The Demon Lord Is Carrying My Child - Chapter 19

“The Kun Gua (Oppression Hexagram)?” Ji Shutao murmured. Following Zhuang Yi’s guidance, she looked at the stone pillars again, and everything suddenly became clear.

In the I Ching, a Yang line is generally represented by a single long horizontal line (solid), while a Yin line is represented by two short horizontal lines (broken). The arrangement of the stone pillars before her eyes indeed matched the Kun Hexagram she had seen in books.

Ji Shutao was overjoyed, but her excitement quickly withered. She said despondently, “But how do we solve this?”

Although Ji Shutao had been interested in the Sixty-Four Hexagrams before and knew the basics, she was only capable of recognizing them; interpreting or “solving” the hexagram was far beyond her.

“The fifth line of the Kun Hexagram is a Yang line, while the fifth line of the Xie Hexagram (Deliverance) is a Yin line. Other than that, there is no difference between them. We only need to change the nine-in-the-fifth (Yang) of the Kun Hexagram into the six-in-the-fifth (Yin) of the Xie Hexagram turning Yang into Yin,” Zhuang Yi said in a low voice.

Ji Shutao wasn’t sure if it was her imagination, but she felt Zhuang Yi’s face looked a bit pale.

“Zhuang Yi, your complexion is poor again. Are you unwell?” Ji Shutao grabbed Zhuang Yi’s arm, her hand pressing directly against Zhuang Yi’s forehead.

Zhuang Yi shook her head, unable to support herself fully, and leaned half her weight onto Ji Shutao. “I remembered some things from the past.”

Memories that were merely vague outlines.

“What memories?”

“I can’t remember the details.”

Seeing Zhuang Yi in such a state, Ji Shutao didn’t feel right asking further. She helped Zhuang Yi over to sit down and patted her chest, declaring that she would handle the rest.

Zhuang Yi lacked the strength to argue and let Ji Shutao have her way. She deduced that there might be a mechanism nearby to manipulate the hexagram. Because the area was small, it didn’t take much effort for Ji Shutao to find the mechanism. It was embedded in a tree a protrusion that blended perfectly with the wood; if one didn’t look closely, it was impossible to notice anything unusual.

After Ji Shutao pressed it, the middle section of the fifth stone pillar the “nine-in-the-fifth” of the Kun Hexagram actually recessed, turning into the “six-in-the-fifth” of the Xie Hexagram. Combined with the remaining five stone pillars, it now formed the Xie Hexagram.

Although the hexagram formation was broken, Ji Shutao was still worried. She scouted the path ahead first, and after confirming there were no issues, she took Zhuang Yi’s hand and led her inside. As they passed the sixth stone pillar, the stone door in front of them opened.

To their surprise, the scene behind the stone door was entirely different.

Behind the door was an exceptionally large sacrificial altar. From bottom to top, there were at least several hundred steps. At the end of the stairs were three circular discs of varying sizes, with six steps separating each disc. In the center of the smallest, topmost disc stood a rod made of an unknown material that pierced straight into the clouds.

The altar stood exposed before Ji Shutao and Zhuang Yi. The surroundings were empty there were no signs of the Cangyou Pavilion people, nor of Chen Li and the others.

Ji Shutao and Zhuang Yi were cautious and walked in warily. As soon as they entered, the stone door behind them closed. Having expected this, neither of them was surprised.

They stood at the bottom, gazing up at the altar. Aside from the altar itself, there was nothing else around; the land was barren. The rod at the top emitted an eerie glow, adding to the incredibly sinister atmosphere.

Ji Shutao walked around the altar and discovered that besides the stone door they had entered through, there was another one. This door was different; it opened from inside the altar. When Ji Shutao pressed the mechanism, she came face-to-face with Chen Li’s gaze.

Before Ji Shutao could react, Chen Li grabbed Ye Xiaoge behind him and threw her inside. Immediately after, he jumped in as well. Cun Ming and Wu Huo were nowhere to be seen. As the stone door closed, something tried to come through, and a massive claw was severed by the sheer weight of the door.

