Chapter 38

The eyes of the Jade-faced Spider were filled with a surging hatred as it stared intently in the direction of the arena.

The long, drawn-out war of attrition was nearing its end.

Next would come the battle of the Twelve Nuo Gods, where they would defend their position.

As long as the Demon-Slaying faction killed the Twelve Nuo Gods loyal to the demon lord Mo Lin, causing him to lose his left and right arms, today’s mission would be considered a success.

Then, when the next batch of the Wuliang Sea’s creations arrived and the Jade Mountain produced another batch of eight-level cultivators, it would be easy to work with the Great Chao to eliminate Mo Lin, like taking something from a bag.

All they had to do was win the defense battle…

Sweat slid down from the corner of the Jade-faced Spider’s forehead, and its trembling pupils, filled with nervousness, locked onto Mo Lin in the distance, hoping to see the same anxiety reflected on his face.

On the high platform several meters away.

The Demon King, relaxed in posture, leaned against his seat, one hand resting on the armrest.

His gaze wasn’t on the arena but on the bronze mirror floating in his palm.

It reflected the other mirrors of the Wanhuajing (Mirror of Ten Thousand Reflections).

Even though the Jade-faced Spider couldn’t see the image in the mirror, it knew exactly what Mo Lin was looking at.

He was probably feeling quite pleased.

He must be enjoying himself.

The Jade-faced Spider once thought Mo Lin was someone who wasn’t good at scheming, but it didn’t know what methods he had used to make the noble lady from a prestigious family willingly wear the Nuo robes of the Nine Netherworlds and seduce the people’s hearts in front of everyone.

What did Yinshan Liuyu truly see in him?

Such a low-born, undisciplined demon ghost…

Liuyu and her group had already left the city, but Mo Lin, gazing at the reflection of the young girl in the mirror, couldn’t stop replaying the scene of her chanting the demonic language and dancing in the divine palanquin.

So this was her plan.

The demon ghosts couldn’t learn the demonic language because most of them were just soldiers created by the outside evil demons, with little direct contact with the evil itself.

However, the women who were bred in the blood pools, constantly giving birth to demon ghosts, truly lived side by side with those inhuman monsters.

They mostly came from good backgrounds, and those who survived were extraordinarily intelligent and brave.

Their will to survive never disappeared. Over and over, they observed the evil demons, analyzing their thoughts, finding their weaknesses, and in the end, explored the patterns of the demonic language in their desperation, turning it into a language that could be taught to others.

The Demon King’s gaze was sticky, intensely focused on the bronze mirror.

His green eyes, like damp moss, stared coldly at the reflection within, pleasure mixed with a hint of eerie madness.

Even so, learning it in such a short time wasn’t easy. Mo Lin thought to himself that if it were him, he probably couldn’t master such an obscure language in three days.

But Liuyu could.

She had always been so intelligent.

Whether it was the complex Nuo dance or the obscure demonic language, it seemed like child’s play for her.

Her pure and flawless form, still sacred under the flickering ghost lights…

If he stood beneath the divine palanquin, perhaps he too would kneel like those demon ghosts, considering it the highest reward to kiss the hem of her robes.

After a long moment, he reluctantly closed the bronze mirror.

Mo Lin raised his eyes and looked at the distorted expression of the Jade-faced Spider in the distance. He raised an eyebrow, gesturing toward his attendant.

Under the watchful eyes of the sixteen city lords, two attendants brought forth a bronze dripping hourglass.

The female city lord with demonic horns on her forehead asked, “Lord, what is the meaning of this?”

Mo Lin gazed at the arena of the Twelve Nuo Gods, an expression of irritation and impatience apparent in his brow. He lightly tapped the armrest and said:

“Four cities, each city gives us an opportunity to strike. When the list of ambushers is presented to me, that will be their moment of death.”

He casually dropped these words, like a thunderclap striking the ears of the demon ghosts.

Almost instantly, many of the city lords gripped the armrests tightly.

“The arrow marks on the dripping hourglass indicate the moment the Ghost Play Immortal Ritual ends. You still have time to think. If not, your remaining lifespan won’t be any longer than this arrow’s measure.”

His tone was indifferent, as though having a casual conversation, but those familiar with Mo Lin knew that he rarely showed any signs of anger.

The calmer he was, the more ruthless he could be.

Unlike the scheming Jade-faced Spider, when Mo Lin said he would kill someone, it wasn’t a threat but a statement.

