Original subtitles

[The Unclouded Soul]

[Episode 29]

Elders, you have to believe me.

This is exactly what Hong Ye is like.

My Lord has returned.

My Lord, who has been working tirelessly for the demons,

has finally returned.

This time,

what sacred demon relic have you

brought back for us?

I don't need to report my whereabouts to you.

I'm asking on behalf of the elders.

Rumors say

you've been quite close with humans.

You don't even care

about demons being humiliated anymore.

Where did these rumors come from?

Whatever one does

always leaves traces.

Well said.

Everything done leaves a trace behind.

As the Demon Lord,

I should indeed thoroughly investigate

the rumors about you.

Since you claim

you're asking on behalf of the elders,

then let the elders

share their concerns

directly with me.

Hong Ye,

we made you our Demon King

to revitalize our demon kind

and to resist human aggression.

Don't lose your way.

Heiwu has been working tirelessly

to strengthen our demon forces.

But you,

every time you go to the human realm seeking sacred demon relics,

you face all sorts of difficulties.

Since you're here today,

you should first clarify

your relationship with the humans.

Otherwise, if these rumors are proven true,

we old fellows

can no longer take your side.

Elders,

the grievances between our two races

have existed for ages.

But if demons truly want to find peace,

we must understand how humans think.

His Lordship is so powerful.

How many years has he been cultivating?

At least a thousand years.

Four thousand years?

Five or six thousand years?

Anyway,

it's not more than ten thousand years.

I've never seen

a demon who lived over ten thousand years.

So you don't know either.

What...

What...

are you talking about?

Let me tell you,

in the entire Demons' Valley,

there's nothing about His Lordship

that I don't know.

Ask me anything.

All right, all right.

Then tell me what

His Lordship's true form is...

His...

His Lordship's...

What's His Lordship's true form again?

Why are you sighing?

It's not that I don't know.

It's that, for this kind of thing,

if His Lordship doesn't mention it himself,

it's not something we can ask about.

But there's one thing

I can guarantee

is absolutely true.

What?

That His Lordship's power used to be extremely weak—

incredibly weak.

But the previous Demon King

admired His Lordship greatly.

He said His Lordship

was the most talented individual

with the greatest potential in the entire demon race.

So before the old Demon King passed away,

he left instructions

specifically naming His Lordship

as the new Demon King

to protect the entire demon race.

But because His Lordship's power

was truly too weak,

many great demons were not convinced.

They said His Lordship was

unworthy of the position.

So to prove himself, His Lordship

broke and rebuilt

all the meridians in his body—

he was at death's door.

That's what made him

the strongest and most powerful great demon of our time.

And as for His Lordship's identity,

there are many theories throughout the demon race.

Do you know what the most ridiculous one is?

Some demons say

that His Lordship

sprang from some crack in a rock.

How could that be possible?

And others say

that His Lordship is a descendant

of the long-extinct ancient dragon clan.

Actually, I think

His Lordship himself isn't clear

about what his true identity is.

But it doesn't matter.

No matter who he is or where he came from,

it doesn't change the fact that

he is now the most powerful demon of our time.

That's enough.

He never mentioned any of this to me.

That's normal.

He has always been a man of few words.

You'll get used to it eventually.

But do you know

what I've seen him do most often

is?

He'd just stand here,

looking over there,

at the moon,

as if waiting for something,

with a lonely expression.

It always made my heart ache.

Perhaps it's just as the old saying goes:

the more powerful one's power is,

the more one has to sacrifice,

and the lonelier one feels.

Have you ever seen him cry?

Are you kidding?

Why would the Demon King ever cry?

I'm serious.

I'm serious too!

So what if he's the Demon King?

Not even once?

Actually, I think

even if he does cry,

he'd find a place where no one can see him

and cry in secret.

After all,

he is the Demon King.

So,

since then,

Xiao Mu and I decided

we would stick with him,

keep him company,

stay by his side,

and talk to him constantly—

even if it's nonsense,

we'd keep talking to him.

Maybe in that moment

he would feel less alone.

After talking with you today,

I want to be even better to him!

-I want to be— -You're already good enough to him.

Not at all!

More than enough.

Is His Lordship coming back soon?

Should we go welcome him?

Oh right, I completely forgot about that,

chatting with you all this time.

I'm afraid you'll talk His Lordship to death.

