The Demon Lord Relied on His Imagination to Get Together with the Protagonist. - Chapter 29

Chapter 29

The next day, the Demon Lord did not leave her room until the sun was high in the sky.

The attending servants did not dare to disturb her, and the subordinates waiting for the morning audience did not dare to utter any complaints, because everyone understood and did not want to spoil the Demon Lord’s mood.

Normally, the Venerable Lord would deal with the day’s issues on time. The Demon Realm’s jurisdiction was no less than Xianning’s, and she looked over all the memorials. However, there were no pressing matters these days, so a slight delay was fine.

The subordinates breathed a sigh of relief and returned home.

Su Rong, however, stood where she was, looking worried, seemingly having some important matter to report.

Qing Lin walked over to ask her.

Su Rong hesitated a little: “It’s actually not a big deal.”

The truth was, yesterday she met the Saint-Scribe Celestial Venerable. The Celestial Venerable subtly indicated that he missed his daughter and wanted to take Tong Siqing back to Xianning.

When Su Rong heard this command, she instantly panicked.

How was that possible?!

The Demon Lord and Siqing were currently in a deeply affectionate phase, eating and living together, inseparable all day long. It was hard enough for her to even deliver a message to Siqing, let alone take her back.

She immediately expressed her difficulty to the Celestial Venerable at the time. The Saint-Scribe Celestial Venerable hesitated for a moment and then actually said that he would come in person one day to see his daughter because he was worried—and it would be a secret visit.

Although Su Rong was an inside informant for the Xianning Sect, she was also a competent subordinate of the Demon Lord. She had to consider the interests of both sides. Hearing that the Celestial Venerable was coming in person, her first thought was that his action was very ill-considered.

Even if the Saint-Scribe Celestial Venerable’s magic was strong enough that he wouldn’t be trapped by the Demon Realm, such an abrupt visit would inevitably be detected by the Demon Lord and might cause a conflict. A minor clash was one thing, but if it harmed the relationship between the Demon Lord and Siqing, that would be bad.

With the Saint-Scribe Celestial Venerable’s temperament, he definitely couldn’t tolerate the Demon Lord’s strong desire to control his daughter.

No. He cannot come.

But once the Saint-Scribe Celestial Venerable made up his mind, he would not listen to her advice at all.

When Su Rong returned to the Demon Realm that night, she was in a daze, so worried that her hair was nearly falling out.

She wasn’t a silver-tongued orator who could single-handedly persuade the Saint-Scribe Celestial Venerable to retreat. She could only go home and ponder alone.

After a whole night of thinking, she finally had a brilliant idea.

—She would take advantage of the morning audience with the Demon Lord today to bring up a very urgent matter, preferably one that would divert the Demon Lord, making her leave the Palace of Decadence and Lust for a few days, or take Tong Siqing with her. Then, even if the Saint-Scribe Celestial Venerable came to the Palace of Decadence and Lust, he wouldn’t find anyone.

This would perfectly resolve the conflict.

Su Rong thought and thought and finally found a plausible reason just before dawn.

“I have a friend who said she saw an immortal artifact in the Scarlet Sky Realm,” Su Rong told Qing Lin. “It’s said to be the Phantom Mirror.”

Qing Lin was surprised: “That’s important news!”

Su Rong responded with a detached attitude: “Oh, yes.”

“If the news is confirmed, we must immediately report to the Venerable Lord!” Qing Lin was impatient. She grabbed Su Rong’s hand, intending to drag her to the Demon Lord. “If we are slow, the immortal artifact might be snatched by others.”

Su Rong: “…Yes.”

She had fabricated a very distant location, precisely to divert the Demon Lord and Tong Siqing, making their journey longer.

Before that, she needed to persuade the Demon Lord to set out.

But even if an immortal artifact was one of a kind, how could it warrant the great Demon Realm Venerable Lord to personally make the trip?

Su Rong started to worry again.

When she and Qing Lin stood at the entrance of Shi Zhihua’s bedchamber, she suddenly became hesitant—what if she failed to persuade the Demon Lord, and the Demon Lord instead sent other subordinates to retrieve the divine artifact? Wouldn’t that be counterproductive! If the Demon Lord then discovered she was being deceived, she would definitely be in deep trouble.

What should I do…

“The Venerable Lord is not awake yet.” Qing Lin stood worriedly at the door, then turned to ask her, “Given the urgency, do you think it’s better to wake the Venerable Lord, or to send a few people off first?”

Su Rong thought for a moment and answered truthfully: “Neither is good.”

