Setting up an array of blood and engaging in a fierce battle with Mu Xuanling had worsened Xie Xuechen’s already unhealed severe injuries. Mu Xuanling had also expended considerable energy; Xie Xuechen noticed her face showing a hint of paleness. Even with her full smile, she couldn’t hide her weakness.
The two found an inn to stay at in a nearby town. Taking advantage of the night, Mu Xuanling went out to buy some changes of clothes. This time, she didn’t set up any restrictions to prevent Xie Xuechen from escaping. Xie Xuechen didn’t think about getting away from Mu Xuanling anymore, because she had bluntly told him that she had placed a mark on him, allowing her to sense his direction and distance.
Mu Xuanling found quite a bit of silver money and spirit pills in Gao Qiumin’s storage ring. She bought some fitting clothes for Xie Xuechen and secretly inquired about news from the Immortal Alliance.
As expected, the news of Xie Xuechen’s disappearance had not yet spread.
When Mu Xuanling returned to the inn, Xie Xuechen had just finished his breathing exercises. After taking the spirit pills from Mirror Flower Valley, some color had returned to his face. Mu Xuanling handed him the long robe she had bought and smiled, saying, “Shall I ask the waiter to arrange a bath for Sect Leader Xie?”
Xie Xuechen took the clothes, glanced at her indifferently, and said, “The body of a Fa Xiang is pure and untainted.”
Implying that he didn’t need a bath.
But clothes that were torn still needed to be changed.
Cultivation is wonderful, Mu Xuanling thought. Not only do they not eat grains, they’re untainted by worldly dust, and can even erase love, hate, and all emotions.
Mu Xuanling rested her chin on her hand, watching the slender shadow on the screen. She wavered between looking and not looking for a moment, and by then, he had already changed.
Never mind, it’s not like I haven’t seen it before—Mu Xuanling thought with some regret.
Xie Xuechen walked to the table and sat down, then heard Mu Xuanling say, “Sect Leader Xie, it seems you were heading towards Yongxue City today.”
Xie Xuechen nodded.
Mu Xuanling sighed lightly, “If I were you, I absolutely wouldn’t return to the Immortal Alliance before recovering my Yuan Power.”
“Before I entered the array, I had made arrangements. If I didn’t return within seven days of entering the array, the Five Elders of the Immortal Alliance would enter to investigate and discover traces of my battle with the demon race,” Xie Xuechen said. “I presume that by now, the Immortal Alliance has secretly sent people to search for my whereabouts.”
“Sect Leader Xie, haven’t you ever wondered why the demon race knew exactly which day and time you would enter the array, allowing them to set up a trap in advance?” Mu Xuanling rarely showed such an earnest expression.
Xie Xuechen lowered his eyes, the candlelight casting a faint shadow under them.
“There’s a demon spy within the Immortal Alliance,” his cold voice said slowly.
Thousands of years ago, the human Immortal Alliance had exerted all their efforts to set up the Ten Thousand Immortals Seal at the border between the demon realm and the human world, the Two Realms Mountain, stopping the demon race’s invasion of the human realm. However, this seal was eroded by demonic energy and needed to be repaired every sixty years. Traditionally, the leader of the Immortal Alliance was responsible for protecting the array. Xie Xuechen had succeeded as the leader of the Five Sects of the Immortal Alliance a few years ago, and this year marked the first time he was to repair the array alone. However, he was ambushed by a large demon army.
The Ten Thousand Immortals Array was complex and interlocking. The person repairing it had to be at the array’s eye, summon their Fa Xiang, and use their primordial spirit to communicate with the entire array to know where repairs were needed. Therefore, only one person could repair the array, and it had to be one of the strongest cultivators in the world. During the repair, the repairer was most vulnerable to attacks. But the Ten Thousand Immortals Array was a sacred array formed by human cultivators; demons within it would suffer as if being tortured. So even if the demon race knew this was the year for repairs, they couldn’t determine exactly which day and hour the repairer would enter the array, nor could they set up an accurate ambush.
But this time, the timing of their ambush was just right…
When Xie Xuechen saw the Demon Lord in the array, he understood everything.
“So you understand,” Mu Xuanling breathed a sigh of relief. “Alright, you said it yourself, so it’s not me who’s telling tales.”
Xie Xuechen raised his eyebrows, his clear black and white phoenix eyes focused intently on Mu Xuanling. “So, you deliberately led me away from the path to the Five Sects of the Immortal Alliance. You knew the demon race would send pursuers to intercept halfway.”
Mu Xuanling bit her lip and nodded helplessly.
