He and It Chapter 197: Inquire Here (25)

Chapter 197: Inquire Here (25)

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: GaeaTiamat

 

At first, Internal Demon felt an itch.  

The itch blossomed from his heart, and erupted outward. Initially, it was just a shallow layer of warmth, but soon it evolved into a burning wildfire, causing him an extremely venomous and fierce pain. Half of his body felt numb, while the other half was submerged alternately in bone-chilling and boiling seawater. He wanted to wail but couldn’t make a sound. He wanted to struggle but couldn’t move an inch.  

It hurt, it hurt…it hurt so much!  

Internal Demon stared wide-eyed, blankly gazing at Liu Fuguang. His pupils contracted and dilated erratically, as he panted heavily. He wanted to say something, his lips trembled and moved, but he could only produce meaningless gasps.  

Seeing him stand there like a wooden statue, Liu Fuguang put down the bowl, slowly got out of bed, and approached him, with a sudden slight smile.  

In the Palace of Supreme Goodness, luminous jewels hung year-round, which kept the room as bright as day even during the darkest twilight. The dazzling light illuminated every tiny dust particle, and magnified every detail of Liu Fuguang’s expression. The curve of his lips, his slightly raised eyebrows, the sparkle in his eyes, and the small mole that looked like a touch of dark rouge, deeply pierced everyone’s hearts.  

His beauty was unreasonable, and resembled countless, endless stars. It was so pure it was almost demonic…No being could withstand such gentleness, neither humans nor gods.  

After he achieved his initial and most important victory, Internal Demon had repeatedly thought about his scheme.  

From an outsider’s perspective, when reviewing the whole situation, Internal Demon had to admit that, as the embodiment of extreme evil, Yan Huan was actually incredibly impulsive and foolish.  

The True Immortals first bound him and Liu Fuguang with a red thread marriage, which made them a couple witnessed by Heaven and Earth. Then, he couldn’t suppress his anger at being deceived and in his greed to break free from restraints, he rashly killed Liu Fuguang. From the moment he was reduced from supreme goodness and was thrown off Zhongshan Cliff, the karma of betrayal was inescapable for Yan Huan.  

As expected, when he came to his senses, the pain caused by the damaged Dao; the profound opportunity to experience the extremes of good and evil; the realization that Liu Fuguang’s love for him was always genuine; or the backlash from betraying his marriage… all those internal and external forces combined, and truly drove the supreme evil mad for six thousand years, which simultaneously gave birth to his internal demon, who was also tortured for six thousand years by unbearable pain.  

However, there was nothing to mock Yan Huan for, because foolishness was a kind of evil, and rashness was equally evil. Being a collection of all evils, Yan Huan’s current downfall was naturally inevitable.  

Understanding, however, didn’t mean forgiveness. Countless times, Internal Demon planned in the dark, grinding his teeth and drinking blood.  

—As long as he could return to the time before anything happened, before those Immortals conceived the idea of marriage, before the union of supreme good and evil, everything could be salvaged! Now that Yan Huan had lost his dragon heart, if they could swap identities completely, who would notice? When time flowed back, the original self would disappear, and he would ascend the throne, and become a dragon god not manipulated by the supreme goodness.  

Then, he would grasp the supreme goodness in their hands. Whether good or evil, black or white, pure or turbid, yin or yang…all would be unified, and he would become the embodiment of the most terrifying and supreme being, an honor and pride worth the six thousand years of torturous suffering!  

HIs plan was flawless, except for one unexpected factor: Liu Fuguang.  

Internal Demon had taken over the original body, but, submerged in years of illusions, the body was sensitive to Liu Fuguang’s every move from head to toe. No matter how hard he tried to maintain his composure, how long could he really endure?  

Perhaps it was his prolonged silence that made Liu Fuguang slowly raise an arm, and open his jade-like hand.  

“You once said,” he began. “That you would give me anything I wanted. Does that promise still hold?”  

Internal Demon couldn’t speak. He was unable to utter a word.  

A dragon’s true form was immense. In ancient times, eleven dragon lords ruled the eight wildernesses, grasped the two poles, and considered the heavens, earth, sun, and moon their possessions. Yan Huan, was their descendant and the last remaining deity, and while his power was less than his ancestors, yet he was still capable of holding the zodiac sun dragon position. Just a drop of his blood could form an ocean.  

Now, he was trembling, shivering. Every drop of his blood boiled, every bone screamed hoarsely. The dragon heart he stole after thousands of years of scheming felt like a breaking bell, with each beat threatening to sever his arteries.  

