BAAF Chapter 91

Black hair strands lightly brushed against the slender neck.

 

Zhou Xuanlan’s arms held the person tighter. A moment ago, he thought Shen Liuxiang was about to jump down, his fingers slightly loosening, but unexpectedly, the other made a reversal, suddenly circling his neck and burying his face, as if wanting to stay on him and not leave.

 

Such an intimate gesture melted Zhou Xuanlan’s heart.

 

However, simultaneously, some confusion arose in his mind. As he pondered, he finally noticed the heart-wrenching angry shouts around him.

 

He was stunned for a moment, then suddenly understood.

 

His thin lips curled uncontrollably as he laughed softly, his eyes revealing a hint of tenderness.

 

Shen Liuxiang, who was asserting ownership under public scrutiny, had already been doing this reluctantly. Hearing the meaningful low laugh, he guessed his thoughts had been seen through, and his earlobes silently reddened.

 

For a moment, he didn’t know whether to get down or not.

 

The surrounding demons erupted in an uproar. It was obvious—anyone with eyes could see from Zhou Xuanlan’s expression that something was amiss. The face he showed when looking down was completely different from when he looked up!

 

“Wait, the Ninth Demon King seems to know him.”

 

“Where did this young demon come from? Looking at his attire, it’s not ordinary.”

 

“—Ah!”

 

A person on the ground suddenly shouted, rubbing his eyes. Someone nearby was startled and pushed him, “What are you shouting for? Are you seeking death?”

 

“I know who it is,” as surrounding gazes rushed over, the person nervously swallowed and stuttered: “Young Lord, it’s the Young Lord of the Imperial Palace. Earlier on West Street, I saw with my own eyes Lord Lin Du bowing respectfully and addressing him as Young Lord.”

 

“What?! A bloodline of the Emperor?”

 

“The Young Lord has come to our Demon Capital, could it be he was tired of staying in a fairyland like Mount Shengqi?”

 

“Could it be a mistake?”

 

Hearing this, the demon who had spoken earlier became nervous: “I-I saw the same clothing and appearance, it should… not be wrong.”

 

“Too bad his face is buried, otherwise, one glance would confirm it.”

 

“So you’ve seen the Young Lord’s face, what does he look like? The storybooks exaggerate to the point of falsehood, but what does the real person look like?”

 

Upon hearing this, the demon’s flustered expression dissipated, and he began speaking as if words were endless: “There are two Young Lords. The one being held by the Demon King is extremely handsome and beautiful. I got a glimpse from a distance—gorgeous features! Unparalleled beauty!”

 

“Don’t believe me? Well, when you see him, you’ll understand the feeling of being unable to resist liking someone after a glimpse of such beauty.”

 

As his words fell, he was unceremoniously mocked.

 

“Your fabrication is too obvious, or perhaps you’re some small demon from the wilderness who hasn’t seen the world,” the speaker said while turning his head, targeting the figure in the scene with sarcasm. “Still talking about a glimpse of beauty and irresistible affection, I…”

 

His voice paused as he saw the person in Zhou Xuanlan’s arms raise his head, a strand of black hair sliding past his face, revealing an extremely handsome countenance.

 

A pair of exquisite phoenix eyes showed confusion as they glanced in his direction, blinking.

 

“I…” the person’s voice faltered as he clutched his chest, stammering a change in his words: “I-I like him too.”

 

Shen Liuxiang vaguely heard the words “Young Lord” and thought it might be someone familiar. He raised his head to look toward the source of the sound but didn’t see any familiar figure. He then noticed everyone’s expressions changing, appearing quite stunned.

 

Shen Liuxiang blinked in confusion, pondered briefly, then curved one corner of his lips, his face blooming into a friendly, brilliant smile.

 

The previously noisy crowd suddenly fell silent, all becoming quiet at once.

 

In the silence, only Zhou Xuanlan spoke, his tone somewhat strange: “Master, don’t smile at them.”

 

Shen Liuxiang withdrew his gaze: “Why? Is my smile not friendly enough?”

 

Zhou Xuanlan said softly: “Save it, leave some for this disciple.”

