I Reborn on the Night I Divorced the Sword Deity, My Childhood Friend - Chapter 41

As the Nine Nether Demon Lord finished his sentence, that hand slumped back down silently, completely devoid of movement. It was unclear whether his strength had simply failed or if he was too angry to acknowledge him.

However, this rejection did not leave the Demon Lord as despondent as before. He refrained from any further overstepping. Instead, with a faint smile, he gently lowered the hand and focused his gaze downward, continuing to channel demonic energy.

The White Jade Boat continued to cut through the waves.

The East Sea was vast, teeming with aquatic demonic tribes. Not wishing for them to disturb Shen Junyu’s healing, the Nine Nether Demon Lord maintained a constant aura of intimidation, preventing any underwater entities from approaching the vessel.

Three days later, however, the celestial treasures and spiritual resources the two had for consumption were nearly exhausted. To conserve his demonic energy, the Demon Lord was forced to cease his constant pressure, switching instead to using his divine sense to monitor for surrounding dangers.

He was unaware, however, that the White Jade Boat had long since been marked.

The demonic tribes of the East Sea were legion; they were several times more numerous than the combined human and demonic cultivators of the Demon Realm and the Central Plains. Logically, if a great power were to unite them, the sea tribes could easily become the hegemons of the Three Realms.

Unfortunately, most aquatic demons faced a fatal flaw: long lifespans, but low intelligence.

Many demons at the Golden Core or even Nascent Soul stage, if unable to take human form, possessed wisdom equivalent only to a ten-year-old human child. They were incapable of following complex commands or analyzing situations rationally.

For instance, when the Demon Lord previously released his pressure, they sensed a powerful prey on the boat they could not yet defeat, so they retreated. However, they still followed.

Now that the pressure had vanished, they assumed the prey was either injured or no longer as formidable. Casting all caution aside as night fell, they breached the surface and lunged at the White Jade Boat one after another.

The Demon Lord had previously refrained from fighting to conserve energy and to avoid alerting the great maritime clans, such as the Dragons and the Merfolk. But now that these creatures were practically climbing over his head, he would not hold back.

Without changing his expression, he silently pulled Shen Junyu closer into a secure embrace and whispered, “There might be some turbulence in a moment; bear with it.”

With that, he closed his eyes and slowly summoned a greenish-gold peacock feather from within his body, which shimmered with a faint radiance. With a flick of his finger, he sent it flying outward.

The feather was as tall as a man. Once it cleared the cabin, it abruptly transformed into tens of thousands of tiny plumes, sharp as steel needles, piercing into the demons swarming from all sides.

In an instant, the sea erupted in violent tremors as blood surged to the surface. The White Jade Boat rocked and swayed under the battering waves.

Inside the cabin, the Nine Nether Demon Lord sat cross-legged on a prayer mat, his eyes shut. A heavy, stabilizing aura emanated from him, pressing down on the vessel and instantly stilling its motion.

Before long, nearly a third of the peacock feather’s energy was spent. The approaching demons had either fled or perished, leaving a carpet of corpses floating on the water near the boat. The spreading crimson blood created a macabre scene.

Having finished the slaughter, the peacock feather drifted back and merged into the Demon Lord’s body.

The Demon Lord slowly withdrew his focus and opened his eyes to look down. In his arms, Shen Junyu remained in a deep, peaceful sleep, his long lashes casting shadows. His face, as refined as warm jade, remained serene. Not a single strand of hair at his temples had been disturbed by the turbulence; he had clearly been unaffected.

The Demon Lord gazed at him silently for a moment, and the sternness that had gathered between his brows during the siege quietly dissipated.

However, just then, his outward-reaching divine sense detected something. He looked up instinctively.

After a moment’s deliberation, the Nine Nether Demon Lord stood and left the cabin, still carrying Shen Junyu.

Shortly after, he identified the corpse of a Sea Serpent Demon among those floating on the water. Focusing his senses, he confirmed his suspicion: this sea serpent possessed a trace of Dragon lineage. Furthermore, it was at the peak of the Golden Core stage, on the verge of reaching the Nascent Soul stage. Its core was saturated with incredibly dense demonic energy.

If it were the core of any other demon, the Demon Lord would not have been interested. Ingesting demon cores usually brought more harm than good, as they directly corrupted a cultivator’s temperament and reason.

However, the Dragon lineage was a divine bloodline, making it extraordinarily nourishing.

After a brief thought, the Demon Lord flicked his finger, using demonic energy to extract the serpent’s core.

