The zither melody gradually rose to a crescendo, and the night of slaughter had only just begun.
With trepidation, Yuan Lan spoke up again to smooth things over: “With the three thousand lacking, the Sovereign Lord must be dissatisfied. In my humble opinion, let’s just use this foolish immortal to temporarily complete the three thousand.”
The Demon Lord remained silent, indicating his tacit approval.
In other words, the Demon Lord didn’t care at all whether the barely assembled “three thousand beauties” were male or female, alive or dead, nor did he care about their backgrounds or identities.
A killing intent, like dark clouds before a storm, pressed down oppressively, yet you couldn’t even sense where he was.
How could such a god of slaughter be served by ordinary people?
On the crowded zither platform, Liu Wuzhi was the first to swiftly kneel down.
What to do when you can’t win? Kneel! She was just a Lingzhi, not an Immortal Venerable—how could pride be more important than life?
With someone taking the lead, the beauties frozen in place also knelt down one after another.
Though the Demon Lord was nowhere to be seen, one could feel his dangerous gaze, using the zither’s melody to scrutinize each person one by one. Yuan Lan turned around and explained, “The Sovereign Lord has always despised spies. If you step forward now, you might at least die a less ugly death.”
Everyone looked around in confusion: Spies?
Was the Sovereign Lord gathering a harem this time just to find spies hidden among the beauties?
The Demon Palace only allowed entry, not exit—what kind of spy could lurk here for a full three years?
While everyone was worried, Liu Wuzhi’s inner thoughts were filled with sarcasm: Is the Demon Lord a bit foolish? Even she, a human-shaped Lingzhi with a physical age of two and a half, knew that asking like this, who would voluntarily step forward?
Besides, once dead, who cares about looking good or not? Pretending to be deaf and dumb and kneeling at least leaves room to pray you haven’t been discovered.
The greater the crisis, the greater the opportunity. Another person gathered their courage and spoke up: “This humble one has only unwavering loyalty for the Sovereign Lord. The boiling Resentful Spirits beneath the Realm Boundary Stele are not even one ten-thousandth of my longing for your grace.”
While others followed suit in declaring their loyalty, the woman who had spoken first was already dragged into mid-air by an invisible force.
Loyalty has always been something that cannot be proven by words alone.
With a cold sneer, the familiar “crack” sounded.
Liu Wuzhi thought the Demon Lord had exploded another human firework, but then she saw the woman still floating intact. However, the crystal steps they had ascended to reach the zither platform suddenly cracked, and countless red tides from the void surged upward, instantly rising to the same height as the platform—it was the water from the Heaven-Burying Abyss again!
“I have walked through this blood pool countless times,” the Demon Lord spoke slowly, his ethereal voice like a resentful melody luring one into oblivion. “Since you all claim loyalty with your words, prove it by jumping down.”
Jumping would mean proving loyalty through death. Not jumping would mean lying and disloyalty.
Wasn’t this a dead end either way?!
The woman who had forced her way to the forefront was the first to be thrown to the edge of the zither platform. Under everyone’s watchful eyes, she first instinctively shrank back, then steeled herself, stood up, and straightened her clothes—perhaps this blood water, like Lord Yuan Lan, was just an Illusion created by the Sovereign Lord to test their loyalty?
She had endured three long years just for this one opportunity. As long as she took this step, she could become the most unique person in the harem!
The onlookers watched with jealousy and tension as the beautiful, slender woman took the step that could change her fate.
Would such a loyal woman be embraced by the Sovereign Lord?
Barefoot and suspended in mid-air, the heavy, multicolored skirts plummeted like thousand-pound weights, tracing a straight line through the air. The slender figure plunged into the waters of the Heaven-Burying Abyss without even a single bubble rising to the surface.
Moments later, a stark white skeleton, completely devoid of flesh, floated up.
“…?”
“…!!!”
No, this was the real Heaven-Burying Abyss! The Sovereign Lord truly didn’t care whether they lived or died!
