He and It Chapter 196: Inquire Here (24)

Chapter 196: Inquire Here (24)

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: GaeaTiamat

 

“Ah, so you do recognize me!” Internal Demon looked at him in surprise, then shrugged with a grin. “That makes things much easier, much easier to talk about!”

He was like a hyperactive child, unable to stand still in front of Yan Huan. He fiddled with his fingers, rotated his shoulders, lightly bounced on his toes…He was adjusting to his newly acquired body, and relishing the joy of finally being able to move freely.

The dragon heart that belonged to Yan Huan was now beating powerfully inside him.

Internal Demon stretched out his hand and snapped his fingers with satisfaction. The pitch-black space around them underwent a drastic transformation—cracks appeared on the ground, and everything collapsed except for the small spot where Yan Huan stood. The rest of the ground fell away into an endless abyss, making it seem like he was teetering on the edge of a needle, with the ever-present danger of falling into a chaotic void and dying without a trace.

Internal Demon snapped his fingers again, and a shrieking, howling wind could be heard from all directions. Sharp golden lights sliced through the space, and struck from every cunning and vicious angle, to pierce Yan Huan’s body precisely, along with his nine restless eyes.

His limbs shattered, so that they resembled flowers and threads scattered in the void, as he turned into a bloody mess. Yan Huan was drenched in thick black blood, reduced to such a pitiful state, yet the smile on his face never changed. His nine cloudy eyes remained fixed on Internal Demon.

“Dragon Binding Rope?” Yan Huan asked. His vocal cords hissed, and sounded like countless writhing, slimy snakes. Every word he spoke was like the whisper of a demon, wriggling and rubbing through a dark corridor. “I think you know better than I do that this thing’s effectiveness is quite limited, right?”

Internal Demon shrugged, looking indifferent.

“Of course, I know,” Internal Demon said, “The Dragon Binding Rope, as the name suggests, was originally used by those Immortals to deal with us…or rather, to deal with you. Unfortunately, it was useless against you six thousand years ago, and even more so now! You dared to ignite the great sun; were willing to be burned to ashes just to gain Liu Fuguang’s favor and attention. I don’t think there’s any method of torture in this world that can affect you.”

His lips moved lightly as he uttered Liu Fuguang’s name. Yan Huan’s facial muscles twitched slightly, but his expressions were completely concealed under the thick, tar-like dragon blood.

Unfortunately, he could deceive everyone in the world, but not Internal Demon, who was born from his own essence.

Internal Demon laughed, as he casually inspected his hands. “But my goal now is just to trap you. I need time and energy to deal with Liu Fuguang!”

He dragged out his words maliciously, as he repeated Liu Fuguang’s name many times, to enjoy Yan Huan’s reaction. The more he watched, the more delighted he became, eventually laughing heartily.

“It’s really like a dog whistle!” he exclaimed happily. “Every time I mention his name, your reaction is so amusing. Sigh. I wonder if it’s because I’m too detached from the situation, but is the connection between extreme good and extreme evil really that strong?”

Yan Huan chuckled coldly twice, then said, “You are my Internal Demon, born from me, and always inferior to me. You can’t kill me. To put it nicely, your roots are in me. If I spit on the ground, it’s still a part of you. My feelings are your feelings. You want to stay detached? Fine! Just don’t end up with only your mouth being tough when you’re at death’s door.”

Internal Demon stared at him, his single eye like a congealed lump of flesh. Slowly, his smile faded.

“Actually, you’re quite right,” Internal Demon said softly. “You changed because of love, and I am the sum of the cowardice, recklessness, regret, greed, and evil that arose from it. I am half of your ambition, half of your fear, half of your greed, and half of your retreat in love.”

Yan Huan wanted to nod, but a branch of the Dragon Binding Rope had pierced through his lower jaw and skewered his cheek, which prevented him from making the motion. He simply ground his teeth in satisfaction, the sharp teeth making a clear “click-clack” sound.

Not bad, he thought absent-mindedly, this was…not bad at all. My love, it seems your heart can give birth to such a master-consuming offspring. Haha! This is another way for heaven and earth to bear witness. ¹

“So…what do you want?” Having returned to his senses, Yan Huan asked curiously. “Seize power and usurp the throne? Betray your master? Or plan to stay by Fuguang’s side and replace me?”

Internal Demon replied coldly, “You’re both right and wrong. The main reason I’ve waited until now to act against you, that I’m making this last-ditch effort, is simply to save myself!”

