After flying for a while, Evan Chu and his two companions landed atop a mountain peak. The mountain wind brushed their faces, making them feel at ease. Now that he had recovered Selena’s remnant soul, Evan was in an even better mood.
"There’s still about half a month before the Soul Mushroom matures. Why don’t we take this chance to explore the Demonic Realm a bit? We might not get another opportunity to come here. What do you two think?" Evan asked the two women.
"I don’t think that’s a good idea. Time is tight. Even though the Soul Mushroom supposedly needs half a month to mature, what if it ripens early? If the Skeleton King gets it first, you’ll regret it for the rest of your life. Even if you find out, you might not have time to rush back. For safety’s sake, I think we should find a cave and cultivate for a few days instead.
During this period, you can also go into the Abyss of Ten Thousand Demons to check things out. We’re here for an important mission, not for sightseeing. You need to get your priorities straight.” Lynn said to Evan.
“Lynn’s right. We all need to keep an eye on the Abyss of Ten Thousand Demons. If we get the Soul Mushroom, maybe then we can tour the Demonic Realm. But now is definitely not the time, and you should know that better than anyone.” Jade agreed.
“Alright, I get it. I was just making conversation—you two are more serious than I am. In that case, let’s see if there’s a suitable cave nearby. It’s also time to bring Selena out and hear what happened to her in the Demonic Realm, and how she ended up like this.” Evan said.
“No need to search for a cave. There’s a good one about a hundred li ahead, halfway up a cliff with a big tree hiding the entrance. It’s perfect for laying low, and nobody’s living there right now, so we can cultivate there for a few days.” Jade said.
Evan and Lynn both looked at her in surprise. "Jade, how do you know there’s a cave there? Don’t tell me you’ve been to the Demonic Realm before?" Evan asked, puzzled.
“You really are clueless, Evan. Just spread your divine sense and check the area. For the three of us, covering a few hundred li with spiritual sense is easy, so finding a cave like that isn’t surprising. We’re thousands of li from the Abyss of Ten Thousand Demons, so even if the Skeleton King scans with his divine sense, he probably won’t find us.” Jade said.
Evan felt a bit embarrassed—his own divine sense really wasn’t as strong as Jade’s. Instantly covering a radius of hundreds of li was beyond him. "Jade, you lead the way. I want to see just how good this cave you found really is."
Jade flew ahead, and in the blink of an eye, they’d covered the hundred-li distance. Sure enough, halfway up a cliff, there was a medium-sized tree growing beside a cave entrance about a meter wide.
"This is the place. Let’s go inside. Someone must have lived here before—there’s a stone table and stools, which is perfect for us." Jade said.
Once inside, the three found the cave surprisingly spacious. It was a bit rough, but having a shelter like this in the Demonic Realm was already pretty good.
The stone table and stools were covered in dust, so Evan used Watershift to wash them clean, then Fireshift to dry them off. The whole process only took a few breaths.
Jade and Lynn watched Evan like he was performing magic tricks, faces full of amazement. Evan’s skill was truly astonishing—his mastery of water and fire elements was probably unmatched even in the Immortal Realm.
"Alright, everyone take a seat! I’ll head out soon and see if I can hunt some wild game. I bet there are demonic beasts in the Demonic Realm—their meat is supposed to be delicious. I’ll let you try my barbecue skills." Evan grinned.
"Leave the hunting to me and Lynn. You just handle the grilling. Should we gather some firewood too? We’ll bring it back with us." Jade said.
Evan was about to say it wasn’t necessary, but grilling over wood did have its own flavor. "Of course! Why don’t you two go now? I’ll wait here for you."
The two women exchanged a glance and left the cave without a word. As soon as they were gone, Evan immediately took out the porcelain bottle containing Selena’s remnant soul.
He opened the bottle, and Selena’s shadowy figure appeared before him, still faint and blurred. “Sel, you’ve suffered so much! Once I get the Soul Mushroom, I’ll take you back to the Immortal Realm. Please bear with it a little longer.”
"Evan, I can’t believe it’s really you. I always knew you’d come for me, but you showed up so suddenly that I almost can’t believe this is real." Selena’s remnant soul communicated with Evan by spiritual sense, her voice extremely weak.
"Sel, how did you end up like this? What happened to you in the Demonic Realm? When I saw the Demonic Realm’s commander using your body during the Immortal–Demon War, I was completely shocked. I tried everything I could to force him out of your body.
But Gavin Wei said that to heal you, we had to find your remnant soul and a Soul Mushroom. The soul left in your body is just a single spirit—it’s nowhere near enough to restore your flesh. Even if we tried to use your current soul, you’d probably be destroyed before I could infuse you with five-element power." Evan said.
"When I ascended to the Demonic Realm, I really did run into all kinds of trouble. Mostly, it was my face that caused it. I always covered myself with a veil and lived as carefully as I could.
In this strange world, you can’t survive without Magic Stones. I had to find ways to get them, but my cultivation was so weak that I ended up working as a servant in a tavern in a big city.
Those years passed quietly enough. I worked in the tavern by day and cultivated desperately at night. In fifty years, I advanced from an ordinary Demonic Realm commoner to early-stage Demon General. That speed was astonishing, but it also attracted attention.
That’s how I drew the attention of the Yin–Yang Demon Empress. As soon as he saw me, he tore off my veil and wiped away my disguise, exposing my true face.
When he saw me, he tried to claim me for himself. But I already belonged to you—there was no way I could ever love another man. I refused him no matter what. To get what he wanted, he used a hypnosis technique on me, but at the last second I bit my tongue to wake myself up and threatened to die rather than submit. That’s how I managed to escape…