After laying out the stakes, his next move was swift and without mercy.

The city lords, each with their own thoughts, instinctively looked toward the arena of the Twelve Nuo Gods. Their internal anxieties seemed about to burst out into furious roars—

Kill them!

Eliminate Mo Lin’s left and right arms!

Defend the arena!

There must be no opportunity for the Demon-Slaying faction!

The Mountain Demon on the arena platform seemed to sense the heavy gazes from all directions, and its fingers, gripping the curved blade, tightened slightly.

He could feel it.

Standing before him was a demon ghost whose Qi Sea had violently expanded after consuming the Boundless Sea, forcibly increasing their strength to the eighth realm.

“A dignified Nine Underworld demon ghost, and yet wearing the attire of the Great Zhao human race… traitor! A traitor to the Nine Underworlds! Lord Yuantian was right— the twelve Nuo gods have already been bribed by Yinshan Liuyu, forgetting our blood feud with the human race!”

The demon ghost opposite him, with eyes bloodshot red, glared intensely at the Mountain Monkey. Their skin had taken on an abnormal redness due to the violent expansion of their Qi Sea.

Mountain Monkey furrowed his brows tightly:

“Fool, your Lord Yuantian is the real traitor, the one who’s willing to serve the Great Zhao Immortal Clan like a dog, splitting the Nine Underworld demons. You should read more!”

The ghost woman beside him giggled:

“Mountain Monkey actually advising someone to read, isn’t he and Lan Zhu the ones who should be reading the most?”

Lan Zhu scoffed: “As long as our revered consort is cultured, it’s enough. We just follow her lead, why waste time reading those useless books?”

“This Boundless Sea is even more formidable than I imagined.”

The twelve Nuo gods all turned to look at their opponent, who had had their limbs severed by Bai Pingting’s Qi blade and was now reassembled into a fleshy mass—

“And they still haven’t died?”

Bai Pingting’s eyes burned with a passionate curiosity:

“This Boundless Sea… If I had the chance to study it in detail, that would be perfect.”

The demons present became solemn and serious.

If it weren’t absolutely necessary, they would really prefer not to be treated by Bai Pingting.

Mountain Monkey let out a deep breath.

Looking at the enemy before him, his eyes held no sorrow or joy, only determination:

“I hope that after today, the Nine Underworld demons will never have to harm each other again.”

The demon ghost from Jade Mountain, with the vast Qi Sea of an eighth realm practitioner, charged straight at them.

“Answering the qi from all directions, curved blade strikes— Seventh Style, Soul Turn.”

The ghost woman stood smiling in the center of the Qi wave, as eerie, rustling sounds echoed around:

“Demon Qi transforms into poison, I am the poison—Hundred Poisons, come forth.”

Meanwhile, Lan Zhu, who had already engaged with the Jade Mountain demon, felt the opponent’s deep, endless Qi Sea within just a few moves. Sweat began to bead on his forehead.

Since the battle in Colorless City, this was the first time he had felt so serious and prepared for battle.

“Gather the essence of nine swords, heavy sword to ward off evil— Ninth Style, Burn the Sky.”

Bai Pingting watched the restless mass of flesh. With a flick of her fingers, small wounds exploded across the mass:

“Five Movements, Six Qi, Creation and Destruction— Eighth Style, Unhealable.”

In almost an instant.

Unlike the other twelve Nuo gods, who were still in fierce combat, the four most powerful demons on the front lines instantly killed even an eighth realm demon ghost who had consumed Boundless Sea.

The splattering blood formed a mist, which spread through the night wind.

The demons who witnessed this scene suddenly recalled the flames that burned Colorless City.

These twelve demon gods were never mere personal guards to their lord.

These twelve were the strong ones who, when they broke out of Colorless City, had carved a bloody path for the demons amidst a mountain of corpses and seas of blood.

“Next challenger, come forth—” the demon children beside the martial stage called in unison.

The next round began, with one demon after another from the eighth realm.

Even if the twelve Nuo gods were formidable, even though their eighth realm demons were still far from matching true eighth realm strength.

But he didn’t believe that after these four rounds of attacks, they could still come out unscathed!

As long as the final round could defeat the twelve Nuo gods on the stage, it would be a victory for Jade Mountain! A defeat for Mo Lin!

The Jade-faced Spider’s eyes nearly burst with rage.

