Time rewound once again, to two years earlier.
The mark between the brows of this golden winged flyer was exactly the same as little Yaya’s.
It was not a birthmark, but a special mark.
Not only that, their facial features also bore a slight resemblance.
Holding her Dragon Gold Sword, she walked towards Zhi Ning.
She glanced at Fang Qingzhuo first, then gently waved her jade like hand. Fang Qingzhuo floated away by herself.
Standing before Zhi Ning, the golden winged flyer said, “I’m sorry, but I have to take your head.”
Zhi Ning shook her head.
“It’s alright. We can only do our best and leave the rest to fate.”
She had fled desperately, escaping from the royal capital, Zhi Capital, travelling thousands of miles to the Dongli Kingdom.
Yet Crown Prince Jiang Li had refused to shelter them.
So they had been forced to flee again, sailing out to sea without any destination.
She had never expected that they still would not escape.
She truly no longer feared death.
Ever since following Soren, she had lost count of how many times she had stood on the brink of death.
Tuling Duo had threatened her life.
Fang Qingshu had threatened her life.
And now this golden flyer threatened her life as well.
The golden flyer rested the Dragon Gold Sword against Zhi Ning’s neck.
“I’ll be quick. I’ll try to make it as painless as possible.”
Zhi Ning said nothing.
She simply held her baby quietly.
Although little Zhi Yu was not yet two years old, he had already experienced much alongside his mother.
He would cry over many things.
When his father was absent.
When his bad mother refused to let him eat tasty food.
When he woke up and his mother was not beside him.
But there were certain situations where he no longer cried.
For example, when a sword was held against his mother’s neck.
Or against his own neck.
He no longer cried.
It was not because he did not understand.
He vaguely knew these people wanted to hurt him.
Yet he no longer cried.
He simply opened his large eyes wide, quietly looking at the golden flyer without making a sound.
He was only a little over one year old.
After more than a month of travelling, his once chubby cheeks had become thinner.
Yet he was still as beautiful as a jade doll.
Especially his two large, bright, round eyes.
The golden flyer’s sword rested beside the necks of both Zhi Ning and the child.
A single gentle slash would take two lives.
Her mission would be complete.
Little Zhi Yu rested on his mother’s shoulder, tilting his head as he looked at her.
The golden flyer’s breathtakingly beautiful face twitched slightly.
Her grip on the sword tightened.
She was about to strike.
But…
Her jade like hand trembled slightly.
She simply could not do it.
She forced herself to gather more courage.
Yet faced with the baby’s pure, innocent eyes, she still could not bring herself to strike.
She closed her eyes.
Because she realised that as long as she could see the baby’s tiny face and those innocent eyes, she would never be able to kill him.
So she shut her eyes.
“I have to do this. Otherwise disaster will fall upon me.”
She repeated those words to herself over and over.
But even with her eyes closed, it made no difference.
Her mind remained filled with the baby’s innocent eyes and his delicate little face.
“Ah!”
With a sharp cry, she swung her sword fiercely.
However, after moving less than ten centimetres, she threw the Dragon Gold Sword from her hand.
“Whoosh…”
The sharp blade grazed Zhi Ning’s ear, leaving only a tiny cut.
At the final moment…
She still could not do it.
Even after gathering every bit of courage she possessed, she still could not kill them.
After letting out a long breath, she opened her eyes.
“You should go.”
Zhi Ning was stunned.
“If you let us leave, you’ll face a terrible disaster yourself.”
The golden flyer stared at little Zhi Yu’s beautiful face.
“I also have a child.”
“My child should be about the same age as yours.”
Zhi Ning asked, “Where is your child?”
“I don’t know,” the golden flyer replied.
“A great many things happened.”
“I don’t know where my child is.”
“I’ve never even seen my child.”
“I don’t even know whether the child is a boy or a girl.”
“But every time my child appears in my dreams, it’s always a little girl.”
“Today I’m sparing your child.”
“I only hope that one day, somewhere in this world, someone will also spare my child.”
“Perhaps they’ll even save my baby.”
Hearing those words, Zhi Ning’s gaze softened.
“What is your name?”
“One day I’ll tell my husband.”
“If you ever face danger or fall into trouble, as long as he’s alive, I’ll make sure he rescues you.”
The golden flyer was slightly startled.
“Thank you.”
