Eternal Love Within A Smile - Chapter 44
Chapter 44
As the east turned bright and the first ray of dawn fell, Langyin arrived in a mountain forest thousands of miles away.
Restraining the demonic energy within him, his face turned a bit paler. He stopped in his tracks, retrieved a palm-sized piece of dark jade from his sleeve, and drew a rune upon it using spiritual power. The dark jade emitted a burst of dazzling bright light, and within the radiance, a tall, slender silhouette gradually materialized.
Before the person’s face could even be made out, a series of loud shouts rang out, “Ouch, ouch, ouch!”
“Langyin, do you have no conscience at all? Summoning me in broad daylight, aren’t you afraid I’ll be burned to death by the sun!”
As the circle of light dissipated, the man’s face became clear. He possessed handsome eyebrows and refined eyes, looking exceptionally prominent. Between his brows was a flame-shaped pattern that flickered faintly as if it were alive.
“I searched for a long time and found no cave. It is sheltered from the light here, so just make do,” Langyin, dressed in white, appeared even colder and more distant than at night.
“What do you mean make do? I am a demon, I can’t abide the light!” The man hid further into the shade, pulled out a pure black umbrella from nowhere, opened it, and finally let out a sigh of relief, “Luckily, I came prepared.”
Langyin glanced at him casually and said, “I figured you would come prepared, so I didn’t prepare anything.”
The man laughed out of sheer annoyance, “We haven’t met for over two hundred years, and you are as infuriating as ever!”
As he spoke, he scrutinized Langyin from head to toe, his brows furrowing as he ridiculed, “It seems you haven’t been living well these past two hundred years. Look at all these injuries, tsk tsk… Yesterday, the demonic energy in the Void Sea flared up intensely, so I figured you were likely the one causing trouble. Among the Demon Gods committing evil in the mortal realm today, you’re the only one left.”
Ever since the Demon Monarch reorganized the order of the Demon Realm three thousand years ago, demons above the realm of Demon God could no longer enter the mortal realm to do harm. Whenever demonic energy flared up in the mortal realm, stormy waves would rise in the Void Sea of the Demon Realm, alerting the God-Slays Palace, whereupon the Demon Monarch would order his subordinates to handle it.
To demons, their own kind could serve as food. Since that was the case, rather than letting Xuantian Temple refine them, it was better to capture and divide them up for themselves.
Langyin said, “Yesterday, I devoured an evil spirit and caused a bit of a commotion. Explain it to the Demon Monarch.”
“There is no need for me to explain, my Royal Father will naturally know.”
The newcomer addressed the Demon Monarch as Royal Father. He was the eldest son of the Demon Monarch, named Haoyi. His birth mother had an even more extraordinary background, being the incarnation of the Chaos Pearl, a sacred artifact of Heaven and Earth. Born with both demonic energy and primordial chaos energy, he was invincible beneath the Demon Monarch, feared by all across the Demon Realm. He constantly yearned to tour the mortal realm, but without an official order from the Demon Monarch, he dared not travel there privately, having ventured only as far as the Two-Realms Mountain.
Two thousand years ago, Haoyi met Langyin, who had just taken human form, at the Two-Realms Mountain and led him into the Demon Realm to broaden his horizons. Langyin shared similarities with Haoyi, both being formed from Hunyuan energy, so Haoyi regarded Langyin as a brother from a different parentage. However, this brother spoke so harshly that he often made Haoyi leave in a huff. He still remembered the day they first met, when he proudly introduced himself to Langyin.
—— I am the Son of Chaos, Chaos Haoyi.
Langyin, with his cold, handsome face, uttered a sentence that made one want to punch him.
—— Bastard Haoyi?
The two had fought a battle right then, both ending up wounded, and became old friends at first sight.
Mainly, it was Haoyi who felt like an old friend at first sight, for in the Demon Realm, there were no longer any powerhouses left who could give him a satisfying fight.
