Lord Yunshan’s sword strike repelled the demon army’s assault—or perhaps, the demon clan was merely probing. Their true objective was a diversion to draw the tiger away from the mountain, giving Painted Skin the chance to take Chang Yao.
Chimei, one of the six demon generals, had the form of a three-year-old child with jet-black hair and skin that was dark yet flushed red. Her sharp claws gripped a broad-faced longblade taller than herself, her eyes red with slaughter.
Chimei could not speak human tongue; her mouth only emitted babbling sounds. Though babyish, it was not cute or lively but cold and eerie. Those with low cultivation would feel dizzy and lose their will to fight just by hearing her voice.
The demon army was held back below, unable to ascend. Chimei, charging at the very front, wished to strike down Song Jixue, but it was a fool's errand. When the child demon let out a piercing scream upon being struck, her twin brother Wangliang finally extended a helping hand, catching Chimei as she was knocked from the sky and pulling back to create distance from Song Jixue.
Both possessed the forms of three-year-old children, yet they were great demon generals who made cultivators tremble with fear.
Wangliang, dressed in a white robe, led Chimei in a retreat. He looked at the Lord of Wushan and the others arriving as reinforcements and snorted: "We have already taken the person. We won’t play with you old men any longer today."
"Withdraw!"
With a wave of Wangliang’s sleeve, a massive amount of toxic mist dispersed, covering the rapid retreat of the demon army.
"Stop them!" the Lord of Wushan said deeply. "Is my Kunlun a place where these beasts can come and go as they please?"
Song Jixue was about to move when he received a message from the Shangyun Peak messenger bird: "The Mistress is gone!"
This news caused the expressions of the Mountain Lords and Peak Masters present to vary. Some seemed to have expected it, others found it hard to believe, but most looked immediately to Song Jixue, waiting in silent accord for his reaction.
Song Jixue appeared incredibly calm, showing no panic at all. He sheathed his sword and walked back, saying only one thing as he passed the Jiuping Peak Master: "Stop them."
On the way back to Shangyun Peak, Song Jixue heard the full account. The mountain patrol had found a maid unconscious in the apricot forest. After waking, the maid informed them that the Mistress had vanished, and the surrounding area was littered with demon traces and wreckage.
The Peak Master on guard immediately informed Song Jixue.
Song Jixue arrived quickly.
The maid was still in the apricot forest. Peak Master Zhao was dispelling the residual demonic aura within her; a body becomes extremely weak after being possessed by a Painted Skin Demon. Her face was deathly pale as she looked at Song Jixue, who arrived on his sword, and said in a trembling voice: "Sect Leader..."
Song Jixue’s expression was neutral. His gaze swept over the broken apricot trees before finally landing on an outer robe lying on the steps.
He stepped forward and bent down to pick it up. The garment was icy; the warmth left by its owner had long since vanished.
There was more than one Painted Skin Demon in the forest, yet the Lingxi Sword Array had not been triggered. Had it been, he would have sensed it even while at Wushan.
This meant the demons had taken Chang Yao without a struggle.
But why would Chang Yao go with the demon clan? She knew very well that as long as the sword array was triggered, Song Jixue would arrive instantly. Even if the Demon Emperor himself were there, he could not take her away in front of him.
There was only one reason the demon clan succeeded in taking her: Chang Yao went voluntarily.
Song Jixue frowned slightly, but as he put on the robe and turned around, he suppressed all emotion.
The maid knelt and said: "It was my fault for not—"
"Watch Kunlun. I will go intercept them." Song Jixue did not finish listening. After giving Peak Master Zhao the order to guard Yunshan, he vanished, leaving only an afterimage.
Not far from Kunlun, Chang Yao saw a black-and-gold Luan carriage parked under the moonlight. Its six massive wings were large enough to blot out the sun. A Three-Headed Phoenix, in the form of a ghost horse, pulled the carriage. Its high-held heads each had a single eye, which bowed respectfully toward the approaching Fu Jin.
Behind the Phoenix Ghost Carriage stood a giant gate constructed of bleached white bones.
Enter this gate, enter the Demon Realm.
Chang Yao boarded the carriage without looking back. As the gate opened and closed, the ghost carriage set off, tracing a dazzling line of fire across the sky, crossing the clouds into another world.