“My name is Diewu.”
“But… your husband has already…”
Diewu.
Such a beautiful name.
In the end, she did not finish the sentence that Soren was already dead.
She then looked towards A Shi Liren, whose body had already become like jade.
“She’s the same as me.”
“Half of her blood comes from the Demon Race.”
“Previously, to protect her, His Majesty Jiang Shang kept suppressing the demon bloodline inside her.”
“But now it can no longer be suppressed.”
“Her demonic transformation has already begun.”
“However, the transformation is still incomplete.”
“She doesn’t have much time left.”
“You must take her to the territory of the Demon Race immediately to complete the final transformation.”
“Otherwise, she will certainly die.”
Zhi Ning asked, “Where should we take her?”
“The Witch Clan.”
“In the distant southern wilderness, Jade City in the desert,” the golden flyer replied.
“Remember.”
“Do not travel south.”
“The south is covered by the Divine Dragon Temple’s net.”
“Sail north the entire way.”
Fang Qingzhuo asked, “You said the Witch Clan is in the far southern wilderness. Shouldn’t we head south?”
The golden flyer, Diewu, replied, “The world is a sphere.”
“From here, travelling north or south ultimately leads to the same place.”
“In fact, travelling north is even shorter.”
“After sailing north for around twelve or thirteen thousand li, you’ll discover there is no way forward.”
“You’ll see nothing but glaciers.”
“There will be many consecutive days of daylight.”
“Then many consecutive days of darkness.”
“When the longest night arrives, a beautiful aurora will appear.”
“It will resemble a great gateway.”
“Pass directly through that Aurora Gate.”
“You’ll enter the southern wilderness.”
“It’s an energy barrier.”
This energy barrier had been created by the Divine Dragon long ago.
It was a one way energy gate.
Its purpose had been to allow the armies of the human kingdoms to march directly into the wilderness.
It allowed entry only.
There was no way back.
It was also one of the Divine Dragon Temple’s greatest secrets.
Zhi Ning nodded.
“We’ll remember.”
After hesitating briefly, Diewu took out a bottle of medicinal pills.
“These are for the children.”
“If the cold becomes unbearable, let them take only a tiny amount.”
“Scrape off only a fingernail sized piece.”
“Dissolve it in water before letting them drink it.”
“Absolutely do not give them more than that.”
Zhi Ning accepted the bottle.
“Farewell.”
“Take care.”
With that, Diewu spread her wings and flew into the sky.
Princess Zhi Ning, who had never willingly knelt before anyone in her life, sincerely knelt towards Diewu’s departing figure.
Because she knew exactly what punishment awaited Diewu after she returned.
Perhaps even death.
Fang Qingzhuo asked, “Little Ning, are we heading north or south?”
She personally wanted to head south and reunite with the Hell Knights.
After all, staying beside the powerful Hell Knights would be much safer.
Zhi Ning shook her head.
“The Hell Knights have their own mission.”
“Heading north is a dead end, which means the Divine Dragon Temple won’t expect it.”
“The southern seas are completely covered by the Divine Dragon Temple.”
“We’ll never successfully meet up with the Hell Knights.”
“We’re heading north.”
“As for what awaits us…”
“We can only leave it to fate.”
So Zhi Ning and the others continued sailing north.
Towards the end of the world.
Towards the land of eternal ice.
Towards an unknown world.
…
On that very day, Rock Demon had been poisoned by his own wife.
His body exploded, and he died.
The Headless Knight and Lan Tu had spent several days and nights searching these seas.
Searching for what?
Rock Demon’s remains.
Several years had already passed.
When Rock Demon exploded, his body had been blown into far too many pieces.
Finding his bones was an enormous task.
The worst part was that after his body exploded, fish had eaten many of the remains.
Fortunately, his corpse was poisonous.
The fish died immediately after eating it.
Otherwise, once those fish had swum tens of thousands of miles away, the remains would have been impossible to find.
Even so, the two powerful Hell Knights had only recovered a little more than half of Rock Demon’s skeleton.
The rest could no longer be found.
They then began piecing together Rock Demon’s bones aboard a small boat.
Once the skeleton was complete, it was time to summon his soul.
That part was much simpler.
Rock Demon had been poisoned to death by his own wife.
He had died abandoned and unwilling to accept his fate.
His resentful soul had therefore remained wandering above these waters.
