Chapter Nine: Lizhou

The people present all looked toward the stone pillar, their faces filled with horror.

Suddenly, beneath the stone pillar, Zisang, who knows when, had already broken free from her restraints and shielded Nan Xianyi from the thunderbolt. A flash of white light passed through her chest, followed by the sound of shattering—her demonic soul had shattered...

Zisang spat out a mouthful of blood, clutching her chest and gasping for breath.

"Lingxuan Emperor, today, for his Thunder Punishment... I took it for him. I hope you, sir, will show mercy and spare him this time..."

Before she finished speaking, Zisang collapsed weakly, her words spoken through her remaining consciousness, enduring the pain.

Nan Xianyi, bound to the stone pillar, slowly opened his eyes and looked at the girl who had fallen in front of him...

Zisang's consciousness gradually became clearer, and she heard mocking voices around her constantly.

"Chirp chirp chirp, look who's here!"

"Chirp chirp chirp, isn't this the famous Princess Zisang of the demon race? Who would have thought you'd end up like this, chirp chirp chirp."

"Back then, you were so splendid, but now you've come to this, chirp chirp chirp."

The mocking laughter gave her a headache. Zisang rubbed her forehead but only felt a heaviness on her hand.

She shook her head, trying to clear her mind. As her vision gradually cleared, she realized she was in a valley.

Long iron chains bound her neck, hands, and feet. Except for where she was, there was water all around. She dragged the heavy chains forward bit by bit.

Looking at her reflection on the water's surface, her face was extremely pale, devoid of any color, but there was a crimson blood mark between her brows.

The blood mark resembled a charm, but she couldn't understand it.

Zisang sat weakly again, touching the blood mark on her forehead.

Recalling that day, she had used the soul of the Red Wolf King to block the Thunder Punishment in order to save Nan Xianyi.

That's how she barely survived. Thinking about it, she could only sigh weakly.

Suddenly, there was a "rustle" sound from the front of the stone wall.

Strange patterns were carved on the stone wall, clear lines. From her many years of experience, this should be the totem that sealed the valley.

At this moment, the totem on the stone wall lit up with a golden light along the lines, and then, the stone wall opened from the middle.

The person who came was the Lingxuan Emperor, followed by several white-robed immortal attendants.

With his hands behind his back, the Lingxuan Emperor arrogantly said to her, "Awake?"

With his hands behind his back, scanning the surroundings, he continued, "Don't you want to know where this is?"

Zisang looked around like him, even though she was exhausted, she didn't show any signs of it.

Pretending to be indifferent, she replied, "Here... If I'm not mistaken, it should be the Demon-sealing Valley of Fusang!"

"Huh, so what do you want to say?" The Lingxuan Emperor signaled, and the attendants understood, then turned and left.

Seeing their departing figures, the Lingxuan Emperor sighed and said, "You're right. That day, I did want to use the execution as an excuse to kill Nan Xianyi."

"But what you said makes sense too. He was also raised by me since he was a child. In a way, he's also like a son to me."

"But so what? One is my own son nurtured for thousands of years, and the other is just a son I picked up from the mortal realm and raised for more than ten years."

"If you... what would you choose?"

"I just chose to stand in the position of a father."

The more the Lingxuan Emperor spoke, the more agitated he became, as if he wanted to tear Nan Xianyi apart.

"Do you know what it feels like for a father to watch his son die in front of him?"

"In handling the matter of Nan Xianyi, do you know how much I struggled?"

Taking a deep breath, the Lingxuan Emperor calmed down and continued, "That day... you took the Thunder Punishment for Nan Xianyi, which helped me make a decision. I choose to let it go."

"But... your unauthorized intrusion into Fusang and disturbing the execution still needs to be resolved. Locking you in the Demon-sealing Valley is the punishment you deserve."

"But don't worry, when the time is right, I will naturally let you out."

After speaking, he opened the stone door. As he was about to leave, he said without looking back, "The blood mark on your forehead was set by me."