Humans,

out of fear of demons,

slaughter demons.

Demons, hating humans,

eat humans.

It's a vicious cycle—

difficult to break.

The best solution now

is for both races

to cease fighting

and coexist peacefully.

His Lordship always comes and goes alone,

but he's different only with you.

Not only does he protect you,

he also smiles at you often.

In that brief moment just now—

I counted—

he smiled at you four times.

That's more than he's smiled

at me in the entire year.

Tell me honestly.

Who are you really?

Perhaps because I'm new here,

His Lordship is just looking after me.

Let me tell you,

in Demons' Valley,

the most important person

to listen to is His Lordship.

After that, it's Xiao Mu

and me.

You...

Where are you going?

Go that way.

Where does this path lead to?

It leads to the prison.

Nothing worth seeing there.

Prison?

The Demons' Valley a hundred years later

doesn't have a place like this.

Who do they keep in there?

Seriously?

Human prisons hold demons;

naturally, demon prisons hold humans.

What are they captured for?

What do you think

we do to them?

Have you ever eaten a human?

No.

I heard human flesh isn't tasty.

It's dry and tough,

nowhere near as good as dried fish.

Who would eat humans?

Humans are reserved for the great demons and elders—

never for somebody like me.

What are you doing?

I told you there's nothing to see.

What are you doing?

Help!

Save me!

-Help! -Save me!

Help!

Help me!

Save me!

Help me!

-Help! -Save me!

-Save me. -You can't eat this.

They are for the sacrifice.

Please save me!

I beg you—

I beg you, immortal demon lord,

-please spare my life. -Stop shouting.

My Lord,

I'm just

a city guard from the human realm.

I know my mistake

of accidentally disturbing

your meditation.

I beg you, My Lord,

spare me.

I have a family to support!

Let me tell you,

no human who enters Demons' Valley

leaves alive.

I swear to heaven!

I will never reveal anything

about what happened in this valley.

If you don't believe me, My Lord,

I am willing

to gouge out my eyes

and bite off my tongue.

-Save me! -I beg you, My Lord,

spare my life.

Enough.

Stop your senseless crying.

That's enough. You've seen enough.

We need to go welcome His Lordship.

Let's go.

Princess.

Stop looking.

Let's hurry.

His Lordship, don't leave!

Don't go, His Lordship!

Those children are only 6 or 7 years old.

Why won't they spare even such young children?

Humans may have short lives,

but they grow up fast.

In just over 10 years,

they can reach adulthood.

Unlike us demons,

who need at least several hundred years of cultivation

just to barely transform into human form.

Do you know how much it took for Xiao Mu and me

to take this human form?

Hong Ye

hasn't eaten humans before, right?

What?

Hong Ye. How dare you!

How dare you address His Lordship by his name?

Has he or has he not?

I don't know.

Though I haven't seen it myself,

but think about it:

His Lordship has been in this world for thousands of years.

What hasn't he seen?

What hasn't he eaten?

Eating a human

is nothing strange.

You go ahead first.

I'll come along later.

Where are you going?

His Lordship told me to keep a close eye on you.

His Lordship told me

to take good care of you.

I need to relieve myself now.

You staying right here

and waiting for me to return

would be the best care you could provide.

Don't follow me.

I don't even want to follow you.

Hurry up.

Elders, look at this.

This is our Demon King,

a king who sympathizes with humans

and speaks for humans at every turn.

Do you think

he still deserves

to sit on the Demon King's throne?

The survival of our demon race is a long-term strategy,

not something as shortsighted

as you perceive it.

I'm shortsighted?

Me?

Only absolute suppression can bring true peace!

Hmm.

Our demon race

has suffered humiliation from humans for thousands of years.

As the Demon King,

instead of thinking about revenge,

you stand with the humans.

Elders, look at this.

Hong Ye's words today

aren't thoughts formed in just a few days.

He must have

harbored treacherous intentions for a long time.

Hong Ye,

trusting human nature

will lead to irreversible disaster.

Hong Ye,

do you know

your getting too close to the humans

was told to us by a human?

Wu Huan!

Bring them here!

-Sister, please help me. -Please save me.

Don't speak.

I will take you out of here.

Hurry. Follow me.

Hold hands. Princess,

please spare my life too.

Earlier in the palace,

I've offended you many times,

but that was just my duty.

I never meant to offend you, Princess.

You've already hit me too.