Yan Huan tilted his head in surprise. He found it to be an unexpected explanation.

“If you are the supreme evil ordained by the heavens, then fulfill your role as the supreme evil. Kill the supreme good or corrupt the world. Why are you now thinking of turning back?” Internal Demon hissed at him with his deformed tongue, as he pressed Yan Huan. “Don’t you know that the moment you start repenting is also the moment you bring about your own destruction?”

When he heard that accusation, Yan Huan’s nine eyes opened slightly wider, and showed a bit of innocent expression.

“Whether I perish or not, I don’t care at all.”

“You may not care, but don’t drag me down with you!” Internal Demon roared violently. He suddenly lunged forward, and grabbed the Dragon Binding Rope and hoisted Yan Huan up. “Look at you! What kind of god are you, Yan Huan? You’re just the dog of the supreme good! A dog to the extreme!”

Perhaps because of his newfound freedom, Internal Demon’s emotions were extremely unstable, much like a child with no self-control. One moment he was clapping and laughing, trying to provoke his true self with Liu Fuguang’s name, and the next he was raging, wishing to tear everything in front of him to pieces.

“Liu Fuguang doesn’t even need to lift a finger; just a glance from him and you’re eager to gouge out your eyes for him to step on. When you see him with that heartbroken, suicidal saintly look, you go weak in the knees, and will do anything to please him. Wake up, Yan Huan! Don’t forget, power and authority are the best drugs. He may not realize it now, but once he understands that by riding you, his obedient dog, he can stand equal to the heavens. Just watch what he becomes!”

The Dragon Binding Rope clanged loudly, unable to drown out Internal Demon’s thunderous roar. Yan Huan’s nine eyes stared at him, and the corners of his mouth widening into a bigger grin.

His spoken vision was indeed beautiful, he thought. I dare not dream of him wanting to step on my eyes, yet you think even further, suggesting he might demand to ride me… Haha, indeed, if that happens, I would die without regrets.

Internal Demon glared at Yan Huan, feeling only a familiar, stubborn defiance from his true self, a defiance that had often driven him to despair.

An intense loathing surged within him, and he slowly let go.

“You’re insane, Yan Huan.” Internal Demon laughed twice, then again. “I know you’re insane. You’ve been driven mad by so-called love, tortured into madness, and driven to abnormality by pain!”

Panting heavily, Internal Demon looked at Yan Huan with frustration and murmured dazedly, “You relish it, but it’s too painful for me…I don’t want to endure this pain any longer. For six thousand years, this agony has never ceased, nor diminished…I know telling you this now is pointless, so I’ll just thank you. If it weren’t for you igniting the great sun voluntarily and weakening the power of supreme evil, I wouldn’t have found a chance to escape and carry out my plan.”

As he spoke, Internal Demon slowly covered his face. Then he suddenly began to sob in a sad and eerie manner, like a wailing ghost in the night.

“Goodbye, Yan Huan.” His tone was filled with sorrow, but when he parted his fingers and looked through them, there wasn’t a trace of tears in his eye, only a vicious smile. “Since you don’t want to be the supreme evil, I’ll take your place and do what you left unfinished!”

Yan Huan asked coldly, “What exactly do you want to do?”

Pressing his pointed fingernail to his chin, Internal Demon grinned innocently and said, “What difference does it make if I tell you? Honestly, I want to sever the cause and effect between you and the supreme good. Since you have a mortal enmity and a red thread of fate with him, I’ll go back to before it all began and stop it myself!”

At that moment, Yan Huan’s heart trembled and his nine eyes quivered.

That statement brought him more panic than Internal Demon’s birth, the loss of his dragon heart, or being trapped there.

Internal Demon continued to boast, “By then, I definitely won’t repeat your mistake of rashly killing Liu Fuguang or letting him out of my sight. The supreme good balances the great way, so he must stay alive, but he’ll have to live a bit harder. After all, the relationship between good and evil is a seesaw; I’ll have to put in some effort to weaken his power.”

“Let me think. What if that young, kind-hearted, and unaware of the ugliness of supreme evil Liu Fuguang wakes up one day to find himself with all four limbs severed, reduced to a helpless wretch with no cultivation base, no country, unable to die, rolling in…your current position, would he cry out in fear?”

He deliberately spoke vividly, and caused Yan Huan’s vision to darken, his blood to boil, and a stabbing pain to radiate from the missing part of his heart.

The evils he committed in his lifetime were innumerable, but Internal Demon’s casual suggestion was nothing to him. However, when the target of the suggestion was Liu Fuguang, even just an imaginary scenario threw him into chaos.

