Chapter 36: The Art of Enchantment

Wait.

Jiang Niannian suddenly paused.

How did Tang Murou capture the heart of the Demon Lord, Ye Linyuan?

Ah, a hundred years ago, during the war between the human and demon realms, Wen Shili led the hundred sects of the Immortal Alliance to defeat the demons and trapped the Demon Lord in the Demon Prison Tower using a formation.

But Tang Murou, driven by selfish desire, released the Demon Lord.

It was a grave offense, but she managed to escape punishment by weeping and gaining the sympathy of the people, avoiding the loss of her cultivation.

The time… it was tonight.

Logically, this matter had nothing to do with her, yet why did she feel a deep sense of unease?

Suddenly, a shrill cry shattered the evening’s silence, echoing across the entire sect.

“Something terrible has happened! The Demon Lord Ye Linyuan has escaped!”

Rimuli sect, in the main hall of Qinggu Peak.

The usually quiet hall was now filled with murmuring people, whispering and speculating amongst themselves.

Half an hour ago, Wen Shili had ordered the entire Qinggu Peak to be sealed off, gathering everyone in the hall. Since the Demon Lord had escaped and could not be recaptured, the priority was to find the traitor who had released him.

“Niannian.”

Yin Buqi, who had been eyeing her intermittently, suddenly spoke, his eyelashes trembling as he feigned weakness and innocence.

“I’m tired.”

“Be good; once they catch the culprit, we can go back. Cough… you can sleep with me tonight,” Jiang Niannian said, gently patting his head, a bit embarrassed.

“Alright.”

Yin Buqi smiled, his obedience almost unsettling.

A commotion arose at the door as Yin Ruoxu hurriedly entered with seven or eight guards from the Demon Prison Tower.

Standing at the head of the hall, Wen Shili’s expression was ice cold.

He asked, “Sect Master Yin, is there any news from those who went after the Demon Lord?”

Yin Ruoxu shook his head.

“He got away.”

One of the guards, with a complicated expression and gritted teeth, said, “True Monarch, we know who released the Demon Lord.”

“Speak.”

The guard scanned the crowd before his gaze landed on Jiang Niannian, his voice filled with anger, “It was her!”

Instantly, everyone in the hall turned to look at her.

Jiang Niannian: ?!

Yin Buqi’s face darkened immediately, his gaze cold as he stared at the guard.

Jiang Niannian remained calm.

“I have no grievance with you. Why are you falsely accusing me?”

The guard, furious, shouted, “I clearly saw it was you!”

Jiang Niannian glanced sideways at Tang Murou, who was speaking with Jiuyou in the crowd.

Yesterday, the situation had been too chaotic to observe carefully, but today, she noticed that Jiuyou’s appearance was even more striking than Yin Buqi’s, with a certain feminine elegance.

Dressed in red, he looked like a vividly painted masterpiece, embodying the world’s most sensual allure.

She had expected Tang Murou to be anxious or guilty, but instead, Tang Murou turned and gave her a soft, delicate smile.

Yin Buqi sneered coldly, “Convicting someone based on one person’s word? Is that how Qinggu Peak handles things?”

Yin Ruoxu looked over, his brows furrowed, feeling that this person seemed oddly familiar.

“Isn’t this the one who defeated the young master yesterday…”

Yin Ci, arms crossed, shot a sharp look, and the subordinate fell silent.

“Of course not.”

The guard pulled out a small storage pouch from his chest and continued, “This was found near the Demon Prison Tower. Inside are rare herbs, and the aura on them all comes from you. We have both witnesses and evidence. What do you have to say now?”

Jiang Niannian was stunned as she looked at the storage pouch.

It was indeed hers.

She had given it to Shen Yu yesterday, so why was it here now?

“This does belong to me, but I gave it to the Lord Sage Fuhua yesterday. I don’t know why it would appear near the Demon Prison Tower. Why not call him here and ask him?”

Yin Ruoxu sighed.

“Shen Yu left the mountain yesterday to save someone. He won’t return for at least half a month.”

Jiang Niannian noticed Yin Buqi’s aura becoming tense beside her.

She glanced at him soothingly and said, “In that case, we can use the Soul Searching Technique. A soul never lies.”

Her words shocked the crowd.

The Soul Searching Technique was a forbidden method in the Immortal sects, though widely used due to its convenience.

A cultivator in the Void Refining stage or higher could use it on someone with weaker cultivation to directly probe their memories by entering their sea of consciousness with spiritual energy.

However, the subject of the Soul Searching would often end up mentally impaired or even dead.

Therefore, it was only used on the dead or on criminals.

“No!” Yin Buqi suddenly raised his head, his eyes filled with blood-red rage, his chest heaving. “Niannian, you can’t do this.”

Jiang Niannian continued calmly, “I didn’t release the Demon Lord, but all the evidence points to me. To prove my innocence, the only way is to use the Soul Searching Technique. But if we’re doing it, we’ll do it together!”

Jiang Niannian’s eyes shifted to Tang Murou, a surge of fury rising from within her.

Falsely accuse me? Don’t think you’ll get away with it either!

Tang Murou, startled, hid behind Tang Xuanye and Jiuyou, her eyes reddening. “What is Miss Jiang trying to do? You released the Demon Lord; why would I need to undergo the Soul Searching Technique? This makes no sense.”

“Exactly, this Jiang girl must be mad. Soul Searching on a living person is bad enough, but why drag Tang Murou into it?”

“Did you hear? Yesterday, Jiang Niannian injured Tang Murou in a match and even poisoned her sword!”

“Really? That’s terrifying. Why would she do such a thing?”

“Jealousy, I bet. Jealous that Tang Murou is more beautiful, or maybe Miss Jiang wants to win the Immortal Alliance tournament and get famous. I can’t believe someone like her is still standing here unharmed.”

“That’s not true! Didn’t the Lord Sage Fuhua say yesterday that Tang Murou got the poison on her sword by accident? It had nothing to do with Miss Jiang.”

The crowd buzzed with chatter.

Many had interacted with Tang Murou before and were drawn to her polite, gentle demeanor, but mostly, it was her beauty that captivated everyone.

Jiang Niannian sneered.

“Such a well-orchestrated framing. Weren’t you the one who released the Demon Lord? What, afraid now?”

“Why are you accusing me, Miss Jiang?” Tang Murou’s eyes filled with tears, her voice trembling with innocence.

“I’m still injured, and my cultivation is only at the Golden Core stage. How could I possibly release the Demon Lord? I don’t know how I’ve offended you, but why are you trying to harm me like this?”

“Don’t worry, you’ll be fine,” Tang Xuanye said, shielding Tang Murou protectively. He then glared coldly at Jiang Niannian and threatened, “If you slander Murou again, don’t blame me for being ruthless.”

Suddenly, a burst of laughter echoed through the hall.

Jiuyou looked over at Yin Buqi.

His narrow eyes were as sharp as cold blades, and his lips were as red as roses.

His voice was smooth and dangerous, his skin unnaturally pale.

Confident in his own appearance, Jiuyou frowned when he realized this man was even more striking than himself.

“What are you laughing at?” Jiuyou asked.

Yin Buqi scoffed.

“I’m laughing because no one here seems to notice that this guard has been enchanted!”

As soon as he finished speaking, Yin Buqi summoned his sword and lunged at the guard who had accused Jiang Niannian!