Qing Lin: “…”

Having no other options and as they couldn’t knock on the door directly, Qing Lin resorted to “talking” loudly.

Qing Lin: “The weather is truly—fine—today!”

Su Rong: “…”

I can’t even look.

They didn’t directly call for Shi Zhihua, but Qing Lin’s loud voice was booming. Tong Siqing, who was asleep, turned over and was finally woken up by the noise.

Tong Siqing rubbed her eyelashes and murmured: “I heard it’s good weather outside.”

The Demon Lord beside her had been awake for a while and was lying on her side, watching her.

Shi Zhihua said: “Are you awake? Come out for a walk with me.”

Tong Siqing nodded, got up, and was about to get out of bed but was pulled back by Shi Zhihua.

Tong Siqing: ?

She was still groggy, not knowing what was happening, so she stared at Shi Zhihua with those innocent and moist eyes.

That look was truly unbearable. Shi Zhihua had succumbed to those eyes last night. Whenever she felt she should stop, Tong Siqing would look at her with that expression.

How could that allow her to rest with a clear conscience?

That was why neither of them had gotten up this morning.

Now, facing those eyes again, Shi Zhihua could only turn her head away with an effort: “Put on your clothes, be careful not to catch a cold.”

Tong Siqing numbly pulled the blanket higher: “Oh.”

Shi Zhihua thought, so this is what they mean by being so enchanted by beauty that one loses one’s wits. The matter of “from now on the sovereign does not hold morning court” actually happened to me.

One must know that she would have greatly scorned such behavior in the past.

Who would have thought that before long, she would be enjoying it herself?

“I’ll wait for you outside.”

Shi Zhihua got up and left, not daring to stay any longer.

As soon as she went out, she saw her two subordinates talking loudly outside the door while subtly observing her direction.

Shi Zhihua: “…If you have something, come here and say it.”

Su Rong reported: “Venerable Lord, this subordinate heard that an immortal artifact has appeared in the Scarlet Sky Realm—the Phantom Mirror.”

“The Phantom Mirror?” Shi Zhihua considered it. “What does its appearance have to do with me? Let others fight for it. When they have gathered several major immortal artifacts, and only the last one, the Di Hen Jie (Sovereign’s Regret Knot), is missing, I will then make a move and snatch all the collected ones.”

Su Rong knelt there, thinking, Damn it.

The Venerable Lord was currently uninterested in fighting for immortal artifacts. Did that mean the excuse couldn’t be used?

She anxiously thought for a while and added a few sentences: “This subordinate believes that after all, it is an immortal artifact. We can only feel secure if it is firmly in our hands. If we allow it to circulate outside, what if it gets damaged…”

“If it gets damaged, then it gets damaged.” The Demon Lord didn’t look very interested. “Isn’t it good if it’s damaged? It saves those people from fighting over it every day and disturbing the peace.”

Su Rong: “…”

If she could see her own expression, she would definitely look like she was about to cry.

Qing Lin saw her predicament and also knelt to speak for her: “Venerable Lord, we already have the Di Hen Jie. Why not take the initiative and be the first to collect the five great immortal artifacts?”

Shi Zhihua lazily tidied her sleeve cuffs: “What good is it to collect them?”

Qing Lin glanced not far away and said: “You can unify the world.”

Not far away, Tong Siqing had finished dressing and came out.

“The world…”

Shi Zhihua sneered, about to say, Why would I be greedy for this world?

But then she turned her head and saw Tong Siqing.

She suddenly recalled Tong Siqing’s sincere words not long ago. The girl had said—this world belongs to me.

The rest of the words Shi Zhihua had planned to say instantly died in her throat.

At this moment, she recalled Tong Siqing’s resolute expression at the time. The girl seemed firmly convinced that she would one day unify the three realms, and her eyes were full of expectation.

Speaking for herself, Shi Zhihua was too lazy to start a war to fight for something that didn’t belong to her and didn’t interest her. But… what if Tong Siqing wanted it?

Shi Zhihua’s thoughts instantly shifted.

She suddenly felt that perhaps fighting for the immortal artifact wasn’t out of the question.

Her Demon Realm was vast and rich, with strong military power, capable of withstanding the combined forces of the righteous factions. If the Demon Realm made a move to seize the immortal artifacts, then gathering the five great immortal artifacts would undoubtedly happen sooner.

If she collected the immortal artifacts soon, she could quickly fulfill Tong Siqing’s vision.

Thinking this way, Shi Zhihua suddenly became somewhat interested.

So, she faintly gave a “Mm,” and then instructed: “How much time is needed? I will send a few demon generals with you. Retrieve it as soon as possible and avoid getting hurt.”

