The Demon Palace had never felt so peaceful.
Two days had passed since the death of Xu Tianming's master. For the first time in years, there were no hunters chasing him. No lies binding him. No chains holding him down.
Only freedom.
And family.
Xu Tianming stood in the inner courtyard, his breathing steady as he circulated demonic energy through his meridians.
Mo Yanluo stood across from him.
"Again," Mo Yanluo said calmly.
Xu Tianming nodded.
They moved simultaneously.
Shadow and darkness collided.
Their movements were fast—but controlled.
They weren't trying to hurt each other.
They were trying to grow stronger.
Xu Tianming struck forward.
Mo Yanluo dodged.
Countered.
His palm struck Xu Tianming's arm.
CRACK.
Xu Tianming flinched slightly.
Mo Yanluo froze.
"…Tianming?"
Xu Tianming stepped back.
His arm trembled.
Pain spread slowly.
Mo Yanluo immediately walked toward him.
"You're injured."
Xu Tianming shook his head.
"It's nothing."
But Mo Yanluo grabbed his arm gently.
His expression darkened.
"The meridian is strained."
Xu Tianming frowned.
"It will heal."
Mo Yanluo shook his head.
"Not properly."
He looked toward the distant mountains beyond the palace.
"…There's a plant."
Xu Tianming blinked.
"A plant?"
Mo Yanluo nodded.
"Blood Spirit Leaf. It restores damaged meridians."
Xu Tianming immediately shook his head.
"No. It's too dangerous to go alone."
Mo Yanluo smiled faintly.
"It's nearby."
Xu Tianming still hesitated.
Mo Yanluo placed his hand on his shoulder.
"I'll be back before sunset."
Xu Tianming stared at him.
"…Promise?"
Mo Yanluo nodded.
"I promise."
Morning sunlight covered the Demon Palace.
Mo Yanluo moved silently through the outer gates.
No guards stopped him.
He was the Holy Son.
No one would question him.
The wind was gentle.
The mountains stood quietly in the distance.
He moved deeper into the wilderness.
Searching.
Minutes passed.
Then hours.
Finally—
He found it.
A small glowing plant growing near the edge of a cliff.
Blood Spirit Leaf.
Mo Yanluo stepped forward carefully.
He reached out—
Then—
His foot slipped.
A loose stone shifted beneath him.
His body lost balance.
The world tilted.
He fell.
Down.
Down.
Down—
CRACK.
His head struck a rock.
Pain exploded.
Then—
Darkness.
Silence.
His body lay motionless at the bottom of the mountain.
Unmoving.
Unconscious.
Back at the Demon Palace—
Xu Tianming sat in his room.
Waiting.
The sun moved slowly across the sky.
Hours passed.
Evening came.
But Mo Yanluo did not return.
Xu Tianming stood.
Something felt wrong.
He stepped outside.
He searched the courtyard.
The training grounds.
The outer halls.
Nothing.
His chest tightened.
He moved faster.
He searched everywhere.
Still nothing.
Fear crept into his heart.
He ran.
Toward the throne hall.
Li Feng stood there.
Silent.
Watching the distant horizon.
Mo Zhu stood beside him.
Xu Tianming's voice trembled slightly.
"…Yanluo isn't back."
Li Feng did not move.
Mo Zhu turned.
"When did he leave?"
"This morning."
Silence fell.
Heavy.
Oppressive.
Li Feng spoke.
"…Where did he go?"
Xu Tianming clenched his fists.
"He went to find Blood Spirit Leaf."
Mo Zhu's expression darkened.
"The mountains."
Li Feng turned instantly.
"Search."
His voice was cold.
Absolute.
The Demon Palace moved instantly.
Hundreds of demon cultivators spread across the land.
Searching.
Calling.
Scanning.
Hours passed.
Nothing.
Night fell.
Xu Tianming stood at the edge of the mountain.
His heart pounded violently.
"Yanluo!"
His voice echoed across the empty cliffs.
No answer.
Only wind.
His breathing became unstable.
He kept searching.
Ignoring his injury.
Ignoring his exhaustion.
Li Feng appeared beside him.
Silent.
Watching.
Xu Tianming turned.
His eyes filled with desperation.
"…We can't find him."
Li Feng said nothing.
Mo Zhu appeared beside them.
His aura unstable.
Anger.
Fear.
Both hidden beneath calm.
"He couldn't have gone far."
Xu Tianming shook his head.
"…I should've stopped him."
His voice broke slightly.
"This is my fault."
Li Feng finally spoke.
"No."
Xu Tianming looked at him.
Li Feng's voice was quiet.
"…This world is dangerous."
His eyes scanned the darkness.
"…Even for us."
Mo Zhu closed his eyes.
He extended his senses.
Searching.
Feeling.
Nothing.
No aura.
No presence.
No trace.
His fists clenched slowly.
Xu Tianming's heart sank.
Impossible.
Mo Yanluo couldn't just vanish.
He couldn't.
He wouldn't.
He stepped forward again.
"I'll keep searching."
Li Feng grabbed his shoulder.
"Stop."
Xu Tianming froze.
Li Feng looked at him.
"You're injured."
Xu Tianming didn't care.
"He went because of me!"
His voice cracked.
Silence fell.
Mo Zhu spoke softly.
"…We will find him."
Xu Tianming's breathing trembled.
"…What if—"
He couldn't finish.
He refused to finish.
Li Feng's voice cut through the darkness.
"He's alive."
Absolute certainty.
Xu Tianming looked at him.
Li Feng's eyes were cold.
Focused.
"…I would know if he wasn't."
Xu Tianming didn't know why—
But he believed him.
Still—
Fear remained.
The night felt endless.
Empty.
Broken.
For the first time since joining the Demon World—
Xu Tianming felt helpless.
Not against enemies.
Not against fate.
But against loss.
He stood at the edge of the cliff.
Looking into the endless darkness below.
Whispering softly—
"…Come back."
The wind carried his voice into the void.
But no one answered.
And somewhere far away—
At the bottom of the mountain—
Mo Yanluo lay unconscious.
Alone.
Forgotten.
Waiting.