Chapter 87: A Request
The Demon Lord was stunned when Luo Nianshang had offered to take her on as a disciple. Her plan had worked surprisingly well.
But she already had a disciple identity, and using a body double would increase the risk of being exposed. She spent the entire journey trying to figure out how to decline the offer.
Luo Nianshang, however, wasn’t in a hurry to return to the Ejian Sect. She changed direction, heading towards the Demon Realm.
The Demon Lord was confused. She was nestled in Luo Nianshang’s arms, close enough to hear her heartbeat, its rhythm strangely soothing, drawing her closer.
Luo Nianshang, assuming she was afraid, said gently, “Don’t worry. You’re safe with me.”
They were surrounded by clouds. The Demon Lord had no idea where they were. She nodded, her grip tightening on Luo Nianshang’s robe, feeling Luo Nianshang’s body stiffen slightly.
She stared at the bell Luo Nianshang had given her, her heart filled with a strange warmth. Having a child’s body was convenient. She could ask anything without arousing suspicion.
She shook the bell, her voice sweet. “Big Sister?”
“Call me Master.”
“Master, where are we going?”
They were going to the Demon Palace to see the Demon Lord. Luo Nianshang wasn’t sure where the Demon Lord was, but she had left in a hurry, and there were important details about the unbinding process that she hadn’t had a chance to explain. Delaying the process could be dangerous.
Although the righteous and demon realms were enemies, Luo Nianshang, at her level of cultivation, could go anywhere she pleased. The Demon Palace’s barriers, however, were troublesome.
She sighed. She had once viewed the Demon Lord with hostility, then she had believed the Demon Lord could be redeemed. Her hostility had lessened. And then, they had somehow become entangled.
Now, she felt a strange awkwardness around the Demon Lord.
Seeing that Luo Nianshang hadn’t answered, the Demon Lord called out again, her voice soft. “Master?”
Luo Nianshang, snapping out of her thoughts, looked down at the child in her arms, her gaze meeting the girl’s innocent eyes.
She suddenly felt a pang of envy. Her own childhood hadn’t been ideal, but her masters had protected her. She had been carefree. It was only after she had faced the world alone that she had realized the true extent of its darkness.
But she was a master now. Perhaps she could do better than her own masters.
Her mood lifted, and a smile curved her lips, then vanished as quickly as it had appeared. “We’re going to the Demon Realm to see a sister,” she said, her voice resuming its usual calmness.
She had chosen the word “sister” to describe the Demon Lord.
But the Demon Lord wasn’t pleased. She was jealous. “Is she pretty?” she asked, her voice childish, her expression innocent, her true intentions hidden.
Luo Nianshang paused, her mind conjuring up an image of the Demon Lord. Her beauty was as vibrant and alluring as her favorite red robes, especially her eyes, shimmering like pools of water, their depths seemingly filled with emotion, yet ultimately cold and empty.
A memory of that night surfaced, unbidden: the Demon Lord’s face, her eyes closed, her lashes fluttering.
Her breath hitched, and she quickly chanted a calming mantra, suppressing the unwelcome desire that stirred within her. “She’s beautiful,” she said, her voice regaining its usual calmness.
The Demon Lord’s jealousy intensified. She had somehow forgotten that she was the “beautiful sister.” She was convinced that Luo Nianshang had fallen for a demon cultivator.
It was an absurd thought. The Sword Saint was renowned for her aloofness, her unwavering commitment to righteousness.
But that night, Luo Nianshang had been so… passionate, so skilled. The Demon Lord couldn’t help but overthink.
She wanted to bite Luo Nianshang, but that would be strange. She suppressed her anger, her heart filled with a bitter resentment.
She took a deep breath, forcing a smile, her voice laced with a hint of malice. “I want to see how beautiful this sister is,” she said.
Her words sounded strange, and Luo Nianshang, her brow furrowed, asked, “What?”
The Demon Lord, realizing her mistake, quickly recovered, her expression innocent. “She’s definitely not as beautiful as Master,” she said, her voice sweet. “You’re the most beautiful person I’ve ever seen.”
Beauty was Luo Nianshang’s least valuable trait, but she couldn’t help but chuckle at the child’s strange competitive spirit.
She had never tried to flatter her own masters. She suddenly felt a pang of regret.
She patted the girl’s head, her mood turning somber. She longed to master that resurrection technique, to tell her masters that she had become a powerful cultivator, capable of protecting others.
To tell them that she had always missed them.
She imagined their faces, their eyes filled with pride as they said, “You’ve done well.”
The Demon Lord, sensing Luo Nianshang’s sadness, her own jealousy momentarily forgotten, asked, “What’s wrong, Master?”
The clouds beneath them darkened. It wasn’t a storm. They had entered the Demon Realm.
Luo Nianshang, staring at the scenery below, her voice flat, said, “Nothing.”
The clouds thinned as they flew deeper into the Demon Realm, and the Demon Lord could now see the ground clearly.
Mo Li had been managing the Demon Realm in her absence. Although the left envoy’s mind seemed to be a bit… unusual, her abilities were exceptional. The Demon Realm had recovered quickly from the rebellion.
But why was Luo Nianshang heading towards the Demon Palace?
“Damn it,” she thought. “Who dared to seduce the Sword Saint behind my back?!”