I only beg you, Princess,

to spare my life.

I promise to take these three children

safely back home.

About what happened in this valley,

I won't say a word.

I will forever be grateful for your

great kindness and mercy.

Please give me a chance

to redeem myself.

You liar.

You're helping humans?

Princess, let me go!

I'll protect you from this cat demon.

You're

a human princess?

Yes.

I am a human princess,

but I'm also Hong Ye's friend.

You've been deceiving His Lordship!

I haven't deceived anyone.

Hong Ye has great powers.

How could I possibly deceive him?

He brought me here

so that humans and demons

could understand each other better.

He's seeking

a way for coexistence.

You're talking nonsense! How is that possible?

Why not?

Must we fight and kill each other every day?

The princess is right.

Humans and demons coexisting is the right way!

Shut up.

If you don't believe me,

you can ask Hong Ye.

I...

I...

I can't just take your word for it.

If you want to free the humans,

it must be His Lordship

who says so in person.

Oh no.

Wu Huan is coming.

He must be here for the sacrifices.

Princess.

Save me, Princess!

Quick!

Please save me, Princess!

Save me, Princess, please!

Help me!

Quick,

take them to those bushes over there

and hide them.

I'll deal with him.

Go now!

Let's go.

Come on, move!

Ning'an.

I've never seen His Lordship

as happy as today.

Remember,

don't disappoint His Lordship.

Go!

Where are the humans?

I ate them.

Three small ones and one big one—

you ate them all?

Yes.

Those three small ones were quite tender,

but the big one wasn't good. He's too tough,

and fatty.

Do you know who they were?

The big one was the Feiyu Guard leader.

We needed him alive for questioning.

Those three small ones were sacrifices

for the ancestral ceremony on the first day.

And you just ate them?

Look.

You're getting upset.

You didn't put up any signs here.

How was I supposed to know?

Don't you usually only eat rotten fish, prawns,

grasshoppers, and rats?

Since when did you start eating humans?

Don't mention it.

The weather's been bad these days.

My dried fish isn't ready yet.

I was starving,

so I had to eat them.

Fine.

Since you admit you ate them,

come back with me to Youning Cave

to explain to the elders.

Take your claws off me.

You ate them?

The human Feiyu Guard I worked so hard to capture

admitted himself

that Demon King is secretly colluding with the human royal family.

I came to confront the Demon King with this person,

and the next thing I know,

you've eaten him?

I believe it.

But do the elders believe it?

Why did you eat the humans?

I was hungry.

You were hungry?

The elders are hungry too.

What he ate were sacrifices.

This is a serious crime. He should be punished.

You did that too?

Yes.

I wasn't satisfied with just one,

so I ate all three of them.

You ate them all in such a short time?

Weren't there other demons

sharing with you?

Why should I share with other demons?

Well.

Very well.

Given what you said,

stealing offerings

deserves

the punishment of lightning.

Fine.

Xiao Ming caused trouble

because I didn't discipline him properly.

I'll take the punishment for him.

No, no!

Silence!

Even if the cat stole the offerings,

we're punishing him

because he overstepped his bounds.

How could we punish

the Demon King instead?

But what if

the Demon King ordered his subordinate to silence others,

who should be punished then?

Without solid evidence,

we

should not make baseless accusations.

Recently,

the human Feiyu Guard has repeatedly invaded Demons' Valley,

and many demons have suffered at their hands.

Hong Ye,

as the Demon King,

you've failed to protect the residents of Demons' Valley,

yet you constantly speak in favor of humans.

That human has been captured by me for days,

as all the elders know.

This cat

normally eats fish and mice,

but today he swallowed so many living humans.

Tell me,

without orders from you, his master,

would he dare to do such a thing?

Heiwu.

You needn't go to such lengths

to fabricate crimes against me.

Today I'll fulfill your wish.

If punishment is required,

I accept it. Good.

The cat is Hong Ye's trusted aide.

Whether it's poor supervision

or secret instructions,

stealing offerings

makes his punishment justified.

Elders,

please

cast the lightning spell for punishment.

Come.

Swear to heaven.

I, Wang Hong,

swear to heaven

that upon leaving Demons' Valley,

I will definitely take these three children

safely back to their families.

As everything I've seen and heard in this valley,

I won't say a word

after leaving this place.

No.

I want you, after you return,

to tell my father everything you've seen

and experienced.

