Great Wilderness Demon Lord

Eight thoughts, eight desires, like eight twisted and ferocious pythons, coiled around the core of his consciousness, constantly whispering, constantly instilling their "reasons," their "power," and their "temptations."

Each whisper deepened the darkness and blurred his understanding of "self."

I am Xiao Yunlan.

I am the garrison commander of Shuofeng Plain.

I must defend Wangbeibao, I must protect the fortress...

These thoughts initially shone like faint starlight, stubbornly flickering in the dark tide. But the tide was too turbulent, and the starlight too dim.

Some fragmented images appeared uncontrollably:

It wasn't the scene from his memory, but fragments of a scene filled with bloodshed, slaughter, conspiracy, indulgence, eerie vitality, and rotting death.

That was the "feast" that the Eight Demons had experienced or longed for.

In those scenes, he sometimes transforms into a fierce general dominating the battlefield, sometimes into a cunning strategist, sometimes immersed in extreme love, hate, or desire, and sometimes like a god spreading healing radiance or the plague of death...

Every frame is full of power and the exhilarating feeling of being in control of everything.

"This is... what you can become..."

"Accept us, integrate with us...you will be perfect..."

Darkness began to seep into the "starlight," threatening to completely devour and merge that faint sense of self.

Just as consciousness was about to completely succumb and be assimilated by the torrent of eight mixed thoughts—

A very faint, cool stinging sensation came from the deepest part of my consciousness.

That wasn't the whisper of demonic thoughts, but rather a more distant, more indistinct... fragment of an obsession?

"...We must not...get lost..."

"...There are still...unfinished matters..."

"...Who is waiting for me? Who is...calling me?"

It was as if an invisible thread, extremely thin yet incredibly strong, pierced through the darkness and whispers of demonic thoughts, connecting to a vague, warm place.

There, a flickering fire, the bitter aroma of herbs, and... a clear yet concerned gaze.

The eldest princess?

No, it wasn't just her.

There are also Zhao Meng, Tieshan, Lu Zheng, the veterans who followed him through thick and thin, the expectant eyes in the ice city of Shuofeng Plain, and the people in need of protection behind Zhenhuang Pass...

These faces and emotions, like pearls strung together by a thread, though their light is faint, truly exist, forming a net belonging to "Xiao Yunlan," pulling his drifting consciousness back little by little with great difficulty.

What truly allowed him to stay true to himself were the beautiful memories he had before his time travel.

It was precisely because of these memories that Xiao Yunlan always felt a barrier between himself and those demonic thoughts, which allowed him to stay true to himself.

"I... am Xiao Lan... Xiao Yunlan."

"I... am not one of you."

"Get...out!"

The dormant core of consciousness erupted with the last trace of resistance, weak yet incredibly sharp, originating from its very core!

"Buzz—!"

The eight coiled "pythons" seemed to be stung by the sudden resistance, and they contracted at the same time, causing their whispers to become momentarily disordered.

It was in this moment of chaos that the "thread" connecting to the outside world suddenly became clearer!

With all his remaining strength, Xiao Yunlan desperately sent out a faint thought, filled with extreme pain, struggle, and warning, along the thread—

"Be careful... demonic thoughts... corroding... the ritual... is a trap..."

Immediately, consciousness was once again engulfed by an even more intense surge of darkness and whispers.

But this time, that spark of starlight from his very heart, though still dim, was not completely extinguished. Like a candle flame flickering in a storm, it struggled to maintain a sliver of light amidst the endless shadows of demonic thoughts.

Outside the quiet room, under the corridor.

Li Xuan did not leave. Instead, he had a folding chair brought over, put on a cloak, and sat on the veranda outside the quiet room, personally waiting.

The charcoal brazier radiated warmth at her feet, illuminating her profile, which appeared exceptionally serene and solemn in the night.

Han Chong tried to persuade her several times, but she just shook her head.

"He risked his life for my northern border, and was on the verge of death several times. Now he is unconscious here, so why can't I stay by his side for the night?" Li Xuan's tone was calm, but her words left no room for argument.

Helpless, Han Zhong had no choice but to send more trusted guards and stay nearby himself.

In the stillness of the night, only the sound of the wind rustling through the eaves and the rhythmic footsteps of the night patrolling soldiers could be heard in the distance.

