readytorunbook Chapter 880 All Spirits Return to the Origin (8)
Chapter 880 All Spirits Return to the Origin (8)
Chapter 880 All Spirits Return to the Origin (Part 8)
"Spread the word?" The white-haired man smiled, skillfully picked up the wine pot, poured himself a cup of wine, and then poured one for Tantai Xunzhen as well. "I have never cared about other people's opinions, especially those of you humans."
Sometimes I envy you, with your azure skies, endless green expanses, peace, tranquility, and harmony... no fighting, no battles, no death... it's truly a delightful world...
He looked like a gentle middle-aged man in his thirties or forties, but his words carried an ancient sense of vicissitude, as if he had witnessed the vicissitudes of life and experienced countless hardships.
The white-haired man drank alone, then poured himself another full glass. "Eat, or not? Don't make me ask a third time. The consequences of asking a third time... you should know."
"..."
Tantai Xunzhen opened his mouth helplessly. Who would have thought that the ordinary white-haired man in front of him would be the pillar of the Demon Realm, one of the four Demon Lords, the Spirit Misty Demon Lord.
A maid mechanically raised her arm, picked up some food, and fed it to her.
The light shone on the maid's arm, and her shadow was not visible on the table. It was as if the light was shining through transparent glass, so clear and bright.
Tantai Xunzhen closed his mouth and slowly, bit by bit, chewed the food.
She has absolutely no appetite right now; even if there were delicacies laid out in front of her, they would taste like cardboard.
Just because Tantai Xunzhen doesn't want to eat doesn't mean she can refuse to eat.
Like the maids and servants in the room, she cast no shadow as the light shone on her.
Tantai Xunzhen sighed silently. Possessed by the Shadow Demon, his words and actions were all controlled by others, and his life and death were in the hands of the other party. He was powerless to resist.
Even if she resists, opposes, or acts forcefully and refuses outright.
But the result?
Along the way from the imperial court, at least ten people have been implicated, affected, or died in agony because of her.
Tantai Xunzhen didn't want to see anyone die because of her anymore.
From childhood to adulthood, countless people have died because of her.
Every time she gets into trouble, one of her closest and dearest people dies.
Tantai Xunzhen compromised.
This is Mingdu, the stronghold of the Tantai family, and the place where her connections and networks are most concentrated. Her teacher Wang Yunkai, her sister Dong Ruojing, her elder brother Tantai Sheng…
As long as they are not harmed.
She's willing to do anything.
Tantai Xunzhen ate the whole plate of roast duck in small bites.
This dish, which she used to love, now seemed incredibly greasy and unpalatable; every bite felt like chewing a sponge.
After all, this was the eighth time she had eaten this dish tonight.
"Alright, choose one." The Spirit Demon Lord smiled with satisfaction. "Of these eight restaurants... which one do you like best?"
"..."
Tantai Xunzhen fell silent, unsure what to say. First, the disappearance of the manufacturing personnel had captured her attention, then came the threatening dreams, and now the seductive hallucinations…
Why would a demon lord from the demon realm kidnap her just to judge the quality of a restaurant?
This reason...
It's obviously a bit ridiculous.
Incomprehensible.
"Why?" Lingmiao seemed to hear her thoughts and smiled, "You know what? This is why I envy you. Ordinary days, a life that, though busy, still has time to complain, a life where you know nothing, and even if disaster strikes, you'll only die in complete ignorance..."
“Since that’s the case…” Tantai Xunzhen paused, “May I ask, Lord Demon Lord… what do we need to know? Or rather, what is your purpose…?”
“Perfection, just the pursuit of perfection.” Lingmiao didn’t answer directly. “According to you humans, I’m a perfectionist. Oh, sorry, that might be hard to understand. This is another world. In human terms, it means that everything should be perfect.”
Although the humans in that world were incredibly weak, their spiritual civilization was extremely prosperous. Perfectionists, obsessive-compulsive disorder sufferers, fanatical madmen… that's a perfect description of someone like me. That world was dazzling, especially during its destruction, the desperate wails of the entire world, the unwavering courage of those people, knowing they would die yet still flying like moths to a flame…”
A rare smile appeared on his lips as he drifted into memories, seemingly reminiscing.
"What happened to them...?" Tantai Xunzhen couldn't help but ask.
"The ending?" Lingmiao came back to her senses and smiled. "They... are eternally saved."
"Eternity? We're saved?" Tantai Xunzhen was stunned.