Su Rong feared this exact result. In a panic, she blurted out: “You must go yourself!”

Shi Zhihua looked at her: “Why?”

Su Rong: “…”

This… the excuse isn’t ready yet.

Not far away, Tong Siqing had walked over.

She stood beside Shi Zhihua, listening curiously to their conversation: “Is the Venerable Lord going out?”

Shi Zhihua put an arm around her: “The Phantom Mirror has appeared.”

“The Phantom Mirror?” Tong Siqing asked. “That ugly immortal artifact?”

Su Rong: “…I suppose so.”

Shi Zhihua looked at Tong Siqing: “Have you seen it?”

She hadn’t just seen it; the Phantom Mirror was sitting right in the Xianning Sect.

Although the thing was called an immortal artifact, it didn’t look immortal at all. Her father had glanced at it in disgust and casually tossed it into a corner of the Hall of Fuyun.

Tong Siqing saw the ugly thing every day when she went to pay her respects to her father.

Since there was only one Phantom Mirror in the world, Tong Siqing couldn’t admit it, so she shook her head: “I haven’t seen it.”

Shi Zhihua was still considering whether to seize the item.

She seemed a little swayed.

Su Rong quickly fabricated an excuse: “It is said that after the Phantom Mirror was discovered in the Scarlet Sky Realm, no one could take it away because there is a protective barrier around it, and only pure Heavenly Demon blood can unlock it.”

This reason should be good enough!

There were very few people with Heavenly Demon blood, but as luck would have it, the Demon Lord possessed the purest Heavenly Demon blood!

This way, the Venerable Lord had no reason not to go!

Su Rong thought smugly.

“Oh? It seems someone has set a trap for me,” Shi Zhihua understood instantly. “This is clearly an intentional ploy to lure me there. I wonder what kind of trap they have prepared for me.”

Su Rong: “…”

I almost forgot, the Venerable Lord is suspicious. Although this might persuade her to go retrieve the immortal artifact, it also sows the seed of doubt in her mind.

This is so difficult.

“Where is the Scarlet Sky Realm?”

Tong Siqing looked curious. When she comprehended the heavenly destiny, she hadn’t noticed anything happening there. And in her life, besides the Xianning Sect and the Palace of Decadence and Lust, she hadn’t been to any other place.

Although the original plot didn’t mention the Scarlet Sky Realm, Tong Siqing heard the name and felt that it must be a fun place.

“The Scarlet Sky Realm is a marvelous place… like the Mortal Realm, like the Demon Realm, and like the Immortal Realm,” Qing Lin proactively explained to her. “The people who live there include those from the Immortal and Demon Realms, as well as the Mortal Realm. Their origins are not questioned. Those who are willing to stay there must abandon their previous identities and live a peaceful life.”

Shi Zhihua also said: “The Scarlet Sky Realm is also a place that will never be affected by war.”

It was the equivalent of a neutral zone.

“However, if the three realms go to war, it will close itself off and will not accept any refugees, so as to avoid introducing conflict,” Qing Lin said. “So, many people settle there before a war begins, as a precaution. The Scarlet Sky Realm is peaceful and quiet. Most of the people there are good at enjoying life and entertainment. It is suitable for a visit when you have leisure time.”

Despite never having heard of this place, Tong Siqing still listened with keen interest.

A gentle breeze wafted through the Palace of Decadence and Lust. The weather was indeed as beautiful as Qing Lin described. Tong Siqing let the gentle wind brush against her cheek. She extended her fingers, as if she could touch the warm breeze.

Everything in this world was so real and beautiful. Although she was the only one who had seen through the heavenly destiny and awakened her personal will, the course of events was not entirely following the predetermined path. If she paid attention, she could notice the little joys in between.

For example, the Scarlet Sky Realm.

Tong Siqing thought, this place that suddenly popped up might be some kind of surprise.

She wanted to go see it.

“Do you want to go?” Shi Zhihua said. “If you have the inclination, I will accompany you to play for a few days.”

Hearing this, Su Rong looked happier than Tong Siqing. She looked at Tong Siqing with delight, hoping the girl would agree quickly.

Shi Zhihua: “…Su Rong.”

What are you looking at?!

Su Rong could only withdraw her gaze and explained: “Venerable Lord, this subordinate is willing to go with you to ensure your safety.”

Qing Lin’s eyes lit up: “Venerable Lord, this subordinate also…”

Shi Zhihua: “…The two of you should stay and guard the Palace of Decadence and Lust.”

Tong Siqing spoke: “But, it’s more lively with more people.”

