Chapter 35

Jade Mountain.

Desire Immortal Platform.

In the hall with three sides facing the wind, light gauze fluttered, and the colorful beaded curtains collided in the wind, producing a crisp sound of jewels clashing.

In the corner, a thousand-branch candlestick burned with the size of a bean, flickering in the wind, about to extinguish.

The Boshan furnace released a faint fragrance.

The jade-faced spider’s complexion was as pale as snow, large beads of sweat dripping from his brow. He stared at the wrist he had personally severed. In the jade plate, a female spider was devouring his right hand, making satisfying, slurping sounds.

The female spider, nourished by the flesh and blood, now had enough strength to control the offspring spiders far away, a thousand miles away.

The gray eye reflected the scene a thousand miles away, finally freezing on the moment when the silver-haired woman shouted “Xiang Li Shen” and “Boundless Sea.”

…Bitch!

This bitch!! When did she overhear it?!

His plan should have been flawless!

But at the moment of his death, she had to ruin his well-planned strategy… Why couldn’t such a filthy, despicable waste just die cleanly?!

The spider’s limbs suddenly lashed out at the candlestick in the corner of the hall. Oil spilled everywhere, and the flames immediately erupted into a blaze.

The demon servants and ghost attendants in the hall, who had heard the noise, rushed over to extinguish the fire, only to be pulled into the burning oil by the spider’s limbs. The unbearable scent of their scorched skin quickly overwhelmed the fragrance from the Boshan furnace.

Accompanied by the shrill screams, the air was thick with the scent of death, enveloping the entire Desire Immortal Platform.

Footsteps echoed from the inner hall.

On the sedan carried by six men, the youthful-faced Jiufang Xinglan leaned against the four-legged stool, unbothered by the flames and screams within the hall. He spoke in a calm voice:

“I’ve received the news from Xianchi.”

The jade-faced spider’s face, flushed with anger, turned pale.

“Who was it that vowed they could incite public outrage in Jiuyou against Yinshan Liuyu? That’s why we secretly transported the Wuliang Sea to Yushan. But now you’ve messed this up—how can we trust you to eliminate the trusted followers around the demon Mo Lin during the upcoming Ghost Play Immortal Tour Festival?”

Upon hearing Jiufang Xinglan’s words, the jade-faced spider let out a cold laugh:

“Don’t trust me? Then how are you going to control Mo Lin?”

“Don’t trust me? You immortal clans—who among you would dare to step forward and face Mo Lin’s Wuliang Ghost Fire?”

Jiufang Xinglan, sitting high on the sedan, looked down on him.

The youthful face of the boy broke into a faint yet cruel smile.

“Since you know this is your only value, then don’t make such mistakes again. Though Yinshan Liuyu doesn’t know what Wuliang Sea is, to avoid suspicion, the Xiangli clan won’t supply you with any more Wuliang Sea. As for the Ghost Play Immortal Tour Festival in a few days, you better pray. If you fail, don’t bother coming to see us.”

The limbs behind him creaked with humiliation, but Jiufang Xinglan acted as though he didn’t see it, brushing off his robes in disgust.

The boy’s clear voice muttered:

“What incense? It can’t cover the stench of the demons in this room.”

The jade-faced spider watched as the sedan left.

A severed wrist, dripping with blood, was outlined by fine spider silk into a fake hand.

He stared at Jiufang Xinglan, like a trapped beast staring at its prey.

That night, the Xianchi Ghost Dao Academy was under tight security, with the patrolling night demon squads doubled.

Demons holding phosphorous fire lamps ensured no one could enter or leave the academy. The only sounds were the hot night winds passing through the dense forest and rustling the crimson lanterns at the eaves.

Inside the Nuo God Temple, candlelight illuminated the Nuo God statue on the altar, its fierce face glaring. The statue was surrounded on all sides by the gathered crowd.

There was a sound of chains rattling, and a ghost woman glanced outside the window, whispering to Chaoyuan:

“—Do we really need to keep him like this? I mean, does he have to be hung upside down?”

In the courtyard of the Ghost Dao Academy, Chaoming was hung beneath the central pagoda tree. In this state, he still thought of breaking free from the chains and heading to Yushan to kill the jade-faced spider.