“The evil spirit you devoured yesterday strengthened the demonic energy inside your body,” Haoyi said with concern, “Remember back then when you devoured a Demon God in the Demon Realm, causing your demonic energy to become uncontrollable? Driven mad by ferocity, you almost fell completely into demonhood. Fortunately, Royal Father stepped in to stop you back then. You must be careful with everything now that you are in the Human Realm. Otherwise, if something happens, Royal Father won’t be there to help you. If you truly fall into demonhood, I fear you will cause countless slaughters…”
“I summoned you for a few matters, and this is one of them,” Langyin said, “Use the Nine Nether Hellfire to purify the evil force on my body.”
Hearing this, Haoyi’s pupils dilated in shock, and he blurted out, “Are you crazy! That is the pain of burning divine essence and eroding bone, no different from the extreme punishment of the Molten Abyss!”
The Molten Abyss of the Demon Realm, the God-Slaying Platform of the Divine Realm, and the Avici Hell of the Underworld were the three legendary places of horror. No one could survive seven days of extreme punishment within them. The Nine Nether Hellfire was extracted from the heart fire of the Molten Abyss, and like the Nine Sun Li Fire, it could purify evil forces.
“I can endure it, just do it,” Langyin frowned slightly, “If you don’t hurry up, it will be noon soon.”
At noon, under the blazing sun, Haoyi’s mere projection would likely not withstand the exposure.
“After you gained a heart, how did you end up losing your mind instead?” Haoyi stared at him in disbelief. Yet, he could hardly refuse Langyin’s request, so he sighed and reached up to take down the hellfire between his brows, “Get ready. If you can’t bear it, make some noise to signal me.”
He originally wanted to say make a hand gesture or speak, but realizing the pain would be extreme, he feared the man wouldn’t even be able to speak.
Langyin sat cross-legged with a calm expression. Demonic energy suddenly surged from between his brows, his robes turned dark purple, and his features seemed to grow a bit colder and sharper.
He cast a cold glance at Haoyi and urged, “Hurry!”
Haoyi showed a look of reluctance. The black flame danced in his palm, suddenly expanding and flying toward Langyin, enveloping him within it.
Langyin’s expression changed drastically, his brows tightly furrowed, and cold sweat rolled down his temples drop by drop.
The pain of hellfire scorching the heart was like entering a vat of boiling oil stark naked. The scalding hot oil seeped relentlessly into every single pore, while countless needle-like pains traversed back and forth through his bone marrow. The pain was intense and dense, unbearable for even a single breath.
After just a moment, cold sweat soaked his dark purple robe. Yet, though all color drained from Langyin’s face and blood was bitten out of his lower lip, he remained silent from start to finish.
Haoyi’s hands trembled slightly. He closed his eyes in reluctance, and once the refining was nearly complete, he hastily withdrew the hellfire.
Langyin finally stopped holding on. A sweet taste of blood overflowed from the corner of his mouth, staining the ground in front of him red.
“Why go through all this trouble…”
Haoyi sighed and said, “An excess of demonic energy isn’t really that big of a deal.”
Panting, Langyin slowly restrained his demonic energy, returning to his usual calm and distant appearance. However, the bloodstains on his white robes remained striking.
“I was afraid that if I couldn’t control the demonic energy, I would hurt her,” Langyin remembered what he had done last night, a slight flutter in his heart mixed with a touch of guilt.
Haoyi observed his expression and speculated, “Demonic energy is formed from desires and ferocity. Originally, you had no heart and no desires, so you only had ferocity. You sealed your demonic energy at first because you were afraid of accidentally being affected by the ferocity and losing your mind to kill her. And now… ahem… Langyin, you have a heart, so you must have desires too. Did you do something unspeakable?”
Langyin raised his eyes, looking expressionlessly at the playful look on Haoyi’s face.
Intimidated by his icy gaze, Haoyi shuddered and forced a smile, “Actually, it’s not like it’s unspeakable… I just think you could seal your demonic energy like before.”
“The threat of the Blood Sect is right before us. I cannot stand aside and let what happened last time occur again. No matter when, I must stay by her side.” That time when she perished, it was late at night. Because he had sealed his demonic energy, he couldn’t reach her side in time, almost leaving himself with lifelong regret.
