Are There Only Demonesses Left in the Cultivation Realm?

A second question immediately followed.

’Where on earth am I?’

The Nether Monarch took two steps forward and pinched Lu Changyuan’s cheek. "A Spirit of the Human Race?"

She had the appearance of a young girl, dressed in a simple black dress. Her long, black hair cascaded to her waist. Her feet were bare beneath her tall, slender legs, leaving delicate footprints in the soft earth.

"Why is it warm?"

The Nether Monarch seemed very curious. She pinched Lu Changyuan’s cheek again, then gave it a pull.

It was quite stretchy.

"So this is what Spirits from the Human Race are like?"

The Nether Monarch seemed to regard Lu Changyuan as her property, looking him up and down before she began to gently stroke his chin.

It tickled.

Lu Changyuan finally snapped out of it. "Wait, hold on a second."

Feeling thoroughly uncomfortable as the Nether Monarch handled him, and seeing that the girl looked like she intended to strip off his clothes to see how well he was built, Lu Changyuan had no choice but to swat her hand away.

The Nether Monarch froze for a moment, then her lips curled into a smirk. "Not bad. You’ve got personality."

Lu Changyuan forced his eyes away from the girl’s face and looked up at the sky.

He had to determine the current time period.

As long as he was in the Cultivation Realm...

...whether in the White Realm or the Black Realm, he should be able to see Jian Guyang’s sword strike.

But now, the azure sky was completely empty.

If this wasn’t an Illusion Realm, it could only mean one thing.

This was definitely not his time period. It was some point in the past—at least five thousand years ago, before Jian Guyang had unleashed that sword strike.

’Where the hell have I ended up?!’

Lu Changyuan had previously been curious why the Nether Monarch was rumored to be from three thousand years ago, yet the ruined walls of the Nether Palace were inscribed with far more ancient scripts and symbols.

Now Lu Changyuan understood. The Nether Monarch was far more ancient than the three-thousand-year-old figure known to the Cultivation Realm.

’That’s it.’

The Netherworld may have appeared three thousand years ago, but no one could say for sure when the Cultivator known as the Nether Monarch began her journey of cultivation.

Take Xia Lianxue, for example.

She entered the Cultivation Realm eighteen hundred years ago, but records of her only truly began when she burst onto the scene during the turmoil five hundred years ago.

That’s why the Cultivation Realm’s records on Xia Lianxue state that the length of her cultivation is unknown; she was already at her peak when she first appeared. How similar that was to the Nether Monarch.

’Just how many of these old monsters are still hiding in the Cultivation Realm?!’

’They just love popping out of nowhere to give me the shock of a lifetime, don’t they?’

The wind blew past, lifting the strands of hair from the girl’s shoulders.

The Nether Monarch patted Lu Changyuan’s shoulder. "Come on, it’s time for us to go back to the clan."

The girl stretched lazily, putting her exquisite figure on full display. Compared to Qiu Yuehan, she seemed much more talkative.

Lu Changyuan turned his head. "What clan?"

"The Spirit Race’s clan."

They were surrounded by a lush forest, and the air was thick with a certain primordial wildness.

An enormous Spirit slowly rose from between the mountains and bowed its head to the Nether Monarch. The girl took Lu Changyuan’s hand, and with a single leap, they landed on the Spirit’s back.

The Nether Monarch seemed to sense Lu Changyuan’s confusion and said, "Curious? This is an innate ability of my Spirit Race—to summon and command the Undead."

Lu Changyuan’s pupils shrank to pinpricks.

’Since when did the Spirit Race have this kind of ability?’

In the present-day Cultivation Realm, the Spirit Race was far from possessing such power. In fact, only a few rare individuals like Mei Zhaozhao, with her Spirit Communication Body, had the ability to converse with the spirits of the dead.

’What kind of Spirit Race are you?’

Choosing his words carefully, Lu Changyuan looked at the Nether Monarch, who was smiling into the wind. She was as alluring and profound as a black butterfly dancing on the breeze.

It was this same gust of wind that revealed the girl’s small, dainty ears.

They were definitely not the ears of the Human Race, but pointed and somehow endearing.

Lu Changyuan took a deep breath. "What is a Lifebound Spirit?"

"You."

’I know it’s me...’ Lu Changyuan was at a loss for words.

The Nether Monarch reached out a slender, pale finger and lifted Lu Changyuan’s chin.

"You are my possession, and also proof of my status."

Only then did Lu Changyuan carefully sense the Nether Monarch’s aura.

She was around the Sixth Realm Kai Yang.

She had not yet entered Yao Guang.

’So, did the Nether Monarch use the Moon Gnomon to trace back through time, leveraging our connection to forcibly drag me into the past—into her own era of cultivation—and make me her Lifebound Spirit?’

’How could the Celestial Dao possibly allow this?’

The Nether Monarch suddenly placed her foot in Lu Changyuan’s lap. "Warm your master’s feet."

Lu Changyuan felt the urge to swat away the delicate, jade-like foot, but considering the unclear situation, he decided to endure it.

The soft arch of her foot felt like the finest warm jade in his hands. Though unadorned with polish, it was breathtakingly alluring. It just lacked a jadeite anklet; he felt like something was missing.

The girl seemed a bit ticklish and shifted her foot, but didn’t pull it away. Her melodious voice drifted over. "A new life, born from the very concept of death and fused with the blood of the Royal Family—that is a Lifebound Spirit."

’That’s actually quite similar to the rules of the Netherworld.’

’So then...’

’...does that mean I have to call you Mother?’ ’What am I even thinking?’

As if guessing his thoughts, the Nether Monarch reached out and lifted Lu Changyuan’s chin again. "The contract between us is the most unbreakable bond in this world. You must protect me. If I die, you will die too."

’This scene seems familiar somehow.’

’Haven’t I said these exact words before?’

’Oh, no.’

’The tables have turned.’

The Nether Monarch suddenly leaned in close to Lu Changyuan, her delicate nose quivering and her pointed ears twitching slightly.

’So close.’

So close that their noses were about to touch.

The girl said curiously, "There’s something strange inside your body. It’s very powerful, but still very weak right now. That makes sense, though. How could a Spirit I summoned possibly be weak?"

Lu Changyuan struggled to process all of this.