Netherworld Painted Skin Scroll

Chapter 350 Do you remember, little brother?
Since coming into this world, Li Wuxiang has always felt somewhat lonely and helpless—he first became Zhao Qi's disciple, but he knew it was only a temporary measure. Later, he became the sect leader of Ranshan Sect, but only in name, as he had no disciples or sect under his command.

After arriving at the Sword Sect and the Taiyi Sect, it seemed that he could finally live the cultivation life he had envisioned, but then a sudden change occurred, forcing him to flee in haste. When he reunited with Mei Qiulu on Mount Dajie, the Youjiuyuan Dojo of the Taiyi Sect was gone, meaning there was no proper sect left.

Later, he became the sect leader of the Sword Sect, but he only had Xue Baoping by his side. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call him a wandering knight. It wasn't that he was born liking to roam around, but rather that he seemed to be plagued by misfortune and could never find a patron to protect him.

Now, seeing the small jade statue in Xu Zhen's hand, Li Wuxiang felt as if he had suddenly understood everything—

I am not human, I am a demon. Demons face many tribulations, as do the True Immortal Body Dao Chapter and the Great Tribulation Sword Scripture. When these two are combined, the number is naturally countless. So that's how it is!

I was originally a demon in disguise!

The moment this thought arose, everything in his mind became clear. All his previous worries—what would happen to Senior Sister Mei, what would happen to the Blood God Church, what would happen to the Six Departments Mystic Church, what would happen to Donghuang Taiyi—seemed to be clarified by an ironclad rule... What did these things have to do with a demon like me?

Because of this clear-headed thought, he suddenly saw the current situation more clearly—

He didn't actually go to worship the small jade statue in Xu Zhen's hand, but thought about it seriously and asked, "Xu Zhen, why did you send Xu Pianpian to Dapan Mountain to kill my people?"

Xu Zhen sat on the reclining ox rock and sighed: "Originally, I thought that since you wanted to subdue the thirty-six sects for the Taiyi Sect, you would be ruining my plans. Naturally, I wanted to prevent you from doing it. I had Pianpian kill Xue Baoping and the others on the mountain, and you would go berserk and slaughter the sects in revenge. That way, you wouldn't be able to accomplish your goal. Can I call my idea malicious?"

If Li Wuxiang had heard this in the past, he would naturally have said yes.

But now his mind was clear, and he felt as if he had been detached from a pile of trivial matters. So he thought for a moment, then shook his head: "This can be considered a divisive tactic. If I were a human, I would probably do the same to deal with a demon cultivation sect."

After thinking for a moment, he continued, "For example, if I wanted to lure a tigress into a trap, I might kill or injure her cubs and place them near the trap to lure her into it. Things like that… things like that…"

Xu Zhen clapped his hands: "You've figured it out. This is the reason why humans and demons are different. Rules and morals only count among their own kind; they may not apply to other groups. When a butcher slaughters a lamb in front of its mother, he doesn't feel any remorse at all."

"But that was before. Now that I know we are the same kind of people, and even share the same legal system, I wouldn't do that. Li Wuxiang, let me ask you one more time: do you think I'm some kind of heinous criminal?"

Li Wuxiang frowned but remained silent.

Xu Zhen then said, "Let me put it this way—you are a disciple of the Taiyi Sect and have been in Youjiuyuan for many years. Suddenly, a group of people broke into the Taiyi Sect's territory and slaughtered all your fellow disciples, leaving only you to escape. One day, when you have mastered your divine skills and returned to Youjiuyuan, will you slaughter them all again to take revenge?"

Li Wuxiang nodded: "I understand what you mean. You mean that the Central Continent was originally ruled by the demon race, but was almost completely wiped out by the human race. Now you, the demon king, have returned to the Central Continent, but..."

“But I am both restrained and disciplined.” Xu Zhen sighed. “With my cultivation, it wouldn’t be difficult for me to stir up a bloodbath here. For example, I could first slaughter Qingpu Mountain, then Dapan Mountain, and then kill my way through here—Mei Qiulu of the Taiyi Sect is still preoccupied with the Blood God Sect, what can she do to me? Even if she really comes, I can retreat back to the Eastern Continent, can she still wield power there?”

"But what have I done now? These people are still staying by my side, doing just fine. I came here because of the invitation from the Five Mountains True Form Sect; they just want to deal with the Taiyi Sect. Li Wuxiang, you already know who you are, and you have nothing to do with the Taiyi Sect anymore. Therefore, as long as you're willing, we're from the same sect and clan. Do you understand?"