"In the future, if you commit any wrongdoing, it will spread throughout your body, causing you to experience excruciating pain. You deal with it yourself!"

The stone door closed heavily again, and everything around became quiet...

Nan Xianyi woke up a month later, barely able to get out of bed and walk, but no one paid attention to his request to see Zisang.

For the past month, he had slept restlessly every day, dreaming of Zisang lying coldly next to him every time.

Just as he was about to help her up, she would suddenly disappear, and the next moment she would be standing in front of him, constantly asking him why he hadn't come to find her.

This time, when Master Uncle returned from his travels and heard that Nan Xianyi was injured, he couldn't be persuaded by anyone and insisted on seeing him.

Once he arrived, he stayed in Nan Xianyi's room all day, refusing to come out, clamoring that the Lingxuan Emperor had brought immortal attendants to bully him and insisting on staying by his side all day.

Seeing the immortal attendants come to deliver food and having to test it for poison first, Nan Xianyi, although understanding that it was for his own good, couldn't help but hold his forehead in frustration and say, "Master Uncle, why don't you go back first?"

But as soon as Master Uncle heard this, he immediately looked aggrieved.

"Nephew, are you disgusted with Master Uncle? Master Uncle will leave right away."

"Okay, okay, Master Uncle, you stay here."

Master Uncle had always spoiled him the most. Although he was the Morning Star Sovereign of the Ninth Heaven, he didn't have the demeanor of a sovereign star at all.

Clearly, he had lived for thousands of years, but he still looked like he was in his teens or twenties.

He was always calling himself an old man, which was quite amusing.

In terms of Nan Xianyi's character, which was different from that of Zisang and the others, he probably couldn't escape Master Uncle's influence.

With Master Uncle's easygoing personality, Nan Xianyi asked him, "Old man, can you help me see Zisang?"

When he heard that Zisang had been locked in the Demon-sealing Valley, he became even more worried.

Master Uncle took the lead in diverting the guards, and Nan Xianyi followed closely behind.

"I want to leave here."

"What?"

Nan Xianyi just arrived and heard Zisang say she wanted to leave.

It's not that he didn't want to let her go, it's just not the right time now, but seeing her resolute appearance, he knew he couldn't persuade her anymore, so he could only helplessly say, "It's not the right time yet. Why don't you wait a few days? Even if I can get you out of the Demon-sealing Valley, you won't be able to escape from Fusang."

"No, I have to leave now. I have something very important to do."

Her eyes were determined, and he felt empty inside. He knew he couldn't persuade her anymore, so he reluctantly asked, "What is it?"

"Nan Xianyi, I don't want to say it now... Please, you're the only one who can help me now."

Zisang's eyes were full of pleading. Although he didn't know what she wanted to do, since she had spoken, he had to help her accomplish it.

On the distant mountains, a white fox rushed out of a cave and ran to the distance without stopping.

Passing through high mountains, forests, and rivers, after several days, it finally stopped by a lake. Turning around, it transformed into a young girl.

Zisang reached out and transformed, a white light emitting from her palm. In her ears, she heard the questions she had asked her father before.

"Father, where is Lizhou?"

"Lizhou is where your mother lived when she was young."

"Is Lizhou beautiful?"

"Beautiful~. Lizhou is the most beautiful place in the world."

She remembered her father's face full of happiness when he talked about Lizhou.

Father... must have loved her mother very much, but she left her when she was young.

When she was young, she would ask, "Father, why hasn't mother come back yet? Does mother not want us anymore?"

At that time, her father always told her, "Mother has gone to a very faraway place."

At that time, Zisang often wondered how far away that was.

When Zisang was young, her mother left her, and now her father has done the same.

Her father left her and she couldn't do anything about it, so she thought about how much her father loved her mother before.

If she could bring him back to Lizhou, would her father be more at ease?

Zisang put away the demonic soul of the Demon Emperor and continued forward...