Chapter 8:

Using blood to set up a formation, Xie Xuechen fought fiercely with Mu Xuanling. Already seriously injured and not yet recovered, Xie’s condition worsened. Mu Xuanling had also suffered significant depletion. Xie noticed a hint of paleness on her face, despite her smiling expression, which could not conceal her weakness.

The two found a small inn in a nearby town and stayed there. Under the cover of night, Mu Xuanling went out to buy some clean clothes. This time, she did not set up any barriers to prevent Xie Xuechen from escaping. Xie had no intention of escaping anymore, because Mu had openly stated that she had marked him, enabling her to sense his direction and distance.

From Gao Qiumin’s storage pouch, Mu Xuanling found plenty of money and spirit pills. She bought Xie some suitable clothes and discreetly inquired about news regarding the Immortal Alliance.

Indeed, news of Xie Xuechen’s disappearance had not yet spread.

When Mu Xuanling returned to the inn, Xie had just finished meditating. After taking a spirit pill from Jinghuag Valley, his complexion had slightly improved. Mu handed him the long robe she had bought and smiled, asking, “Shall I ask the innkeeper to prepare a bath for Sect Leader Xie?”

Xie took the clothes and glanced at her indifferently, saying, “The sacred body of the Dharma image is pure and unsoiled.”

In other words, he did not need a bath.

But he still needed to change clothes since his were torn.

Cultivation is truly wonderful—it not only eliminates the need for grains and worldly filth but also erases love, hate, and emotional entanglements.

Mu Xuanling rested her chin on her hand, watching the slender silhouette on the screen. She hesitated briefly between looking and not looking, but by the time she decided, Xie had already changed.

Well, after all, it’s not like I haven’t seen it before—Mu Xuanling thought with a hint of regret.

Xie Xuechen walked to the table and sat down. He heard Mu Xuanling say, “Sect Leader Xie, I noticed today that you were heading toward Yongxue City.”

Xie nodded.

Mu Xuanling sighed softly, “If I were you, I would absolutely not return to the Immortal Alliance before regaining your powers.”

“Before entering the formation, I had already made arrangements. If I did not return within seven days, the five elders of the Immortal Alliance would definitely enter the formation to investigate, discovering traces of my battle with the demons,” Xie said. “By now, the Immortal Alliance must have secretly dispatched people to search for me.”

“Sect Leader Xie, haven’t you considered why the demons would know the exact day and time you entered the formation, allowing them to set up an ambush in advance?” Mu Xuanling rarely showed a serious expression.

Xie lowered his gaze, the candlelight casting a faint shadow under his eyes.

“There are spies from the demon race within the Immortal Alliance,” he said coldly.

Thousands of years ago, the human Immortal Alliance exerted their utmost efforts to set up the Ten-Thousand Immortals Seal at the border between the demon realm and the human world—Liangjie Mountain—to block the demons’ invasion of humanity. However, this seal was eroded by demonic energy and needed repair every sixty years. Historically, the responsibility for guarding the formation had always fallen to the leader of the Immortal Alliance. Several years ago, Xie succeeded as the leader of the five sects of the Immortal Alliance. This year marked the sixtieth anniversary, so he personally entered the formation to repair its damaged parts, only to be ambushed by a demon army.

The Ten-Thousand Immortals Formation was complex and interlinked. The person repairing the formation had to summon their Dharma image at the formation’s core, using their soul to communicate with the entire formation to identify damaged areas. Therefore, only one person could repair the formation, and that person had to be among the most powerful cultivators of the time. During the repair, the person was vulnerable externally, making them highly susceptible to attacks. However, the Ten-Thousand Immortals Formation was a sacred array created by human cultivators. Demons within it suffered excruciating pain and avoided it at all costs. Thus, even if the demons knew it was time to repair the formation, they could not determine the exact day or hour the repairer would enter, making it impossible to set up a precise ambush.

But this time, the ambush was perfectly timed…

When Xie saw the Demon Sovereign inside the formation, he understood everything.

“So you figured it out,” Mu Xuanling exhaled in relief. “Alright, it was your own words, not mine that revealed it.”

Xie raised his eyebrows, his sharp phoenix eyes fixed intently on Mu. “Therefore, you deliberately led me off the route toward the five sects of the Immortal Alliance, knowing that the demons would send pursuers to intercept us midway.”

