Qing Ming’s single remark—that the lower realm had already become a dead realm—shocked Old Ghost Head to the core. Ever since he awakened, he had sensed that something was off, but as a mere soul body lacking the ancient powers he once possessed, he had no idea things had deteriorated to such an extent. Seeing Qing Ming’s calm expression, utterly devoid of worry, Old Ghost Head hesitated. “Do you already have a way to save it?”
Qing Ming paused for a moment, then smiled at him and shook his head decisively. “No.”
“No?” Old Ghost Head jumped up in shock. “Then doesn’t that mean we could die at any moment? How can you still be so calm?”
Watching his anxious reaction, Qing Ming could not help but laugh. “I only said I have not thought of a way to save it. I did not say we are going to die.”
Seeing how composed Qing Ming appeared, Old Ghost Head suddenly realized. “The Chu Tian Secret Realm.”
Qing Ming nodded. “As long as we stay inside the Chu Tian Secret Realm, even if the lower realm collapses into nothingness, it will not affect us.”
Old Ghost Head hesitated again. “Then what about Xiao Yu and the others?”
Qing Ming glanced at the still-unconscious Xiao Lingyu, unconcerned. “If you cannot bear to leave him, just bring him into the Chu Tian Secret Realm.”
Old Ghost Head thought of Chu Mingwei and the Yun Tian Sect behind Xiao Lingyu. If the lower realm truly collapsed, it would not be just one person entering, but a whole group. He wondered whether Qing Ming would agree when the time came. But then he considered that Qing Ming was not as hostile toward the human race as Jing Zhan was. The secret realm was so vast—surely he would not object.
Qing Ming saw Old Ghost Head’s shifting expression and immediately understood his thoughts. A faint smile appeared on his face. No matter what grudges had existed between the human and demon races in the past, countless years had long since worn them away. Now that he and Qing Yi could finally be together without any obstacles, all he wanted was for Qing Yi to be happy every day. Whatever Qing Yi desired was, to him, nothing more than a trivial matter. How could he refuse?
Just as Qing Ming was about to speak, a white blur suddenly rushed over, rolled once, and landed squarely on Xiao Lingyu’s chest. “Little monster, little monster, wake up!”
In truth, Xiao Lingyu had already awakened when Old Ghost Head first called his name. But it felt as if something were covering his eyes—no matter how hard he tried, he could not open them. His throat felt blocked, leaving him unable to speak, and his body was limp and powerless, unable to move at all. As he lay there listening to Qing Ming and Old Ghost Head’s conversation, his thoughts had just shifted from their tangled past to the looming crisis of life and death, leaving him utterly stunned. Then Zhu Yurong came crashing down onto his chest, knocking the breath out of him so thoroughly that he could not recover for quite a while.
Hearing Zhu Yurong still calling him “little monster” while sprawled on top of him, Xiao Lingyu, though short of breath, felt a warmth in his heart. At least all those snacks he had fed Zhu Yurong had not been in vain. Then he suddenly thought of his senior brother. Old Ghost Head and Zhu Yurong were both here—where was his senior brother? Still, judging from Qing Ming’s reasonable demeanor, he likely would not harm him.
Unable to open his eyes, Xiao Lingyu’s thoughts wandered. Meanwhile, Old Ghost Head saw Zhu Yurong hopping all over Xiao Lingyu and waved a hand, pulling the piglet over to his side.
Zhu Yurong was yanked away and sent flying in front of Old Ghost Head. He instinctively felt that the person before him was familiar, yet could not recall who he was, leaving him puzzled.
Seeing the human-like expression on Zhu Yurong’s face, Qing Ming chuckled.
Hearing the laughter, Zhu Yurong turned his head instinctively. The moment his gaze landed on Qing Ming, his entire body froze.
Waaah, little monster, wake up! This person is terrifying!
As a Lingxi Pig, even though he had never lived in ancient times, his bloodline inheritance gave him an instinctive fear of the demon race. Though Qing Ming wore a smile, the faint demonic aura around him filled Zhu Yurong with dread. Immediately, he stretched out all four legs and played dead.
Watching this series of reactions, Qing Ming showed a hint of confusion and glanced at Old Ghost Head in inquiry.
Old Ghost Head was already used to Zhu Yurong’s antics. He grabbed him up and said, “You dead little white.”
The familiar voice and nickname made Zhu Yurong snap his eyes open, but he still could not recognize him.
After all these years, Old Ghost Head had long since given up hope regarding Zhu Yurong’s intelligence. Lowering his voice, he said, “It’s me. Old Ghost Head.”
Zhu Yurong blinked, confused. “Huh? Old Ghost Head, you came out of the bracelet?”
