Chapter 48

This is the most incredible part.

In theory, the Jialan city area at the bottom of the lake is not large. Even if a carpet-style search is conducted, it should not result in repeated failures.

However, Xuan Ye seemed to have truly disappeared without a trace. No matter how they searched, they couldn’t find a single shadow of him.

As it was not related to the main storyline, Ning Ning had little interest in the background story of the Immortal-Demon War until she learned some information from her senior sister in the guest room.

Unlike demons, the demon cultivators mostly consisted of individuals with corrupt minds and violent temperaments. The demon realm also had a hierarchy, with the most revered being the Demon King and his seven Demon Lords.

It was said that the position of a Demon King could be bestowed or contested. As long as one personally killed the previous one, they could seize the title for themselves.

Survival of the fittest requires constant fighting.

But those demon cultivators seemed to enjoy it.

Perhaps it was for this reason that the degree of distortion in the personalities of the Demon Lords was enough to be exhibited at a world expo of rare items.

Things like bathing in a young girl’s blood, decorating houses with human organs, forcing people in love or arranged marriages to kill each other—a variety of twisted practices.

Compared to them, Xuan Ye, who focused solely on refining souls for cultivation, seemed to be a bit more normal.

But only a bit.

Xuan Ye was inherently cruel, suspicious, and stubborn. Like other Demon Lords, he disliked routines and was good at playing tricky maneuvers. To guess his whereabouts, one probably couldn’t use conventional methods.

Abandoning conventional methods, he would not hide like a mouse. He needed to ensure his safety while maintaining timely contact with the elders.

“Senior Sister Zheng, have you not received a reply from the sect leader yet?”

Suddenly, the voice of Pei Ji rang in her ears. He rarely spoke, and his voice sounded cold and refreshing, creating an unfamiliar feeling in the currently empty and quiet environment.

The youth’s tone was as icy as a sweet spring. Seeing Zheng Weiqi nod, Pei Ji revealed an emotionless smile. “The spirit pigeon was probably intercepted.”

He glanced at the dome, covered in radiant white light, with a hint of mockery in his eyes. “The fact that the elders left before we reached the Xingji Pavilion indicates that there are spies in the city, constantly monitoring us in secret. They won’t let that pigeon go free.”

He Zhizhou took a sharp breath. “Spies?”

“There are many ways to buy someone. That’s not the focus.”

Pei Ji said, “The matter involving the Demon Lord is of great significance. If the sect leader had truly received the letter, he would have responded long ago. Since the elders know that we are disciples of the Xuanxu Sword Sect and saw Senior Sister releasing the spirit pigeon upon landing, they naturally understand that it is a plea for help sent to the sect—Xuan Ye’s situation is something they would never allow the righteous sects to discover.”

He Zhizhou sensed an unfinished implication in his words, and his entire body couldn’t help but feel a chill.

It was as if his whole body had been submerged in an icy abyss. The bone-chilling cold spread from the soles of his feet to his head, making every drop of blood shiver.

Besides the spirit pigeon, there was also them, capable of conveying messages.

“To guard this secret.”

Pei Ji’s right hand unconsciously stroked the sword hilt, and a shadow covered his eyes. “A swift and decisive resolution is needed, killing us quickly.”

—Xuan Ye would not let them leave Jialan City alive.

He always regarded human lives with contempt; the only thing he cared about was himself.

This was a ruthless and cruel demon, perhaps relishing in the satisfaction of having everything under his control and secretly enjoying the pleasure of peeping at a group of lost white mice.

Such a person. He—

Ning Ning’s breath hitched.

An incredibly bizarre and eerie thought silently surged into her mind, causing her heart to start pounding as if huge stones were striking her chest.

… Why, when the young lord had clearly lost his usefulness, did the elders not eliminate him when they left?

She did not speak but tightened her grip on the Xinghe sword at her waist.

Then, with a horrified expression, she turned around.

On the large bed, adorned with exquisite wood carvings, a remarkably handsome man lay with closed eyes. The dense shadows beneath his long lashes floated like elusive ghosts. Sensing her gaze, whether it was an illusion or not, a faint and shallow smile curled up at the corner of his mouth.

Being able to ensure absolute safety, smoothly communicate with the elders, and quietly appreciate all the changes from a hidden corner.

What place could better cater to his preferences than the highly praised Lord’s Mansion?

The most dangerous place is also the safest place.

As it turns out, from the very beginning, the “young city lord” lying on the bed was not Jiang Si himself but the Demon Lord Xuan Ye disguised as him.

As the puppeteer behind the scenes, he had been leisurely staying there, listening to the younger generation from the major immortal sects earnestly analyzing and discussing.

Truly a wicked sense of humor.

There shouldn’t have been any wind here.

Yet, at this very moment, a cool breeze silently brushed by Ning Ning’s ears, sharp as a blade, nearly leaving a bloodstain on her earlobe.

The quiet night suddenly descended, and the man lying on the bed abruptly opened his eyes.

His pupils were unexpectedly dim and blood-red, with blood vessels like wildly growing vines occupying the entire iris. The cold and sharp demeanor on his face disappeared because of this gaze, replaced by a bloodthirsty and aggressive atmosphere.

He wanted to kill her.

Even though he was heavily injured and his cultivation greatly damaged, the oppressive aura belonging to a formidable cultivator in the Great Ascension stage surged like a tidal wave, as if a floodgate had been opened, rushing into her heart.

Ning Ning felt the biting cold and ruthless killing intent, like an unstoppable tide swallowing her, unleashing a fierce storm of blood and carnage.

And she stood in the center of the storm, surrounded by glaring killing intent. The blood-red eyes, so close, were like deep pool waters, almost drowning her.

Another invisible gust of wind came, aiming straight at her chest.

She heard Zheng Weiqi shout, “Ning Ning!”