Jian Lin steadied her mind and mustered the courage to press on, "Have you found any useful information?"
"There is a bit, though I'm not sure if it's true," Zhu Qingyu's eyes sparkled with anticipation. "My elders told me that a century ago, a group of cultivators who favored plain white clothing seemed to have briefly stayed on Zhong Ling Mountain. They were elegant and disliked crowds. My clan elders only saw them from afar once. Their tents were marked with a clan emblem, shaped like a flame."
Zhu Qingyu dipped a fingertip into his teacup and drew a triangular symbol on the table. "It was roughly like this. I showed it to a few information brokers, and they said it was likely the Ling He clan. I heard this clan had already flown overseas to live in seclusion. I also heard they were seen in Qiong Qi Town, but after tracking them all the way here, I found nothing."
Jian Lin stared at the water stain on the table, feeling as if her internal organs were being fiercely gripped and twisted together, causing her dizziness and pain.
Yes, the Ling He clan, the red jade hairpin, and that small triangular symbol – it all matched.
He had chased them all the way here, but he was still a step too late. Perhaps if he had been a month earlier, he could have found the woman who had enlightened him and fulfilled his lifelong obsession.
Alas, it was too late. Through a twist of fate, he would never find her.
Jian Lin took a deep breath, but no sound came out. She wanted to tell him to stop looking, that the Ling He clan had been massacred by the Demon Emperor.
The Demon Lord suddenly reached out and grasped her wrist. Jian Lin's body trembled, her eyes filled with panic and helplessness.
"You've been deceived," the Demon Lord said calmly to Zhu Qingyu. "As far as I know, the Ling He clan, due to their disagreement with the Demon Emperor, left the demon realm long ago, most likely flying overseas. Besides, why are you looking for her? A century has passed, and that female demon might have already married and had children. Wouldn't looking for her only cause her trouble?"
The Demon Lord spoke without mercy, even offending the usually gentle and composed Zhu Qingyu.
From Zhu Qingyu's perspective, the Demon Lord had profound cultivation, was generous, and was willing to use spirit stones to save him. As a bystander encountered by chance, his words carried considerable weight.
The smile vanished from his face, his eyes filled with deep disappointment. His lips twitched, and after a long pause, he mumbled, "You are right. It was all my wishful thinking. I suppose that female cultivator and I were destined to be apart, and I shouldn't have forced it."
Jian Lin's gaze, filled with confusion and shock, had not left the Demon Lord's face since earlier. She couldn't understand why the Demon Lord was lying. Was it out of kindness, not wanting to hurt Zhu Qingyu's feelings?
She never thought she would consider the Demon Lord kind one day; it was truly ironic and laughable.
Ignoring their thoughts, the Demon Lord continued, "If you're still not giving up, why not go back and cultivate diligently? Once you achieve great success, you can go overseas to find that female demon. And if you still like her then, regardless of whether she has a husband or children, just tie her up and bring her back to your home. You can be together for eternity."
Jian Lin's expression faltered. She had just called him kind, and now he was coming up with another terrible idea.
Zhu Qingyu's expression turned solemn. He stood up and bowed deeply to the Demon Lord, "Your words have enlightened me. I truly shouldn't waste time outside."
Jian Lin wanted to speak but stopped herself, finally sighing deeply. It was fine. Zhu Qingyu would never see the Ling He maiden again. If he wanted to strive, let him. At least he had something to look forward to.
The three chatted for a while longer. As night fell, the Demon Lord stood up and announced they needed to prepare to leave.
Zhu Qingyu repeatedly urged them to wait for the spirit stones from his home. The Demon Lord didn't care about the spirit stones and waved his hand, telling him not to worry about it and not to delay their important matters.
Seeing the Demon Lord's firm stance, Zhu Qingyu didn't press further, only wishing them a safe journey.
Jian Lin, on the side, was conflicted. Should she give Zhu Qingyu the red jade hairpin as a memento?
Later, she felt that since he didn't know, giving it to him would be meaningless. Moreover, giving it out in her name felt rather inappropriate.
The hairpin ultimately left with Jian Lin.
The carriage swayed along the road. In the quiet of the night, the aftermath of the tragic story began to take its toll.
The Ling He maiden never knew that a hundred years ago, an unintentional act had left a young boy yearning for her. What should have been the beginning of a beautiful story was cruelly cut short by the Demon Emperor, leaving only a bloody conclusion.
Jian Lin sighed and lamented, the Ling He maiden must have been a very kind and beautiful girl. The more she understood, the more her heart ached…
"What are you thinking about?" the Demon Lord suddenly asked.
"About Zhu Qingyu's situation," Jian Lin tilted her head, looking at the Demon Lord's eyes, and asked in confusion, "Young Master, why didn't you tell him the truth?"
"The Demon Emperor clearly intended to secretly execute the Ling He clan. If Zhu Qingyu persisted, he would undoubtedly attract danger. What's the point of telling him the truth and making him hate the Demon Emperor? It's better to go back and focus his energy on cultivation. When he becomes the Demon Emperor, then tell him the truth."
These words, a blend of kindness and pragmatism, pragmatism and mockery, made Jian Lin clearly understand what kind of person the Demon Lord was for the first time.
Neither purely good nor evil, he had his own principles for dealing with the world. And due to his profound cultivation and immense power, no one could change his mind. He did as he pleased, and he was a bit narcissistic.
A rather charming man, Jian Lin silently assessed. She didn't dislike him. If she had met such a man in her original world, she probably would have proactively exchanged contact information.
"Young Master, thank you for your help today," Jian Lin expressed her sincere gratitude. "You are truly a great person."