Sure enough, the core, which was nearly half the size of a thrust, was faintly entwined with a golden, highly oppressive aura. The purity of the Dragon bloodline was not low.

No wonder the attacks of those demons, though disorganized, had followed the boat so persistently at first. They must have been suppressed by the Dragon bloodline and forced to obey the sea serpent.

A flash of joy appeared in the Demon Lord’s eyes. He wasted no time and returned to the cabin with the core.

Before long, he had ground the fist-sized core into a fine powder. Simultaneously, he meticulously used his demonic energy to refine and remove the crimson impurities, leaving behind only the essence of the Dragon bloodline.

Even so, the powder would be difficult to swallow. The Demon Lord patiently purified some seawater, heated it, and turned it into clean, warm water. He mixed it with the core powder and began to feed it to Shen Junyu drop by drop with a spoon.

But with his bones shattered, Shen Junyu could not swallow properly. Even when the warm water was poured into his mouth, it quickly overflowed from his pale lips and trickled down.

Seeing this, the Demon Lord hesitated for a moment before whispering, “Forgive my offense.”

He reached out and gently supported Shen Junyu’s slender waist, shifting him so he leaned against his shoulder. He then turned his head, took a sip of the bowl containing the powder and warm water, and leaned down.

He pressed his lips gently against Shen Junyu’s thin lips, exhaling a breath of demonic energy to pry open the tightly shut teeth. He then slowly transferred the mixture into his mouth.

This process was repeated over a dozen times before the bowl was finished.

During this time, the Demon Lord could not help but notice the slight parting of Shen Junyu’s pale-red lips, glistening with moisture. Though his heart throbbed with a stirring impulse, he chose to act as though he saw nothing.

Shen Junyu was not without consciousness; if the Demon Lord chose to act like a scoundrel now, it would likely jeopardize their future. He knew how to distinguish between fleeting pleasure and long-term trust.

After finishing the feeding, the Demon Lord took out a handkerchief and carefully wiped the moisture from Shen Junyu’s lips. Then, he circulated his demonic energy to help dissolve the powder within Shen Junyu’s body.

As the powder was activated, a hint of vitality returned to Shen Junyu. Seeing this, a look of delight crossed the Demon Lord’s face, and he accelerated the process.

Gradually, nourished by the powerful Dragon bloodline, a very faint flush finally appeared on Shen Junyu’s previously ashen face. Meanwhile, his nearly withered meridians began to slowly repair themselves.

Feeling these changes and gazing at Shen Junyu’s visibly improved complexion, the Demon Lord could no longer suppress his joy. He closed his eyes and leaned down, resting his forehead gently against Shen Junyu’s smooth brow.

The high bridge of his nose pressed against Shen Junyu’s soft, fair nose, rubbing slowly. Yet, he continued to restrain himself from kissing those beautiful, soft lips. The reason was simple: the Demon Lord did not trust his own self-control.

Skin touched skin; one was warm, and the other was cool.

Both had exceptionally long eyelashes. In such close intimacy, their lashes inevitably brushed against each other, creating a delicate, subtle sensation.

Suddenly, the Demon Lord felt a slight itch on his eyelid.

He froze for an instant, then immediately opened his eyes to look at Shen Junyu in shock.

Then, he witnessed a miracle. Shen Junyu’s beautiful, usually motionless lashes fluttered once, then again. It was a struggle, but they were definitely moving. The corners of his eyes even flushed with a faint crimson; it was unclear if it was from the effort or from shyness.

The Demon Lord watched this scene in silence for a long time. Then, uncontrollably, he reached out and gently caressed the delicate skin at the corner of Shen Junyu’s eye. The jade-like texture was intoxicating.

After a moment of caressing, he gently covered Shen Junyu’s still-closed, beautiful eyes with his palm.

“No rush. We will take it slow, alright?”

As the Demon Lord spoke, Shen Junyu’s lashes fluttered again against his palm.

After a long silence, an exceptionally gentle and calm voice echoed in the Demon Lord’s heart.

“Alright. I will listen to you.”

The Demon Lord was silent for a breath, his lips unconsciously curving into a slow smile.

After taking the Golden Core powder containing the Dragon bloodline that day, Shen Junyu’s meridians finally showed signs of reconstruction.

However, only the meridians could be rebuilt for now. For something like bones, self-repair was extremely difficult without the support of powerful celestial treasures.

