Queen of Ten Thousand Demons Insists on Marrying Me - Chapter 73

The two briefly packed their bags, recalled the spirit boat, and set off with the Yan Gengshen siblings, only to never encounter Fuzhao and Luo Mu again.

Since Yan Gengshen had obtained the inheritance of the Yuan Tui Mistscape, the four had a smooth journey; the mist completely retreated wherever they passed.

Along the way, the four didn’t speak much. Yan Gengshen occasionally initiated conversation: “Fellow Daoist Tantai is truly a rare genius in our Demon Race, a talent seen only once in a thousand years. Breaking through to the Mahayana Stage with only two centuries of cultivation! You might be the only demon to break through the Integration Stage a thousand years from now.”

Tantai Jing, holding Lu Xiaoxiao’s hand and walking a step behind the two, replied: “I am undeserving of such praise. It was merely cultivation day and night, and I luckily obtained some opportunities. I am hardly a genius.”

Yan Gengshen laughed heartily: “If even you are undeserving, wouldn’t all the demons of our race be considered mediocre talents now? Which one of us doesn’t cultivate day and night? Yet, those who break through to the Mahayana Stage are indeed few.”

“Hmph, obtaining the inheritance of Bai Wu can only be called ‘some opportunity.’ Little Jing’er, you really have a big mouth~” Yan Sihong glanced at Tantai Jing and teased.

At these words, Tantai Jing, who had been smiling, instantly turned cold as frost: “How did you know about this?”

Only she and Lu Xiaoxiao knew what happened in the Wu Le Temple, along with the person who guided them there, who was disguised as Lu Mingyu.

Yan Sihong scoffed: “Of course, my brother sent someone to lead you there. We are neighbors; we sent you an opportunity. Shouldn’t you hurry and thank my brother?”

Upon hearing this, Tantai Jing and Lu Xiaoxiao exchanged a deep look. Remembering their narrow escape from death in the temple, anger flared up in their eyes.

“What a grand opportunity! It almost caused Jing’er and me to die in there.”

Lu Xiaoxiao suppressed her internal rage, but Yan Sihong’s arrogant attitude made her unable to help but frown.

Yan Sihong sneered, replying with her usual languid tone: “Opportunity must always coexist with danger. As a cultivator, don’t you understand a simple truth like that?”

Seeing Tantai Jing remain silent, Yan Gengshen changed the subject: “I wonder if Fellow Daoist Tantai has any insightful views on the current situation of the Demon Race?”

Lu Xiaoxiao’s expression instantly became solemn. She didn’t know why Yan Gengshen was bringing this up. Was he trying to win over Tantai Jing to fight against the Human Race?

“None. Prosperity must decline, and extremes beget reversals. This is the Heavenly Dao. We living beings only need to follow its will,” Tantai Jing said plainly.

Yan Gengshen stopped, turned to face Tantai Jing, his eyes filled with immense arrogance: “The Lancang Demon Domain is wide open now, and you, I, and Fuzhao have all broken through to the Mahayana Stage. Isn’t this the Heavenly Dao telling our Demon Race that the Human Race’s prosperity is declining, and our Demon Race is about to rise?”

Tantai Jing glanced at Lu Xiaoxiao, knowing well that if the Demon Race wanted to rise, they would inevitably have to fight the Yao Xia Palace: “This matter will be settled by Godmother; it is not for me to worry about.”

A presumptuous smile crept onto Yan Gengshen’s lips. He stared at Tantai Jing’s tightly clasped hand with Lu Xiaoxiao and said without hesitation: “Fuzhao has already formed an alliance with my Black Wind Cliff. How about you and I join in marriage, making our ties even closer? Then we can destroy the Yao Xia Palace and avenge both me and Fuzhao. We will then capture that Wan Xuan’er for your Godmother and bring her to Gouwu Mountain to be your Gouwu Mountain’s Bandit Chieftainess.”

Yan Sihong swayed her waist, covering her mouth and giggling: “I think that plan is excellent.”

Lu Xiaoxiao was instantly furious: “What absolute nonsense are you talking! Who do you think you are? Do you think my Jing’er would even look at you? Go pee in a puddle and look at yourself! Furthermore, the Palace Master Wan is not someone you can covet! Stop your delusional thinking!”

“I already have a Dao Companion, and that is Lu Xiaoxiao. I will never change in this life. Why bother humiliating yourself?” Tantai Jing replied calmly to the two facing them.

