After returning to the courtyard, Mo Xuanli let God Nine Transformations devour the fragment.
Eight fragments, two are in Li Xiuran’s hands, four are in Mo Xuanli’s hands, the demon race originally had one, and there is also the one snatched from Tianyuan Sect. All of the fragments have now emerged into the world.
They are one step closer to their goal.
The next day, Fu Zhiyi brought news: the Immortal Realm Alliance had decided to accelerate the rescue plan on the Demon Realm side.
Not only did they plan to concentrate their forces to rescue the hostages, they also intended to take the opportunity to snatch the fragments back.
Gu Baiqing then stated that he would take his disciple on a trip to the Demon Realm.
Since he had already spoken openly before, doing so was naturally beyond reproach. Hearing that Gu Baiqing was willing to step forward, everyone felt the chances of success were greater.
Fu Zhiyi also nodded in agreement and wanted to ask about the incubus.
This time, the incubus had rendered great help. They actually wanted to release him, but as a high-ranking demon, the incubus was a key detainee here, especially after Tianyuan Sect had suffered a demon invasion, so letting him go would not be easy. With the slightest mistake, it could even bring disaster upon themselves.
The incubus did not want them to waste time on this; he only wanted them to hurry and save the person.
So when Fu Zhiyi asked about it, Gu Baiqing only said for Fu Zhiyi to help keep watch. Before they returned, nothing could happen to the incubus; he would still be useful in the future.
Fu Zhiyi did not think too much about it and agreed.
After that, the Alliance began contacting the disciples who had infiltrated the Demon Realm, preparing to open the teleportation array to send people over.
This time, Jingzhan and Xie Qingrong also went together with the master and disciple pair, along with several other cultivators acting in concert.
Before leaving, Mo Xuanli left a message for Li Xiuran, hinting that the final fragment had already been found, to keep him from wasting his efforts.
When the teleportation array was being prepared, everyone had already gathered in the square. There were ten people in total. Gu Baiqing looked them over, there were no obvious troublemakers; the selection was fairly good.
Someone prepared disguise pills for them. This time, the disguise pills could help them masquerade as demons. In Gu Baiqing’s view, it was really just a slight change in appearance, they still retained seven or eight tenths of their original looks, and their eyes turned red, that was all.
After Gu Baiqing swallowed it, he turned to look at Mo Xuanli. Mo Xuanli was also looking at Gu Baiqing. He did not particularly like seeing red pupils, but seeing Gu Baiqing’s eyes turn red gave him the sense of plum-red petals falling into one’s gaze, strikingly beautiful. It was so beautiful that Mo Xuanli was transfixed.
Gu Baiqing looked at Mo Xuanli’s eyes and felt there was still a difference, the disguise did not look as powerful as the real thing; it felt like merely a layer of color had been applied.
Very soon, Jingcheng walked over.
“This time, we’ll be relying on you,” Jingcheng said seriously.
“I’ll give it my all,” Gu Baiqing replied.
Jingcheng said, “The entire Demon Realm right now is not completely under the control of that so-called Saintess, and every high-ranking demon has their own personality, it’s difficult to manage. This is probably a point we can exploit.”
Gu Baiqing listened to Jingcheng’s reminder and nodded.
Suddenly, Jingcheng spoke again: “There’s a mole in Tianyuan Sect.”
Gu Baiqing was startled and looked at Jingcheng.
Jingcheng said seriously, “Or rather, among the people currently in Tianyuan Sect, there is still a formidable mole. The fragments being taken, it’s impossible for that sect master to have done it alone. Dream demons live within dreams; Tianyuan Sect’s barrier could not possibly allow a dream demon to enter. Someone must have let the dream demon in, controlled that sect master, and then the demon race invaded without any warning. There is only one possibility, the teleportation array. And to activate a teleportation array, there must be demon race members on both ends. So there must be a mole. But… after so many rounds of screening, how could there still be a fish that slipped through the net?”
“There are many ways for the demon race to conceal their identities; there will always be some that can’t be distinguished,” Gu Baiqing said.
Jingcheng sneered. “True. If they didn’t have the ability to deceive even the most powerful cultivators, how could there be so many hybrids appearing in this world.”
Gu Baiqing’s expression changed slightly, and Mo Xuanli’s figure beside him also stiffened.
Jingcheng paused, suppressing his temper, and said, “I’ll make good use of this time to investigate thoroughly. Be careful on your journey.”
Gu Baiqing nodded and suddenly took out a small silver bracelet.
Jingcheng was startled, seeming to recall something, and smiled. “I’ll thank Zhenzhen for you.”
Gu Baiqing did not say much. In fact, this small silver bracelet was something Mo Xuanli had had made using a rather clumsy excuse, saying it was on Gu Baiqing’s behalf; in the end, Gu Baiqing himself infused it with spiritual power and then gave it to Jingcheng. Count it as a joint blessing from the two of them.