“Sovereign Lord, please give us another chance!”
“This humble one can help you reorganize the inner palace, uncover the spy, and eliminate all future worries!”
“This humble one comes from a noble lineage and can assist the Sovereign Lord in suppressing the rebels, help you tear open the dual realm seal, and unify the Immortal Sects!”
Even more heartbreaking than the desperate pleas was the continuous, shattering sound of the platform collapsing. Bricks and stones crumbled, and everyone fell together. It seemed the Demon Lord’s patience had run out—all for the sake of that alleged spy, he intended to wipe out the entire harem in one fell swoop.
Liu Wuzhi could not summon celestial power, nor did she know how to wield demon energy. Fortunately, she had dressed lightly when leaving her quarters. Without hesitation, she sprinted across the falling debris, leaped forward in a single bound, and clung to the corpse of the senior disciple that hung high above.
—It was shattered, skeletal, and slightly uncomfortable to hold.
To avoid being thrown off during the turbulence, Liu Wuzhi tore off the sash from her side and tied a new bow around the immortal corpse’s neck, securing herself firmly to it.
When she looked back, the others were also mobilizing their magical power or Magical Artifacts to survive. Those who fell into the water perished instantly, their cultivation extinguished, and the number of competitors rapidly dwindled.
Having barely escaped the crisis, the surviving beauties began to fantasize once more: “Could it be that the Sovereign Lord is testing our cultivation?”
It was said that the Five Great Guardians often sparred with the Demon Lord. If one could win his favor through martial prowess, it would be a shortcut to rising through the ranks.
“Exactly! The Sovereign Lord has only recently ascended the throne and is in need of consolidating his authority. Only the most exceptional women are worthy of standing by his side!” The beauties from military families rubbed their hands in anticipation.
Liu Wuzhi was dumbfounded: What was so great about serving the Demon Lord? This was a life-threatening situation—why were they so optimistic about it?
The music grew increasingly intense, and the music platform continued to collapse. The number of survivors visibly dwindled. Some were struck down by falling debris, while others perished due to depleted magical power. Only Liu Wuzhi, half-embracing and half-riding the corpse of the senior disciple whose soul had been drained, survived without expending any effort.
Thank you, senior. I’m sorry for the disrespect.
Beyond the sky, the edges of the blood-red moon began to darken with scorched cracks, hinting at the passage of time. As the music platform slowly reformed, less than one in ten of the three thousand beauties remained.
Had the Demon Lord played the zither all night without tiring?
After the lingering notes faded away, the purple crystal music platform returned to its original form. Yuan Lan himself bore bruises and swelling on his face. After counting the survivors, he arranged for the disheveled group to return to the palace to rest.
One beauty trembled as she asked, “Will the Sovereign Lord summon us again tonight?”
Yuan Lan replied indifferently, “Either find the spy, or be killed.”
Upon hearing this, the beauty’s lovely face drained of all color. Her body, still trembling from the ordeal, convulsed uncontrollably. She pulled a golden hairpin from her temple and plunged it into her own heart.
Better a quick death than prolonged suffering. Before her last breath faded, she murmured, “My loyalty… to the Sovereign Lord… is…”
Having witnessed too many shocking scenes, Liu Wuzhi felt somewhat numb even as blood gushed forth like a fountain.
Compared to these beauties who faced death without fear and regarded the Demon Lord as their very life, she—who diligently sought to survive on her own—seemed like the true outsider.
The demon realm’s harem was filled with demon women, called beauties but in truth mere servants. Though the large shared room was simple, it had all the necessities. Liu Wuzhi briefly checked the original owner’s belongings, then settled quietly in a corner to meditate, attempting to separate her Divine Soul through her consciousness sea.
The demon realm was truly a strange place—she hoped never to return.
By the way, when had her bow ribbon disappeared?
The waters of the Heaven-Burying Abyss corroded all demon essence, leaving only mountains of white bones and remnants.
