The group of them opened their eyes slightly to see that the sky had brightened considerably, and a cool, damp air filled the surroundings.
I stood up, stretched my limbs, and said to everyone, "It's time to go, or we won't reach the next place by evening."
"Then let's hurry," Tian Long replied.
Everyone then gradually walked to their horses, mounted them, and set off into the distance.
After traveling for a thousand miles, as we reached a vast open plain, a dense fog suddenly enveloped us. The horses lost their direction and stopped in confusion within the thick mist.
Qing Yu asked, "Why would such a dense fog appear out of nowhere?"
The others also felt a sense of unease. Just then, a "ding-ding-dang" sound echoed from within the vast fog.
However, the sound seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere, making it impossible to pinpoint its origin. We could only heighten our vigilance.
Amidst the tense atmosphere, the fog suddenly dispersed as if nothing had happened.
"What was that?" Wang Yuan asked, bewildered, looking around warily.
"Whatever it was, since there's a path, we should move on quickly," I said.
"Alright."
So, the group quickly urged their horses away. We hadn't gone far when, as our horses waded through a river, they suddenly went wild, throwing us into the water.
"What's going on?" I asked, confused.
Everyone looked around. The eerie bell sound started to ring again, seeming to come from the forest ahead, then from the plains behind us.
At that moment, I suddenly saw a figure flash through the bushes ahead and quickly exclaimed, "There's a figure over there!"
Everyone followed my指 direction, but saw nothing. Then, the horses seemed to panic, whinnying wildly and scattering in all directions.
"It seems something terrible has appeared nearby. I think we can't avoid it and must fight."
Tian Long, observing the strange situation, immediately surmised.
Just then, the eerie bell sound rang out again. Wang Yuan, listening to the bells, gradually lost his focus and began walking forward dazedly.
Mu Han quickly asked, "Wang Yuan, where are you going?"
But Wang Yuan seemed not to hear him and walked straight ahead. I quickly reached out to grab him, but he suddenly turned and pulled me, carrying me away.
Before the others could react, he had vanished. They shouted, "Demon King!" "Mu Ye!" "Wang Yuan!"
However, their calls were met only by the desolate, endless breeze. Liu Shi Nian couldn't afford to hesitate and chased after him. Tian Long and the others followed closely.
Wang Yuan dragged me through the forest. I knew he was being controlled by something and didn't want to hurt him.
I could only gently push him away with a palm strike, and then I landed on the ground.
"Wang Yuan, what's wrong with you?"
Even though I knew he couldn't recognize me, I still hoped to wake him up.
Wang Yuan suddenly gave a strange smile, shook his head a few times, and then came to his senses.
Seeing that we were in the forest, with only him and me, he panicked and quickly asked, "Demon King, where is this? Where are my brothers?"
I helplessly recounted what had just happened.
"You were just walking forward uncontrollably, and when I grabbed you, you brought me here."
He then recalled, "I remember, I was clearly in the water, then I heard that bell sound from who knows where, and my head suddenly felt dizzy and I lost consciousness."
"It seems that bell is problematic. I wonder who the divine being is."
Wang Yuan analyzed, "There aren't many people who can control one's consciousness and manipulate others. But it's clear that this person is not to be trifled with."
Just then, the bell sound came from ahead again. I quickly reached for the brocade box on my person. Wang Yuan also prepared to attack, but suddenly found he couldn't move.
"What's wrong? I can't move. Wang Yuan, how are you?" I asked urgently.
"I can't move either."
"What should we do?"
At this moment, the bell sound grew louder. We saw a man in strange attire walk out from the dense forest.
He was dressed in colorful clothes, like an elder during a sacrifice, and strings of similarly sized bells hung from his robes.
The sound we had heard earlier must have come from his clothing.
His head was even stranger, with two deer antlers growing from it, and a colorful mask on his face.
His hands were also peculiar, as if he were wearing gauntlets forged from black iron, sharp and pointed.
It reminded me involuntarily of Tian Wu's eight sharp claws. It seemed like another difficult opponent.
Looking at the person before me, I didn't know what he wanted. I could only ask, "Who are you? What do you want?"
He remained silent, slowly walking closer.
Suddenly, I heard a commotion behind us. Without even guessing, I knew it was Liu Shi Nian and the others arriving.
However, I couldn't move, so I had no way of knowing what they would do.
The group caught up, leaped into the air, and drew their swords, stabbing towards the strange man.
