9 – Don’t be sad. It’s just a very simple dislike for him…
Half an hour later, in the Demon Realm’s royal hall.
Liu Wuzhi poured the solution she had spent the entire morning accumulating into the yin-yang bottle and demonstrated the immortal-demon conversion process to the Demon Lord using a red spider lily.
Drawing the magic array with the solution specially crafted from the lingzhi spirit herb, the vibrant red petals immediately turned silver-white like moonlight, faintly glowing with a pale golden spiritual light. Liu Wuzhi uncorked the other side of the bottle and redrew the reverse array with a doubled dose. However, when she placed the flower branch inside, there was no reaction at first. After a moment, it slowly began to show hints of pink. After waiting for a long time, it gradually deepened into a vibrant red but only restored halfway before ceasing to change.
This task could barely be considered completed, right?
Adhering to the principle of “passing is enough,” Liu Wuzhi didn’t feel embarrassed at all. As she watched the Demon Lord pick up the flower branch, she suddenly thought that this half-red, half-silver spider lily resembled his eyes—exceptionally beautiful.
For things one likes, one should admire them without blinking.
She saw those beautiful eyes slowly narrow. Baili Zheque picked up the bottle containing the remaining solution and, along with the two-colored flower, crushed them into nothingness in his palm.
Liu Wuzhi: !
This beautiful Demon Lord was actually wasting the fruits of her labor!
She would never like his eyes again!
The solution, originally condensed from demon energy, flowed across his pale palm, tracing the patterns of the array. Sensing her clear dislike, Baili Zheque lifted his eyelids slightly. “Dissatisfied with me?”
Unlike the complex bitterness of hatred, this dislike was like a kitten whose tail had been stepped on—its fur bristling into a spiky ball, yet only able to shoot silent protests with grape-like eyes. In the mortal realm, such emotions likely only existed among children under seven.
She simply disliked him, very purely.
Childish.
“You should reward me,” Liu Wuzhi actively advocated for her own interests.
She had interrogated the prisoner and accomplished what the Demon Lord had asked of her, yet he had taken her little bell and wanted to learn her magic array for free.
At this moment, he was sitting while she stood, giving her a rare height advantage. She had to seize the opportunity.
The Demon Lord remained indifferent. “I only punish, never reward.”
Liu Wuzhi felt this reward-and-punishment system was utterly demoralizing. “Everything has a first time. You could start by rewarding me, right?”
Baili Zheque had heard countless pleas for mercy, but she was the first to dare ask for a reward.
Her words were clear and confident as she negotiated with the Supreme Lord of Ten Thousand Demons, her tone even carrying a hint of anticipation.
That childish dislike had also completely vanished, like spring snow in March—melting into water upon touching the ground, never accumulating in the heart.
The Demon Lord slowly rose, looking down at her from above.
His towering figure seemed to rise like a mountain from the ground. Liu Wuzhi could only see Baili Zheque’s chest. She involuntarily glanced at the Demon Lord’s sash—thankfully, he was properly dressed this time.
“Or,” she said, her momentum weakening slightly under his shadow, “could you return the little bell to me?”
Before she could finish speaking, her body was lifted into the air again. At the far end of the main hall, two crystal-iron doors swung open with a thunderous crash.
Afraid of being thrown out like the beauty from yesterday, Liu Wuzhi quickly changed her tune. “If you insist on keeping the little bell, then reward me by sending me to the Defiled Realm.”
Hearing this, the Demon Lord seized the girl by the throat. “Who told you I’m going to the Defiled Realm?”
Liu Wuzhi didn’t recognize the echo in her mind, but her intuition told her the other party was a villain.
It wasn’t that she trusted the villain, but the dual realm seal between the celestial and demon realms was right at the edge of the Defiled Realm in the Empty Desolation! If she went, she might find a chance to return?
Thinking deeper, if the villain realized she wasn’t Wuzhi, it could be even more dangerous. Anyway, the Demon Lord could make her fly with just a flick of his finger, so bringing an extra person along definitely wouldn’t trouble him.
