"A brief spatial transfer?" Evan Yang asked suspiciously.
"It's the kind of light beam when one realm enters another—like the beam humans see when ascending from a minor realm to the Immortal Realm. But for demons, it's a bit different. I followed her here through one of those." Richard laughed.
"I see. So you never left after that?" Evan asked.
"No, I've been here for hundreds of thousands of years. A few thousand years ago, when Snow White and I were wandering the Demon Realm, we accidentally ran into Blue Sky. He coveted Snow White's beauty, so he found a way to split us up. As for why her lifespan became like this, I still don't understand." Richard sighed.
Richard and Snow White's story sounded like a romance. Listening nearby, Lora Luo felt a sweet warmth in her heart. She even wondered if, someday, a man might wait a few thousand years for her too.
"I see. Don't worry, we'll work together and find the Nine-Heaven Ice Lotus." Evan saw the sadness in Richard's eyes and encouraged him.
"Thank you. I really don't know how to thank you this time. Even if we don't get the Nine-Heaven Ice Lotus, I still owe you for all your help." Richard said gratefully.
"No need to be so formal. Honestly, I didn't like you much at first, but your story with Snow White and everything you've done has already made me forgive you." Evan smiled.
Richard said awkwardly, "Sorry about last time. I used Lora Luo to threaten you into going to that dangerous place for the Black-Mist Lotus without your permission."
"It's just a small matter." Evan smiled.
"Evan, I know that's not a small thing. That place was full of deadly poison, and demons said there was a powerful serpent demon lurking inside. With your strength, you couldn't have avoided it. I never asked, but I know you must have fought it." Richard said.
"Yeah, but I found a way to kill that demon." Evan smiled.
"You killed it? Looks like you're even stronger than I thought." Richard exclaimed.
"Alright, let's drop it and get moving." Evan smiled, seeing that if they kept talking, they'd never get anywhere.
Richard nodded and started walking. Evan and Lora Luo followed close behind, but Lora kept staring at Evan's back. Finally, she bit her lip and asked, "Is what he said true?"
"True about what?" Evan asked.
"Did you really go to that dangerous place for the Black-Mist Lotus just to save me?" Lora Luo asked.
"Yeah, that's right. He was trying to save someone, so he used you to threaten me." Evan smiled.
Evan's words sounded simple, but to Lora Luo, they were deeply moving. She realized she'd probably misunderstood Evan all this time. Over the past few days, she'd come to see his true nature wasn't nearly as bad as she'd thought.
"What are you spacing out for? Hurry up and let's go." Evan said, seeing Lora Luo lost in thought. He sped up to catch up with Richard, and Lora snapped out of it and hurried after them. But in her heart, she thought, "Maybe he really is a true gentleman."
Evan had no idea that Lora Luo's opinion of him was slowly changing, nor that Richard was even more grateful to him. Evan's actions only made Richard more certain about his character.
Their thoughts were unknown to Evan. Right now, all he cared about was getting into the snowfield quickly and finding the legendary Nine-Heaven Ice Lotus.
Soon, they entered the snowfield. Lora Luo, who had never experienced such cold, shivered and then circulated her Immortal Essence to warm herself.
"Senior, we're in the snowfield now, but this place is huge. If we search blindly, it'll take forever. Why don't we find some local demons and ask them? At least they'd know the area better." Seeing the vastness of the snowfield, Evan suggested this plan.
Richard agreed with Evan's idea. "Yeah, I'll lure some demons over."
"Lure some demons?" Evan asked suspiciously.
"That's right. Demons are naturally fierce and sensitive to human blood. Just watch me." Richard said.
Richard dug a small pit and put in some dried meat. No one knew what kind of meat it was, but it definitely wasn't human. Then Richard stretched out his hand, forced some of his own blood onto the meat, and placed several Immortal Source stones around it. He arranged a simple diffusion array to spread the scent far and wide.
"All done." Richard said with a smile after finishing his setup.
"I didn't expect you to know array techniques, Senior." Evan said, unable to hide his surprise.
Richard laughed awkwardly. "I used to belong to an array sect, but I only learned part of it."
"So that's why," Evan smiled.
Just then, a chorus of howls echoed nearby.
"They're here. Come on, let's find somewhere to hide." Richard said.
Evan and Lora Luo followed Richard, and as they left, Evan and Richard erased the trio's footprints.