Mu bit her lip and reluctantly nodded.

“My master is the demon high priest Sang Qi. I suppose you are familiar with him. My master excels in divination—if he has a personal item of someone, he can easily calculate their location, with an error margin no more than ten miles. Therefore, demon pursuers will soon find Qing Shan Market and search from there toward the five major sects. Currently, with your injuries not yet healed and your spiritual passageways sealed, if discovered by demons, the consequences would be catastrophic.”

“Avoiding crowds makes it harder for demons to detect us.”

“But even if you return to Yongxue City, it won’t be absolutely safe!” Mu urged anxiously. “Only someone of high rank within the Immortal Alliance could know your plans. With your powers lost, if you encounter that person, you’ll have little chance of survival! They will surely try to kill you!”

“So what?” Xie frowned slightly. “Being fearful and hesitant is not the way of the sword cultivator.”

Xie said solemnly, “The way of the sword cultivator is to proceed, even if a thousand enemies stand before me.”

Mu Xuanling gazed at Xie, seeing no trace of fear in his eyes. Those phoenix eyes were as sharp and unyielding as his sword.

She recalled the moment outside Zhushen Palace when he summoned his divine Dharma image, swallowing mountains and rivers, shaking heaven and earth. When his sword, Jun Tian, was drawn, even the sun and moon dimmed.

Without such a Dao heart and sword heart, how could Xie Xuechen become known today as the number one cultivator under heaven?

Mu Xuanling rested her chin on her hand, her bright and clever eyes fixed unwaveringly on Xie, a smile gradually blooming on her lotus-like face.

Xie felt her sudden emotional shift, those clear eyes openly and passionately revealing her admiration and affection.

“What… what’s wrong with you?” Xie was somewhat puzzled and uncomfortable.

Mu Xuanling smiled, “I think my taste is really good—I didn’t fall for the wrong person.”

Xie understood this time—Mu’s old habit had flared up again.

She rested her chin on her hands, her eyes gently curved as she gazed at Xie. “Although I hope you can temporarily avoid confrontation and protect yourself, hearing you speak like this, I realize this is truly the real Xie Xuechen.”

“If you’re going to Yongxue City, I’ll accompany you!” Mu declared resolutely.

Xie was astonished, his brows slightly furrowed. “You’re half-demon and have cultivated demonic arts. Although you have an artifact to conceal your aura, Yongxue City is no ordinary place—there are many powerful cultivators there. They might see through your disguise.”

Mu Xuanling smiled brightly, “So you do care about me!”

Xie was momentarily at a loss for words, paused, then spoke more firmly, “Half-demon with demonic essence—Immortal Alliance cultivators would kill you on sight!”

“But you didn’t kill me!” Mu still wore a carefree expression.

Xie felt somewhat helpless, rubbed his forehead, took a deep breath, and said, “Why must you be like this?”

“Because I like it, because I want to!” Mu’s eyes were passionate and determined. “Even though I know you don’t want me to, I still want to force you. There’s nothing I can do about it—cultivating demonic arts means following one’s desires. Just as you must uphold your Dao heart, I must follow my true nature.”

Xie was momentarily stunned by Mu’s bold and unreasonable logic, unable to refute it at first, only saying, “Absurd! How can these two be compared?”

Mu was already used to his sharp words. Such mild reprimands barely affected her. She smiled, “If I didn’t cultivate demonic arts, would I then be able to stay by your side?”

Xie was momentarily taken aback.

Mu continued, “Demons cultivating demonic arts are like humans cultivating. Humans absorb spiritual energy from heaven and earth, while demons absorb demonic energy. There is no demonic energy in the human world, so demons consume living beings’ flesh and blood and devour heart demons to cultivate, which is why human cultivators kill them.”

Xie nodded solemnly, agreeing with Mu’s words.

“I’m half-demon, without a demon core or spiritual passageways. Spiritual energy cannot enter my body, but I can absorb demonic energy to cultivate. However, I can also dissipate my demonic energy.” Mu’s eyes burned as she stared at Xie. “If I dissipate my demonic energy, I’ll just be an ordinary half-demon.”