Among the eighteen provinces of the Demon Realm, Jiufu Province was the foremost and the primary territory of the Demon Emperor. The carriage took her directly to the palace in the city, passing through magnificent halls and stopping at the highest point of a water pavilion.
Inside the grand hall, layers of red silk veils danced and swayed in the wind. The Demon Realm and the human world have inverted day and night; here, the light was currently scorching, casting shadows through the gauze like ghosts. In the deepest part, behind the veils, sat a seated figure. A maid stood beside him, gently fanning him, while two others served wine at the table.
Chang Yao pushed aside the swaying veils and walked forward, stopping at a position where she could just see the Demon Emperor’s silhouette.
Tonight, the Demon Emperor had not gone to Kunlun; he had been in Jiufu Province the entire time.
"Lord of Wujiu, it has been a long time." The Demon Emperor’s voice was gentle and refined, like a spring breeze. As he spoke, he used demonic power to send a cup of wine from the table to float in front of Chang Yao, waiting for her to take it.
The jade cup held shimmering wine, appearing quite inviting. Chang Yao lowered her eyes to look at it but did not take it. Her gaze swept past Fu Jin, who was leaning against the hall door in a cold, arrogant stance with his arms crossed. He didn't speak or leave; his attitude was hard to read.
It was as if he were suppressing her, yet also suppressing the Demon Emperor.
"If there is urgent business, speak plainly," Chang Yao said, looking back at the Demon Emperor with a slight smile. "I am in a hurry to go back."
The Demon Emperor showed no anger, still smiling warmly, his words tinged with regret: "This matter is indeed somewhat urgent. If we cannot reach an agreement, I'm afraid I cannot let you return too soon."
Chang Yao raised an eyebrow: "If you want to attack the human world, then attack. What does that have to do with me?"
The Demon Emperor nodded slightly, his tone unhurried: "It actually does have something to do with you. Kunlun is the first stumbling block in my conquest of the human world. The Yunshan Sect Leader, Song Jixue—your husband—is one of the few who has reached the Lifeline Tribulation. He is more troublesome than the others because his heart-sword manifestation can cover all of Kunlun. As long as he is there, my demon army cannot advance a single step."
Not only that, Song Jixue was the bane of many great demons. Dealing with him alone would cost half of the demon generals; to the Demon Emperor, the loss would be too great, and victory was not guaranteed. He was a very difficult character to handle.
If the human world was to be conquered smoothly, Song Jixue had to die.
Hearing this, Chang Yao had already guessed the Demon Emperor’s intent, and she felt somewhat surprised. She asked with a subtle expression: "You want me to kill Song Jixue?"
"Lord Yunshan loves his wife deeply; this is well-known even in the Demon Realm." The Demon Emperor’s words held a hint of playfulness. "In terms of both strength and identity, you are the most suitable, and it would be the easiest, would it not?"
Chang Yao laughed: "Wujiu Mountain is not under the Demon Emperor’s jurisdiction. I am not obligated to follow your orders."
"Wujiu Mountain’s independence was fought for by your mother. She is no longer here, but I am still alive." The Demon Emperor returned the smile. "Killing Song Jixue benefits us in a hundred ways and harms us in none. Moreover, this is not an order, but a transaction."
"I am here for Kunlun’s spiritual power—" Chang Yao began, but the Demon Emperor cut her off.
"A transaction, by definition, provides what you want. The spiritual power of the Kunlun Sacred Mountain is indeed excellent. If we take the human world, Yunshan shall be yours. From then on, you will never have to worry about exposing your identity, living as a demon, free and unfettered."
Chang Yao said arrogantly: "And what if you cannot take the human world?"
"Trust me, this is an excellent deal. No matter what, you will not lose," the Demon Emperor said. "Before the human world is taken, the Descending God Void Sea—the place with the most spiritual power in the Demon Realm—can be opened for you. Its power is enough to rival the Kunlun Sacred Mountain."
Chang Yao blinked and did not argue. If it were strictly a transaction, it was indeed a guaranteed profit.
"How about it?" the Demon Emperor’s voice was like a balmy spring breeze, steady and without ripples. "Under such conditions, I imagine you would not refuse—unless these three years of life as a loving couple have made you fall for Lord Yunshan, making you reluctant to kill him."
