The Demon Lord Is Carrying My Child - Chapter 36

“The Pagoda tree is known as the ‘ghost among woods.’ Most ancient supernatural legends are related to it. With such a vast and imposing forest of Pagoda trees, we must be careful,” Qian Feng said meaningfully, scrutinizing the trees before them.

Ji Shutao didn’t feel much of anything. What caught her attention was another mountain sitting right next to Mt. Huai. It looked plain and unremarkable, no different from any ordinary mountain, yet Ji Shutao found herself fixated on it. She pointed a finger and asked, “What mountain is that?”

Both Zhuang Yi and Qian Feng looked over. Zhuang Yi’s gaze turned slightly cold. “That is Devouring Demon Mountain (Shi Mo Shan).”

Qian Feng joked half-seriously, “It seems there aren’t many ‘good’ mountains in this neighborhood.”

“Devouring Demon Mountain?” Ji Shutao repeated, trying to infer the meaning from the name and Qian Feng’s tone. “Does it specifically devour the Demon Race?”

“Not specifically the Demon Race. It eats anything, especially pretty girls. It’s just that this mountain is very close to my Demon Realm. In the early years, those who went there were mostly demons, and none returned, so the mountain gradually earned the name ‘Devouring Demon,'” Qian Feng said nonchalantly, not finding the mountain particularly terrifying.

For someone of her level, life was mostly about seeking pleasure.

“A few years ago, rumors spread that skeletons were seen carrying a coffin to a wedding on Devouring Demon Mountain; that’s where the idea of it liking pretty girls came from. Whether it’s true or false, no one knows,” Zhuang Yi added.

“Skeletons carrying a coffin to a wedding?” Ji Shutao thought the image was both hilarious and creepy. “Who uses a coffin for a wedding?”

“That’s because it’s not a wedding,” Qian Feng leaned into Ji Shutao’s ear and whispered chillingly, “It’s a feast.”

Ji Shutao immediately pressed against Qian Feng and made a funny face, countering her spookiness.

“Which has a heavier yin energy? Mt. Huai or Devouring Demon Mountain?” Ji Shutao asked.

“I never noticed before, but now that I look, they seem about equal,” Zhuang Yi mused.

“I have a bad feeling about Devouring Demon Mountain. I feel like something is going to happen. Why don’t we go take a look at Devouring Demon Mountain first?”

Ji Shutao’s intuition was strong. Since both mountains were right there and weren’t going anywhere, it didn’t matter which they visited first.

“Then we go to Devouring Demon Mountain first.”

Qian Feng became serious. She had been laughing with Ji Shutao just a moment ago, but now her expression had cooled. “Devouring Demon Mountain is not easy to deal with. Your Eminence, you must stay behind us later.”

“Alright.” Zhuang Yi once again handed the Qingyi Sword to Ji Shutao. She was currently no different from an ordinary person; she likely wouldn’t be able to recover her cultivation until after the child was born.

This didn’t affect Zhuang Yi much. To her, having cultivation or not was the same. Moreover, Ji Shutao had made significant progress, and with Qian Feng by her side, she had nothing to worry about. She only hoped not to cause trouble. The child was also very well-behaved; as long as the little one was quiet, she was at peace.

The three began to deviate from their original path, heading toward Devouring Demon Mountain.

There were clear signs of human passage on the path leading to the mountain, and the tracks weren’t very old. The three looked at each other, wondering who else would come to Devouring Demon Mountain besides them.

Ji Shutao’s heart beat rapidly, harboring a faint hope. “Could it be Senior Brother and the others?”

Devouring Demon Mountain was quite far from Mt. Beichen; it shouldn’t be her senior brothers.

“But the conference is being held at Cangyou Pavilion, and Cangyou Pavilion is close to here.”

Compared to Mt. Beichen, Cangyou Pavilion was indeed much closer, but what would Ji Shutao’s senior brothers be doing here?

Ji Shutao lost some of her excitement. “I don’t know, I just feel like it’s them.”

Zhuang Yi pursed her lips. “We’ll know once we go see.”

The three followed the tracks all the way. The journey was smooth, and they encountered nothing until the end of the road, where a dilapidated mountain stronghold appeared.

The stronghold was built halfway up the mountain. The gates were mottled and worn; it was clear it had been abandoned for a long time.

Some defensive fences were still placed on both sides of the gate. Although Zhuang Yi and Qian Feng had heard of Devouring Demon Mountain, this was their first time entering, so they were somewhat surprised by the sight.

“People actually lived on Devouring Demon Mountain?” Ji Shutao’s shock was evident.

“Perhaps in the early years,” Zhuang Yi replied.

There were a few characters above the stronghold gate, likely the name of the place, but they were no longer legible. Ji Shutao firmly held Zhuang Yi’s hand as they followed Qian Feng. The three bypassed the fences and walked into the stronghold.

The scale of the stronghold was visible from the gate; it was indeed quite large. There were houses on both sides, but because they had been out of repair for so long with no inhabitants, most had collapsed and were overgrown with weeds.

They continued inward, encountering not a single shred of danger. Seeing the solemn expressions on Zhuang Yi and Qian Feng’s faces, Ji Shutao didn’t dare claim the legends were fake; she simply followed them obediently.

