Chapter 1023: Chapter 275 Enemy from the Same Source, Void Star Crystal (5200)

The young cultivator was none other than Zhou Changhe.

He was born in San Yuan City of the Lianshan Group. His father was a senior manager at a ruins exploration company, and the family’s life was affluent. However, in his childhood, due to adjustments in the company’s work, Zhou Changhe’s father was reassigned to Xuandu Qingyu City to serve as a local manager. His power was second only to the local stationed Purple Mansion True Man, making him the pinnacle of a working man.

But the good times didn’t last long. During one ruins exploration, three of the company’s main exploration teams lost contact in an ancient underground palace. Zhou Changhe’s father had to head to the front line to investigate and command the rescue forces—a common occurrence, with rescue being the rare aspect. Zhou Changhe’s father, enduring great pressure, managed to push the rescue operation forward. Fortunately, the rescue succeeded, and the three exploration teams returned, bringing back the Dao Court Era’s rain praying platform from the underground palace, which was the array plate of an ancient weather control great formation.

But after that, things started to feel off. Whenever Zhou Changhe returned home from school every ten days, he found that his parents’ relationship grew increasingly uneasy, with frequent arguments, and the once cheerful and mild father became gloomy and silent.

Until one day, after a quarrel between his parents, Zhou Changhe was huddled in his room with ears covered, waiting to fall asleep when he suddenly heard a scream.

It was his mother’s voice.

What happened?! Zhou Changhe shivered, suddenly thinking of a possibility, but he didn’t know how to deal with it... If his father had really killed his mother, what should he do? Would he also...

"Ouch, bumped my toe!"

But soon, his mother’s voice broke the silence again, slightly muffled with pain, instantly putting Zhou Changhe at ease.

"Turns out they were kicking while arguing and hit a toe... scares me to death."

Thinking this way, he heard the sound of dull footsteps approaching his room, and his mother’s voice called out: "Changhe, are you asleep? Did we scare you?"

"No, no, mom and dad, can’t you stop arguing..."

Zhou Changhe, relieved, naturally responded, but before he could finish, the door opened.

And the scene in front of him left him feeling as if he had fallen into an icy pit.

For there stood his father at the doorway, covered in blood, with eyes devoid of any emotion, staring intently at his son.

In a pool of blood behind him lay a collapsed body.

And his mother’s voice came from his father’s mouth: [We won’t argue anymore, Changhe]

[Never again]

...

Zhou Changhe forgot a long period of memory afterward; he was in a daze. He only remembered that another will seemed to have appeared within him, lurking beneath his flesh and soul, using everything about him as a disguise, living normally, studying, taking exams, and chatting with classmates. No one could detect anything amiss.

Until one day, he dreamed of a sword.

A Divine Sword, bathed in calamitous flames, with a blue blade piercing through the void.

[Awake]

A voice commanded, in a tone that brooked no refusal, its unmatched sharpness pierced through his soul and spirit, slaying the demon lurking in his heart.

Thus did Zhou Changhe suddenly realize that he had long since died, merely a fact of his corpse shell existing.

Then, he awoke from the dream.

To face a world of despair.

His parents had long been dead, possessed and controlled by demons, simply maintaining the facade of existence at home, in reality having no interaction, each with their own duties.

The mysterious voice claimed to be a ’Heavenly Sword Inheritor,’ a well-known figure from the Dao Court Era, but fell during the Demon Calamity. There was no arrogance in his words, describing people like himself as numerous as mountains and seas. There were not fifteen but at least ten fellow Heavenly Sword inheritors back then, but for some reason, though he had perished long ago, he had strangely awoken from a wisp of demonic Sword Intent.

Zhou Changhe was now in a demonized body, a human shell with demonic mutated entrails, his sole soul and spirit barely maintaining purity. The two half-demon, half-human individuals were left utterly confused, only aware that the entire exploration company had long consisted of demon people. They must remain undercover within the demon nest, understanding what had transpired, and if given the chance, cultivate in Feather Transformation Dao, shedding their demonized shell to be reborn.

Furthermore, Zhou Changhe discovered that his soul and spirit couldn’t remain clear for long. His awakening was due to the ’Heavenly Sword Intent’ having slain the Heavenly Demon residing in him, sustained by the Heavenly Dao Xuan Yuan Qi. To ensure sanity, it was necessary to continue slaying evil demons, refining them into Mysterious Primordial Qi.

Operating stealthily within the Demon Cave, he performed acts of exorcising demons. Zhou Changhe needed to gather information related to his school to maintain the trust of the demon people while also taking time to, in his demon body, slay and eliminate demons.

Fortunately, after demonization, Zhou Changhe’s power grew considerably, and his cultivation speed thrived in the apocalyptic Tianyuan Realm. Forays into the Wilderness to accumulate achievements were collateral; his main aim was to extract the abundant yet filling Wild Evil Qi infested with Demonic Qi for cultivation.

Thus, his power advanced swiftly, but escalated the need to slay more evil demons. Recently, during one such hunt, it came to light that the demons had become aware of an anomaly in this ’demon person,’ realizing he had slipped from their control.

Only then did Zhou Changhe know that the true force behind this wasn’t merely small-time antics by a wilderness demon group, but an entire [Demon Nation]!

If Zhou Changhe were human, he would’ve reported to the higher-ups in Qingyu City long ago, but he truly was a demon body with a human heart; he’d be dissected for research instantly. He had yet to avenge his parents and had many unfinished affairs. He dared not gamble on whether the group possessed any conscience.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by lotustale.com