They hid in a nearby forest. The trees were blanketed in snow, making everything look white and blurry. No one outside could see what was in the woods, so the demons that appeared had no idea Evan and the others were hiding there.
The three of them waited quietly for their prey.
After a while, three white bears appeared. "They're not enlightened," Richard said with some disappointment.
"Enlightened?" Evan asked curiously.
"Yeah. If they can't take demon form, it means their cultivation isn't high enough. They can't speak human language either," Richard explained.
Evan understood. It was a good thing Richard was here; after living in the demon realm for so long, he knew quite a bit about how things worked.
As Richard was complaining about the three white bears being useless, a figure suddenly descended from the sky. More accurately, it was a demon—covered in white fur, plump, and resembling a black bear, but white. Evan and Richard exchanged glances, knowing it was a white bear demon.
The bear demon landed and roared, causing the three white bears to scurry away. The demon clicked its tongue and said, "Whose is this? I usually eat fish, but today there's human meat—how nice."
The demon reached for a piece, drooling greedily, and took a big bite. Its expression changed instantly. "Wait, it's human blood, but not human meat. What's going on?"
"Because it's not human meat," Richard said with a smile.
The white bear demon was startled. Looking closely, it saw three people standing around, blocking its escape in three directions.
The white bear demon roared angrily, "Trying to trick me? But you three are real humans. Eating you will be even better." It tossed the meat aside.
"Is that so? Let's see if you actually have the ability." Richard sneered. He flashed forward and struck the bear demon's back.
The white bear demon couldn't keep up with Richard's speed and was clearly weaker, so it was sent flying.
Before it could get up, Evan flashed over and sealed its movements. The demon lay there, unable to move.
The white bear demon was terrified. He'd never been subdued like this before, especially by humans. He knew all too well the hatred between humans and demons, and thought in panic, "I'm doomed, I'm doomed. The humans are going to eat me!"
Seeing the white bear immobilized, Richard and Lora Luo walked over. They were both impressed by Evan's technique.
Richard didn't ask any questions. Instead, he looked at the white bear demon and said, "Tell me, how long have you lived here?"
"I've lived here for millions of years," the white bear replied. He was curious why the humans were asking this—did they want to pick meat based on age?
If Evan and Richard could hear his thoughts, they'd definitely burst out laughing.
"Millions of years? That's long enough. How much do you know about this snowfield?" Richard asked.
"You mean this snowfield? I know seventy or eighty percent of it, except for some forbidden places I haven't been to," the white bear demon replied.
"Seventy or eighty percent? That's pretty good. Have you heard of the Nine-Heaven Ice Lotus?" Richard asked.
The white bear demon was shocked. "Why are you asking about that?"
"That's none of your business. Just answer my questions," Richard said.
"I don't know, but I know who does. If I take you to him and he tells you, will you let me go?" the bear demon asked, startled.
"Oh? Is that so? Fine. Once we know where the Nine-Heaven Ice Lotus is, we'll let you go," Richard said.
"Alright, hurry up and release me. What's this binding, anyway?" the bear demon said anxiously.
Richard looked at Evan, who smiled and released part of the binding. The demon could move, but its demon power was still sealed.
The bear demon stood up. At first, everything seemed fine, but when he realized he couldn't use his power, he panicked. "What's going on?"
"It's nothing. Your power is just temporarily sealed. Once we find the Nine-Heaven Ice Lotus, we'll let you go," Evan said.
"Really?" The bear demon was confused, but he had no choice but to accept it.
"Yes," Evan nodded.
"Alright, follow me. But the demons here don't like humans, so you'd better hide your human aura," the bear demon said after thinking for a moment.
Evan and Lora Luo frowned; they hadn't known about this. Richard smiled and said, "I'll teach you two."
Richard then taught Evan and Lora Luo the technique. After practicing for a while, they cast it, and just like Richard before, a black mist enveloped them, making it impossible to tell whether they were human or demon.
Only someone like Evan, with a freakish Heavenly Eye, could see through it, since it was somewhat like an array.
"So that's how it works," Evan said with a smile after understanding the principle.
The bear demon was amazed that he couldn't tell whether the three were human or demon. "Impressive," he exclaimed.
"This should keep us from being discovered, right?" Richard smiled.
"Yes, you won't be discovered. You're completely indistinguishable from demons," the bear demon said, astonished.
"Then you can lead the way. And remember, don't tell anyone we're human. Just say we're demons—some strange kind, if anyone asks," Richard instructed the bear demon.