“His Lordship will be meditating and cultivating at Bi’an Terrace tonight. You lot are responsible for cleaning the place thoroughly. Before midnight, you are to return to your rooms and stay there. Do not take even half a step near Bi’an Terrace. If anyone dares to disturb His Lordship’s meditation, they might as well prepare for their next reincarnation!”

The sky was shrouded in thick demonic energy, with streaks of narrow purple and white lightning silently flashing through the clouds. In a secluded corner of Wuyou Palace, surrounded by layers of black stone mountains and dark waters, a steward with curved bull-like horns wore a grim expression as he gave his orders.

Several women dressed in matching white robes stood with lowered eyes, silently listening. As soon as the steward finished speaking, they respectfully bowed in acknowledgment. He cast another sweeping glance at them, and seeing that they remained obedient, he finally turned and left.

The moment his figure disappeared from sight, the previously straight-backed women instantly relaxed, as if their bones had been pulled from their bodies. Their postures turned languid, and one of them suddenly grinned mischievously, reaching out to tug at the robes of the woman beside her.

“Senior Sister Li, let me see what you’re wearing underneath!”

“Stop it!” The other woman jumped in shock and quickly tried to dodge, but her movements still revealed a glimpse of the semi-transparent red dress beneath her white robes.

The red dress had an extremely low neckline, hugging her ample curves in a way that was both bold and alluring.

The other women immediately let out meaningful chuckles, some even teasing her.

“Everyone knows His Lordship has a preference for red clothing. Senior Sister Li, are you dressing like this because you plan to do something while His Lordship is here cultivating?”

“His Lordship has been rotating between different mountains for his nightly cultivation for the past two years, and only now has it finally been our turn at Bi’an Terrace. There are three thousand demonic peaks within Wuyou Palace, which means if we miss this chance, we won’t see His Lordship again for another eight years. As the number one beauty of the Hehuan Sect, of course, Senior Sister Li wouldn’t want to waste such an opportunity.”

“No wonder she traded a magical artifact just for an ordinary red dress. So this is her plan! If you really do manage to bewitch His Lordship, Senior Sister, don’t forget about us!”

As they chatted, their laughter grew more playful.

Senior Sister Li, now exposed, didn’t mind their teasing. She slowly straightened the white robe over her red dress, ensuring it was fully covered before glancing at the group with a sultry smile.

“That’s right. I do intend to do something. But don’t tell me that you, you, you… and you—”

She lifted her hand and pointed at them one by one.

By the time she reached the fourth person, Le Gui, who had been secretly dozing off while hugging a broom, was startled awake. She opened her eyes only to find Senior Sister Li’s finger directed at her.

Blinking in confusion, she asked, “Senior Sister Li, what’s wrong?”

“…Never mind.” Senior Sister Li ignored her and turned back to the others. “Don’t tell me none of you have thought about it?”

Her words struck a nerve. The room instantly fell silent as the women sobered up, their previous excitement dimming.

Le Gui, who had missed most of the conversation while napping, glanced around in confusion. Sensing the change in mood, she instinctively shrank back and tried to make herself invisible.

Senior Sister Li scoffed lightly and pulled out a small mirror from her sleeve, gazing at her reflection with admiration.

“With a face like mine, I should be serving His Lordship personally. How could I be stuck here doing menial chores?”

“What’s wrong with doing chores? If you don’t want to stay, you can leave anytime.”

A cool, detached voice rang out. The women immediately stiffened, straightening their backs and bowing respectfully.

“Greetings, Senior Sister.”

The Hehuan Sect’s customary greeting was as exaggerated as its reputation—both hands had to be stacked together, with fingers interlocked in an intricate pose. As a newcomer who had only recently joined the sect before entering the demon realm, Le Gui had yet to master the gesture. After fumbling for a moment, she silently gave up.

It didn’t matter anyway. She was so used to being overlooked that even if she did it wrong, no one would bother correcting her.

As expected, she managed to blend in unnoticed once again.

“If you want to leave, then go,” the Senior Sister said, her tone as indifferent as before.

Senior Sister Li, who had been acting confident just moments ago, suddenly stiffened. Forcing a smile, she replied, “Senior Sister must be joking. Being allowed to work at Wuyou Palace is a blessing I must have earned over several lifetimes. Why would I ever think of leaving?”

The Senior Sister’s gaze remained unreadable as she continued to stare at her. It wasn’t until Senior Sister Li looked away that she finally shifted her attention to the others.