The man, unhurried, waved his hand casually, freezing Liu Shi Nian and the others, rendering them immobile and causing them to fall to the ground.
"This person's strength is immense," Mu Han felt an unprecedented pressure.
Tian Long also analyzed carefully.
"Judging by his strange attire and formidable strength, and that he doesn't seem to be from the Northern Divine Capital, he should have no ill intentions towards us."
"Then what exactly does he want?" Liu Shi Nian also questioned.
"I don't know."
At this moment, the strange man suddenly stopped and waved his hand gently in front of him.
A black and red book appeared in mid-air. The book bore three large characters on its cover: "Divine Demon Tome."
Then, he flicked his fingers, and the book slowly opened. However, the pages inside were blank.
He unhurriedly traced down from the blank page with his pointed finger, and miraculously, a few lines of text appeared on the book.
The text read:
Liu Mu Ye, Human Race, 20 years old. Because of a promise with Liu Xiang, he was brought to this异界 by Liu Xiang. He must undergo many trials to return to the human world.
"Liu Mu Ye, Mu Ye," he murmured.
Then he asked me, "Do you still remember me?"
I looked at him with confusion. Why had so many people asked me if I remembered them these past few days? I shook my head and said, "I haven't seen you before."
He put the book away, slowly walked up to me, lowered his head, and leaned in. He slightly lifted his colorful mask, allowing me to see half of his face.
"How about now?"
My eyes widened in surprise. It wasn't that I remembered who he was, but rather I was astonished by his clear, beautiful, and peerless countenance, comparable to Liu Xiang.
He had a masculine aura with a hint of femininity, and a hint of pride within his femininity, possessing a man's face with the beauty of a woman.
I shook my head in confusion. He seemed somewhat disappointed. He gently lowered his hand and then placed his pointed finger on my face again, murmuring, "I couldn't possibly be mistaken. Your face, why don't you remember me?"
Then, he sighed in resignation, "It's fine if you don't remember."
With a wave of his hand, he released us from our restraints and turned to leave, quickly disappearing into the forest.
Liu Shi Nian walked up and asked, "Mu Ye, are you alright?"
I shook my head, indicating I was fine.
Tian Long, thinking about the man from before, guessed, "That person looked like a legendary figure."
"What legendary figure?" we all asked curiously.
"I've heard a legend before. It's said that in the distant ancient times, there was a rare and profound book that recorded all sorts of demons, monsters, gods, and extraordinary beings, called the Divine Demon Tome.
And the guardian of this book was an unparalleled master named Shi Mo Jun. Legend has it that he was neither god nor demon, and no one knew where he came from."
"Is it that mysterious?" I asked curiously.
After hearing Tian Long's words, Qing Yu also recalled the man from before with seriousness.
"If what Brother Tian Long says is true, then that person really does resemble the legendary Shi Mo Jun."
"Regardless of whether it is or not, we should still be careful."
"Alright."
At this moment, the horses that had scattered suddenly reappeared from all directions.
We were very surprised, but also very happy.
"Since the horses are back, let's continue our journey."
"Yes."
The group mounted their horses again and headed towards the Western Purple Kingdom.
This time, it took us less than three and a half days to reach the Western Purple Kingdom with ease. As soon as we entered the city, we saw the Western Lin Royal Palace situated on the mountainside from afar.
Lin Er, having learned of our return in advance, had already gathered everyone at the palace gates to await us.
As we approached, we heard their shouts, "Demon King, you're back!"
Seeing them, I also happily replied, "Yes, I'm back."
Qiu Yu was the first to step forward, taking my horse's reins and asking affectionately, "Demon King, how have you been during this time? Has everything gone smoothly?"
"Nothing major, only Shi Nian was injured."
Upon hearing this, everyone gathered around Liu Shi Nian, asking him questions one after another, "Where were you injured?"
"Is it serious?"
"How did you get injured?"
Liu Shi Nian smiled slightly and replied, "I'm fine. They are all minor injuries, nothing serious."
Just then, Liu Mei noticed that everyone had returned except Yue Yao, and she stepped forward, asking with concern, "Demon King, why isn't Yue Yao here? Did something happen to her?"
"No, she is the princess of the Mermaid tribe. She stayed with the Mermaid tribe when we returned this time."
"That's good. It saves her from having to run around with us."
At this moment, Lin Er and the four elders also stepped forward. Elder Wan Gu looked at us with fatigue, knowing that this journey had been quite eventful. He asked me,
"Demon King, did you gain anything from your trip to Penglai Island?"
