Legend Beyond the Rift Valley

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Qin Yi was utterly speechless at Liusu's perverse sense of humor, and sullenly entered Cheng Cheng's Fragrant Aroma Hall.

In her Human Form Cheng Cheng was still watching songs and dances and listening to music in the Fragrant Aroma Hall. It seemed like she had nothing else to do, which always reminded Qin Yi of the NPCs he could always find when playing games.

Of course, as the Demon King, she wasn't always listening to music in the Fragrant Aroma Hall... she was just putting on an act, forcing herself to appear as if everything was peaceful and under control.

Even though she knew everyone had already seen through her, she had to maintain this facade, at least to keep some disloyal people suspicious and hesitant. Once she lost even this facade, her demonic hearts would be filled with dread, and all sorts of evil spirits would emerge.

Outsiders are unaware that Cheng Cheng still wields considerable power. Qin Yi has already sensed it vaguely, for example, the aura of the Core Condensation Stage fox guards he has discerned in the palace. These are likely her direct subordinates who would never betray her, because the fate of their clan is tied to Cheng Cheng. If Cheng Cheng is ruined, these foxes will certainly not fare well in the hands of the new king.

This batch of Core Formation foxes alone is not something that others can easily mess with.

Then there's Ying Li's loyalty... it's indeed a tested loyalty. However, loyalty between different ethnic groups is hard to guarantee, and there's a certain possibility that she might harbor resentment. It depends on how things develop, but in any case, she won't start making moves while she still has a chance to recover.

Cheng Cheng also has Ye Ling. The "Crown Prince," who appears to outsiders as a strong contender for the throne, is actually a goofy character with absolutely no ambition to usurp it. Ye Ling will fight tooth and nail for anyone who tries to harm Cheng Cheng.

Despite her seemingly precarious situation both internally and externally, Cheng Cheng remained as steady as a mountain. Seeing her smile, Qin Yi couldn't help but wonder if her claim of being "seen through" was just a deliberate attempt to lure him in.

That probably includes Qin Yi's power too... She's always like this...

Chenghuang is likely a different species of fox, just as Soaring Serpent is a different species of snake. Its essence is probably still that of a fox and a snake... A fox's attributes aren't just charm, but also cunning; this is probably in its nature. It would be difficult to expect it to be completely honest.

While thinking about this, Qin Yi had already arrived in front of Cheng Cheng.

Cheng Cheng leaned against the soft couch, watching him walk towards her. Her self-reproach had long since vanished, replaced by her familiar, alluring expression. "Are your lips feeling better?"

Qin Yi said, "It's nothing."

Cheng Cheng's eyes lit up. "Since there's nothing wrong, how about... we do it again?"

"That expression..." Qin Yi said irritably, "Let's get down to business."

"Judging from your serious expression, things probably aren't going well." Cheng Cheng smiled slightly, "I already said I was prepared for the worst, it's not a big deal... I'm already very happy that you came all this way for me and have gone to such lengths for me."

"Really nothing?"

"It's really nothing," Cheng Cheng said calmly. "I've also set up some schemes to draw out certain things and pave the way for Ye Ling."

Qin Yi was taken aback. "You... are plotting something for Ye Ling?"

"Ye Ling's personality is simply not suited to be a queen. If I don't help her eliminate all uncontrollable factors, I'm afraid she won't be able to hold onto her position. Once I help her ascend the throne safely and rule for three to five years, she will naturally learn by then..."

Qin Yi looked at her silently, Cheng Cheng remained expressionless.

Qin Yi thought for a moment, then asked, "Why not pass the position to Ying Li?"

"Ying Li's future is limited; he can't lead the Demon Race." Cheng Cheng said, "I've told you before that the bloodline of the Demon Race is a very fundamental matter. How much of a future one can have is basically determined by their bloodline. I cherish Ye Ling like a treasure, even though you may have changed her nature... There are advantages and disadvantages. Without Soaring Serpent, she can't be fierce and in charge, but at least I don't need to be wary of my successor and can completely trust her."

Qin Yi said, "From your words, I can sense your extreme emphasis on bloodline. So you don't care at all that the Chenghuang bloodline will end here?"

"It won't be completely eradicated. The remains of the Chenghuang, somewhere beneath the rift, are constantly awakening the ancient divine beast factors within the foxes and other creatures nearby. However, whether they can be awakened depends on luck... Perhaps it won't happen for thousands or tens of thousands of years, or perhaps it will happen tomorrow... Just like above the rift, a Vegetable Snake suddenly awakened into Soaring Serpent, something that hadn't been seen for ten thousand years before."

"... This example is so apt," Qin Yi said. "So, this matter involves a huge secret hidden beneath the rift valley, and the fact that human cultivators haven't come to clean up this area is also related to this?"

