After successfully seeing off his subordinates, the journey back should have been relaxing and pleasant. However, due to Xie Jin's words, the Demon Lord had been wearing a dark expression, exuding an aura that warned others to stay away.
Jian Lin was also silent, Xie Jin's words echoing in her mind: a life without important memories is incomplete.
In reality, the Demon Lord himself cared deeply. His refusal to marry or have children, and his prohibition of Xie Jin from mentioning it, were all forms of passive resistance, indicating he hadn't let go.
Jian Lin gazed at the Demon Lord's profile, leaning her head on his shoulder with a pang of sympathy. She couldn't help but softly persuade him, "Don't be angry anymore. The angrier you get, the more it proves Xie Jin right. You actually understand it yourself. Xie Jin meant no harm. You're not blaming him, only yourself, aren't I right?"
The Demon Lord sighed deeply and replied in a low voice, "You are right. I'm truly sorry to be seen through by you."
"Who am I? What's there to be sorry about being seen through?" Jian Lin tilted her face up, nestling intimately in his embrace. "Lord Chong Yuan, I don't care if you had a previous girlfriend. I hope you can come to terms with it soon and stop being sad about it."
"I'm not sad," the Demon Lord looked down at her, saying with utmost seriousness, "and it's not just about her. I hate myself for not being strong enough to surpass my father. I can't break the forbidden curse he left behind. Even the current Demon Realm was established by him, and it still operates according to his rules. I haven't done anything; I'm just reaping the benefits."
Oh, Jian Lin understood. She had been too narrow-minded, thinking he was sad about his ex-girlfriend. She hadn't realized that what affected him more was the struggle against patriarchal authority.
Not being able to defeat his own father would indeed be quite frustrating for a proud man.
"What kind of forbidden curse is it?" Bai Xian's voice drifted from inside the carriage. "If you don't mind, I can take a look for you."
Jian Lin and the Demon Lord exchanged a glance. They had almost forgotten about the living dead person inside the carriage, and that this living dead person was the most powerful curse master in the world.
Jian Lin felt as if she were facing a formidable enemy, regretting speaking so carelessly in front of Bai Xian. The Demon Lord, however, was indifferent. He replied loudly, "Thank you for your kind offer, but it's not necessary for now. That forbidden curse only has meaning if I break it myself."
Speaking of breaking the forbidden curse, Jian Lin recalled a past conversation. The old Demon Lord had actually given the Demon Lord the answer: as long as he married and had children, the third generation bloodline could break it.
However, the rebellious and proud Demon Lord clearly did not wish to use this method.
Jian Lin pondered, and a dangerous and bold thought suddenly surfaced: she actually didn't mind... having a child with the Demon Lord.
When this thought emerged, she herself was startled. Good heavens, was she crazy! Did she love him that much!
Jian Lin felt numb. After regaining her senses, she asked the system if she could see her affection points for the Demon Lord. If she was willing to have a child for him, her affection points must have exploded!
The system remained silent for a while before replying helplessly, "Host, there is no such function. You can just ask yourself about this matter; there's no need for the system's help."
While that was true, when it came to liking or loving someone, the person involved was always blinded by their own feelings. If everyone clearly knew their own heart, there would be no suffering or regret in the world.
Both of them had matters on their minds, and they returned to Cangnan Town in silence.
Since the Demon Lord couldn't break the Twelve Peaks Forbidden Curse, the spies planted by the Demon Sect had no choice but to withdraw. To obtain firsthand information, the Demon Lord decided to personally go undercover and infiltrate the Immortal Sect Grand Assembly, wanting to know what the various immortal sects were up to.
Jian Lin was indifferent. Having found the reason for her spiritual energy's disappearance and broken the spirit-absorbing formation, her next goal was to cultivate a golden core. She could cultivate anywhere; she would follow the Demon Lord's arrangements.
With Bai Xian by her side, Jian Lin could boldly cultivate using demonic energy. The blind spot of the forbidden curse would ensure she wouldn't be discovered.
However, after a few days of cultivation, she suddenly found that the Ming Yue Divine Art was not as smooth as before. Every time she circulated her demonic energy, she felt a layer of stagnation, as if something was hindering her.
One day, after the Demon Lord returned, Jian Lin mentioned this to him, saying dejectedly, "I suspect I'm really not suited for cultivation. No matter how I practice, it feels wrong. I've been cultivating for so long, and not only have I not progressed, but I've even regressed."
Seeing Jian Lin's distressed expression, the Demon Lord sat down and extended his hand to her. "Have you really regressed? Let me take a look."
Jian Lin asked warily, "How will you look?"
She still remembered the pain of the Demon Lord forcibly entering her sea of consciousness with his demonic energy. It felt like being pricked by needles, causing her excruciating pain. She didn't want to go through that again.
"Don't worry, I'll be gentle and it won't affect you," the Demon Lord promised.
Jian Lin was puzzled. "What do you mean? Do you have a way to test my cultivation without hurting me?"
The Demon Lord glanced at her, his silence serving as his answer.
Jian Lin was furious. This scoundrel! It seemed he had always known a gentler method but chose not to use it. Did he enjoy seeing her in so much pain?
"There's a reason for this," the Demon Lord said righteously. "You have to understand, I didn't... care about you that much before."
What a cold and heartless man! Jian Lin pounced on him, grabbing his neck and saying, "Haha, you care now, do you? You can distinguish, but I can't. I want revenge!"
