Chapter 7

Digging One’s Own Grave

Did someone tie her up?

Who?

Excruciating pain, accompanied by suffocation, overwhelmed the spider demon, causing its consciousness to blur even further.

It vaguely recalled the moment it saw the Lord.

The man was extraordinarily handsome, yet seemed like a newborn baby just falling to the ground. Unable to speak, stumbling and struggling to walk.

Or rather, he didn’t seem like a “human” at all. There was no sign of life on him. His terrifying, pitch-black eyes were lifeless, only showing any emotion when he was killing.

Yes.

Killing.

The spider demon stiffly lowered its gaze, looking at the spiritual band tightening around its neck.

Its aura had changed too.

The first time it saw Su Zhan, he was also killing. The thick, dark, evil aura spread like octopus tentacles, effortlessly tearing people apart in a terrifying way that made one’s hair stand on end.

But the spiritual power of the person before it now was free and swift, so much so that anyone would mistake him for a gentle young man with a clear sky and a refined demeanor.

It was as if he was another person, identical in appearance to Su Zhan but completely different in temperament.

But the spider demon knew—he wasn’t.

No!

No!

The spider demon forced out a hoarse, muffled screech from its throat.

This person was Su Zhan!

It could only be him!

The heartless, murderous monster!

The spider demon stared at him, then suddenly opened its bloodied mouth wide.

Its neck was almost broken, yet it let out an eerie, sharp laugh.

The shock and confusion in its expression slowly twisted into almost frenzied admiration.

It moved its pincers, and blood kept pouring from its throat, with green blood and venomous liquid dripping down, corroding the ground and leaving scorched pits.

From the intense pain, its appendages thrashed wildly, and even the bristles trembled violently. Yet it endured the pain, gathering the remaining demonic energy into a force, directing it toward Zhu Yu.

“Offering… offering to… you…”

It was as though it was presenting a blade to its master, offering its loyalty to the one above.

Zhu Yu glanced at the demonic energy the spider demon desperately sent out.

The spiritual band suddenly tightened, like a death knot.

The demonic energy instantly dissipated, and the massive spider head fell to the ground, splattering thick green blood.

Zhu Yu stepped back, avoiding the blood.

In the next moment, several small figures appeared reflected in the pitch-black, dim spider eyes.

Zhu Yu raised his gaze.

Not far off, four people were supporting each other as they walked out of the spider tower.

It was only when he saw them that he remembered something. His pupils shifted slightly, and he blinked once.

He didn’t look at the faces of those four, instead, he patiently searched through the thick, bloody stench.

Until a faint, scorching breath pierced through the smell, lingering at his nose.

Following that breath, Zhu Yu raised his gaze. As his eyes focused, a face gradually appeared before him.

It was a young female cultivator.

Her face was unfamiliar, and her clothing was something he had never seen before.

But the moment he saw her, it was as though he was a moth drawn to a flame. He stepped over a broken pincer and walked straight toward her.

He had found her.

—

After destroying the web buried underground, the spider tower returned to normal.

Like a dam bursting, the demonic energy from the entire spider tower fled to one place.

Yu Pei originally intended to follow, but was stopped by a few muffled groans.

She turned around and happened to see the main characters, one by one, being thrown onto the ground by the walls, like dumplings.

She almost forgot.

She had to wait for the male and female leads to safely descend the mountain before her first NPC mission could be considered complete.

Principal Yu Pei quickly took a step back and asked, “Are you all okay?”

“I’m fine, Yu… senior sister, you don’t have to worry—cough—cough—cough—” Wen Yunhe wiped the blood from his mouth, “I’m… fine…”

Yu Pei: “…”

Is he the male lead, or just a moving blood bag with a hole in it? He looks like he’s about to die, for heaven’s sake!

System: “Don’t worry, Your Highness. Among the people here, he has the strongest survival instincts!”

So because he’s too weak, he put all his talents into his health bar, right?

Yu Pei took a deep breath and then looked at the other two. “What about Sister Jiang and Brother Shen? If they can still move, we should leave here first.”

Jiang Yuan changed from the surprise and shock she had earlier to a much more reserved demeanor. As soon as their gazes met, she quickly looked away.