One by one, her cold gaze swept over them. Each woman she looked at visibly hesitated, wanting to speak but too afraid to do so.

The atmosphere felt oppressively heavy.

Le Gui blinked. Just as her eyes met the Senior Sister’s, the woman smoothly looked past her, moving on without pause.

[Figures. Ignored again.]

In the midst of silence, the Senior Sister spoke again, “His Lordship is the ruler of the Demon Realm, sheltering demon cultivators across the land. As a gesture of gratitude, every thousand years, the various sects present treasures to him. Unlike other sects, Hehuan Sect does not possess many rare and precious artifacts, so instead, we offer ten of our most outstanding disciples to serve in Wuyou Palace.”

She paused briefly, then gave Senior Sister Li a warning glance. “To put it bluntly, you and I are no different from the treasures offered by other sects. How an item is used is determined by its owner, not the item itself. If anyone is unwilling to accept their place in Wuyou Palace, they are free to leave early.”

[…Senior Sister, that statement is a bit extreme. How can you say we are no different from objects? Those treasures don’t have to wake up before dawn to work, nor do they get scolded by Steward Niu Jiao all the time. Saying something like this will make it hard to convince people!]

Le Gui remained outwardly calm but passionately refuted in her mind. When she looked up, she saw that everyone else had expressions of sudden realization and acceptance.

She: “…” They’re acting, right? They must be. Right?!

Seeing no one refute her, Senior Sister’s tone softened slightly. “Enough. Hurry up and clean. Do not delay any longer.”

Wuyou Palace was protected by five thousand restrictions, with countless barriers large and small. Aside from the master of this palace—

The Demon King, Di Jiang, whom they referred to as ‘His Lordship’—

No one else could use spiritual power here.

So when they were told to clean, they had to actually pick up brooms and cloths to do the work. A simple cleansing spell was not an option.

“Yes.”

Everyone responded in unison, then gathered to divide the cleaning areas. As the most overlooked member of the Hehuan Sect group, Le Gui, unsurprisingly, was assigned the largest section.

“Junior Sister is a mortal, and mortals are the best at manual labor. The more capable should do more work.” Someone took advantage and still had the audacity to act smug about it.

Le Gui picked up a broom and started working, appearing completely submissive.

Satisfied with her obedience, the others quickly dispersed.

Finally, the place grew quiet. Le Gui let out a small sigh, promptly put down the broom, and found a spot to slack off.

Night had already fallen. Every five meters in Wuyou Palace, a blue ghostly flame hovered in the air, resembling street lamps… Though the demons here seemed to have little need for lighting, these flames always ignited at the hour of Xu.

Le Gui leaned against a wall, idly watching the sky filled with swirling demonic energy. She happened to catch a glimpse of a massive, unidentified creature flying past the dark clouds. For a moment, it blotted out the sky, then vanished in an instant, leaving behind thin streaks of silent lightning.

Le Gui was speechless for a long while before suddenly feeling a wave of sentiment. If she hadn’t transmigrated into this novel, she would never have witnessed such an eerie sight.

That’s right—she was someone who had transmigrated into a book.

Just one month ago, on a late night, she had been lying on her dormitory bed, reading a novel while debating whether to have scallion pancakes or sauce pancakes for breakfast the next morning. The next second, she found herself inside the very book she had been reading.

The book was called Supreme, a fantasy novel about the male lead’s journey from an ordinary mortal to the ruler of the Demon Realm. The details of the story were not important, because based on the current timeline, the male lead would not appear for another hundred years. As a mortal with a normal lifespan, she would likely never live to see his arrival.

Not only had she transmigrated, but it was also a direct body swap. Her current body was still as frail as before—so weak that she could not even pass an 800-meter running test. In this world, even an ant on the road might be able to crush her. Fortunately, Wuyou Palace followed the principle of ‘equality for all.’ Since everyone here was suppressed to the level of a weak mortal, she did not stand out.

Le Gui closed her eyes and took a short nap. When she woke up, she immediately rushed out, grabbed the broom, and pretended to be working hard. Thirty seconds later, Senior Sister arrived with the others.

This was a skill she had mastered during her month working in Wuyou Palace—no matter the time or place, she could seamlessly switch between slacking off and looking busy.

“Look how diligent Le Gui is,” Senior Sister praised.

Le Gui stopped at just the right moment, wiped off some imaginary sweat, and said humbly, “I’m ashamed. I just started a moment ago.”