“My master is the demon race’s Grand Priest Sang Qi. I imagine you know about him. Master excels at divination. As long as he has someone’s item, he can easily calculate their location, with an error of no more than ten miles. Therefore, demon pursuers will soon find Qingshan Town and use it as a starting point to search along the path to the Five Major Sects. Now, with your severe injuries unhealed and your divine orifice sealed, if the demon race discovers you, the consequences would be unthinkable.”
“Avoiding crowds makes it less likely for the demon race to detect us.”
“But even if you return to Yongxue City, you’re not safe!” Mu Xuanling said urgently. “The one who knew about your entry into the array must be someone of high status in the Immortal Alliance. With your Yuan Power depleted you’d have little chance of victory if you encountered that person! They would surely try to kill you!”
“So what?” Xie Xuechen frowned slightly. “Fearing death and standing still is not the way of a sword cultivator.”
Xie Xuechen said seriously, “The way of the sword cultivator is to advance in the face of a thousand armies.”
Mu Xuanling stared at Xie Xuechen, seeing not a trace of fear in his eyes. Those phoenix eyes were like his sword, unstoppable, with a sharp radiance.
Mu Xuanling remembered outside Zhushen Palace when he deployed his Heavenly Fa Xiang. At that moment, he seemed to swallow mountains and rivers, shaking heaven and earth. When the Jun Tian Sword appeared, it outshone the sun and moon.
If his determination and sword heart weren’t like this, how could there be today’s Xie Xuechen, known as the world’s number one?
Mu Xuanling rested her chin on her hand, her lively and intelligent eyes fixed unblinkingly on Xie Xuechen, a smile slowly blooming on her lotus-like face.
Xie Xuechen sensed her sudden change in emotion, those watery eyes frankly and passionately expressing her admiration and love.
“What… what’s wrong?” Xie Xuechen was somewhat confused and uncomfortable.
Mu Xuanling smiled and said, “I think my taste is really good. I didn’t fall for the wrong person.”
This time, Xie Xuechen understood. Mu Xuanling’s condition was acting up again.
She supported her chin with both hands, her eyes curved into crescents as she gazed at Xie Xuechen. “Although I hope you can temporarily avoid danger and protect yourself, hearing you say this makes me feel that this is the real Xie Xuechen.”
“If you’re going to Yongxue City, I’ll go with you!” Mu Xuanling declared firmly.
Xie Xuechen was stunned. He frowned slightly and said, “You’re a half-demon, and you’ve cultivated demonic techniques. Although you have artifacts to conceal your aura, Yongxue City is different from other places. There are many strong cultivators; your disguise might be seen through.”
Mu Xuanling smiled sweetly, “So you do care about me!”
Xie Xuechen was blocked for a moment. He paused, then said with increased emphasis, “Half-demon demonic body, the people of the Immortal Alliance will kill on sight!”
“But you didn’t kill me!” Mu Xuanling still looked carefree.
Xie Xuechen felt somewhat powerless. He rubbed his forehead, took a deep breath, and said, “Why must you be like this?”
“I like it, I’m willing!” Mu Xuanling’s gaze was passionate and determined. “Although I know you’re unwilling, I still have to force you. There’s no help for it, cultivating demonic techniques means following one’s heart’s desires. Just as you must adhere to your principles, I must follow my true feelings.”
Xie Xuechen was stunned by Mu Xuanling’s righteous but twisted logic. For a moment, he couldn’t refute and could only say with a wave of his sleeve, “Absurd, how can you generalize like this?”
Mu Xuanling was already used to his harsh words. Such mild rebukes didn’t bother her at all. She smiled and said, “If I didn’t cultivate demonic techniques, could I stay by your side?”
Xie Xuechen was taken aback.
Mu Xuanling continued, “The demon race cultivating demonic techniques is like your human race cultivating. It’s just that humans absorb spiritual energy from heaven and earth, while the demon race absorbs demonic energy. There’s no demonic energy in the human realm, so demons consume the flesh and blood of living people and devour inner demons to cultivate. That’s why they’re killed by human cultivators.”
Xie Xuechen nodded gravely, agreeing with Mu Xuanling’s words.
“I’m half-spirit, without a spirit core or divine aperture. I can’t absorb spiritual energy, but I can cultivate demonic energy. However, I can also disperse my cultivation,” Mu Xuanling stared intently at Xie Xuechen. “If I disperse my demonic cultivation, I’ll just be an ordinary half-spirit.”