“Ah, Langyin, you are looking more and more like someone deeply in love,” Haoyi remarked with deep emotion, “I’m getting more and more curious about Daoist Master Liangyue. What kind of person could make your heart blossom with joy?”
“I also want to know what kind of person she is…” A look of doubt appeared in Langyin’s eyes, “This is also the second matter I wanted to ask you. When I was in the Burning Heaven Division, I watched her vitality break with my own eyes. Yet later, she was resurrected in another body, and even the appearance of her original spirit changed.”
“Huh?” Haoyi exclaimed in surprise, “There’s actually such a thing? If it were body snatching, the appearance of the original spirit wouldn’t change.”
Langyin said, “What confuses me even more is that the cultivation method she practices can refine the original spirit. The strength of her original spirit far exceeds ordinary people, and it contains the surging power of mortal vows. I remember you saying that the power of mortal vows is the source of strength for the Divine Race, yet the Divine Race has already been wiped out.”
“What?” Haoyi’s pupils dilated in shock, and he said in disbelief, “The power of mortal vows? Are you sure you didn’t missee it?”
“Others who haven’t seen it might not know, but I can be sure,” Langyin paused briefly as he spoke, “Tuntian might be able to sense it as well. The power of mortal vows and the power of faith share the same source. However, she has always been stupid and might not notice the subtle differences.”
“This is truly strange…” Haoyi’s brows furrowed tightly as he paced back and forth, “I heard Royal Father say that tens of thousands of years ago, the Divine Race was completely destroyed and fell into demons. Where could another Divine Race come from in this world… Wait, did you just say her original spirit’s solidity far exceeds that of ordinary people?”
Langyin nodded, “Do you still remember the Soul Sect?”
“The Soul Sect!” Haoyi’s eyes lit up, “Right, it’s the Soul Sect! She isn’t of the Divine Race. No, wait, she is of the Divine Race, but she isn’t of the Divine Race.”
Haoyi beamed with joy, his words incoherent.
Langyin frowned slightly and said in a deep voice, “Speak like a human!”
Haoyi smiled and said, “There comes a day when you ask me to speak like a human too.”
Seeing Langyin narrow his eyes, he restrained his smile and said solemnly, “Do you know the Shennong Temples standing in every major city on the continent? Those belong to the newly born gods of the Human Race after the destruction of the Divine Race. She is different from the high and mighty gods of the heavens. Those heavens and the Human Race were not of the same kind to begin with; they never cared for the living beings of the lower realm, only creating disasters to use the fear in human hearts to gather faith and harvest the power of mortal vows. Royal Father was the first generation Holy Sovereign of the Human Race, born by heavenly mandate. He wanted to overthrow the dark rule of the Divine Race, but was slain by the Divine Race using the supreme treasure, the Book of Heavenly Mandate, which cast him beneath the Molten Abyss and forced him into demonhood. Later, Mother avenged Royal Father and perished together with the Book of Heavenly Mandate. Thus, the Divine Race was wiped out, the Divine Realm collapsed and fell, becoming today’s Demon Realm.”
At this point, Haoyi let out a long sigh, “This period of history has been covered up by the Book of Heavenly Mandate; it cannot be remembered, nor can it be passed down. I can speak of it today only because you and I both possess a portion of primordial chaos energy and are unaffected by the Book of Heavenly Mandate. However, you cannot speak of it to the outside, and others won’t be able to hear these words either.”
“What does this have to do with Manman’s identity?” The only thing Langyin cared about was this.
Haoyi said, “The fall of the Divine Realm into the Demon Realm triggered a catastrophe of Heaven and Earth. Floods and droughts followed one after another, devasting all living beings like the end of the world. At that time, countless sages of the Human Race stepped forward, using their flesh and blood to nourish the earth, causing vitality to blossom once more so human civilization could continue. The Divine Race was wiped out, but the gods are immortal. Shennong was never just one person, but the endless faith of the Human Race, also known as the Will of All Beings. When the Will of All Beings is answered, the person destined by fate is born. Their race is born nearly divine; the power of mortal vows is their source of strength. As long as all beings do not die, she will live forever. Their race also has a name, which is the Four-Souls Race. Mortals have three souls, while the fourth soul they condense from the power of mortal vows is a divine soul.”
