Chapter 39

Clink, clink.

On the Jade Mountain’s training arena, surrounded by boundless ghost flames, warm blood flowed down the steps in a steady stream.

Not far away, on the arena of the Twelve Nuo Gods, the defense battle had entered its final two rounds.

The four fighters in the upper group were already drenched in blood, while the middle four had been battered and torn apart, with severed limbs scattered across the ground. The lower four had easily been defeated by the Jade Mountain’s demon ghosts—clearly, they had formed an alliance with the Jade-faced Spider.

The sixteen city lords were clearly divided into factions.

The ten city lords supporting the Jade-faced Spider had already recalled three of the men they had sent to kill Liuyu, returning to stand behind Mo Lin. Three others still held onto a glimmer of hope, betting that the Jade-faced Spider and the immortal family behind her could turn the tide.

As for the remaining four city lords—

The demon ghosts looked at the list of names soaked in blood.

One incense stick ago, a demon ghost from Yinshan Liuyu’s side had recorded the names, which were then passed on by the ghost attendants to Mo Lin.

After confirming everything, there was no room for repentance or atonement—those who were marked simply breathed their last.

Mo Lin’s words were not a threat—whoever killed his subordinate, he would kill in return.

The female city lord with gem-adorned horns smiled faintly, wiping the Emei刺 in her hand, while glancing at the dripping water:

“The arrow is only three inches left, not much time for you all to think.”

The city lords caught between the Jade-Faced Spider and Mo Lin were in complete confusion at this moment.

Had they lost?

The top four of the Twelve Masked Gods were showing signs of fatigue, and no one could predict the outcome.

Moreover, no one could guarantee that if they sided with Mo Lin now, they would survive unscathed.

This demon lord, who relied on absolute strength to intimidate the demons, was itself brutal and cold-hearted—

The dim yellow light refracted from the bronze mirror, illuminating the pale and gloomy face.

The Jade-Faced Spider’s trembling pupils stared fixedly at Mo Lin’s every move.

Had he died?

Had Yinshan Liuyu died?

What did he see? What did he hear?

… He could think of nothing except the death of Yinshan Liuyu that could cause Mo Lin to display such an expression.

The cold light flickered in the Jade-Faced Spider’s eyes.

With Liuyu dead, Mo Lin had lost an ally.

When the Twelve Masked Gods were replaced by his subordinates, what use would Mo Lin’s strength be?

Once Da Chao eliminated him, it would only cost a few lives and a few Wuliang Seas—such resources were easily expendable to both Da Chao and the Nine Underworlds.

The position of the Nine Underworlds’ Lord, occupied by a low-blooded demon for so long, was about to be returned to him—

At that moment.

The ghost fires surrounding the stage suddenly flickered and then exploded.

In the surging ghost flames, which nearly dyed the sky green, all the demons, through the twisted air scorched by the heat, watched as slippery, cold tendrils seemed to endlessly spread, grow, and devour everything in the flames. Instinctive shivers ran down their spines.

Mo Lin’s sticky, gloomy gaze was fixed on the copper mirror in his hand.

He had noticed Jiufang Zhanghua’s presence even before Liuyu did.

From the moment Jiufang Xinglan suddenly appeared outside the city, revealing the secrets of the Jade-Faced Spider to Liuyu, he had vaguely felt someone was directing Jiufang Xinglan. It wasn’t until the Wanhua Mirror reflected a flash of golden light forming a figure that he fully understood.

Even if reduced to ashes, Mo Lin would never mistake it.

In Wusi City, in the Yinshan clan’s residence, in countless moments when he could never walk beside her in the sunlight.

This person could walk beside her as a matter of course, could be mentioned alongside her name, could drape a cloak over the girl sleeping beneath the tree, and they both studied the same swordsmanship.

Jiufang Zhanghua practiced the Elegant Sword.

Yinshan Liuyu practiced the Benevolent Sword.

Childhood sweethearts, innocently close—no one was better suited to these words than them.

So, when Liuyu was in trouble, even from a thousand miles away, even against the family’s will, Jiufang Zhanghua would have his cousin pass key messages to Liuyu, helping her with her problems.

And he?

He was only one city away from Liuyu but was bound by circumstances and unable to reach her in time.

Mo Lin held the copper mirror in his hand.

At this moment, he suddenly felt that he was never the extraordinary demon lord he believed himself to be; he was still the lowly slave who could only hide in the shadows, unable to openly walk by her side.

Until Liuyu spoke his name.

It was as if someone drowning was slowly given a breath of air.

Mo Lin could hardly believe his ears.

Inside the bronze mirror, the girl was no longer standing side by side with that person but facing each other, with raging waves of emotion in both of their eyes.

“Miss.”

The girl in black who arrived with the moonlight held a long sword taller than herself. She skillfully wiped the blood on the sword onto her already bloodstained arm.

