The Demon Lord is My Dark Moonlight [Transmigration Novel] - Chapter 43

Two weeks later, Shen Chigui—after spending all that time in dissipation—finally remembered her “business” and began to get busy. Gu Jinli finally got a moment to breathe.

She spent the first two days sleeping like the dead to recover, then took the time to release the treasures from her storage bag. Because of the lead’s constant presence, she hadn’t had a chance to let them out for fresh air in half a month. They must have been suffocating.

“Ah Li! I missed you!”

“Hugs for Ah Li~”

“Stupid stool, move over!”

Having finally been released by their Creator, the long-neglected treasures were overjoyed. They didn’t blame Gu Jinli for ignoring them; they only blamed themselves for not being able to help her.

“Ah Li’s scent has changed~”

“I want to help Ah Li~”

The room was filled with the vibrant, caring chatter of the objects. Gu Jinli, who had been worried they’d be upset, let out a soft sigh of relief.

“I don’t need help right now.” She reached out and caught the little bell that was hopping around, a soft smile playing on her lips. “Thank you for your hard work. You must have been bored to death.”

“Nope~”

Caught by her favorite Deity, the Soul-Suppressing Bell’s “head” hummed with sheer joy. However, it didn’t forget its companions. Noticing something missing in the room, it asked curiously, “Ah Li, where is that sword? Has it not been guarding you these past few days?”

“Ahem.”

At the mention of her natal sword, Ash Frost Snow, Gu Jinli’s expression stiffened slightly. She quickly said, “I put it away.”

In reality, on the first day she encountered Shen Chigui, the sword had been unceremoniously tossed out by that person. Later, to prevent a “person vs. blade” war, Gu Jinli had sent Ash Frost Snow out to “play.” It wasn’t that the sword hadn’t tried to return, but she had been so entangled by the female lead that she simply hadn’t let it in.

It was indeed time to check in.

“What has Ah Li been doing all this time?~”

The Polymorphic Clay—which had turned itself into a chair—gave the Soul-Suppressing Bell a sharp “glare” when the Deity wasn’t looking. It scooted closer and said wistfully, “Can you take me along next time? I can turn into anything.” From furniture to tools, it was a versatile treasure.

“Looking for someone,” Gu Jinli replied vaguely. “I’ve already found her.” She paused, adding, “If I need you later, I’ll bring you out.”

“How cunning! I want to help Ah Li too!~”

“And me! And me!”

The treasures, who had been eavesdropping for a while, immediately erupted into a cacophony of chirps and whistles. The room became rowdy in an instant.

Gu Jinli issued a mental call to Ash Frost Snow. Once she received a response, she finally relaxed. When a longsword streaked through the window and into the room, Gu Jinli was still busy coaxing one treasure after another.

“Ah Li!”

The sword flew straight to her, skillfully flicking the Soul-Suppressing Bell out of her hand and nestling itself into her palm. “You finally remembered me! I thought you didn’t want me anymore!” it cried. If not for the soul contract allowing it to sense her location, it would have truly felt abandoned.

“How could I not want you?” Gu Jinli pampered her natal sword, squeezing the hilt affectionately. “Where have you been these past two weeks?”

“Ah Li!~” The hilt trembled with delight under her touch. Ash Frost Snow hummed, “I saw another sword! It’s locked up!”

“Another sword?” Gu Jinli tilted her head.

“Yes! It says its name is Night Moon!” Ash Frost Snow babbled like an innocent child. “It’s been abandoned by its master, thrown into a blood pool for a long, long time.”

Night Moon? Blood pool?

The familiar name caught Gu Jinli’s attention. That was the protagonist’s natal sword. “You said the sword is Night Moon? And it’s abandoned in a blood pool?” Why a blood pool?

“Yes, yes!~” Ash Frost Snow said. “It’s so pitiful, it can’t go anywhere!”

As a sword, Ash Frost Snow felt lucky. It had a Deity, friends, and freedom.

“Where is this blood pool?”

Why would Shen Chigui abandon her own sword? And what was this blood pool? It didn’t sound good. Gu Jinli gripped Ash Frost Snow and asked, “Can you lead the way?”