He suddenly felt very weak. Internal Demon suddenly felt extreme fear. In the face of such attraction, such an obsessive and delusional storm, his soul was as small as a grain of dust. He nearly knelt…he wanted to curl up, to retreat into a dark corner and tightly bind himself with countless limbs. He even wanted to cry and beg, though he had nothing to say, and didn’t know what to plead for.  

Internal Demon’s gaze fixed on Liu Fuguang’s palm.  

For a long time, he stared blankly at it, not daring to look elsewhere, not even able to blink until his gaze shifted to the skin below the wrist.  

With loose sleeves, Liu Fuguang’s slightly raised hand revealed a section of forearm and the dark scars that criss crossed it. When he saw those, Internal Demon suddenly realized something.  

—That hand was trembling.  

The trembling was subtle and hard to spot. Internal Demon slowly lifted his head, and instinctively searched Liu Fuguang’s eyes for answers.  

As he met his gaze, Liu Fuguang’s expression remained unchanged, still calm and composed, yet his eyes betrayed a momentary flicker. The flicker of his eyelashes was like a ripple caused by a dragonfly touching the water.  

In an instant, Internal Demon was stunned, then enlightened, as he suddenly comprehended everything.  

Like him, Liu Fuguang was afraid! The supreme goodness wasn’t in full control, he was bluffing. Perhaps in Liu Fuguang’s heart, he never truly recovered from the shadow of being murdered… When he faced Yan Huan, he remained that pitiful creature thrown off Zhongshan Cliff, lying at the bottom, torn apart by beasts.  

The pain of betrayal, of over six thousand years lying in a cold coffin in deathly silence, the regret of forced separation from loved ones…Those were as profound as a sea of blood. How could Yan Huan’s remorse or attempts at redemption make amends?  

Liu Fuguang wasn’t indifferent, he understood the taste of pain just as deeply, so much so that he was too scared to show any emotional fluctuations in front of Yan Huan.  

His heart harbored a cowardly hyena that feared strong enemies. At that moment, the despicable beast keenly sensed the fresh wound hidden deep within his opponent.  

The excessive panic gradually faded from Internal Demon’s eyes. He gained confidence, and felt that he could again skillfully control his body.  

So, you are also pretending to be strong while negotiating with me, Internal Demons thought. If that’s the case, what do I have to fear?  

With that thought, a humble and gentle smile appeared on his face.  

“It counts, of course it counts.” He imitated the original’s tone as he firmly promised, “Even if I die, I won’t break my promise to you. But your body hasn’t recovered…even if you retrieve your primordial essence and Dao-heart, your dantian can’t handle it. Fuguang, I’m really worried about you…”  

Pausing, he tried his best to mimic Yan Huan’s tone and manner, as he spouted incoherent, obsessive words, “Moreover, you’re finally speaking to me. You don’t know how joyful I feel…”  

As he said those words, Internal Demon inexplicably felt bored.  

After all, he’s not really talking to me. In his eyes, he sees Yan Huan. His words and voice are for Yan Huan.  

Meaningless, utterly meaningless.  

Liu Fuguang stared at him, as if confirming something.  

“Look at me,” he laughed. “I’m not talking to someone else, you should look at me.”  

As he looked at the “Yan Huan” before him, Liu Fuguang’s expression was just like the smile he often showed Yan Huan when he was still the dragon god’s partner.  

However, after so long, his smile seemed somewhat unnatural at first.  

Those words seemed to imply something, which made Internal Demon tremble and instinctively raise their head to meet Liu Fuguang’s gaze.  

Could it be that the supreme goodness has discovered him? He couldn’t stop speculating wildly. Although the supreme goodness’s eyes could see through all illusions, Yan Huan and I were originally one…  

All his thoughts ceased abruptly, as Internal Demon stared at Liu Fuguang’s face. He became as still as a stone statue..  

Liu Fuguang smiled.

Internal Demon seemed to split in half at the sight of that smile. One part of him completely fell and rotted upon seeing that smile, devolving into an irreparable mess of mud. He was willing to give up everything, just to collapse into the arms of the supreme goodness, to be held and cherished, so that he could once again become the happiest creature in the world. Since he craved that unconditional love, even if it meant becoming the most humble and despicable dust on earth, he welcomed it.

Meanwhile, the other part of him wailed hysterically. That smile made him want to peel off his own skin and gouge out his eyes, to burn himself inside out into charcoal, because he couldn’t afford that kind of unconditional love. It was a weight and warmth he couldn’t bear.

“When are you going to return it to me?” The supreme goodness’ lips moved, and emitted a sound that Internal Demon couldn’t recognize – jarring and melodic, thunderous and gentle. “How much longer until you fulfill your promise?”

