The abrupt shift in topic left Jian Lin unable to accept it. She moved her stiff body and pleaded with the Demon Lord in a gentle tone, "Lord Demon Lord, could we perhaps find a more discreet location? Cultivating on a mountaintop makes us like a living target, how dangerous is that!"
The Demon Lord's eyes were tightly shut, his brows furrowed. He slowly said, "Cultivation and enlightenment rely on opportunity; inspiration is fleeting. If this moment is missed, who knows when the next will come. Do not disturb me."
Jian Lin could not argue. To persuade further would be foolish.
With his words, she could only stand up and set up some basic defensive formations, all taught to her by the Demon Lord. She hadn't expected them to be so useful so soon.
As the Demon Lord was cultivating and seeking enlightenment, Xiao Li, understanding the situation, did not disturb him. She walked around Jian Lin's feet, and the moment she pressed close, Jian Lin noticed Xiao Li's fur was soaked, clinging to her body and becoming thin strands.
Only then did Jian Lin notice Xiao Li was completely drenched. Not knowing any spells, she couldn't dry herself. Jian Lin quickly picked her up and used a hand seal to help clean the water stains from her body.
As a cat demon, Xiao Li never licked her own fur clean. Her fur was usually messy, but after being soaked by the downpour and then dried by Jian Lin, she immediately transformed into a large furball, looking exceptionally cute.
"Oh, so cute," Jian Lin cooed, petting her vigorously. "I should have given you a bath sooner."
Xiao Li struggled, trying to escape the pampering, and firmly refused, "No, I don't like baths."
Jian Lin played with Xiao Li for a while, her mood gradually calming. She released Xiao Li and walked along the edge of the giant rock on the mountaintop to the other side. Standing at the edge and looking down, she saw the Yuheng Mountain Range cut off, with a massive, deep pit forming in the center.
The surrounding forests were toppled and broken, a tragic sight, appearing completely dark, with no trace of any demons.
She recalled that day, when they stood on the mountaintop looking out, the Yuheng Mountain Range was ablaze with lights, so prosperous and lively.
But the system said that after enduring eighty-one heavenly tribulations, the Dragon Bone Spiritual Veins were affected and might migrate or disappear. In short, the glorious days of the Four Great Demon Clans were gone forever.
Jian Lin sighed with emotion. As she was lamenting, a shadow flashed in the southeast direction in her peripheral vision.
She immediately became vigilant, widening her eyes to look carefully. She confirmed it wasn't her imagination. The shadow was far away, but its flying posture was inexplicably familiar. The Lin Yu Guards were coming!
Turning to look at the Demon Lord, he sat cross-legged on the giant rock, his brow furrowed, his expression serious. He was clearly at a critical moment of cultivation and breakthrough.
Jian Lin remained silent. She exchanged a long sword with the system. She stood alone with her sword facing the southeast, her heart filled with a sense of calm.
What was coming would come. She would kill as many as she could, delaying them for one minute at a time.
The Lin Yu Guards were extremely fast. It felt like they were far away just a moment ago, and in the blink of an eye, they were upon her. Jian Lin then realized that it wasn't just the Lin Yu Guards; the force was vast, with various shapes of flying beasts and animals mixed in. It seemed many demons had arrived.
The Lin Yu Guards at the front, upon spotting Jian Lin, did not attack but instead circled and enclosed them.
Various demons landed on the mountaintop, at a distance not too close nor too far, staring at them with greedy and fierce gazes. Finally, a large black sedan chair landed opposite the giant pit, followed by a small white sedan chair, which drifted down last.
Jian Lin recognized the sedan chair; she had ridden in it before. It was the Great Priest's.
She put her hands on her hips, fearless in the face of danger, and called out loudly, "Everyone seems quite free today, and you've all come quite fully. Speak, what do you need me for?"
The Lin Yu Guards landed around them and, as if receiving an order, uniformly lit their lanterns, instantly illuminating the surroundings.
With the grand display in place, the Demon Emperor lifted the sedan curtain. His tall and robust figure emerged from the shadows, looking at Jian Lin across the giant pit.
The eighty-one heavenly tribulations were clearly a sign of ascending to godhood after overcoming tribulation.
The Demon Emperor recognized Jian Lin and then saw the Demon Lord behind her, becoming confused for a moment. Could someone else be ascending?
No, there was another possibility: the Demon Lord had failed his tribulation, which would mean he had lost all his cultivation!
Damn it, if the Demon Lord no longer had his cultivation, he would be useless. For the Demon Emperor, that would be a tremendous loss.
The Demon Emperor's thoughts raced, a multitude of ideas flashing through his mind. Suddenly, from the small sedan chair behind him, two weak coughs were heard. The Great Priest steadied himself against the sedan door, his faint voice carried by the wind, yet clearly reaching the ears of all the demons and humans present.
"The Dragon Bone Spiritual Veins are gone," the Great Priest said weakly.
With these words, Jian Lin felt the killing intent around her suddenly intensify. Cold sweat broke out on her forehead. She had indeed recognized some of the demons present as frequent visitors to the Chuyun Pavilion, most of whom hailed from the Four Great Demon Clans.
Destroying the ancestral homes of the demons was certainly cause for anger. It was likely she wouldn't escape this night.
Jian Lin dared not speak for a moment, fearing she would incite their rage and cause the demons to attack her all at once.
The Demon Emperor turned to the Great Priest and said in a low voice, "One less option. Are you still going to stop me?"
The Great Priest slowly stepped forward, looking at the long sword in Jian Lin's hand, and said softly, "It shouldn't be. Eighty-one heavenly tribulations were unexpected. They have ruined the heavenly secrets and destiny. I will no longer stop Your Majesty."