Li Wuxiang immediately understood—as long as he withdrew and stopped helping Mei Qiulu, all his troubles would disappear.

But there's one thing...

"I want to cultivate, and I also want the treasures that are the most prized possessions of the thirty-six sects..."

Xu Zhen stood up: "It's easy. The treasures of the Thirty-Six Sects originally belonged to our founder. Although I didn't care before, if you, a fellow sect member, want to take them back, I will naturally help you. If you don't like the Five Mountains True Form Sect, then I'll do the work, and you watch. I'll take one back, and I'll give you one. You can choose whatever you like."

Li Wuxiang was slightly moved: "I originally thought you were some kind of vicious and wicked person..."

Xu Zhen smiled and said, "Many things are misunderstandings. Once they are cleared up, everything will be fine."

At this moment, Tong Xu was standing to his left, and Xue Baoping was standing to his right. The two, who were originally sworn enemies, couldn't help but look at each other and were both stunned.

—Originally, they were going to fight, but now it seems that not only will they not fight, but they will actually become fellow disciples!
Tong Xu frowned, about to speak, but Xue Baoping spoke first: "Li Wuxiang!"

She could tell that something was wrong with Li Wuxiang. Everything he said seemed reasonable, but in certain circumstances, these "reasonable words" sounded very strange. She didn't know if Xu Zhen had used some kind of magic to bewitch Li Wuxiang, but she hoped that her call would wake him up.

But when Li Wuxiang heard her words, he only glanced at her and smiled—a smile that wasn't cold, but rather extremely distant: "Miss Xue, what's wrong?"

The words "Miss Xue" rang in her ears like a thunderclap. Xue Baoping was stunned for a moment: "What...did you call me?"

Li Wuxiang gently shook his head: "I used to call you Baoping because I mistakenly thought I was a human. Now I know who I am... Humans and demons are different, and I don't want you to be reborn as a demon, so..."

"You're obsessed! You're obsessed!" Xue Baoping shouted at him, "Think about it...think about it...that emperor on Mount Dajie, what was his name?! You're just as obsessed as everyone else was back then!"

Li Wuxiang sighed: "I know who you're talking about—" "I don't know who you're talking about." Xu Zhen turned to Xue Baoping, interrupting the two, "but I know you're the one who's infatuated. Little girl, have you ever considered this possibility—he really has always been a demon, but you treat him as a human, and he mistakenly believes himself to be human because of that. I told you before, when your cultivation reaches the level of Li Wuxiang and me, there are many things you can't say carelessly, because they can easily come true."

“However, some things don’t become true just because they’re spoken; they were always true, and you only realize it after you’ve said it.” He then turned to look at Li Wuxiang. “The lineage of the sovereign belongs to the dragon. Li Wuxiang, your meeting with me today is the time for you to return to the dragon’s domain—think about it, wasn’t this foreshadowed?”

Li Wuxiang remained silent for a moment, then his body trembled slightly—

His tattered clothes were all stretched open in that instant.

Countless scales emerged from his skin. They were grayish-white scales, but with a ring of gold thread around the edge, each one neatly arranged, unlike Xu Pianpian's twisted and eerie scales, which appeared clean and holy, even containing a hidden golden glow, as if he was originally a dragon who had now transformed into human form.

Xu Zhen laughed: "Now that you have witnessed your true nature, you have revealed your true face—I said you belong to the Dragon family, so you belong to the Dragon family."

"Li Wuxiang! Have you forgotten! That's the Mirror of Backing! The Mirror of Backing you begged from Elder Xie!" Xue Baoping shouted, her voice almost cracking. She wanted to rush into the lake, but Xu Zhen beside her only slightly raised his hand, and she was trapped in place, unable to move. "You told Elder Xie that you wanted to deal with Xu Pianpian, but you were afraid that you wouldn't be able to control her when you fought, and that she would escape or hurt the disciples on the mountain. So you borrowed the Mirror of Backing from Elder Xie, saying that you would wear it inside your body—that's what the Mirror of Backing looks like! Those aren't your scales, they're the scales of the Mirror of Backing!"

“Miss Xue, this thing—” Li Wuxiang looked at Xue Baoping, a look of pity in his eyes. He seemed to want to explain, but felt he couldn't explain it clearly, so he used his fingers to pry up a scale on her chest, then pinched it. Then he pulled it outwards with force—

The scales were pulled out. It looked much like a human fingernail being plucked—the tip was hard, pale white with gold streaks, while the end softened, still attached to a bit of pink flesh. After a short while, blood flowed from where the scales had been removed. But the blood wasn't bright red; it was a reddish-golden hue, an orange-red.