Although she cultivated demonic arts, she was the esteemed Holy Maiden of the demon race. If she were to disperse her demonic cultivation, she would become the lowest and most despised half-spirit in the human realm, and might even face pursuit and assassination by the demon race. Half-spirits faced extreme discrimination in the human world; if they didn’t flee to the wilderness to barely survive, they could only become spirit slaves, never able to change their fate. Moreover, dispersing demonic cultivation was excruciatingly painful, like having one’s flesh torn apart and ants gnawing at one’s heart.
“Why…” Xie Xuechen found it truly difficult to understand Mu Xuanling’s thinking.
“If I were just a half-spirit, without the power to protect myself, would you protect me?” Those eyes blinked, watery and seemingly able to speak, looking pitifully at Xie Xuechen.
If what she said was true, that she had never killed anyone and had saved his life, then he… he should protect her.
This thought flashed quickly through Xie Xuechen’s mind, but he didn’t voice it.
Mu Xuanling didn’t wait for an answer and was about to say something urgently when her face suddenly turned pale, her pupils dilated, and her body slid off the chair. Without time to think, Xie Xuechen was already by her side, catching Mu Xuanling’s falling body.
At that moment, the surroundings suddenly darkened.
Xie Xuechen held Mu Xuanling with one arm, vigilantly surveying the area.
The darkness was as thick as ink, tightly enveloping everything, making it hard to breathe. Even the divine sight of his Dharma body couldn’t penetrate this darkness. Xie Xuechen couldn’t see Mu Xuanling in his arms, but he could feel her faint breath and the beating of her chest.
Xie Xuechen immediately realized this was the work of the demon race, and he had been pulled into another space.
“Sect Leader Xie, my heart hurts so much,” Mu Xuanling’s voice came from his arms, pained and weak.
A soft, cool hand grasped his wrist. “Can you check for me…”
She pulled his hand towards her chest.
Xie Xuechen couldn’t see, but he could feel the smooth touch on his wrist. He allowed the other person to guide his hand, but just as it was about to touch the chest, he changed his palm into a claw, attacking the person’s head!
The person made a surprised sound, and the sensation in his arms suddenly disappeared, leaving nothing behind.
Not far away, an androgynous voice laughed and said, “As expected, I couldn’t fool the Immortal Alliance Sect Leader, the world’s number one sword cultivator.”
Xie Xuechen looked toward the source of the voice, which seemed to come from near and far, left and right.
“Was my imitation of the Holy Maiden not good enough?” The voice changed to Mu Xuanling’s tone, sounding a bit hurt, “Or does Sect Leader Xie simply not like me?”
Xie Xuechen frowned and said, “Demons don’t have hearts, so why did you have a heartbeat?”
In this world, everyone’s heartbeat is different. His hearing was extremely acute, and having spent many days with Mu Xuanling, he was naturally very familiar with her heartbeat. When he caught Mu Xuanling earlier, he could be certain it was still her. The demon must have used some method to switch places with Mu Xuanling, and as soon as he heard the sudden change in the heartbeat, he knew something was amiss.
The demon in the darkness answered in a male voice, “Since Sect Leader Xie asked, I’ll kindly answer you.” Then it changed to a feminine voice, “Of course, I killed someone and cut it out! Hahaha! It’s still warm!”
Xie Xuechen’s eyes turned cold, his sword intent naturally bursting forth.
“Such a terrifying sword intent.” The demon seemed shocked by Xie Xuechen, and after a moment said, “But you can’t use spiritual energy, so no matter how strong you are, you can’t escape my Cage of Desire! Hahaha… Sect Leader Xie, why don’t you experience the ultimate pleasure of the world before you die!”
The demon’s voice gradually faded away, and the thick darkness seemed to be diluted like water, slowly receding, and light gradually began to shine through.
Xie Xuechen focused his gaze on the source of the light and was shocked to find that he was in Yongxue City.
Mu Xuanling closed her eyes for a long time, calming the pain in her chest, before slowly opening them.
Standing before her was a man of extreme beauty. On his left cheek was a tattoo of a gorgeous begonia, his lips thin and red, slightly upturned, his eyes alluring, exuding charm. If one were to say he was a man, he was too coquettish and affectionate; if one were to say he was a woman, his limbs were long and his build tall and strong.
“Desire Demon?” Mu Xuanling looked closely and said, “No, you’re a projection of the Desire Demon.”
In the demon realm, there were three demon gods: the Desire Demon, the War Demon, and the Obsession Demon. The Desire Demon was the embodiment of all worldly desires. Humans had greed for fame, fortune, and lust; as long as there was greed, it would give birth to heart demons. Although the Desire Demon wasn’t as good at fighting as the War Demon, it was extremely troublesome because it never acted directly. It would let its opponents indulge in their desires, their souls falling into the abyss, dying in extreme pleasure.
