Chapter 56:

Xue Ying was unceremoniously tossed out of Luyeyuan. The barrier between the realms of consciousness and demons shattered, and the people of the consciousness realm immediately set aside their grudges, joining hands as friends and crowding into Luyeyuan for refuge.

Even Tianying Pavilion was tolerable, but the Asura Clan also came to freeload. This provoked Luyeyuan into cursing loudly, telling the Asura Clan to get lost.

The little one was determined to claim a father, clinging to Lixiang’s leg and crying, “Daddy, love me one more time!” Along with them, a group of Asuras enthusiastically hailed the Buddha’s disciple, swearing to become the protectors of the Udumbara.

After all, they didn’t want to turn into zombies either.

Lixiang, “…”

In any case, Luyeyuan held its nose and accepted it, doing its best to shelter the believers.

The barrier jointly created by Tianying Pavilion and Luyeyuan could temporarily hold back the miasma for a while. As for the rest—

“Disciple of the Sword Immortal, go save the world.”

And so, Xue Ying was kicked out.

Now, she floated above the Blood Sea, observing the strange movements below. One after another, denizens of the demon realm crawled out of the Blood Sea, heading toward the land.

Most of them had grotesque forms, twisted faces, and garishly colored hair that screamed “cannon fodder.”

After watching for a while, Xue Ying descended to rescue the besieged people of the consciousness realm, escorting them to safety before turning to face the Blood Sea.

“Shen Jin, I want you to promise me that after we switch bodies back, the demon realm will temporarily halt its invasion.”

Shen Jin’s expression flickered uncertainly before he scoffed. “With the Three Dukes absent, the Nine Ministers have grown rather bold. Fine, I promise you—until you leave the demon realm, I won’t make a move.”

“Deal.”

“Have I ever gone back on my word?”

With that, Xue Ying and Shen Jin plunged into the Blood Sea.

The Blood Sea’s origin was the demon realm, and its end was the consciousness realm. So, to reach the Blood Sea, one had to swim through it.

When the darkness before their eyes finally faded, they were met with desolation—just like what Xue Ying had seen in Taisu Valley. The sky was red, the only light source in the entire demon realm. As far as the eye could see, there was nothing but emptiness, not even a blade of grass.

Xue Ying froze for a moment. Shen Jin had already stepped ashore ahead of her, his back turned to her, his expression unreadable. “What? Think the demon realm isn’t good enough for you?”

Resources, water—compared to the abundant Dao Realm, the demon realm had nothing. Survival here meant taking by force.

Shen Jin narrowed his eyes. What did these lofty cultivators understand?

“If you’re willing—I mean, if you’re open to it—after everything is settled, Taixuan Sect is willing to offer assistance.”

Shen Jin turned around. Xue Ying’s voice was soft. “As for Taichu Sect… I’ll do my best.”

Senior Brother Du had always had a temper, so she wasn’t very confident.

Shen Jin didn’t answer directly. He studied her for a moment before turning away again. “I’ll take you to the Demon Palace.”

After entering the demon realm, Cen Wuwang fell silent. Xue Ying touched the jade pendant in her bosom, puzzled. Shen Jin had been grumbling nonstop in the consciousness realm—why was he so quiet now?

The Demon Palace wasn’t hard to find, considering it was the only structure in the entire demon realm. Aside from the demons’ bizarre appearances, most of them milling about the streets—buying and selling groceries—weren’t much different from ordinary people. Except for the knives hidden behind their smiles.

“Can’t you lower the price?”

“Fifty at most. Not a coin less.”

When they finally reached the Demon Palace gates, Shen Jin, the rightful master, was stopped when he tried to enter.

“Let me say it again—I am your Demon Sovereign, Shen Jin.”

“You, with that black hair, spouting nonsense—looking effeminate is one thing, but your hair can’t even change color. What kind of Demon Sovereign are you?”

Xue Ying was amazed. A country bumpkin in the big city—Shen Jin’s hair could change color? She waited for Shen Jin to finish arguing with the guard before drawing Yaoguang and asking if they should just fight their way in.

In the end, Shen Jin opted for a roundabout approach—scaling the wall.

Perhaps too accustomed to using the front gate, Shen Jin, the home intruder, was terribly clumsy at climbing. He was spotted by patrols the moment he reached the top. The two of them dashed and leaped across the palace rooftops, making quite the spectacle.

“Shen Jin, how did you even become Demon Sovereign?”

“Shut up!”

After finally shaking off the patrol, Shen Jin was panting heavily. Xue Ying didn’t say anything, but her attitude was clear:

*You’re trash.*

A woman’s scorn was particularly effective against a man. At least, Shen Jin wasn’t thinking about how to trap and frame Cen Wuwang anymore—he just wanted his body back as soon as possible to prove his strength, valor, and capability.

He was the real deal.

And then he saw his own body walk right past him.

Shen Jin, “…”

The body even asked the patrol, “What’s going on?”

“Reporting to the Demon Sovereign, intruders have breached the palace.”

