His left wrist was still tethered. Somehow, using his right palm to brace against the ground, he finally managed to push himself up. Reaching into his tunic, he fished out a pearl, wiped it clean against his clothes, and tossed it into the air. The pearl immediately flared with bright illumination; it was a night-pearl, identical to the one Ji Longbai had used earlier. The pearl hovered and swung in midair for a moment before coming to a steady halt directly above Wutong’s head, gradually outlining the contours of the surrounding scenery. Wutong glanced down at the ground. The landing spot was covered in a thick layer of withered branches and rotting leaves that emitted a foul, pungent odor. He looked back up toward the opening above from which they had fallen, but it was no longer visible, suggesting this cavern was exceptionally deep. Thanks entirely to this thick bed of dead leaves, they had been spared from being smashed to pieces. As Wutong thought of the giant pillar shattered by lightning, could this cavern have been revealed only after the pillar was destroyed? That meant the place he was currently occupying was right beneath the Upper Immortal Platform, at the intersection of the bases of the three peaks! Wutong quickly inspected his surroundings. It was a spacious cavern, and as far as his vision could reach, it was roughly the size of the wooden platform’s ground floor above. Because the night-pearl’s light could only illuminate a small radius, everything further away remained hidden in pitch darkness, making its true dimensions impossible to tell. Turning his attention back to Gu Huaixiu, he found the man still unconscious, eyes tightly shut and brows furrowed. His features had reverted to his true face without disguise; the deathly pallor did not detract from his refined and sharp contours, though the dried blood on his face, tracing winding paths across his white skin, appeared eerie. Gu Huaixiu let out another soft groan. Could those two impacts really have crushed his bones? Skeptical, Wutong looked down at his own right hand and shook his head. He glared resentfully at the fiend who had deceived him, thinking it served him right. At this moment, he wanted nothing more to do with this fiend; he only wished to retrieve the Zhutian Jue the other had seized and make his escape. Wutong tried to stand up, but his left wrist was yanked back down. For the first time, he seriously examined his own wrist, determined to figure out what was going on. Slowly lifting his wrist off the ground, he noticed that Gu Huaixiu’s hand stayed tightly tethered right beside his, lifting up as well, though it dangled limply like a dead snake. He lowered it, lifted it, lowered it, and lifted it again. Finally, he understood: Gu Huaixiu’s wrist and his own wrist seemed to have been bound together by an invisible cord, so whenever he moved, Gu Huaixiu moved along with him. Wutong racked his brain, recalling the moment he was struck by lightning when his soul briefly left his body, seeing the Zhutian Jue shift and whirl before finally locking onto his and Gu Huaixiu’s wrists. Could that not have been a hallucination from a clouded mind? Did it actually happen, and had the Zhutian Jue bound him and Gu Huaixiu together? A chill crept into Wutong’s heart. He quickly raised his wrist to look closer, unable to find any trace of the Zhutian Jue, yet Gu Huaixiu’s hand was unmistakably linked to his. He grabbed Gu Huaixiu’s wrist and pulled with all the strength he had, but it refused to budge at all. It’s useless, Gu Huaixiu, lying on the ground, suddenly spoke up. Startled, Wutong immediately let go of Gu Huaixiu’s hand and scrambled backward on his backside, though he was yanked back after moving less than two feet. Terrified, he glared at Gu Huaixiu. What… what are you trying to do? Gu Huaixiu opened his eyes, gazing coldly at Wutong. You ruined my plans. If you want to stay alive, stay put and don’t move. Initially apprehensive, Wutong instantly blew his top upon hearing those words. Bah! You shameless fiend, and here I actually trusted you, only to find out you were just using that trick to sneak into the Tianchen Sect! With or without you, I could have entered. A tiny mountain gate couldn’t stop me. Shameless! I’ll fight you to the death! Wutong cried