"Yes, when I arrived, the chief of the Mermaid tribe gave me a few gifts."
As I spoke, I called out to Qing Yu,
"Qing Yu, bring over the things you collected."
"Oh, alright." Responding thus, Qing Yu took the bundle from the horse's back and brought it to the group, opening it for them to see.
The elders were very pleased after seeing them. However, their thoughts were not solely on these gains. Elder Zhu Liuyun laughed heartily and praised,
"These items look very valuable. It seems the chief of the Mermaid tribe is quite generous. But your gains are not limited to these, are they, Demon King?"
I then remembered the gifts given to me by the souls of the Mermaid tribe and said to them mysteriously,
"Indeed, I've gained quite a few good things. These items should greatly increase my power."
Upon hearing this, the elders knew what I had obtained and nodded with satisfaction.
At this point, Lin Er suggested, "Demon King and everyone must be tired from traveling for days. Let's go into the royal palace to talk."
"Wait."
I suddenly remembered something.
"These horses have followed us for days and endured much hardship.
On the way here, I promised the horses that I would set them free once we returned to the Western Purple Kingdom. Now that we have arrived, it is time to fulfill that promise."
"Since that's the case, let them go," Lin Er then said to the guards who came to take the horses.
"Release the horses."
The guards quickly untied the horses and let them go. Freed from their restraints, the horses excitedly walked around us, then neighed in unison and ran down the mountain.
Afterward, we returned to the royal palace. Exhausted as we were, we decided against holding a banquet. After urging my companions to rest, I began chatting with the elders and the senior elders.
I told them,
"This time, after defeating Tian Wu, the souls of the Mermaid tribe gave me a pair of Frost Feather Wings.
And my Dragon Roar Sword and Crimson Blood Sword have absorbed a considerable amount of cold energy and resentment. They should now be even stronger than before."
Lin Er also happily said, "That's great. The Northern Divine Capital is always a dangerous place. Without powerful strength, direct confrontation will only lead to disadvantage."
"Oh, right. The chief of the Mermaid tribe told me that the items he gave us might be useful when we go into battle."
"It seems he had some foresight."
Elder Hei Yi, sensing my fatigue, said, "Demon King, you must be tired today. Please go and rest. We can discuss other matters tomorrow."
"Alright, I'll take my leave then."
"Farewell, Demon King."
After chatting with them, I left the great hall. As I stepped out, I saw Qiu Yu waiting by the door.
"Qiu Yu, what are you doing here?" I asked her.
She smiled shyly and replied coyly,
"I saw that the Demon King was discussing matters with the elders and senior elders, so I didn't want to disturb you. I thought you would be returning soon, so I waited here."
"Oh, that's great. Let's go back together."
With that, I grabbed her hand and walked towards the sleeping quarters. Qiu Yu gazed at my ignorant yet sincere and warm demeanor, and her heart inexplicably fluttered.
She wildly imagined that I would accept her confession, and then we would live happily ever after.
"Qiu Yu, what's wrong? Qiu Yu?" I turned around and saw her smiling foolishly, thinking she was ill, and asked urgently.
Qiu Yu snapped back to reality amidst my calls, revealing a sweet smile, "It's nothing, it's nothing. I'm just too happy to see the Demon King."
"Oh, that's good. You'll be able to see me every day from now on."
Hearing my words, her heart suddenly pounded, and a blush crept onto her face.
"I want to sleep for a while. Do you want to sleep?" I asked her.
She shook her head blankly. Seeing her refusal, I didn't bother with her further and went into the room, collapsing onto the bed and falling into a deep sleep.
The Divine Demon Tome of Heaven and Earth:
An ancient divine book, rumored to contain records of all things in the world. Without the book, all existence would cease; with the book, all beings exist.
Therefore, the guardian of this book must be a supremely powerful master with no worldly attachments.
The current holder of this book is the reclusive master Shi Mo Jun. Legend has it that Shi Mo Jun was born of heaven and earth, possessing immense magical power.
No one has ever been able to defeat him. However, he has spent his life traveling and recording flora and fauna, with no interest in worldly conflicts.
Therefore, no one has truly seen him, and his power level remains a matter of speculation.
The Divine Demon Tome of Heaven and Earth, due to its record of all things in the world, its profound meaning, and its immense influence, is rarely known to the public.
Therefore, it ranks second on the list of the Ten Great Demonic Artifacts, with a terror index of ★★★★★.