Shi Zhihua instantly changed her mind: “Fine, then everyone goes together.”

In a few days, the group packed up and prepared to set off for the Scarlet Sky Realm.

Ostensibly, they were going to seize an immortal artifact. In reality, the items they brought were all suitable for casual outings. They didn’t bring any defensive or offensive magical treasures, essentially going on a pleasure trip under the guise of an official mission.

Shi Zhihua didn’t even bring any other subordinates.

She only called Qing Lin and Su Rong to protect Tong Siqing.

The vast Palace of Decadence and Lust was left unattended with the Demon Lord gone and her trusted subordinates also away. They were truly carefree, simply abandoning the Palace of Decadence and Lust like that to go and play.

Before leaving, Su Rong still asked worriedly—should the Venerable Lord appoint someone to guard the Palace of Decadence and Lust? After all, the Di Hen Jie was still inside. If villains took the opportunity to sneak in, wouldn’t that be a massive loss?

Shi Zhihua nodded, raised her hand, and then unlocked the Palace of Decadence and Lust’s external restriction.

Everyone: “???”

Why did she remove the restriction?

“If someone is truly worried about this, let them come in as ‘guests’.”

Shi Zhihua gave a false smile and then set up an extremely powerful inner protective barrier. The purpose of an inner protective barrier was actually not this. It was typically used to imprison someone, to prevent the person inside from escaping or harming those outside the barrier.

Su Rong silently prayed. The Saint-Scribe Celestial Venerable shouldn’t be blocked by this thing, right?

Shi Zhihua was satisfied: “This is good. If many people come, let them gather in one place and practice Gu (a form of black magic or ritual combat) on each other. We’ll see who the final Gu King is. I will just kill him when I return.”

Because she was going out to play, Tong Siqing was in a good mood. She happily joined in: “Good, let them fight amongst themselves.”

Su Rong: “…Alright.”

Su Rong was conflicted, hoping that the Saint-Scribe Celestial Venerable would come and not find anyone, but also hoping he wouldn’t come at all. If he were trapped, that would be too much of a coincidence.

The news of the Demon Lord’s departure did not spread, but Shi Zhihua was not worried at all. She firmly believed there was a spy in the Palace of Decadence and Lust. Although she did not widely announce her departure, the news would surely be passed on by the spy as soon as she left. When that attracted those people, she could then catch them in a trap.

Not long after she left.

A person stood outside the Palace of Decadence and Lust.

The arrival did not hide at all, wearing a silver robe, standing aloof with his hands behind his back, cold like a frozen pine tree.

“Celestial Venerable, this is the Demon Realm. The Demon Realm dislikes white. We should follow local customs and change into black clothes.” The Ninth Immortal Sage, Qi Magu, quietly hinted to the Saint-Scribe Celestial Venerable, while nervously scanning the surroundings, fearing that the Demon Clan guards would discover their Celestial Venerable.

“Acceptable.”

The Saint-Scribe Celestial Venerable thought for a long time before condescendingly waving his hand, changing the silver robe’s color.

Seeing the Saint-Scribe Celestial Venerable so easily persuaded, Qi Magu was nearly moved to tears!

Oh my goodness, the Saint-Scribe Celestial Venerable is so wonderful!

A few days ago, Qi Magu nearly fainted when he heard his eldest disciple had been detained by the Demon Lord. After recovering, he went to plead with the Celestial Venerable, only to find the Celestial Venerable’s attitude extremely indifferent, seemingly not planning to rescue the disciple.

Qi Magu alone certainly couldn’t sneak into the Palace of Decadence and Lust to retrieve his disciple. And the Saint-Scribe Celestial Venerable didn’t seem to plan to send anyone else to help him.

Just as Qi Magu was prepared to give up on his eldest disciple, the Celestial Venerable personally approached him yesterday, saying he “could save the person.”

Following that, the Saint-Scribe Celestial Venerable personally accompanied him to the Palace of Decadence and Lust.

This was a great honor!

To think that the aloof and cold Saint-Scribe Celestial Venerable actually came in person!

Even standing in front of the Palace of Decadence and Lust, Qi Magu was still in a daze. If the Celestial Venerable were not right here, he would have thought he was dreaming.

“Celestial Venerable, please allow me to lead the way for you.”

Qi Magu respectfully bowed, then prepared to cast a spell to break the restriction here.

“No need.”

The Saint-Scribe Celestial Venerable calmly stared into the Palace of Decadence and Lust, peacefully closed his eyes, and when he looked up again, a trace of confusion flashed in his pale gray pupils.

Su Rong is not in the Palace of Decadence and Lust?