Chaoyuan nodded seriously: “Being hung upside down, the blood rushes to the brain, making you smarter.”

“……”

The ghost woman seemed doubtful.

Sitting beneath the angry-faced Nuo God statue, Liuyu surveyed the surroundings.

Those who could sit here were all her and Mo Lin’s trusted subordinates.

On her side were Chaoyuan and three female attendants, while Mo Lin’s side had selected four Nuo gods—Shanxiao, Guiyu, Lanzhu, and Baipingting—and out of caution, Mo Lin hadn’t called upon another demon named Miguang.

“You should have all heard what happened on Xianchi Street today.”

Mo Lin sat with one leg extended, his hand resting on his forehead, looking rather displeased.

“I want to know how Ah Jiao managed to appear on Xianchi Street despite the layers of security at the Ghost Dao Academy.”

Lanzhu stepped forward: “I’ve looked into it. Ah Jiao was first disguised by a puppet-faced spider and took on the appearance of one of the academy’s administrators. This administrator holds considerable power within the academy, so the guards didn’t check her badge and allowed her to leave.”

“…I remember there are strict rules for entering and leaving the Ghost Dao Academy.”

“The rules apply to the lower-ranked people. These administrators often forget to carry their badges, and the guards wouldn’t dare to make things difficult for them.”

“Tomorrow, go find the administrator who helped Ah Jiao with the disguise, break two of his fingers, and give him a small punishment as a warning.”

The jade-faced spider must have chosen to disguise herself as this person because she had investigated the academy’s personnel and knew that this face would be foolproof.

The Ghost Dao Academy was a critical line of defense against the plague demons. If they were this lax, how could the people in the city be safe?

Lanzhu agreed.

Candlelight reflected off Liuyu’s scroll.

The scroll contained the information she had received after contacting the immortal city of Yujing upon her return to the Ghost Dao Academy.

“…Ah Jiao’s mention of Xiangli Shen is the ninth in line in the Xiangli clan. He settled in the Easternmost Dragon Duì City, which is one of the demon fortresses near the demon-ghost border. Xiangli Shen has twelve daughters, and his eleventh daughter is Jiufang Xinglan’s fiancée.”

This all tied together.

Liuyu raised her tired eyes and spoke clearly:

“Ah Jiao’s mention of the ‘Wuliang Sea’ refers to a poison that can temporarily expand a cultivator’s Qi Sea. Even cultivators at the third or fourth level can leap to the seventh or eighth level in power. Of course, they’re not as powerful as true seventh or eighth level cultivators, but they would have no trouble dealing with those one level lower.”

Shanxiao was puzzled: “It’s so powerful—how is it called poison? It should be a great tonic for immortals.”

“Because this method of improving cultivation comes at the cost of the cultivator’s own life.”

Liuyu held up two fingers.

“If used to the fullest, within an hour, these cultivators will die from Qi Sea depletion—demons are the same.”

A single poison, a life, in exchange for an hour of a top-tier expert.

Is it worth it?

It may not be worth it for the person taking the poison, but for those at the top who have no shortage of resources, this is undoubtedly a field worth researching.

Thus, Xiangli Shen spent his life studying how to reduce the cost of the Wuliang Sea and how to slow the death of cultivators, making them more useful for a longer time.

Mo Lin’s gaze swept over the four demons present.

He spoke softly, pointing out the key:

“On the day of the Ghost Play Immortal Tour Festival, this is the kind of enemy you’ll face.”

The ghost girl, who had been leaning on her hand and listening in confusion, suddenly straightened up.

Bai Pingting lightly exhaled, her expression stern:

“A medicine like the Infinite Sea will certainly be extremely expensive, so there won’t be much to give to the Jade-faced Spider. They don’t need to eliminate all twelve of the Taoist gods; as long as they deal with the four of us in the highest positions, the most trusted, and take control of the Nine Underworld’s key points, they can then slowly divide the remaining demons.”

The ghost girl thought for a long time and then looked at Liuyu:

“As long as we can hold out for that one hour, won’t the situation improve?”

Liuyu lightly touched the jade hairpin on her fingertip—ever since returning from Xianchi Street, she had been absentmindedly turning it over, and Zhi Yuan knew that this was the usual gesture she made when under a lot of pressure.