Although she cultivated demonic arts, she was a revered saintess of the demons. If she dissipated her demonic energy, she would become the most despised and lowly half-demon in the human world, even facing pursuit and assassination from demons. Half-demons were discriminated against in the human world. Without fleeing into the wilds to survive, they could only become demon slaves, never rising again. Moreover, dissipating demonic energy was agonizing—like having flesh torn apart, like a thousand ants devouring one’s heart.

“Why…” Xie truly couldn’t understand Mu’s thoughts.

“If I’m just a half-demon without self-defense abilities, would you protect me?” Her eyes blinked, wide and glistening, as if they could speak, gazing pitifully at Xie.

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’s mind but did not leave his lips.

Mu did not receive an answer and was about to speak anxiously when suddenly her face turned pale, her pupils dilated, and her body slid from the chair. Without thinking, Xie rushed to her side and caught her collapsing form.

At that moment, the surroundings suddenly darkened.

Xie held Mu in one arm, vigilantly scanning the surroundings.

The darkness was thick as ink, tightly enveloping everything, suffocating. Even with the vision of a Dharma body, he couldn’t see through this darkness. Xie couldn’t see Mu in his arms either, but he could feel her faint breath and the beating of her chest.

Xie immediately realized this was the demons’ technique—he had been pulled into another space.

” Sect Leader Xie, my heart hurts so much,” came Mu’s voice from his arms, filled with pain and weakness.

A soft, slightly cool hand grasped his wrist: “Help me check…”

She pulled his hand toward her chest.

Xie couldn’t see, but he could clearly feel the smooth touch on his wrist. He allowed her to pull his hand toward her, but just as it was about to touch her chest, he changed his palm into a claw and attacked her head!

The figure let out a surprised sound, and the sensation in his arms vanished, leaving nothing behind.

Not far away, a voice that sounded neither male nor female laughed, “Indeed, I couldn’t fool the Sect Leader of the Immortal Alliance, the number one sword cultivator under heaven.”

Xie turned toward the sound, which seemed to come from all directions—sometimes near, sometimes far, sometimes left, sometimes right.

“Didn’t I imitate the Saintess well enough?” The voice shifted back to Mu’s tone, carrying a hint of grievance. “Or is it that Sect Leader Xie simply doesn’t like me?”

Xie frowned, “Demons don’t have hearts. How could you have a heartbeat?”

Everyone’s heartbeat was unique. His hearing was extremely sharp, and having spent many days with Mu, he naturally knew her heartbeat well. When he caught Mu earlier, he was certain it was her. That demon must have used some method to switch places with Mu. As soon as he heard the change in her heartbeat, he knew something was wrong.

The demon in the darkness answered in a male voice, “Since Sect Leader Xie is asking, I’ll kindly answer you.” Then it changed to a soft female voice, “Of course, we took it by killing someone! Hahahaha! It’s still warm!”

Xie’s eyes turned cold, his sword intent naturally surging.

“What amazing sword intent,” the demon seemed momentarily stunned, then said after a pause, “But without using spiritual energy, no matter how strong you are, you can’t escape my Greed Prison! Hahahaha… Sect Leader Xie, experience the ultimate pleasure of the world before you die!”

The demon’s voice gradually faded, the thick darkness seemingly diluted by water, slowly receding, gradually allowing light to enter.

Xie looked toward the light source, shocked to find himself in Yongxue City.

Mu Xuanling had kept her eyes closed for a long time, calming the pain in her chest before slowly opening her eyes.

Standing before her was a man of extraordinary beauty. A vivid begonia flower was tattooed on the left side of his face. His lips were thin and red, slightly upturned. His eyes were alluring, exuding charm. If he were a man, he was too seductive; if a woman, his tall, well-built frame made him undeniably masculine.

“Lust Demon?” Mu Xuanling focused and said again, “No, you’re the Lust Demon’s projection.”

There were three demon gods in the demon realm: Lust Demon, Battle Demon, and Obsession Demon. The Lust Demon was born from all desires in the world. Humans craved fame, profit, and lust—any greedy thought would give rise to heart demons. Although the Lust Demon wasn’t as skilled in combat as the Battle Demon, he was extremely difficult to deal with because he never fought directly. Instead, he let his opponents indulge in their desires, causing their souls to fall into an abyss and die in ultimate pleasure.

The hardest thing for a person to overcome was their own desires.

The Lust Demon was seductive and alluring, neither clearly male nor female. He could transform into any appearance, almost indistinguishable from the real person, except for one thing—demons had no flesh-and-blood heart. Therefore, to imitate Mu Xuanling, he had torn out a human heart.

