Black Myth: The Legend of Tianpeng Seeking Demons

Having cracked the array at the entrance, Zhu Feifei stepped into the forbidden area of ​​the Qingyun Sect with a mix of trepidation and excitement.

The dense demonic energy, like an invisible giant net, enveloped the entire valley. Gusts of cold wind and mournful howls filled the air, sending chills down one's spine.

Zhu Feifei walked along the rugged mountain path. The surrounding trees were twisted and withered, as if their life force had been drained. The ground was covered with hideous cracks, like giant mouths that devoured souls.

The treasure map left by the Celestial Elder indicated that the Pure World Pearl was hidden in an ancient palace deep within the forbidden area. Zhu Feifei walked resolutely through the mist and finally arrived at the palace.

The palace was built of black megaliths, carved with ferocious beast patterns, and exuded a chilling demonic aura. The palace gates were tightly shut, inscribed with ancient runes that shimmered with an eerie light.

"You silly pig, be careful, this place feels eerie..." The voice of the Ringwraith White came from the Moonlight Ring, carrying a rare hint of solemnity.

Zhu Feifei took a deep breath, gripped the nine-bead bracelet in his hand, and tried to push open the palace gate. However, the moment his hand touched the gate, the ancient runes suddenly shone brightly, and a powerful force repelled him. His vision went black, and he lost consciousness.

When Zhu Feifei opened his eyes again, he found himself in a magnificent heavenly palace, wearing golden armor and a phoenix-winged purple-gold crown, looking just like Marshal Tianpeng back then.

"Marshal! You're back!" The heavenly soldiers and generals lined up to welcome him, shouting in unison, their voices shaking the heavens and the earth.

Zhu Feifei looked at everything familiar before him, yet his heart remained undisturbed. The revelry, the fine wine and delicacies—the riches and glory he had once dreamed of—now seemed so illusory and empty.

"This isn't real..." he muttered to himself, "It's all fake..."

"Marshal, what's wrong?" a heavenly general asked with concern.

Zhu Feifei shook his head. He didn't want to stay in this illusory heavenly palace any longer. He turned to leave, but found himself trapped in a golden cage.

"Let me out! Let me out!" He shook the cage desperately, but to no avail.

Just then, a familiar voice came from afar: "Tianpeng, are you still so stubbornly unrepentant?"

Zhu Feifei looked up and saw a man dressed in white, with an otherworldly air, standing on the clouds. It was none other than the Jade Emperor.

"Jade Emperor..." Zhu Feifei said through gritted teeth, "Why did you imprison me?"

"Tianpeng, you have violated the Heavenly Laws and deserve punishment," the Jade Emperor said coldly. "You have harassed Chang'e, tarnishing the reputation of the Heavenly Palace. Your crime is unforgivable!"

"I didn't! I didn't flirt with Chang'e! She seduced me!" Zhu Feifei retorted angrily.

"How dare you slander a fairy!" The Jade Emperor roared in fury. "Guards, cast Tianpeng into the mortal realm, never to be reincarnated!"

"No! I don't want to! I don't want to become a pig!" Zhu Feifei cried out in despair, but his voice was quickly drowned out by the roars of the heavenly soldiers and generals.

The scene changed again, and Zhu Feifei found himself back in Gao Laozhuang. He was wearing coarse linen clothes and standing in front of the Gao family's gate, looking at Gao Cuilan who was busy in the yard. He was filled with guilt and remorse.

“Cuilan…” He wanted to go forward, but he didn’t dare. He was afraid that if Gao Cuilan saw his ugly appearance, she would hate him even more.

"Feifei, is that you?" Gao Cuilan seemed to sense his presence. She looked up and saw Zhu Feifei standing outside the door, a surprised smile appearing on her face.

“Cuilan, it’s me…” Zhu Feifei walked to Gao Cuilan’s side, wanting to hug her, but worried about scaring her. His hand stopped in mid-air, looking very embarrassed.