“All the demons above the Fifth Realm have been dealt with, and the remaining number is fewer than you predicted, only about two thousand.”

It seemed that Mo Lin had done something to shake the alliance with Yushan.

Liuyu looked out at the forest embroiled in chaos.

“Wind Behind Eight Arrays, Fifth Type, Xuanxiang.”

The jade maids surrounding the palanquin, who were engaged with scattered demons, immediately gathered around Liuyu as they heard the order, summoning their jade bows into formation.

Normally seeming like ordinary servants, the maids lightly closed their eyes.

As the formation was completed, golden threads sprouted from their feet, crisscrossing into countless intersecting positions.

At this moment, Liuyu activated her Qi Sea and summoned the Mountain Ghost Dragon Bell.

The clear bell rang through the mountains and forests.

Centered around Liuyu, the Yushan demons scattered across the mountains suddenly felt an ominous sense of danger.

—Something was approaching.

Dingling, dingling.

The crisp bell sound pierced the long night, and with each ring, the Qi flowing from Liuyu surged.

Under the command of the Mountain Ghost Dragon Bell, the three thousand Lu Ming Mountain demons who had participated in the selection of the Twelve Masked Gods in the day began to surround the forest from the outside in.

Arrows infused with jade Qi rained down, and no matter how they moved, as long as their feet were on the golden lines, they would be relentlessly pursued by the jade arrows.

Outside were three thousand demons.

Inside, the maids’ bow formation.

The Yushan demons’ morale was instantly shattered.

Once morale was broken, even with enough numbers, they were just sitting ducks.

The bloodied jade sword transformed back into a hairpin and entered her hair.

The girl turned around, smiling warmly at Jiufang Zhanghua:

“Thank you for informing me about the Yushan spider silk prison today, but—actually, even if you hadn’t reminded me, I would have been fine because Mo Lin needs me. No matter what, I will rush to his side.”

Even through the communication formation, Liuyu could see the frozen expression on Zhanghua’s face.

No matter how much he was overlooked by his biological father, the young man in front of her, with his brows like verdant mountains, was still the noble son born and raised in a prominent family.

The prestigious Huazong family raised him with a composed and serene demeanor in the face of all matters.

Once, during a winter examination in Lingyong, the tip of his opponent’s sword was just a hair’s breadth from his pupil, yet the dignified young master remained unfazed, turning swiftly to parry the sword as gracefully as a flowing breeze or falling snow, calm and distant. The honorable Ji Yu Gong praised him, saying he had “the weight of bone and the coldness of spirit, fitting for the heavenly temple,” truly deserving of his reputation as a master swordsman.

But at this moment, in the flawless, jade-like features of his face, Liuyu could see a barely contained turmoil.

A subtle satisfaction surged within her heart.

The next head of the Yinshan clan harbored deep, unshakable affection for the ruler of the Nine Hells’ demonic forces.

At this moment, did he feel more wariness or fear?

“…Liuyu.”

The voice of Jiu Fang Zhanghua simmered with anger.

“Do you know what you’re saying?”

Amidst the sounds of battle, night mist gathered between the young girl’s eyelashes as she smiled faintly, her graceful attire making her look almost unreal in her beauty.

“Are you going to tell your father?”

The breath in his chest twisted with fury and jealousy, his face, pale as new snow, tightening like frost.

Liuyu softly asked:

“Zhanghua, if I said I like Mo Lin, and I want to be with him forever—would you tell your father, so he can prepare for the alliance between the Yinshan clan and the Nine Hells?”

Beside them, Jiu Fang Xinglan trembled, his teeth chattering.

…Had Yinshan Liuyu gone mad?

What was her position?

Even if she were to marry the demon Mo Lin, it would only be a temporary measure.

For them, the children of noble families, today’s spouses could easily become tomorrow’s enemies, for family interests were paramount. As long as the Nine Hells were destroyed in the future, Liuyu would return to Xiandu Yujing, where, as the future head of the Yinshan clan, she would still have noble families pressing their children to marry her.

What was this talk of liking someone, of staying together forever? Could it be that Yinshan Liuyu actually said this?

But if she were truly confused…

Jiu Fang Xinglan looked at his cousin, a cold sweat soaking his back.

He suddenly had a bad premonition.

If his cousin were to say yes now, wouldn’t that mean they would completely sever ties with the Yinshan clan? Could Liuyu allow him to return to Dazhao?

“I won’t!” Jiu Fang Xinglan urgently said. “If Liuyu finds her perfect match, I’m happy for you. Even if the elders have conflicts, it has nothing to do with us younger ones. I won’t speak out of turn in front of the clan head! Liuyu, trust me!”

He forced an innocent smile, using all of his acting skills.

But Liuyu didn’t even glance at him.

