Chapter 9 — The Spirit Beast I Adopted Is the Baby Demon Lord

Having spoken, he turned away from me, his form pivoting toward the dungeon entrance, which now yawned like the fractured maw of a gargantuan beast. His dark violet silhouette stretched into a long, distorted shadow against the dim light spilling in from outside. I lay upon the frigid stone bed, watching his back recede into the luminescence before darting my gaze toward Elder Tu, whose fate remained unknown as he stayed embedded in the jagged stone wall, and the enforcement disciples lying senseless upon the floor. To remain here was certain death, or perhaps something far more agonizing. To follow him… that was a descent into an unfathomable abyss, a path toward the Demon Lord of celestial terror.

My heart hammered against my ribs with such frantic intensity I feared it might shatter my very bones. Terror coiled around my limbs like icy, constricting vines. Yet, amidst the depths of that paralyzing dread, a voice roared clearer than any thought: Move! Leave this place! The primal instinct to survive overrode every shred of rational deliberation. I grit my teeth, suppressing the searing agony in my chest, and tumbled from the stone bed. The moment my feet touched the ground, the fractures in my ribs sent a piercing shock through my core, causing me to stumble and nearly collapse. I leaned heavily against the cold rock wall, gulping down ragged breaths. Every movement felt as though I were treading upon blades.

Mo Yu paused at the shattered threshold. He did not look back, nor did he issue any impatient command; he simply waited in silence. I dragged my battered body, step by agonizing step, across the damp, freezing floor of the dungeon, past the unconscious enforcement disciples, past the basin of Spirit-Dissolving Powder that reeked of acrid chemicals… Finally, I arrived behind him.

Beyond the door lay the cavernous, oppressive corridors of the Punishment Hall. In the distance, the muffled sound of chaotic shouting and rapid, thundering footsteps echoed through the structure. The sect had finally reacted. Mo Yu tilted his head, his pitch-black eyes glancing at me briefly before he stepped out. I clenched my jaw, enduring the violent stabs of pain, and limped after him.

One man and one beast—or perhaps, one man and one demon—walked in silence through the gloomy hallway. Mo Yu’s pace was measured, as if he were deliberately tempering his stride to match my labored crawl. The aura radiating from him remained tightly suppressed, yet as he passed, any Punishment Hall disciples patrolling the area or rushing to the scene were either swept aside by an invisible force or frozen in place, their eyes glazing over like puppets stripped of their souls. None dared approach within ten paces of us. He was like a phantom blade, effortlessly slicing through the layered defenses of the hall.

The shrill, mournful wail of the alarm bells erupted behind us, growing ever more frantic. The entire Cloud Azure Sect had been stirred to life! Finally, we exited the crushing architecture of the Punishment Hall. Outside, the night was deep. The cold moonlight bathed the sect in silver, illuminating the unfolding chaos. Innumerable disciples had been roused from their slumber; they swarmed out from every corner, gathering in the distance, staring at us with horror and whispering in frantic hushed tones, yet none possessed the courage to advance. The torches of the Enforcement Hall glowed brightly, as more and more figures converged toward this sector.

A demonic creature is loose!
And with Fang Han Nuan!
Where is Elder Tu?
Stop them!

The shouts echoed in succession, yet they were permeated with a trembling, hollow bravado. The vast, restrained pressure emanating from Mo Yu hung over the scene like an intangible glacial mountain, freezing the steps of all who approached. Mo Yu ignored the surrounding clamor. He lifted his head toward the sect’s main gate, his solid black eyes devoid of any emotion.

Go.

He spoke the word softly. The space around him seemed to warp and ripple. Suddenly, a gentle yet irresistible force enveloped me. The scene before my eyes blurred and stretched in an instant! The wind shrieked past my ears! I felt as though I had been shoved into a conduit, hurtling forward at blinding speed. Was this shifting shadows? Shrinking the earth to inches? I did not know the name of this art. I only felt that within the span of a few breaths, the uproar of the Punishment Hall, the flickering lights of the sect, and those terrified faces all retreated rapidly into nothingness!

When the protective aura dissipated and I felt my feet strike solid ground, I realized I was standing outside the main gate of the Cloud Azure Sect. Before me lay the vast expanse of the Ten Thousand Great Mountains, crouching in the night like a primordial predator. The mountain wind blew, carrying the sharp scent of vegetation and damp earth, biting to the bone. The pain in my chest forced me to hunch over, coughing violently. Each spasm pulled at my broken ribs with heart-rending force. Under the moonlight, the phlegm I coughed up was clearly streaked with crimson.

Mo Yu stood a few paces away, his back to me, gazing at the rolling mountain ranges. His dark violet silhouette looked profoundly lonely under the lunar glow. He did not turn, standing in total stillness. I leaned against a gnarled tree trunk, gasping for air. I had escaped the death trap, but the road ahead was veiled in uncertainty. To follow a Demon Lord of mercurial temperament? This felt even more desperate than remaining in the dungeon.

You…

I wheezed, my voice raspy and broken.

Who… are you?

He turned slowly. The moonlight fell upon his dark violet, shimmering fur and upon the ancient, flickering demonic script etched into his form. Those pitch-black eyes, deep and bottomless as the night, rested calmly upon me.

My name is Yuan Jin.

His voice was deep and steady, carrying the heavy weight of ten thousand eras.

At the bottom of the abyss, the embers are not yet extinguished.

Yuan Jin. At the bottom of the abyss, the embers are not yet extinguished. The name itself carried the contradictory tension between annihilation and rebirth. I leaned against the icy tree trunk, the name dropping like a heavy stone into the silent lake of my heart. Demon Lord Yuan Jin… I recalled catching a glimpse of this name in a yellowed, tattered scroll detailing ancient secret histories within the outer sect’s library. The legendary World-Ending Demon, who had once brought forth a blood-tide of celestial destruction before being sealed away by a coalition of major sects within the Nine Nether Desolation… These were stories as distant as myth. How could he have become the wounded cub I had pulled from the forest? A thousand questions choked my throat, but looking into his calm, abyss-like eyes, I could not utter a single one. The agony in my chest reminded me of the brutal reality.

Why…