Chapter 146: Snow Demon (Part 5)

On this journey, no matter how much Xu Qianyu tried to communicate with her through voice transmission, Lu You remained silent.

Lu You had always been soft-hearted and unwilling to take risks. This response was expected by Xu Qianyu, so he didn’t urge her further.

The passing demons all feared them, making unclear, murmuring sounds as they passed by. It wasn’t until they reached a larger, brighter pavilion that the fragmented noises completely disappeared.

This was the wedding hall set up by the Demon King.

It resembled a grand human palace hall, with red silk banners bearing the character for “happiness” hanging down, a ceremonial table, two empty chairs on either side, memorial tablets, and countless offerings. The dragon and phoenix-shaped red candles on the table were exquisitely carved from fish oil, twice the size of human candles, casting a bright glow throughout the inner hall.

“Your Majesty, I have brought the person to you,” Lu You’s voice rang softly in Xu Qianyu’s ear, tinged with a hint of resentment, and then she gave her a shove.

Xie Yuzhen was deeply focused on trimming the wedding candles.

Lu You furrowed her brow. Xie Yuzhen remained indifferent to her presence, as though she were merely a servant in the demon palace, which caused Lu You to feel an anxious sense of helplessness, as though she were drowning. No matter how much she shouted, no one took notice.

Xie Yuzhen looked up with eyes like stars, gazing at the bride dressed in red, and showed a satisfied expression.

From beneath the bridal veil, Xu Qianyu’s voice floated out. She spoke calmly, her tone crisp and bright, with a perfectly timed pause that was very pleasant to the ear: “My mustard seed gold bead, return it to me.”

Xie Yuzhen took her hand and, smiling, placed the mustard seed gold bead into her palm.

The Mustard gold bead had a hidden order from a cultivator, which Xie Yuzhen could not open. He wasn’t afraid of Xu Qianyu getting the Mustard gold bead. Below Wufu Cliff was a place where the Heavenly Dao’s fortune had been neglected, and both magical artifacts and spiritual talismans were like ordinary iron.

Xu Qianyu pulled her hand back and slapped him with the whip: “My things, you take without asking; you have people married on the first day, do you understand the way to treat guests?”
“Today’s marriage was rushed, causing some grievance to the young lady. But your bridal gown and wedding veil were all prepared by me in advance, never rushed.” Xie Yuzhen took the hit, merely tilting his head, and gently explained, “If we had delayed too long, I feared there would be unexpected changes.”

The Demon King might be crazy, but he hadn’t lost his wariness. Truly suspicious and shameless.

Lu You watched this scene in disbelief, biting her lip tightly.

Was this the Xie Yuzhen she knew?

In the previous life, Xie Yuzhen had married her, and the wedding date had been pushed back again and again. It turned out he knew that this would lead to changes. If he had been as proactive as today, her task would have been completed long ago.

No, wait.

Now with a comparison, she couldn’t help but doubt: When Xie Yuzhen married her as the Demon Queen, was it genuine or the influence of the system? The progress of the strategy was stuck at 99%, unable to advance. Was that last 1% the weight Xu Qianyu left with her death?

The wedding candles suddenly burst, scattering sparks.

Xie Yuzhen said, “Ever since you left, I’ve been having the same dream. The day we exterminated the demons and pretended to be a couple, the ceremony was incomplete, but unfortunately, it was interrupted.” As he spoke, a trace of hatred appeared in his dark eyes.

Xu Qianyu’s reverse scales were touched: “Stop mentioning that wedding. It was fake. I didn’t take it seriously.”

Xie Yuzhen replied, “I took it seriously.”

Lu You, pressed against the wall, twisted her face slightly, unable to stop herself from laughing.

That day, Xu Qianyu had bared her heart for Xie Yuzhen, yet he treated Xu Qianyu with such cruelty and disdain. It had all been fake! He had still fallen for her. Even if there was just a tiny gap, he had fallen in love with her.