 

Shen Liuxiang was amused, nodding: “Alright, I’ll save it all for you.”

 

Watching the two engaged in conversation, seemingly oblivious to others, Hua Jian, standing aside, said impatiently: “I have three thousand beauties in my backyard, but I’ve never been like you two. Zhou Xuanlan, aren’t your arms tired? Are we still going to the secret realm or not!”

 

Shen Liuxiang hurriedly patted Zhou Xuanlan’s arm, indicating he should put him down.

 

He had almost forgotten that a crowd was watching.

 

Zhou Xuanlan set him down, his hands now empty. He raised his eyelids, his gaze falling on Hua Jian with considerable displeasure.

 

Hua Jian keenly narrowed his peach blossom eyes and retreated two steps. Just then, the Eighth Demon King, carrying a turtle shell as tall as a person, arrived late: “I went back to fetch my life-bound magical artifact. Everyone has waited long, I hope for your understanding.”

 

With this, of the nine current Demon Kings of the demon realm—excluding the injured Great Demon King, the Sixth Demon King in seclusion, and the deceased Seventh Demon King—the remaining six were all present.

 

This grand mobilization was all for the demon realm’s sacred object, hidden for ten thousand years—the Demon Bone Pill.

 

Someone had seen the Demon Bone Pill fall into a secret realm east of the Demon Capital, after which the secret realm was sealed by powerful demonic energy, making it impossible to open.

 

Earlier in the demon cave, the heavily injured Great Demon King mentioned this matter, suggesting that with nothing better to do, everyone might as well join forces to open the secret realm, and thereafter rely on their own abilities.

 

These Demon Kings, each with their own agenda and already eager for the Demon Bone Pill, naturally fully supported this. They decided to go to the eastern part of the city to forcefully open the secret realm together.

 

Shen Liuxiang had heard of the famous Demon Bone Pill, which was said to have the ability to transform one’s body and reshape one’s demonic form, a means to ascend in a single step. No demon could resist such temptation.

 

Walking toward the eastern part of the city, Zhou Xuanlan spoke in a low voice: “Actually, the Demon Bone Pill was originally in the Eastern Wilderness.”

 

Shen Liuxiang thought to himself, “Another connection to the Eastern Wilderness,” and raised an eyebrow: “You know about it?”

 

Zhou Xuanlan nodded: “When I was in the cultivation realm, I made a deal with Ao Yue, telling him the location of the Demon Bone Pill, but… he didn’t get it. Instead, he disturbed the Demon Bone Pill, causing it to leave.”

 

Shen Liuxiang was surprised. Judging from the demons’ fervor for the Demon Bone Pill, Ao Yue, who had missed such an opportunity, must be quite regretful. “Is he alright?”

 

Zhou Xuanlan: “He wailed for days, but I tossed him a chicken leg, and he stopped.”

 

Shen Liuxiang laughed. As they conversed, the group left the Demon Capital. The spiritual energy in the air became extremely thin, as most of it had been taken by the secret realms, making it vastly different from inside the Demon Capital.

 

The demon kings discussed how to break open the secret realm. After deciding, each took a position.

 

Zhou Xuanlan pulled Shen Liuxiang to his side, holding his hand with one hand while casting a spell with the other to prevent them from getting separated once they entered.

 

The demon kings made no effort to hide their movements. News of opening the Demon Core Secret Realm spread throughout the city, attracting groups of people hoping to enter along with the demon kings, gambling on their chances.

 

Perhaps with good luck, they could swallow a Demon Bone Pill and change their fate.

 

However, just as the secret realm was about to open, the Second Demon King, who had been silent all along, created a barrier, keeping everyone else out.

 

The crowd dared not voice their anger and had to abandon their hopes.

 

In a corner, a figure who had been watching the secret realm showed no reaction upon seeing the barrier.

 

His normally fair and beautiful face now displayed strange black demonic markings in the shadow of the city wall, extending from the corner of his mouth to the bottom of his eyes, looking ferocious and terrifying.

 

The voice in his head gloated: “Can’t control it anymore, can you? If you don’t listen to me now, it’ll be too late.”

