Venerable Demon King & The Doting Immortal (QT)-Chapter 52: Read with caution

Xiang Yu’s veins throbbed violently, his eyes glowing a menacing red as he gritted his teeth. His hand, trapped and trembling, pulsed with demonic energy. With a guttural roar, he thrust his hand forward, aiming to tear through Peng Xiu’s abdomen. But she was quick, her reflexes sharp. She twisted away, his claws grazing her shoulder, leaving a deep, bloody gash.

Pain and fury ignited within her. With a primal scream, she pinned him to the ground, her strength fueled by rage. Her hands glowed with a fierce light as she continued to extract Han Xin’s faint divine energy coursing through Xiang Yu’s spiritual veins. He grimaced, half his face pressed into the dirt, the agony almost unbearable.

As his vision blurred from the pain, his sister suddenly stopped. She sensed something approaching. With a sly grin, she leaned close and whispered, "This isn’t over. Well, that is if you live." Then, she vanished, leaving him lying in a pool of his own blood.

His breath came in ragged gasps as he lay in the dirt, his body trembling from the pain and exhaustion. The metallic scent of blood filled his nostrils, mingling with the earthy smell of the forest floor. His mind was a whirlwind of regret and sorrow, the image of Lian’s face haunting him. He tried to move, but his body refused to obey. The demonic energy that had surged through him moments ago now felt like a distant memory, leaving him weak and vulnerable.

As he lay there, the forest around him seemed to hold its breath. The usual sounds of night creatures were absent, replaced by an eerie silence. His eyes fluttered open, and he saw the faint glow of the moon filtering through the trees. He knew he had to get up, he had to be with Lian. He had to find Mei but his body felt like it was made of lead.

With a growl he rolled over, his body wracked with soul-tearing pain. He began to drag himself towards Lian, his fingers clawing into the soil, leaving deep furrows. Tears streamed down his hatred-filled eyes as he softly called out, "Lian..." But the silence that followed was deafening.

Before he could reach Lian’s unmoving body, Mei staggered out of the woods. She clutched the blade piercing her abdomen and pulled it out crying out in agony. Blood seeped through her fingers as she tried to stem the flow. Despite her pain, she glanced around and saw her master. She rushed to his side. "Master, I am here," she gasped, her voice trembling.

Xiang Yu, panic-stricken, managed to choke out, "Lian, Check on Lian..." his voice quivering. Mei’s body trembled as she turned towards Lian. She stumbled twice, her legs giving way beneath her, before crawling the rest of the way. When she reached her sister, she rolled her over pulling her into her arms. Her trembling fingers pat Lian’s face gently calling out.

"Li Li... Lian...," she called her voice growing more panicked and louder. When she felt for her sister’s pulse her blood froze. "LIAN!" she cried out before letting out a gut-wrenching scream, hugging Lian’s blood-stained body tightly.

Xiang Yu’s blood ran cold. He stopped moving, his heart-shattering at sight. The world around him seemed to blur, the pain and sorrow overwhelming his senses. He had failed. He had failed to protect them. Feeling defeated there his body burning with hatred. His nose flared as he imagined tearing his sister to pieces, making her suffer, and watching her die a miserable death. The intensity of his emotions consumed him, fueling his desire for revenge.

Suddenly, a blinding light shone around them. He slowly rolled over, squinting against the brilliance. A tall figure clad in white and exuding a cold, unearthly aura emerged from the light. The figure glanced down at him, and Xiang Yu felt an overwhelming sense of insignificance like he was in front of a divine being much more powerful than him.

The old man, with an overbearing presence, made him feel small and powerless. Struggling to speak, he managed to sneer. "Have you come to finish me off?" he said before a violent cough brought up blood. He didn’t even bother wiping the blood at the corner of his lips. He swallowed his Adam’s apple bobbing underneath his bloodstained throat, "Just do it," he said his intense gaze burrowing through the man’s skin.

The old man remained silent, his expression unreadable. Suddenly, Xiang Yu’s pain began to fade, and for a moment, he thought he was dying. From a distance, he could hear Mei crying for him, her voice filled with desperation. But soon, her cries vanished, and everything went black.

***

Xiang Yu’s eyes fluttered open, and he found himself no longer in the forest but in a serene environment. The pain that had once wracked his body was gone, replaced by a surprising sense of well-being. He felt better than he had in years as if his entire body had been refreshed and rejuvenated. His spiritual veins felt cleansed like he was newly born.

He sat up in confusion, bending one knee. He looked around his surroundings trying to figure out where he was. The space was all white, an endless expanse of purity and calm with an otherworldly aura. It finally made sense to him. He must have been dead. That was the only explanation. He chuckled softly, saying to himself, "I didn’t expect the underworld to be so clean and less... firey."

Suddenly, an unfamiliar voice replied, "This isn’t the underworld, and you aren’t dead."

Xiang Yu’s eyes widened fleetingly as the old man appeared in front of him, his hands clasped behind his back. The man’s overbearing aura was unmistakable, yet there was a calmness to his presence that Xiang Yu couldn’t ignore. He leaned back, his palms pressed on the bed behind him, a relaxed smile playing on his lips. "You brought me here?... And where is here if I may ask?"

Since he wasn’t dead, Xiang Yu didn’t like not having the upper hand. Determined to know his options, he got up and walked to the door. As he reached for the handle, the old man spoke, "You aren’t dead, but you aren’t awake either."

Ignoring the old man’s words, he opened the door and stepped through, only to find himself back in the same room. His lips pursed a little curious. He stepped back out, then back in, repeating the process several times. "Then where is this?" he asked looking like a dog chasing its own tail.

The old man, already annoyed by this little half demon’s antics, sighed deeply. "You are in the spiritual realm, a realm between worlds."