...
The scarlet light that stretched endlessly across the heavens was not just a sunset—it was a wall. A barrier forged by the Eight Palaces to cage one man.
Liao Tingyan had always thought of the "Scarlet Sky" as just a strange celestial glow. But now, she heard whispers among the elders: this was the Immortal–Demon Barrier itself, the chain that locked Sima Jiao away from the world.
That night, her curiosity won out. Tingyan crept closer to the forbidden place where the barrier shimmered like fire against the dark. The moment her hand brushed the air near it, pain lanced through her body. Spiritual backlash seared her veins, forcing her to stumble back, clutching her chest.
Through the agony, she heard it again—the low, amused voice that haunted her dreams.
"Little rabbit, even the barrier rejects you. Do you know why?"
Her vision blurred, but she managed a breathless laugh. "Because I'm too nosy, apparently."
Chains rattled faintly behind the barrier, and she swore she could feel his smile even without seeing his face.
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The Scheme Unveiled
Back in the sect halls, whispers spread. Tingyan wasn't an ordinary disciple after all.
Years ago, the Four Seasons Palace's young master had made a secret arrangement: Liao Tingyan would take the place of Yue Chuhui, carrying a hidden spell that allowed her to absorb spiritual energy without notice. That secret was why she had been chosen to enter this sect, why her fate had always been tangled with Sima Jiao's.
The elders spoke of it like strategy. To Tingyan, it felt like betrayal. Her life had been planned, twisted, and tied to a man in chains before she even understood her place in the world.
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The Demon's Burden
Meanwhile, she learned more of him.
Sima Jiao was not just a demon lord locked away—he was the last heir of the Sima clan, whose blood carried the Spirit Fire itself. His parents had kept that fire alive with their own bodies. His ancestress, long ago, had died only to have her body defiled by enemies.
The Eight Palaces, fearing his power, had laid curses and seals to bind him for centuries. He was forbidden both death and freedom, condemned to burn slowly under the weight of the Scarlet Sky.
Tingyan listened in silence when the elders recited this history. But later, lying awake, she whispered into the darkness:
"Is that why you laugh at everything? Because if you didn't, you'd break?"
No answer came. Only the faint thrum of the barrier, echoing in her chest.
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✨ End of chapter 4 — Secrets of the Scarlet Sky
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