Chapter 54

In the twilight, the demon general, who had been knocked unconscious at the door, led three beauties with a gloomy expression, warning, “No one is allowed to speak of tonight’s events. Once I capture her, I will make sure she wishes for death.”

The three beauties dared not defy him and quickly agreed.

Everyone knew that if the mountain lord found out that the demon general had caused trouble by keeping an unidentified person in the demon palace and letting her escape, he would be furious.

The demon general, named Lao He, was a surrendered soldier.

Even when he followed the previous mountain lord, he was accustomed to flattery and sycophancy, which aligned well with the former lord’s tastes, earning him great favor.

To Lao He, it didn’t matter how many mountain lords the demon mountain had.

As long as his position remained secure, allowing him to live luxuriously, he was content.

Demons admire strength, and Lao He was adept at adapting to the prevailing winds.

When the new mountain lord crushed the old lord’s neck last month, Lao He’s legs gave way, and without any resistance, he led all his old subordinates to pledge allegiance to the new lord.

Although Lao He didn’t think much of the new mountain lord.

The new lord was too young, with a cold and stern appearance, more beautiful than many women.

But the chilling sound of him crushing the old lord’s bones without a change in expression still haunted Lao He.

This was a ruthless character.

Lao He had his own thoughts.

The new mountain lord was powerful and ruthless, but he was still young and vigorous.

A few days ago, he had someone observe the lord and found that his demon form was unstable.

An unstable demon form meant a prolonged period of heat for demons.

Lao He secretly gathered beauties, planning to offer them tonight.

The stronger the demon, the longer it took to stabilize the demon form.

Unfortunately, the demon palace had been desolate for too long, and there were few true beauties to be found.

Lao He had managed to procure three.

There were supposed to be four, but thinking of the girl who had stunned him with her beauty, Lao He gritted his teeth.

Once he caught her, he wouldn’t offer her to the new mountain lord.

He would enjoy her himself and then throw her to his subordinates. How dare she scheme against him!

Lao He couldn’t figure out the new mountain lord’s temperament.

Keeping someone Fuheng wanted to expel was undoubtedly a mistake.

His position wasn’t secure yet, so he didn’t dare let the mountain lord know.

He only dared to send people to find and capture her.

He glanced back at the three enchanting women and said, “Ahead is the mountain lord’s chamber. Whether you can stay and gain favor depends on your own abilities.”

The female demons hugged their arms, hesitating, “Why is it so cold?”

The closer they got to the mountain lord’s chamber, the colder it became.

Now, it felt like the depths of winter, making them shiver in their light gauze dresses.

Lao He, with his higher cultivation, could withstand the cold better.

He found them useless but appreciated their beauty, saying meaningfully, “There is a cold pool in the chamber. If you can satisfy the mountain lord, he won’t need it anymore.”

The female demons were surprised and somewhat delighted.

They hadn’t expected the mountain lord to be so young, with an unstable demon form, and to be sealed in a cold pool during his most passionate period.

They had been anxious about whether they could stay and live a good life, but wasn’t this the best opportunity? Most of them had come here hoping to emulate the butterfly demon Cong Xia, who had been a slave to the old mountain lord, living a miserable life.

But recently, she had been thriving, receiving many treasures, with no scars and even servants.

Truly “favored.”

The female demons also wanted to rise to the top, not wanting to wander outside or be bullied and abused by powerful demons.

They were more beautiful than Cong Xia and were sure to stay.

After all, no powerful demon would prefer the suffering of being sealed in ice over sleeping in the soft embrace of a beauty.

At midnight, Lao He stepped forward and said, “Mountain Lord, your subordinate Lao He has prepared a great gift for you.”

After a long while, a cold voice came from inside, “Enter.”

The man’s voice was slightly hoarse, stirring the hearts of the female demons, adding a bit of anticipation to their initial intentions.

A strong man, in need of a woman, undoubtedly made the female demons infatuated and expectant.

Lao He bowed and signaled for them to enter.

They finally saw the full view of the mountain lord’s chamber.

It was colder inside than outside, as if a heavy snow had just melted.

The demon mountain was still crude, but due to the former mountain lord’s preference for luxury, the chamber was splendid and beautiful.

Behind the fluttering warm gauze, a cold pool emitted a faint white mist.

On the shore, a man with an indistinct face looked at Lao He and them through the gauze curtain.

He was tall, with a slender and upright figure, his hair half-tied, and his clothes not tightly fastened, as if he had just risen from the cold pool at midnight.

The female demons endured the cold in the chamber, trying their best to display their beauty.

Lao He said ambiguously, “With them, the mountain lord won’t need to suffer the extreme cold.”