“Come back, my brother.”
The Headless Knight released countless ghostly flames from both hands.
The ghost fire danced across the sea.
Illuminated by the flames, countless strands of a resentful spirit became visible.
It was Rock Demon’s soul.
It no longer possessed consciousness.
It wandered instinctively above the sea, scattered into countless fragments.
If this continued, his soul would eventually disappear forever, losing even the chance to reincarnate.
Guided by the ghost fire, Rock Demon’s soul slowly gathered together.
Piece by piece.
Until it finally became whole again.
“Kill! Kill! Kill!”
“You bitch! You dared betray me!”
“I’ll tear you into pieces!”
“I’ll wipe out the Hai Family!”
Rock Demon’s soul roared furiously.
“Resentful soul, enter the body.”
The Headless Knight clearly looked down on such behaviour.
He shook his head.
Although, having no head, it looked as though he had not moved at all.
The countless strands of Rock Demon’s soul flowed into the incomplete skeleton.
The Headless Knight then took out Ancient Demon Blood and poured it over the bones.
Just as before, a green energy heart grew from the skeleton.
Then it began beating.
Energy poured from the heart.
New meridians formed.
Blood vessels appeared.
Eyes were created.
Muscles and flesh rapidly grew.
After a full quarter of an hour, Rock Demon suddenly opened his eyes and sat upright.
However, his body remained incomplete.
One arm was missing.
One leg was gone.
Even several ribs were absent.
His flesh was still rotting, covered in holes.
“You bitch! I’ll kill you!”
“Brother? It’s been a long time.”
“Traitors. You’re all traitors.”
“This brother seems familiar. May I ask who you are?”
Rock Demon seemed mentally confused.
One moment he spoke with the memories of the ancient Hell Knight.
The next moment he spoke with Rock Demon’s own memories.
The Headless Knight remained silent.
He simply waited for Rock Demon’s mind to settle.
Eventually, the ancient Hell Knight’s emotions, memories, power, and reason would suppress everything else.
After all, the Hell Knight was eternal.
Rock Demon was merely one reincarnation.
As expected, Rock Demon eventually calmed down.
“Where is His Majesty the Demon Emperor?”
“Who is he?”
Crown Prince Lan Tu smirked.
“Soren.”
He watched Rock Demon carefully.
He had been looking forward to seeing Rock Demon’s reaction.
After all, they had all once been Soren’s mortal enemies.
Learning that the very man they hated had become the master they must now serve should have been unbearable.
Unexpectedly, Rock Demon merely paused before lowering his head.
“So…”
“It’s him.”
“My younger brother from this lifetime.”
“Very well.”
“So be it.”
Lan Tu looked disappointed.
He deliberately provoked him.
“When we meet His Majesty, we’ve decided to beat him up first before kneeling in loyalty.”
“Want to join us?”
Rock Demon shook his head.
“No.”
“In this lifetime, I wronged him.”
“He never wronged me.”
Lan Tu snorted.
“You’re no fun.”
The Headless Knight said, “Enough.”
“The time has come.”
“We should head for the eastern outer sea.”
“The Faceless One will arrive soon.”
“Once you drink the Demon Tears, you’ll complete your true transformation.”
“You’ll become genuine Hell Knights.”
“You’ll receive the ancient power.”
The three Hell Knights boarded the ship.
Instantly, it became a ghost ship.
A ghostly wind blew across the sea.
The ship surged forward at astonishing speed towards the south east.
…
Several days and nights later.
The four Hell Knights finally gathered in the eastern outer sea.
The four sat cross legged upon the ocean, quietly waiting for the Faceless One.
The enormous moon rose into the sky.
Then…
A shadow slowly walked across the waves beneath the moonlight.
He had no face.
No one even knew whether he truly had a body.
Only a white robe, the same colour as the moonlight.
“Headless, it’s been a long time.”
“The Hell Rift is far too narrow.”
“Every time I squeeze through it, it nearly crushes me.”
The Faceless One laughed.
He could not produce sound himself.
Instead, the wind and the waves resonated to form his voice.
The Headless Knight laughed.
“You don’t even have a body.”
“How could anything squeeze you?”
“Your complaint is like a eunuch with no manhood complaining that a woman is too tight.”
The Faceless One replied, “You’re mistaken again.”
“Eunuchs still have manhood.”