Amidst the stark contrast of red and white, a pink-purple bow stood out strikingly.
Foolish. Crude. Childish.
Yet, this fabric soaked in the Reverse Scale Powder of the Amethyst Dragon Clan feared no demon arts.
Close confidants knew that Demon Lord Baili Zheque had three deeply forbidden topics: one in the demon realm, one in the Immortal Realm, and one within himself. To touch upon them meant certain death.
The forbidden topic in the demon realm was precisely the son of the former Demon Lord, Baili Xuanye—a coward incapable of unifying the realm but exceptionally skilled at hiding.
Baili Zheque shared his surname but no blood ties; they had long since broken over the struggle for the throne, locked in a fight to the death.
Yesterday, the Demon Lord had not spared the remaining beauties—he had already identified the spy.
With the dragon bloodline extinguished, only those of the Baili clan could now use Reverse Scale Powder. Who would have thought that the clue the Demon Lord had searched for in vain had been lurking within this Demon Palace for three years?
As the immortal corpse refined into dry bones, only that glaring bow remained, swaying back and forth amidst the bloodshed. Its wings fluttered in the wind, the slender tails tracing carefree, undulating waves, reminiscent of that figure climbing upward over the Immortal Venerable’s corpse.
It held no aggression, yet it was profoundly insulting.
With strange expressions and exaggerated gestures, performing such absurd acts—was this some twisted form of playing hard to get?
In the eternal night, the Demon Lord curled his lips into a cruel, icy smile. His sharp teeth ground together, carving out two words like axes splitting bone, forging a mad yet indifferent pleasure in his eyes:
“Seeking death.”
Liu Wuzhi had no idea she had already become a thorn in the Demon Lord’s side.
That night, whether she mobilized earth and wood attribute techniques or attempted to use Immortal Techniques beyond her level, nothing worked. The original owner’s lingering Soul was tightly bound to her, yet Liu Wuzhi could sense no memories or Divine Sense belonging to Wuzhi.
For now, relying on herself alone, it seemed nearly impossible to separate her Soul from this body.
Then she could only seek external help.
With the Realm Boundary Stele blocking the way, sending word to her sect from the demon realm was hopeless, and crossing realms without the Immortal Alliance’s permission was forbidden. Liu Wuzhi desperately recalled what she had learned in Azure Mist Sect’s general knowledge classes, remembering only that over centuries, aside from Demon Lord Baili Zheque, no one had ever torn open the dual realm seal.
—Could she negotiate with the Demon Lord to tear just a tiny opening, letting her slip through to find her senior brother?
Regardless of the size of the tear, the prerequisite for the Demon Lord personally tearing the seal was that she needed to build a good relationship with him first.
That was a murderous Demon Lord who showed no mercy—what could a mere Little Immortal Grass like her possibly say to sway him?
As she fretted, the door burst open with a violent gust of wind.
Wood splinters flew everywhere, revealing Yuan Lan’s silhouette backlit by the light, a smile on his lips: “Who is Wuzhi?”
Hearing that name, Liu Wuzhi almost thought he was calling her real name.
Wuzhi, Wuzhi—what an uncanny coincidence.
The eldest senior brother’s surname is Liu, and the reason she was named “Liu Wuzhi” was because she was the Jade Green Lingzhi that grew from a withered willow tree. I wonder what the origin of Wuzhi’s name is?
Lost in thought, Yuan Lan had already singled her out: “The Sovereign Lord has summoned you to attend the bedchamber tonight. Come with me to prepare.”
Before Liu Wuzhi could grasp the meaning of the words “attend the bedchamber,” the other women sharing the room were already seething with jealousy: “She really was deliberately trying to steal the spotlight.”
“We all belong to the Sovereign Lord, so why was she chosen?”
“Don’t dream about it. You offended the Sovereign Lord—you’re definitely done for!”
As Liu Wuzhi tried to explain herself, Yuan Lan waved his fan and swept her out of the room.