After speaking, Lao He looked up and saw that the man was still standing, silent and unresponsive.

He wondered, “Mountain Lord?”

After a long silence, the man said, “Leave the people, you go.”

Lao He breathed a sigh of relief, a wave of joy rising in his heart.

This meant the mountain lord was willing to accept his gift, and he wouldn’t have to worry about the ruined Fuheng replacing him.

Lao He left, thoughtfully closing the door behind him.

The three female demons knelt in the chamber, waiting for the mountain lord’s command.

They were shivering from the cold but dared not show it, fearing displeasure from the man behind the gauze curtain.

Once they were in his arms, pleasing him, they would surely warm up.

After a long while, the female demons were almost unable to endure the cold.

He sat down behind the gauze curtain and said coldly, “Enter.”

The female demons were delighted and walked through the gauze curtain, finally seeing his appearance.

They were stunned.

He was incredibly handsome, with long eyebrows and thin lips, his dark eyes cold and cruel, exuding a charm between a youth and a mature man, making their hearts race.

His slender fingers were pale, and his entire person had a sickly beauty, with lips that were strikingly red.

His pupils were slightly narrower than usual, like the terrifying eyes of a snake.

Due to his unstable demon form, the corners of his eyes had a faint red hue.

Unlike other demons, his allure was shattered, making him appear like a mad demon in the eyes of immortals, but in the demon aesthetic, he was cold and stern beyond compare.

If they had come only for wealth and status, now the female demons were secretly delighted.

None had expected the new mountain lord to be so young and handsome.

If they could help him through this difficult period and survive, he surely wouldn’t treat them badly.

One of the female demons, named Nian Yi, boldly spoke, “Mountain Lord, shall we serve you to bed?”

He raised his eyes and looked at Nian Yi.

His gaze was as cold as jade.

If not for the unusual atmosphere in the chamber, they might not have noticed he was enduring the pain of his unstable demon form.

He said, “Alright.”

When Nian Yi approached, Yan Chaosheng thought, this is how it should be, this is the path you were meant to take.

Even after spending three years in Kongsang, at his core, he was still just a dirty, lowly demon in their eyes.

The pain of strengthening his true form was akin to carving flesh and scraping bones.

When he was besieged by three elders that day, he first manifested his true form.

Later, in the Demon Suppression Tower, he suppressed his nature again.

After the tower collapsed, he spent a night in a cave with the little demon bird, and his body began to heat up.

His demon form began to grow, expanding continuously.

From a few zhang tall to ten zhang, and now his true form couldn’t even fit in the chamber.

He had been in pain for several days, and the little demon bird was terrified, but no one would take them in.

He couldn’t return to Kongsang, and due to his powerful demonic energy, Taoist priests had begun to investigate the area.

His scales were stained with blood, and the strengthening of his true form had triggered the long-delayed demonic heat.

The ice seal was no longer effective.

He would either have to act like a beast, mating with female demons in the forest.

The little demon bird was almost crying with worry.

Their hearts were connected, and Yan Chaosheng’s heart was beating too fast, so fast that the bird thought his blood vessels would burst.

It was also a demon and even thought that if finding a female demon could ease the pain of strengthening his true form, it wouldn’t be a big deal.

But Yan Chaosheng, with bloodshot eyes, came to the demon mountain, seeking to borrow the cold pool in the demon palace to seal himself in ice.

He didn’t know what he was clinging to.

He transformed the immortal whip into a demonic artifact and offered it to the former mountain lord.

The unlucky former lord, who had no scruples, accepted the artifact and also took a fancy to Yan Chaosheng’s beauty, arousing his lust.

Yan Chaosheng’s suppressed demonic nature boiled over with violence.

At that moment, the entire mountain was shrouded in a bloody mist.

He killed his way through, grabbed the former lord by the neck, and said with a cold, evil smile, “You want me to accompany you, to satisfy you before lending it? Mountain Lord, are you satisfied now?”

The former lord trembled, never expecting this seemingly weak man to be a killing god.

“No, no need, I’ll lend it to you, I’ll lend it to you.”

“Now, it’s not necessary.”

Yan Chousheng tightened his grip, crushing the lord’s bones.

The former lord’s eyes widened, and he slid down like mud.

That day, Yan Chaosheng lost count of how many he had killed.

All who resisted died by his hand, and the rest submitted.

It was ironic.

He had sought immortality, endured for three years, only to be hunted by his sect, forced to strengthen his true form.

And when he had no intention of being a demon, a single act of madness and killing had people respectfully proclaiming him mountain lord.

A demon’s true form usually underwent several transformations, but strengthening it meant all growth happened at once, with multiple times the pain and rampant demonic nature intertwined within.