In the bloodbath of this night, even the moon seemed to turn into a red moon, casting its light upon the Nine Underworlds.

A pale white figure moved swiftly through the dense forest.

At this moment, Jiufang Xinglan no longer rode in his palanquin and didn’t mind the demon ghost scent.

He held a small communication array in his hand, holding a sword as he searched for the Jade Mountain demon’s trail in the forest.

“… Do we really only need to find the Jade Mountain demon in charge? And they’ve already set up ambushes in two previous forests, why go all the way to the farthest one to stop them? The number of Jade Mountain’s demons is vast, and even if Yinshan Liuyu and her guards are strong, they could still fall in the front…”

From the glowing communication array, Jiufang Zhanghua’s voice came, containing restrained anger:

“Xinglan, calm down and listen to me.”

Upon receiving Jiufang Xinglan’s message and learning that the Jade Mountain demon had gone out of control and must be eliminated, Jiufang Zhanghua truly wanted to grab his clever but foolish cousin and give him a good lesson.

At the same time, he couldn’t help but feel a chill.

He knew his family had been secretly interfering in the Nine Underworlds’ situation.

But the exact plan, Jiufang Zhanghua, who wasn’t favored by his father and only held the title of the eldest son, was clueless about.

It was only when Xinglan reached out to him that he realized his family preferred sending Xinglan, a collateral branch member, to deeply involve himself in the Nine Underworlds’ schemes rather than letting him know too much.

Jiufang Zhanghua silently sneered.

But more importantly was the current safety of Liuyu.

“I’ve already reviewed the information on the Jade-faced Spider. The Jade Mountain spider silk prison you saw earlier is actually only controlled by two demon ghosts.”

The female spider is definitely controlled by the Jade-faced Spider.

The male spider, which commands the many thread-spinning baby spiders, is under the control of the Jade-faced Spider’s confidant.

“They’ll set up webs in the three forests that Liuyu will pass through. The first stage involves marking each demon with spider venom. The second stage will send a small number of demon ghosts to test their strength. The Qi fluctuations from each of them will be gathered by the spider silk and sent to the demon ghost controlling the male spider, who will then allocate opponents based on their strength.”

Two against one.

Four realms versus three.

Once they fully understood the strength on Liuyu’s side, Jade Mountain’s demons only needed one ambush to accurately wipe out most of their forces.

Jiufang Xinglan nodded vaguely, his first reaction being—

Does my cousin have the authority to access the information about the Jade-faced Spider?

The Jade Mountain Plan, besides himself, is only accessible to his second and third brothers. Even his fourth sister, who is close to Yinshan Liuyu, is completely unaware of the plan.

His eldest cousin has always been excluded from the important plans of the Jiufang family.

If he hadn’t actually interacted with this cousin and discovered that his intelligence and strategic skills were comparable to those of the other three direct children of the family, Jiufang Xinglan might not have even had dealings with him.

But at this moment, Jiufang Xinglan didn’t have time to think much, urgently asking:

“Then when I find that person, should I mobilize Jiufang’s forces in the Nine Hells to kill him—will two hundred people be enough?”

Jiufang Zhanghua restrained his anxious expression, but then froze and relaxed.

Two hundred people.

This number was far too few.

According to what Xinglan said, Liuyu had a hundred handmaidens sent by the Yinshan clan and a thousand demons following her. The Jade Mountain demons, along with the allies from various cities, would prepare at least double that number to ensure nothing goes wrong.

What could two hundred cultivators do?

To rescue Liuyu, they would need to mobilize forces from Jiufang’s branches outside the Great Wall.

But this wasn’t realistic. The Nine Hells would be in chaos tonight, and there would definitely be great casualties.

Although Liuyu was important to the Great Dynasty and could not easily die in the Nine Hells, Jiufang’s patriarch would not agree to sacrifice precious cultivators just for her.

If his father didn’t agree, did he have another way?

Yes.

Just like today when he accessed the Jade Mountain plan’s information, he could forge an order.

The forged order wouldn’t fool the direct family members, but it could easily deceive the branch members into mobilizing.

Jiufang Zhanghua stared at the communication array on the table, his blood churning within his body.

Should I really do this?

Interfering with the Jade Mountain plan was already dangerous. If things went wrong, his father would definitely punish him by locking him in the Jiufang family prison.

But if he forged the order and mobilized cultivators to rescue someone, the terrible consequences of doing so were almost unimaginable.

