Married to the One Who Is Not Human

Upon entering the underground palace, the ominous evil aura grew even stronger, especially in the depths of the palace, where it seemed to pierce the heavens.

　　The demon hunters' expressions grew somber, as they knew the demons causing trouble at Yanyue Manor must be here. 

　　Living beings entering such a place faced severe limitations. The demon hunters present felt the cold, demonic aura surging into their bodies, forcing them to exert all their strength to resist, which slowed their pace.

　　Unfortunately, the bride and groom ahead were moving extremely quickly, and the demon exorcists had to give chase with all their might to ensure they didn't lose sight of them. 

　　Following closely behind, they passed through the winding, dark corridors until the bride and groom finally slowed down. 

　　They arrived at a palace within the underground palace. 

　　The demon exorcists cautiously hid outside the palace doors, refusing to enter rashly, and peered inside with care.

　　Upon seeing this, everyone's hearts skipped a beat.

　　The reason was simple: the furnishings and layout of the palace, as well as the carved monsters on the palace pillars, were exactly the same as what they had seen in the underground chamber of Yanyue Manor—the very same chamber with the altar and the wedding gown.

　　There was also an identical altar here.

However, there was no wedding gown on the altar, only a black stone coffin emitting an evil aura.

After the bride and groom entered, they began to kneel before the stone coffin on the altar with reverence.

　　The bride's red veil had been lifted, and upon seeing her surroundings, her face was filled with terror and panic. Her eyes darted around, desperately seeking a way to escape, wanting to call for help. 

However, the spell of silence on her body had not been broken, and she could not speak, unable to call for help.

　　What made her even more desperate was that the two bridesmaids were extremely strong, each holding her down and forcing her to kneel before the altar like an animal.

　　The crowd outside the door was filled with dread, an unprecedented sense of crisis overwhelming them. They instinctively feared the stone coffin on the altar.

"Is there something inside the stone coffin?"

　　"I don't know. Perhaps it's the demonic entity causing trouble at Yanyue Manor." 

"No, it can't be the thousand-year-old zombie demon from the Longquan Underground Palace, can it?" 

The exorcist who spoke these words looked utterly despairing, while the other exorcists paled and wore expressions of terror. 

If it were the thousand-year-old zombie demon from the Longquan Palace, not only would all of them die here, but the human world would once again plunge into catastrophe.

　　Back then, when the thousand-year-old zombie demon from the Longquan Palace emerged, countless exorcists were killed or injured, and they paid a huge price just to seal it, not to completely eliminate it.

　　Such a terrifying demonic entity, they did not want to deal with it.

　　But... what if...?

　　The underground chamber of Yanyue Mountain Villa bore an uncanny resemblance to the Longquan Underground Palace, not to mention that this underground palace, from the stone beasts guarding the entrance to its gates, was identical to the Longquan Underground Palace. 

　　They even suspected that this might be a plot by Yanyue Mountain Villa.

　　Yanyue Mountain Villa must have done something, perhaps deliberately setting a trap to lure them here, using the demon exorcists as sacrifices to offer to the entity within the stone coffin...

　　The flesh and blood of demon exorcists are a tremendous tonic for demons. Consuming their flesh and blood can enhance the demons' power.

　　Looking at the way these people were kneeling and worshipping, it was clear they intended to use the bride as a sacrifice. 

　　The more they thought about it, the more despairing they became. 

　　Even if the entity inside the stone coffin wasn't the thousand-year-old demonic corpse from the Longquan Underground Palace, given its terrifying malevolent aura, it was likely of a high enough rank that they couldn't handle it. 

　　Just as they were terrified out of their wits, the stone coffin on the altar began to tremble without warning.

　　Upon noticing the movement of the stone coffin, the group of people kneeling in worship looked thrilled. Yue Shaohua quickly waved his hand, signaling for someone to drag the bride up.

　　On the altar, the stone coffin trembled for a moment, then the coffin lid slowly rose and hovered above the stone coffin.