“No need to be modest. Out of all the sisters here, you work the hardest,” Senior Sister said, casually inspecting the area before nodding in satisfaction. “You cleaned very well.”

[That’s because this place was already spotless. There was never anything to clean in the first place.]

The expert at slacking off wore an obedient expression, calmly accepting the praise.

With the cleaning done and the time almost up, everyone returned to their quarters. Just as they were about to enter their rooms, Senior Sister suddenly said, “Stop.”

Everyone halted in place, watching as she turned to face Senior Sister Li. “Hand over the clothes.”

Clothes?

Le Gui, having missed a crucial part of the drama, was confused for three seconds before seeing Senior Sister Li reluctantly remove her outer robe, revealing a seductive red dress underneath.

[This dress… looks familiar.]

Le Gui innocently gazed at the sky and quietly tightened her own collar.

“I exchanged a magic tool for this,” Senior Sister Li said, frowning slightly.

Upon hearing that the dress was obtained through a trade, Le Gui subtly relaxed.

Senior Sister’s voice turned harsh. “Hand it over.”

Senior Sister Li pursed her lips, then lowered her head to untie her dress.

The Hehuan Sect cultivated the path of pleasure, and their way of doing things was naturally different from others. For instance, when told to hand over their clothes, normal people would go inside to change first, whereas Hehuan Sect disciples would…

Strip right in public.

As the beauty in front of her suddenly disrobed, Le Gui could not help but glance at her overly plump and shapely chest… then glance again… and again…

“Go back to your rooms,” Senior Sister instructed.

Everyone complied, but the moment their doors shut, Senior Sister locked them all from the outside. When she turned around, she met Le Gui’s shocked gaze.

“Why are you still standing here?” Senior Sister frowned.

[Because I still haven’t recovered from the impact of Senior Sister Li’s massive chest. I need a moment to process.]

Le Gui, with her ever-obedient and well-behaved face, simply looked at her in silence.

“I’m locking them up to prevent any trouble. I’ll release them once His Lordship leaves,” Senior Sister explained. Perhaps because Le Gui was much more manageable compared to the others, she actually took the time to give her an explanation.

Le Gui blinked. “Then… will my room be locked too?”

Senior Sister paused for a moment, her gaze falling on Le Gui’s face.

[What’s with that expression? What do you mean? Why are you hesitating! I know I’m not as stunning as the people from the Hehuan Sect, but I’m not ugly either, okay? Why do you look like you’re thinking, ‘She’s perfectly safe. There’s no need to lock her door’?!]

Le Gui cleared her throat. “Maybe don’t lock it. I’m just a mortal. If there’s a fire, I might not be able to escape in time.”

Senior Sister suddenly tested her. “What do you think about His Lordship switching mountains for cultivation every day and not returning to Bi’an Terrace until eight years later?”

[What do I think? You’d have to be completely insane to do something like that.]

Le Gui obediently replied, “His Lordship is truly a refined and elegant person.”

Senior Sister: “….”

After a long silence, Senior Sister said, “Go rest in your room. I won’t lock your door.”

“Thank you, Senior Sister.” Le Gui turned and left.

“Le Gui.”

Just as she stepped into her room, Senior Sister called her back, still uneasy.

Le Gui looked completely well-behaved. “Is there anything else, Senior Sister?”

“Even though your door won’t be locked, you are not allowed to leave after midnight, and you must not go near Bi’an Terrace. Once I return to my room, I won’t be coming out again. Everything will depend on your own self-discipline.” Senior Sister’s expression grew stern. “So, you’re not going to be like those other girls—sneaking out in the middle of the night to seduce His Lordship, are you?”

“I won’t.” Le Gui answered without hesitation.

Satisfied with her response, Senior Sister added before leaving, “Remember, disturbing His Lordship will bring nothing but eternal doom.”

Le Gui obediently nodded.

Half an hour later, she snuck out of her room, moving stealthily through the darkness toward Bi’an Terrace.

[Not seduce His Lordship? Sorry, but risking my life to come to the Demon Realm was all for this.]

Dong—Dong—

A deep, resonant bell echoed from the distant Diyun Peak. The sound swept through the night like a solemn chant, stirring the air. Overhead, the grayish-blue demonic energy in the sky took on a faint purple hue. Enormous, whale-like creatures shifted uneasily, rolling through the sky as thin streaks of lightning crackled from their bodies.

Midnight had arrived.

On the throne at Bi’an Terrace, a man who had been resting suddenly opened his eyes.