Their gazes locked. Jiu Fang Zhanghua’s fingers dug deep into his palm.

“You like him? You, like him?”

He repeated the words twice, his soft tone tinged with a strange mockery.

His obsidian-like eyes darkened, as though asking:

What about him?

What about the memories they shared from childhood, memories that others thought would last forever?

In her eyes, were they merely tools to entertain her and mock Tan Ning?

A crow’s cry echoed through the long night.

Liuyu looked up at the sky.

It was getting late, and with only one more city left, the long and tumultuous Ghost Play Immortal Journey would soon come to an end.

It seemed there was no time left to force Jiu Fang Zhanghua to completely sever ties with their family.

The aura roared, shaking the mountain demon’s dragon bell.

Liuyu looked toward Qingye City.

“Chaoyuan, break through.”

Chaoyuan’s figure darted swiftly, swinging a knife to send flying the approaching Jade Mountain demons, clearing a path.

The palanquin lifted from the ground, the red soul-recalling banner swaying in the night mist.

The sound of suona trumpets drowned out the surrounding sounds of battle.

The girl, immersed in the night, hummed a tune from the Nuo play, her gaze distant, fixed on the unknown road ahead.

“Heaven and earth in chaos, day turns to dusk, moon eclipses, punishment and reward, grace endless—”

Qingye City’s gate was just ahead.

As soon as Jiu Fang Xinglan saw the gates open, he rushed in without hesitation.

He could not stay with Yinshan Liuyu any longer. He had to leave the Nine Hells! He needed to get back to Xiandu Yujing! To a safe place!

“Get out of the way! Get out of the way!”

Jiu Fang Xinglan and his followers collided through the streets of Qingye City. Beyond the city was Jade Mountain, and bypassing it would lead them to the nearest barrier of the Great Wall—

At the end of the street, a ghost lamp hung high.

Racing through the city gates, Jiu Fang Xinglan came upon twelve empty arenas, and there, under the moonlight, stood a shadowy figure, ethereal as a ghost.

The blazing ghost fire had turned the entire martial arts stage into a wasteland.

Corpses lay scattered everywhere, some killed by swords, others disfigured by the boundless ghost flames.

Jiu Fang Xinglan’s blood froze.

It couldn’t be wrong. The young man, drenched in ghostly energy, was none other than the legendary demon Mo Lin.

His dark robes fluttered in the night wind, the obsidian threads gleaming with an icy, scale-like sheen.

Mo Lin, arms crossed, gently stroked the jade slip in his hand.

Before Jiu Fang Xinglan could once again use his usual “fence-sitting” skills to beg for mercy, he heard Mo Lin speak:

“Leave.”

“…What?”

Jiu Fang Xinglan thought he had misheard.

“Tell your people,” Mo Lin’s cold, steel-like gaze swept across the boy’s pale face, “I know your plans. If Jiu Fang family intends to act against the Yinshan clan, the Nine Hells will cooperate, but under one condition—no one from Dazhao may interfere in the internal affairs of the Nine Hells. Understood?”

From behind, Jiu Fang Zhanghua quietly listened to the exchange through the communication array. He lifted his head and gazed toward the north, where the Nine Hells resided.

As expected, Mo Lin had no true feelings for her—he was simply using her.

For such a demon—

She could actually like such a cold-blooded and heartless demon—

Even Jiufang Xinglan was stunned, staring at Mo Lin in shock, completely caught off guard.

Just a short time ago, he had heard Yinshan Liuyu’s passionate confession to this Demon Lord.

At this moment, this demon Mo Lin not only planned to spare his life, but even said he could cooperate with the Jiufang family to deal with the Yinshan family?

Yinshan Liuyu, with such beauty, temperament, and talent—how could he not be moved?

But then again…

Yinshan was the lord of the Colorless City, a demon, so it made perfect sense that he would despise the daughter of the Yinshan family.

Jiufang Xinglan couldn’t afford to think too much and quickly responded.

As soon as Mo Lin diverted his gaze, Jiufang Xinglan immediately took the chance to flee!

No matter if their words were true or false, he had to survive first!

“—Trying to escape? That’s not going to happen, Jiufang Gongzi, we are allies after all.”

Accompanied by a strange, low chuckle, Jiufang Xinglan suddenly felt a sharp pain in his right arm. His bodyguard behind him cried out in horror:

“Gongzi! Your arm!!”

Jiufang Xinglan turned around.

His right arm.

His right arm had been severed by a spider thread as thin as silver wire.

The blood-soaked Jade-faced Spider was struck away by the Jiufang family’s guard, but it was too late. His severed arm was hanging by a few blood vessels, causing him excruciating pain as he ran, affecting his entire body.

How could this young master, who had never even scratched his skin before, withstand such agonizing pain from a severed arm?

“Ahhh—!!”

Jiufang Xinglan screamed in agony.