Still wearing yesterday’s blood-stained clothes, Liu Wuzhi tumbled head over heels several times in midair before finally steadying herself. She took the initiative to ask, “Brother Yuan Lan, what does serving the Sovereign Lord involve?”
Since calling him “senior brother” didn’t feel appropriate, she settled on “brother” for now.
But this address of “Brother Yuan Lan” instantly shattered the flawless composure of the Calamity-Darkness Guardian. Liu Wuzhi crashed heavily to the ground.
Truly a spy who had infiltrated for three years—her schemes ran deep!
Looking up, she met Yuan Lan’s icy, piercing gaze: “Naturally, you obey the Sovereign Lord’s commands. Even if you’re to serve as a cultivation furnace for pleasure, you must endure it.”
Back at the Azure Mist Sect, Liu Wuzhi had once accidentally stumbled upon a dual cultivation manual. Although the manual had been promptly confiscated by her eldest senior brother, she had always remembered the meaning of the word “pleasure.”
After some thought, she asked again: “Pleasure… does that mean mating with the Demon Lord?”
Mating with the Demon Lord… what?
In the realm of biological reproduction, the union of male and female is called “mating,” and the interaction of yin and yang is referred to as “pairing.”
The crisp, clear word “mating” hung in the air, and even the sinister, oppressive aura of the Demon Palace seemed to falter for a moment.
An opportunity to attend the bedchamber that others could only dream of—and she dared to treat the Demon Lord like an animal? This was the Demon Lord, whom even the Five Great Guardians dared not approach, dared not look directly at, and whose name they dared not utter!
The air grew still. The girl stared into Yuan Lan’s continuously fracturing pupils and stated bluntly, “But the Sovereign Lord and I are different species. It’s impossible.”
With that, Liu Wuzhi suddenly felt a pang of regret—
How could she have forgotten again? She wasn’t a lingzhi anymore.
Author’s Note:
Easter Egg: The true forms of the “Broken Branch” CP (Purple Dragon Crystal/Jade Green Lingzhi) are both background props in the “Cloud Swan” arc [facepalm, peeking]
Seeking collections for the upcoming silly-sweet story “After Being Bound to the Sword Ancestor with a Love Gu,” synopsis below:
【Easygoing Sword Ancestor x Human World’s Flower of Wealth】
【We Had No Fate, Until I Spent Money】
Zong Shishi was born with the luck of a koi fish—wealth beyond measure, fortune that touched the heavens.
Until she was bound to the Sword Ancestor Cen Jue—a man rumored to have split the sky with a single sword, yet so poor his robes were patched—by a love gu that linked their lives and deaths.
Cen Jue desperately needed money.
Zong Shishi desperately cherished her life.
The two reached an unspoken, somewhat shady underground agreement.
The first time the gu flared up, the young man, clad in snow-white robes, lay still without even lifting his eyelashes, his entire being screaming “strictly business.”
Zong Shishi paid up gloomily, the experience utterly disappointing.
Later, Zong Shishi grew wiser. Beforehand, she would slap down a bag of top-grade spirit stones: “Smile for me, and I’ll add another thousand taels?”
Cen Jue opened his eyes, clear and detached. After a long pause, he stiffly curved the corner of his mouth.
Later still, she lay limp and boneless by the bed, too weak to even fetch money: “C-can I owe you for one time…?”
Cen Yu’s palm was already pressed against the back of her heart, his Spiritual Power gently flowing in. His voice, low and hoarse, brushed past her ear: “Payment per session. I still have seventeen left.”
…Wait, how did I end up owing him?
【Mini Theater】
Zong Shishi accidentally learned that the life-threatening love gu had been resolved half a year ago.
She stared blankly at the man by the bedside, as pure and transcendent as snow-covered pines.
Then now…
What exactly did his current state—loosened robes, lying down willingly—mean?
#Those Years of Keeping the Sword Ancestor
#Bending for Money Is Only Natural
#Wait, Aren’t We in a Purely Financial Relationship?