So, Liu Wuzhi fluttered her words: “I just want to go for a stroll, I won’t disturb you.”
Once they reached the Defiled Realm, she could see how the villain reacted, and then decide whether to listen or not.
As she struggled, the butterfly knot strings on her twin tails swayed incessantly. The Demon Lord sensed no trace of guilt in her emotions, his lips curling coldly as he dragged Liu Wuzhi out the door.
Outside the gate tower, a fighting ring had been set up at some point, with a dense crowd both on and around the stage.
As the Sovereign Lord appeared, Yuan Lan immediately bowed respectfully. Watching the Demon Lord drag the undercover beauty—who shouldn’t have been there in the first place—to the front row, Yuan Lan hesitated but ultimately turned to address the crowd: “The former Ember Ruins Guardian, Su Ye, harbored ill intentions and attempted an assassination. He is now dead without a whole corpse, as I’m sure you all know.”
“If there are still traitors among the Guardians, how can the Sovereign Lord feel at ease? Where does the dignity of the Demon Palace stand?”
Liu Wuzhi crouched beside the Demon Lord, rubbing her reddened neck and quietly hissing in pain. Hearing this, she couldn’t help but glance up at the Demon Lord.
Baili Zheque paid no attention, closing his eyes to rest again as Yuan Lan continued his impassioned speech, seemingly disinterested.
Even his most trusted minister had betrayed him, yet he remained numb and indifferent—either the Demon Lord couldn’t feel sorrow, or he was accustomed to betrayal.
“Sovereign Lord,” Liu Wuzhi genuinely felt he was terribly lonely and tried to comfort him, “I’ve already found out why Uncle Ye betrayed you. After all, you cheated first, broke your promise, and forced him to come to the demon realm. He wanted to leave, so don’t be sad.”
Her throat was still hoarse, but it didn’t stop her sympathy from overflowing.
“…” The Demon Lord didn’t open his eyes.
Liu Wuzhi chatted one-sidedly for a while before amusing herself with the Netherworld Butterflies and Dusk Crows that gathered around.
Over on the other side, Yuan Lan continued: “The Five Great Guardians each have their duties, and no position can remain vacant. The reason we’ve gathered everyone today is precisely to select those who are truly loyal.”
He waved his fan, conjuring an hourglass: “The time limit is half an hour. Whoever remains standing on the ring after the sand runs out will become the new Ember Ruins Guardian, accompanying the Sovereign Lord to the Defiled Realm.”
At these words, the crowd stirred briefly before falling silent again—since it was a timed match, the first to act would inevitably be at a disadvantage.
The Guardian position was second only to the Demon Lord, yet it was also extremely dangerous. The crowd was both fearful and unable to suppress their desire to rise to power in one leap. As they hesitated, the Demon Lord, hearing no sounds of fighting, finally opened his eyes and directly pulled several people out from the crowd, manipulating them like puppets to harm each other.
Spur-of-the-moment, careless, and impatient, the Demon Lord paid no heed to their individual cultivation attributes, simply making them crash into each other chaotically on the ring. One unfortunate soul even attacked with his rear end.
The sounds of limbs snapping echoed one after another, leaving Liu Wuzhi stunned.
Now she understood: the Demon Lord wasn’t putting on a pitiful act—he was giving her a warning. Only by becoming a Guardian could she follow him to the Defiled Realm, but even if she dared to step onto the ring, Wuzhi’s body would likely be smashed to pieces, right?
So maybe… she shouldn’t go after all?
But if she didn’t follow the Demon Lord as that voice instructed, would the villain suspect her? She also had no idea how the previous Wuzhi had managed to please the Demon Lord.
While tangled in these thoughts, a streak of purple light streaked across her vision. The brilliance was too dazzling, and Liu Wuzhi instinctively caught it.
It was an Amethyst Crystal, with the same texture as the Demon Lord’s Dragon Horns. Touching the crystal’s surface, a cool sensation seeped through her fingertips, and the hexagonal prism cast geometric shadows in her palm.