Hearing this, Fu Jin, who was leaning by the door, looked up at Chang Yao. This sister he hadn't seen for a long time appeared composed. Only when she looked at the Demon Emperor did a trace of mockery appear in her beautiful eyes: "You intentionally had Yan Zibian pass false information about a traitor to Kunlun, pushing me to the front to be suspected. Tonight, you used the fact that I am a demon to make me leave Kunlun voluntarily. You call it a transaction, but it feels more like a threat."
The Demon Emperor looked at her admiringly: "Qingqing, being a mere Sect Leader’s wife of Yunshan is truly a waste of your talents."
He used a name that no one had called her for a very long time.
Chang Yao knew well that the Demon Emperor was not as kind as he appeared. He was the one who would never suffer a loss. If she agreed to kill Song Jixue, she would remove a major threat for him and effectively join his faction, helping him solidify his foundation in the Demon Realm.
If she didn't agree, even if the Demon Emperor couldn't kill her, he could restrict her, using her as bait to lure Song Jixue into a trap. He could also use her identity as a demon and a mole to disgrace Song Jixue in the cultivation world. It truly was a hundred benefits and zero harms.
Seeing Chang Yao remain silent, the Demon Emperor added: "This is a move of necessity. After all, you and your brother are not close; as an elder brother, he didn't even know his sister was married, making it difficult for Fu Jin to gauge your intentions first. Furthermore, before you were married, you said you had no feelings for Song Jixue—but after three years, who knows if that has changed?"
"Matters of the heart are the most unpredictable."
Chang Yao reached out toward the cup of wine floating before her, but she did not catch it. Instead, she flicked it back toward the Demon Emperor’s table.
"It hasn't changed. But I also do not like being threatened into doing things," she said calmly.
The Demon Emperor chuckled: "Very well. If you are reluctant to kill him, turning him into a waste is also acceptable."
He sighed helplessly, as if making a great concession: "Qingqing, you must choose one of the two. Even if you return to Kunlun, Song Jixue will have grown suspicious of you. No matter how deep his affection, he is still the Sect Leader of Yunshan and the supreme of the cultivation world. Carrying such heavy responsibility, he will not remain indifferent to a human catastrophe, nor will he harbor lingering feelings for a demon."
Chang Yao tucked her hands into her sleeves, her eyes curving: "I don't particularly care about lingering feelings."
A small golden phoenix bird chirped and landed on Fu Jin’s fingertip. He raised an eyebrow and said: "Chimei and Wangliang have been trapped by Song Jixue at Kunlun."
The Demon Emperor shook his head. He stood up and waved his sleeve; a circle of incantations appeared beneath Chang Yao’s feet, and four nearly transparent black walls trapped her within. Chang Yao looked up as the Demon Emperor said with deep meaning: "I hope that when I return, you can give me a satisfactory answer."
This "Four-Seasons Trap Array" made Chang Yao daze slightly. Looking down at the black iron chains on her wrists, she was suddenly reminded of things from long ago.
Her mother was a great demon of unique bloodline, extremely powerful and obsessed with pursuing higher realms and cultivation. Her goal in life was ascension. This great demon had no tribe; she was a lone, ruthless soul.
In the chaotic state of the Demon Realm back then, she carved out a path, occupying Wujiu Mountain—the largest and wealthiest in the southwest. Independent of the Demon Emperor’s rule, it became one of the lawless powers in the Demon Realm.
To further her cultivation, she had once cultivated with the Lord of the Phoenix Clan, unexpectedly giving birth to a son—Fu Jin, the current Phoenix Young Master. Later, while undergoing a love tribulation, her partner was of the Fox Clan, resulting in a second son.
But neither of these sons inherited her bloodline.
It was not until she married a mortal to repay a debt that she gave birth to a daughter who inherited her bloodline—a half-demon.
The entanglements of her parents' generation were difficult to summarize.
Chang Yao had lived at Wujiu Mountain since her earliest memories. Bamboo houses, long corridors, and waterwheels. The demon flowers that only bloomed at dusk always stained the world red, yet there was always a figure in white standing amidst that blood-red, diligently practicing the sword and forming seals.
Her father was a white-clad sword cultivator.
As a child, Chang Yao was very attached to her father because her mother was rarely seen, often out fighting and killing. When her mother returned and found her running around the mountain, she would wave her sleeve to trap her in a Four-Seasons Trap Array and then pinch her cheeks while scolding her and supervising her cultivation.