Fortunately, over the following days, Shen Junyu’s consciousness recovered significantly, and communication between the two increased. Where before they had exchanged only a word or two, they could now manage several sentences.

Those few sentences were enough to fill the Demon Lord’s heart with wild joy, and he cherished them deeply.

Through their current exchange, the Nine Nether Demon Lord also understood why Shen Junyu had insisted on coming to the East Sea even after driving away the Sword Sovereign. On one hand, the East Sea aligned with the prophecy once made by the Heavenly Eye Demon Lord; on the other, Shen Junyu had calculated that a fortuitous opportunity existed in the East Sea that could restore him to normal.

This result was within the Demon Lord’s expectations.

Among the Three Tribes, the Demon Realm was filled with miasma and volcanoes, with rugged terrain. Aside from treasures within the ancestral palaces left by ancient demon gods, celestial items were hard to find. Most treasures in those palaces had already been distributed to others by previous Demon Sovereigns, such as the Divine Demon’s Wrath held by the Heavenly Desolate Demon Lord and Qin Huaique’s Black Dragon Overlord Spear. Other Demon Lords had taken their shares, leaving only the Demon God’s sword.

While that sword was great, it could not repair bones and was currently useless.

As for the humans, their various secret realms had long been divided and occupied by the major sects; exploring them would be difficult.

Only the aquatic demons occupied the East Sea, with its vast territory and scattered powers. Its celestial treasures were countless, with many yet to be discovered. It was highly probable that a celestial item capable of repairing flesh and bone existed there.

However, the East Sea demons lived in scattered groups and were inherently mysterious. Even with the vast knowledge of Shen Junyu and the Nine Nether Demon Lord, they could not guess what the opportunity was or which power it was associated with.

Thus, Shen Junyu could only use his moments of clarity to calculate and point the way, leaving the Demon Lord to steer them toward it.

As the days passed, the White Jade Boat drifted at sea for nearly half a month.

Although Shen Junyu’s injuries had improved since taking the core powder, progress had stalled without further supplementation. The Nine Nether Demon Lord grew anxious and somewhat frustrated, though he dared not show it.

Suddenly, a question arose.

“Are you in a bad mood?”

Shen Junyu’s gentle voice echoed quietly in his heart. The Demon Lord was taken aback, then shook his head. “No, it is just that after being at sea for so long, it is inevitably a bit dull.”

This was true, though it was an evasion of the main issue.

Before Shen Junyu could respond, the Demon Lord looked down at him and whispered, “Did I not tell you to use less spiritual energy to speak?”

Shen Junyu was silent for a moment before saying softly, “But I am also quite bored; I want to talk to you for a while.”

The Nine Nether Demon Lord had never expected such an answer. He froze for a moment, the exhaustion in his handsome features swept away by a wave of relief and a tender smile.

Even so, he did not let Shen Junyu speak more. He reached out to gently stroke Shen Junyu’s hair and said softly, “If you feel bored, I will talk more for you to hear. Just listen; you do not need to respond.”

Shen Junyu indeed stopped speaking.

The Demon Lord’s gaze softened even further. He paused to think, then pulled from the stories he had read in his youth before becoming a Demon Lord. He specifically chose one involving humans and demons and began to narrate slowly.

He said, “Once, there was a profligate Demon Lord who loved beauties, especially the cold, aloof kind dressed in white. Unfortunately, the customs of the Demon Realm are quite open, and no one dressed like that. So, he hid his identity and went to the human realm to find one.”

“One day, at a human sword-fighting assembly, he discovered a cold beauty who was exactly his type. His heart was moved, and that night he snuck into the beauty’s room and drugged them.”

“But he never expected that this cold beauty was also a demon. In fact, he was another Demon Lord with whom he was on bad terms. This Demon Lord was undercover in the human realm on orders from the Demon Sovereign, and he had nearly had his mission ruined by being drugged. In a fit of malice, he took that profligate Demon Lord and…”

At this point, the Nine Nether Demon Lord intentionally paused.

Shen Junyu had been listening intently to the story. When the Demon Lord suddenly stopped, he was stunned. After waiting for a while with no further word, Shen Junyu could not help but ask, “And then?”

The Nine Nether Demon Lord had been waiting for that question. He smiled. “The rest is actually a bit improper. I am afraid saying it might offend you.”

Shen Junyu guessed the implication immediately.

After a moment of thought, he said slowly, “I assume that cold Demon Lord forced the profligate one and took them back to the Demon Realm to hide them away in a golden house?”

