Jian Lin skillfully hugged the Demon Lord's waist, clinging to him like a koala, not hindering his movements.
The Demon Lord, with his profound cultivation, took them to the small mountain peak on the south side in just a few leaps.
The dense forests of the demon realm at night were destined to be anything but peaceful. The abundant spiritual energy made it an ideal place for cultivation.
However, as they ventured deeper into the woods, the surroundings grew quieter, exuding an abnormal and dangerous aura.
Following his memory, the Demon Lord pursued relentlessly, and they soon discovered the group of black birds belonging to the Demon Emperor's guard on the back mountain.
A lake appeared not far away, its surface bathed in moonlight, resembling a beautiful jade mirror reflecting a sacred radiance.
The Demon Lord cautiously approached, stepping on tree branches. A gentle breeze rustled the leaves, making them whisper. Jian Lin, who had been admiring the scenery, suddenly caught a strong scent of blood.
Her eyes widened, and she immediately had a bad premonition. At this level, it was more than just an injury; there was a high probability of demon deaths.
The Demon Lord lowered his head and exchanged a glance with her, signaling her to prepare herself. He tiptoed and glided forward through the branches. Suddenly, a white bird's corpse appeared within his sight.
It was a crane, its elegant, slender neck drooping. Its body was pinned to a tree trunk by an arrow. Blood stained its snow-white feathers, making it appear like a dark mass in the night.
Jian Lin bit her lip, holding her breath, afraid of making the slightest sound.
The Demon Lord remained still, lurking. A pained groan suddenly came from diagonally ahead, accompanied by the sound of a sharp weapon entering flesh.
Jian Lin knew that a silent slaughter was unfolding in the darkness. She clenched her fists tightly, her blood rushing to her head, her heartbeat pounding in her ears. Yet, in reality, she dared not make any move.
This was because she was too weak; any rash action would only lead to her death.
While the Demon Lord possessed high cultivation, she had no right to morally blackmail him into saving those being harmed.
As various thoughts swirled, the sound of startled birds erupted, accompanied by the snapping and shaking of leaves. The flock of black birds soared into the sky, the heavy scent of blood spreading. They circled for a moment before abruptly ascending and disappearing into the night sky.
The Demon Lord waited cautiously for a while longer. Once he confirmed there were no more sounds, he leaped down from the branches with Jian Lin and landed on the ground. The two walked side-by-side towards the lake.
Pushing aside the weeds and bushes, the scene before them was incredibly shocking. Jian Lin covered her mouth, taking several seconds to steady herself.
The bright moon hung high, casting silver moonlight upon the land. From the edge of the forest to the lakeside, numerous white cranes lay dead. They rested peacefully on the ground, their scene so tragic and desolate that Jian Lin could not describe it in words.
The Demon Lord stepped forward, entering the area to check for survivors. Jian Lin steadied her mind and followed him in to investigate.
"Their Golden Cores have all been removed," the Demon Lord murmured as he examined them. "It seems they were a clan. The Demon Emperor truly struck ruthlessly, understanding the principle of cutting off the roots to prevent future growth."
Jian Lin listened numbly, unsure of how to feel. She told herself that this place was like the animal kingdom, adhering to the natural law of survival of the fittest.
On the other hand, after passing through the Tiger Demon village, Jian Lin believed that once demons began to cultivate and gain sentience, they were no longer mere animals. She felt empathy and could not accept such a brutal death.
The Demon Lord, walking at the front, suddenly stopped and called out, "Jian Lin, by the lake, there is one... who seems to still have a breath. Go and check."
The Demon Lord, who always liked to order her around, Jian Lin didn't think much of it and immediately hurried to the lakeside. Only upon getting closer did she realize something was amiss.
A slender and beautiful young girl lay by the lake, her clothes disheveled. A long wound ran from her chest to her abdomen, her entire body soaked in blood.
She was not completely dead, a thread of life still remaining. Tears welled in her eyes, and she looked at Jian Lin mournfully, her lips trembling as if she wanted to say something.
Jian Lin rushed to her side and was horrified to discover that she not only had wounds but that there was nothing left inside. She was merely a shell. So this was the so-called removal of the Golden Core.
Jian Lin gritted her teeth, tidied the girl's clothes, and then felt helpless, not knowing what else she could do. She held the girl's cold fingers, her heart filled with dread.
The Demon Lord quietly approached and knelt down to examine her carefully. After a while, he said in a low voice, "There is nothing that can be done. Her cultivation was very high, likely in the Nascent Soul stage. Those people used extremely cruel methods to seize her Golden Core..."
The girl's cultivation was high, which was why, after losing her Golden Core and suffering severe injuries and bleeding so much, she was still barely clinging to life, not completely dead.
The Demon Lord lowered his head, met her gaze, and said solemnly, "I will bury your kin. Rest assured, I will send you on your way."
With that, he conjured a dagger in his palm and plunged it directly into the girl's heart.
The girl's body stiffened, and she slowly closed her eyes.
Jian Lin had been tightly holding the girl's cold fingers. She gazed at the girl's beautiful face, a vibrant life disappearing before her eyes. Her heart was deeply shaken, and she remained in a daze for a long time.
The Demon Lord said nothing to comfort her. He lit a torch, walked to a nearby elevated spot, and began digging graves, preparing to bury the crane clan.
Jian Lin walked over numbly, watching the Demon Lord dig himself, and couldn't help but ask, "Young Master, why don't you use magic to dig?"
With the Demon Lord's abilities, digging with magic would likely only take a snap of his fingers.