Only her father was always there, yet he was barred behind a barrier in the world beyond the waterwheel. She could only crouch by the barrier and watch secretly. The waterwheel turned slowly, but her father was unwilling to come over. Occasionally, when their eyes met and the child called out to him in a babyish voice, the man would frown and turn his face away.
Once, when Chang Yao was playing by the waterwheel barrier again, watching him cultivate and secretly trying to learn his seals, she was lifted by the back of her collar by a beautiful woman in a red dress. A jade-white finger pressed lightly against her lips as the woman’s red lips curled into a half-smile: "Your daddy doesn't like demons learning his techniques. He’ll be angry if he finds out."
Chang Yao obediently raised her hands in surrender.
The man inside the barrier looked at the two with cold eyes.
Chang Yao asked her mother: "Why does Daddy never talk to me?"
"Because he forgot," her mother said nonchalantly while tidying her hair. "He will talk to you once he remembers everything."
The father staying at Wujiu Mountain had amnesia.
On the day he regained his memory, the barrier behind the waterwheel broke—slashed open by her father’s sword. He walked toward Chang Yao for the first time, but he did not stop. The girl felt the killing intent he left as he passed, filling her with terror.
Her father formed a seal and pointed a sword array at her. It resembled the Lingxi Sword Array but consisted of ninety-eight swords, encircling her in layers. They were entirely black and filled with a violent aura. The killing intent within left Chang Yao helpless. In the next instant, her mother arrived from the void, waving her sleeve to envelop her in a Four-Seasons Trap Array.
The sword array and the incantation array balanced each other.
Her mother looked at her father, her voice playful: "What, you can even lay a hand on your own daughter?"
The man remained silent, but the veins on the hand holding his sword bulged.
That day, nearly half of Wujiu Mountain was destroyed. Those two were too powerful; both sides used their full strength without holding back, eventually perishing together.
It was said her father remembered that her mother had destroyed his sect and killed his masters, friends, and family. He held a blood feud with her that could only end in death.
The strongest demon of Wujiu Mountain died, passing away in the arms of the white-clad sword cultivator. No bones remained, no spiritual breath survived; they turned to ash.
Chang Yao watched over her father’s remains for an entire night. The next day, the Lord of the Phoenix Clan arrived. He coldly called them fools and was about to erase the sword cultivator’s remains, but he stopped because of the little girl’s devastating sobs. He left in disgust.
In the end, Chang Yao buried the white-clad sword cultivator at Wujiu Mountain while she cried.
The Fox Clan also came to visit. After paying respects to the dead demon with their young master, they returned home; no one wanted to care for this little half-demon of Wujiu Mountain. The young master of the Fox Clan had the heart but lacked the strength, and could only secretly vow to take care of his sister once he grew stronger.
There was severe discrimination against half-demons.
With no father or mother, Chang Yao had to work hard to survive on her own, leading to her obsessive pursuit of power.
The Demon Emperor returned before long, followed by the wounded Chimei and Wangliang. His goal had been clear: only to withdraw his people, without getting into a prolonged fight with Song Jixue.
He still stood behind the red curtains, his tone toward Chang Yao still unchangingly gentle: "How has the Lord of Wujiu considered it?"
Chang Yao shifted her gaze from the Four-Seasons Trap Array and let it rest dismissively on the Demon Emperor.
The Demon Emperor had a premonition that the proud Lord of Wujiu would not compromise. Thus, before Chang Yao could refuse, he added: "I heard you have been inquiring about your father’s sect. I happen to know something."
Chang Yao froze.
Seeing this, Fu Jin already knew her answer. He couldn't be bothered to watch further, stood up, and left.
The Demon Emperor asked with a smile: "Well?"
"One of the two." Chang Yao rattled the chains on her hands, producing a crisp sound. "I choose his death."
If Song Jixue were turned into a waste, it would be a fate worse than death.
The Demon Emperor raised his head in satisfaction, dismissed the trap array, and smiled: "Returning now outside of Kunlun would be best. He will find you very soon."
Chang Yao walked straight out. As she passed the main gate, she raised her hand to smooth her hair. Demonic energy swirled at her fingertips. Behind her, the Demon Emperor’s expression changed slightly; he immediately grabbed the wounded Chimei and Wangliang and vanished. In the next moment, the magnificent palace collapsed amidst the sound of screaming demonic energy.
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