"Feifei, what's wrong?" Gao Cuilan asked with concern. "You look very sad..."

"Cuilan, I...I'm sorry..." Zhu Feifei finally couldn't hold back and told Gao Cuilan about being banished to the mortal world and turned into a pig demon.

After hearing this, Gao Cuilan did not despise him. Instead, she hugged him with heartache and said, "Feifei, I know you have suffered a lot, but I don't care about your appearance. I only care about you as a person."

“Cuilan…” Zhu Feifei was moved to tears. He hugged Gao Cuilan tightly, as if he wanted to merge her into his own body.

However, good times are always short-lived.

"Feifei, you can't stay here." Gao Cuilan suddenly pushed Zhu Feifei away and said sadly, "You are no longer a mortal. You belong to the Heavenly Court. You should return to where you belong."

"No, I don't want to leave you, Cuilan. I want to stay. I want to be with you!" Zhu Feifei held Gao Cuilan's hand tightly, unwilling to let go.

“Feifei, listen to me.” Gao Cuilan gently stroked Zhu Feifei’s cheek. “I love you, but I can’t selfishly keep you by my side. You still have your mission, you still have your responsibilities, you can’t give up everything for me.”

"But…"

“No buts, Feifei, you have to leave.” Gao Cuilan interrupted him. “Go, go and fulfill your mission. I will wait for you here, forever.”

Looking into Gao Cuilan's resolute eyes, Zhu Feifei knew he couldn't change her mind. His heart was filled with reluctance and pain, but he still released her hand and turned to leave.

"Feifei, wait!" Gao Cuilan suddenly called out to him, "This is for you."

She took out a jade pendant from her bosom and handed it to Zhu Feifei.

“I’ve worn this jade pendant since I was a child. When you wear it, it’s like I’m always by your side,” Gao Cuilan said, tears welling up in her eyes.

Zhu Feifei took the jade pendant, held it tightly in her hand, then turned around and left Gao Laozhuang without looking back.

The scene changed again, and Zhu Feifei found himself back in the forbidden area of ​​the Qingyun Sect. He stood in front of the ancient palace, his heart filled with confusion and struggle.

"Feifei, what are you still hesitating about?" A familiar voice rang in his ear.

Zhu Feifei turned his head and saw Gao Cuilan standing behind him. She was still as beautiful and gentle as ever, her eyes filled with love.

"Cuilan..." Zhu Feifei rubbed her eyes in disbelief, "You...how are you here?"

“I’ve been waiting for you, Feifei.” Gao Cuilan walked to Zhu Feifei’s side. “Come back with me, let’s start over, let’s forget all this…”

Looking at the familiar face before him, Zhu Feifei was overwhelmed with mixed emotions. He longed to return to the past and spend his life with Gao Cuilan, but the image of Zhu Yue'er struggling in pain flashed through his mind. He knew he couldn't escape; he had to complete his mission and save Yue'er.

"No, I can't go back!" Zhu Feifei abruptly took a step back. "I have more important things to do... I need to save Yue'er!"

"Yue'er? That spider demon?" Gao Cuilan's face suddenly turned cold. "What's so good about her? She's just a monster. She's not worth all this effort from you!"

“No, Yue’er isn’t a monster!” Zhu Feifei retorted. “She’s my lover, I must save her!”

"Lover? Haha..." Gao Cuilan suddenly burst into wild laughter, "Do you really think she loves you? She's just using you! She just wants to use your power to break free from the control of the 'Nine Nether Demonic Arts'!"

"You're talking nonsense! Yue'er isn't that kind of person!" Zhu Feifei roared.

"Really? Then take a look at this." Gao Cuilan said, and a mirror suddenly appeared in her hand. The mirror reflected the scene of Zhu Yue'er being controlled by demonic energy and attacking him frantically.

"See this? This is the woman you love so deeply! She has become a monster, she is no longer worthy of your love!" Gao Cuilan's voice was full of seduction.

