Queen of Ten Thousand Demons Insists on Marrying Me - Chapter 19

Another space within the Demon-Locking Pagoda.

It was utterly dim here. There was only a wooden bridge spanning the middle, just wide enough for two people to walk abreast. If one hurried across it, the bridge would shake. Due to the thick mist, the field of vision on both sides extended barely ten feet. The only source of light came from the railings on either side of the bridge; bizarre red candles were lit atop these railings, burning endlessly.

As soon as the two stabilized themselves on the bridge, Dantai Jing removed the Concealment Pearl  from her chest.

Turning to look at Lu Xiaoxiao, who was staring at her in a daze, she couldn’t help but ask, “Xiao Xiao? What’s wrong with you?”

Lu Xiaoxiao snapped back to attention, “You… is this your true form? It bears about a third of a resemblance to how you looked before… I thought you were quite beautiful, but I didn’t expect your original appearance to be even more stunning.”

After removing the Concealment Pearl, Dantai Jing’s formerly black long hair had turned silver, reaching her waist. A red flame-like mark appeared on her forehead, making her entire appearance look cold and noble.

“Really? When I was little, the other children always said my hair color was strange and that I looked like a demon.”

Immediately afterward, Dantai Jing sniffed for Yan Sihong’s scent and began pulling Lu Xiaoxiao to run toward the other side.

Lu Xiaoxiao was someone who never stinted on compliments. Hearing what Dantai Jing said, she replied, “Yes! It is exceptionally beautiful, just like silk satin. I even wanted to dye my hair this color before. Also, the flame mark on your forehead is so unique—red and white matching, combined with your peach blossom eyes—I have never seen anyone more beautiful than you.”

Dantai Jing had never heard such straightforward praise. She only felt a heat rise to her face; she supposed she must have turned red. She hoped the other person had poor vision and wouldn’t notice.

“Stop saying that…”

“Oh, right. Escaping with our lives is the priority now.”

On the strange, mist-covered wooden bridge, two girls, one clad in black and one in white, held hands and ran in one direction. Wherever they passed, the mist was driven away, only to re-coalesce after a long time. The red candles on the railings seemed like guiding lights for the two as they advanced.

They ran until Lu Xiaoxiao felt like they had traveled for an entire century.

At this moment, she heard Dantai Jing whisper, “She is coming.”

Hurry up and come, or I’ll run myself to death.

Lu Xiaoxiao’s hearing was not as good as Dantai Jing’s. After a while longer, she finally heard a rustling sound, like a giant reptile moving quickly.

She knew the snake demon was chasing them.

“Little Jing’er~ You left in such a hurry yesterday, making Big Sister miss you so much! Quickly tell Big Sister how you suddenly appeared and then suddenly vanished on this fourth level.”

A gentle, bell-like female voice echoed from the thick mist, unhurriedly.

Only hearing the voice but not seeing the snake startled Lu Xiaoxiao so much that her whole body jolted.

The surrounding mist enveloped her, and the red candlelight before her flickered incessantly.

Hearing that voice now, Lu Xiaoxiao felt as if she were being coiled around by a damp, dark snake.

Dantai Jing remained silent, tightened her grip on Lu Xiaoxiao’s hand, and continued to flee.

“Oh? Little Jing’er brought a little companion this time. Have your tastes changed to this kind of thing now?”

“Don’t take after your Godmother Fu Zhao. It’s fine to play around with the Human Clan, but definitely don’t fall in love.”

Lu Xiaoxiao asked, “So your Godmother is called Fu Zhao? But what does what she said mean?”

Not only was Lu Xiaoxiao ignorant, but Dantai Jing was also completely baffled. She had never heard of her Godmother having any past involvement with humans.

Dantai Jing countered, “Don’t listen to her nonsense. She is deliberately trying to distract both of us.”

Yan Sihong continued, “I am not speaking nonsense. The events of five hundred years ago are widely known among both the Human and Demon Clans. Fu Zhao, a Nine-Tailed Fox Demon, disguised herself as a human to approach the then Young Palace Master of Yaoxia Palace, Wan Xuan’er. The two traveled the Human Realm together, slaying demons and eliminating evil, gaining the respect of the Human Realm. People even built temples for them.”

“Don’t you two find that ridiculous? A powerful demon engaging in slaying demons and eliminating evil, alongside the Young Palace Master of Yaoxia Palace, who harbors deep hatred for the Demon Clan. What was even more earth-shattering was that these two actually became romantically involved! Oh my, the future Demon King  of Gouwu Mountain and the Young Palace Master of Yaoxia Palace were planning to elope—it’s just a pity that…”

Lu Xiaoxiao leaned her ear to listen for a long while, but the person behind them never finished what the “pity” was about.

