Chapter 128: Fate or No Fate

When Feng Ke’er emerged from seclusion, it coincided precisely with the great upheaval at Joy Valley—three grand altar masters rising in rebellion simultaneously.

They led the valley’s inhabitants, wielding various flying magical devices, and completely encircled the aerial courtyard.

The messenger forest altar master stepped forward, clasped his fists, and was the first to speak sharply: “Third Lord, for the future development of Joy Valley, we unanimously believe the position of valley master should be held by someone capable and virtuous.”

The Demon King sat cross-legged in his earthquake-resistant bird’s nest, lazily raising his eyelids to sweep a glance over the gathered crowd. He snorted, “Do you truly believe you have reached a consensus?” In his heart, it was as clear as a mirror. After all, he had been a demon king for over ten thousand years; palace coups and usurpations were far from new to him! In fact, these tactics were leftovers from his own past games.

Ultimately, the reason things had come to this was because he had placed too much trust in the seals he had set and in the personal handwriting of Lady Nuwa, acting as a hands-off steward for nearly a century.

However, those ninety-nine years had not been wasted. Countless times, he had examined his conscience, and his Dao heart was firmer than ever before. Though his magical power had not advanced, his realm and divine perception had leapt forward by leaps and bounds, such that he was not at all inferior to human cultivators of the same level. He could feel the barriers loosening; surely, once the passage opened, ascending to immortality—whether with or without Feng Ke’er as his protector—would no longer be a dream.

Therefore, he bore no regrets.

And this very challenge before him, he regarded as a minor test after ninety-nine years of seclusion.

With this thought, his eyes grew even colder.

At the sweep of his icy gaze, the other two altar masters shivered inwardly and, surprisingly, both simultaneously began to waver and consider retreat.

The messenger forest altar master shot them a fierce glare.

Snapped out of their hesitation, the two altar masters exchanged a glance, gritted their teeth, and stepped forward in unison, declaring, “Of course.”

The messenger forest altar master secretly signaled.

Several hidden agents among the crowd received the order and raised their arms, shouting in succession:

“The valley master position should be held by someone capable!”

“Indeed!”

“Let the worthy take over! Let the worthy take over!”

…

Soon, the crowd was stirred up, raising their arms and chanting in unison: “Let the worthy take over! Let the worthy take over!”

If this had happened in the past, the Demon King would have unleashed a bloodbath, crushing the rebellion with overwhelming force. But now, with his elevated realm, he no longer wasted time or energy on such trivial matters.

Raising his hands to signal for silence, the Demon King curled his lips into a smile: “When I first established Joy Valley, it was for no other reason than to create a peaceful environment where human cultivators and demon beasts could coexist. Though I am not talented, I believe that over the years, I have indeed achieved peaceful coexistence and mutual development here.”

With that, he swept his gaze over the crowd once again.

The rebellious demon cultivators lowered their heads in shame. Indeed, there was no other place in the Lower Realm more conducive to their cultivation.

Seeing this, the messenger forest altar master sensed trouble, his eyes darting as he opened his mouth to retort.

The Demon King gave him a half-smile, a glance that chilled him to the bone, causing him to shiver violently.

Then the Demon King continued, “Over a hundred years ago, I received news that the passage would open and that I had a chance to ascend. So, driven by selfish desire, I secluded myself for rigorous cultivation. For this, I neglected the valley master’s duties—this was my lack of foresight.”

His tone was sincere and earnest. Not just demon cultivators, but most human cultivators were moved. Besides, the news that the passage would open again in ten years was widespread and well known; any cultivator of true rank had secluded themselves in preparation. The Demon King’s seclusion was entirely understandable.

For a moment, everyone seemed to forget their original purpose, clasping their fists in blessing: “Wishing the valley master a smooth ascension.”

Seeing the Demon King dispel the crowd’s murderous intent with mere words, the messenger forest altar master ground his teeth in frustration.

The Demon King smiled faintly, his gaze turning to the messenger forest altar master’s face: “Actually, I have always paid close attention to the choice of my successor. But it seems you have already chosen someone more suitable.”

Upon hearing this, the messenger forest altar master’s face changed colors rapidly—red, yellow, blue, green, purple—a more dazzling spectacle than a revolving lantern.

Recalling how much the valley master had relied on him before, he was filled with bitter regret—he should never have fallen for the scheme of sowing discord! And now, he had lost the valley master position by a hair’s breadth.

“How can I—” He was at a loss.

The Demon King raised an eyebrow and interrupted loudly, “Altar Master Xiao, please do me the honor of introducing the next valley master you have in mind.”

In an instant, the messenger forest altar master’s face drained of all color. Yet, with all the valley’s followers watching, his efforts ended up benefiting another. How infuriating!

“Here!” He took a deep breath, turned to face the east, and waved his right hand. “Please welcome the honored one!”

In unison, everyone turned their heads to the east.

The red hem of a robe fluttered as a handsome youth in red spread his arms, stepping upon a flying sword, rising from the east, soaring over the crowd’s heads toward the aerial courtyard.

With red hair and dark eyes, the immortal-like youth’s magnificent presence dazzled the crowd.

However, before he could reach the front of the crowd, a sharp metallic sound rang out—“clang”—and a barrier immediately appeared around the aerial courtyard. Golden light blazed forth, forming a huge glowing character that read “Get Lost!”