He tossed away the heart that had stopped beating, swaying his hips seductively toward Mu Xuanling, gazing at her with ill intentions: “Your Highness, the Saintess, I heard your conversation with Xie Xuechen just now.”

Mu Xuanling didn’t even bother to lift her head, merely humming indifferently, “So what?”

“Hmm… if you please me and cultivate together with me, I won’t report this to the Demon Sovereign.” The Lust Demon leaned in greedily toward Mu. “Otherwise, if the Demon Sovereign learns of your betrayal, you’ll end up in the Molten Abyss.”

A sweet, heavy perfume emanated from the Lust Demon, but beneath it lay a foul stench. Mu Xuanling recoiled in disgust and said, “You can go tell the Demon Sovereign. He already knows anyway.”

The Lust Demon was stunned, suspiciously asking, “What do you mean by that?”

“So you see, you demons really do lack brains,” Mu Xuanling disdainfully glanced at him.

Calling demons “lacking brains” was an objective truth—they were merely masses of demonic energy. Therefore, the Lust Demon didn’t get angry. He was just somewhat doubtful about Mu’s previous words.

“Quickly tell me, how did the Demon Sovereign find out about your betrayal?”

Mu Xuanling lazily replied, “Do you think Xie Xuechen escaped from the Molten Abyss on his own? Obviously, he had help.”

The Lust Demon’s eyes flickered, “Was it you who helped him?”

“Not too dumb,” Mu Xuanling glanced at him.

The Lust Demon couldn’t help but feel a bit proud but still puzzled, “How could you possibly have the ability to undo the Demon Sovereign’s restrictions?”

When the Demon Sovereign imprisoned Xie Xuechen in the Molten Abyss, he had set up eighteen layers of restrictions. Not even Mu Xuanling, let alone the High Priest, could undo them.

“I couldn’t undo them. Xie Xuechen did it himself. As for me, I just gave him a pill to restore his powers,” Mu said.

This explanation made logical sense.

Mu continued, “Tell me, how could I possibly have such a precious pill?”

The Lust Demon hesitated, “Was it… given to you by the Demon Sovereign?”

Mu nodded.

“The Demon Sovereign ordered me to release Xie Xuechen. That way, I would have saved his life. With their self-proclaimed righteousness, they wouldn’t dare kill their savior.”

Unlike what she said—Mu thought guiltily, almost getting killed by Xie.

The Lust Demon found Mu’s reasoning convincing and instinctively nodded.

“Can you guess why the Demon Sovereign wanted me to release him?” Mu Xuanling glanced sideways at the Lust Demon.

The Lust Demon thought it was Mu testing his intelligence. After pondering for a moment, he said, “The Demon Sovereign wanted to learn the Yunque Divine Art, fearing that Xie Xuechen might truly die in the Molten Abyss?”

Mu smiled and nodded, “Correct. If we could obtain the Yunque Divine Art, our demon race could absorb spiritual energy and survive in the human world.”

“But then why did you say you wanted to dissipate your demonic energy for him…” the Lust Demon was still somewhat suspicious.

Mu Xuanling sneered, “If I dissipate my power and become weak and helpless, wouldn’t that give me a good excuse for him to teach me the Yunque Divine Art?”

The Lust Demon widened his eyes, admiringly looking at Mu and exclaiming, “The demon race is indeed cunning…”

So that was the Demon Sovereign’s plan. The Demon Sovereign truly was wiser than ordinary demons.

While the Lust Demon was still pondering, he asked with some confusion, “But the Demon Sovereign ordered us to capture Xie Xuechen.”

“Acting convincingly is essential to gain Xie Xuechen’s trust. He’s not some brainless low-level demon,” Mu said coldly. “Since you’re here, you might as well trap Xie Xuechen first. In a critical moment, I’ll save him myself. That way, he’ll owe me another life debt.”

The Lust Demon respectfully replied, “I’ll follow Your Highness’s orders. Your Highness, right now Sect Leader Xie is trapped in my Greed Prison. Would you like to see what Xie Xuechen’s greed is?”

A flicker of interest passed through Mu Xuanling’s heart.

Human greed usually revolved around wealth, beauty, and pleasures. What kind of greed could the number one sword cultivator under heaven possibly have?