　　Yue Shaohua's face lit up with ecstasy. He knelt down again in reverence, gazing at the stone coffin on the altar, his expression excited as he said, "Master, your servant has brought the offering. Please accept it."

　　The bride's attendant forced the struggling bride forward. Yue Shaohua no longer showed the deep affection he had during the wedding. He grabbed the bride and, without hesitation, threw her toward the stone coffin like an animal. 

　　Chen Qingfeng at the door finally acted, removing the green feather he wore and throwing it over. 

　　The green feather turned into a streak of light, enveloping Chen Qingzhe, who was dressed as the bride.

　　"Return!" Chen Qingfeng quickly performed a hand seal with both hands. 

"Stop!" 

Seeing the sacrificial offering being intercepted midway, Yue Shaohua roared in anger at the altar, his eyes bulging like copper bells, and black patterns appeared on his handsome face. He unleashed a palm strike toward this side without hesitation.

　　The black palm wind swept toward the group of demon exorcists at the door, like demons and ghosts. 

　　The faces of the other people from Yanyue Mountain Villa were covered with black patterns, like some kind of evil symbols. Their teeth and nails grew wildly, like zombies, and they quickly pounced toward them. 

　　Seeing this, the other Chen family disciples all summoned their Qingyu feathers to block Yue Shaohua's attack.

　　Seeing these changes, the demon exorcists confirmed once more that they were no longer human but had transformed into some kind of demonic creatures, so they no longer held back and charged in.

　　The battle was extremely fierce, and the demonic creatures were too preoccupied to capture Chen Qingzhe, allowing him to escape safely.

　　Chen Qingzhe fell to the ground, got up, tore off his wedding robe, grabbed a sword thrown by a Chen family disciple, and roared as he joined the fight.

　　Chen Qingfeng, Xu Xiu Jue, and Zuo Ling Shuang, though engaged in battle, kept a close eye on the stone coffin on the altar. Seeing it trembling violently, their hearts raced with fear that the demonic entity inside might emerge.

　　Before the demonic entity could emerge, they felt vibrations coming from all directions.

　　Soon they realized what it was—a group of puppets surging in from other underground palace passages.

These puppets were all from Yanyue Mountain Villa. During the day, there was not a single living soul at Yanyue Mountain Villa, and even the puppets had vanished. Little did they know that they had all become puppets of this underground palace, their numbers so vast as to send a chill down one's spine.

　　Seeing this scene, everyone felt a sense of despair.

　　Fortunately, Jiang Shiqiu and Ji Yu were standing not far from the palace gates. As the puppets were about to surround them, he raised his hand, and countless black threads emerged from his slender, elegant hand.

　　Wherever the black threads passed, all the puppets were easily shattered into pieces.

　　Seeing that Jiang Shiqiu had successfully blocked the puppets outside, the exorcists finally breathed a sigh of relief, no longer having to fight on two fronts.

However, their relief was short-lived.

　　While they were engaged in a fierce battle with the demonic creatures, a thick, terrifying black mist suddenly erupted from the stone coffin on the altar, quickly enveloping the entire palace and swallowing the demon exorcists present into the black mist. 

　　It all happened too quickly for anyone to react, and in the blink of an eye, the scene fell silent. 

　　**

　　When the black mist struck, Ji Yu knew she couldn't escape, so she quickly pinched the golden bead tied to the red string on her wrist. The golden bead, upon encountering the evil, emitted a soft golden light, enveloping her within it.

　　The black mist was like the darkness that engulfed Yanyue Mountain Villa when night fell, silent and still.

　　Ji Yu stood in the darkness and realized that everyone else had disappeared. Not only the demon exorcists, but also Jiang Shiqiu—she could no longer sense his presence.

　　Perhaps they hadn't disappeared, but were separated into different spaces, each space independent of the others.

　　Ji Yu's heart sank slightly, but her expression remained calm, and she didn't lose her composure.

　　Although Jiang Shiqiu's aura disappearing surprised her a little, she didn't care much about it.