Inside, she mocked herself and then felt a deep sadness.

Before the Demon King’s wedding, she had felt that Xie Yuzhen seemed distracted. Her feelings hadn’t been wrong: between them, there was an old dream that never faded.

That 99%—what difference did it have from 0%? Her target for the strategy had fallen for someone who hadn’t intentionally pursued him.

Xu Qianyu found the Dream Shadow Tube inside the Mustard gold bead, but there was no trace of Wuzhen’s shadow, which puzzled her.

Wuzhen had indeed run away. But as a ghost, running around in a place like Wufu Cliff, where cultivators buried their bones—didn’t he fear danger?

Xie Yuzhen wanted to drag her to the wedding altar, but Xu Qianyu said, “In Naling, our wedding requires two bows: first to Heaven and Earth, second to the ancestors. Neither of these is present here, so it doesn’t count. I don’t want to marry here.”

While speaking, she hurriedly absorbed all the medicinal pills carried inside the Mustard gold bead.

Xie Yuzhen said, “What’s so difficult about that? In the Demon Palace, Heaven and Earth obey my commands.”

A red ball of light made of demonic energy flew out of his palm, soaring to the wedding hall’s ceiling. The red light faded into white, imitating a bright moon hanging high.

“As for the ancestors,” Xie Yuzhen looked ahead and said, “Sitting before the offering table are two, both my mothers. They will bless us.”

Following his finger, two shadows of mirage maidservants appeared, sitting on the two chairs.

The system shuddered: “Xie Yuzhen was raised by a mirage woman and a fox woman from under Wufu Cliff. They thought he was the reincarnation of Qingheng Daojun, but later discovered he wasn’t. Xie Yuzhen then used Abyssal Fire to kill them. Oh my god, no wonder they looked familiar!”

Xu Qianyu was horrified, realizing the two mirage maidservants who served her had been remade by Xie Yuzhen using his blood, mixed with demonic energy and moisture, imitating his two foster mothers.

He had created two puppets from them to accompany him in the Demon Palace. The puppets obeyed his every command. Those mirage figures on the chairs now smiled and clapped, simultaneously saying, “Congratulations on your wedding, my son. Congratulations on your wedding.”

The scene was grotesque in the extreme.

Xie Yuzhen had exhausted his patience and no longer wished to delay.

He forcibly pulled Xu Qianyu’s wrist and walked toward the offering table.

But the fragile bride stood still, rooted to the ground, unmoving.

Xu Qianyu had been practicing standing posts every day. Xie Yuzhen exerted some strength but couldn’t budge her: “Xie Yuzhen, in the previous life, you made me die at Wufu Cliff, and now you’re marrying me here. You say you like me, but you insist on provoking me like this.”

Her change of attitude was so fast that Xie Yuzhen’s expression dimmed.

Xu Qianyu’s death was also his nightmare, not to mention that the soul of love inside him originally belonged to Xu Qianyu. Sensing the intense love and pain of his master, it now trembled uncontrollably.

“I’m sorry, killing you hurts me too.” He lowered his eyes, gripping Xu Qianyu’s wrist tightly. “In the future, I will treat you well. We will never part.”

Hearing this, Lu You could no longer bear it. She suddenly drew her sword and slashed at the back of the Demon King’s neck.

She was Xu Qianyu’s sparring partner and carried a small wooden sword on her sleeve. But Lu You’s body was naturally suited to wielding a sword, and when she drew it, a windlike whistling sound followed. Being the closest to Xie Yuzhen, she also knew that the Demon King’s weakest point was his neck.

His demonic core was located there.

With hatred in her heart, she slashed with a sharp sound, cutting through half of his neck, and black energy immediately burst forth.

Xie Yuzhen froze for a moment, then slowly turned his head. Seeing Lu You’s expression filled with sorrow, his demonic core cracked open, and his eyes turned completely black. He pushed her away, and Lu You screamed as she was thrown out. Xie Yuzhen yanked her back, gripping her neck as if looking at a lifeless object.