So beautiful.
“Throw it down.”
Hearing this, Liu Wuzhi was reluctant. “If you don’t want it, you can give it to me. Why throw it away?”
She crouched to the right of the Demon Lord, looking up to meet the surging murderous intent in his crimson eyes, so close it felt palpable.
Today, the Demon Lord seemed particularly unhappy. Not daring to defy him, Liu Wuzhi could only reluctantly toss the beautiful Amethyst Crystal away.
The crystal’s edges were sharp as if carved from ice, and as it was thrown, it refracted a gentle, clear halo under the demon realm’s moonlight—a paradoxical coexistence of cold hardness and delicate beauty.
Below the seating area was the arena. As the finger-sized crystal fell toward the center of the crowd, it suddenly shattered. The fragments traced burning trajectories, turning several nearby contenders into smoke, while many others farther away were thrown back or injured.
Even a selection event held such deadly danger. Terrified, the crowd hurriedly knelt and bowed. “Sovereign Lord, please calm your anger!”
As waves of fearful submission washed over him, the Demon Lord’s expression softened slightly. But then, an untimely voice sounded beside him: “That was amazing.”
Liu Wuzhi imitated the others, kneeling obediently at the Demon Lord’s feet—the closest spot to him—and spoke sincerely.
“But it’s such a waste.”
“…” The Demon Lord had never encountered someone so audacious.
Having asserted his authority, the Sovereign Lord ensured that no one on the platform dared to slack off or waste time. They fought with all their might, battling fiercely.
The demon race’s appearance was generally unimpressive, with burly and rough physiques. Watching bloody brawls was too dull, and just as Liu Wuzhi was about to inch away bit by bit, the Demon Lord pulled her through the air to the chief seat.
Though this body was beautiful, it felt stiff and rigid, making the Little Immortal Grass, who preferred soft soil, quite uncomfortable. “Sovereign Lord, if you don’t want to take me to the Defiled Realm, I’ll just stay behind for now.”
Judging by the situation, was he going to make her Attend the Bedchamber again?
Baili Zheque pretended not to hear. Seeing the beauty in his arms squirming restlessly, he tightened his grip around her waist.
Unable to leave, and forbidden from leaning closer to study the Demon Lord’s Dragon Horns or pointed ears, Liu Wuzhi had no choice but to endure watching the ugly brawls. Screams and shouts rose and fell from the platform and below, with clashes of weapons drawing blood at every turn. But for someone who had worked tirelessly in the death prison for three days and nights, followed by an all-night session of drawing arrays, it only had a hypnotic effect.
Her eyelids growing heavy, Liu Wuzhi unconsciously leaned against the chest of the person before her, only to feel a sudden sharp pain in her chin.
Exploiting her labor and not even allowing her to sleep—what a terrible villain.
Fear and submission surrounded them from all sides, but an inconspicuous trace of emotion mixed in stood out distinctly, like a kitten extending its soft paw to scratch at the heart.
From this vantage point, every detail of this face was laid bare—from the corners of the lips to the tips of the eyebrows, all meticulously crafted, deliberate yet extravagant. Beautiful, yes, but utterly lifeless.
The only exception was the eyes. Perhaps due to extreme exhaustion, a faint, misty layer of moisture covered the surface of the pupils, lending them an air of “natural, unadorned” charm.
Like the moon reflected in a pond, disturbed by the slightest breeze. The purple irises shimmered wetly, and the Demon’s reflection swayed along with them.
If I gouged them out bloody, would these two round, bulging eyeballs still be as delicate and lively as they are now?
As malice grew, she saw the girl’s eyes shift once more, her brows furrowing slightly.
Annoyed but not angry.
Once again sensing that childish dislike, the Demon Lord lifted Liu Wuzhi’s chin, smiling faintly. “Advancing by retreating—is this trick also something Baili Xuanye taught you?”
Author’s Note:
Demon Lord: I’ve long seen through your seduction tactics.
Zhizhi: ?