out, preparing to lunge forward. But catching sight of Gu Huaixiu’s chilling, terrifying gaze, his heart tightened and he halted halfway. Demons truly are nothing but filth. Just wait, my father and second brother will definitely rescue me and leave you with no path of redemption! Gu Huaixiu let out a cold snort, averted his gaze, and ignored him. Staring fiercely at him for a moment, Wutong experienced a sudden flash of insight. Wait, just now when I pressed down slightly, two of your bones broke. You’re severely injured and can’t even move right now. Since you can’t protect yourself, you can’t possibly do anything to me, can you? Gu Huaixiu looked at him again. After a moment, he said, I am severely injured, but dealing with you is still more than enough. I don’t believe it. If you don’t believe it, you can try. I’ll try then! Before he even finished speaking, Wutong punched fiercely downward toward Gu Huaixiu’s chest. Halfway there, his wrist was caught in a grip. Wutong struggled violently to break free, but his hand felt clamped in a steel vise, completely immobile, until he strained so hard his face turned bright red. Let me go! Wutong shouted loudly. The moment Gu Huaixiu released his grip, he jerked his hand back quickly. A red welt was already ringed around his fair wrist. So, don’t act rashly, Gu Huaixiu said bluntly. Having confirmed that his uncultivated physique possessed zero combat capability even against a severely injured Demon Lord, Wutong angrily abandoned any thoughts of a physical confrontation. Still eyeing Gu Huaixiu suspiciously, he asked, There is one thing I don’t understand. Seeing that Gu Huaixiu didn’t respond, he continued, You clearly still had the strength to seize the sacred artifact when you injured my second brother, and that thunder-light didn’t strike you either. How on earth did you get injured this badly? Gu Huaixiu closed his eyes once more and offered no reply. Wutong racked his brain in deep recollection. At the moment they collided with the pillar, Gu Huaixiu seemed to have pulled him along. Why would he pull him? Could it be he felt guilty for deceiving him? Bah, bah, bah. How could a cunning and ruthless fiend by nature ever possess a conscience like guilt? He must have wanted to keep using him! Right, wasn’t this just treating him as a hostage to secure an escape? Bringing his thoughts back to the giant pillar, he had clearly felt his bones shattering. Right when the lightning struck, he even saw his broken wrist bones, believing at that moment that he was dead. So why was he completely unharmed now? That made no sense at all. As Wutong pondered this, an electric spark of realization flashed through his mind: It was the Zhutian Jue! The Zhutian Jue had protected him! It was the sacred artifact of the Immortal Alliance after all, so naturally it protected people of the Immortal Alliance. How could it ever collude with a fiend! Realizing this in an instant, Wutong felt thoroughly refreshed and invigorated. Triumphantly, he shared this discovery with Gu Huaixiu, warning him, The sacred artifact of the Immortal Alliance only protects people of the Immortal Alliance. A fiend like you wearing the sacred artifact is simply courting your own destruction! Gu Huaixiu let out a cold chuckle. And here I thought you were clever. Can an inanimate object possess emotions and distinguish between good and evil? His piercing gaze locked straight onto Wutong. Besides, what is good, and what is evil? Who has the authority to define it? Naturally, the immortal realm is good, and the demon race is evil! Wutong retorted. Ignorance. The Guanyang Sect relies on power to bully others; where is their goodness? A trace of mockery lingered constantly on Gu Huaixiu’s face. Having said that, he closed his eyes again, seemingly unwilling to engage further. Wutong felt slightly short of breath, recalling the arrogant Guanyang Sect disciples at Yixing Tower who were indeed far from benevolent. But reflecting further with indignation, right here and right now, good and evil were crystal clear. He himself represented goodness, while the fiend Gu Huaixiu was the ultimate villain! This fellow was adept at deception and bewitchment, coming to the Tianchen Sect solely to plunder the Zhutian Jue. He must never let himself be hoodwinked