PD -Chapter 122 Replaying the Past

“Rakshasa!”

I jolted in shock, cursing inwardly that something was wrong. I had once encountered an underworld Rakshasa before, so I knew exactly how terrifying these creatures were. If there really was one here, then Liu Xiaopeng…

I cursed under my breath and stopped caring about the assorted demons and monsters kneeling before Shentu. I sprinted straight toward Room 309.

The moment I arrived at the door of 309, I immediately saw a ball of flames forming and shooting straight toward Liu Xiaopeng’s face… and within that fire, I could vaguely make out the shadow of something unclean.

I swore again and stepped into the room in a single stride, pushing Liu Xiaopeng aside. A talisman appeared in my hand instantly. I formed seals rapidly, infusing it with spiritual energy and empowering the exorcism spell, then flung the talisman straight at the incoming fireball.

“Don’t!”

Liu Xiaopeng’s voice rang out behind me. I frowned—was he talking to me?

Before I could react, I saw Liu Xiaopeng flash forward without hesitation, charging toward the shadow within the flames. He actually threw himself in front of the exorcism talisman I had just launched.

My heart tightened in alarm. Had this kid been bewitched by an evil entity? Why would he use his own body to block my attack for it?

But the talisman was already out of my hand—I couldn’t recall it even if I wanted to. All I could do was watch as it slammed into Liu Xiaopeng’s back with a heavy thud, carrying my spiritual power.

Fortunately, in that instant, Liu Xiaopeng activated his Golden Light Spell for protection, and since he was not an evil being, the talisman didn’t cause him serious harm.

Still, I saw his body tremble violently, and he let out a muffled groan as a trace of blood seeped from the corner of his mouth.

“What are you doing?! Move!” I shouted as I saw the burning entity closing in on him.

But Liu Xiaopeng didn’t move.

He stared at the fireball approaching him with a strange expression—as if what he saw was not an evil spirit at all, but someone he deeply recognized.

I was about to rush forward again when the fireball suddenly stopped less than a meter from him.

I froze.

The shadow inside the flames gradually became clearer, and soon a long-haired woman stepped out from the firelight.

“Xiaopeng…” the woman smiled gently, her eyes filled with affection as she looked at him.

Liu Xiaopeng’s body trembled. His lips moved, but no sound came out.

At that moment, a surge of black malevolent energy appeared on the ceiling of the room. Within it were a pair of sinister pitch-black eyes—identical to the underworld Rakshasa we had encountered before.

The black mist laughed coldly.

“How touching… a mother and son reunion.”

With that, it charged toward Liu Xiaopeng—but before it even got halfway, it was blocked by a wall of golden light.

I froze again. That golden light looked exactly like the Golden Light Spell that Liu Xiaopeng and I used—but Liu Xiaopeng hadn’t done anything at all.

“Evil spirit, behave yourself!”

A loud, commanding voice echoed through the room.

From within the woman who had just called out Liu Xiaopeng, another figure stepped forward.

The figure was a middle-aged man, sharp-eyed and heroic, who looked astonishingly similar to Liu Xiaopeng in height and appearance.

The moment he appeared, both Liu Xiaopeng and the woman were enveloped by his golden light.

The man glared at the evil entity above, formed a sword seal with his fingers, and pointed toward the Rakshasa in the air. Then he turned into a streak of golden light and charged at it, entangling with the black mist.

BOOM!

The collision of golden light and black mist produced a deafening explosion that shook the entire dilapidated building, as if it might collapse at any moment.

The two forces tore out of the building and continued their battle outside, twisting and colliding in the night sky.

Inside the room, Liu Xiaopeng stared at the woman before him, tears already streaming down his face like a child who had finally come home after suffering outside.

“Mom…” he finally managed to speak, his voice choked with emotion.

“Child… have you been well these years?” the woman asked softly with a kind smile.

After a long pause, Liu Xiaopeng steadied himself and asked, “Back then… what really happened? Was it me who killed you two?”

The woman’s expression turned full of heartache. She raised her hand, trying to touch his head—but her hand passed straight through him, intangible.

“Silly child, you saved us. If it weren’t for you, your father and I would have lost even our souls.”

Smiling gently, she waved her hand before his eyes.

Instantly, a scene from the past appeared on the wall beside them.

It was a night similar to this one—dark, windy… The dilapidated tenement building still held a faint warmth.

A young Liu Xiaopeng was sleeping on the bed. His father was repairing an old electric fan, while his mother was sewing his schoolbag.

They were chatting quietly when, suddenly, a black shadow slipped in through the window, transforming into a tall, blood-red demon that grabbed the mother by the throat.

Before the father could react, the demon turned into a wisp of red smoke and possessed the mother’s body.

Her eyes turned completely black—no longer human.

The possessed mother flashed in front of the man and lifted him effortlessly like a chick.

Golden light erupted from his body—his lifelong cultivation of the Golden Light Spell—but it was useless.

He had not inherited his family’s true power; his bloodline had never awakened. Even now, he could only barely muster the most basic form of the spell, trying to fight for his life and protect the child sleeping on the bed.

But to the pitch-black demon, his golden light was nothing more than a joke. With a slight motion, it pierced through the light and began absorbing his life force.

The man screamed in agony.

The child finally woke up.

Confused, he saw his mother holding his father down—but quickly realized something was wrong with her eyes.

The demon discarded the father’s now lifeless body and turned toward the child.

Fear surged through the boy.

Instinctively, he raised his hand to block the attack—but the possessed mother was no longer gentle. Her claws tore into his neck, blood spilling down.

The child staggered backward, but the once-kind mother now wore a terrifying, twisted smile. She even licked the blood from her hand as if tasting the most delicious delicacy.

However—

The moment the blood entered her mouth, the demon suddenly felt as if its stomach was burning like fire.

In an instant, it was violently forced out of the mother’s body.