“I’m fine.” Her voice wasn’t loud. “Thank you, Junior Sister Yu, for earlier.”

Shen Zhongyu then took out a blue-covered book from his chest and flipped through a few pages.

Seeing his serious expression, Yu Pei thought the book contained something important. Just as she was about to ask, she heard him say, “The afternoon break time has passed, so leaving now is fine.”

No way.

Who would be looking at their schedule at a time like this?

“Since nothing’s wrong, let’s leave here first.” Yu Pei walked toward the tower exit. “Once we’re out, we’ll decide where to go.”

Shen Zhongyu walked by her side, his usual smiling expression returning.

“By the way, when did Junior Sister Yu enter the sect?”

“Half a month ago.”

Half a month?

It’s only been half a month.

Everyone was a bit surprised.

The effectiveness of spiritual arts is related to the completeness of the incantations.

For example, they still needed to recite the full incantation to make their spiritual arts work.

But just now, she had used two difficult spiritual arts consecutively, and even simplified the incantations.

With such cultivation, even entering the Heavenly Realm Academy, few could compare to her.

With such talent, how could she be in the Servants’ Hall?

Seeing the puzzled expressions on the three of them, Yu Pei explained, “I was living in seclusion and training with my master before.”

Living with the mermaid group and fighting all day, that could be considered seclusion, right?

Wen Yunhe asked, “Then how did Junior Sister Yu come to the Spirit-Taming Sect?”

“My master said there are many talented people in the world, and there are many ways to cultivate. He wanted me to go out and broaden my horizons.”

Before leaving, she had fought with her master.

Her master lost, so he told her to go out and see the world, so she could learn that there are always people better than her, to avoid developing arrogance.

Jiang Yuan: “May I ask where Junior Sister found her master?”

Yu Pei fell silent.

After a long pause, she slowly spoke, “My father.”

A terrifying giant mermaid, nearly ten feet tall, couldn’t defeat her, and after losing, it curled up its tail and hid in the sea palace, crying for the entire night.

That night, the entire sea realm echoed with its mournful wails.

Once they left the Spider Tower, the group realized they were very close to Demon God Pavilion, less than half a mile away.

—They must have entered the Spider Demon’s illusion trap right after leaving Demon God Pavilion.

The Spider Demon had disappeared, and the ghostly official was nowhere to be found.

Wen Yunhe glanced at the dimming sky and said, “That ghostly official is not only afraid of death but is also cunning. After returning to Demon God Pavilion, he will surely turn things upside down.”

Shen Zhongyu spoke leisurely from the side, “Yunhe, he’s already a ghost. It’s not about fearing death—he was terrified, and yet he died.”

Wen Yunhe coughed twice, his face turning slightly red from the cough.

He paused, then said, “Since we’re wearing the Spirit-Taming Sect robes, we must consider the sect’s reputation and not allow anyone to slander our integrity. Moreover, we cannot let that ghost official go easily.”

“We’re thinking the same.” Shen Zhongyu smiled, “It’s already late. Instead of rashly heading down the mountain, we should turn back and seek an explanation from the Ghost Realm.”

Yu Pei silently listened as they discussed how to deal with the ghost official.

Good.

At least this NPC is somewhat useful.

At the very least, he has a character that repays grudges.

Finally, it was Jiang Yuan who spoke gently, “Seeking an explanation will work, but he can harm us today, and tomorrow he can do even worse. Why not head to Demon God Pavilion now and twist his head off? If twisting his head once doesn’t teach him, we’ll heal him and twist it again.”

Hearing her say such harsh words in the gentlest tone, Yu Pei fell silent.

So, what kind of resolve did the “Yu Pei” in the original book have to keep going against these people every day?

Jiang Yuan smiled and added, “Besides, isn’t that why we cultivate the medical path?”

???

For what?

Can you be clear about that?

The four hadn’t gone far when a person appeared in the distance.

The first to see the person was Shen Zhongyu.

He raised his gaze slightly and saw a young man with a ponytail.

Coming from the Shen family, and having joined the Spirit-Taming Sect early, Shen Zhongyu had seen many talented and charismatic young people.