by his rhetoric, Wutong warned himself inwardly. He stared for another long while at Gu Huaixiu, who lay there motionless with closed eyes, quietly plotting in his mind: The fiend looked so weak; if he struck him unexpectedly, could he succeed? Thinking this, he silently groped into his sleeve and felt for a dagger. Unexpectedly, Gu Huaixiu suddenly opened his eyes. Startled, Wutong shoved his hand holding the dagger behind his back and looked at Gu Huaixiu with vigilance. To his surprise, the other slowly sat up! As he rose, the bloodstains on his face and chest gradually faded until they vanished entirely, leaving the bright blue coat Wutong had bought him looking pristine and brand new. Wutong stared in wide-eyed astonishment, speechless not because of the cleansing spell the other cast, but in utter shock at his rate of recovery. He had always heard that demon cultivators had unique physical structures and healed exceptionally fast, but witnessing it with his own eyes still surpassed his imagination. Stammering, he asked, Your… your injuries are healed? Yet a trace of confusion lingered in his mind: Was it the demon cultivator’s innate rapid healing, or was it the effect of the Zhutian Jue? Could it be that the Zhutian Jue didn’t discriminate between immortals and demons after all? Gu Huaixiu said coldly, Otherwise? Were you waiting for me to stab you with a knife? Wutong secretly tucked the dagger away behind his back while refusing to yield verbally: A great fiend and a big swindler like you deserves to be executed by everyone! Hearing the words big swindler, Gu Huaixiu raised an eyebrow, shifting his gaze to Wutong’s face. Wutong felt his skin crawl under that stare, but still demanded aggressively, What are you looking at? Gu Huaixiu’s expression suddenly softened, echoing the mild demeanor he wore when they first met: Didn’t you say earlier that the Zhutian Jue can rapidly enhance a cultivator’s magical power? That goes without saying! Otherwise, Immortal Dongyao back then wouldn’t have broken through consecutive realms to defeat the great fiend Lieyang. Wutong blurted it out, then suddenly realized something and snapped his mouth shut. Why did you stop talking? Hmph, don’t even think about extracting the secrets of the sacred artifact from me! Wutong replied with puffed-up cheeks. What secrets? Seeing Wutong refuse to answer, Gu Huaixiu gave a nasal hum. Could it be the secret that the bearer gains magical power while simultaneously suffering terrible misfortune? Upon hearing this, Wutong felt even more frustrated, blaming himself for trusting him too easily earlier and spilling every detail without leaving anything out. Yet why would the fiend ask? Didn’t he know whether his magical power had increased or not? Could it be…? Connecting this to the moment earlier when the fiend was practically half-dead after the fall, Wutong’s eyes suddenly lit up. Cunningly shifting his gaze toward Gu Huaixiu, he asked with a mix of probing and certainty: Your demonic power actually hasn’t increased at all, has it? Seeing Gu Huaixiu lower his head in silence, Wutong felt a sudden surge of wild joy. He had guessed correctly! Heaven has eyes, and evildoers get their comeuppance! Bless the Immortal Alliance, and bless me, Wutong! Various exclamations echoed in his mind, and the joy on his face was nearly impossible to suppress. When Gu Huaixiu shot him an inquiring glance, he forced himself to restrain it, maintaining a nonchalant surface demeanor as he said: Although your magical power didn’t increase, misfortunes certainly won’t be lacking. If you want to lift them, the only way is to take off the Zhutian Jue. Wutong paused, then added, But for thousands of years, there has never been a precedent of anyone surviving the removal of the Zhutian Jue. There is also no precedent of binding two people together at the same time, Gu Huaixiu remarked. Find a way to untie this bond first. Wutong actually agreed in his heart. Who would want to be chained up with this big fiend and swindler all day long? Besides, without untying it, how could he escape? Thus, when Gu Huaixiu reached out his hand asking for the dagger, Wutong obediently handed it over into the other’s grasp.
Chapter 9 - Try It and See
After The Demon Lord Became A Beautiful, Useless Accessory