Jian Lin didn't understand. He had clearly refused, and she was so embarrassed she had no face left, so why was he still pulling her along?
The Demon Lord's gaze was deep, his words caught in his throat, as if he were undergoing a painful struggle.
"Jian Musheng," after a long pause, the Demon Lord spoke slowly and helplessly, "Don't you understand? Only after bowing to heaven and earth, and on the wedding night, can it be legitimate..."
The Demon Lord couldn't finish. Jian Lin suddenly understood.
She hadn't expected the Demon Lord to be so conservative. She thought the demon realm didn't care about such things, focusing on pleasure and freedom, and not bothering with formalities.
She turned back, giggled, and leaned in front of him, looking up into his eyes, "Then when do you plan to marry me?"
The Demon Lord pursed his lips, his gaze darting away, and he said in a low voice, "With the great battle imminent and extremely dangerous, following me will lead to no good outcome. This matter is not suitable."
He wouldn't agree, yet he didn't want to marry her. Wasn't that tacitly admitting a breakup?
Jian Lin was furious, but then she thought of the fleeing groups and felt a pang of sympathy for the man before her.
As the Demon Lord, how could he have the leisure to talk about love during a major war?
Thinking of this, she calmed down, took his hand, and said, "You're right, it's indeed not suitable."
The Demon Lord's eyes froze. He looked at Jian Lin, wanting to speak but stopping, as if he had a thousand words to say. In the end, he lowered his eyes in silence.
Jian Lin's heart felt a stab. She leaned closer, supported his shoulders, and told him about seeing the fleeing groups.
The Demon Lord pulled her to sit down and calmly nodded in agreement, "Yes, I let them go."
"Where can they go? People tainted with demonic energy will be killed by those in the immortal realm as soon as they leave the demon realm," Jian Lin asked worriedly.
"I know, so I've arranged a good place for them," the Demon Lord's eyes showed a hint of a smile, and he said with peace of mind, "With Huaiyin Jun, I believe he will shelter them."
Indeed, it was a good place.
The two chatted about their experiences while they were apart. When they talked about the Sword Immortal's new disciple, Jian Lin was full of displeasure, saying the old man was acting impulsively, as if he had been greatly stimulated.
Since they were on the subject, the Demon Lord got up and said he was going to see guests.
Out of respect for the Sword Immortal, he had no opinion on his taking a disciple. If a senior did something, there must be a reason.
He went out to look for them and found the head steward showing two guests around the demon palace.
The Demon Lord paid his respects to the senior and greeted Ning Xiao, his demeanor full of cultivation.
Ning Xiao's heart stirred. This Demon Lord seemed quite decent, not like a bloodthirsty great demon.
The Demon Lord and Ning Xiao, enemies in the original story, became friends drinking at the same table due to the relationship between Jian Lin and the Sword Immortal.
At the wine table, the three had no reservations and talked a lot in front of Ning Xiao.
When he heard about the Zhushen Formation, he couldn't help but freeze. His thoughts churned, and he felt greatly impacted.
Jian Lin stared at him silently, giving him a look that said "good luck."
Ning Xiao, as the male protagonist, was the murderer who killed the Demon Lord. However, in this life, he was her junior brother. Jian Lin was in a dilemma, not knowing what to do, so she could only warn him to behave himself first.
After the welcoming banquet, the Sword Immortal took his new disciple to rest.
Jian Lin followed the Demon Lord to the study and talked about Bai Xian.
She wanted a foolproof place to release Bai Xian and talk to him.
The Demon Lord pondered for a long time and said to her, "Speaking of such a place, my secret chamber is the most suitable."
The secret chamber was where Xie Jin had healed the Demon Lord when he was injured by the Demon Emperor. It was the most secret place in the entire demon palace, perfect for holding Bai Xian.
Further considering the causal relationship, Jian Lin felt only irony. Wonderful, truly wonderful.
Jian Lin tactfully said that she wanted to see Bai Xian alone. The Demon Lord had no objections. After helping her open the door, he thoughtfully left.
The Demon Lord's secret chamber could be considered his second secret residence, with all the necessary furnishings.
Jian Lin sat on the carpet, felt for the Qiankun bag, opened the treasure box, and Bai Xian appeared leisurely.
He was as pale and weak as usual. After a while, he opened his eyes.
He first looked around to confirm where he was, and finally his gaze fell on Jian Lin. He said weakly, "You broke your promise. You don't want to let me go."
"Yes," Jian Lin admitted frankly, "I already know everything about the Zhushen Formation. I went to the underworld and killed Zhan Sandao. At this point, I'm afraid I can't let you go."
"Ah, is that so," Bai Xian said calmly, a smile playing on his lips, and he whispered, "Then you really can't let me go."
Jian Lin bit her lip, suppressing her anger. Bai Xian's entitled and fearless attitude was truly infuriating.
The Zhushen Formation, created by him, meticulously planned for years, and no one could stop its completion. The demon realm would be sacrificed and devoured.
How detestable! Yet he didn't show the slightest hint of guilt, as if it were the demon realm's fault.
He deserved to be cut into a thousand pieces.
Jian Lin was burning with anger, but she forcefully suppressed it and said in a calm tone, "At this point, Bai Xian, can you tell me why? Why did you create the Zhushen Formation? What do you really want?"