She focused her will, using the pearl she had given Mo Li to contact her.
Mo Li was buried in paperwork, the stacks of scrolls and jade slips taller than her. If they fell, she would be buried alive.
She was currently frowning at a jade slip. It contained a report about a rebellious demon general, Zhao Yudeng, who had escaped from prison. His current whereabouts were unknown.
Zhao Yudeng had a history. She had been a servant to the previous Demon Lord, then, after the Demon Lord’s death, she had served the city lord of Suzhou. When the current Demon Lord had ascended to the throne, Zhao Yudeng had resigned and returned to the Demon Palace.
When the city lord of Suzhou had joined the rebellion, she had acted as an inside agent, her knowledge of the Demon Palace’s defenses a serious threat.
Just as Mo Li was about to write her response, the pearl in her pocket grew hot. The Demon Lord’s voice reached her ears.
“Mo Li, disable the palace defenses and prepare to welcome the Sword Saint,” the Demon Lord ordered. “And capture the person the Sword Saint is looking for.”
Mo Li’s body stiffened. Why was the Sword Saint coming here? And why was she looking for someone? Did the Ejian Sect have a spy within the Demon Palace?
“Yes, Your Excellency!” she replied, her voice firm.
A moment later, the Demon Lord’s voice returned. “And prepare the formation,” she said. “We’ll execute the plan once the Sword Saint arrives.”
Mo Li hesitated. “Your Excellency,” she said, her voice hesitant, “why don’t you simply claim the destiny for yourself?”
“Are you questioning me?”
Mo Li quickly lowered her head. “I understand, Your Excellency,” she said, her voice filled with a forced obedience.
The pearl fell silent.
Mo Li, suppressing her anxiety, left her room, heading towards the Demon Palace’s dungeon.
It was a dark and oppressive place, its walls not only blocking out the sunlight, but also shielding its occupants from the heavens’ gaze.
This method, provided by the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion to Su Yunluo, had fallen into the Demon Lord’s hands after the rebellion had ended.
The Heavenly Secrets Pavilion might not be as powerful as the now-defunct Xuan Tian Sect, but it was the closest thing to it.
The Xuan Tian Sect, millennia ago, had achieved the impossible: they had slain a god. But the sect had been destroyed, corrupted by the god’s dying aura, transforming into a sea of flowers.
Mo Li hadn’t known this. She had learned it from the secret correspondence between the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion and Su Yunluo.
The first leader of the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion had stumbled upon the ruins of the Xuan Tian Sect, inheriting the legacy of its founder. The Heavenly Secrets Pavilion, seeking to emulate the Xuan Tian Sect’s power, had sought to manipulate destiny.
Unfortunately, the current leader was a weak and indulgent fool, easily manipulated by Su Yunluo.
Ouyang Ba, subjected to relentless torture, had become numb to the pain. He had initially dreamed of escaping and inflicting even greater suffering upon his tormentors, especially Qiu Yingxi.
But it was futile. If it hadn’t been for the powerful demon cultivator sharing his burden, he would have died from the pain. He had abandoned all thoughts of revenge.
Mo Li peered through the small, square window in the cell door, her gaze cold and calculating, like a butcher assessing a lamb.
A wisp of black smoke emerged from Ouyang Ba’s body, its color faint. It would dissipate after one more use.
This was the first demon cultivator he had encountered since his imprisonment. The demon, his voice filled with a desperate hope, shouted, “You’re a demon cultivator, aren’t you? Bring the Demon Lord to me! I’m the previous Demon Lord’s master! You can’t do this to me!”
Mo Li, finding him annoying, cleaned her ear with a finger. “I don’t care about the previous Demon Lords,” she said. “I only serve the current one.”
The demon, his frustration growing, didn’t want to endure this torture any longer. If he didn’t escape soon, his soul would be shattered.
He couldn’t accept this fate. He had tried everything to escape, but it had been futile.
But there was one more option. He stared at Mo Li through the window, his voice low and seductive. “Open the door,” he whispered. “Let me out.”
Mo Li’s eyes glazed over, her body swaying slightly. “Open the door,” she repeated, her voice a monotone.
The demon, his heart filled with triumph, whispered again, “Hurry.”
Mo Li placed her hand on the barrier protecting the cell door, her demonic energy flowing, dismantling it.
The demon grinned, then glanced at Ouyang Ba, who had clearly lost his mind. He was going to escape alone.
But he noticed that Ouyang Ba was staring at something behind him. He turned to see Mo Li, her eyes now clear, her expression cold.
“This is impossible!” he exclaimed, his voice filled with disbelief and despair.
Mo Li chuckled. “You think you’re the only one who can control minds?” she asked, her voice laced with a mocking amusement.
The Demon Lord only wanted that mortal’s destiny. This demon was expendable.
Her eyes narrowed. “Kill yourself,” she said, her voice devoid of emotion.
The demon, to his horror, felt his body obeying, his form dissolving. “No!” he screamed, his voice a desperate wail.
Mo Li, watching him vanish, removed her mask, holding it to her chest, her eyes closed. “May you find peace,” she whispered.
Then, she turned to Ouyang Ba, who was the only one left, her smile cold and cruel.
Ouyang Ba could see her beautiful face, but he felt no desire, only fear. He backed away, his back pressed against the wall, then he burst into laughter, his mind clearly broken.
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