Chapter 1414: If Not Obsessive, How Can One Be a Demon?

"You're Senior Chen's..."

Chen Lingyun snapped back to reality. "I..."

"I'm his older sister!"

He Qing froze. "Sister?"

"Right."

Chen Lingyun didn't skip a beat. "Blood siblings. Same father, different mothers."

He Qing didn't quite process this right away.

"Anyway, that's the gist of it," Chen Lingyun said.

He Qing cast a suspicious glance at her, unable to tell if it was true or false.

"I've never heard Senior Chen mention you," He Qing said.

"He's utterly heartless. What would he know?"

Chen Lingyun looked at He Qing. "What are you up to right now?"

"Getting some wine," He Qing said. "I'm going on a long trip."

"Getting wine? The Wine Tavern is closed. How are you going to get wine?"

"I have the key."

"The k-key?"

Chen Lingyun instantly felt deeply indignant.

How could he just give away his own house key to an outsider!

"Yeah."

He Qing took out the key and unlocked the door to the Wine Tavern.

Pushing the door open, she found the Wine Tavern filled with wine. Just like always, it was all Peach Blossom Brew.

He Qing grabbed a few jugs of wine and stored them in her Brocade Pouch. She had specifically asked her mother for the Brocade Pouch just so she could bring more wine on her journey.

Chen Lingyun irritably kicked a stone by the doorway.

He Qing looked back. "Do you want a drink?"

"No!"

Chen Lingyun snapped.

He Qing was bewildered, sensing that this person seemed to have a problem with her.

So, He Qing only packed for herself.

She walked out, locked the door to the Wine Tavern, and said, "I have to go. Senior Chen won't be back for a long time. Why don't you come looking for him then?"

"Where are you heading?"

"I..."

"Just wandering around," He Qing said, "to see the outside world."

Chen Lingyun narrowed her eyes. After a brief glance, she said, "I don't have anywhere to go. Why don't we travel together? We're both female cultivators; we can look out for each other."

He Qing thought about it and decided that made sense, though she remained slightly uneasy about this person's origins.

But Chen Lingyun didn't give her a chance to refuse.

"Get on my donkey. Let's go!"

With that, she grabbed He Qing's hand and yanked her onto the donkey.

"Wait, I..."

"Stop talking so much. We're leaving!"

The donkey trotted forward. He Qing sat on its back, still not quite understanding what had just happened.

It felt as though she had been taken for a ride.

...

The Demon Gate had reappeared in the world.

The Ghost Dao and the demonic path combined, merging nether energy and demonic energy into one. Those who achieved great mastery in this path were called Ghost Fiends. They cultivated using the world's demonic and nether energies, mostly appearing in Mass Graves where baleful auras gathered.

By the time the cultivators of the Mysterious Gate noticed, it was already too late.

Silently and without warning, the Demon Gate had recruited a massive force of Ghost Fiends. These entities came and went without a trace, far harder to track down than ever before.

Because of this, Xiao Dongxu rushed all over the world. He constantly took opportunities to tail these Ghost Fiends in search of the Demon Gate, yet the trail always went cold halfway.

"Gone again..."

Xiao Dongxu looked at the raging river before him, unable to stave off a mounting headache.

"Why do none of these demonic cultivators have a clear direction? They scatter in every direction..."

Xiao Dongxu couldn't figure it out. Could it be that paths from every direction all led to the Demon Gate?

He pondered the matter endlessly but found no answer. For the past several months, all his efforts had been completely in vain.

Moreover, departed souls had been continuously vanishing lately. These souls weren't entering the Yellow Springs through the Netherworld Bureau, nor were they turning into vengeful spirits—they simply disappeared.

Unless he was mistaken, they had all ultimately transformed into Ghost Fiends.

Xiao Dongxu had to admire the Demon Gate's methods this time. Even when he sought answers through the Tortoise-Shell Eight Trigrams, he hadn't gleaned the slightest clue.

"Where did all these ghost cultivators of the demonic path go..."

Amidst that expanse of yellow sand.

Group after group of ghost cultivators could be seen walking across the dunes.

This was the Sand Sea of the Underworld, and it was also where the Demon Gate was currently located. Palaces built from sand and stone stood here, and an endless stream of demonic energy blanketed the region.

Over the years, this place had transformed into a city.

Not only ghost cultivators, but departed souls also mingled here.

And all of this happened under tacit approval.

Of course, everything came with a price.

Wang He had made a promise.

Regardless of success or failure, these Ghost Fiends would ultimately return to the Underworld and become yin soldiers, guarding it for all eternity.

This was the condition Manyue had set, and it was also the Demon Gate's best choice at the time. In exchange, they gained this Ghost City amidst the yellow sands.

The Demon Sovereign would occasionally watch from afar. Seeing the number of ghost cultivators on the demonic path multiplying within the city, he began to see the signs of success.

'If things continue like this, we will indeed have the strength to put up a fight in the short term.'

'Perhaps we might actually catch up.'

The Demon Sovereign actually admired Wang He's mind. Though this man's Dao Cultivation wasn't considered profound, his ideas were exceptionally ingenious. Whether it was modifying demonic cultivation techniques or merging the current Ghost Dao with the demonic path, it was an absolute stroke of brilliance.

He tilted his head back to take a sip of wine, eagerly anticipating the arrival of that day.

Yet, he didn't know what kind of spectacle it would be when these Ghost Fiends finally walked out of the Underworld and were seen by the world.

Footsteps echoed from behind him.

Manyue looked toward the city and said, "It's progressing quite fast."

"Those two have good ideas."

The Demon Sovereign added his own praise.

Manyue shook her head. "But it's not enough, not nearly enough. If they want to catch up to the Mysterious Gate, who knows how many more years it will take."

"They'll catch up..."

The Demon Sovereign said, "Everyone is slow. No one is fast."

"Although the Mysterious Gate has a profound foundation, internally, they only look out for themselves. They are far less unified than the Demon Gate. Add to that their arrogance and self-proclaimed supremacy, and the opportunity naturally presents itself."

Manyue said, "It has nothing to do with me anyway. Regardless of success or failure, there is at least a chance now."

The Demon Sovereign nodded with a smile. "Just treat this Demon Gate as a failsafe."

Manyue gave a slight nod and said no more.

Meanwhile, in the distant Ghost City.

Wang He surveyed the scene below, already holding a foolproof plan in his heart.

His tense nerves finally settled a little in this moment.

Now, he only needed to take it step by step and keep moving forward.

Jian Shenghua looked at the prosperity before them and said, "We will turn things around eventually. That is what you told me before."

"Yes."

Wang He let out a breath and said, "In just a few years, this Ghost City will return us to the heights of our past. When that time comes, the Mysterious Gate will be nothing but a pack of clay roosters and tile dogs, collapsing at the first blow."

Jian Shenghua stood on the City Wall. He murmured, "It's a pity there are also losses."

"Are you referring to the Underworld Lord's terms?"

"Right..."

Wang He said, "Those who achieve great things do not sweat the small details. You are demons; regardless of the outcome, what matters more is the process."

Jian Shenghua smiled and nodded upon hearing this.

Slowly, he was also beginning to understand Wang He's mindset.

He truly was an obsessive person.

If not obsessive, how could one be a demon?