Chapter 51

Xu Xiaotang sensed something was wrong. It immediately wriggled out of Nan Yuan’s embrace and squeaked at her.

“Yuan Yuan, something is wrong, very wrong! I think it is a trap!”

Upon seeing the fluffy spirit beast in Nan Yuan’s arms, the Demon General’s smile deepened until his gums were visible.

“Your spirit pet is quite plump and beautiful. You may as well bring it inside with you.”

Xu Xiaotang was speechless.

Perhaps there was no trap.

This person was simply captivated by the beauty of Yuan Yuan and the beast, so much so that he opened the back door for them.

Nan Yuan was not surprised.

She calmly followed the guide through the final gate.

The guide was also smiling so broadly that his eyes were narrowed into slits as he enthusiastically introduced the selection process.

The first gate filtered for beautiful female demon cultivators.

Those who were ugly could not possibly serve the peerlessly glamorous and bloodthirsty Demon Lord, and those with low cultivation were also excluded.

The second gate selected those with high cultivation from among the beauties.

The third gate involved the Demon Lord’s most favored maid, who would personally choose the five most outstanding candidates.

This Bloodthirsty Demon Lord was truly an oddity, actually letting the woman he once loved most choose a Demon Queen for him.

When Nan Yuan arrived, three rows of women with varying charms were already standing in wait, totaling about fifty or sixty people.

Previously, she had only seen strange female demon cultivators, but the women at this third gate were quite lovely.

From the slender to the curvaceous, every style was represented.

Likely because most beauties in the Demon Realm had been divided among the other four Demon Lords, fewer than ten of these sixty women were truly exceptional.

The beauties were whispering among themselves about the Demon Lord’s maid.

They felt it was unfair for her to choose the Queen, as she would surely pick mediocre candidates to protect her own position.

However, protests were useless because this was the Bloodthirsty Demon Lord’s personal decree.

They continued to gossip about how rushed the ceremony felt.

They had expected a grand event lasting days or weeks, but the Demon Lord had simply sent his ten most important Demon Generals to throw people out starting from the very first gate.

If they were ugly, they were tossed out.

If their cultivation was too low, they were thrown out.

In no time, the massive crowd outside the palace had dwindled.

At this rate, the selection would be over within half a day.

When Nan Yuan entered, the whispering stopped.

Sharp gazes landed on her.

The beauties grew wary.

With a figure like hers that could drive men mad, she had a high chance of winning as long as her face was not hideous.

“Why act so mysterious now that you are here?” Beauty A sneered.

“Is it because you are too ugly to be seen?”

“Little sister,” Beauty B asked, “did you wear that mask through the first two gates as well?”

Beauty C shrugged.

“She will have to take it off eventually, so who cares.”

Nan Yuan glanced at them and spoke indifferently.

“A restriction was placed on this mask. It cannot be removed.”

Hearing this, Xu Xiaotang squeaked in shock.

“Yuan Yuan, is there really a restriction? Why didn’t you mention it before? Was it that toad’s doing?”

Nan Yuan patted its fur.

A mere restriction was nothing.

If she truly wanted to remove it, she could.

But why would she? This ghost mask was her pass.

One skeptical cultivator tried to snatch the mask off Nan Yuan’s face but failed.

It was as if it were glued to her skin.

The beauties mocked her.

“If you cannot even take it off yourself, are you planning to wait until the final round so the Demon Lord can remove it for you?”

Nan Yuan thought for a moment and slowly nodded.

It was not that she wanted to, but that the other party would want to.

The beauties were stunned.

This woman was so calculating! Such a unique tactic might actually catch the Demon Lord’s attention.

Suddenly, the others began wondering if they could find their own clever ways to stand out.

After Nan Yuan, the Demon General let in three more women just for show.

Then, the first two gates were shut.

No matter how much the latecomers wailed, the doors remained closed.

Everyone complained that the selection was far too haphazard.

Among those left, someone shouted, “She is coming! The legendary woman is here!”

Silence fell.

They wanted to see exactly what kind of peerless beauty could make the Bloodthirsty Demon Lord go through fire and water multiple times.

However, they only saw a plain looking maid approaching, followed by two protectors.

No one else followed.

The crowd wondered if the woman was being arrogant by sending only her servant.

As expected of the legendary woman’s maid, the girl had bright lips and crystalline skin.

Unfortunately, while her skin was fine, her beauty was only average.

The maid stepped forward and picked four top tier beauties.

Then, she looked at Nan Yuan.

Her gaze inadvertently brushed past the little fur ball in Nan Yuan’s arms.

The maid suddenly took a deep breath, her emotions visibly stirred.

A moment later, she looked away and pointed at Nan Yuan.

The five were chosen.

The remaining women cursed under their breaths, angry that the “calculating woman” had snatched a spot.

The five selected women followed the maid toward the Yuanqing Palace.

After many twists and turns, a magnificent palace appeared.

It was made of unknown materials that shimmered brilliantly even in the dim light of the Demon Realm.

This was the place.

Nan Yuan had seen this dazzling building from her wolf carriage earlier.

Above the entrance hung a plaque with three golden characters: Yuanqing Palace.

Nan Yuan’s eyes flickered.

The other four beauties were beyond excited.

This was the Demon Lord’s private residence! It was said that no one was allowed inside except for “that woman.”

Even if they were not chosen as Queen, entering this palace was an honor worth boasting about for a lifetime.

Nan Yuan remained calm.

She stared at the leading maid for a long time.

The woman looked familiar, but as someone with face blindness, she could not place her.

Just then, Xu Xiaotang muttered, “Yuan Yuan, that woman looks like Dong Xue, though she is much rounder than before.”

Nan Yuan paused.

At the same time, the maid bowed toward the palace doors.

“My Lord, the candidates have arrived.”

Nan Yuan’s gaze deepened.

That voice did indeed sound like Dong Xue.

When the Bloodthirsty Demon Lord slaughtered Snow City, she thought everyone had died.

She had not expected Dong Xue to be alive.

With a creak, the doors of the Yuanqing Palace opened just enough for one person to pass.

Behind the door was total darkness.

The four beauties held their breath in nervous excitement.

Suddenly, a man’s voice drifted from within.

“You, come in.”

The voice was low, soft, and incredibly seductive.