Although the black jiao lord was a yao demon, he prided himself on his refinement. The tree yao had called Li Lanxiu a peerless beauty. Such a beauty, if brought to his cave dwelling and made to face his uncultured, bloodthirsty kin, would surely leave them frightened out of their wits. How inelegant, how improper.
Moved by pity for such exquisite beauty, he decided to house him in the comparatively elegant fox cave.
After slaughtering the Loftcloud Sect cultivators, the black jiao lord finally found the time to visit the fox cave. As soon as he stepped into the dwelling, the fox yao scurried past him with their heads lowered, moving swiftly without daring to glance in his direction.
He felt displeased, grabbing the neck of a passing fox yao by the collar. "Why do you look so harried upon seeing me?"
The fox yao turned pale with fright, stammering, "I... I need to go to the bathroom."
The black jiao lord lifted him by his neck, smiling warmly as he asked, "Have you treated my beauty well?"
The fox yao's pale face turned even more ghastly, his body shaking uncontrollably. "He... he left."
"What?"
The black jiao lord tightened his grip on the fox yao’s neck, and the fox yao's face began to turn purple, making it almost impossible for him to speak.
Just as he was about to strangle the fox yao to death, he waved his hand, and the fox yao was flung to the side like a rag, crashing heavily into the stone wall with a muffled thud.
He then growled, "How did you let him escape?! Speak carefully, or I will eat all of you!"
As he uttered the latter half of his sentence, his gaze turned ominously cold, his eyes shadowy and deep. Black scales faintly showed on his cheeks, giving him a terrifying appearance.
The fox yao clutched his chest painfully as he struggled to answer. “Xianzhang was unhappy staying here. He didn’t like being subservient to anyone. To ensure his happiness, we let him leave."
The black jiao lord froze, his fury mixed with surprise. "You let him leave?"
"Xianzhang said that living this way was worse than death for him. We didn’t want him to die, so we allowed him to leave," the fox yao answered cautiously, unsure why the black jiao lord seemed confused.
The black jiao lord narrowed his gaze at him and strode toward the depths of the cave. He pushed open a heavy stone door, revealing a massive floating memory stone emitting a faint blue glow.
He touched the memory stone, and the images of the group entering the cave appeared before his eyes.
The black jiao lord ignored the others and focused his attention entirely on the image of Li Lanxiu.
That tree yao had lived in the illusory forest for countless years, seeing many cultivators enter, including many beautiful ones. Yet only Li Lanxiu had caused the tree yao to marvel at his beauty.
He still remembered how the tree yao had spoken of Li Lanxiu’s appearance, the hidden and intense desire in its voice—an emotion that stirred even the most serene and detached tree yao. The black jiao lord was deeply intrigued by how Li Lanxiu must truly look.
The black jiao lord observed every action of Li Lanxiu, noting his graceful movements. His figure was indeed exquisite, long and well-proportioned, his slender waist bound by a sash. His movements were slow and languid, as though every step was a stride on the clouds.
He felt his anger slowly fading. A faint smile appeared at the corner of his mouth as he looked at Li Lanxiu and the fox yao playing the zither in a close embrace.
When Li Lanxiu collapsed into the fox yao’s "tenderness," revealing half of his face behind the mask while surrounded by the scenting and sniffing fox yao, the lord’s smile deepened, and he was no longer angry at all.
If he was bewitched like this, it was completely understandable that these fox yao had been.
The black jiao lord carefully examined the image of Li Lanxiu in the memory stone. His boots and sash had already been taken by the fox yao. His inky black hair spread freely, the peacock feathers in his hair faintly visible.
He leaned his head against one fox yao’s shoulder while several others crowded close, sniffing him. The scene was strange, but he looked completely at ease, one hand resting casually on his knee. His slightly raised chin was pale, even paler than the fox yao noted for their beauty. Despite the arrogant pose, his appearance wasn’t repellent but rather stimulating.
The black jiao lord closed his eyes slightly, running his fingers over his nose and savoring his own scent. His throat felt faintly itchy, and a blazing heat stirred in his abdomen, accompanied by a restless irritation.
