Chapter 355: Triggering a Mechanism to Reveal the True Body

Lingxiang had almost forgotten that today was the day to deliver the Pill to Demon Lord Mo Zun Boyan, and Wumin Jun seeking her out was precisely because of this matter.

One might ask why the Demon Lord would bother concerning himself with where she went when he had nothing better to do; was it possible she could actually run away? Even if she did run, where could she go? The Humoukou had already been destroyed.

Without needing to think much, Lingxiang could guess the current state of the human world.

Once the Humoukou was destroyed, souls could no longer enter the Netherworld; although they could be reborn into the human world through the Lunhui zhi Jing, doing so would inevitably lead to an imbalance in the Underworld.

Over these past three years, the human world had seen no new births, incense offerings were difficult to sustain, the mortal world was in chaos, and living beings were being wiped out.

After every soul entered the Underworld, its deeds during life would be tallied, then rewards or punishments would be decided, and only then would it be reincarnated.

The Zen Sect spoke of the Six Paths of Reincarnation, but the Daoist arts Lingxiang practiced were based on the theory of the Six Bridges.

The so-called Six Bridges were essentially similar to the Six Paths but with major differences; they were nothing more than the theory of retribution for good and evil, yet the Six Bridges had their own distinctions.

The theory of the Six Bridges had no concept of a Ghost Path or hell.

Before the Houtu incarnation transformed into the Six Paths, there was no reincarnation in the world. One thought extinguished led to one thought arising, which is why there is the legend of the giant Kun transforming into the Peng.

After the Underworld came into existence, it provided a place for living beings to be reborn, but all things in the universe require order, which is why the rules of the Six Bridges were established.

Those who cultivate the Dao cross the Golden Bridge to become Immortals; those with minor Good Fruit cross the Silver Bridge to enjoy incense; those who have accumulated merit cross the Jade Bridge to enjoy wealth and glory; those whose merits and demerits are equal cross the Stone Bridge to enjoy the happiness of a modest life; those whose faults outweigh their merits cross the Wooden Bridge to suffer poverty, illness, and loneliness; those whose sins are full cross the Bamboo Bridge to be reborn as fetuses, eggs, lice, or through transformation.

Lingxiang did not really care about the differences between them; firstly, the Zen Sect and the Daoist Sect were originally of the same lineage, and secondly, these so-called grand principles were fine to just glance over and move on from; there was really no need to trace them back to their origins.

What she found strange was that the Demon Realm had been entrenched in the Netherworld for a thousand years; it was one thing for the Underworld to ignore it, but now that the Humoukou had been destroyed, they still did nothing—what exactly was the reason for this?

Forget it, forget it; if those Underworld gods were of any use, they wouldn't have had their Underworld overturned by others all those years ago.

Relying on others is not as good as relying on oneself; better to solve it herself!

Outside the palace where the Demon Lord resided, there were layers of Demon Soldiers, and none could enter without a summons; inside, there was only a throne symbolizing the Demon Lord's status, and the rest was nothing but darkness.

However, after Lingxiang came to the Demon Realm, the Demon Lord had ordered some lamps to be placed in the hall, though they were only scattered sparsely here and there, and it was not much different from the past.

Therefore, every time Lingxiang entered the hall, she had to use the Spirit Vision technique to see clearly. Fortunately, she did not come often, so to Lingxiang, whether it was bright or dark here did not really matter.

Whenever she came in the past, she would always see the Demon Lord sitting alone on the high throne, but this time she did not see his figure.

Could it be that he went somewhere to amuse himself?

This was merely a joking thought of Lingxiang's; she did not believe the Demon Lord had that kind of sentiment.

It was more likely he had gone somewhere to harm others!

Lingxiang shrugged and intended to place the medicine box on the Demon Lord's seat and leave, but somehow, she was inexplicably drawn to sit on it.

Hah! This seat was hard as a rock and not very comfortable, yet people fought tooth and nail for it; the human world was like this, and the Demon Realm was too—why bother?