Looking at the image in the mirror, Zhu Feifei felt immense pain in his heart. He couldn't deny that Gao Cuilan was telling the truth; Zhu Yue'er had indeed become a monster. But she was also the woman he deeply loved, and he couldn't just abandon her like this.

"No, I won't give up on Yue'er!" Zhu Feifei clenched her fist. "I believe she can recover, and I will definitely save her!"

He turned around and resolutely walked towards the palace.

"Feifei, you..." Gao Cuilan wanted to say something more, but Zhu Feifei had already disappeared through the palace gates.

"Hmph, foolish man! Just wait to be devoured by that spider demon!" Gao Cuilan revealed a sinister smile, then turned into a wisp of black smoke and dissipated into the air.

Upon entering the palace, Zhu Feifei found himself in complete darkness. He cautiously moved forward, hearing the howling of a cold wind, as if countless evil spirits were whispering, trying to bewitch his mind.

He took a deep breath, held the nine-bead bracelet in his hand, and silently circulated the "Heart-Cleansing Mantra" to resist the invasion of his inner demons.

He walked for a long time before finally seeing a glimmer of light. He quickened his pace and came to the light, finding himself in a spacious hall.

In the center of the main hall, there was a huge rock, and in front of the rock lay a woman, none other than Fairy Caixia Zhu Yue'er. At this moment, she had been corrupted by demonic energy and was unconscious.

"Yue'er!" Zhu Feifei rushed over and saw that Zhu Yue'er's face was pale and her breath was weak. Her heart was filled with heartache.

He reached out, wanting to touch Zhu Yue'er's face, but was blocked by an invisible barrier.

"This is... an array?" Zhu Feifei carefully observed the surrounding runes and discovered that it was a powerful sealing array that had trapped Fairy Zixia Zhu Yue'er inside.

"Xiaobai, do you know how to break this formation?" Zhu Feifei asked the spirit Xiaobai for help.

"You idiot, why don't you just look at the treasure map yourself?" Little White Ringwraith said irritably.

Zhu Feifei then remembered and quickly took out the treasure map to study it carefully. Besides marking the location of the Cleansing Pearl, the treasure map also contained some incantations for breaking the forbidden area's formations.

"So that's how it is..." Zhu Feifei suddenly realized. Following the instructions on the treasure map, he began to decipher the runes of the sealing formation.

However, just as he was about to break the formation, a familiar voice rang out again.

"Feifei, give up, you can't save her..."

Zhu Feifei looked up and saw Gao Cuilan standing in front of him again, her eyes filled with resentment and jealousy.

"Why?" Zhu Feifei asked, "Why did you stop me from saving Yue'er?"

“Because… I hate her!” Gao Cuilan said through gritted teeth, “I hate that she stole you away, I hate that she got your love!”

"No, you're wrong!" Zhu Feifei said firmly, "I never loved you, I only loved Yue'er!"

"You're talking nonsense! You clearly said you loved me!" Gao Cuilan shouted hysterically.

"That was before, and I was wrong," Zhu Feifei said calmly. "Now I understand that the person I truly love is Yue'er, and I'm willing to give everything for her, including my life!"

"You..." Gao Cuilan trembled with anger, "You...you'll regret this! You'll regret this!"

As she spoke, she turned into a wisp of black smoke and disappeared.

Zhu Feifei stared in the direction where Gao Cuilan had disappeared, his heart unmoved. He had completely let go of his past obsessions; his heart belonged only to Zhu Yue'er.

He continued to decipher the runes of the sealing formation, and finally, the formation was successfully broken. Zhu Feifei quickly carried Zhu Yue'er out of the boulder area. She was pale and had a weak breath, as if she would disappear at any moment.

"Moon, wake up! Moon!" Zhu Feifei called out anxiously, "I've found the Cleansing Pearl, I can definitely save you!"