Are There Only Demonesses Left in the Cultivation Realm?

Qiu Yuehan couldn’t sleep.

The searing heat of the Demon Pattern was agonizing. At night, it grew so intense that it made her cry out. She could only clutch her shoulder in the evenings, trying to keep Xia Lianxue from noticing anything was wrong.

She let out a sharp breath.

’Old Monster.’

’That damned Old Monster.’

Qiu Yuehan grit her teeth, her slender figure arching slightly as she clamped her hand tightly over the Demon Pattern.

The searing heat felt as if the Old Monster himself were caressing her, bringing with it a faint pain and a tingling, numbing itch that sank deep into her bones.

A knock came at the door.

"Senior Sister? Are you asleep?"

Qiu Yuehan wasn’t afraid to say she was awake, but she was in no condition to see Xia Lianxue.

In the candlelight, Qiu Yuehan could see her own deeply flushed face in the copper mirror. It was an intoxicating sight.

It was as if the moon had fallen into the Red Dust, tempting one to sin.

’No.’

’I absolutely can’t let my junior sister see me like this.’

’Otherwise, she’d only need to connect a few dots to figure out how I ended up in this state.’

"I’m... I’m not asleep."

"Then I’m coming in."

"Wait! I... I’m changing!"

Xia Lianxue’s hand, poised to push open the door, paused.

She figured that while they had seen each other naked in the Cold Pool more times than she could count, she should still give her Senior Sister some privacy.

"I just wanted to say a few things to you, Senior Sister."

"Then... say it."

A deep blush spread across Qiu Yuehan’s cheeks, and she raised a hand to cover her mouth.

’I can’t let her in!’

She staggered over to block the door. "Please don’t come in, Junior Sister. I... I’m a bit embarrassed."

"I know you’re shy, Senior Sister."

Xia Lianxue didn’t suspect a thing, though she did find the sound of Qiu Yuehan’s voice to be strangely alluring.

"Senior Sister, I want you to think carefully about the place you lived as a child. What was it really like?"

Qiu Yuehan had grown up in a small village before being left at Miao Yu Palace to pursue Cultivation. She hadn’t been back in many years.

It had been fine until Xia Lianxue brought it up.

But now that she had, something in Qiu Yuehan’s memory seemed to stir.

Qiu Yuehan stammered, "I think... it was the Spirit Race."

She had been so young back then that the memories were difficult to access without great effort. But now, for some reason, they were becoming clear.

Many of the people in the village looked just like humans, except their ears were slightly pointed.

’It has to be the Spirit Race.’

The Spirit Race can hear the voices of the dead; hence the pointed ears.

The Demon Pattern suddenly flared with heat again. Qiu Yuehan lost her footing and slowly sank to her knees against the door, sweat trickling down her fair neck.

She panted softly.

Inexplicably, she felt the immoral thrill of having a clandestine affair with the Old Monster, right behind her junior sister’s back.

Outside the door, Xia Lianxue said calmly, "The Spirit Race’s domain isn’t a very pleasant place. They’re extremely xenophobic. If you ever go back, Senior Sister, and the people of the Spirit Race give you trouble, just present the Miao Yu Palace token."

In the current Cultivation Realm, the Human Race was supreme among the Ten Thousand Races. The others—the Demon Race, the Stone Race, the Spirit Race, and their like—could only kneel before them.

It was unclear when this had begun, but the power dynamic had been this way for many years.

"Ngh... unh... Okay."

Qiu Yuehan was breathing in soft pants, not hearing a word Xia Lianxue was saying. All she could think was that when the Old Monster returned, she would demand an explanation!

~~~~~~~~~~

No reaction.

Lu Changyuan tried to communicate with the Demon Pattern. The Nether Monarch in front of him showed no reaction.

’It was just a casual attempt, anyway.’

He couldn’t help but wonder.

’I wonder which region of the later Cultivation Realm this is. The White Realm or the Black Realm? If it’s the Black Realm, then that crimson sun in the sky is rather jarring.’

"Yu, when we get there, don’t run off. Someone might capture you."

Lu Changyuan paused. "What do you mean?"

The Nether Monarch tilted her head, a faint smile playing on her breathtakingly beautiful profile. "Although you’re my Lifebound Spirit, you’re also a member of the Human Race. If you’re caught by another race, they’ll capture and eat you."

’Eat?’

Lu Changyuan asked uncertainly, "Humans get eaten?"

The Nether Monarch shook her head, then nodded. "To be more precise, any of the weaker races might be eaten. Right now, among the Ten Thousand Races, the weakest are the Blood Race and the Human Race. When members of other races encounter them, they bully them without restraint."

Lu Changyuan found this hard to believe.

Even at the very beginning of his own Cultivation journey, the Ten Thousand Races had revered the Human Race as supreme. Everyone was used to it. Who could have imagined that in the Ancient Times, the Human Race was so powerless?

The Nether Monarch rested her cheek in her palm as the dense forest slid past them.

"The Human Race is very frail. Their bodies, their minds, their lifespans... all of it. It’s difficult for such a race to produce powerful individuals."

Lu Changyuan kept his expression neutral and asked, feigning nonchalance, "Does the Human Race have any settlements right now?"

"No. They’re probably all just hiding in various places."

The Nether Monarch seemed to recall something. "The Demon Race seems to have farms where they specially raise... Never mind. It’s better if you don’t know."

Lu Changyuan’s brow furrowed deeply.

In the Cultivation Realm he knew, the Demon Race had enclaves in both the eastern and western regions, but they were no real threat. They didn’t have a single Great Demon at the Yao Guang Realm. To think that the Demon Race of this era was raising humans like cattle.

As Lu Changyuan was lost in thought, a small, cool hand caressed his cheek. He looked up to see the Nether Monarch’s face, as beautiful as the moon.

"What’s wrong?"

The Nether Monarch’s lips curled into a smile. "I’ve heard that Human Race mothers must nurture their young so they grow up strong. You are so weak right now. According to your human customs, I should be the one to nurture you."

Lu Changyuan didn’t understand what she meant, but he saw what she did next.

With a wave of her hand, Nether Qi swirled around them, obscuring all vision. Then, she nonchalantly shed her clothes. "I’ve spent some time among the Human Race. I know that human mothers must expend their own Life Force to nurse their children."

Lu Changyuan felt himself being controlled by an unknown force. The next thing he knew, he was pulled into her embrace. A fresh scent filled his nostrils, and her beautiful face was reflected in his eyes.

The Nether Monarch lovingly stroked Lu Changyuan’s head, recalling the human customs she had once observed.

She said, "Do you want to eat?"

A delicate bud, hiding a touch of crimson.

Lu Changyuan struggled to sit up. "Wait, I don’t need this."

The Nether Monarch didn’t force him to act like a baby. She simply rearranged her black dress and looked at him. "You’re right. That’s for feeding infants."

So, the Nether Monarch broke off one of her own fingers and held it to Lu Changyuan’s lips. "Then eat this. In essence, it’s still me feeding you with my Life Force."

Lu Changyuan was truly at a loss for words. The Nether Monarch was not human, and her way of thinking was naturally quite different.

"Well, just tell me when you’re hungry."

’No, no, no.’

’If I get hungry, I’ll find my own food. I’ll figure out how to whip up some plain noodles if I have to, but I think I’ll pass on the finger.’