Chapter 128: Before Death (Third Update)

The body of the Myriad Spirits Demon Emperor collapsed with a thunderous crash.

His soul had already shattered.

All traces of his aura vanished.

From this moment on, the world would no longer have the Myriad Spirits Demon Emperor, nor would it ever again harbor the Parasitic Heavenly Demon.

No—wait, that wasn’t right. There was still one!

Lu Ye’s figure disappeared.

When he reappeared, he was already standing before the Vermilion Bird.

The Vermilion Bird raised her head, gazing into Lu Ye’s icy eyes, while Shen Xitong’s figure materialized in front of her.

"Brother, shall we kill one?" Shen Xitong asked in a soft voice.

Lu Ye nodded.

"Fine."

He raised his palm, transforming it into a fist.

The Vermilion Bird stood there, dazed and numb. Her Dao heart had already shattered completely the moment she released the karmic obsession of reincarnation.

She was a hypocrite!

She had prided herself on her kindness, believing she could sacrifice her life for all living beings.

Yet, she had failed.

Only now did she realize how truly terrifying death was.

As Lu Ye’s Celestial Lord Fist gathered power, a faint glimmer of clarity finally returned to the Vermilion Bird’s eyes.

Bloody tears streamed down her face.

She knew she was doomed.

Because a wisp of the Myriad Spirits Demon Emperor’s remnant soul still clung to her.

"Before I die… may I ask a few questions?"

Lu Ye had no intention of wasting words with her. His fist was already poised to strike.

But Shen Xitong hastily grabbed his arm.

*Host, killing her like this would be so boring, don’t you think?*

"Ask!" Shen Xitong said aloud.

The Vermilion Bird’s gaze lingered on Shen Xitong’s hand clutching Lu Ye’s arm.

Once, she too could have made such a gesture.

She too could have stopped Lu Ye when his killing intent flared.

No matter how strong Lu Ye's killing intent was, as long as she held him back, he would stop.

But now, the one restraining Lu Ye was still there—just not her anymore.

The one Lu Ye was killing was also present, but it had become her.

Hahaha...

The Vermilion Bird laughed bitterly, laughed in despair.

"You clearly had nine lives, so why did you only have one left during the tribulation?"

Lu Ye remained silent.

Shen Xitong's face was full of excitement—gossip! Gossip! Gossip! Gossip gossip gossip!

"Ding, dog host—Lu Ye, tell her! Quickly tell her the truth!"

In her emotional outburst, Shen Xitong had already started speaking recklessly.

Lu Ye looked at the Vermilion Bird's appearance, and in his mind, the image of the once lively and energetic Vermilion Bird seemed to resurface.

"In the previous life, during my cultivation, I died once for each of you eight."

Lu Ye spoke.

Hearing this, the Vermilion Bird's mind was shaken to its core.

She stared at Lu Ye in disbelief.

"You... died once for me too?"

Lu Ye nodded.

"When?"

The Vermilion Bird asked urgently.

"Parasitic Heavenly Demon, White Fire Spirit, the Azure-Blue Sea."

The moment Lu Ye uttered these three names, the Vermilion Bird's memories were instantly pulled back to that time.

The Parasitic Heavenly Demon had appeared in the Seventh Heaven.

And White Fire Spirit—that was the young bird she had secretly hidden away back then.

Under her careful nurturing, the young bird slowly grew.

She had named it White Fire Spirit, with "White" taken from the surname of the stork that had raised her.

The Azure-Blue Sea was where Lu Ye had finally confronted the Parasitic Heavenly Demon in their decisive battle.

She remembered now—she remembered everything.

When White Fire Spirit was still alive, Lu Ye had faced relentless sieges from powerful enemies. He fought his way through, rising step by step, but the path of his rise was filled with unbearable suffering.

That day.

Lu Ye had pursued the Parasitic Heavenly Demon for a long time, finally driving it to the Azure-Blue Sea.

It was on that very day she obtained a key.

A key to the ancestral court of the Demon race.

And upon that key lingered the aura of White Fire Spirit.

The Demon who delivered the key told her it was left behind by a fiery-red firebird.

That firebird’s name was White Fire Spirit.

At the time, she was puzzled—White Fire Spirit had already perished in the Sixth Heaven, and now they had ascended to the Seventh Heaven. How could White Fire Spirit still have the means to send her something here?

The messenger informed her they were from the Scales Pavilion.

The Scales were renowned for balancing all things and upholding fair trade, making them quite trustworthy.

This key had been deposited at the Scales Pavilion by a Demon named White Fire Spirit, who requested they deliver it to the Vermilion Bird at the appropriate time.

“What is the appropriate time?” the Vermilion Bird asked.

“When the Parasitic Heavenly Demon is about to die!”

She even knew about the Parasitic Heavenly Demon?

The Vermilion Bird was utterly astonished, but the Scales Pavilion envoy had already fulfilled their duty. Before departing, they told her that a mere wisp of divine sense infused into the key would reveal everything.

At the time, the Vermilion Bird remained cautious.

But it was just a sliver of divine sense.

Her strength back then was considerable, and she was confident in handling any situation.

Yet when she sent that wisp of divine sense into the key—

It truly was White Fire Spirit. That aura was unmistakably hers, not a trace of doubt.

“Sister Vermilion Bird, we meet again. By now, I should already be dead, right?”

“Hehe, it’s alright. I was someone who should’ve died long ago—living this much longer is already a huge profit!”

“Alright, alright, I don’t have enough energy left to ramble. Let’s get straight to the point!”

“This key is to the ancestral court of the Demon race, obtained during my final expedition. It’s also the reason I perished.”

“The Demon ancestral court lies in the Seventh Heaven, filled with countless treasures of the Demon race—though no one can find it now.”

“Just drip a single drop of your essence blood onto this key, and it will lock onto the ancestral court’s location. But beware—its guardian is the Parasitic Heavenly Demon, a truly terrifying being.”

“I didn’t want Sister Vermilion Bird to face danger, so I instructed the Scales Pavilion to act only when the Parasitic Heavenly Demon was on the verge of death before heading to the ancestral court.”

“I hope Sister Vermilion Bird stays happy and cultivates smoothly. Ah, I can only say so much. Sister, you must take care of yourself. Goodbye!”

This was the message White Fire Spirit left behind.

The Vermilion Bird was certain—this was indeed from White Fire Spirit.

She had raised White Fire Spirit, watched her grow step by step, and never once had she displayed even the faintest trace of the Myriad Spirits Demon Emperor’s influence.

She believed in Bai Huoling.

Thus, a drop of Vermilion Bird's essence blood fell onto the key.

The essence blood vanished, and she indeed sensed the aura of the ancestral court from the key.

Thus, she headed to the ancestral court.

Thus, she found the *"Ten Thousand Spirits Blood Transformation Demon Scripture."*

At that time, her emotions were too overwhelming, causing her to lose control and fall into a coma.

By the time she woke again, Lu Ye was already by her side, and the place she found herself in was the Azure Blue Sea. Lu Ye told her that the Parasitic Heavenly Demon had already perished.

"So... was I parasitized?" Vermilion Bird asked in a daze.

Shen Xitong waved her hand lightly.

A screen of light materialized before Vermilion Bird.

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