Liu Fuguang watched him.

—Too much, too intense. He saw him, the supreme goodness saw him…Too much, too heavy, too scalding. He couldn’t…he couldn’t bear it! He had to get away from there, away from that creature…He couldn’t endure it, he really couldn’t bear it!

Internal Demon fell to the ground, as tears streamed down his face. Liu Fuguang was startled. Before he could say anything, “Yan Huan” was already choked with sobs, as he trembled uncontrollably, and struggled to transform into a pitch-black dragon, while he rolled and twisted in mid-air, fleeing without looking back.

Since that day, “Yan Huan” hadn’t crossed paths with Liu Fuguang.

Although he avoided Liu Fuguang, the medicine was still delivered without fail to Liu Fuguang’s sleeping quarters. With “Yan Huan” absent, Liu Fuguang found things easier. At least he didn’t have to find opportunities to secretly switch out the medicine.

It was evident that this “Yan Huan” was not the real Yan Huan, but an extremely convincing impostor; so convincing that no flaws could be seen. Thus, the question arose: where had the real Yan Huan gone?

Regardless of disdain or indifference, Liu Fuguang had to admit a fact. Today, with the ancient gods distant, there really was nothing in the world that could move Yan Huan even a bit. The only possibility he could think of was that Yan Huan’s injuries had not healed, so he had gone to repair the great sun, only to exacerbate his injuries to the point of no return, and that was followed by someone seizing the opportunity to secretly plot against him.

…However, even that explanation didn’t make sense. Goodness and evil restrained each other, and with his unique perception, Liu Fuguang could indeed perceive that it was still Yan Huan’s body.

It was like pouring fake wine into a real bottle… So where did this fake wine come from?

Unable to find an answer, Liu Fuguang turned to the divination results of the Immortal Zhou Yi. He had said, “There is a sign of overturning in this matter, and the road ahead is obscured by fog and confusion.” In this light, this “sign of overturning” referred to Yan Huan’s current situation.

In a sense, an entity that could control the body of supreme evil was undoubtedly more troublesome than evil itself, and a situation that he couldn’t handle at the moment.

How could he break the deadlock?

Liu Fuguang frowned. He had a plan in mind and decided to give it a try.

Several days passed. Liu Fuguang lay on his bed, and stared at the medicine that arrived day after day.

The bowl of medicine usually appeared silently by the bedside, and after he finished it, it would disappear without a trace.

“Yan Huan, aren’t you planning to see me?” he suddenly spoke out. “How many days have passed? Has your mood settled down?”

The sleeping quarters were quiet. Only the canopy drifted in the wind, like elusive moonlight.

Liu Fuguang lowered his head, looked at his fingertips, and calmly said, “If you don’t come, I won’t drink this medicine.” He paused for a moment and added, “To be honest, I haven’t touched the medicine these past few days.”

After he said those sentences, he relaxed on the soft pillow, and waited for the other’s response.

After an unknown amount of time passed, the light in the hall dimmed, shadows surged from all directions, and converged into the form of a tall man that silently appeared at Liu Fuguang’s bedside.

“…You should take the medicine,” Internal Demons said hoarsely. “It’s good for your body. The sooner the better, that way you can recover your spirit quickly…”

“I want to have it, not to stuff it back into my belly,” Liu Fuguang interrupted him, as he looked up. “You’ve been avoiding me. Why? I tried to smile at you, thinking you would be happy.”

Internal Demon hesitated, then cleared his throat awkwardly. After a long while, he said with a complex expression, “I was…too happy, so I felt afraid…Forgive me, Fuguang, I didn’t know any better.”

Many days passed, and he had been thinking all along whether the supreme goodness had discovered his identity. He lurked there simply to hear the other person admit that Liu Fuguang was not only the supreme goodness but also the soul of all living beings. If he agreed that Internal Demon was the true supreme evil deity, it would be like confirming it personally, equivalent to him formally acknowledging Internal Demon. At that time, no matter how powerful Yan Huan was, where could he go?

Internal Demon hesitated repeatedly. On one hand, he wanted to pull out the supreme goodness’ soul and wash his hands of the matter. Whether sincere or not, the goal would be achieved, since the most important thing was to complete the plan to reverse time. On the other hand, he hesitated to take action. After all, what obstacles did the supreme goodness pose to his great cause? It would be a pity to turn him into a white-eyed fool…

If he had known that it would be so much trouble, he wouldn’t have pretended to be the deity from the beginning. Why did it come to this now?

He couldn’t help asking, “Did you say you just want to accept the Dao-heart?”

“When have I ever lied to you?” Liu Fuguang said gently. “You know I never lie.”