At the innermost part of the stronghold was a large platform that directly straddled the entire road. Behind the platform were some buildings connected by small paths, which looked more luxurious than the others likely the quarters of the Chieftain and his kin.

The platform had three seats. In the center was a tiger-skin chair; though the tiger skin was still bright, cobwebs were visible around it.

On the left and right of the tiger-skin chair were two chairs covered in ordinary animal skins. The platform was well-constructed; it hadn’t rotted or decayed after all these years, and it felt stable when the three stepped onto it.

Just as Qian Feng wanted to step forward to investigate, the entire platform shook violently. The platform was at least two or three meters off the ground. Ji Shutao’s first reaction was to pull Zhuang Yi into her arms to protect her; it would be no joke if Zhuang Yi fell.

Qian Feng managed to steady herself and looked back at the swaying Ji Shutao. “Take Her Eminence and jump down!”

Ji Shutao nodded hurriedly, holding Zhuang Yi as they landed on the ground.

Qian Feng remained on the platform. The platform emitted a very eerie light. When Ji Shutao and Zhuang Yi looked again, Qian Feng was trapped inside a formation.

The formation had three layers top, middle, and bottom each rotating in different directions. Because of this, it was difficult to find the eye of the array. Qian Feng was trapped tightly. Just as Ji Shutao wanted to go over to see if she could break it, Zhuang Yi pulled her hand.

Zhuang Yi was perfectly calm, which meant this was nothing to Qian Feng. Sure enough, Qian Feng waited for the right moment and slashed her sword toward the sky. The entire formation was broken, and the shaking of the platform stopped.

Qian Feng’s face remained cold as she used her sword to flip over the tiger skin. On the back of the chair hidden by the skin, there was a small symbol: three circles, one each at the top, middle, and bottom. Excluding the fine details, it was identical to the formation just now.

Qian Feng’s face darkened. “Perhaps people from Cangyou Pavilion really are on this mountain.”

Ji Shutao also leaned in to look. That was a unique formation mark of Cangyou Pavilion. For it to appear here and be capable of trapping people it couldn’t be a coincidence.

The three continued inward, first searching the main house behind the platform.

The main house should have belonged to the Chieftain. This Chieftain appeared to be a rough man who didn’t understand refinement.

Although there were many antiques and paintings in the room, they were all placed haphazardly, seemingly just for show.

Qian Feng’s nose twitched. “I feel like the yin energy in this room is particularly heavy.”

She waved her hand; not only was the yin energy heavy, but the dust was also quite thick.

Zhuang Yi also nodded. “This room is unusual. There might be a secret chamber.”

The three touched everything that could possibly be a mechanism, but they still couldn’t find the switch to the secret room.

Ji Shutao, while rolling up her sleeves to fan herself, plopped down to sit, not caring about the dust. As it turned out, this single sit opened a door.

Some people are always unlucky, like Mei Wuhen; some people are always lucky, like Ji Shutao.

The door was behind the main seat, almost blending perfectly with the wall. The three braced themselves and walked in, still maintaining caution.

If the outer main room reflected the owner’s personality, then this secret chamber was definitely not the work of that owner.

The entire secret chamber was a solid, blood-red color. Zhuang Yi felt uncomfortable just looking at it and had already gagged once.

Ji Shutao covered her eyes and led her slowly, while she and Qian Feng examined the room closely.

There was no furniture in the room. They couldn’t see clearly even with the daylight from outside, so Qian Feng went out and brought in several candlesticks. The moment the candles were lit, Ji Shutao was deeply shocked.

The entire secret chamber was covered in all sorts of talismans. With so many talismans layered together, they were still orderly and not chaotic. Beneath their feet was a giant talisman, seemingly drawn with human blood, exuding an atmosphere of gloom.

Qian Feng knelt to touch it. It was unclear how old the blood was.

Between the overall style and the room full of talismans, even a layman could tell this wasn’t anything good.

Leaving that room, the three immediately felt much more comfortable and less oppressed.

Ji Shutao handed the bamboo tube she carried to Zhuang Yi, letting her drink some water. Her face had turned quite pale.

“I’m fine, that room was just uncomfortable,” Zhuang Yi patted Ji Shutao’s hand with a silly smile to reassure her.

“Actually, one can guess. Such a large stronghold with no people, and the Chieftain’s secret room is full of talismans perhaps it’s used to suppress evil spirits. As for what these spirits are…” Qian Feng’s pause was meaningful. Ji Shutao felt her skin crawl. What else could it be but the people of this stronghold?

How many people were in this entire stronghold? And how many blood debts did that secret chamber carry?

Ji Shutao couldn’t help but shiver. “My goodness.”

“But it’s just a guess. After all, I’m not an insider like those from Cangyou Pavilion.”

Upon hearing “Cangyou Pavilion,” Zhuang Yi felt something flash through her mind. Her heart raced with anxiety, and she could only clutch her chest.

Ji Shutao, who was always watching her, asked worriedly, “What’s wrong?”

“I can’t say for sure.”

Zhuang Yi shook her head. For some reason, every time she encountered Cangyou Pavilion, she had this strange feeling. It wasn’t just the scent of death; there was something else, but she couldn’t think of it.

“Stomach ache, or dizziness?” Ji Shutao was getting anxious.

“Neither. It might just be a false sensation.”

Zhuang Yi rested for a while and felt much better, signaling to Ji Shutao and Qian Feng not to worry.

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