The hardest thing for humans to overcome was their desires.
The Desire Demon was enchanting and seductive, both male and female, able to transform into any appearance almost indistinguishable from the original. There was only one difference: demons didn’t have flesh-and-blood hearts. So to imitate Mu Xuanling, it had dug out a human heart.
It tossed aside the now-still human heart and sashayed over to Mu Xuanling with malicious intent. “Holy Maiden, I heard your conversation with Xie Xuechen just now.”
Mu Xuanling didn’t even bother to raise her head, just coldly snorted, “So what?”
“Well… if you please me and dual cultivate with me, I won’t report this to the Demon Lord,” the Desire Demon leaned in greedily towards Mu Xuanling. “Otherwise, if the Demon Lord finds out about your betrayal, you’ll end up in the Melting Abyss.”
A sickly sweet scent of cosmetics emanated from the Desire Demon, but even the heavy fragrance couldn’t mask the underlying stench. Mu Xuanling retreated in disgust and said, “Go ahead and tell the Demon Lord. He already knows anyway.”
The Desire Demon was stunned and asked suspiciously, “What do you mean by that?”
Mu Xuanling looked at him with disdain, “This is why you demons have no brains.”
Saying demons had no brains was quite an objective truth, as they were just clusters of demonic energy. So the Desire Demon didn’t get angry; it just doubted Mu Xuanling’s previous statement.
“Tell me quickly, how does the Demon Lord know about your betrayal?”
Mu Xuanling said lazily, “How do you think Xie Xuechen escaped from the Melting Abyss? Of course, someone helped him.”
The Desire Demon’s eyes flickered, “Was it you who helped him?”
“Not completely stupid after all,” Mu Xuanling glanced at him.
The Desire Demon couldn’t help feeling a bit proud, but also confused, “How did you have the ability to break the Demon Lord’s restrictions?”
When the Demon Lord imprisoned Xie Xuechen in the Melting Abyss, he placed eighteen layers of restrictions. Not just Mu Xuanling, even the High Priest couldn’t break them.
“I couldn’t break them. Xie Xuechen broke them himself. I just gave him a pill that could restore his powers,” Mu Xuanling said.
This explanation made sense.
Mu Xuanling continued, “How do you think I could have such a precious pill?”
The Desire Demon hesitantly said, “Did… the Demon Lord give it to you?”
Mu Xuanling nodded.
“It was the Demon Lord who instructed me to let Xie Xuechen go. This way, I would have saved Xie Xuechen’s life, and given their self-proclaimed righteous nature, they wouldn’t kill someone who had saved their life.”
As if—she had almost been killed by Xie Xuechen, Mu Xuanling thought guiltily.
The Desire Demon found Mu Xuanling’s explanation very reasonable and nodded along subconsciously.
“Guess why the Demon Lord wanted me to release him?” Mu Xuanling glanced sideways at the Desire Demon.
The Desire Demon thought this was Mu Xuanling testing his intelligence. After pondering for a moment, it said, “The Demon Lord wants to find out about the Jade Palace Divine Technique, fearing that Xie Xuechen might die in the Melting Abyss?”
Mu Xuanling nodded with a smile, “Not bad. If we can learn the Jade Palace Divine Technique, we demons would be able to absorb spiritual energy and survive in the human realm.”
“But you just said you were willing to disperse your cultivation for him…” the Desire Demon was still somewhat doubtful.
Mu Xuanling sneered, “If I disperse my cultivation and become weak and helpless, wouldn’t that be the perfect excuse for him to teach me the Jade Palace Divine Technique?”
The Desire Demon’s eyes widened, looking at Mu Xuanling with admiration, sighing, “Spirits are indeed cunning…”
So this was the Demon Lord’s plan. As expected of the Demon Lord, much more intelligent than ordinary demons.
The Desire Demon marveled but still had some confusion, asking, “But the Demon Lord ordered us to surround and capture Xie Xuechen.”
“We have to make it convincing, otherwise how could we gain Xie Xuechen’s trust? He’s not a brainless low-level demon,” Mu Xuanling said coldly. “Since you’re here, you might as well trap Xie Xuechen. At the critical moment, I’ll step in to save him. This way, he’ll owe me another life debt.”
The Desire Demon respectfully said, “I’ll follow Your Highness’s arrangements. Your Highness, Xie Xuechen is currently trapped in my Cage of Desire. Would you like to see what Xie Xuechen’s desire is?”
Mu Xuanling’s heart stirred.
Most people’s desires revolved around fame, fortune, beauty, and food. But what would be the desire of the world’s number one sword cultivator?