He opened his eyes and looked at Li Lanxiu in the memory stone. He leaned back a few steps and sat down. His black-golden robe shifted, revealing legs that unconsciously crossed themselves. They turned into a thick, glossy black serpent's tail, glinting coldly in the light.
The serpent’s tail swayed back and forth on the ground, restless and uneasy. Its tip coiled and uncoiled at times, scraping the ground and twisting.
His eyes had a faint red tinge, as though he were on the verge of turning demonic.
Meanwhile, in the dilapidated mountain manor of broken tiles where Li Lanxiu’s group stayed, Conundrum Sect’s disciples were jubilant upon hearing that they had found the black jiao lord’s lair. This mission was vital, as eliminating the black jiao lord was the priority.
Both Loftcloud Sect and Streamcloud Sect had suffered tremendous losses at the hands of the black jiao lord, countless deaths and injuries, and they had failed to kill him. If Conundrum Sect's demon-subduing array could subdue the black jiao lord, it would bring great prestige to the sect.
One of the disciples looked at Jiang Jiusi with admiration and said, “Jiang-shixiong, you really are impressive. While we’ve accomplished nothing since entering the Azurerain realm, you’ve already discovered the demon’s lair.”
Jiang Jiusi looked toward the main hall, but Li Lanxiu was nowhere to be seen. He shook his head and said, “That has nothing to do with me. It’s Li-shidi’s achievement.”
“Li-shidi? Li Lanxiu?” The disciple exclaimed in surprise.
Jiang Jiusi chuckled softly without elaborating. A disciple from Thousandchance Peak approached and whispered something into his ear.
He nodded in understanding. The two disciples left the mountain manor, walking toward a quiet, secluded area.
The disciple opened his qiankun pouch and showed him the gathered medicinal herbs and harvested yao cores. He said with a satisfied smile, "Shixiong, I’ve already tallied everything. This time’s trial has our peak’s medicinal herbs and yao cores at the very top."
Jiang Jiusi nodded. "Well done."
The disciple packed away his qiankun pouch and asked, "Shixiong, was your trip successful? I saw that you were with Li Lanxiu. He didn’t drag you down, did he?"
Jiang Jiusi’s brow furrowed slightly. Everyone's opinion of Li Lanxiu was biased. He said, "Li-shidi never dragged me down. On the contrary, he’s been quite helpful."
The disciple hesitated, then leaned in closer, speaking in a low voice, "Shixiong, Master has given me orders to assist you in completing this critical mission."
"What?" Jiang Jiusi’s face remained calm, but his mind began to work.
The disciple leaned in closer, his voice dropping even further. "My task is to help you eliminate Li Lanxiu. If you have any orders, you may command me."
Jiang Jiusi’s expression turned colder. He turned his gaze toward the main hall of the mountain manor. "Is Master distrustful of me?"
"Master trusts you, Shixiong. However, given the number of people and the complexity of the situation this time, Master worried that it would be inconvenient for you to act. Therefore, he ordered me to watch for the right moment. If you find it too inconvenient—"
The disciple paused, his expression growing colder, and a trace of sharp resolve appeared. "I will sacrifice myself if necessary for the sect to eliminate this threat!"
Jiang Jiusi looked at him and smiled faintly, patting his shoulder. "You don’t need to act. I’ll handle this matter myself."
"Alright! I’ll listen to all of shixiong’s instructions," the disciple replied.
Jiang Jiusi walked toward the mountain manor, his smile disappearing as soon as he turned his face. His expression was heavy with thought.
Chu Yue emerged from the back hall with a cold expression. The disciples in the main hall were lively and chatting amongst themselves. Chu Yue chose a seat somewhat removed from the bustling group.
He closed his eyes, his hand resting on his knee. Blood seeped through his palm, but he immediately turned his hand over. Out of sight was out of mind.
The surroundings were loud and boisterous. Someone laughed and said, "I saw a stunning beauty in the illusory forest. She grabbed me and wouldn’t let me leave. I almost—"
"I saw the same thing. That beauty looked exactly how I imagined my ideal type. Not only was she beautiful, but she also washed my hands and cooked soup for me!" He tsked.