Lingxiang curled her lip and hopped down.

She still had Mai Dong to take care of and had no time to worry about these things.

But the moment she jumped down, her hand touched something, and she heard a "click" from the darkness; a glimmer of light appeared behind the high throne.

It was a mechanism!

How could there be a mechanism on the Demon Lord's seat?

Curiosity drove Lingxiang to reach out again toward the armrest she had just touched; after feeling around for a long time, she actually found a stone carving in an inconspicuous spot.

The stone carving itself was not strange, as the entire throne was made of stone, but what was strange was that this stone carving was very smooth, as if it were often handled by someone, making it look out of place.

Lingxiang's eyes lit up.

Could it be that Demon Lord Mo Zun Boyan had some unspeakable secret? If it were some scandalous leverage, then she had really hit the jackpot today!

Lingxiang gave a sly smile and poked the stone carving without hesitation.

Anyway, the Demon Lord was not here now, so what could happen if she took a look?

Thinking that the Demon Lord, who was always stern-faced, could actually have such little tricks, Lingxiang felt inexplicably excited.

Sure enough, after pressing the stone carving, the stone door behind the throne opened wider, and the eerie light that shone through instantly illuminated the entire hall.

Perhaps there was some treasure inside!

Adhering to the principle of "not taking advantage is a fool's game," Lingxiang tiptoed inside.

But the scene before her eyes left Lingxiang stunned.

The Stone Chamber was not large, only a few feet across, filled with Nether River Fireflies, and in the center sat a glazed coffin.

This glazed coffin was a bit wider than an ordinary coffin, and under the illumination of the Nether River Fireflies, it appeared exceptionally translucent, and inside the coffin actually lay...

A man and a woman!

The man looked like a youth with delicate features and wore black robes, clearly someone of wealth or nobility, while the woman wore plain silk robes and possessed an ethereal, fairy-like aura, looking quite extraordinary.

A funeral amidst a wedding!

What a pity, what a pity.

Lingxiang curled her lip and walked forward to take a closer look, but after seeing the woman's face clearly, she was struck dumb with astonishment.

The woman in that glazed coffin was actually...

"Mother!"

Those brows and that face were exactly the same as the one in the painting; it was Tumi Xianzi!

This! How could this be?!

Lingxiang knew that the tomb of Tumi Xianzi in the back mountains of Yuanqing was most likely a cenotaph, but she never expected her physical body to be in the Demon Realm! Could it be that...

A thought emerged, causing cold sweat to stream down Lingxiang's back.

Just as Lingxiang was lost in thought, a hand like a withered tree fiercely gripped her throat, lifted her up violently, and flung her out of the Stone Chamber.

As Lingxiang tumbled, she was thrown into a daze; by the time she regained her senses, she heard the sound of a heavy stone slab, and she was plunged into darkness.

She had returned to the Demon Lord's hall.

"Who allowed you to trespass!" The Demon Lord's gloomy voice came from the darkness, sounding very angry.

Lingxiang only felt a sharp pain in her throat and could not speak for a moment. The sound of the Demon Lord's footsteps echoed in the hall, making it impossible for Lingxiang to tell where he was, but an inexplicable feeling rose in her heart.

Was it fear?

No! That's not right!

Rather than fear, it was more like anger.

Lingxiang suddenly remembered that when she was at Zhao Wuyang's Qi Pool, the Eternal Firmament had once said she was merely a Half-Demon Body, yet he had not explained in what way she was "half."

At that time, Lingxiang had not delved into it, but looking at it now, her own understanding seemed to have been biased.

A demon is a demon; how could there be such a thing as a half-demon?

If this were the case, then everything the Demon Lord had done would also make sense.

Lingxiang suddenly felt happy again, happy that she was not the person she had imagined herself to be, and that her mother had not done anything outrageous.

This was truly one thing among many frustrating matters that could be considered comforting.