But even combining all of those people, none could match the ease and carefree demeanor of the person before him.

After a brief moment of hesitation, Shen Zhongyu stepped in front of the other three.

When he saw the young man walking directly toward them, his eyes narrowed with caution. “May I ask who you are?”

Zhu Yu raised an eyebrow. “I’m here to find someone.”

“Find someone?” Shen Zhongyu smiled. “Do you mind telling us who you’re looking for?”

Zhu Yu slightly tilted his head and looked at Yu Pei, who was hiding behind him.

“Yin Yi,” he said.

“Yin Yi?” Shen Zhongyu glanced at the people next to him. “Do you all know this person?”

“No.”

“Never seen him.”

“Don’t know.”

The three of them quickly shook their heads.

“I suppose you’ve heard,” Shen Zhongyu said. “We don’t know this person. There are many demons on Demon God Mountain, so it might be hard to find him.”

“Don’t know him?” Zhu Yu held his sword close to his chest, leaning against a tree.

It seemed like he was talking to all four of them, but his gaze was only on Yu Pei.

Unlike him, Yu Pei tried not to look at him.

Yin Yi was the name she used in the Mermaid Clan.

She had already guessed that Zhu Yu would come looking for Shui Wu, but she didn’t expect him to find him so quickly.

It hadn’t even been half a day since she called Shui Wu over!

But on second thought, this was the longest time she had spent apart from the two of them since leaving the Crimson Sea Realm.

Making friends with Zhu Yu, just like being adopted by the Mermaid Clan, was something outside of Yu Pei’s plans.

The first time she met Zhu Yu was when she was five. The Dragon Lord had to go out to quell chaos and threw Zhu Yu into the Mermaid Palace.

At that time, Zhu Yu wasn’t as bright as he was now, he was like a plant in the dark, not yet exposed to light.

Every day, he would sit quietly in a corner, staring intensely at everyone who passed in front of him.

He didn’t smile, nor did he speak.

Children of the same age—whether from the Mermaid Clan or the Dragon Clan—did not like to play with him. Most of the time, they avoided him, calling him a freak.

Yu Pei, focused on her cultivation and not fond of spending time with children, simply kept Zhu Yu by her side as a “protective talisman” to seek peace and quiet.

As time passed, she realized he indeed had some oddities.

Not only was he silent and taciturn, but there were also many details—

He couldn’t blink. Just teaching him how to blink took a lot of effort.

His spiritual power was also unusually high. She never saw him cultivate, yet he seemed to know everything.

He liked to imitate others and could mimic them very quickly. One day, he would imitate a Mermaid Clan member’s brisk walking pace, and the next, he would adopt a slow, dragging walk.

When he got familiar with Yu Pei, he even imitated other children and quarreled with her.

By the time he was eight, Yu Pei was so annoyed by him that she casually slapped a book onto his head to make him quiet down.

She didn’t know whether that book had struck a particular meridian, but after that day, Zhu Yu changed entirely. He was no longer the gloomy, reclusive person he once was. Instead, he became radiant and poised, though not overly flashy.

He had always been handsome, even among the beautiful members of the Mermaid Clan, and hardly anyone could compare to him. Now, with his change in temperament, those who had once hated him for being a monster were now showing him kindness.

In the end, his good temperament became the least remarkable of his virtues.

—

Yu Pei raised her gaze and accidentally met Zhu Yu’s eyes.

The moment she saw his expression, she realized he had recognized her.

She vaguely reminded him, “The person you’re looking for isn’t here.”

Zhu Yu caught the implication in her words and replied, “If they’re not here, then forget it.”

Shen Zhongyu, whose gaze had shifted slightly, suddenly noticed a large spider curled up at Zhu Yu’s feet.

However, its head and body were now separated, and dark green blood was flowing everywhere.

…Could this be the spider demon?

“May I ask what this spider is…?”

“If it’s blocking the way, I killed it,” Zhu Yu said, his tone as if he intended to kick it away, but then noticed Yu Pei glancing at the spider demon from time to time.

He thought for a moment before saying, “I wonder… is the spider demon’s strength in its legs or in its core?”