“Inside my belly.” Lingmiao chuckled, revealing two rows of neat, white teeth, indistinguishable from those of an ordinary person. “The howls of death, the raging cries of anger, the futile struggles… what a beautiful symphony… playing for me for all eternity…”
Seeing the other person's extremely intoxicated expression, Tantai Xunzhen felt a chill run down his spine, and the hairs on his body stood on end.
After a period of contact, the other party's humility, elegance, and politeness... showed no trace of ferocity, which was completely different from the rumored cruelty and ruthlessness of the demon race. He seemed to have the temperament of a polite and courteous scholar.
At this moment.
Tantai Xunzhen completely dismissed this idea.
Humans and demons are ultimately irreconcilable enemies.
She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down.
"...Are you saying all this to scare me, Lord Demon? You keep me by your side without killing me...there must be a reason, right?" Tantai Xunzhen had already realized.
The true target of the Demon Lord of the Spirit Realm is her.
but.
She had no idea what was so special about her that would warrant such a great deal of effort from a demon lord...
Lingmiao picked up his wine glass, took a small sip, narrowed his eyes, swayed his body to the melodious music in the private room, and hummed a few lines from time to time, seemingly lost in the music.
"Humans occupy the best land, have the best resources, and enjoy unparalleled advantages... yet they fail to make use of them, wasting their energy on useless entertainment..." he sighed.
"Actually, you'll soon find out the reason. Do you hear me?"
"What did you hear?" Tantai Xunzhen was taken aback.
Lingmiao sighed: "Wailing, wailing, screaming... Your human race... is beyond saving. It needs a purification, a purification of fire, to completely cleanse the world of evil. The only reason I didn't destroy it with my own hands is because I still have a sliver of hope."
He slowly stood up and raised his arm.
It was a jade-like, translucent arm, and the palm, even more beautiful than a woman's, was gently open.
Long, straight, and flawlessly sculpted fingers immediately caught Tantai Xunzhen's eye.
"In the name of Lingmiao, go..."
Snapped!
He gently touched her forehead with his finger.
boom! ! !
Light!
Before my eyes is an endless expanse of light and fire, with countless shadows shimmering within. Every color seems to be telling a story, bursting forth with rich emotions, joys and sorrows, happiness and anger. Light and color intertwine and overlap, converging into a colorful and bizarre world.
Suddenly, Tantai Xunzhen's vision blurred, and he felt himself being enveloped by a vast, clear, and powerful force, flying towards an endless, distant direction.
"This is..." She opened her eyes with some confusion.
The sky changed dramatically.
Everything was dark.
Tantai Xunzhen slowly raised her head from the table, only to realize that she had been lying down for too long, and her back ached, and her legs and feet were numb and had lost all feeling.
My temples were throbbing, and it felt like a long needle was piercing my brain, causing unbearable pain. I also felt waves of nausea and vomiting.
“I…” She supported herself on the table and struggled to stand up.
It seemed as if I was still in that private room in the restaurant. Strangely, even though the decor was exactly the same, it felt extremely unfamiliar, as if I had never been there before.
"Where exactly... is it..." Tantai Xunzhen frowned. She didn't know what Lingmiao had done. Perhaps... it was just another dream?
Just like the dream she had before?
How could I use this to extract her inner secrets?
Completely clueless, Tantai Xunzhen, holding onto the table, tried to walk to the window.
But as soon as she raised her hand, she realized something was wrong.
Where my palm touched the table, a sticky, viscous sensation appeared on my skin, as if someone had spread a layer of sticky paste on the table, or rather, an extremely sticky one.
No matter how hard she struggled, it was difficult for her to pull her hand away.
"one two three!"
Tantai Xunzhen tried several times in succession, her face almost turning red from the effort, her palms burning with pain as if she were being skinned alive. Thud!!!
With a push of her waist, she finally freed her hands.
His body involuntarily leaned back, and he stumbled backward several steps.
"This... Ugh!"
Tantai Xunzhen turned his palm over, and after just one glance, he almost vomited up his dinner from the night before.
Both palms were covered with a thick layer of purplish-black liquid.
Numerous curled-up, unidentified creatures, hair strands from what appeared to be eyelashes or some other part of the body, were mixed in, resembling disgusting horsehair worms, wriggling as the liquid slowly slid down.
Click click click...
Before Tantai Xunzhen could vomit, a faint cracking sound, as if the wood was about to break under its own weight, rang out. It seemed that her series of movements had shaken the room too much, breaking a fragile balance and causing some subtle changes in the space.
Tantai Xunzhen frowned and looked up, searching for the source of the sound.