“That’s right.”

Liuyu slightly lowered her head, the candlelight reflecting on the pale skin at the back of her neck, the delicate skin covering her spine.

“As long as, on the martial arts stage, the demons of Jade Mountain suddenly drop dead one after another in front of everyone’s eyes, and then take back the Infinite Sea, using the death row prisoners to prove the efficacy of this poison to the world, it will be able to dismantle the Jade-faced Spider’s authority among the Nine Underworld demons.”

It sounded simple, but every step was extremely dangerous and difficult.

First, all of them needed to survive an hour against the drugged enemies.

Then, they had to figure out how to obtain the “Infinite Sea” medicine.

And—

Outside, the sound of chains continued to echo.

The news of A Jiang’s death had probably spread throughout the Nine Underworld by now. The demons wouldn’t know who Chao Ming was, but they knew that Chao Ming was Liuyu’s close guard, someone from the Yinshan family.

“How about…” Lan Zhu licked her lips, tentatively suggesting to Liuyu, “The Ghost Play Immortal Festival… Your Majesty, perhaps you should not show up?”

Mo Lin’s gaze fell on Liuyu’s half-lit face.

As expected, he saw the young girl in black and gold slowly lift her head, a radiant, beautiful smile gradually forming on her serene face.

“Why not go?”

In the hall surrounded by Taoist gods, the beautiful woman with striking features sat under the fierce and grotesque idols. Her previously noble and untainted aura seemed to blend with the ghostly and sinister atmosphere, casting a layer of ambiguity over good and evil.

“The people of the Nine Underworld have been misled by treachery. As the Empress of the Nine Underworld, it is my duty to drive out the demons and cure the plague, to offer sacrifices to the gods and bring good fortune.”

“This is a chain for binding giant demons; you won’t be able to break it, so stop trying.”

In the deep night, the girl who came with the moonlight stuffed a pastry into Chao Ming’s mouth, who was hanging from a tree.

“A Jiang has already been laid to rest.”

Liuyu’s words stopped Chao Ming’s movements, and then, in a gentler tone, she added:

“I changed her into a clean new outfit, combed her hair, and carved a jade eye for her to put into her eye socket. The books from Yue Niang and the pen you wanted to give her have been placed inside. Her body will be buried in the back mountain of the Ye Du Ghost Academy, so every day, she’ll be able to hear the sounds of the academy’s reading.”

“When all this is settled, you will personally bring the Jade-faced Spider’s head to pay her respects.”

Chao Ming was stunned for a long time.

Suddenly, he moved his mouth, slowly and painfully swallowing the pastry.

He did not respond immediately, his lips dry from not having eaten all day. Liuyu gave him some water, and he swallowed it sip by sip, tears welling up in his eyes.

This person before her was no longer the Chao Ming who had fought through mountains of corpses and seas of blood alongside Liuyu in their past life.

He had already seen the cruel side of the world through Liuyu.

The eighteen-year-old boy was leaving home for the first time, facing conspiracy and deceit for the first time.

And it was also the first time he had to say goodbye to someone close to him.

“…Miss, I’m sorry.”

If he had been more careful, if he had kept a closer watch on A Jiang.

Would the Jade-faced Spider have been able to exploit the gap?

“I don’t want to hear this.”

Liuyu stopped him from speaking by placing another pastry in his mouth.

Under the moonlight, her face was like a tranquil, deep pool, reflecting his current expression full of regret and dissatisfaction.

“If it weren’t for Mo Lin arriving just in time, I almost ended up fighting demons on the street, right into the Jade-faced Spider’s trap. If you keep regretting like this, nothing will get done.”

A sigh spread in the evening breeze, as if spoken to herself or to Chao Ming.

“Don’t chase after the past.”

“The Jade Mountain ahead, and more A Jiangs are waiting for us to save them.”

Sitting in the mulberry tree, Zhi Yuan tilted his head, gazing at the crescent moon, deep in thought.

Standing not far away, Mo Lin watched as Liuyu turned and walked away.

That night, Liuyu did not return to their room. Mo Lin watched her knock on the door of the rooms where the human women from the Ghost Academy were staying. The candlelight shone on the paper window, burning until midnight before it was extinguished.