Outside, the night wind howled, and the sound of bamboo leaves clashed against the window.

Candlelight illuminated the young man’s jade-like features, and the shadow of his long, dark lashes danced across his face, resembling bamboo shadows falling on fresh snow.

From the communication array, Xinglan’s anxious voice came through: “Cousin? Cousin?”

Jiufang Zhanghua gently closed his eyes.

“Wait—two hundred people isn’t enough. Don’t look for the mastermind. You go to the city she’s passing through and tell her the details of the Jade Mountain Spider Silk Trap.”

“Is that enough? Does she have a way to deal with this? Even if she’s the genius of Lingyong, she can’t face this situation alone.”

Jiufang Xinglan, uneasy, feared that if Yinshan Liuyu encountered danger, the Jiufang family would make him take the blame.

Panicked, Jiufang Xinglan couldn’t control his words.

“The Jade Mountain demons are coming out in full force tonight. It’s a fight to the death. That demon, Mo Lin, is still guarding his twelve mask gods. Yinshan Liuyu will speak the devil’s language at the Ghost Play Immortal Festival—she must have been used by that demon, Mo Lin. These despicable demons—damn them! They all deserve to die!”

Each word he said pierced Jiufang Zhanghua’s heart like a needle.

He remembered the day Yinshan Ze had taken his hand to the Yinshan family.

He remembered when, as a child, he was bullied by other clan children because he couldn’t cultivate the Jiufang family’s martial way.

Liuyu had helped him.

She had snapped off a peach blossom branch from a tree and slapped those children who had bullied him.

She had said to everyone:

“From now on, Jiufang Zhanghua is under my protection. Anyone who dares to bully him, I’ll beat them. Bring your older brothers and sisters, and I’ll beat them too!”

At that time, he had silently clenched the withered leaves on the ground as he gazed at the radiant little girl before him.

The desire to become stronger, like a nail, hammered repeatedly in his mind.

Only by becoming strong could he no longer be protected by her.

Only by becoming strong could he stand beside her, shoulder to shoulder, and be worthy of her.

But now—

Jiufang Zhanghua gripped the blank forged order with his family seal.

The ink and brush were right at his fingertips.

As soon as he wrote the content, someone would go to rescue Liuyu.

Outside, the bamboo leaves rustled like ghosts crying in the dark night.

“Liuyu, sister!!”

Jiufang Xinglan, extremely anxious, finally saw Liuyu pass through another city outside.

The communication array was hidden in a distant patch of grass. Jiufang Zhanghua watched from the shadows as Jiufang Xinglan fabricated a clumsy lie about accidentally overhearing the Jade Mountain demons’ secrets.

He knew it was a lie, but at this point, there was no other choice. He had to warn Liuyu and, ideally, stop the Ghost Play Immortal Festival and not continue forward.

“This won’t do.”

The beautiful girl slightly bent down, the cold turquoise in her hair falling across Jiufang Xinglan’s face.

“How could the Yinshan clan fear a small spider? I want to see how many guts he has to dare oppose the Yinshan clan.”

Jiufang Xinglan almost fainted.

The Jade-faced Spider really had that courage, and that courage was given by him!

Liuyu, noticing the troubled expression on Jiufang Xinglan’s face, smiled slightly when he wasn’t looking.

No wonder Chaoyuan had said there were spider webs all over the path, but the Jade Mountain demons hadn’t attacked.

Now it made sense.

Ahead, there would likely be Jade Mountain demons testing their strength.

“What should we do—cousin, it seems like Liuyu doesn’t take me seriously. What should we do if she really dies? How will we explain this…”

Jiufang Zhanghua looked at the back of the girl on the divine palanquin through the communication array.

He suddenly felt a strange sensation.

It had only been two months, but the Liuyu he had just seen felt subtly different from his previous impression.

“Bring your people and follow.”

Jiufang Xinglan showed a difficult expression:
“Ah? I only have a few people, this isn’t sending…”

“Failing to save Liuyu, you will still die, whether sooner or later.”

Liuyu was not someone who acted impulsively and ignored advice.

She knew very well that the demons of Yushan were determined to kill her, fully prepared, yet she still insisted on continuing her journey.

What did this have to do with the Jiuyou Ghost Play Immortal Festival?

Jiufang Zhanghua stood at the back, watching her figure.

He watched her walk through the densely packed forest full of killing intent.