The Demon Lord continued his work and said slowly, "Digging with one's own hands is a form of respect for the deceased. Come and help me. After burying them, you will find peace."
Jian Lin thought about it seriously and felt that what he said made sense. She jumped down to help the Demon Lord.
The two worked diligently for most of the day, digging a large pit. They carried the bodies of the deceased cranes over one by one. Jian Lin noticed that all the cranes were light, presumably having only their shells left.
Finally, the two of them went to the side of the deceased girl. Jian Lin knelt down, carefully tidied her clothes, and placed her among her kin, silently praying that they would be reunited in their next lives.
As Jian Lin stood up, a hairpin fell from her. She was startled, realizing it must have belonged to the crane girl. When she carried her over earlier, it might have gotten caught on her clothes.
As if guided by an unseen force, she picked it up and put it on her own head. She couldn't explain why, but a thought firmly told her to wear it for the crane girl, not to forget tonight's events, not to forget her.
After burying the crane clan, Jian Lin went to the lake to wash away the blood and dirt. She didn't want to use magic to clean herself. The cold lake water helped her regain her composure and reason.
Having witnessed such a tragedy, both were unusually silent. Back in the carriage, they rushed on, reaching a small town before sunrise and finding an inn to rest.
For the rest of the day, Jian Lin didn't want to sleep. She focused on cultivating. Although her mind was chaotic and she couldn't find peace, she still earned 60 points.
As night fell, they continued on their journey. Compared to the previous two days, the road was much livelier today. Demons passed by frequently, engaging in cultivation, battles, and merchants hawking various strange trinkets.
Jian Lin observed this, infected by the cheerful atmosphere. The expression on her face finally wasn't so heavy, and she felt like confiding in the person beside her.
"Young Master," Jian Lin suddenly spoke, asking from the bottom of her heart, "Why did the Demon Emperor want to remove so many Golden Cores?"
The Demon Lord flicked his whip, engrossed in driving the carriage, and casually replied, "In the demon realm, the fastest way to cultivate is to devour Golden Cores. There's no 'why'; they've always been this way."
"But I heard the Demon Emperor has already reached the Soul Transformation stage. Devouring a few Golden Cores wouldn't bring him much benefit, would it? Moreover, committing such a cruel act would only result in a more severe heavenly tribulation when ascending. Wouldn't that be a loss?" Jian Lin analyzed seriously, unable to comprehend it.
"You have a point," the Demon Lord replied in his usual nonchalant tone. "If it wasn't for devouring Golden Cores, it's highly likely it was for personal revenge. After all, so-called demonic beasts and spirit beasts have always been at odds, and cranes belong to the category of spirit beasts. Perhaps the Demon Emperor disliked them, so he had his subordinates deal with them."
Jian Lin frowned, dissatisfied with the Demon Lord's answer.
"Young Master, what is the difference between spirit beasts and demonic beasts?" Jian Lin asked excitedly. "Just like in the mortal world, what's the difference between immortal sect cultivators and demonic sect cultivators?"
This was a question Jian Lin couldn't fathom. The more she understood this world, the more questions she had. Similar issues were not written in the original text, and the system couldn't provide her with answers, so she could only ask the Demon Lord.
"Spirit beasts are precious and rare, with extremely high talent, making cultivation easy. Demonic beasts find cultivation difficult and rarely achieve breakthroughs, remaining at the bottom of the demon realm. That is the difference," the Demon Lord taught patiently. "As for spiritual and demonic cultivation, those who follow the heavens are spiritual cultivators, and those who defy the heavens are demonic cultivators."
The Demon Lord paused and continued, "You yourself are a prime example. You have a top-grade spiritual root and joined an immortal sect to cultivate, making you a spiritual cultivator. Your spiritual energy is gradually fading. If you were to follow the heavenly way, you should accept your fate as a mortal. But you are unwilling and insist on defying the heavens, which makes you a demonic cultivator."
Jian Lin understood, but still didn't comprehend, and continued to question, "According to this statement, Young Master, do you have no talent at all? Is your spiritual root of low grade?"
The Demon Lord turned his head and shot her a sideways glance, clearly finding her question somewhat offensive.
Jian Lin’s face was stubborn, showing no sign of backing down. She simply wanted to know, to understand.
"I indeed have no talent. My five great spiritual roots are all waste," the Demon Lord said slowly, with an expression that clearly conveyed, 'Are you satisfied now?'
Jian Lin was indeed very surprised. What did having five waste spiritual roots mean? It meant the Demon Lord was very likely frail, perhaps even weaker than an ordinary mortal. For him to have reached the position of Demon Lord was truly inspiring and heroic.
Jian Lin's eyes flickered, and she ultimately didn't dare to ask more, but she still had many questions that remained unanswered.
For instance, simply for defying the heavens, to be labeled a demonic cultivator, scorned by all cultivators, and defined as a major villain in the original work, this was truly unreasonable!
If it were up to her to define, the distinction between immortal and demonic should be based on the degree of wrongdoing. If one harbored evil thoughts and committed all sorts of atrocities, even with five immortal-grade spiritual roots, they would still be a demon, a great demon at that.
As she thought more, she became increasingly annoyed. Suddenly, she smelled the scent of steamed meat buns, and Jian Lin was momentarily stunned, thinking she had transmigrated back.
She immediately followed the scent. Not far ahead, by the roadside, was a small stall. A bright oil lamp hung high, with steam rising in wisps. A pair of brothers were busy behind the stall. Soon, they brought out another basket of buns and placed it on the lowest rack of the steamer, skillfully swapping positions to display the fully cooked buns.
Jian Lin couldn't help but question, "Is this really the demon realm?"