“They simply don’t have testicles.”
“So it’s entirely possible for a eunuch to complain.”
The Headless Knight replied, “If it’s that small and he still thinks it’s tight, then which entrance was he trying to use?”
At that moment Rock Demon interrupted.
“Oi.”
“Did we come here to exchange dirty jokes or to get things done?”
“Watch what you’re saying.”
As soon as he spoke, everyone looked towards his lower body.
Because…
Rock Demon’s own manhood had been blown off in the explosion.
The Headless Knight and the Faceless One had been joking about eunuchs.
To Rock Demon, it sounded exactly like they were mocking him.
“Sorry.”
“Sorry.”
“It’s just been so long since we met.”
“We weren’t making fun of you on purpose.”
“It was simply too fitting.”
The Faceless One apologised.
The Headless Knight changed the subject.
“Where’s our Emperor?”
The Faceless One replied, “Burnt to a crisp.”
“He’s probably still floating somewhere at sea.”
The Headless Knight laughed.
“Brothers, calm yourselves.”
“His Majesty had it even worse than all of you.”
“He was killed by his own wife.”
“A man ending up like that is truly pitiful.”
The Headless Knight deliberately shifted everyone’s attention to the Demon Emperor, hoping they would all sympathise.
Instead…
Rock Demon exploded with rage.
“I said that’s enough.”
“Let’s handle our business.”
After all, he had also been killed by his own wife.
He had just been hit by another stray arrow.
The Headless Knight froze.
“As expected of brothers.”
“Even the way you died is almost identical.”
Before Rock Demon could lose his temper again, the Headless Knight quickly raised both hands.
“Alright.”
“No more jokes.”
“Let’s get to work.”
The Faceless One took out three portions of Demon Tears.
He handed them respectively to Zhi Li, Lan Tu, and Rock Demon.
Then he spoke solemnly.
“Think carefully.”
“Once you drink the Demon Tears, you’ll serve His Majesty the Demon Emperor for all eternity.”
“No matter how powerful you become.”
“No matter how weak he may be.”
“With a single thought from him, you’ll be reduced to ashes.”
“Once you drink the Demon Tears, you’ll never again appear beneath daylight.”
“You’ll forever walk within darkness.”
“You’ll never again be able to touch living things.”
“If you touch food, it will instantly rot.”
“If you touch a child, the child will decay and die.”
“If you touch a tree, it will become charcoal.”
“The only creatures you may touch are warhorses and night vultures.”
“Once touched, they’ll become your skeletal mounts.”
“The moment you leave them, even their bones will turn to dust.”
“You’ll lose your own bodies forever.”
“Only ghostly forms will remain.”
“You’ll never sleep again.”
“You’ll forever hear countless evil spirits whispering beside your ears.”
“You’ll forever feel countless hands from hell dragging at you.”
“Now…”
“Do you still wish to drink the Demon Tears?”
“We do.”
All three answered together.
The Faceless One nodded.
“Then begin.”
Zhi Li, Rock Demon, and Lan Tu swallowed the Demon Tears.
“Boom! Boom! Boom!”
Instantly, their bodies disintegrated into nothingness.
Complete darkness covered the sea.
Even the enormous moon seemed swallowed by it.
Within the darkness, a crack slowly opened.
Countless evil spirits.
Countless ancient powers.
Countless energies from hell surged out.
Those powers gathered.
Gathered.
Gathered.
Finally condensing into three shadows.
Shadows darker than the night itself.
They had no faces.
Only black silhouettes.
These shadows…
Were the Hell Knights.
They possessed no physical bodies.
Instead, they borrowed countless evil spirits to form ghostly bodies.
Their power came from ancient times.
Borrowed directly from hell.
Everything about them existed outside this world.
Everything they possessed originated from the ancient hell.
Because they had signed a contract with the Demon Emperor, they would exist forever, never ageing and never dying.
The Ancient Demon King’s Blood established the upper limit of their power.
Within that limit, they could endlessly borrow the power of the ancient hell.
They were evil beings that existed between ancient times and the present.
Between hell and the mortal world.
They…
Were the incomparably powerful Hell Knights.
…
Time returned to the present.
Lan Ling rode his golden griffin, hiding by day and travelling by night.
After flying for two nights, he finally reached his destination.
Above the territory of the Centaur Evil Li Tribe.