Very soon, the light of the teleportation array rose. Everyone entered together and vanished in an instant.
Jingcheng took the small silver bracelet back to see his wife and daughter.
Pei Dai held the bracelet and asked, “They’ve left?”
The severity Jingcheng showed outside completely fell away. Holding his precious daughter, there was nothing but endless indulgence. He coaxed the child and said, “Mm, don’t worry. I trust Baiqing, they’ll definitely be able to do it this time.”
Pei Dai’s hand unconsciously rubbed against the silver bracelet, a flash of guilt passing through her eyes.
“Jingcheng, actually there’s something I find a bit strange.”
“What is it?” Jingcheng looked at Pei Dai in confusion.
Pei Dai lowered her gaze. “It’s about… Gu Baiqing’s disciple, Mo Xuanli.”
……
Unlucky, this was truly beyond unlucky. The worst possible situation that could be encountered during the operation of a teleportation array had actually happened to them.
A teleportation array that crossed two realms was already extremely complex and difficult to operate, unlike the Demon Realm which had specialized techniques. This time, it was done out of necessity to save time. Who would have thought their luck would really be this bad.
Upon entering the Demon Realm, they encountered a demonic energy storm that instantly disrupted the teleportation array. Gu Baiqing noticed something wrong and could only use techniques to anchor the others within the array so they wouldn’t be swept away by the storm, but he himself was thrown out in the opposite direction. If Mo Xuanli hadn’t suddenly sensed that something was wrong and grabbed Gu Baiqing on the spot, binding the two of them together with God Nine Transformations, the two of them would probably have ended up separated, each in a different place.
When the storm subsided, Mo Xuanli hurriedly said, “Master, how are you?”
“I’m fine.” Gu Baiqing patted the windblown sand off himself and pulled Three Bean out from his robes. Three Bean and Ao Heng, who was hanging around its neck, were both fine, just a bit dizzy.
The place they landed turned out to be a dense forest. “Looks like we’ve been scattered. What should we do?”
Mo Xuanli checked Gu Baiqing and only after confirming he was fine did he speak: “They’re protected by Master’s techniques; they should have safely reached the other end of the teleportation array. They’ll act together with the infiltrators to prepare the hostage rescue. Qian Yue should also be with the hostages, he’s probably in the central area of the Demon Realm. Let’s first determine our own location, then think of a way to rendezvous. And also…”
Mo Xuanli closed his eyes briefly and said, “Here, I can sense the general direction of a fragment.”
“Really?” Gu Baiqing asked in surprise.
“Mm.” Mo Xuanli frowned. “But… I only sense one piece. Logically there should be two. Could it be that they’re placed together.”
Mo Xuanli was somewhat puzzled.
“The fragments should be in the Saintess’s hands, or hidden near her. Then the hostages should also be nearby,” Gu Baiqing said.
Mo Xuanli nodded.
Gu Baiqing said, “Then let’s first look for a nearby city-state.”
Only after they walked out of the dense forest did they truly get to see the appearance of the Demon Realm.
It actually wasn’t very different from the outside world, just that the buildings were more simple and rough, mainly in black and dark-red tones. There was no birdsong or fragrance of flowers; instead, bones and corpses were commonly scattered along the roadside. Black demonic qi mist filled the surroundings, giving people a stifling feeling, of course, that was for cultivators; for the demon race, it was an extremely comfortable place.
Before long, two men appeared in front of an inn in one of the Demon Realm’s ten great city-states.
Just as the men were about to go in, two demons started fighting and directly tumbled to the ground at their feet. The man in white shielded the man in black behind him and retreated to the side.
Very quickly, many demons gathered around to place bets. It seemed this kind of situation was very common here.
Strength was king, regardless of right or wrong.
After watching for a while, Gu Baiqing and Mo Xuanli found an opportunity to enter the inn to gather information.
As soon as they entered this city-state, they saw the marks left by infiltrators, proving that cultivators from the cultivation world had previously infiltrated here. They planned to rendezvous with that person first.
After sitting in the inn for a while, they finally determined where this place was, and even heard an important piece of news.
The ten great city-states of the Demon Realm were each governed by ten Demon Lords. After the Demon Venerable died, the ten great city-states naturally went their own ways. But after the Saintess took power, she subdued six of them. Under the Saintess, the Kill Demon, Gu Demon, Incubus, Man-eating Demon, Dream Demon, and Beast Demon were all Demon Lords.
Of the remaining four, this place was one of them, and it was the most half-hearted and uncooperative type. Not particularly capable, it merely stood with the other three. Because the Saintess had produced quite a few achievements in opposing the cultivation world, they couldn’t openly defy her and could only remain in a stalemate.