He watched as she danced and recited for the lowly demon ghosts at the festival.

The hand command he was holding began to warp.

It stopped at this city.

Don’t go any further.

The wind outside howled like ghostly wails, and Jiufang Zhanghua heard the sneering whispers in his heart gnawing at his chest, mocking him.

Liuyu stepped into the final patch of dense forest.

She was only separated from the foot of Yushan, where Mo Lin was, by one city.

The demons of Yushan, who had been lying in wait for an entire day, finally appeared at this moment. The spider silk in the moonlight stretched like a massive heavenly net, and these demon ghosts, gathered by the jade-faced spiders, silently appeared at every key node in the web.

[Yushan Spider Silk Prison · Ninth Form · Resonance]

The silver spider silk tightened like a violin string, emitting a frequency that only the young spiders could hear.

At this moment, all the demons on the web appeared in the moonlight.

“Liuyu—!!”

A familiar voice suddenly sounded from behind.

Liuyu was momentarily stunned, but didn’t turn around.

The jade hairpin transformed into a sword, a long sword as clear as ice gripped tightly in the girl’s hand. The beads and jade ornaments on her body clinked as she moved, masking the low chant that only Liuyu could hear:

“All hundred techniques, sealed by qi—Spell seal, eight extraordinary meridians, open!”

An invisible wave spread through the forest, and half of the people present were overwhelmed as their qi seas, which Liuyu had suppressed, suddenly released.

The hidden Yushan demons’ pupils constricted—

This was bad.

The spider webs detected an abnormal power! Someone had suppressed their qi seas!

A Yushan demon who appeared in front of Liuyu’s group was about to strike a fatal blow, but in that moment, he felt a power far beyond their expectations!

Wrong! Everything was wrong!

Before he could stabilize his mind and reorganize his forces—

The moonlight flashed.

The girl in ritualistic robes stepped on the spider silk and suddenly leapt in front of him.

“Ren Sword Seven Forms · Washing Ice and Cleansing Snow.”

The sword light swept like thin ice.

As the head fell to the ground, the spider silk in the forest turned into ordinary silver threads, all severed by a single blow from the Qi flow stirred by Chaoyuan’s long knife.

Everything happened in an instant.

Jiufang Xinglan, who witnessed the entire process, nearly dropped his jaw in astonishment.

This was… the strength of the number one among her peers, the leader of Yinyang Mountain, Liuyu of Jiuyou.

The jade hairpin sword twirled in Liuyu’s hand, and she turned back, looking at the communication array that Jiufang Xinglan had been hiding in his palm.

Two lifetimes apart.

Finally, she saw this person again.

A smile gradually spread across the beautiful face of the girl:

“Ah, Zhanghua? When did you set up a communication array with Xinglan?”

Jiufang Zhanghua gazed at the girl before him, who had never concealed her emotions, but now he found her hard to read, unsure of whether she was happy or angry.

After a long pause, he moved his dry lips:

“This place is still unsafe. Don’t get distracted. Take your people into the next city. Don’t get involved in the matter with Yushan and Mo Lin.”

The shadows of the trees swayed.

After the spider silk was cut, the demon ghosts who finally freed their hands steadied the Wanhua Mirror on their shoulders.

…Who is this person? How dare they instruct the Queen?

Liuyu glanced at the Wanhua Mirror on the demons’ shoulders. The mirror’s surface was dark and reflective, like a pair of familiar eyes.

She withdrew her gaze, the corners of her eyes curling into a smile:

“Are you concerned about me?”

Jiufang Zhanghua gazed at the girl, who was dressed in foreign attire.

She was alone in Jiuyou, married to a lowly, ugly demon.

She had once been so proud, yet now she was forced to wear foreign clothes and dance openly for a group of lowly servants.

“Of course, I’m concerned about you, Liuyu. He has put you in danger without regard for your life. I don’t believe you don’t see how he’s using you. Why didn’t you refuse this Ghost Play Immortal Festival? Why obey his arrangements? You represent Dazhao, and as long as you don’t want to, even the Jiuyou Lord cannot force you—”

“No one is forcing me.”

Liuyu lifted the corners of her lips and, while observing Jiufang Zhanghua’s expression, deliberately slowed down and smiled sweetly, saying each word with emphasis:

“I’m willing to do this, of course, because I’ve already been completely captivated by the demon Mo Lin… I can’t hold back my deep feelings.”