s sudden move. He was forcefully pressed against the wall by He Heng’s waist, his neck slightly tilted backward, and he was forced to open his thin lips to kiss He Heng.
He Heng’s strength was considerable, and Yan Qing’an was left feeling dizzy from the kiss. At this moment, his brain lacked oxygen, and his legs felt a bit weak.
When the two separated, Yan Qing’an’s face was already tinged with a faint blush. He leaned against He Heng, breathing heavily, and he had completely forgotten what he wanted to say just now.
Witnessing this scene, 996 couldn’t help but exclaim:
[Damn…]
He Heng: ‘What? Didn’t you tell me to ‘just go for it’?’
996: [I meant for you to hit him on the back of the neck, knock him out. Who told you to kiss him?]
He Heng: ‘…’
The next moment, Yan Qing’an finally remembered that something seemed off when he kissed He Heng just now.
He tilted his small face, looking at He Heng in confusion, and asked:
“Why does your blood taste like tomatoes?”
“Because…” He Heng’s Adam’s apple rolled up and down. After struggling for a while, he finally uttered a sentence,
“Because I have a strange illness.”
996: […]
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