Internal Demon laughed wildly. Trapped for thousands of years, subservient to the dragon god’s heart sea, having suffered tortures more terrible than a thousand cuts because of the supreme evil’s remorse and unrequited love, he now found immense pleasure in seeing Yan Huan in such turmoil.

Yan Huan struggled to suppress his panic and shouted, “Do you really think you, a mere internal demon, can replace the position of supreme evil and do whatever you want to the supreme good?!”

“I suggest you take a good look at who between us now looks more like the supreme evil,” Internal Demon sneered. “I’m not like you, abandoning the role of a god to become Liu Fuguang’s dog.”

Yan Huan’s body trembled uncontrollably, but he still sneered, “Big talk, small abilities. Don’t flatter yourself, you can’t even become a dog.”

Internal Demon’s smile vanished, and he spat at Yan Huan viciously before he turned to leave.

Having said his piece and vented most of his triumphant joy, all that remained was to complete his plan. As for the original trapped here, once everything settled, who would be able to distinguish whether he was an internal demon or not?

He will eventually become a part of me, completely assimilated and absorbed.

Internal Demon left. The light faded, and the realm returned to its original state. In the darkness, the golden light of the Dragon Binding Rope twisted around, and bound Yan Huan’s flickering eyes, which resembled nine trembling flames of blood.

***

Liu Fuguang set the jade bowl aside after finishing the medicine and pondered silently. Yan Huan’s latest venture had taken longer than his previous ones. The great sun fire had already started to flourish, indicating that Yan Huan had exerted considerable effort. Yet, months after Yan Huan’s departure, Liu Fuguang had a strange awakening one night, and sat by his bed, his heart pounding inexplicably.

For a moment, he felt a long-lost strength.

It wasn’t the power of spiritual energy or cultivation, but something broader and more profound. It was as if a gap had suddenly appeared in the crowded heavens and earth, and he had leapt in to fill that gap.

Could Yan Huan be dead?

This unbelievable thought was quickly dismissed by Liu Fuguang, as the sensation lasted only a brief moment. Afterward, everything returned to normal, as if it had been an illusion.

Now, with the medicine left by Yan Huan all consumed, and the great sun fire rekindled, Liu Fuguang found it less arduous to mobilize his spiritual power and move around. He had regained enough strength to protect himself.

It’s time to reclaim my primordial spirit and Dao-heart, Liu Fuguang contemplated. In the world, the weak were always prey for the strong. Without his cultivation base, he was at the mercy of others. How could he protect his home and country if he had to confront the supreme evil again?

Three days later, as if responding to his thoughts, Yan Huan hurried back, his body covered in soot and scars. As usual, he stood in the hall, looking pitiful, and called out softly, “Fuguang.”

Liu Fuguang turned to look at him, his eyes of supreme good clearly seeing Yan Huan’s current state. After igniting the sun for the third time, Yan Huan’s injuries were more severe; his nine eyes were mostly blind, leaving only one that occasionally twitched. His shattered dragon horns and remaining shell were fully exposed before Liu Fuguang, like trophies and medals of merit.

Internal Demon gritted his teeth, as he tried to maintain his current expression and demeanor.

Out of some malicious and twisted sense of amusement, he decided to perfectly impersonate Yan Huan in front of the supreme good, hoping to earn his trust and make him believe without doubt. But from the moment he entered the palace and approached Liu Fuguang, speaking the first word…

This was not an easy task, Internal Demon thought through gritted teeth.

First, before he even saw Liu Fuguang, he already smelled a scent — an omnipresent, pervasive scent. It was the scent of supreme good: bright, sweet, warm, and soft, overwhelming all his senses. It was like…

Words were too inadequate to describe the scent. Internal Demons only knew that he felt instantly full, experiencing unprecedented peace and satisfaction. Joy splashed in his heart like a shower of refracted sunlight, and drowned him in unfamiliar, crazy, and absurd emotions. It was no longer a matter of state of mind or emotion; it was a physical issue. He found himself craving that scent as living beings craved food, air, and water.

He wanted to let out a deep rumble from his chest and then purr contentedly. Liu Fuguang’s scent directly awakened his dragon instincts.

It’s because I’m still using the original body, Internal Demon suppressed his sudden panic, and quickly found a plausible reason. This is still part of the original body! Once I replace Yan Huan, the interference of the scent will naturally be resolved!

