Chapter 13: Demon Light

Han Li watched as Liu Le'er's chest rose and fell, gradually calming, and her breathing steadied, before he sat down cross-legged again.

He reached into his robe, fumbled for a moment, and pulled out the ornament that had been hanging around his neck—a slender, round-bottomed bottle of pale green.

The small bottle was covered with dark green leaf-shaped patterns, lifelike and exquisite.

Han Li gently stroked the bottle's surface with his fingers, feeling the familiar slight raised texture against his fingertips, his mind wavering.

After a long deliberation, his expression darkened. He put the bottle away and said in a low voice, "Demon Light."

The cave fell silent, with no unusual movement, only the echo of Han Li's voice reverberating.

But after a moment, the shadow cast before him twisted and wavered, stretching forward and elongating.

With a rustling sound!

A dark figure separated from Han Li's elongated shadow, slowly standing up.

The figure was clad in a black robe, his skin as dark as ink, and his features bore some resemblance to Han Li's. His black hair was unbound, hanging loosely, and an indescribable aura of decay emanated from him.

The figure's gaze fell on Han Li, and he said woodenly, "Fellow Daoist Han, it's been a while."

"Demon Light, what happened? How did you end up like this?" Han Li frowned deeply and asked in a low voice.

"I don't know. I didn't awaken much earlier than you. When I woke up, I found that I had lost almost all my spiritual nature, leaving only a remnant soul. Because of the Heavenly Demon Contract, I could only hide in your shadow. Without your summons or someone harming you, I cannot appear before others on my own." The dark-skinned man replied mechanically, his tone unchanged.

"Do you remember the most recent events before you fell asleep?" Han Li asked after a moment's thought.

"I remember everything clearly before your ascension, but after that, I only recall you leaving the Ascension Platform with that immortal named Gao Sheng. Everything after that is a blank." The dark-skinned man answered slowly.

"So that's it. Both your memories and mine stop at the moment we left the Ascension Platform. It seems that to understand what happened, we must first find Gao Sheng. But our current situation is not good. According to the information I obtained through soul capture, we are now in a lower realm called Linghuan Realm, directly under the Beiming Immortal Domain. Moreover, three hundred years have passed—we have lost three hundred years of memories." Han Li's eyes flickered as he spoke.

"Indeed, it's terrible. What do you plan to do, Fellow Daoist?" The man named Demon Light asked dully.

"Although you are only a remnant soul now, you were originally a Heavenly Demon. You should still retain some abilities, right?" Han Li raised an eyebrow and countered.

"My magical power is now less than two or three percent of what it was, and I've lost most of my techniques. I can only perform some low-level secret arts." Demon Light replied bitterly.

Hearing this, Han Li's brow relaxed slightly, and he nodded, saying:

"Hmm, that's much better than I expected. On the other hand, my situation is no better than yours. I just checked and found that I've lost all my treasures and elixirs, my magical power is nearly depleted, and both my soul and physical body have suffered severe damage—less than a tenth of my peak. Fortunately, I've awakened. As long as I find the right spiritual medicines and recuperate, I should recover quickly. Also, although I can sense the presence of Crab Daoist and the Gold Devouring Beetle King through the soul contract, I don't know their exact locations. I'll have to find them later."

"It seems you're in real trouble. To find Gao Sheng, we must first return to the Beiming Immortal Domain. If I remember correctly, although ascension from a realm directly under the Immortal Domain is easier than from other realms, it still requires the guidance of an Ascension Platform and immense magical power to forcibly break through the realm." Demon Light said after a moment's thought.

"There's no rush to return to the Immortal Realm. There's plenty of time to consider. But one thing is certain: whoever caused me to fall into this situation, I will have a good talk with them when I get back." Han Li replied calmly, his expression seemingly placid but leaving no room for doubt.

Demon Light said nothing more.

"Fellow Daoist Demon Light, are you still willing to follow me? As you can see, my situation is dire. If you wish to leave, I won't stop you."

"Why test me, Fellow Daoist? Although I am but a remnant soul with incomplete spiritual nature, the Heavenly Demon Contract is still in effect, and now even more impossible to defy. In my current state, leaving you would likely be more dangerous." Demon Light replied mechanically.

"Good. Since you say so, I will not treat you poorly. Once I recover my former power, I will find a way to restore your soul and spiritual nature. For now, our first task is to gather information and resources in this realm and see if we can recover our former power." Han Li finally showed a hint of a smile.

"I'll leave everything to you, Fellow Daoist Han. I shouldn't stay outside for too long now; I'll return to recuperate." Demon Light said calmly. Then his figure blurred, turned into a cloud of black mist, and surged toward Han Li's shadow on the ground, soon disappearing.

Han Li let out a long breath, glanced at the still-sleeping Liu Le'er, and slowly closed his eyes to regulate his breathing.

Half a day later, Liu Le'er, who had been unconscious, finally woke up.

When she opened her eyes, she saw Han Li sitting cross-legged beside her with his eyes closed, while the old Taoist who had harbored ill intentions toward them stood nearby with a cautious expression.

"You're awake..." Almost at the same time, Han Li opened his eyes and said with a smile.

Liu Le'er stiffened, staring into Han Li's eyes with a complex expression. After a long while, she murmured, "Stone Brother, your... your illness is cured..."

"Le'er, my name is Han Li. You can call me Brother Han from now on." Han Li replied gently.

"Brother... Brother Han." Liu Le'er's face changed several times, then darkened, and she called out reluctantly.

At that moment, the tall young man seemed somewhat unfamiliar to her.

Han Li noticed all her expressions and couldn't help but smile:

"Don't worry. Although I've awakened, I still remember everything from these past few years clearly. I am still your Stone Brother, and that will never change."

The girl was overjoyed at these words, tears glistening in her eyes. She called out "Stone Brother" and threw herself into Han Li's arms.

"I know you have a lot of questions, but now is not the time to explain. When the opportunity arises, I will tell you everything." Han Li gently rubbed the girl's head and said softly.

Liu Le'er nodded understandingly and didn't ask further. But she glanced at the old Taoist standing nearby, who looked extremely nervous, and her expression showed some suspicion.