Coincidentally, the Demon Lord here was also a Love Demon. Back then, Fairy Ruiyao had appeared out of nowhere, become demonized into a Love Demon, and nearly seized the position of the elder-level Love Demon. But at that time, Ruiyao’s mind was entirely on emotional matters; she had no interest in being any Demon Lord at all and directly went to work for the Saintess instead. That was how this Love Demon was able to sit securely in the Demon Lord’s position.
And the news they heard was that the Saintess had now summoned all Demon Lords to rush to the Sacred Hall within three days, but the Love Demon here was still delaying, making excuses that he was ill and thus taking leave and not going. But everyone knew that their Demon Lord was indulging in nightly revelry within the palace, seeking male demons to flirt and fall in love with.
Everyone was betting on when their Demon Lord would anger the Saintess, and when the Saintess sent people over, whether the Demon Lord would still be able to sit tight.
Demons were like this, loving a spectacle and never minding things getting bigger, not at all worried that in a fit of rage, the Saintess might change the owner of their city-state.
As Gu Baiqing and Mo Xuanli listened, they already knew what to do next.
They needed to abduct this Demon Lord. Since this Demon Lord did not have close ties with the Saintess, even if they were abducted, it likely wouldn’t be obvious. Then they could use this Demon Lord to lead them all the way toward the center. With a Demon Lord leading them, any checkpoints along the way, and even the central barrier, would not stop them. It would be more reliable and quicker than any other method, and they could also obtain a great deal of information from the Demon Lord’s mouth.
Since action was imminent, they might as well go with something simple and brutal.
They were just thinking of sneaking in at night when they heard that the Demon Lord held banquets every night, hosting evening feasts that anyone could attend. With such an openly available opportunity to enter, it was far better than forcing their way through protective barriers. Naturally, the master and disciple would make use of it.
So when night fell, the two arrived at the Demon Lord’s palace and indeed saw many demons coming in and out of the palace gates. It was extremely lively. Moreover, every demon was very excited; it was said that as long as one could enter and participate, one could receive nourishment from demonic qi and improve one’s cultivation.
However, those who came were almost never alone, basically all came in pairs.
This was somewhat strange.
As a result, just as the two arrived at the gate and queued to enter, they saw the demon guards at the entrance questioning two demons who wanted to enter, “Proof.”
This instantly left the two of them bewildered, proof? Proof of what?
Then they saw the male demon pull the female demon into his arms and kiss her deeply on the spot. The surroundings erupted in cheers.
The two of them were dumbfounded.
Then they saw the guards take out a red thread. They had seen that kind of thread before, one of Ruiyao’s spells, the Love Net, used exactly this kind. They watched as the guard placed the red thread on the two’s wrists, and in the next moment, the red thread turned into a black thread.
The surroundings burst into lively cries again. The guard directly lifted his foot and kicked them. “You trying to fool me! If you’re not lovers, you’re not allowed in!”
The male demon immediately flew into a rage and questioned the female demon, “Didn’t you say you loved me?”
“And you’ve got the nerve to ask me? I know my own heart, what about you? Is your heart still with some little vixen? How dare you lie to me!”
The two people who had just been deeply kissing started fighting on the spot. The surroundings grew even more boisterous with jeers and cheers.
The guard didn’t care at all, shouting toward the back, “Don’t waste my time! Anyone who isn’t a lover, get the h*ll out of here! Don’t you know yourselves? Our Demon Lord only invites lovers inside!”
This really was… exactly the style a Love Demon should have.
Gu Baiqing looked at Mo Xuanli with some embarrassment. He saw Mo Xuanli slightly raise his brows, wearing a look of anticipation. After all, that red seed back then had also been a kind of test and had left him with a shadow. If this red thread could test things as well, it would count as making up for it.
“Master, later we’ll just kiss once, then test it and pass through. No need to worry.”
Gu Baiqing’s brow tail twitched sharply; he was already starting to regret not just sneaking in directly.
Looking at the couple lined up in front of them, they enthusiastically pounced onto the table and kissed passionately, even escalating further and further, making onlookers blush and feel their ears burn.
Mo Xuanli narrowed his eyes slightly and looked again at Gu Baiqing, while Gu Baiqing this time directly said with a cold face, “No.”
Mo Xuanli shrugged. He also didn’t want others to see the way his master would be kissed by him until losing focus, only he was allowed to see that.
So when it was their turn, Mo Xuanli only kissed his lips once. Seeing that his master was still awkward and uncomfortable hooked Mo Xuanli’s heart into itching restlessly, but unfortunately there were people everywhere getting in the way.
He looked toward the guard.
The guard was stunned for a moment; after all, male–male couples were still rare. “You two really are…”
“Wouldn’t you know once you test it? Why all the nonsense?” Mo Xuanli frowned, the baleful aura he released making people feel chilled to the bone.