She couldn’t help but ask, “A pity for what? What happened to them in the end?”

Dantai Jing squeezed her palm. This Yan Sihong was surely talking nonsense. The Godmother was imprisoned by Wan Xuan’er; how could the two of them possibly have eloped together?

Nonsense! Why did Lu Xiaoxiao believe everything?

A strong gust of wind swept toward Lu Xiaoxiao.

“A pity that both of you are about to become my meal, and you won’t hear the end of the story. Hahahaha~”

Dantai Jing pulled Lu Xiaoxiao behind her and lashed out with a whip at the boulder-like snake tail. The tail recoiled in pain, and both Dantai Jing and Lu Xiaoxiao were flung off the bridge.

Fortunately, at the critical moment, Lu Xiaoxiao grabbed an iron chain on the bridge. With a powerful twist of her waist and legs, she flung Dantai Jing upward before climbing back onto the bridge herself.

Yan Sihong drifted out of the mist, “Alas, one generation is worse than the next. Fu Zhao at least knew to find a Young Palace Master from Yaoxia Palace. Why did Little Jing’er set her sights on someone who hasn’t even reached the Golden Core Stage?”

Lu Xiaoxiao felt indignant at the other person’s rudeness, feeling the insults were too crude, and was about to retort when she heard Dantai Jing speak.

“Sister Yan, you are mistaken about that. This young lady is currently the Sect Master  of the Xuantian Sword Sect.” Perhaps because Lu Xiaoxiao proactively came to help her today, Dantai Jing didn’t want to hear Yan Sihong speak ill of her. Besides, since the Xuantian Sword Sect was annihilated, only she remained, thus making her the current Sect Master.

“Oh? Is that so? Then that is quite a coincidence. Is the lightning rod who accompanied Fu Zhao and Wan Xuan’er back then dead?”

“You two truly don’t understand the principle of learning from one mistake to gain wisdom. Why must you both fixate on the two most troublesome families in the Immortal Sects?”

Lu Xiaoxiao didn’t realize this was connected to her original body’s mother. Listening to this woman speak became increasingly unpleasant, so she retorted, “My relationship with Dantai Jing is not what you imagine, you old hag. Have you been here so long that no one talks to you anymore?”

Seeing the other person about to speak again, she continued, “I guessed as much. You are so ugly, yet you talk so much, and your mouth reeks of stench. I noticed that not a single demon has appeared on the way here; they must have all been scared away by your smell. They hide far away from your odor.”

Dantai Jing hadn’t detected any foul stench, but after hearing Lu Xiaoxiao’s words, she pretended to sniff and then covered her nose, fanning the air with her other hand.

Yan Sihong had never heard such vulgar language, and seeing Dantai Jing deliberately acting, she became enraged, “Little brat, you are quite stubborn. Wait until later, and I’ll see if I can tear you in half!”

Lu Xiaoxiao hid behind Dantai Jing, resting her hand on her shoulder: “Dantai Jing, look, this demon doesn’t practice hygiene and won’t let people speak the truth.” She then poked her head out and shouted at Yan Sihong, “Don’t you understand? Humbly accepting others’ suggestions is a noble virtue. It’s one thing that you aren’t as beautiful as my Jing’er, but your breath stinks to high heaven. Even though there are few people in this Demon-Locking Pagoda, you can’t let yourself degenerate like this.”

“I think you are attacking both of us because you are jealous of my Jing’er’s beauty, and you want to kill me to silence anyone who would reveal that you, a snake demon, are old, ugly, and smelly. You must understand that you cannot fight against age; the waves behind will always push out the waves ahead; sooner or later, you will die on the beach.”

Hearing Lu Xiaoxiao constantly referring to her as “my Jing’er,” Dantai Jing turned back and shot her a sidelong glance.

Lu Xiaoxiao chuckled and whispered near her ear, “Tactics, tactics. If I anger her enough later, you won’t have to fight.”

Dantai Jing didn’t know if Yan Sihong was genuinely angered into action, but the moment Lu Xiaoxiao finished speaking, Yan Sihong attacked.

She shoved Lu Xiaoxiao aside and met the attack with the Dust-Returning Sword.

Lu Xiaoxiao watched the two fight back and forth, sparks flying between the whip and the umbrella.