Tell him that demons are like humans,

there are good and bad among them.

Say that I hope Father

can be kind and benevolent

to reconcile and coexist with the demons.

To reconcile and coexist

with the demons.

If this oath is broken,

heaven's punishment will surely follow.

Oh, no.

I, Wang Hong, will definitely keep my oath!

My Lord!

My Lord!

Let me go!

My Lord.

My Lord.

My Lord!

No... No!

Stop!

This has nothing to do with His Lordship!

I ate the offering!

My Lord!

My Lord.

My Lord.

It's not a big deal.

Why are you crying so much?

I have my power to protect me.

I'm fine.

My Lord,

Heiwu clearly wanted to kill you.

If it had been me instead,

I would have been destroyed completely.

Where is Ning'an?

Where are those humans?

Tell me quickly.

My Lord,

don't trust the human race too much.

They...

Hong Ye.

Ning'an.

Does it hurt?

I'm fine.

You released those humans?

They're just children.

You're lying!

-She let the Feiyu Guard go— -Shut up.

Just tell me

where they are.

I just want to ask you one thing.

Answer me honestly.

Have you ever eaten humans?

I've fought against humans for thousands of years,

and indeed many human warriors

and sorcerers

have died by my hand.

But something as tasteless and vile as eating humans

is something I've never done.

Mm-hmm.

I believe what you say.

Those children and the Feiyu Guard,

I've hidden them at Chenxiang Sea.

Whether to release them or keep them—

I wanted to discuss it with you.

My Lord,

you absolutely cannot let humans

know the secrets of Demons' Valley.

If that happens,

they might plunder our treasures,

and at worst, countless lives might be lost.

For self-preservation,

demons would have to migrate elsewhere to survive.

Please think carefully!

Jump down.

Jump.

Demon King,

Your Highness,

I have already sworn an oath.

Please spare my life.

Return to the human realm

and keep your promise.

Children, come here.

Hug your shoulders

like me.

Close your eyes.

Count from 1 to 10 silently,

and then you can open your eyes.

My Lord,

the future of our demon race

now depends entirely on the humans.

It's far too dangerous.

If disaster strikes,

we'll all be beyond redemption.

I must return to the human realm now.

I'll meet with my father.

I'll tell him

that the Demon King has chosen to trust humans,

to temporarily cease hostilities.

It's now on humans to decide how we should respond.

Very well.

I'll escort you back.

My Lord.

What if Ning'an

doesn't return after this?

Ning'an will return.

I...

You...

You never listen to anything I say.

I give up!

Seriously!

What if my father detains me

and I can't escape?

Then I'll come rescue you.

What if I

am no longer in this world?

Why are you suddenly asking this?

I just want to know.

What if I

die?

Then I'll find you in your next life.

Hong Ye.

Promise me,

if,

when you find me again,

I have changed,

you and Princess Ning'an

will just be friends.

Just be friends.

Will you promise?

No.

Why not?

Because I love you.

Perhaps it's because of your kindness,

your purity,

and your loyalty.

You showed me a different kind of human realm.

You also allowed me to see

the future of our two races

I've never envisioned before.

But all of this is because

you

are you.

You've never spoken like this before.

Of course not.

I've never said such things to anyone.

You're the first

and will be the only one.

What if I

weren't Princess Ning'an?

I like you.

No matter what your name is,

what your status is,

whether you're human or spirit,

it doesn't matter.

I just don't know

if you feel the same way.

I do.

Coming back here,

it feels like it'd been forever.

Go back to your palace first

and get some good rest.

Whatever happens,

I'll face it with you.

Then I want you to stay with me until I fall asleep.

Leave after I'm asleep.

All right.

Don't move.

It's a small trick.

Your Majesty, Princess Ning'an has returned.

She entered Yong'an Palace with the Demon King.

She really came back with the Demon King.

It's absolutely true.

They've entered the array set by the Feiyu Guard.

By now,

they should be fighting already.

[Yong'an Palace]

It's you.

I thank Your Highness for saving my life.

After we kill the Demon King,

I will certainly report to His Majesty

that you led the Demon King into our trap.

You're full of lies!

I told you to tell my father the truth.

What did you say?

I reported truthfully.

I was simply careless

and fell into the trap of the cunning demons.

Fortunately, the princess saved me

and I escaped with my life.