The Nine Nether Demon Lord was surprised. “While not entirely like that, how do you know such things?”

Shen Junyu said helplessly, “I am not a child. I also read such stories in my spare time.”

Before he could finish, the distant sound of a tsunami echoed from outside.

The Demon Lord’s expression changed. He immediately cast a spell to stabilize the boat, then pulled back the curtain to look out.

His greenish-gold pupils suddenly constricted.

Not far away on the sea, two towering walls of water had risen from the tide, slowly parting down the middle. Thick fog billowed out, and a massive dark shadow was gradually approaching from between the walls.

The Demon Lord’s gaze sharpened. He tried to send a trace of demonic energy into the water walls, but the energy was lost in the mist. He could not distinguish directions; fog surrounded them on all sides as if they had entered a misty labyrinth. He could not sense what the massive shadow behind the fog was.

However, he could vaguely perceive that it was not a living creature.

As he was deep in thought, Shen Junyu’s voice suddenly spoke in his heart: “Go forward.”

The Demon Lord looked down in surprise. “What?”

Shen Junyu replied, “The guidance of the opportunity has overlapped with the thing ahead. It will disappear in fifteen minutes.”

The moment those words left Shen Junyu’s mouth, the Demon Lord cast aside all hesitation. He immediately drove the White Jade Boat forward, braving the wind and waves toward the mist-shrouded shadow.

Once the boat entered the mist, its speed seemed to slow down abruptly. The surrounding scenery crawled past the Demon Lord’s eyes as if stuck in the humid fog.

Seeing this, the Demon Lord narrated everything he saw and heard to Shen Junyu through the array.

After hearing it, Shen Junyu said, “It is Mirage Qi.”

The Demon Lord realized what it was, but his suspicions only deepened. The Mirage Dragon clan were notoriously solitary and did not interact with other demons. In the East Sea, who could possibly command a Mirage Dragon?

Yet the shadow behind the fog had no life force; it likely was not a living dragon. So what was it?

Just as the thought crossed his mind, the mist ahead thinned.

The Nine Nether Demon Lord, holding Shen Junyu, stood at the bow and looked into the distance. He finally saw what the massive shadow was.

It was a gargantuan multi-storied ship, and the entire vessel was constructed from the remains of a complete Mirage Dragon. The dragon’s skeleton was the frame, its skin was the sails, and its eyes were the lamps.

This Mirage Dragon used for the ship looked to be at least a thousand years old.

It was an extravagant feat.

Even though the Demon Lord knew the East Sea was the most formidable place in the Three Realms, he was still slightly shaken by the sight of this ship.

At that moment, the ship’s main door slowly creaked open.

The Demon Lord’s gaze darkened as he slowly released his aura.

However, the scene that followed made his expression turn subtle for a moment. What emerged from the ship’s door was not a living person, but an exquisitely crafted white jade puppet. It skipped to the front of the ship and bowed gracefully to the Demon Lord.

“Guests from afar, our master has been waiting for you for a long time. Please come aboard.”

Hearing the puppet’s words, the Demon Lord’s expression remained unchanged. After a silence, he asked coldly, “Who is your master?”

Something strange happened. The puppet made no attempt to hide anything and said, “Our master is the Master of the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion, surnamed Lin, named Lin Chen. He is quite famous.”

The coldness on the Demon Lord’s face finally turned into a flicker of surprise. His expression became slightly more solemn as he said, “Since it is an invitation from the Master of the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion, I, Wen, shall accept with pleasure.”

The puppet nodded and stepped aside. “Please come inside, you two.”

After a moment’s thought, the Demon Lord put away the White Jade Boat and boarded the ship with Shen Junyu.

The moment he stepped onto the deck, the white mist behind him closed in, concealing the ship’s shadow. The ship began to sail forward slowly.

The guest rooms on the ship were on the second floor, fully furnished and incredibly luxurious.

The Nine Nether Demon Lord dared not lower his guard. He stood by the window on the second floor, holding Shen Junyu, watching the direction the ship was heading. If there was any treachery, he could take Shen Junyu and flee at any moment.

Suddenly, Shen Junyu said softly, “The Master of the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion is not an easy person to deal with. You must be careful.”

He knew little of the Pavilion, but in his past life, the Master, who was at only the late stage of the Soul Transformation realm, had managed to severely wound Shen Siyuan under the protection of several experts and even killed a Void Refinement stage dragon to successfully take its core. His strength was clearly formidable.