"It's related," Cheng Cheng said lazily, "But I won't tell you the specifics."

"Why?"

"You're not the Queen of the Demon Race, what do you need to know about the secrets of the Demon Race?"

"..."

The two stared at each other for a while. Cheng Cheng thought Qin Yi might be displeased, but to her surprise, Qin Yi's expression softened considerably. He said in a low voice, "I misunderstood you before. I thought you were plotting something again, but it turns out it was for Ye Ling."

"Hmm?" Cheng Cheng smiled faintly. "If I designed something for myself, you would be unhappy, but for Ye Ling's sake, you apologize to me? In your heart, she is much more important than me, right?"

"That's not what I meant. It's about doing it for yourself and for others, which gives people a different impression," Qin Yi said. "Although it's all essentially for the sake of the Demon Race... You're a perfect demon king, Ye Ling can't handle this responsibility, so you should do it yourself."

Cheng Cheng said calmly, "I have to take the responsibility whether I can or not. I'm hopeless, aren't I?"

"There's hope." Qin Yi handed over a jade slip containing records of five or six medicinal herbs. "You only need one of these. We have the rest."

Cheng Cheng probed the soul power and frowned.

Qin Yi said, "I originally planned to try some shady channels, but that's just a gamble. If I don't find anything, it'll just be a waste of time. Your injuries can't be delayed for long... If it drags on any longer, even with the help of the blood essence, it will be too late."

Cheng Cheng thought silently for a while, then calmly asked, "How much longer do I have?"

"It shouldn't take more than a month. To be on the safe side, I need to obtain it within twenty days, because I also need time to refine the pills."

Cheng Cheng suddenly chuckled, "Luckily, this isn't some pill that takes forty-nine days to refine. Otherwise, there would be no need to look for it at all."

Qin Yi smiled helplessly, "You really still have the mood to joke around."

"There's a kind of Heavenly Heart Lotus here, and I know where to find it." Cheng Cheng's smile faded, and she said calmly, "However, the chances of obtaining it are rather slim."

"Hmm?" Qin Yi's spirits lifted. "Where is it?"

Cheng Cheng pointed south. "Over there, from where you came from, that's called the other side of the rift valley."

Qin Yi's expression was rather unpleasant.

Before coming here, the chess fanatic had warned me not to go to the other side of the rift valley under any circumstances...

"Across the rift valley, not far to the south, lies a Thousand Mile Mountain Range. Among them is a mountain called Peek Heaven Peak, towering a thousand fathoms high, and at its summit grows this Heavenly Heart Lotus," Cheng Cheng said. "However, this peak belongs to a Huiyang cultivator named Tai Huang Jun..."

"It's taken?" Qin Yi said, "It's a good thing that it's taken; it won't be wild and picked by someone else. There's always room for negotiation on a high price, right?"

Cheng Cheng shook her head slightly. "Trade... don't try to apply your situation to the other side. The North is a relatively orderly land, where both righteous and demonic forces follow a set of rules. The South, on the other hand, is Land of Disorder, where there are no rules whatsoever, and there are hardly any righteous or demonic forces to speak of; people just do what they please. Our Demon Race is the boundary that separates the two."

Qin Yi was puzzled for a moment. "What kind of disorder? Might makes right? Bloodshed and chaos?"

"That's partly true, and the other half..." Cheng Cheng frowned and thought for a long time but still couldn't explain it. So she simply said, "Anyway, the logic you usually believe in simply doesn't make sense over there. If you say that things should be traded at equal value, they might say you're talking nonsense. What's wrong with giving them to you? If you say that people need to wear clothes, they might also say you're talking nonsense and take them off right there for you to see."

"Huh?" Qin Yi stared in disbelief. "A Gang Jing from the mainland?"

Cheng Cheng laughed and said, "No, they're not arguing with you. It's just that they don't really believe in the rules you think they follow, or they're consciously breaking them."

Liusu's voice echoed in her Sea of Consciousness: "The Immortal Dao that breaks and transcends the rules is a realm above the Formless stage, which is not something that ordinary cultivators can achieve. It becomes very interesting to try to verify and practice it in advance, and then you can indeed have an unconventional breakthrough. In previous years, there has never been a shortage of such people. I was wondering why I hadn't seen any in this life. All the sects, both righteous and demonic, were so serious. I thought this path had disappeared. It turns out that it has been separated by north and south and no longer interacts with each other."

Qin Yi was left with only a string of ellipses in his mind. No wonder the chess fanatic said it was extremely troublesome over there. Chess is all about rules; how could someone like him possibly survive on the other side? It wasn't just troublesome; it was downright deadly!