“The core!” Yu Pei quickly answered. A faint gleam appeared in her eyes, which had previously lacked vitality. “Its pincers are also excellent—sharp and hard.”

“Then I wonder… is it the blood or the venom that’s more useful?”

“The venom!” Yu Pei replied again, “It must be the venom!”

If it weren’t for the fact that there were other people around, she would have dragged the spider demon away right now.

Zhu Yu chuckled softly.

He lowered his hand, and in an instant, a flash of cold light appeared as he easily extracted the spider demon’s core.

“You seem to know value when you see it, so I’ll give this to you.” After speaking, the glowing green core flew through the air in an arc, and gently landed in Yu Pei’s hand.

!!

A brighter gleam appeared in Yu Pei’s eyes.

He should have come earlier!

As she carefully stored the core in her storage pouch, Zhu Yu also punctured the venom sac, filled a porcelain bottle with the venom, and handed that to her as well.

The three onlookers who had witnessed everything: …

Did these two just meet?

Seeing that Zhu Yu wasn’t wearing any sect robes and his cultivation level was hard to discern, Jiang Yuan asked, “May I ask which sect you belong to, and how did you come to Demon God Mountain?”

Demon God Mountain was surrounded by formation arrays, so ordinarily, no one could break in.

Yet not only had he made it up the mountain, he was also searching for someone here.

How did he get up the mountain?

Zhu Yu sheathed his sword.

Naturally, he flew in as a dragon.

He was about to answer when Yu Pei quickly interjected, “Could it be that you were also harmed by demonic creatures, got separated from your companions, and accidentally ended up in Demon God Mountain?”

Zhu Yu only caught the word “also” and asked her, “Which demonic creature harmed you?”

Yu Pei: ?

Dude, that’s not the point!

She tactfully reminded him, “If you were harmed by demonic creatures as well, we can travel together. We’ll head to Demon God Pavilion first, then descend the mountain together afterward.”

“That’s true.” Zhu Yu glanced aside, “This is the demonic creature.”

The four of them looked toward the spider demon that had been torn to pieces by five horses.

—

Thanks, but it doesn’t look like it.

After returning the same way, they had just arrived outside Demon God Pavilion when they heard the voice of the ghost official: “I have safely escorted the four Taoists down the mountain. Does the young master have any other instructions?”

Yu Pei was stunned.

This person—no, this ghost—had such thick skin?

Jiang Yuan quietly said from the side: “I want to snap his neck.”

Wen Yunhe softly responded, “Senior sister, please calm down.”

Inside the door, Chi Shu suddenly asked, “Did you encounter anything on the way?”

The ghost official said, “There wasn’t much else, but on the way down the mountain, we encountered a spider demon. The creature led us into a maze and tried to eat us.”

Chi Shu spoke calmly: “Demonic creatures on the mountain are not of our kind and have long been trapped in the formation. They cannot hear human breath. If you encounter a maze, just use the Demon-Expelling Technique.”

This confirmed what Yu Pei had said earlier. Perhaps because of his unease, the ghost official paused for a moment before continuing, “It was my negligence that we fell for the spider demon’s trick. But when it saw the Ghost Realm’s token and realized I was sent by you to escort a few Taoists down the mountain, it let us go.”

Yu Pei felt her temples throb.

This ghost was really good at spinning half-truths and lies, and even threw in a compliment for Chi Shu.

If they had encountered someone with soft ears, they might have even given him some reward.

But Chi Shu, this little iceberg, was obviously not one to be easily swayed.

His tone was cold: “I thought the spider demons have always been disrespectful to the Ghost Realm. Only now do I realize they respect that token.”

“You—”

“You said you escorted them down the mountain,” Chi Shu paused, “Then why are they outside the door now?”

As soon as the words left his mouth, the door opened on its own.

Seeing the people outside, the ghost official stiffened.

They were still alive?!

How could this be?!

These few people couldn’t have survived the spider demon!

And how did one more person appear?!

But soon, he regained his composure and quickly spoke: “Since you’ve already descended the mountain, why have you returned? Could it be that you want something from us?”

As he spoke, he subtly observed Chi Shu’s expression.

But the latter remained cold-faced, giving no indication of emotion.

“You’ve completely twisted the facts.”