“Okay!~”

The Deity had made a request; naturally, it would be granted. Ash Frost Snow nuzzled her palm one last time before flying out to point the way. “Ah Li, follow me.”

Gu Jinli gave a quick instruction to the other treasures and nimbly climbed out the window.

*****

A short while later, Gu Jinli stood at the entrance of the “Blood Pool,” her confusion growing.

“Are you sure it’s down here?!”

She looked around in a daze. The familiar streets and the location… this was the exact site of the Demon Realm Selection. She had been here before through a different entrance that led to the arena. How could there be a blood pool beneath it?

“It’s here!” Ash Frost Snow insisted. “The blood pool is right below!”

There was nothing for it but to investigate. Gu Jinli suppressed her doubts and followed the sword through the heavy door.

*****

The door opened to a deep, narrow tunnel that spiraled downward indefinitely. Gu Jinli walked for what felt like forever, the air growing thick with a damp, metallic scent of blood and earth.

Since it was pitch black, she pulled a luminous Night Pearl from her storage bag. The egg-sized gem cast a soft, steady glow, lighting the path. She noticed the tunnel was remarkably well-constructed; the walls were perfectly smooth and reinforced.

Half an hour later, they reached the bottom. The space was massive—roughly the size of a basketball court. In the center was a pool, but the floor around it was the real shock.

Treasures. Thousands of them. Almost every step she took, she stepped on a magical artifact. Some were buried in the dirt, others piled into small hills. It was a literal treasury, but the sheer volume was haunting.

“Ah Li, come quick!”

Ash Frost Snow flew straight to the center. Gu Jinli hurried over, her Night Pearl illuminating the pool.

“This is…!”

She gasped. A pool filled with blood and treasures confirmed her sword’s story. It was a blood pool. The familiar “Night Moon” sword floated right in the center, acting like a pillar of stability. It was surrounded by blood and jewels, and the stench of iron was overwhelming.

“Deity…”

“The Deity has come…”

“Save me…”

“Don’t let me be sacrificed…”

The aura of the Creator awakened the treasures here. Faint consciousnesses began to stir, calling out in pain. They trembled and shifted, inching toward Gu Jinli like a tide of worshippers.

“Ah Li!” Ash Frost Snow hovered protectively by her side, worried the crawling treasures might offend her.

Gu Jinli stood still, overwhelmed by the sight of thousands of objects moving toward her. She realized these weren’t here voluntarily; they were being held by force.

“What is happening here?” she asked aloud.

Her eyes fixed on Night Moon. Her intuition told her this sword knew the truth. It was the only object elevated above the rest, standing in the pool without a drop of blood touching its blade.

“You have come, Deity,” the sword’s voice resonated. “I have waited for you a long time. As you see, we are all sacrifices for an array. And I… am the core.”

“I wanted to find you long ago. But I cannot leave. Perhaps you have forgotten, but we have met before… back in the Tower of Heaven, you did not take me. You left me there. Now that the Tower has been destroyed, I am trapped here…”

“What?!” Gu Jinli interrupted, her heart racing. “The Tower of Heaven… has been destroyed?! How?!”

That was the single greatest “cheat” she had written for the protagonist, the foundational thread of the entire plot—how could it just vanish?!

Moreover, while others might be oblivious, she knew better than anyone that the Tower of Heaven was sentient. It would never watch itself be destroyed without a fight. So what exactly had happened?

Looking at the state of the sword Night Moon, Gu Jinli felt a cold wave of dread wash over her. Could it be…

“Deity, my master wished to keep you here forever. To that end, she scoured countless forbidden scrolls and found an ancient, tattered remnant,” the sword’s voice resonated through the chamber.

“Ten years ago, your repeated escapes caused my master to suspect the Tower. Using her authority as the Master of the Secret Realm, she systematically dismantled it. She no longer trusted me, nor the realm. When she finally activated the ancient scroll, she used me as the core of the array.”

“Everything you see here is proof of my master’s obsession. She needs immense power to bind you, and we… are merely the sacrifices to repair that ancient scroll.”

…

To forcibly detain a deity from across time and space was an act of supreme sacrilege. Especially since she was the Creator of this world; no treasure would willingly participate. But strangely, whenever they faced Shen Chigui—whenever they stood before that person—a primal sense of suppression rendered them unable to resist.

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