Lu You knew he was angry. Xie Yuzhen hated betrayal, especially when betrayed by someone like her. But to provoke his hatred, this sense of satisfaction outweighed her fear of death. Lu You chuckled, dipping her fingers in fresh blood to draw a formation.

Wind spirit roots formed the formation, and the room was filled with moving winds.

Xu Qianyu used her divine sense to assess the position, unsheathed her sword, and slashed from behind Xie Yuzhen.

Her sword intent was resolute. Wherever the wooden sword passed, Xie Yuzhen turned to ashes. But the ashes fell and solidified into a wild rabbit.

Laughter echoed through the void. Xu Qianyu smelled the peach blossom fragrance coming from her right, and the figure reformed into human shape again.

Then her wrist was grabbed, and through the wide sleeves, the pads of his fingers slowly stroked her wrist.

“Miss, you’ve hurt me badly. Are you in such a hurry to save her, or do you truly want me to die?” Xie Yuzhen’s eyes were red, and he said, “It’s a pity that I can’t die in the Demon Palace. In the future, with you accompanying me here, I will be very happy.”

The strike just now had drained Xu Qianyu’s spiritual energy. She felt Xie Yuzhen’s power suddenly surge, forcefully pulling her toward the altar.

From the back, they looked like a pair of perfect partners.

At that moment, a wind swept through the room, and the moon-like demon lamp fell without warning, crashing onto the table and extinguishing with a hissing sound.

This ominous sign caused Xie Yuzhen to stop in his tracks. Xu Qianyu only felt a flash of light in front of her eyes.

Then, she felt a powerful force intervening between them, like a gust of wind that blew apart the hands they were holding.

However, her wrist was still held by someone, and they continued to move forward.

Lu You lay on the ground, staring in horror at the shadows of the three people on the floor.

Had she made a mistake in her formation and summoned something?

All the lights flickered on and off. The person who appeared seemed to come out of nowhere like a ghost, bringing with him a chilling and terrifying pressure.

When the lights brightened, she saw that the person was extremely tall, dressed in white as snow, with a jade crown and long hair. He carried a cold sword, and his pale, slender hand was clasped around Xie Yuzhen’s neck. A fine red thread, like a blood mark, adorned his wrist.

Shen Suwei?

But his aura was entirely different. He was very calm and did not allow anyone to speak. Even his shadow exuded a terrifying oppressive force. The Demon King had been treated this way—how could he remain silent? Yet, under his hand, not a sound escaped. Lu You felt a chill in her heart, as if she could hear the sound of Xie Yuzhen’s neck breaking.

Shen Suwei took Xu Qianyu’s hand and walked slowly forward, while with his other hand, he forcefully threw Xie Yuzhen to the ground.

Xu Qianyu heard a muffled sound and smelled the fragrance of the mountain rain after a storm, as if it had traveled a great distance, still carrying a hint of snow. Then came the demonic energy, overwhelming and suffocating, thick enough to numb the senses.

Such strong demonic energy! Xu Qianyu’s pupils contracted, and for a moment, she forgot to struggle.

She used her spiritual sense to look around; beside her was a gray shadow.

She was confused. Is there a stronger demon than the Demon King? Who could this be?
She stood frozen in place, unwilling to move forward. The demonic energy had stirred her fighting spirit, making her tense up.

Sensing her struggle, Shen Suwei also stopped and lowered his gaze to her. The moment he sensed Xu Qianyu’s vitality, his inner demons surged but barely managed to stop. But when he saw the back of Xie Yuzhen leading Xu Qianyu toward a wedding ceremony, it was like reliving a nightmare.

Her bridal gown, as red as blood, with the marriage veil hanging gently.

It was like a well-preserved gift.
He stood still for a moment, gripped the corner of the veil, and slowly lifted it.