The Saint-Scribe had intended to have her lead the way, but Su Rong must have left for some business and was temporarily absent from the Palace of Decadence and Lust.

However, this was not a major issue. Even without Su Rong, he could still find Siqing.

“Celestial Venerable?”

Qi Magu waited for a long time and finally saw the Celestial Venerable move.

The Saint-Scribe Celestial Venerable seemed to have just come back to his senses.

“Lead the way.”

He said.

Qi Magu nodded, taking utmost caution. He raised his hands and carefully cast a spell. He had studied countless esoteric magical formations, enough to break all restrictions in the world. As long as the restriction wasn’t too tricky, he could…

He could…

A cold sweat broke out on Qi Magu’s forehead. His confidence was slowly draining away.

Something is wrong.

He couldn’t activate the restriction of the Palace of Decadence and Lust. It was like putting his hand on water; he should have been able to feel a faint resistance, but at this moment, even with all his focus and using all his skills, he couldn’t touch that layer of restriction.

It was like putting his hand into a gold basin and feeling only empty air.

It was bewildering.

Could it be?

Has the restriction of the Palace of Decadence and Lust reached such a powerful degree?

He, an Immortal Sage who specialized in studying restrictions and formations, couldn’t even touch the boundary. Forget about breaking it; he couldn’t even activate it!

The Demon Realm’s Palace of Decadence and Lust is terrifying!

Qi Magu, the Ninth Immortal Sage, was covered in cold sweat. In front of the Saint-Scribe Celestial Venerable, the pressure was immense.

His legs were shaking as he stood there.

He had never been this distressed…

Qi Magu tried for a good half-hour. His deeply wrinkled face seemed to gain a few more creases from worry.

“Forgive me, Celestial Venerable,” Qi Magu said with a pained expression. “This subordinate is incompetent and cannot break the restriction of the Palace of Decadence and Lust.”

Behind him, the Saint-Scribe Celestial Venerable seemed to let out a soft sigh.

Then, Qi Magu was astonished to see the Celestial Venerable take a step and walk directly into the Palace of Decadence and Lust without performing any action.

Qi Magu: “???”

The Saint-Scribe Celestial Venerable is also terrifying!

“Celestial Venerable, wait for me!”

Qi Magu was extremely worried. After anxiously pacing around for a while, he heard the Saint-Scribe Celestial Venerable’s voice drifting from inside.

“There is no restriction here; you may enter directly.”

“I see.” Qi Magu was extremely embarrassed. He stepped inside, then said in confusion, “But, Celestial Venerable, when I tried just now, although I couldn’t activate the restriction, I could sense the presence of a formation barrier here. I concluded there must be some kind of barrier, but my knowledge of the Dao is insufficient to see the details.”

The Saint-Scribe Celestial Venerable turned his head, silent for a moment.

The Ninth Immortal Sage’s skill in formations was second to none in the Xianning Sect. Given his specialized knowledge, the Saint-Scribe trusted his words.

But earlier, he had thought the man was simply blinded, unable to see through the empty fort strategy, and thus was afraid to proceed.

…Thinking about it now, it was highly likely that the Palace of Decadence and Lust’s barrier was uniquely tricky.

What if I was careless?

The Saint-Scribe Celestial Venerable hesitated for a rare moment, then turned back to spy on the hidden complexities of the place.

Qi Magu also followed him back.

Both raised their hands, expecting to pass through smoothly, but instead felt a cold barrier.

Qi Magu: “…”

I was careless.

Saint-Scribe: “…No matter.”

“We rely on the Celestial Venerable to break the formation.” Qi Magu immediately tossed this difficult barrier problem to him. He knew he couldn’t break such an extremely strong inner protective barrier.

It had to be the Saint-Scribe Celestial Venerable.

“No need to rush.”

The Saint-Scribe couldn’t discern the trick either. He temporarily couldn’t think of a way to break the barrier, so he decided to look for the person first. In any case, Qi Magu, seeing such an esoteric formation, would surely start actively thinking about how to solve it. He didn’t need to worry too much.

Qi Magu also understood.

The Saint-Scribe Celestial Venerable must disdain such petty tricks, which was why he was so calm.

That’s right. With the Celestial Venerable here, I don’t need to worry at all!

Who is the Saint-Scribe Celestial Venerable? He is the number one person in the world!

Qi Magu sincerely admired the Celestial Venerable. His reverence had long been etched into his bones. Whatever the Celestial Venerable did was right!

Thus, the two who came together walked openly into the Palace of Decadence and Lust to search for the person. Neither of them considered the troublesome formation again.