Wherever the golden light touched, the crowd cried out in pain, their blood boiling. Some of the weaker cultivators wavered and were swept off their flying devices, falling headlong from the sky.

Opportunity seized! The messenger forest altar master took a step forward, glaring fiercely: “Valley Master—”

The youth in red, riding the flying sword, face as stern as iron, moved his hands swiftly in a series of ten hand seals. Before the altar master could finish speaking, the first layer of the seal on the barrier was dispelled; the “Get Lost!” character vanished, and the golden light disappeared.

The Demon King’s eyes flickered as he nodded slightly: “Good. The honored one is truly a great sage and a blessing for Joy Valley!”

This meant he agreed to yield the position! The messenger forest altar master’s mouth gaped open, his mind in chaos. The damned fox demon—when did he become so magnanimous? How could one sow strife or stir trouble now?

The youth in red showed no gratitude, his face still dark: “Then, I ask that the former valley master step aside!”

Wow! Was there anyone so eager to kick someone out? The valley’s followers stared in disbelief: What’s come over him today? Where did his usual magnanimity and grace go? Could it all have been an act? If so, today’s uproar would be a huge joke. And not a funny one at that…

The Demon King lowered his head and leisurely smoothed a small wrinkle on the front of his silver robe. Finally, he rose, lifted his face, and smiled as if spring flowers bloomed in March: “Very well!”

Then, under all eyes, he truly waved his sleeve, dispelling the aerial courtyard’s barrier, and strode away—without taking even a grain of sand or a speck of dust from the courtyard.

The youth in red furrowed his brow, stamped his foot, and transformed into a streak of red light, rushing after him as if flying.

The former valley master and the newly elected one—one walking away, the other in pursuit—vanished from the crowd’s sight in an instant.

Immediately, everyone’s eyes flickered—some joyful, some despondent, some filled with hatred.

“Disperse!” The three grand altar masters met each other’s gaze and quickly looked away.

Victory had come so swiftly, it felt like a dream.

Outside Joy Valley, atop the scorching yellow sands, the youth in red strode forward, blocking the path of a certain fox demon.

The Demon King frowned, standing gracefully atop a flying boat, his expression darkening: “Valley Master, I have yielded to you. Though I do not expect you to carry on Joy Valley’s legacy, at least remember the founding purpose of Joy Valley…”

The youth in red impatiently raised his hand to cut him off: “Joy Valley is nothing to me! I ask you, where is Feng Ke’er? And what about the Poppy Seed Space? Hand them over!”

The Demon King sneered: “So the honored one schemed to seize Joy Valley for this alone. Alas, my centuries of hard work have all been in vain!”

“Enough nonsense!” The youth in red shouted arrogantly. “Hand her over, and I may spare your life.”

The Demon King spread his hands, palms empty: “The Poppy Seed Space was already given to Miss Feng. She has been cultivating within the space all along.”

“Really? She’s still in the aerial courtyard?” The youth in red scrutinized him suspiciously. “You truly gave up so easily?”

“Miss Feng is exceptionally gifted but proud and aloof. How could she choose a demon beast as her true spirit guardian? It was my own arrogance that misled both her and myself. With the opening of the passage imminent, how much time do I have left to waste? If fate is not meant to be, then it is not meant to be. What else can I do but let go?” The Demon King turned away, hiding the profound loneliness in his eyes.

“Wise of you!” The youth in red snorted coldly and swept his sleeve as he left.

Watching his retreating figure, the fox demon clenched her teeth and summoned her cloud boat, flying toward the Sea of Barriers.

At the summit of Mount Kunlun, the Heavenly Dragon True Lord shook his head and sighed softly, “Poor little thing…”

Lady Nuwa lifted her gaze from the white jade drum and glanced at him, teasing: “Fate arises and fades; everything follows destiny. I think, in understanding the word ‘fate,’ he is far more enlightened than you.”

The Heavenly Dragon True Lord rubbed his palms and chuckled lightly.

“And what about him? What is he doing?” Lady Nuwa asked casually, waving her sleeve over the drum’s surface, changing the scene within—it showed the youth in red hastening back to the aerial courtyard.

“Him?” A gleam flashed in the one-eyed Heavenly Dragon’s eye. “Since his last seclusion, Fuxi hasn’t been seen. Ha! He’s not the only one who can’t grasp the meaning of ‘fate.’”

Lady Nuwa lowered her gaze, staring deeply into the drum’s image.

Within, the youth in red had returned to the aerial courtyard.

Leaping off his flying sword, he searched the yard eagerly.

Feng Ke’er had just stepped out of the Poppy Seed Space and saw his busy figure. Taking a deep breath, she asked, “Is that you, Feng Jiu?”

The youth in red was momentarily stunned, turning to gaze long into her eyes, smiling without a word.

“It really is you!” Feng Ke’er smiled as well. “So after your transformation, your hair turned red. How ugly! No wonder I used to call you ‘Ugly Bird.’ I wasn’t wrong.” With that, she opened her arms enthusiastically. “Ugly Bird, welcome back!”

The youth in red rolled his eyes at her and came forward, his dark eyes full of affection.

(To be continued)