Therefore,

all the more we should kill the Demon King

to redeem ourselves

and serve the royal family.

Hong Ye suffered lightning punishment

to save you.

How dare you be so ungrateful.

The princess just said

Hong Ye

has just endured lightning punishment

and his power is greatly diminished.

Feiyu Guard, hear my orders!

Whoever wounds Demon King Hong Ye

will be rewarded with gold.

Whoever kills Hong Ye

will be granted a title!

Activate the array!

I was going to let you all go,

but now I really want you dead.

I'm carrying Hong Ye's child.

If you kill him,

you're killing me too.

Feiyu Guards, you've all heard it.

[Yong'an Palace] The princess is entangled with demons

and blinded by demonic arts.

Now she's carrying a demon spawn.

If the princess is harmed,

it's considered loyalty in capturing demons.

Who dares to touch her?

Imperial decree!

Everyone stop!

[Yong'an Palace]

All you servants,

kneel down!

Kneel!

His Majesty's verbal decree:

Princess Ning'an and Demon King Hong Ye are summoned to the palace.

His Majesty also said,

to show his sincerity,

only I will escort

Your Highness and the Demon King to the royal study.

Step aside now!

[Yong'an Palace]

Your Highness,

Demon King,

this way, please.

Your Highness and Demon King, please wait here.

Ning'an.

Ning'an.

You've finally returned.

Are you...

injured?

Were you frightened just now?

I will punish those Feiyu Guards at once!

I am...

fine, Father.

Thank you for your concern.

Rise, please rise.

That's good.

That's good.

During these days when you were away,

I worried about you every day.

Meeting for the first time,

I must seem foolish to the Demon King.

Leave now.

Without my permission,

no one is to enter.

The Demon King and I have important matters to discuss.

You may go.

Yes, Your Majesty.

You may leave.

I have

no spiritual power

and no magical techniques.

If the Demon King wishes to kill me now,

it would be effortless.

If killing me could bring peace to the world,

I implore the Demon King

to do so immediately.

Didn't you say you had matters to discuss?

What is it?

If the Demon King has no intention of killing me,

then let's put aside our guards

and work together for peace between our races.

I've heard that the Demon King

has feelings for my princess.

Is that true?

Yes.

You have great taste.

My Ning'an is wonderful.

However, in the past, I've had

many regrettable circumstances

and couldn't protect her properly.

It seems that Ning'an

will suffer less in the future.

As your father, I owe you an apology.

Since you were born,

I've rarely visited you.

First,

I feared that remembering your mother

would break my heart.

Second, everyone at court

had their eyes on you.

By staying away,

I was actually protecting you.

Come,

I'll take you to see your mother.

This is your mother.

Back then,

I was still a prince.

I first met your mother

at an academy.

She was standing in the corridor,

playing with a parrot,

teaching it to speak.

With just one glance,

I couldn't take my eyes off her.

After that,

I often went to the academy

to meet your mother.

As time went by,

we promised to grow old together.

I brought your mother

into my residence.

But I gradually discovered

your mother

not only talked to parrots,

but also frequently with cats and dogs,

and even with the fish in our home.

The servants

often saw these animals

communicating with your mother.

She often said

all things have spirits,

and that demons

are manifestations of natural power.

Until one day,

I saw with my own eyes

that your mother's blood

could attract animals from miles around.

It was then I had to accept the fact

that she was a demon.

A human prince's

love affair with a demon

was not accepted in this world.

For me to ascend the throne smoothly,

your mother

moved out of the palace

to live in a separate residence.

After giving birth to you,

she died from complications.

I didn't want to see Ning'an living away from me,

but the entire court said she was ill-fated

and must be killed.

I promised them

that when Ning'an came of age,

she would be married off to a frontier kingdom.

Only then was I able to keep her in the palace.

Now my daughter

has fallen in love with the Demon King,

it must be fate.

But I don't want the tragedy I experienced

to repeat itself with you two.

Therefore,

I hope you

can openly marry Ning'an.

Demon King,

are you willing?

Of course I am.

Good.

The Demon King

marrying a human princess means

the harmony between our races

will begin

with our royal families.

Isn't this better than

you trying so hard

to gradually heal the divide?

Father, you knew our plan?

It is also exactly what I have in mind.

However,

I have one more request.

I'd like to hear it.

I hope

you can find

the ancient Kunlun Mirror.