Chapter 80: The Leaf Demon Reappears Part 1

Wang Cheng’an was a bit flustered when “Yaya,” who suddenly leaned into his arms acting spoiled and seeking protection, did so. He felt both honored and awkwardly at a loss, as if his daughter had grown up and the principle of “no improper intimacy between men and women” applied. Yet he also believed that his daughter had been terrified by those dead people from earlier and needed his protection. His sense of mission and responsibility as a “father” surged to an unprecedented height. He puffed out his chest, widened his pair of clear, innocent eyes, and stammered, “Yaya, don’t be afraid. Daddy will protect you!”

Zhang Qingshui stared dazedly at the fragile and uneasy Wang Ya, who pressed her forehead against Wang Cheng’an’s chest. A strange tightness gripped her heart, and she desperately wanted to rush over and pull Wang Ya into her own arms. But she knew she couldn’t. Her fingers dug harshly into her palms as she turned her face away, refusing to look at Wang Ya’s vulnerable expression that longed for protection.

Old Tang had been scared half to death, and his hands and feet still trembled uncontrollably. He figured reality was even more terrifying than the illusions he had seen—just look at what it had done to Wang Ya and Wang Cheng’an!

Wang Ya pressed her forehead against Wang Cheng’an’s solid chest. The broad, strong torso gave her a slight sense of security, and she gradually recovered from her terror. But because they were so close, the sweat stench from Wang Cheng’an wafted straight into her nose, making her uncomfortable. She had always disliked the smell of men’s sweat—it was stinky and overpowering. Her dad was usually very clean, always fresh no matter autumn or summer, but after more than twenty days underground without bathing, his body reeked nothing but odor.

Wang Ya held her breath and pulled away from Wang Cheng’an. She closed her eyes, steadied her mind and emotions, and forced herself to calm down.

Regardless of whether these were victims killed by the Feng Family ancestors in the past, those ancestors were long dead. Whether the Feng Family’s extermination was well-deserved or not, it had already happened. This was Feng Family territory, and Wang Ya refused to believe that all those innocent, wrongful deaths had nothing to do with the Feng Family—not even on pain of death.

If the Feng Family’s extermination was indeed deserved, Wang Ya—who had obtained the Feng Family Inheritance without knowing the full story—felt she had no right to judge. The only thing she needed to do now was find Grandma.

After a brief rest to recover from the shock of the Dead People’s Bridge, the group continued forward along the four-meter-wide stone path underfoot.

The yin qi here was even denser than on the opposite side of the Bridge of Life and Death. The chilling yin qi could freeze a person to death in an instant. Wang Cheng’an was protected from the yin qi by his Ancient Jade and Ancient Copper Coin Magic Treasure. Zhang Qingshui had her Azure Dragon Vine, while Huang Qi and Old Tang’s Protective Talismans had been exhausted earlier, leaving them to use talismans to suppress the cold.

Only Wang Ya, with her body full of Demonic Power, felt right at home in this place. The massive influx of yin spirits merged into her body and transformed into Demonic Power, making her feel that her inner Demonic Power grew ever stronger. In this land of endless yin qi, her Demonic Power seemed inexhaustible.

Old Tang more than once suspected they were no longer in the mortal realm.

After walking about a hundred meters forward, a wall composed of Yellow Springs Other Shore Flower Roots blocked their path.

These Yellow Springs Other Shore Flower Roots hung down like they came from the heavens, completely sealing off the stone path and blocking the road to the Illusory City Labyrinth tight.

No one dared suggest climbing over or flipping past along the Yellow Springs Other Shore Flower Roots. The Yellow Springs Other Shore Flower connected the Three Realms—who knew if climbing these roots would lead them straight to the Yellow Springs Road?

Old Tang reached out and touched the thumb-thick, sturdy Yellow Springs Other Shore Flower Roots that even his Tang Dao couldn’t chop through. He asked Wang Ya, “What now? The road seems completely blocked by these roots.”

Wang Ya figured they had arrived. Behind this wall of Yellow Springs Other Shore Flower Roots should be the city gates and walls of the Illusory City Labyrinth. She frowned slightly and said, “There are three ways to break through these roots. First, call out Ye Zi and have her move the roots aside. But I suspect she already knows we’re here and hasn’t shown herself. Even if I call her, she won’t come out. Second, Old Tang, release your sharp Paper Effigies to cut through these roots—though that would be laborious. The third way is to use the evil-subduing power of Righteous Dao Techniques to blast them open by force. Both the second and third methods have a drawback: if this Yellow Springs Other Shore Flower retaliates, we wouldn’t have enough lives to die here even if we had a hundred.” These powerful roots could bury them alive, strangle them, drag them into the air to starve, pierce their stomachs and kill them, drain their blood… Wang Ya could think of no fewer than ten ways to die just imagining it.

Zhang Qingshui said, “Try the first method first. If that fails, then the third.” She paused and asked, “Wang Ya, can’t you control these roots?”

Wang Ya shot Zhang Qingshui an irritated glance and said, “Even if I weren’t human right now and truly was the Yellow Springs Other Shore Flower Demon, after drifting away from the roots for a millennium, could I command it? Zhang Qingshui, if you left the Zhang Family and ignored it for decades, could you return and still command everyone there?”

Zhang Qingshui was genuinely a bit afraid of Wang Ya’s foul temper but couldn’t help retorting, “We’re of the same origin—there must be some connection, right?”

Wang Ya tossed back, “If your head detached from your neck, could you still use it to command your feet to move aside?”

Zhang Qingshui was utterly speechless.

Old Tang coughed lightly and said, “Wang Ya, why not try calling… Ye Zi? Give it a shot—we can always resort to force later.”

Wang Ya grasped the Yellow Springs Other Shore Flower Roots in front of her, and a familiar aura transmitted from her palm. She closed her eyes, and her mind and heart instantly cleared into emptiness, as if her consciousness followed the touch into a magical forest world. She wandered among these roots vast as a forest ocean. In her heart, she called out, “Ye Zi, Ye Zi…”

A familiar aura came from deep within the roots, and then she saw a cluster of green spiritual light appear before her. She knew that light was Ye Zi—she could even feel Ye Zi’s gaze upon her.