Thus, he continued forward, as he endured with his nearly uncontrollable expression and trembling chest, until he reached the center of the palace where he could clearly see Liu Fuguang.

For a long time — almost from his birth to that moment — he had seen Liu Fuguang only through unreal dreams or Yan Huan’s occasional glimpses, like looking through thick ice or opaque crystal. Now, Internal Demon finally saw his appearance in person.

The word “beautiful” was practically created for him.

Everything was so perfect, he thought dazedly. His bright eyes, jade-like skin, soft pink lips, and the small mole by his lip…too perfect to be real. He seemed to emit a faint radiance, dazzling to the point that nothing could outshine him…

No, no! Internal Demon snapped back to reality, and bit his tongue until it bled. The pain lasted only a moment before the wound healed.

This is “Yan Huan’s” body, so those feelings, thoughts, and delusions are all his! My true self is not so lowly and narrow-minded to lose my senses over trivial beauty like a foolish insect!

Unfortunately, when Liu Fuguang raised his head and turned his gaze towards him, even if Internal Demon bit off a thousand tongues, it would be of no use.

That gaze was like a magnet, and his body and soul were like crushed, limp iron filings. His once indestructible body turned to a heap of mush, and followed that gaze wherever it went.

How could one resist such a powerful attraction? Even gods couldn’t escape its grasp and manipulation.

This can’t go on…This can’t go on! Internal Demon clenched his lips, unable to speak, for when he mimicked the original and said, “Fuguang, I’m back,” his lips curled uncontrollably, and wanted to spew more affectionate words and make nauseating sounds. It drove him mad!

Fortunately, Liu Fuguang’s gaze didn’t linger long. He soon looked away, which allowed Internal Demons to regain control of his body, though he felt an inexplicable sense of loss.

Compared to the supreme evil, the supreme good was indeed a thousand times harder to deal with!

This wouldn’t work. His power must be diminished, Internal Demons thought anxiously, and quickly came up with a plan.

He arrived confidently but left hastily, his behavior so odd that Liu Fuguang noticed but showed no reaction or curiosity.

That night, “Yan Huan” returned, carrying a steaming jade bowl.

“Fu…” He cleared his throat before muttering, “…Fuguang, drink your medicine.”

Liu Fuguang, since he suspected nothing, took the bowl. Just as he brought it to his lips, he paused and moved it slightly away.

Internal Demon felt a sudden tension. His dragon heart lodged in his throat and he was unable to move.

Did he notice something…?

Liu Fuguang frowned slightly, blew on the bowl to disperse the steam and foam, then took a sip.

…He’s just afraid of the heat. “Yan Huan” relaxed, though slightly annoyed. He had never seen Liu Fuguang worry about the heat before. Why did he blow on the bowl tonight? My inexperience in brewing the medicine shows. I didn’t take care…

No, no, no! When he realized his thoughts had wandered again, Internal Demon hurriedly chastised himself. I didn’t come here to be a mere servant to the supreme good!

Liu Fuguang slowly drank the medicine, as he frowned at the bitterness. Internal Demon, mimicked Yan Huan, and brought out a box of candies.

“Fuguang, have a candy?”

So stingy, truly small-minded. Internal Demon couldn’t help but mock the original. A box of candies, what a pitiful offering, that was flaunted in front of the supreme good as if it was something precious. With treasures as abundant as the seas and mountains, all you can offer is a box of candies?

Liu Fuguang lowered his eyes, picked a candy, and placed it between his soft lips. His white teeth and pink tongue flicked briefly, as he took the amber-colored candy in.

Internal Demon stared blankly, as he forgot his mockery, fixated on Liu Fuguang.

When Liu Fuguang turned away, Internal Demon, his mind completely wandering at that moment, watched as Liu Fuguang opened his sleeve and spat the medicine he had swallowed into it, even as he maintained a calm and composed demeanor and leaned back on the bed.

Thus, the two spent several peaceful days together. One afternoon, when “Yan Huan” brought the medicine again, Liu Fuguang took the bowl but didn’t drink. Instead, he looked at the humble dragon god and suddenly spoke.

“Yan Huan.”

The words shattered the silence, and Internal Demon wondered if he had misheard.

“Yan Huan.” When he saw there was no response, Liu Fuguang called again. It was as if a thunderclap had struck, and it startled Internal Demon into jumping up, wide-eyed.

For the first time in a long while, Liu Fuguang addressed Yan Huan directly!

“Where is my Dao-heart and primordial spirit?” Liu Fuguang’s clear eyes met his calmly. “I need them back. Return them to me.”