Seeing how formidable the other party was, the guard naturally didn’t dare say more and hurriedly took out the red thread.
The red thread was placed on the two of their wrists, and under their gaze, the red thread grew redder and redder, finally even turning into a golden red color.
The guard let out a surprised exclamation, and the people around were also quite astonished, seeming as though they had never seen a golden red color before.
This made Gu Baiqing somewhat uneasy, could their identities have been exposed? The two exchanged a glance, preparing to slip away at any moment.
But then they heard the guard say, “You two really are a loving pair. Go in. According to your situation, your cultivation will certainly increase greatly tonight.”
Sounds of envy immediately arose from around them.
Just like that, the two smoothly entered the palace and arrived at the banquet.
Only at this moment did the two finally understand what this place was actually for. From stepping into the palace to the banquet area, traces of formations could be seen everywhere. After carefully identifying them, Mo Xuanli said, “It should be a formation set up by the Love Demon. Using a love net as assistance to help loving pairs increase their power, it truly is an extremely exquisite formation. No wonder so many people want to get in.”
Looking around, demon clan members talking about love, hugging and cuddling, being intimate with each other were almost everywhere, practically opening up a place specifically for lovers to be together. When the Love Demon comes out and activates the formation, the love net will, based on the affection between the two people, help them cultivate. They can cultivate alone or dual cultivate; they’ve even prepared the places. It’s really hard to say whether it’s absurd or free-spirited.
Very soon, the Demon Lord arrived.
Mo Xuanli and Gu Baiqing finally saw the real Love Demon, not the kind formed by cultivators turning demonic, but a demon truly formed from the gathering of love, hate, anger, and obsession.
They saw a stunningly beautiful woman walking out, arm in arm with a male demon, her face full of sweet smiles.
She was completely the opposite extreme of Ruiyao, one was love and obsession, the other was hate and anger.
The Love Demon didn’t waste words. After happily sweeping her gaze over everyone, she began the banquet. Wine was served to liven things up, the formation was activated, and whether everyone naturally absorbed the demonic energy gathered by the formation or focused on cultivation was up to them.
Very quickly, demon clans were already holding each other and going off to find rooms.
And Gu Baiqing and Mo Xuanli’s gazes were naturally fixed on the Love Demon the whole time, spying on her strength and thinking of ways to deal with her silently.
Seeing the Love Demon chatting and laughing with the male demon at her seat, it truly gave the feeling of being in a sweet romance. But suddenly, the Love Demon’s expression changed; she reached out and strangled the male demon to death. The reason was that the male demon had taken one extra look at a scantily clad female demon not far away who was striking coquettish poses while embracing her own lover.
The Love Demon’s affection faded, and her resentment directly annihilated the male demon.
The people around saw this and acted as if they hadn’t seen anything at all, clearly they had long known it would be like this.
Very soon another male demon walked over, expressing affection, seemingly wanting to please the Love Demon. But the Love Demon instead showed a sorrowful look of being hurt by love, lowering her head and saying she wanted to go back to rest, and the male demon followed along.
Gu Baiqing and Mo Xuanli exchanged a glance and prepared to quietly follow, waiting for a moment with fewer people before making a move.
But at this moment, the guard from the entrance suddenly came to find the Love Demon. No one knew what he whispered in her ear, but it immediately made the Love Demon perk up with energy. She whispered a few instructions in return, then hurriedly left. However, the guard didn’t leave, seeming to search for something among the crowd.
When his gaze swept over them, Mo Xuanli and Gu Baiqing instantly lowered their heads.
“I feel like it might be related to us,” Gu Baiqing said.
Mo Xuanli spoke, “It shouldn’t be dangerous; otherwise something would’ve happened just now. We’ll adapt as things come.”
Sure enough, the guard came to find them, saying that the Demon Lord wanted to see them alone.
The two, upon hearing this, were both rendered speechless. There was actually such a good thing? Wasn’t this delivering herself right to their door?
So the two followed the guard and walked deeper into the palace.
As they walked, they ran into several demon maidservants head-on. Three of them were chatting and laughing, only the last one walking quietly.
The two groups approached each other. Gu Baiqing casually swept a glance over and immediately froze, he felt that the last maidservant looked somewhat familiar.
And the other party seemed to also notice someone looking at her. She lifted her head to take a look, and her whole body instantly stiffened for a moment. But the one who made her freeze wasn’t Gu Baiqing, but Mo Xuanli.
At this moment, Gu Baiqing also remembered.
Wasn’t this person who looked seven or eight parts similar to Si Chun?
Can’t wait until next week to see more? Want to show your support? Come to my Patreon where you can get the remaining chapters of After Becoming a High-Risk Master, I Flipped the Script right away ! Or go donate at Paypal or Ko-fi to show your appreciation! :)