Internal Demon’s eyes trembled slightly. He didn’t want to admit that he had been moved by those words.

He hesitated for a long time, then finally reached into his chest and pulled out a crystal-clear, golden Dao-heart, and slowly handed it to Liu Fuguang.

“…It’s right here,” Internal Demon said. “Since you don’t want to force yourself to absorb it, returning it to you is no problem.”

Liu Fuguang got out of bed and stood in front of Internal Demon, and extended his left hand. Instead of taking it, he gently covered Internal Demon’s hand, cupping it within his own.

“What are you going to do?” Internal Demon hesitated for a moment, then asked in a low voice.

Liu Fuguang whispered, “You must be curious. The embodiment of goodness, opposed to evil, what is the power I possess. Isn’t that right?”

A flicker of emotion crossed Internal Demon’s brow. Soft emotions retreated like an ebbing tide. He immediately sensed an ominous atmosphere and tried to swiftly withdraw his hand, but it was too late.

Liu Fuguang’s palm was like the sky, and Internal Demon’s palm was like the earth, with both surrounding a Dao-heart at the center, which shone like a radiant sun. The three entities, like magnets in alignment, suddenly erupted into a brilliant and intense golden light!

Internal Demon roared loudly, he suffered a pain of betrayal higher than the heavens, which almost overshadowed his erupting fury. He howled, “Supreme goodness, how dare you—”

A darkness erupted violently, like an uncontrollable tsunami, and instantly engulfed the palace, the capitol, all of Eastern Swamp, and even the entire Rising Sun Tang Valley. It burst within the Mortal Realm like an endless sea, it roared as it tried to engulf all living beings.

Amidst everyone and everything, Liu Fuguang remained calm and unmoving as a mountain,   as he let the raging waves crash against him.

Countless golden points of light burst forth like billions of shooting stars, then flowed between the dark and obscure heavens and earth. For a moment, they illuminated Liu Fuguang’s face and body, while his robe and long hair fluttered as if he were gracefully dancing.

“Qian Luo Da Na, Dong Gang Tai Xuan…” His voice echoed to the four corners of the world, and traversed the gaps of eternity. Internal Demon struggled fiercely as his body of supreme evil rapidly dissolved under the intense radiance emitted by the Dao-heart.

The raging wind that blew through the world covered everything in fine dust. It wasn’t a wind of spiritual energy or demonic aura, or a wind of calamity, but a chaotic hurricane formed by the struggle between good and evil, and each gained at the other’s expense. The wind swept through the three thousand worlds, and exploded into a magnificent and terrifying nebula of stardust in the universe.

“Don’t delude yourself! You cannot kill me!” Internal Demon roared in anger. “By using this method to exhaust me, you will perish!”

Even as he shouted those words, he suddenly felt his heart being torn apart.

The one who killed you was Yan Huan, the one who took your Dao-heart was Yan Huan, and the one who left you to die at the bottom of Zhongshan Cliff was still Yan Huan…Each and every one of these things means he was the mastermind. Did you really want to destroy me because of him?!

The golden light turned into stars, and the stars into lines, like a brilliant brocade woven by heavenly progeny. Countless golden threads pierced the darkness, drawing perfect and harmonious curves that sealed off Yan Huan’s retreat from every angle.

“…All phenomena are empty and silent, allowing me to act naturally.” Liu Fuguang’s face turned pale, and he was almost breathless. ¹

Internal Demon’s body trembled violently. One moment, he was stunned, in the next, he was flabbergasted. It seemed the supreme goodness didn’t actually intend to kill him. He had just exhausted the energy of the Dao-heart to seal him here?

He was too late to speak, and slow to act. Just as his body was sealed and his mind was shaken, a blood-soaked nine-eyed black dragon burst out of his chest. It swiftly darted like lightning, broke through the golden thread seal in an instant, and arrived in front of Liu Fuguang!

Internal Demon shouted loudly, in a mix of shock and pain. His single eye glared at Yan Huan. It brimmed with hatred and resentment, and almost tore through his eye socket.

“Go!” Yan Huan commanded hoarsely. The dragon bounded over, covered in wounds, with a large hole still gaping in his chest. With only his dragon’s tail curled around the exhausted and fallen Liu Fuguang, he leapt outwards.

The moment he rushed out of the capital, the Eastern Swamp Kingdom, which had been dominated by the dark torrent, began to shrink and contract uncontrollably. Finally, it rapidly condensed into a form slightly larger than a chessboard, and flew into Liu Fuguang’s embrace.

Immediately after that, Yan Huan broke through the sky, as he protected Liu Fuguang and darted into the vast world sea.