Wen Yunhe, lacking patience, spoke bluntly.

“When the miasma came, my junior sister reminded you to use the Demon-Expelling Technique. You thought too highly of yourself and refused to listen. After falling into the spider demon’s trap, junior sister reminded you again, and if you had used it, you wouldn’t have had to suffer this fate—yet you still refused!

“The spider demon attacked us, and you ignored the toxic demonic aura and acted recklessly. When the spider demon threw you a lifeline, you abandoned us and ran off on your own.

“With all that’s happened, do you even have the face to argue?”

His body was weak, and after forcing out these words, he began coughing up blood and covering his mouth.

Chi Shu frowned upon seeing this.

“Is what he said true, or false?”

The ghost official, confident they had no evidence, replied, “Young Master, I don’t know why they’ve returned, nor why they are saying such things, but I did indeed escort them out.”

Shen Zhongyu suddenly smiled. “Fortunately, you’re already dead. Otherwise, you’d probably have to swear an oath on your life.”

“You—!”

Yu Pei suddenly interjected, “This explanation will only lead to endless arguing. Why don’t we…”

Shen Zhongyu interrupted, “Why don’t we?”

“Why not directly extract their memories? That way, we’ll know who is telling the truth and who isn’t.”

The ghost official, unable to maintain his composure, looked at her in shock.

If their memories were extracted, the pain would be as intense as a lightning strike.

Who was this person, a living Yama?

He angrily shouted, “Why don’t you take yours instead!”

“Fine.”

Yu Pei replied quickly.

She took a few steps forward and placed a glowing green inner core on the table.

“But instead of mine, wouldn’t it be more impartial to use the spider demon’s memories?”

The moment the ghost official saw the glowing green bead, cold sweat soaked his back.

He should have realized.

The fact that they were safely out meant they must have defeated the spider demon.

But the venom from the demon’s fluids was extremely potent—how could they have taken its inner core?

Flustered, he mumbled, “Young Master, I am a ghost official from the Ghost Realm. How could I possibly do something that would harm the Ghost Realm’s reputation?”

Right!

Behind him was the entire Ghost Realm.

And they were just a few disciples from the Spirit-Taming Sect.

If Chi Shu agreed to examine the memories in this inner core, wouldn’t that be slapping the Ghost Realm in the face?

He would never agree to it.

Never!

However, Chi Shu said, “If there has been a mistake, it’s not too late to admit it.”

But the ghost official, already overwhelmed by fear, firmly believed that Chi Shu would protect his own people.

Besides, there were few ghost officers willing to guard Demon God Mountain. Without him, the trouble would only increase.

Thus, he gritted his teeth and said, “I followed the instructions of my superior and did nothing wrong!”

Upon hearing this, Chi Shu turned to look at Yu Pei and the others.

“There’s no need to check the inner core, there may have been a misunderstanding.”

The ghost official was overjoyed.

Sure enough! He knew the Young Master would prioritize his own people.

But his joy didn’t last long.

Chi Shu spoke again, “To put everyone in danger and have them harmed by thieves, it is the fault of my Ghost Realm.”

The ghost official’s face twitched twice, his expression stiffening.

Thieves?

He suddenly raised his head and locked eyes with Chi Shu.

The gaze was indifferent, yet there was a subtle hint of anger.

It was over.

His heart sank.

“You said you entered the Spider Tower, and that the spider demon did not harm you. Do you know, though, that your soul has already been corrupted by the spider demon, and soon your soul will be shattered?”

It felt as though a heavy stone had struck his head, and his mind went blank.

“Master… How… How can I not understand?”

Chi Shu coldly rebuked, “You brought this upon yourself.”

From the moment he spoke the first word, Chi Shu could tell he was lying.

He thought the demon’s poison had no effect on him.

If he had stayed in the Ghost Realm, that would indeed have been true.

But now he was in the human world, where spiritual energy was entering his body, allowing the demonic aura to slowly corrode his soul.

If he had used the Demon-Expelling Technique when the miasma first appeared, his soul wouldn’t have been damaged. As long as he hadn’t inhaled too much demonic aura, he wouldn’t have been hurt this badly.

But he had, instead, dug his own grave.