To add insult to injury, Xue Ying twisted the knife. “Shen Jin, you’ve been usurped.”

Shen Jin had lost count of how many times he’d told her to shut up. Before coming, the Marquise had proudly declared the hiding place “twelve times secure”—hidden in her wardrobe.

Shen Jin had thought at the time, *How is that secure? If some adulterous couple sneaks into your room and the husband comes knocking, wouldn’t that be the end?*

And now, it really was the end.

*Which adulterous couple was it?!*

He gnashed his teeth for a long while before finally resorting to outside help. “Help me reclaim my body, and I’ll ensure your safety in the demon realm.”

Xue Ying was haughty and aloof. “I don’t think I’d lose to demons.”

Shen Jin knew the nature of sword cultivators all too well. “Plus three thousand demon crystals.”

Xue Ying immediately changed her tune. “After all, two fists are no match for four hands. When in Rome, do as the Romans do. If you can’t beat them, join them. At your command, Demon Sovereign.”

*Hah. Sword cultivators.*

Shen Jin guessed the thief was probably one of the Nine Ministers. With the Three Dukes absent, their courage had grown—daring to borrow authority from the tiger’s might. After staking out for a few days, it turned out the other eight were obedient tools—except for one minister who had retired, claiming illness.

The logistics officer, so-and-so—no need to elaborate on the name.

Probably still unfamiliar with Shen Jin’s temperament after the body swap, so-and-so kept a low profile, speaking little to avoid mistakes. But there was one thing he couldn’t resist—flirting with women.

This gave Shen Jin an opening. On a dark and windy night, he urged Xue Ying to climb into bed.

Xue Ying was displeased. If she climbed into bed, how could she keep Yaoguang with her? “Why don’t you go yourself?”

Shen Jin protested, “I’m a man from head to toe—how could I?”

Xue Ying argued righteously, “You’re so good-looking—what if seeing you makes him switch teams?”

Shen Jin fell silent. “Do you have *any* respect for your master?”

He was currently using Cen Wuwang’s body. As a disciple, she was actually suggesting her master sacrifice his dignity—and what if he *did* switch teams? Would she become a *tongqi*?!

Xue Ying seemed to realize she’d gone too far and offered a compromise. “How about cross-dressing? What do you think?”

*Yuhengzi, what kind of disciple have you raised?!*

As the saying goes, if you can’t win, wear a skirt. The pitiful and helpless Shen Jin was forcibly pinned down by Xue Ying—one crying “no, no,” the other grinning fiendishly with a tiny dress in hand.

In the end, Shen Jin was delivered to the Demon Sovereign’s bed, while Xue Ying hid underneath, waiting to ambush.

Perseverance paid off. Just as Xue Ying, hugging Yaoguang, was about to doze off, so-and-so finally arrived, entering the room, climbing into bed, and embracing Shen Jin while calling him “beauty.”

Shen Jin’s face turned green. Unfortunately, he was tied up like a caterpillar and couldn’t move. As the other leaned in for a kiss, Shen Jin hastily called out his real name.

“Did you never consider this day when you stole my body?”

The other man sobered up, looking left and right before finally recognizing his sovereign’s fury beneath the layers of makeup.

He suddenly burst into laughter. “Intent? What intent? The Demon Sovereign’s throne is coveted by all. I merely did what others wished to do.”

Shen Jin retorted, “Wished to do—like breaking the barrier between the consciousness and demon realms?”

“The consciousness realm has suppressed our demon realm for millennia. How many of our kin have died? Has the Sovereign forgotten? That newborn child—just because it was born in the demon realm—had to suffer from illness and died within three days. There are countless children like that. Did our demon realm wage war and slaughter indiscriminately? No. Our demon realm has done nothing wrong. Our only mistake was showing mercy to the three realms in ancient times.”

He took a deep breath, then smiled again. “But it’s fine. We’ve learned to mend the fold after the sheep are lost. We’ll demand repayment from the three realms. It’s never too late to correct a mistake.”

“Sovereign, don’t be angry. Once we conquer the three realms, I’ll commit suicide to atone. But until then, I’ll have to inconvenience you for a while. You know the rule—no changing generals mid-battle.”

He stepped forward, a sharp weapon in hand.

From start to finish, Shen Jin’s emotions remained eerily calm. Even when Xue Ying appeared and subdued the impostor in one move, his expression barely changed.

He looked down at the kneeling minister, then up at Xue Ying. “Who do you think is the real traitor?”

Xue Ying released her captive and sheathed Yaoguang. “Frankly, both you and he are demons, fighting for the demon realm’s justice. Back then, you seized my master’s body and infiltrated the Dao Realm—no different from him. But Shen Jin, I hope you’ll give us a chance. The Sect Master has been in the demon realm for years, nurturing the Fusang Tree. If she wanted to attack the demon realm, we wouldn’t be sitting here bargaining today. At worst—things can’t get any worse than this.”

Shen Jin looked past Xue Ying, as if he could see his struggling kin beyond the palace walls. *Can things really not get any worse?*

“I’ll trust you this once.”