Bai Xian curled his lips into a faint smile. He paused and said in a gentle voice, "I thought you could guess."
"I can't guess," Jian Lin said impatiently, her tone more severe than ever, "Bai Xian, for the sake of our past acquaintance, please tell me."
"Alright," Bai Xian looked up, met her eyes, and said clearly, word for word, "I am neither alive nor dead, and I cannot enter the cycle of reincarnation. This is the rule set by the gods. I have to bear endless punishment. Since that is the case, I might as well become a god. I will open the passage to godhood, and I want to see what happens in the future."
Bai Xian had always been pale and fragile, looking as if he were about to die. To avoid harm, he always lowered his presence.
This was the first time Jian Lin had seen obsession and fervor in his eyes, like a fearless powerhouse.
She was silent for a long time. After much thought, she said affirmatively, "No matter what I say, you won't tell me how to stop the Zhushen Formation, will you?"
"The Zhushen Formation can no longer be stopped. It possesses the greed of the demon realm, the immortal realm, and the underworld. Even gods cannot stop it," Bai Xian said proudly. Perhaps he was too happy, and he coughed as his breathing faltered.
This was truly the ultimate move.
Jian Lin recalled the original story. The Zhushen Formation was hidden under the cover of the war between the immortal and demon realms. The demon realm was completely conquered, meaning Bai Xian had succeeded.
She walked out of the secret chamber, did not look for the Demon Lord, but walked along the other side of the corridor to the backyard of the demon palace, thinking quietly by herself.
Sitting on the corridor, she stared blankly at the rockery in the backyard, replaying all her experiences from beginning to end.
Her transmigration mission, the reason for killing the Demon Lord, the conflict between reality and the original story.
She was supposed to betray the Demon Lord and take his Xingtian Sword. Did that mean she was on Bai Xian's side?
But if she knew that the Demon Lord and the people of the demon realm were innocent, and she still did that, wouldn't she be the ultimate villain?
Ha, what was this?
And forcing others to do evil? No, absolutely not.
Both publicly and privately, whether out of righteousness or love for the Demon Lord, she absolutely could not do those things.
She wanted to help the Demon Lord and fight alongside him. Even if there seemed to be no hope of victory now, if he died one day, she would die with him.
Anyway, the world would restart, and she would definitely find a way.
If it didn't work once, it would work twice. She wasn't afraid of the hardship of infinite reincarnation.
Thinking of this, she suddenly stood up and ran towards the Demon Lord's study. Her speed increased as she ran. She pushed open the door with a bang, her heart pounding wildly, her eyes only on the Demon Lord. She looked straight at him and said softly, "Mo Chongyuan, I have something to tell you."
The Demon Lord was writing a letter. He was startled by her words, put down his brush, and his eyes were full of tenderness. "What?"
Jian Lin felt a pang of sadness in her heart. How could she bear to betray such a good man? What kind of mission was this? She wouldn't do it anymore.
She walked up to him and said very seriously and solemnly, "I talked to Bai Xian. The Zhushen Formation cannot be stopped. Even its creator cannot stop it, so we are about to face a purgatory. If, unfortunately, you cannot escape this calamity, I am willing... to die with you."
The Demon Lord was stunned and looked at her blankly.
Jian Lin gazed at him affectionately and repeated, "Mo Chongyuan... I am willing to die with you."
The Demon Lord's eyes flickered. He wanted to smile at her, but only managed a sad expression.
He had no choice but to close his eyes to calm himself, stabilize his emotions, walk out from behind the desk, and come all the way to Jian Lin. He reached out and hugged her tightly.
"Thank you," he said, his voice hoarse and heavy, "Thank you."
They hugged for a long time before they could suppress the sad yet moved emotions and regain their voices to talk about the Zhushen Formation.
The Demon Lord sat in his chair, holding Jian Lin in his arms. In an intimate posture, they talked without reservation.
"After returning, I consulted many ancient texts and asked many elders, but none of them found a way to stop the Zhushen Formation," the Demon Lord said calmly. "As Bai Xian said, it's too late. The living dead formation in the underworld is complete, and the Demon Emperor is only one step away from ascension. The seeds of disaster have long been sown in the immortal realm, and the Guanlan Sect has already been infiltrated. However, it remains the head of the immortal realm. Even if they know, the hundred families of the immortal sects are in a precarious position. To avoid losing popular support, the war against the demons must still be fought."
Listening to his words, Jian Lin's heart sank little by little. What kind of situation was this? What kind of skill was it to gang up and bully someone?
She racked her brains and proposed a suggestion, "What would happen if we killed the Demon Emperor? Let my master kill him, he would definitely succeed."
She was confident that since they were both at the peak level, just one step away from ascension, the Sword Immortal would be superior.
The Demon Lord smiled. "The Demon Emperor's demon core must be a terrifying thing. I conjecture that the Zhushen Formation needs the power of the demon core more than the Demon Emperor. Therefore, killing him would be of no use."
Jian Lin was inspired and solved a past doubt. "Ah, so that's how it is. No wonder he was so afraid of ascending and facing the heavenly tribulation. He was afraid that if he failed, the power of his demon core would disappear..."
It made sense. His desperate search for the dragon core was just a way to protect himself.
No wonder he hadn't killed Xiao Li to take the dragon core.
Because he didn't need the dragon core if he wasn't ascending and facing the heavenly tribulation.