The Demon Lord's expression darkened, and he shot her a glare, "Shut up!"
Jian Lin chuckled inwardly, knowing that praising him like this would make him uncomfortable, but she wanted to say it, to be true to her inner thoughts!
Just as Jian Lin was about to say a few more words to tease the Demon Lord, a massive tremor suddenly came from afar, a booming sound like a bomb explosion. She then realized, this was the demon realm, how could there be bombs!
She looked towards the sound in alarm, but before she could see clearly, another tremor shook the ground. Two dark figures, like small mountains, began to move in the distance, fighting and butting heads.
The more Jian Lin watched, the more familiar it seemed. This fighting style was exactly like two monsters fighting in Ultraman!
The immense tremors attracted many onlookers. Demons flying in the sky and running on the ground all rushed towards that direction. Jian Lin didn't know where they all came from; it was quite a spectacle.
Someone, perhaps a busybody, shouted, "Dragon Pill is appearing! Everyone rush!"
This sentence was like a thunderclap. Not only did the demons rush forward, but they also grabbed those faster than them, and soon they were fighting amongst themselves, to the death.
The situation developed too quickly, leaving Jian Lin dazed, unsure where to focus her attention amidst the fighting crowds.
Soon, she realized and exclaimed excitedly, "Young Master, they say a Dragon Pill has appeared! Should we go and see!"
"It's not a Dragon Pill appearing; they're talking nonsense," the Demon Lord's voice was calm. He scoffed, "You're so easily fooled."
"Then what is that?" As she spoke, another tremor shook the ground. Jian Lin shouted, "What are those things fighting over there? They're really powerful!"
"What are you so excited about? You truly lack experience," the Demon Lord mocked her mercilessly. "Those are two Giant Fusion Beasts fighting for territory. It will definitely end with one side failing. The demons are going there to reap the benefits. If they can snatch the Golden Core of the losing side, their cultivation will naturally advance by leaps and bounds."
Jian Lin was drooling at the explanation. No wonder the demons were rushing over so excitedly.
"Young Master, can we go?" Jian Lin tightly gripped the Demon Lord's arm, her mind calculating.
The Demon Lord looked at her with an expression of exasperated disappointment. "That's a demon core. Humans who swallow demon cores turn into half-human, half-demon monsters. You're lazy about cultivation, always wanting to wander around, and now you want a shortcut? Truly… incomprehensible."
Jian Lin didn't mind being scolded by the Demon Lord at all. She truly disliked cultivating. After all, her goal in this world was to conquer the Demon Lord. She looked at the two zeros above the Demon Lord's head and smiled even more gleefully.
The two giant monsters in the distance fought earth-shatteringly, and demons kept going to join the fray, hoping to pick up scraps. Between heaven and earth, only the two of them continued forward along the straight road, soon leaving the land of greed behind.
From that day on, the two officially entered the central region of the demon realm. Jian Lin belatedly realized that her sighting of the Giant Fusion Beasts fighting that night was a great fuss. Compared to what happened in the following days, it was merely an appetizer.
The Demon City, where the Demon Emperor resided, was the place with the most abundant spiritual energy in the entire demon realm, naturally attracting high-cultivation demons.
In demon cultivation, the law of the jungle prevailed: either you devour me, or I devour you. Most high-cultivation demons went to the Demon City to find opponents to train with.
As a result, the area around the Demon City became like a coliseum. Day or night, in the sky, on the ground, or in the water, battles were constantly occurring.
With such density, it was difficult to remain unscathed. One night, as they were hiding from a battle and deliberately choosing a secluded path, a large bird suddenly descended from the sky and smashed their horse to death.
Jian Lin was dumbfounded. This little horse had been with them since entering the demon realm. It was obedient and gentle, and Jian Lin liked it very much.
She had even consulted the system about whether it had anything to awaken sentience. Before leaving the demon realm, she wanted to enlighten the little horse and help it embark on the path of cultivation.
Who knew it would die now. Jian Lin thought she would be sad, but later realized that with the matter of the Ling He maiden happening before, she quickly became numb.
Only when she was so tired from walking that she felt like she would die, would she particularly miss the little horse.
On the other hand, as the Demon Lord and Jian Lin walked, they encountered many who wanted to challenge them. No, to be precise, they wanted to challenge the Demon Lord.
Jian Lin's strength was too weak, so she was usually ignored.
Who was the Demon Lord? Battles with demons were a piece of cake for him.
They fought and rested, rested and moved, and finally, after seven days, they reached the outskirts of the Demon City.
That night, the sky was moonless and pitch black. Jian Lin climbed a small mountain using her hands and feet. Of course, the Demon Lord, with a single leap, was already waiting for her at the top.
If you ask why the Demon Lord didn't take her with him, the Demon Lord said that Jian Musheng lacked cultivation opportunities, and he was doing it for her own good.
Still some distance from the summit, Jian Lin saw the Demon Lord standing against the wind from afar, his cloak rustling. His aura was like an emperor descending upon the world.
Jian Lin stood behind him with her hands on her hips, panting heavily. Heaven knew she was terrified while climbing the mountain. To reach the summit quickly, she had used all her strength.
The Demon Lord heard the sound, turned, and looked at her, saying in a good mood, "Don't just stand there, come and see. The scenery here is beautiful."
Late at night, what scenery could there be?
Jian Lin walked forward in confusion, and suddenly her eyes widened, stunned by the scene before her.
Below, the city was resplendent and dazzling, with lights flickering like a surging tide. What a prosperous city, what a beautiful night view, making Jian Lin feel as if she were seeing a modern metropolis.
As expected of the Demon City, they had finally arrived.