No one knew what they had talked about.

On the second, third, and fourth days, Liuyu spent most of her time with the old man named Mu Cangshui, while also communicating with Fang Fuchang, who was stationed south of the Demon Wall.

Only on the eve of the Ghost Play Immortal Festival, after Mo Lin returned from the Demon Wall, did he find the girl in loose clothes and long hair in their room.

“You’re back?”

Her expression was very calm, as though it weren’t the eve of a great battle.

Liuyu glanced at Mo Lin, a smile appearing at the corners of her mouth.

“You came back so late, and yet you still remembered to change and bathe?”

Mo Lin had intended to find her tonight, but after a long journey, he didn’t mind being with the sweaty men, but if he was meeting her, he naturally had to clean up a bit.

“Why is Chao Ming still hanging outside?”

When he returned, Mo Lin saw the boy hanging from the mulberry tree, playing with himself like a swing, and he thought he had seen wrong.

“He has to be hung,” Liuyu opened the window and looked at the mulberry tree down the hill, “The Nine Underworld is now publicly denouncing him—if we don’t show some face, things will become even more chaotic outside. They’ll accuse you of being as tyrannical as Jie and Zhou.”

The streets of Xianchi were filled with demon ghosts brimming with passion.

If it weren’t for Mo Lin’s status as the Lord of the demons, suppressing them, it would have been difficult for Liuyu to take away Chao Ming without harming the demons present.

Liuyu also knew that there were many demons in Jiuyou who were dissatisfied with Mo Lin’s favoritism toward Chao Ming.

“What’s this about Jie Zhou? I don’t recognize it.”

A cold, misty aura enveloped Liuyu from behind.

His tone rose slightly, carrying a sharp sarcasm.

“Anyone bold enough can say it to my face tomorrow. I’ll listen attentively.”

In recent days, Liuyu had been discussing with an elder from Zhongzhou Tianyu about how to deal with the people of Jiuyou who were unfriendly toward her during the Ghost Drama Immortal Journey Festival.

Meanwhile, Mo Lin was busy probing the plans for Yushan, secretly mobilizing troops from the ghost academies in various cities in preparation for the following day.

Since Liuyu’s rebirth, it seemed they had never been apart for so many days.

Tomorrow, there would be life-and-death matters to address.

As Mo Lin thought this, the moment he smelled the fragrance on her, he lost control of his thoughts. He could only helplessly watch as he got closer to her, so close that he could see the faint hairs on her earlobes illuminated by the moonlight.

“Maybe no one dares to say such things in front of you,” Liuyu chuckled softly.

“But the voices hidden in the crowd are getting louder. One day, they’ll turn into a deafening wave.”

Mo Lin’s gaze followed the slight movement of her ear as she spoke.

After a long time, in a very low voice, he muttered:

“Don’t blame them.”

Liuyu’s eyelashes trembled slightly.

She understood what Mo Lin meant.

Though he was working hard for the demons of Jiuyou, in the end, they not only failed to appreciate his efforts but also shouted in the teahouses and taverns of each city, demanding that she be driven out of Jiuyou.

If it had been the former Liuyu, she would have already turned her back on them and let them all die.

Liuyu remembered the tenants who betrayed her in her previous life.

In the end, she had not killed them.

She knew it wasn’t because they were truly unforgivable, but because the cruel world had forced them to abandon kindness and righteousness.

The demons of Jiuyou, who had never been treated well by the human race, were no different.

“I of course don’t blame them…”

Liuyu suddenly turned her head to look at him, the corner of her eye lifting in a smile, her gaze filled with an indescribable meaning.

“So many people are cursing me, and I wouldn’t even know who to blame. Naturally, this account will be settled with you, the Lord of the demons.”

He lowered his head and kissed her earlobe, his warm breath brushing against her ear and neck.

Liuyu felt his lips on her, the sensation of him inhaling her scent giving her the strange illusion that she might be devoured by him.

“How do you want to settle this?”

The moonlight outside the window was hazy.

Liuyu, held at her waist, glanced at the moonlight through the thin window, feeling his fingers tracing her skin.

She looked into his moist, hazy eyes, and spoke softly:

“I want you to live for me from now on.”