Old Ghost Head nodded. Zhu Yurong sniffed him carefully, hesitated for a while, and finally believed him. Immediately, he scrambled into Old Ghost Head’s arms. “Waaah, Old Ghost Head, that person over there is so scary.”
Old Ghost Head was about to comfort him when Zhu Yurong suddenly wriggled free, his tone urgent. “Old Ghost Head, what’s wrong with little monster? Is he sick? If Little Pig gives him fruit, will he get better?” As he spoke, he opened his mouth, spitting out three emerald-green fruits.
Seeing Zhu Yurong’s wide, hopeful eyes, Old Ghost Head’s heart softened, and he was about to say it was not necessary. But Qing Ming’s eyes flickered. He suddenly reached out, grabbed Zhu Yurong, and—ignoring his frantic struggles—tapped a finger against his forehead.
A golden light spread, and a softly glowing pearl emerged from Zhu Yurong’s forehead.
Under Qing Ming’s control, the pearl slowly separated from him. Its glow dimmed bit by bit until, once fully removed, it became dull and lifeless, showing nothing unusual.
As the pearl left his body, Zhu Yurong’s expression immediately turned listless. His struggles ceased, and his limbs drooped weakly.
“What are you doing?!”
Seeing Zhu Yurong go limp, Old Ghost Head shouted in alarm. During all those years trapped inside the Nether Bracelet, aside from Xiao Lingyu, only Zhu Yurong had kept him company. He already regarded him as one of his own. Qing Ming’s sudden move caught him completely off guard.
Qing Ming did not answer immediately. Instead, he carefully extended a thread of divine sense into the pearl. After a moment, he withdrew it and tapped the pearl again, sealing it back into Zhu Yurong’s body. As it reentered his forehead, Zhu Yurong’s condition improved, and he quickly regained his vitality.
Casually tossing Zhu Yurong back into Old Ghost Head’s arms, Qing Ming glanced at the trembling little white pig and said, “This Lingxi Pig has already awakened intelligence and formed a spatial domain?”
Old Ghost Head nodded, though he did not understand Qing Ming’s meaning.
Qing Ming frowned slightly. “That pearl just now is the Lingxi Pig’s core. Normally, the core forms alongside the spatial domain within its body. But that one bears the mark of another Lingxi Pig—it was not generated by the one you’re holding.”
“What do you mean?” Old Ghost Head asked instinctively.
Qing Ming considered for a moment before explaining, “Lingxi Pigs are ancient exotic beasts belonging to the demon race. Their inheritance differs from that of humans and demons—it is not learned after birth, but passed down through bloodline. In other words, their abilities are innate, gradually manifesting as they grow. While this is convenient, it also means everything requires a long time—awakening intelligence and developing abilities both take ages. This one has grown for barely over a decade, yet not only has it awakened intelligence, it has even formed a spatial domain. Have you never found that strange?”
Old Ghost Head asked blankly, “Strange how?”
Qing Ming sighed. He had expected as much. Seeing Old Ghost Head still waiting for an explanation, he patiently continued, “Its intelligence and spatial domain were not naturally awakened—they were forcibly accelerated. The core within its body was not naturally formed, but sealed into it by someone using magic, forcibly merging with it. The space inside its body was actually induced by this core.”
Old Ghost Head finally understood, his expression changing. “You mean Zhu Yurong was forcibly advanced? Then… will there be any side effects?”
Qing Ming frowned. “This is the first time I have seen such a case. Since the core has already induced the spatial domain and he appears lively and active, his body should be fine. But the awakening of intelligence should occur naturally. Being forced like this may result in deficiencies in that regard.”
Old Ghost Head let out a breath of relief. “As long as his body is fine, that is enough. As for intelligence—so what if it is lacking? With me and Xiao Yu around, we will not let him suffer.”
Qing Ming shook his head. “Have you considered this—since a Lingxi Pig can naturally awaken intelligence and a spatial domain, why go through the trouble of forcing it? If something went wrong, it would not just damage its intelligence—it might never form a spatial domain again, let alone transform into human form. And do you know how such a core is obtained? When a Lingxi Pig dies, its core and spatial domain dissipate together. To preserve the core, it must be forcibly extracted from a living Lingxi Pig. Without its core, that Lingxi Pig would survive at most a few hundred years.”
At this point, Qing Ming looked again at Zhu Yurong, who was burrowed into Old Ghost Head’s arms, refusing to look at him. A trace of pity crossed his face.
“The one who sealed that core into him may not have had his best interests at heart.”
Old Ghost Head trembled, and the Illusory Demon Realm flashed instinctively through his mind.