Shocked in his heart, Langyin lowered his eyes and whispered, “So, she didn’t snatch a body, she merely returned to her original frame?”
“It’s impossible for someone to snatch a body from the Four-Souls Race. The power of their original spirit is too surging, capable of echoing with Heaven and Earth. After the destruction of the Divine Race, she became the only god in Heaven and Earth…” Haoyi remarked with emotion, “Langyin, if the one you like is such a god, the road ahead might be very difficult.”
Langyin looked up at him and asked, “Why?”
“Because she was born according to fate. Her life doesn’t belong to herself, let alone to you. She is destined to walk carrying the will of all beings. Even if she loses her memories, she will still walk this path because she can hear the cravings of all beings and see their suffering,” Haoyi said with a solemn expression, “Langyin, I’ve heard that gods possess love but are selfless. She might love you, but she will also love everyone equally. Is this the kind of affection you want?”
Langyin remained silent for a long time. Just when Haoyi thought he would be disappointed and sad, he actually smiled.
A faint smile opened up in the depths of his dark yet clear eyes, like ice melting and snow thawing, full of warmth and tenderness. His cold, handsome face softened because of it, so much so that even the wind on the Two-Realms Mountain, which had blown relentlessly for tens of thousands of years, couldn’t help but slow its steps to quietly gaze at the gentle blooming of a flower.
“I once thought she loved me, but later I realized I was the only one who truly fell.”
“At that moment, I hated, regretted, and suffered pain, but the real reason I fell into demonhood was that I thought I had completely lost her.”
“I could have endured the meaningless blooming and fading of flowers, feeling no sorrow or worry, if I had never loved.”
“She made me understand that only when the heart stirs can one be truly alive.”
“I have lost her once, so I understand even better. I don’t need her to give up her path for me. I only hope that on her path, I can walk alongside her.”
Haoyi listened to him finish these words in a daze, murmuring, “You really have changed…”
He had heard that the Human Race had a poem: One does not know yearning in life; only when yearning begins does it cause yearning’s pain.
Langyin was probably just like that.
He had been withered and desolate for three thousand years, and once he bloomed, it was so thorough and deep.
Haoyi said, “Can you accept that she cares for all living beings and doesn’t love you exclusively?”
Langyin’s expression was calm as he said, “I can.”
Haoyi said, “Can you accept that there are other men around her, and not just you?”
Langyin’s brows furrowed, and he immediately said, “No!”
Overjoyed, Haoyi threw his head back and laughed aloud, “Hahaha… You really are a man with a heart and soul now. But I’ve heard that Daoist Master Liangyue’s Dao companions are all over the world.”
Langyin’s handsome face darkened slightly, “She is kind and soft-hearted, so naturally shameless people will try to cling to her.”
Haoyi said with a smile, “I heard there is the Young Master of the Di Luan. The men of the Di Luan are famous for being handsome and virtuous, showy and bright, and no woman dislikes them. There is also the Sea Emperor Ao Xiu. The handsome look of the Yun Jiao carries a touch of wickedness, and very few people can resist that temptation. Although you have some looks, your personality is cold, and your words are harsh. How can you compete with those two?”
Langyin showed a look of displeasure, “I want to kill them, but Manman will be angry.”
“If you use such tactics, you will lose completely. Let me teach you how to please women,” Haoyi sat down beside Langyin with great interest, “First of all, you need to have a bit of scheming…”
“It’s almost noon,” Langyin reminded him.
“You actually care about whether I live or die! You truly have gained some humanity!” Haoyi was so moved that the rims of his eyes turned red.
Langyin clenched his fist — if it weren’t for Manman giving him a heart, he would have already started beating him up right now.
“Seeing as you’re so thoughtful, I ought to teach you everything I know even more. Listen carefully to what I’m about to say…”