　　Suddenly, she tilted her head slightly and quickly threw the golden bead on her wrist. The golden bead glowed brightly and turned into seven beams of golden flame, one of which flew toward a certain place in the darkness.

　　Ji Yu quickly made a hand gesture and shouted, "Go!"

　　Wherever the golden flames passed, the darkness was dispelled, and the monsters hiding in the darkness were exposed.

　　It was an extremely strange creature, similar to the carved monsters on the palace pillars, not of this world, likely some kind of ghostly entity.

　　The golden flames sliced through the ghostly creature's body, killing it.

　　Ji Yu continued to wield the golden flames to slay the ghostly creatures lurking in the darkness.

　　Seven streams of golden flames surged in different directions, sweeping broadly and relentlessly, constantly slaughtering the ghostly creatures and keeping them confined to the darkness, preventing them from advancing further.

　　The golden flames were inherently the most yang and most yang-aligned entities; wherever they passed, even the black mist was visibly affected.

　　However, wielding such a magical artifact was extremely difficult, not only testing the master's precise control but also consuming several times the usual amount of magical power. In just a moment, Ji Yu's forehead was covered in a fine layer of cold sweat, her face growing paler, and her breath visibly weakening.

By the time all the ghostly creatures in the darkness had been completely annihilated, Ji Yu was at the end of her strength.

　　At this point, the golden flame was reduced to a single beam, hovering at a moderate height before her, safeguarding her last sanctuary.

Ji Yu stood there, her arms hanging limply, her body unable to bear the strain. Spider-web-like bloodstains appeared on the fingertips hidden within her sleeves, spreading outward.

　　This was a sign that her body was about to collapse.

　　When the bloodstains covered her entire body, her body would crack like a clay figurine, shattering into pieces, and she would die without a doubt.

　　Even so, Ji Yu remained calm as she observed the darkness around her.

　　At that moment, her gaze sharpened slightly, and she acted without hesitation.

　　The last strand of golden flame swept forward with overwhelming force, attacking the darkness ahead.

　　The golden flame quickly dispelled the darkness and illuminated the figure emerging from it.

As the relentless golden flame was about to engulf him, the figure casually extended his hand, gently touched the flame, and it halted, obediently hovering at the tip of his finger.

　　He smiled as he looked over, dressed in crimson brocade, with a ruddy complexion and jet-black hair. The soft glow of the golden flame seemed to coat him in an ominous bloodlight, making him appear even more demonic and unpredictable.

　　Ji Yu looked at him calmly, her fingers trembling slightly as she performed the hand seals. The bloodstains on her hands had spread to her wrists, disappearing into her sleeves.

　　Jiang Shiqiu's eyes flickered, and he strode toward her.

　　He grabbed her hand, his face darkening with anger, and said in a menacing tone, "My wife, you really... How can you be so careless with your own body? Don't you know it breaks my heart?"

　　Not only did he say he was heartbroken, but he also took out a jade bottle from his sleeve, poured out a jade-white pill, and fed it directly into her mouth.

　　Ji Yu was caught off guard by the pill and panicked, "What is this?"

　　Jiang Shiqiu: "Poison."

　　Seeing her staring at him, the panic on her face quickly subsided. Jiang Shiqiu smiled, "My wife doesn't believe me?" 

　　Ji Yu spoke honestly, "If you wanted to kill me, you could have done it anytime. Why go through all this trouble?" After a pause, she added, "Besides, I feel much better now."

　　The pill melted in her mouth, and the overwhelming weakness she had felt vanished instantly. She felt her body was lighter than ever before.

　　Jiang Shiqiu still held her hand, watching as the bloodstains on her wrist began to fade until her skin was once again pale and flawless. He nodded in satisfaction.

　　He spoke softly, "My wife, don't be so stubborn next time. It breaks my heart."

　　Ji Yu looked at him with a complex expression and finally couldn't help but ask, "Who are you, exactly?"