Suddenly, a muffled groan, seemingly squeezed out from the depths of the soul, came from the quiet room!

Li Xuan opened her eyes instantly, stood up abruptly, and pushed open the door to enter. Han Zhong followed closely behind.

On the bed, Xiao Yunlan's body convulsed violently, his brows furrowed to the extreme, veins bulging on his forehead, and cold sweat instantly soaked his temples.

He did not wake up, but his lips moved slightly, as if he wanted to say something, but no sound came out.

The night watchman, Dr. Sun, rushed forward to take her pulse, his expression changing drastically: "The pulse has suddenly become violently unstable! That strange force seems to be raging!"

Li Xuan rushed to the bedside, leaned close, and listened intently. Xiao Yunlan's lips were still opening and closing unconsciously.

"...Be...Careful..." The sound of airflow was so faint that it was almost indistinguishable.

Li Xuan brought her ear even closer.

"...Demon...thought...corrosion..."

"...ritual...trap..."

The words came out haltingly and indistinctly, yet they made Li Xuan's heart sink.

Erosion by demonic influence? Is the ritual a trap?

She immediately recalled Xiao Yunlan reversing the cult's ritual before he fell into a coma.

Could it be that the true purpose of that ritual was not merely to release the plague, but rather... to target Xiao Yunlan himself? To target the power within him that might share the same origin as the cult?

Just then, Xiao Yunlan's body shuddered violently again, and all signs of struggle suddenly subsided. His breathing became weaker and more steady, but his face remained ashen, and he had fallen into a deeper coma.

It was as if that brief moment of "expression" had exhausted his last bit of strength.

Doctor Sun took his pulse, his brow furrowed: "The conflict has temporarily subsided... but it also seems... that strange force's erosion of him seems to have intensified slightly? Strange, very strange..."

Li Xuan straightened up, her phoenix eyes flashing with a chilling light.

She glanced at Xiao Yunlan, who seemed to be enduring endless pain while unconscious, and then thought of the strange poisonous fog beyond the Great Wall, and the various ways the cult operated.

"Vice Commander Han." Her voice was icy.

"exist."

"Send more people to secretly investigate all records and rumors related to the Four Heavenly Venerables Sect, especially... statements about 'rituals,' 'descent,' and 'vessels.' Conduct this in secrecy, without alerting them," Li Xuan ordered. "Furthermore, from this day forward, you will personally select the most reliable people to be responsible for the medical treatment and care of Captain Xiao. His food and medicine must be strictly tested."

Apart from you, me, Mr. Gu, and Mr. Sun and other necessary medical personnel, no one else is allowed to visit or inquire about the details of his condition.

Han Zhong realized the seriousness of the matter: "Your Highness suspects..."

"I have no doubts, I'm just being cautious," Li Xuan interrupted him, her gaze returning to Xiao Yunlan. "He won this war for us, so we must at least ensure his absolute safety while he's unconscious."

"This subordinate understands! I will not fail in my mission!" Han Zhong solemnly accepted the order.

Li Xuan stood by the bed for a few more moments before turning around, leaving the quiet room, and returning to sit down on the couch in the corridor.

The night grew deeper and the chill intensified, but she seemed oblivious, simply gazing at the bare branches swaying in the wind in the courtyard, her eyes deep and unfathomable.

Demonic corruption... Ritual trap...

Xiao Yunlan, what terrifying thing are you fighting against?

And who was you reminding with your final warning? Yourself? Or... us?

She suddenly remembered Gu Yan's previous worries.

Xiao Yunlan's strength and injuries were indeed beyond what was reasonable.

In retrospect, the implications behind this are probably far deeper than we imagined.

"No matter what you become, or what you will face," Li Xuan whispered to the direction of the quiet room, in a voice only she could hear, "at least for now, in the Northern Border, under my command, you are a meritorious official of my Great Yong, and someone I, Li Xuan, must protect."

Beneath the surface of the victorious celebrations, shrouded in night at Zhenhuang Pass, a tight security operation and a quiet investigation into the unconscious hero had already begun.

Meanwhile, thousands of miles away, both the power arena in the capital city and the indescribable shadows deep in the wilderness seemed to be stirred by this bizarre victory and the unconscious young man.