Ye Xiaoge’s small face was deathly pale as if she had suffered a massive shock. Looking at Chen Li, his clothes were filthy and tattered, and there were scrapes on his face. Ji Shutao had never seen Chen Li look so disheveled.

“Eldest Senior Brother, did you encounter something?” Ji Shutao asked after Chen Li had a moment to catch his breath. She glanced at the severed claw near the stone door. The claw looked incredibly sharp, capable of tearing a person in half with ease.

Chen Li smiled bitterly. “It’s a long story.”

After Ji Shutao was dragged away by the Qingyi Sword, Cun Ming was worried and chased after her. Seeing that Cun Ming was following her, Chen Li continued up the mountain with Wu Huo and Ye Xiaoge.

“As we walked, we lost our way. By the time we regained our senses, Seventh Junior Brother was gone. We searched the area several times but found no trace of him. Left with no choice, I left a mark for him and sent a message before continuing forward with Miss Ye.”

When they reached the summit, they still didn’t see the group that had taken Ye Yiran. Before them was a forest radiating a dense, ghostly aura. Having come this far, there was no room for retreat. After consulting with Ye Xiaoge, Chen Li decided to push forward. After a few steps, Chen Li heard a sound like claws scratching against trees. The sound drew closer and closer until it was almost right next to them.

Ye Xiaoge screamed in terror, and Chen Li’s face was slashed by the unknown entity.

“Those things had human heads and bear bodies; they were hideous and numerous. I couldn’t fight them off alone. I finally managed to find a door, but I couldn’t open it no matter what. Just when we were at our wit’s end, the door opened on its own,” Chen Li wiped the blood and dirt from his face and joked weakly, “I suppose it wasn’t my time to die yet.”

Hearing Chen Li’s account, Ji Shutao realized she and Zhuang Yi must have entered a different part of the forest. If Zhuang Yi hadn’t known how to solve the hexagram, their fate wouldn’t have been any better.

This mountain was fraught with danger. Cun Ming and Wu Huo had yet to reunite with them, and the Cangyou Pavilion people were nowhere to be found. She wondered what they should do.

Ji Shutao had a face full of sorrow, not realizing her muttered thoughts were overheard by Chen Li.

“Cangyou Pavilion?” Chen Li frowned. “How did the people of Cangyou Pavilion get involved in this?”

Ji Shutao hesitated for a moment but decided to tell the whole truth: “The ones posing as Beichen Mountain, wanting to use living souls for the sacrificial ritual, are the people of Cangyou Pavilion.”

Chen Li said decisively, “Impossible.”

Cangyou Pavilion and Beichen Mountain were known as the “Twin Pillars of Righteousness.” Their disciples all took the salvation of the world as their duty; how could they possibly do such a thing?

“How do you know those were Cangyou Pavilion people?” Chen Li grabbed Ji Shutao’s hand.

“I was the one who saw that they were from Cangyou Pavilion,” Zhuang Yi said, pulling Ji Shutao’s hand away and clasping it in her own. Only then did her heart feel a bit more at ease.

“You are the Demon Venerable. Even my Junior Sister, who frequently deals with Cangyou Pavilion, couldn’t recognize them. How would you know?” Chen Li’s suspicious gaze swept over Zhuang Yi’s face.

Although Demon Venerable Zhuang Yi was famous, she had always lived in seclusion. How could she possibly know the people of Cangyou Pavilion?

Seeing the two of them like this, Ji Shutao was worried they might start fighting. She stood between them and urged them sincerely, “Everyone is exhausted; let’s rest for a while. Xiaoge’s complexion isn’t good either.”

Ye Xiaoge, exhausted from running for her life and suffering from the shock, had already fallen into a fitful sleep.

“Let’s not wake her.”

“The people of Cangyou Pavilion all carry a certain scent on them.”

Ji Shutao pressed, “What scent?”

Zhuang Yi looked ahead, her voice cold: “The scent of death.”

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