Upon hearing this, Jian Lin instantly recalled the secret she had overheard. The Demon Emperor had always wanted to kill the Demon Lord, and it was the Great Priest who had stopped him by citing the imminent appearance of the Dragon Pill.
Now that the heavenly tribulations had destroyed the Dragon Bone Spiritual Veins and the divination had changed, the Great Priest would no longer interfere. This meant the Demon Emperor would directly target the Demon Lord!
This was bad. Jian Lin secretly glanced back at the Demon Lord. He sat in the center of the giant rock, seemingly undisturbed.
Since that was the case, Jian Lin gripped her long sword, assumed a stance, and announced loudly, "If you want to kill or torture, come at me!"
The Demon Emperor arrogantly commented, "Overestimating yourself!"
As his words fell, the Demon Emperor raised his hand and struck. The palm wind, crossing the vast pit, reached Jian Lin. It hit the hilt of her sword, making her tiger's mouth go numb, and she involuntarily took a step back.
Damn it! She was truly too weak, unable to withstand even the Demon Lord's palm strike.
"Given your friendship with the Great Priest," the Demon Emperor said to her, as if bestowing charity upon a beggar, "step aside, and I will spare your life."
Jian Lin gritted her teeth, her hands gripping the long sword tightly, "No need for politeness. Make your move. If you want to kill him, kill me first!"
The Demon Emperor laughed up at the sky, "A mere mortal, yet you have quite the courage. Why oppose me! Since that is the case, I shall fulfill your wish!"
Jian Lin's vision blurred. The Demon Emperor's colossal body descended like a small mountain, obscuring the silver moonlight. She instantly thought of a phrase: "Mount Tai pressing down!"
The Demon Emperor killing her was like crushing an ant.
Even so, Jian Lin, having nothing left to lose, kicked off the ground, raised her long sword, and charged at the Demon Emperor.
The two of them grappled in mid-air. Jian Lin fought with all her might, while the Demon Emperor, with empty hands, met her with just two fingers.
After one exchange, the Demon Emperor suddenly retreated a step and stopped in mid-air, concentrating and asking loudly, "The martial arts of the Guanlan Sect. Who exactly are you? And why are you with the Demon Lord?"
"Who am I?" Jian Lin leaped forward, pursuing him, and shouted, "I am the Holy Maiden, and I shall destroy you in the name of the Moon!"
Enraged by her nonsensical words, the Demon Emperor no longer held back. He struck Jian Lin's left shoulder with his palm, like swatting a fly. With a "snap," he sent her flying towards the giant pit.
Jian Lin flipped over, found an opportunity, exchanged a rocket launcher with the system, and fired it directly at the Demon Emperor during his moment of laxity.
Come on, taste the power of modern weaponry!
With a roar, sparks flew. Jian Lin, before the smoke cleared, climbed back onto the giant rock summit, once again guarding the Demon Lord with an unyielding posture.
As the smoke dissipated, Jian Lin noticed that apart from her clothes being a bit scorched and her hair a bit singed, the Demon Emperor had suffered no damage.
But it didn't matter. Jian Lin only wanted to stall for time and make the Demon Emperor wary of her.
"Your Majesty, the Demon Emperor!" A demon behind him could not bear it any longer and volunteered, "Let us deal with her. This person is cunning and treacherous. Do not fall into her trap."
"No," the Demon Emperor raised his hand and refused. "This is quite interesting. I want to see what other tricks she can pull."
"I can do many things!" Jian Lin raised her chin and said playfully, "I can do magic. I'll perform one for the Demon Emperor!"
Jian Lin, relying on the system, exchanged a large bundle of fireworks and flew towards the Demon Emperor. The Demon Emperor flicked his sleeve, and the fireworks burst into colorful patterns in mid-air.
"Is it pretty? I have more!" Jian Lin took out another handful, this time with a hidden dart mixed in, which she fired directly at the Demon Emperor.
Unexpectedly, the Demon Emperor did not fall for it this time. With a flick of his sleeve, he actually shot the fireworks towards the Demon Lord. Jian Lin's cold sweat immediately broke out. There was another hidden dart among them.
She rushed forward desperately. Just as it seemed too late, a pink light flashed from her left hand, and a powerful force descended, repelling those fireworks, including the hidden dart.
It was Tao Niang! Jian Lin stumbled awkwardly, narrowly escaping once. She looked up at the Demon Emperor and reflected on how she had underestimated him.
He had clearly seen what the fireworks released. Her little stratagems were indeed useless against absolute power.
What else could she do?
At this very moment, the Great Priest's voice echoed softly, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for sparing Miss Apei out of consideration for me. Since that is the case, I can no longer stand idly by. Miss Apei will be my responsibility."
Who wanted his care!
Jian Lin was about to refuse loudly when a white silk ribbon flew out, heading directly for her.
She immediately raised her long sword and began to fight with the silk ribbon. Who would have thought that the Great Priest, who looked as if he were on his last breath every day, was absolutely not weak in terms of strength.
Soon, the white silk ribbon wrapped around Jian Lin's wrist and yanked back sharply. With a clang, her long sword fell, and Jian Lin was bound like a zongzi.
The surrounding demons burst into laughter. Jian Lin yelled desperately at the Demon Lord, "Demon Lord! Stop cultivating! Your life will be lost if you continue!"
Jian Lin, like a kite, was reeled in by the Great Priest. She flew rapidly across the giant pit and fell at his feet.
Unwillingly, she struggled to sit up and looked up at the Great Priest, dressed in pure white, and said through gritted teeth, "You treat me like this? I will never save you, even if I die!"
The Great Priest tilted his head slightly, his eyes dark and devoid of any light, "Miss Apei, you should not have forcibly altered the heavenly secrets. This will cause innocent people to lose their lives, such as the Demon Lord."