"I’m different from you all. I saw my Xiao-Shimei. Xiao-Shimei is usually a mischievous troublemaker, but in the illusory forest, she acted coy with me. That feeling... it was so beautiful!"
Chu Yue looked up and gazed over at them. He chuckled lightly and asked, "This shixiong, what did you almost do?"
The shixiong gave a meaningful smile and slowly said, "Of course...I almost took care of things, you know."
The others nearby all laughed in agreement.
Chu Yue cast him a glance and moved his gaze away. His expression seemed mocking.
The shixiong, noticing Chu Yue’s dismissive look, defended himself. "I’m young and vigorous, with a normal body. I’m not a monk. Meeting a beauty like that naturally stirs my heart. I don’t believe you’ve never harbored such thoughts."
Chu Yue’s hand rested on his knee. His palm, holding a dull ache, clenched slightly. After a moment of silence, he said, "You have a point."
Perhaps it was the pleasant fragrance on Li Lanxiu, or perhaps the atmosphere at the time was subtle. Or perhaps it needed no perhaps. He was still a young man. Having such a reaction was reasonable.
It didn’t mean anything.
His taut jaw relaxed, and he soon returned to the calm, composed Chu Yue.
At that moment, another person joined the conversation with the group of shixiong. He spoke with great urgency. "It seems none of you shixiong understand the mysteries of the illusory forest!"
"What mysteries does the illusory forest have?"
The person smiled and teased them, saying, "Inside the illusory forest, each person sees different illusions. Everyone has their own unique vision. Do any of you shixiong know why?"
Chu Yue’s probing gaze lingered. He couldn’t understand why he had seen Li Lanxiu in such a state in the illusory forest.
The man lowered his voice and spoke mysteriously. "Because what appears in the illusory forest reflects our deepest, most secret desires. The greedy see wealth, the lustful see lust..."
"Utter nonsense." Chu Yue shook his head and spoke up. He stood, moving with unhurried composure. "You are a cultivator. How can you spread such yao-like lies?"
The man didn’t get angry. He grinned at Chu Yue. "I’m not the one who said it. Everyone says so. This shidi seems so upset—could it be that you saw a half-clothed beauty in the illusory forest?"
Chu Yue cast him a cold glance, picked up the blade on the table and strode away without a word.
A few days later, mist swirled through the air, shrouding the picturesque scenery of mountains and rivers, making it seem like a paradise on earth.
The disciples of Conundrum Sect gathered in a vast valley. Over a hundred inner sect disciples and hundreds of outer sect disciples stood silently, awaiting their xianzhang’s orders.
"Heavenly Firmament and Earthly Fiend, form your positions!"
Following the xianzhang’s instructions, the disciples moved swiftly, taking their places. The array flags in their hands glowed brightly as spiritual energy converged in the air, forming silver beams of light that pierced the heavens.
"Heavenly Firmament Sword Array!"
The sword array team stood in the northern position, holding long swords. Sword energy crisscrossed, forming invisible barriers.
"Earthly Fiend Thunder Array!"
The thunder array team stood in the south, holding thunderstrike wood. They chanted incantations, unleashing flashes of lightning and rolling thunder that shook the surroundings.
"Qiankun Reversal Array!"
In the eastern position, the disciples laid down the qiankun array. They held qiankun rulers, causing the spiritual energy within the formation to reverse, creating the sensation of the heavens and earth flipping and time and space twisting.
"Eight Desolations Demon-Locking Array!"
The xianzhang stood in the west, holding the end of the demon-locking chain. The chain stretched out like a long serpent, extending to every corner of the formation.
From a bird’s-eye view, the demon-locking chain formed a massive bagua pattern that radiated robust qiankun energy, trapping all yao and demons within its bounds.
The black jiao lord’s demonic followers noticed the silver beams of light in the sky and charged toward the valley from all directions.
The disciples on the perimeter holding swords engaged the demons in fierce combat. Li Lanxiu swung his fan, the bones of the fan flashing like shooting stars. They pierced through the charging demons, leaving icy wounds.
Wave after wave of demons surged forward. Yet the black jiao lord remained absent. The disciples dared not relax. The black jiao lord might not have shown up out of fear, or it simply didn’t care. The latter seemed far more likely.