Yan Chaosheng could only remain sober for a few hours each day to handle palace affairs, spending the rest of the time sealed in the cold pool.

He looked down at his pale fingertips.

Staying too long in the cold pool, combined with the lingering effects of the love flower poison, had formed a cold toxin within him.

If this continued, even if he survived the consequences of strengthening his true form, he would die young.

The female demons were already undressing.

Lao He’s intentions were clear to Yan Chaosheng.

Perhaps this was how demons were meant to live.

Debauched, vicious, and obscene.

He knew exactly what he needed at this moment.

The window was open, and the evening breeze carried the fragrance of scattered flowers.

His cold fingertips clenched.

At such a moment, he knew he shouldn’t think of her.

From the moment they parted under the willow tree, he had said they would never meet again.

He should hate her.

She had caused him to lose his cultivation, her father had tried to kill him, and what she left him was this cold toxin and a state of being neither human nor ghost.

Compared to before, he had grown taller, and his appearance had changed significantly.

The alluring bodies of the female demons were before him.

His demonic instincts should have driven him forward, to drown in desire, and truly sever ties with his past.

But he remained seated for a long time, unmoving.

What appeared before his eyes was that night in the Demon Suppression Tower, the girl crying and calling his name in grievance.

She cried so pitifully, with that appearance, sobbing and asking him to save her.

His hatred became powerless.

She always knew his weakness.

The place in his chest where his heart scale had been lost began to hurt again.

Since he had completely fallen into being a demon and become a mountain lord, could he ever go back?

He forbade himself from thinking of her, forcing himself to follow his destined path.

Nian Yi, seeing him unmoving for so long, boldly tried to lean into his embrace.

The fragrance of flowers carried by the night breeze was intoxicating.

The new mountain lord raised his hand, as if to embrace her, but to Nian Yi’s shock, he pushed her away.

The chamber fell silent. The female demons knelt in trepidation, unsure what had displeased him.

Yan Chaosheng seemed angry, yet also mocking, “You all, leave…”

Before he could finish, the bells on the gauze curtain rang incessantly.

They saw the mountain lord stand up with a cold face.

Then, as if thinking of something, he calmly sat back down and called, “Fuheng.”

A man as silent as a shadow appeared, “Mountain Lord.”

Yan Chaosheng’s fingers tightened, unsure what he was anticipating, “Capture her.”

Fuheng, “Yes.”

Fuheng thought, these past few days, apart from handling palace affairs, the mountain lord had only done one thing: repeatedly strengthening the original barrier. More insanely, he had set up an array with nine Ten Commandment Rings at the back mountain barrier.

Nine of them!

Not to mention ordinary people trying to break through, even a Great Golden Immortal would have a hard time.

This was truly too vicious.

Fuheng hadn’t understood why someone would go to that place, but today someone had indeed tried to break through.

The female demons were already hastily dressing, “Mountain Lord, shall we take our leave?”

“No need.”

Yan Chaosheng said with a dark face, “Stay, all of you stay!”

His fingers clenched, and the Taotie on the armrest of his seat turned to dust.

He thought distractedly, perhaps he had been wrong.

Perhaps that day, he had left in too much of a hurry.

He should have figured out which of her kindnesses were genuine and which were fake.

If she had behaved better, he might have forgiven her and her father.

Thus, when Liu Shuang was brought to the chamber, she saw this scene: three half-dressed women, partially covered, kneeling and flattering a man.

These three looked familiar; not long ago, they had almost become her “companions.”

The man on the throne was even more familiar.

It was Yan Chaosheng.

After their unpleasant parting, they hadn’t seen each other for a while.

He was taller than before, and his features had matured.

Now, he didn’t even look at her, smiling coldly at the beauties at his feet.

“I wondered who was breaking the array, so it’s the Chishui Immortal.”

His words were icy and mocking, “Do you really think my demon palace is a place you can come and go as you please, overestimating yourself? Have you thought of the consequences, immortal?”

“Mountain Lord?”

Liu Shuang hadn’t been bound by the Ten Commandment Rings.

Before deciding to break the array, she had sensed something was wrong, that there was a formation beneath her feet.

When Fuheng came for her, she didn’t resist and followed, planning to talk to the new mountain lord.

After all, from the little waiter’s words, it seemed the demons had some respect and fear for immortals.

She was just passing through and should have a chance to negotiate.

But now, her gaze swept over the women at his feet.

The legendary new mountain lord, known for his cruelty and bloodthirst, was actually Yan Chaosheng?

Truly… after three days apart, one should view others with new eyes.

Remembering their parting, when she learned he liked her, facing him now felt strange.

What was going on? Why didn’t he like Mi Chu, but instead liked her?