 

Su Baiche pressed his hand against the city wall, his five fingers embedding into it, leaving bloody marks. “You knew all along that refining a demon beast would have such consequences. You taught me deliberately to use it as leverage.”

 

“Of course,” Tong Xi said coldly. “You knew I had no good intentions, yet you still practiced the evil technique. In the end, you underestimated my methods and overestimated your own abilities, trying to take a shortcut in cultivation but falling into a deadly trap. You called me stupid, but you’re no better.”

 

Su Baiche’s blood surged. He gritted his teeth and swallowed the blood that almost spilled from his mouth. After catching his breath, he said coldly, “You’re gloating too soon. Once I get the Demon Bone Pill, let’s see what you can do to me.”

 

Hearing this, Tong Xi laughed loudly: “Let’s see then, whether you get the demon pill first, or get consumed by Zhuyan first.”

 

Su Baiche’s heart sank a little. Tong Xi had many abilities. In the outside world, there were people who could detect him, so he dared not use his powers recklessly. But in a secret realm where no one could detect him, he could be much more unrestrained.

 

Entering the secret realm now would put him at Tong Xi’s mercy, but Su Baiche had no better option.

 

With a gloomy gaze fixed on the gradually opening Demon Core Secret Realm, he swept his long sleeve and broke through the barrier in a flash of white light.

 

Inside the secret realm, stars adorned the night sky.

 

The starlight was dense and brilliant, its gentle radiance covering a quiet, secluded forest—a scene completely different from the daylight outside.

 

Su Baiche appeared in the forest, leaning against a large tree, one hand clutching his chest, his brows furrowed, the black demonic markings on his face increasingly visible.

 

Using spiritual power made the backlash worse. He could barely stand, let alone obtain the demon pill.

 

He coughed, his face pale: “If I die, you die too!”

 

Tong Xi didn’t expect Su Baiche to threaten him at such a critical moment. He sneered: “This isn’t death. Your soul will be scattered by the backlash, what does that have to do with me? As long as Su Baiche’s body remains, I can continue the mission.”

 

Su Baiche frowned, having forgotten about this.

 

“Then you’ll be a puppet, easier for me to control,” Tong Xi snorted. “If I could harm the host, I would have gotten rid of you long ago. Now you have nowhere to turn. I’ll give you one last chance. From now on, listen to me. Go to a place, and I’ll lure Zhou Xuanlan there.”

 

He said: “We’ll deal with the others later. He is the ultimate target of our strategy, you must capture him!”

 

Su Baiche was breathing rapidly, one hand supporting himself against the thick tree trunk. Cold wind howled through the forest, and large beads of sweat rolled down his forehead.

 

He valued his life; otherwise, he wouldn’t have pretended to be sweet and agreeable for several years when he first came to this world, even though he was unwilling, following Tong Xi’s instructions. Later, when he gained some ability to protect himself, and truly didn’t want to continue, he began to break away.

 

Hearing this, Su Baiche weighed his options and said: “Fine, but first help me suppress the backlash, or I won’t make it there.”

 

Tong Xi couldn’t stop laughing: “If you had been like this earlier, you would be cherished by them now, not suffering like this.”

 

Su Baiche, needing help, surprisingly didn’t mock back. The next moment, the demon beast’s turbulence inside him lessened somewhat.

 

He caught his breath, feeling a bit better, and tried to shake Tong Xi’s resolve: “The mission has already failed. What’s the point in going there? You’re just struggling in vain. Now when Zhou Xuanlan sees me, he has no good feelings at all, and might just kill me outright.”

 

Tong Xi said: “No need for your mockery. I control this place, and I plan to cut through this mess quickly. First, make you and him dao companions in reality, then…”

 

“Puh—” Su Baiche coughed up blood from his chest, his face as white as paper. “You’re dreaming! The moment I appear, it’ll be good if he doesn’t kill me, let alone fulfill your wish!”

 

“That’s simple. In his eyes, you won’t be you, but someone he likes,” Tong Xi revealed his plan. “First, lure him there, make him emotionally moved, and when you appear at the right moment, you’ll look like someone he loves. This way, it’ll work immediately.”