"Formation, complete!"
At the xianzhang’s command, the disciples powering the array poured their spiritual energy into it. The radiance of the Heavenly Firmament, Earthly Fiend, Qiankun Reversal, and Eight Desolations Demon-Locking arrays intensified, lighting up the skies.
The arrays formed an enormous barrier that securely sealed off the black jiao lord’s lair in the distance.
The demons rushing in from all sides stepped into the barrier’s range and were instantly incinerated into vivid clouds of blood mist, as if they had fallen into a pill furnace.
As more demons perished, the disciples grew bolder, shouting in unison, "Black jiao lord! Come out and face your death!"
"You despicable, wicked demon! What black jiao lord? You’re just an old turtle!"
"Why don’t you come out and face your death already?"
Suddenly, thick black fog surged out from the palace like an overwhelming flood, swiftly engulfing the valley.
The bright sky dimmed in an instant, resembling twilight.
A pair of blood-red eyes emerged from the black fog, followed by a towering, imposing figure.
The black jiao lord wore a long black-and-gold robe, golden runes glimmering faintly around him. He strolled leisurely atop the mist. "Quite the grand spectacle."
At that moment, on the Dao-Questioning Plaza of Conundrum Sect, Elder Shen abruptly stood up, shouting in alarm, "This...something’s wrong!"
When the sect had designated the black jiao lord as the ultimate target for the trial, they had thoroughly investigated him through all available channels. The black jiao lord was undeniably powerful, a top-tier yao demon.
But the sect’s demon-slaying arrays were no trifling matter either. With Jiang Jiusi and Lian Jianqing joining forces, there was an eighty percent chance of subduing the black jiao lord.
However, the moment the black jiao lord appeared, Elder Shen immediately sensed something amiss. The lord’s crimson eyes burned with ferocity, and his surging demonic power radiated a violent, bloodthirsty aura. This was far beyond what Conundrum Sect’s formation could handle.
He turned his head toward Bai Zhenchuan, a look of desperation in his eyes.
Bai Zhenchuan stared intently at the unfolding scene, their expression subtle as they pressed their lips together. "He’s in...heat."
Elder Shen froze. During a yao’s mating season, their demonic power would skyrocket, and their temperament would grow even more volatile. After a moment of consideration, he said, "Not long ago, disciples from Loftcloud Sect encountered him, and he wasn’t—"
Bai Zhenchuan interrupted, their voice abruptly dropping into a glacial tone, each word as frigid as ice. "Because someone triggered his mating season."
"Who?" Elder Shen asked in astonishment.
Bai Zhenchuan clenched their fingers tightly. Their pale, slender knuckles tensed until they turned white as they stared silently at the giant mirror.
Inside the mirror, the black jiao lord raised both arms, causing the black mist to surge outward like a tidal wave, crashing toward the barrier.
The barrier’s light trembled violently, dimming as the disciples struggled to maintain it. Despite their best efforts, they couldn’t withstand the overwhelming demonic power of the yao lord.
The black jiao lord suddenly burst into laughter. The black mist coalesced into a massive tornado, swirling over everyone’s heads like an apocalyptic vortex. It blocked out the sky and then hurtled toward the barrier.
A deafening boom echoed as the barrier shattered on impact, its radiance dissolving into scattered starlight. The disciples were thrown back by the immense force, tumbling to the ground.
The xianzhang at the formation’s center was flung far away. He coughed up blood, his face filled with shock.
The black mist coiled around the disciples like nooses tightening around their necks. At that moment, their lives were entirely at the mercy of the black jiao lord.
Life or death depended on a single thought from him.
Everyone held their breath, staring at the yao lord standing above the mist. His gaze swept over the crowd, as if searching for someone.
Before long, his eyes locked onto a specific figure. He spoke in a clear, resonant voice. “Today, I will not open the killing field.”
The disciples, instead of feeling relieved, grew even more uneasy. When had this capricious demon ever shown such mercy?
The xianzhang shouted warily, “What do you want?”
The black jiao lord flicked his sleeve and pointed directly at the figure he had been yearning for among the crowd. With utter audacity, he declared, “I want him to become my bride!”
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