The Jade-faced Spider, falling heavily to the ground, spat out a mouthful of blood but continued to laugh manically:

“Die, die, die! All of you from the immortal families, die!! The evil demons from outside the heavens are the true rulers of this world! The world should belong to my father! I am the one who is above all, the truly noble one! What are all of you immortal families worth? What—”

Before the spider could finish speaking—

A heavy punch caused the Jade-faced Spider to bite off half of its tongue.

A hand wrapped in an arrow sleeve lifted the spider up.

“Utter nonsense!”

Zhaoming tightly clenched his fist, his bones cracking as he prepared to strike.

His eyes, filled with endless hatred, locked onto the demon in front of him, his pupils slightly dilated, but his face was as cold as ever, devoid of any emotion.

“Utter nonsense about bloodlines!”

Zhaoming, who had never cursed before, spat the words out fiercely.

“Today, I will turn your bones and blood into pig food, feed it to dogs, burn it to ashes, and use it to fill in the foundation. As for being above everyone else, I will have you trampled underfoot by millions, kneeling in front of the one you look down on, and offer your worthless life as a sacrifice for her seventh day.”

The Jade-faced Spider, pressed into the dirt by his hand, howled in helpless rage.

The defeat was overwhelming.

After tonight, the Demon-slaying Sect of Jiuyou would no longer exist.

The ghostly attendant in black looked at the figure standing beside him in the cold wind.

The sky was about to brighten.

The side profile of the Demon Lord was obscured in the dim light, his emotions unreadable.

The ghostly attendant couldn’t help but think:

Could it be that everything the Demon Lord did in the Extreme Night Palace, where he obeyed the Mistress completely, was just an act?

Was it all just to use the Mistress, join forces with the Yinshan family, eliminate enemies, and take control of all of Jiuyou?

Hiss—

Could it be that the Demon Lord was so skilled in these schemes?

The divine palanquin slowly moved towards the city outskirts.

Sitting behind the thin veil, Liuyu scanned the battlefield. She couldn’t tell whether Mo Lin had truly spared Jiufang Xinglan, nor could she find any sign of the Twelve Nuo Gods.

She raised her hand to gently lift the thin veil.

“The situation with the mountain demon girl and the others is like—”

Before she could finish her sentence, a gust of wind from nowhere blew the large red spirit-summoning banner onto the palanquin.

Liuyu’s vision darkened.

But in the next moment, she sensed a familiar breath of morning mist invading the small space of the palanquin.

The distinct aggressiveness of a man’s presence intensified in the confined space, and instinctively, Liuyu reached out to block him, only to be easily caught by him.

After kissing her tender fingertips, he intertwined his fingers with hers, his other hand holding the back of her head as he dropped a fierce and urgent kiss without saying a word.

Liuyu almost didn’t have time to ask a question before he silenced her completely.

The blood scent on him was overwhelming.

But strangely, Liuyu didn’t feel repulsed. Her first reaction was to wonder—

Is this blood his, or someone else’s?

In the lingering kiss, Liuyu found a moment of respite to catch her breath and raised her eyes to ask:

“Are you alright? Are you hurt?”

Outside the palanquin, the dawn broke, and a ray of morning light shone through the spirit-summoning banner, illuminating her face, which was flushed from the kiss.

Mo Lin calmly stared at her.

He had to use all his self-control to resist the strange impulse to swallow each of her soft fingers in his mouth.

“No.”

He gently traced her lips with his thumb, his gaze sticky.

“The words you asked me to say, I fear I can only say them this once.”

Liuyu was a little confused but didn’t dwell on it.

She chuckled lightly:

“It’s alright, they won’t care about what you say, only about what you do. As long as you truly help them deal with my family, they will believe you.”

This way, under the Jiufang family’s nose, she could reasonably and properly move the Yinshan family’s assets elsewhere.

Mo Lin squeezed Liuyu’s fingers, his long lashes lowering to hide the intense desire in his eyes.

That was not what he meant.

Even if what Liuyu said in front of Jiufang Zhanghua was nine parts false and one part true—

That one part of truth was enough.

He feared that next time, he might not be able to control the urge to show her off in front of everyone.

The demons and ghosts who had been peering into the divine sedan waited for a long time.

Finally, the troublesome soul-calling flag was lifted by the Demon Lord with a single motion.

Blood-soaked, Chaoming dragged the corpse of the Jade-faced Spider toward them. The remnants of the Demon Slaying Sect were still making their last struggles.

The eerie green ghost fire had already burned out, and from a distance, the sun shone on Jade Mountain, radiating as brightly as an immortal palace.

Under the gaze of the crowd, Mo Lin turned to look at the smiling girl behind him.

“Tonight, the Empress’ jade hairpin is stained with blood—”

“Come with me to take Jade Mountain, and I’ll make some new pins for your Empress.”