 

Su Baiche held his forehead: “Full of holes—how will you lure him there? He’s a demon king; can you guarantee he won’t notice something strange? In a dangerous secret realm, even if Shen Liuxiang suddenly appeared before him, wouldn’t he be at least a little suspicious? Besides, how do you know he can’t tell the difference between real and fake?”

 

Tong Xi was shocked: “How did you know it was Shen Liuxiang!”

 

Su Baiche wanted to bash Tong Xi’s head in: “You… I’m not blind! Who was he holding earlier? Was it me?!”

 

Tong Xi was immediately embarrassed and angry: “Why talk so much nonsense! Just follow my orders! Do you want to live or not?!”

 

As his words fell, he cast a spell making the secret realm shake violently, separating the two who were together to proceed with the next step of his plan, while urging Su Baiche to go to his designated location.

 

Su Baiche gritted his teeth, walking unhurriedly in that direction.

 

On the way, he pretended to be unable to go on and asked Tong Xi for help again. He vaguely felt the power of the demon beast within him being suppressed, so he could hold out for a while—enough to have a chance at finding the demon core in the secret realm. And so—he turned and ran.

 

Tong Xi was incredulous, feeling as if a cooked duck had flown away. He was instantly furious, wishing he could end Su Baiche right then and there.

 

But he couldn’t harm Su Baiche, and earlier, in order to trap Zhou Xuanlan and set everything up, he had already interfered too much with the secret realm. If he did anything more, the secret realm would collapse.

 

If that caused a disturbance outside and he was exposed, it would be disastrous.

 

Watching Su Baiche run farther and farther, Tong Xi was livid, his anger boiling over. In the end, he turned into a cold, mocking laugh and cut off Su Baiche’s escape: “I’ve already sent the Demon Bone Pill out of the secret realm. Don’t even think about it!”

 

Su Baiche stopped in his tracks. The power he’d been using to suppress Zhuyan’s energy instantly unraveled, his eyes reddened: “I will tear you to pieces!”

 

“You’ve said that a thousand times,” Tong Xi replied indifferently. “There are people in this world who could do it, but unfortunately, you’re not one of them.”

 

Tong Xi continued on, but Su Baiche could no longer make out his words—his consciousness was gradually being swallowed by Zhuyan. He staggered through the deep forest, and the last thing he was aware of was the sound of trickling water nearby.

 

There seemed to be a clear spring ahead, and a slender figure.

 

Meanwhile, Shen Liuxiang had suddenly and inexplicably been separated from his disciple. Puzzled, he began searching the forest. On the way, he spotted a clear, flowing stream, scooped up a handful of cool water, and splashed it on his face.

 

At that moment, a heavy sound came from not far behind him, as if something had collapsed to the ground.

 

He stood up and walked over cautiously. When he saw who had fallen, his expression turned strange, the corners of his lips curving in a half-smile.

 

An old acquaintance.

 

Shen Liuxiang crouched down, his gaze falling on the black demonic markings on Su Baiche’s face. He checked his barely perceptible breathing and, recalling what Father Emperor had said about the backlash from refining a demon beast, raised an eyebrow.

 

It looked like Su Baiche really had refined Zhuyan.

 

Shen Liuxiang took out a jade bottle from his storage pouch, poured out some blue liquid, and rubbed it on his hands. Then he pulled out a bundle of crystal-clear spider silk.

 

He checked the silk’s strength and had previously asked Father Emperor if he could keep it for himself. Not long after, Father Emperor brought him giant spider blood, which, when smeared on his hands, kept them from sticking. He also had the giant spider spit out all its silk, which he rolled into a big ball and gave to Shen Liuxiang.

 

Father Emperor even taught him a spell to enhance the silk’s toughness and stickiness, making it so even powerful demon beasts couldn’t break free.

 

Shen Liuxiang lowered his gaze to the unconscious, frail figure and clicked his tongue softly, stretching out the springy spider silk.

 

Whether he was dead or alive, the first thing was to tie him up.

 

---