The Demon Lord replied, “Do not worry. Although the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion is mysterious, they are not known for being cruel or ruthless. I know what I am doing.”

Seeing that the Demon Lord was composed, Shen Junyu said no more.

The ship sailed very smoothly. Because the hull was made of Mirage Dragon bone, no demons came to disturb them.

After about half a day, the Demon Lord saw a small island in the distance. On the island stood a magnificent tower that pierced the clouds. Even at night, the tower’s walls glowed brilliantly, as they were made of some unknown material.

A golden plaque hung before the tower, with three words written in a flamboyant style: “Heavenly Mystery Pavilion.”

The white jade puppet appeared again. “Please prepare to disembark, you two.”

The Demon Lord stared at the tower on the distant island. He neither went downstairs nor paid any attention to the puppet. Suddenly, he picked up Shen Junyu and transformed into a streak of demonic light, soaring into the sky.

Shortly after, a greenish-gold rainbow landed in front of the Pavilion, revealing the Demon Lord’s figure.

The Nine Nether Demon Lord spoke clearly: “Wen Shuo, the Nine Nether Demon Lord, has come to visit the Master of the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion. I ask the Master to come out and meet us.”

His voice echoed around the island, carrying a condensed pressure that showed both respect and power.

Finally, the doors of the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion slowly opened.

Under the cold gaze of the Demon Lord’s greenish-gold eyes, a white jade wheelchair slowly rolled out.

A frail, handsome young man sat in the chair, dressed in magnificent purple robes. He held a white jade folding fan in his arms, and his eyes were bright and clear. He was currently at the early stage of the Soul Transformation realm.

Their eyes met.

The Demon Lord frowned slightly, clearly not expecting the famous Master of the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion to look so young. However, despite his harmless appearance, the demonic aura on him was incredibly dense; he was clearly not someone to be trifled with.

More subtly, the Master’s blood circulation seemed to stop below his chest. It seemed that, like Shen Junyu, his bones and meridians were shattered.

After a brief silence, the Demon Lord pushed aside his doubts and offered a cold pleasantry. “The Master is young and successful; I am impressed.”

Lin Chen, the Master of the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion, smiled faintly. “There is no need for such politeness. I am an old monster, many years older than you, Demon Lord.”

“On the other hand, the way you and your friend defeated the Sword Sovereign at sea was truly a sight I will never forget.”

The Demon Lord’s expression shifted instantly, and his aura became heavy and oppressive. The other man had been there at the time?

Feeling the pressure, Lin Chen remained unhurried. “Please, hold your hand. I am not your enemy. I have just grown accustomed to self-preservation. Look at my bones and you will know I have no ability to provoke others.”

“Furthermore, I calculated that you two are destined to be connected to a precious opportunity of mine, which is why I specifically met you at sea. I mean no harm.”

Hearing this, the Demon Lord finally withdrew his aura. He then asked, “What opportunity?”

Lin Chen said nothing. He slowly turned his wheelchair and flicked his finger. A purple light shot out, and countless candles and lamps lit up one by one in the distance.

In the glow of the firelight, a white jade box slowly descended from the air.

The moment the box appeared, it brought an incredibly sharp and grand pressure, accompanied by a torrent of spiritual energy. A wild wind whipped up, causing the scrolls on the surrounding walls to flutter violently.

The Demon Lord watched intently, his gaze focused.

Finally, amidst the frantic spiritual energy, the white jade box slowly opened.

A section of bone, as translucent and crystalline as jade, floated quietly inside. Golden light radiated from it, and a surging sword intent surged forth.

Seeing this bone, the Demon Lord’s calm vanished completely. His pupils constricted violently as he spoke in a low voice, “Sword Bone?!”

Lin Chen smiled faintly. “Exactly.”

However, as the Demon Lord regained his composure, a look of suspicion appeared in his eyes. It was true that only a heaven-sent treasure like a Sword Bone could help someone reshape their entire bloodline and frame, but he had a question.

He looked at Lin Chen steadily and asked, “With such a spiritual item, why would you not keep it for yourself?”

Lin Chen shook his head, a trace of regret in his eyes. “The Sword Bone previously had a master and possesses a spirit of its own. To take it as one’s own, one must pass its trial. I am untalented and could not pass those stages.”

“But I promised it that I would preserve and nourish it over these years until it found its next master. In return, I asked it to have its next master grant me one request.”

The Demon Lord pondered for a moment before asking, “What is the trial?”