Xue Baoping was stunned. No one in the world understood Li Wuxiang better than her—he was just a skin wrapped in gold, devoid of blood. If there was any blood, it was only a very faint, pale pink liquid, a tiny amount, which was the qi and blood he had slowly cultivated through his cultivation techniques!

But now his blood... the blood keeps flowing out, gurgling along the gaps in the scales, almost forming a small stream, and then dripping into the lake, immediately creating a cloud of steam on the surface.

The moisture dispersed in the wind, and Xue Baoping smelled a faint fishy odor, but she couldn't tell if it was the smell of blood or iron, and there seemed to be a hint of sweetness... She could smell it!
It's real blood!

Xue Baoping felt her blood freeze and turn cold. She remembered what her master, Li Yunxin, had just told her—no one should be anyone's vassal. She didn't want to be a vassal either, but at this moment she truly hated herself… It must be some kind of supernatural power of Xu Zhen's, but her cultivation was too low; she didn't have a single clue, and she couldn't help at all!
At this moment, Xu Zhen's gaze turned compassionate: "It's not that he's infatuated, little girl, but that you're infatuated. What you saw before was only him infatuated, but now he's awakened and knows what he is, while you haven't awakened yet."

Xue Baoping ignored him and, clinging to her last shred of hope, shouted at Li Wuxiang, "Where's Hu Wei! Have you forgotten Hu Wei! Have you forgotten the necklace around Xu Pianpian's neck!? She killed Hu Wei, ate her, and even turned her into a human bead! And she still has so many beads around her neck! Li Wuxiang! Think about her methods! It's all thanks to this Xu Zhen!"

Xu Zhen sighed: "There is no such thing as Xu Pianpian in this world. You're still deluded."

Xue Baoping was stunned: "What did you say!?"

"Xu Pianpian is Li Wuxiang, and Li Wuxiang is Xu Pianpian."

"You're talking nonsense!" Xue Baoping looked at Li Wuxiang. "You just swallowed her whole, you—"

She froze, her eyes widening in horror. She saw Li Wuxiang touching his neck, as if it were itchy beneath the scales, something trying to crawl out. His face was still human, but his neck and cheeks were covered in fine scales. His hair, which had been styled in a bun, was now loose, his white hair cascading down his shoulders. He groped through the strands for a moment, then, as if grasping something, pulled it slightly—

Pull out a necklace.

Xue Baoping recognized the necklace—it had originally been on Xu Pianpian's neck, consisting of small beads with twisted and eerie faces. Now, Li Wuxiang was much taller and larger, making the necklace even larger. It still depicted human faces with various expressions, but now it was crimson red. Hanging around his neck, it didn't look out of place. On the contrary, against his gray-white scales, it stood out as a "red dot in a sea of ​​green," instantly bringing him to life.

Xu Zhen let out a long sigh: "Li Wuxiang, do you still remember your background before you were captured?"

Li Wuxiang touched the necklace, as if trying to figure out how it had appeared. Hearing Xu Zhen's words, he frowned and shook his head: "I can't remember—"

“I can tell you. You were originally born in the Eastern Continent, so by blood, you are my younger brother. Later, you were playful and ran away to the Central Continent, where you were captured. That person was very powerful; they erased your past memories and bound you into a human form, making you believe you were human. That person was Mei Qiulu—she was a Nascent Soul cultivator at the time, and she met you while traveling.”

"She wanted to save the Sword Sect. You are a demon, and your cultivation level was already very high, so she first made you undergo tribulation, then slowly brought you to the Sword Sect, and had you cultivate the Great Tribulation Sword Scripture—"

Xue Baoping was stunned when she heard these words.

She was initially certain that Li Wuxiang was infatuated, but these words… many of the things he's saying now are things only she and Li Wuxiang know. How did Xu Zhen find out?!

“You have cultivated the Great Calamity Sword Scripture. As long as you survive countless calamities, you will be stronger than anyone in the Taiyi Sect, even her. But after seeing me today, you will no longer be subject to the control of the Taiyi Sect and Mei Qiulu. Do you remember? Li Wuxiang, you are my younger brother.”

Li Wuxiang closed his eyes briefly, his body slowly shrinking back to normal human size. Then he opened his eyes: "I remember... I'm in the Eastern Continent... I still have over a hundred people in the Eastern Continent..."

"Those people are so much fun."

(End of this chapter)