Chapter 173: The Eternal Forest

“Hehehe… Divine Healer Yun, what do you mean by that? This king doesn’t understand.”

A flicker of panic flashed across the demon king’s eyes as he instinctively avoided her gaze. “Li’er is, of course, my daughter—the princess of the demon realm. Have you forgotten? You saved her before and even helped her recover her inner core!”

Yun Jiao didn’t respond. She simply looked at him with an unreadable expression—her face as calm and serious as ever. The demon king’s eyes darted away again, his face shifting uneasily, his composure visibly cracking.

“Do you really think that excuse is convincing?” Yun Jiao said bluntly, cutting straight through the lie.

“…” The demon king froze on the spot.

“Even if you didn’t say it, we could probably guess the truth.” Yun Jiao continued, her tone cool and steady. “That girl Ji Li—she must have some connection to the late demon king, Zi Chen. Is she his descendant… or his reincarnation?”

The demon king’s eyes widened in shock.

“So, a reincarnation then,” Yun Jiao said, confirming her deduction from his reaction. “A wolf demon calling a cat demon his daughter was strange enough. What’s more suspicious is that even Ji Chen seems to believe she’s his real sister. The level of brainwashing it takes to make someone believe that—clearly, you went to great lengths.”

“You…” The demon king’s expression twisted with guilt and helplessness. His hands clenched into fists at his sides, and after a long silence, his shoulders slumped as if all his strength had left him. He sighed deeply, closing his eyes.

“…You’re right. She truly is the reincarnation of our lord, Zi Chen. His entire life was spent for the good of the demon realm, yet in the end, he met such a tragic fate—dying with only infamy left behind. I couldn’t bear it. So I hid the truth of Li’er’s identity and raised her as my own daughter. I only wanted her to live a peaceful, happy life in this lifetime.”

When he finished, he turned to Yun Jiao, his expression earnest and pleading. “The other clans still harbor deep resentment toward our late king. If they ever learned that Li’er was his reincarnation, it would endanger her. Divine Healer Yun, I beg you—please don’t reveal her identity to anyone.”

“Relax,” Yun Jiao replied calmly. “We have no interest in meddling with the secrets of your demon realm.” Her brows furrowed slightly as she added, “But that man, Sheng Heng—he went through all that trouble to obtain the Sky-Swallowing Beast’s inner core. What exactly does he intend to do with it?”

“I… don’t know,” the demon king said, shaking his head.

Yun Jiao turned to Yuan Jiang. “Uncle Yuan, what’s so special about the Sky-Swallowing Beast’s inner core?”

Yuan Jiang’s face grew solemn. He thought for a while before replying, “An inner core contains the full essence and power of a demon beast. Among demons, consuming another’s core can grant its power—but it’s also extremely dangerous. The backlash can destroy the devourer.”

“And aside from that?” Yun Jiao pressed. Something about this still felt off.

“Other than that, it has no other use,” Yuan Jiang said, then added thoughtfully, “Though a beast’s core often carries traces of its natural abilities. Absorbing those completely is very difficult.”

“Abilities?” Yun Jiao frowned, thinking quickly. “The Sky-Swallowing Beast’s ability was soul-devouring. Not exactly rare. So why would Sheng Heng also take Ji Li? What’s the connection between the two?”

“Damn it!” The demon king suddenly exclaimed, his face draining of color as he realized something terrible. “It’s the seal! Sheng Heng plans to use Li’er’s soul to unseal the demonic energy of the Crimson Abyss!”

Everyone’s expression changed drastically. Yuan Jiang’s voice grew sharp. “Where is the seal?”

“In the Eternal Forest!” the demon king answered.

Yuan Jiang immediately turned to Yun Jiao. “Little niece, hurry—set up a teleportation array!”

“On it!” Yun Jiao didn’t hesitate. She pulled out a set of array flags and began forming seals rapidly.

Yuan Jiang’s expression had never been this grim. If the demonic energy was released, it wouldn’t just doom the demon realm—the entire Three Realms would be thrown into chaos.

Fortunately, Yun Jiao worked quickly. In no time, a glowing teleportation array appeared before them, linked to the southern reaches of the demon realm.

Without delay, the group stepped into the array and vanished.

Yun Jiao had never been to the Eternal Forest before, so she couldn’t teleport them directly there. She had only been able to anchor the array as close as possible—at the southernmost edge of the demon realm.

As they emerged, the demon king surveyed the surroundings, quickly identifying their position. He pointed ahead. “The Eternal Forest lies that way—about ten li from here.”

The group exchanged a glance. Yuan Jiang summoned a flying artifact, and they all leapt aboard, speeding toward their destination. In moments, a vast expanse of green spread before their eyes.

The forest stretched endlessly, filled with towering ancient trees that reached the clouds. A dense, suffocating demonic aura saturated the air. Not far away, a pillar of green light pierced the heavens, and the demonic energy there was so thick it had nearly taken form. Within it, Yun Jiao sensed a trace of something familiar—yin energy mixed with the Sky-Swallowing Beast’s aura. Sheng Heng had already activated the beast’s inner core.

“That’s where the seal is!” the demon king cried, his face paling further.

“Stop him!” Yuan Jiang shouted, leaping from the artifact and transforming into a streak of light that shot ahead. The demon king followed close behind.

But just as they entered the forest, countless thick vines suddenly whipped out from the trees below, lashing toward them.

Both men were startled and dodged quickly, yet the vines came in endless waves—dense as a net. Whenever they tried to ascend higher, the vines stretched even taller, completely blocking their path forward.

“How can there be so many tree spirits?” Yuan Jiang exclaimed in disbelief. “It’s nearly impossible for plants to awaken intelligence—yet here, almost every tree has developed consciousness!”

“I… I don’t know either!” the demon king stammered. He was equally stunned. The demon realm hadn’t seen plant demons in countless years. Those who existed rarely showed themselves—both because of their immense power and because the two ancient plant demon kings of millennia past had left a fearsome reputation. The other races still feared them deeply. To think the Eternal Forest hid so many sentient tree spirits—

There was no time to dwell on it. The attack from below grew more ferocious. The awakened plants weren’t just whipping vines now—some turned their leaves into razor-sharp needles, others released poisonous mists, and some even hurled explosive fruit. The assault was relentless. Though the seal was only a few miles ahead, they had managed to push forward just a few dozen meters.

Yun Jiao suddenly felt like she was watching Plants vs. Zombies.

“Girl, what do we do now?” the old man asked, glancing nervously at the battle ahead.

“Hmm…” Yun Jiao thought for a moment—then, quite decisively, took a step back and hid behind Ye Yuan.

Better to play it safe!

The old man: “…”

Was she really just… spectating this openly?!

And why was the ancestor shielding her with his sleeve?!

Hey—who exactly are those people fighting out there, and whose disciple is she supposed to be?!

(End of chapter)