The Demon Lord smiled and held her wrists. "Don't be angry. Give me a chance to make amends. I'll show you now."
Jian Lin couldn't defeat him. After struggling for a while, she relented. The Demon Lord reached out and grasped her vital point, his brows furrowed as he examined her intently.
Jian Lin was as nervous as a father waiting outside the delivery room, constantly asking, "How is it? My feeling is correct, isn't it? Have I made no progress at all?"
"It is a bit strange," the Demon Lord withdrew his hand, letting Jian Lin stand up. He patted his chest and said, "Don't use your demonic energy. Hit me with your spiritual energy. Remember to use all your strength."
Jian Lin hesitated. "What do you mean? Why should I hit you for no reason?"
"Don't worry, with your strength, you won't cause me any harm," the Demon Lord spread his hands, saying narcissistically. "Hit me with all your might, don't hold back, come on."
Thinking about it, her meager strength couldn't possibly harm the Demon Lord. Besides, he had never held back when he hurt her.
With that thought, Jian Lin's anger surged. She calmed her mind, channeled all her spiritual energy to her palm, aimed at the Demon Lord's chest, and unleashed a palm strike.
The moment her palm touched his chest, a fierce force erupted. The Demon Lord staggered backward, falling to the ground with a loud thud.
Jian Lin was stunned, looking at her palm in disbelief, then at the Demon Lord. What was happening? Had she killed the Demon Lord with one palm strike?
She rushed over and saw the Demon Lord lying on the ground, his eyes closed, as if he had stopped breathing.
"Hey! Lord Chong Yuan!" Jian Lin reached out to touch his cheek, testing his breath. "No way! You, you wake up quickly!"
Jian Lin was flustered and helpless. She reached out and pulled open his robe, revealing a bright red palm print on his firm chest. Was this her doing?
As she was panicking, there was a knock on the door. The waiter tentatively asked, "Guest, are you alright? It sounded like there was a loud noise from your room just now."
Jian Lin calmed herself. No matter what, she couldn't let outsiders know that the Demon Lord was injured.
"It's nothing. I was just practicing my martial arts and accidentally lost control of my strength, breaking a chair," Jian Lin replied loudly. "Don't worry, I'll pay for it. Just put it on my tab. I'm at a crucial point in my practice, so please don't disturb me."
Cangnan Town was frequented by cultivators, and the waiter, being experienced, was not surprised. "Alright, I won't disturb you then. I'll bring you a new chair later."
After sending the waiter away, Jian Lin turned back to look at the Demon Lord. He was still lying on the ground, not making a sound.
This time, Jian Lin calmed down. She knelt beside him and said in a low voice, "Stop pretending. I don't believe I could kill you with one palm. Get up."
The Demon Lord remained motionless.
Jian Lin scoffed, thinking, *Just keep pretending. I have plenty of ways to deal with you.*
Jian Lin reached out and unbuckled the Demon Lord's belt, then unfastened his outer robe, revealing his firm chest and abs. Seeing that he was still pretending to be dead, she extended her wicked hands towards his belt.
Just as she was about to unbuckle it, the Demon Lord grabbed Jian Lin's wrist and opened his eyes, saying, "You win, I surrender."
"Heh, I knew it." Jian Lin was relentless, reaching out to pull at the Demon Lord's pants. "Keep pretending! I'll let you pretend!"
The Demon Lord flipped over and quickly stood up, dodging Jian Lin's demonic claws. He clutched his chest and said, "Listen to me, I wasn't entirely pretending. That palm strike was really quite powerful."
Jian Lin stopped. She had seen it with her own eyes; it was indeed not a minor injury. She said with concern, "Why did you have to be so stubborn and insist I hit you? Look what happened now."
Jian Lin helped the Demon Lord onto the bed, pulled open his robe, and examined the wound on his chest again.
"Don't worry, there's no internal injury," the Demon Lord leaned against the pillow, pressing around the palm print with his fingers, his brows furrowed in pain. "Apply some blood-activating and bruise-reducing medicine, and it will heal in a couple of days."
"Really? Don't lie to save face. What exactly happened?"
"It's quite obvious," the Demon Lord looked up at Jian Lin and said seriously, "Your spiritual energy has been constantly increasing. The reason your Ming Yue Divine Art cultivation was not going smoothly is because the two powers are in conflict. As one grows, the other diminishes. As your spiritual energy increased, it naturally repelled your demonic energy."
Jian Lin's eyes lit up, and she said excitedly, "You mean, now that the spirit-absorbing formation is broken, my power has returned!"
"It has returned, and it's something that belongs to you. It's compatible with your body, much better than cultivating demonic energy."
Jian Lin's eyes welled up. She suddenly wanted to cry. After twelve years of struggle, she had finally regained everything that belonged to her.
"Why are you crying? Isn't this a happy occasion?" the Demon Lord used his finger to wipe her eyes. "Cultivate your spiritual energy from now on. This time, I believe you will achieve a breakthrough very quickly."
Jian Lin felt like crying and laughing at the same time. She let out a sob and suddenly threw herself into the Demon Lord's arms, burying her face in his embrace and saying, "I'm so happy, truly, truly happy. I'm not a useless person anymore."
The Demon Lord held her, stroking the back of her head, and said gently in a low voice, "You are not, you never were."