Everyone present understood that Tantai Jing’s implication was the same as Lu Xiaoxiao’s: that Yan Sihong should go pee in a puddle and look at herself.

Yan Sihong’s face darkened, looking as if water might drip from it. Her knuckles tightened around her bone umbrella, gradually turning white. Just as she gripped the umbrella tightly, ready to throw caution to the wind and attack Lu Xiaoxiao and Tantai Jing, Yan Gengshen covered her hand, shaking his head at her.

After this conversation, a strange atmosphere hung between the four, and for the next few days, no one spoke much.

Eventually, their path came to an end. There was no passage forward, only a sheer, knife-cut cliff face before them.

Lu Xiaoxiao walked to the front and looked down. The bottom of the cliff was shrouded in thick, bottomless mist, certainly not looking like an exit: “Are you sure the exit is below this cliff?”

Yan Sihong: “Don’t believe it? Suit yourself.”

“Fine! I’d like to see how you two capable people manage to get down, just to open my eyes!”

After saying that, Lu Xiaoxiao walked back to Tantai Jing and stood with her arms crossed, looking ready to watch a show.

Tantai Jing shook her arm and whispered: “Don’t always be so willful; it’s bad for your health.”

“But…” Just as she was about to speak again, she felt Tantai Jing squeeze her hand. All her frustration vanished instantly. She gently squeezed back and stood pouting obediently beside her.

Tantai Jing: “This cliff bottom is covered in thick mist. We don’t know what dangers might be hidden within. Fellow Daoist Yan, what is your plan?”

Yan Gengshen walked to a section of the cliff face, used a spell to cut down several sturdy vines, and then returned and threw them on the ground: “This place is indeed the exit. There are no demonic beasts or other mechanisms in the thick mist, but spiritual energy will be completely lost upon entry. Fortunately, our main bodies are demons, and our physical bodies are strong. It shouldn’t be too difficult to hold on until the bottom of the cliff.”

Lu Xiaoxiao cursed inwardly: Your main bodies are snakes! You can crawl anywhere! Can Tantai Jing and I do the same?

Seeing that Yan Gengshen had already picked up his vine and tied it to a tree, Tantai Jing also picked up two vines. Lu Xiaoxiao quickly took them from her, pulling Tantai Jing aside: “Are we really going to listen to those two evil siblings?”

Tantai Jing stood at the edge of the cliff, looking gravely in the direction where the Yan Gengshen siblings had disappeared. The wind howled past the cliff, carrying a biting chill, making her robes flap loudly.

She reached out and tugged at the nearby vine, which felt cold and hard to the touch. Frowning, she whispered to Lu Xiaoxiao beside her: “It is indeed suspicious, but we have no other way, do we?”

Lu Xiaoxiao knelt on the ground, carefully wrapping the vine around Tantai Jing’s waist. She deftly tied a knot and yanked on it firmly, confirming the vine’s stability.

Hearing Tantai Jing’s words, she looked up, her gaze carrying a hint of helplessness: “But don’t you think their vines look greener and sturdier than these two we have?”

Hearing this, Tantai Jing tilted her head and glanced at the vines left by the Yan Gengshen siblings.

Sure enough, those two vines were vibrant green and smooth, looking as if they had just been picked from the tree. The vines in their hands, however, appeared somewhat withered, with even some dry cracks on the surface.

A vague unease arose in her heart. But this place was very strange, and only these four vines were left, as if someone had arranged it on purpose: “Perhaps. Be careful later, and stay close to me.”

Lu Xiaoxiao nodded. She took out two Demon Binding Ropes from her storage bag and carefully wrapped them around the vines, reinforcing them.

“All set.” Lu Xiaoxiao finished securing herself and stood up, dusting off her hands, taking a deep breath: “Let’s go.”

The two walked to the edge of the cliff and looked down. Occasionally, wind blew up from the abyss, carrying a damp, fishy smell.

Tantai Jing grasped the vine tightly with both hands, slowly lowering her body into the air. Her feet pressed against the cliff face as she moved downwards step by step.

Lu Xiaoxiao kept her eyes fixed on the bottom, trying to see the path ahead through the mist. However, the mist seemed alive, constantly swirling and completely obscuring their vision. In their ears, there was only the sound of the wind and the rustling of the vines rubbing against the cliff face, making it eerily silent.

“Spiritual energy really is completely unusable. The evil siblings are already out of sight,” Lu Xiaoxiao whispered, a hint of anxiety in her tone.

“Don’t worry about them, just focus,” Tantai Jing said gently to Lu Xiaoxiao.