She could barely make out the figures of the two, only hearing the clash of weapons and seeing flashes of red light from various spells in the mist. She stood with the five thunder talismans in both hands, hopping around anxiously, resembling an expectant father waiting outside the delivery room.

After a long time, she heard Dantai Jing groan and fly backward. Lu Xiaoxiao rushed forward to catch her. The impact churned her own blood and vital energy, causing her to spit out a mouthful of blood.

She was then immediately scooped up by the waist by Dantai Jing, and they flew toward the distance. Guided by the candlelight on the sides, she saw Dantai Jing’s chest once again soaked with blood, causing her heart to tighten with worry and self-reproach for being useless.

After they had flown quite a distance, Lu Xiaoxiao said, “I’m sorry. It’s all my fault for having such low cultivation; I can’t help you at all. You’ve been injured several times since coming in here.”

Hearing this, Dantai Jing’s heart warmed, “Not at all; don’t think nonsense. You are only nineteen this year. Even those who reach the Golden Core Stage  before age thirty are considered exceptional. I see you are about to break through; perhaps you will advance faster than Lu Wanbai. Moreover, that Yan Sihong is over six hundred years old and at the Tribulation Transcendence Stage, older than my Godmother. It’s natural that you can’t help much. We’ll need your Chaoyuan Sword later.”

She never expected to be comforted by Dantai Jing one day. But after hearing her words, Lu Xiaoxiao felt significantly more confident and secretly vowed to stab that old snake demon hard later.

“How old are you now, then?”

“Lu Xiaoxiao! Do you not know that one must not casually ask a woman her age?”

Lu Xiaoxiao replied, “Oh, alright. Why have we stopped?”

Dantai Jing explained, “It is Zǐ Shí (Midnight). The Bone-Shattering Frost Rain is about to fall here; I don’t think Yan Sihong will pursue us further.”

Lu Xiaoxiao understood; she had heard Dantai Jing speak of the severity of the Bone-Shattering Frost Rain. She sat next to Dantai Jing and circulated her energy to cast a protective barrier on herself.

After a pause, she expanded the barrier slightly to enclose Dantai Jing as well.

Dantai Jing was confused, “My cultivation is higher than yours; you only need to protect yourself.”

Lu Xiaoxiao leaned closer to her and shook her head, “No. Yan Sihong will catch up soon. You need to conserve your spiritual power; let me handle this.”

Dantai Jing’s heart warmed, knowing she was right, and allowed it, beginning to meditate to heal her injuries.

She had just put everything into dealing that lash to Yan Sihong, but she was hit hard by the blow from Yan Sihong’s bone umbrella. Combined with the poison from yesterday, her internal meridians were already ruptured.

Lu Xiaoxiao knew the Bone-Shattering Frost Rain was difficult to resist, but she hadn’t expected it to be this hard. The raindrops struck the barrier like bullets, and the spiritual energy consumption was like water boiling. She calculated that she couldn’t hold out for much more than half an hour before her supply ran out.

She turned to look at Dantai Jing, intending to wake her, but she was deeply immersed in healing. She didn’t know if interrupting her would cause harm.

Moreover, Dantai Jing’s condition was truly poor; seeing the 50 Life Points appearing on her body, she looked like she might shatter with a single gust of wind, making Lu Xiaoxiao unable to speak the words.

She had no choice but to press closer to Dantai Jing, shrinking the barrier to reduce energy consumption.

However, as time passed, the spiritual energy was still insufficient. She roughly calculated that they could last less than half a shí (an hour) more. But her remaining spiritual power could only sustain both of them for about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea.

Ultimately, she chose to make the barrier even smaller, exposing most of her own body outside to protect the only combat force left.

Lu Xiaoxiao didn’t know if Dantai Jing had ever experienced the Bone-Shattering Frost Rain, but she certainly received the full experience now.

The rain that landed on her body instantly froze, and the cold sank directly into her marrow. Half her body was frozen stiff, and her bones felt as if they were being smashed by a thousand hammers—smashed, pieced back together, and smashed again.

She forcefully endured the pain, refusing to make a sound, thinking that even the cruelest execution seen on television couldn’t compare to this.

At this moment, she almost felt sympathy for the snake demon. How did she endure this for over two hundred years? This was no life fit for a human, which explained why her personality had become so twisted.

She sincerely hoped Dantai Jing would not have to experience this feeling.

Finally, just as the pain was making her want to curse her parents, the rain stopped, and she completely exhausted her spiritual energy and collapsed.