The wind below the cliff was strong, and as the two descended, the swaying of the vines became more violent.

Lu Xiaoxiao could feel the surface of the vine becoming slippery, as if soaked in some kind of liquid. She looked down and saw that the color of the vine was gradually darkening, and a dark red liquid was seeping out of the surface, emitting a faint, fishy odor.

Just then, Lu Xiaoxiao suddenly heard a faint click-clack sound from above, like something was chewing on the vine.

Her heart leaped. She violently looked up, only to see two enormous rats clinging to the vine, their sharp teeth frantically gnawing at the surface. Their eyes glowed red, and they let out low hissing sounds, appearing exceptionally ferocious.

“Tantai Jing! There are rats up there chewing the vine!”

Tantai Jing looked up, her gaze hardening. The rats’ teeth were extremely sharp. A deep crack had already been gnawed into the vine, which could snap at any moment.

But when their teeth hit the Demon Binding Rope inside, they cried out in pain and retreated.

Seeing this, Lu Xiaoxiao let out a deep breath and continued to climb down slowly, step by step, feeling thankful that she had reinforced the vines.

However, the giant rats that had just retreated were not discouraged. Their eyes red, they rapidly scrambled toward the two.

Lu Xiaoxiao and Tantai Jing hurriedly drew the Chaoyuan Sword and Guichen Sword to defend themselves. Fortunately, the rats on this cliff were only ferocious and didn’t possess any spiritual energy. The two struggled somewhat to fend them off but were not harmed in the slightest.

Tantai Jing’s Guichen Sword glowed with a faint crimson light, as if fire was flowing within it. Although her spiritual energy was suppressed by the secret realm’s restriction, the innate fire attribute of the Guichen Sword still remained.

As the Guichen Sword emerged, the surrounding air subtly warmed, dispelling some of the coldness on the vines. The rats stopped chewing, their scarlet eyes fixed on Tantai Jing. They let out low hissing sounds from their throats but involuntarily backed away.

“As expected, beasts are just beasts; they are naturally afraid of fire,” Tantai Jing sneered.

Lu Xiaoxiao calmed her mind, not daring to waste any more time, and continued to climb down. This time, her speed was much faster than before.

While Tantai Jing and Lu Xiaoxiao struggled to descend the vine, on the other side of the cliff, the Yan Gengshen siblings had already disappeared. In their place, two enormous snake shadows coiled on the cliff face. One black and one gold, their scales shimmered with a cold light in the dimness, appearing exceedingly ominous.

The golden giant snake was Yan Sihong. Her massive body wrapped around the vine, her head slightly raised, and her scarlet tongue flickered in and out, making low hissing sounds.

Her voice carried a hint of cold malice as she slowly spoke: “It’s a good thing that the giant rats below this cliff are the natural enemies of our clan and can be commanded by us. Otherwise, it would be difficult to deal with that Tantai Jing.”

The black snake, Yan Gengshen, appeared calmer. His vertical pupils were like two sharp blades, fixed intently on the mist below, as if he could pierce through the heavy fog and see Tantai Jing and Lu Xiaoxiao’s every move.

His voice was low and hoarse, tinged with disdain: “We can only blame Tantai Jing for refusing to take the easy path. We offered her respect and invited her to rule both the Human and Demon Realms with us, yet she stubbornly favors a human—she truly doesn’t know what’s good for her. It is her fortune to die in this Lancang Demon Domain. Once she is dead and I obtain the Phoenix inheritance, I will no longer need to fear Fuzhao.”

Yan Sihong’s snake head turned slightly, looking at the vine below, and sneered: “Her Guichen Sword counters the giant rats, so they dare not approach, giving her an advantage. However, the Demon Binding Rope she placed inside the vine is a bit troublesome.”

Yan Gengshen’s vertical pupils contracted slightly. He said coldly: “It doesn’t matter. Although the Demon Binding Rope can restrain demons, it is merely child’s play for us. Sihong, go and bite through that Demon Binding Rope. Let them taste the feeling of falling into the abyss.”

Yan Sihong’s snake eyes flashed with ruthlessness upon hearing this. Her massive body slowly slid down the vine, her movements light, as if integrated with the cliff face.

At the same time, Tantai Jing and Lu Xiaoxiao were carefully descending the vine below.

Lu Xiaoxiao looked up, vaguely feeling that something was wrong. She whispered to Tantai Jing: “Do you feel like the vine is swaying more violently than before?”