The Demon Lord Relied on His Imagination to Get Together with the Protagonist. - Chapter 55

Chapter 55

Shi Zhihua was vain and usually sought a certain aesthetic even when fighting, but for pure satisfaction, she had a strong fondness for the action of kicking people. When a defeated enemy knelt miserably, she only needed to deliver a kick to their shoulder. The opponent would then fly out in a beautiful arc, like a kite plummeting from mid-air, before hitting the ground and spitting blood.

Shi Zhihua was very pleased. She withdrew her foot and admired the opponent’s crushing defeat.

Cen Letian lay flat, passively waiting for the Demon Lord to kill him.

However, when he heard footsteps again, what met his eyes was not the Demon Lord’s red hemline, but a white robe.

Cen Letian: !!!

“Master!” Cen Letian’s pupils contracted. He was more afraid than when he saw the Demon Lord. He strained his body, retreating half a step, unable to accept the reality before him. He chose to evade it: “Has Master come to kill me? There’s no need to dirty your hands; your disciple will do it himself.“

Fuluo stopped him: “Wait.“

Cen Letian’s hand froze. He looked at her in astonishment, a faint spark of hope igniting in his heart.

But the next second, he heard his Master say.

Fuluo: “First, take off the Meridian Gate Bell on your neck. Don’t let it be defiled. The Demon Lord asked me for this item, and I must give it to her first.“

Cen Letian: ???

Meridian Gate Bell: ???

The Meridian Gate Bell on his neck also swayed its clapper, a small bell with a huge question mark.

Cen Letian obediently untied the bell and handed it to Fuluo Immortal Master.

Fuluo took the bell and walked away without looking back.

Cen Letian: “Master, I…“

Fuluo left him with a single sentence: “I’ll deal with you later. Don’t rush.“

Cen Letian: “…“

Okay.

Cen Letian waited miserably where he was. Fuluo took the Meridian Gate Bell and gave it to the Demon Lord.

Shi Zhihua didn’t even want to take the bell. She found it dirty, so she summoned her golden snake and told it to keep it and play with it for now.

Fuluo: “Thank you, Demon Lord, for sparing my disciple’s life. This Meridian Gate Bell is now yours to dispose of.“

Shi Zhihua raised an eyebrow: “This immortal artifact has recognized a master. Unless the contract is dissolved or your disciple is killed…“

Tong Siqing interrupted: “Or there’s another way.“

Fuluo nodded, likely thinking of the same solution as Tong Siqing.

Tong Siqing said: “Even killing him won’t repay the karmic sins he committed in the past. Those he wronged also won’t receive compensation. Venerable One, why not split his soul into three parts? One part stays with us to control the Meridian Gate Bell, one part is given to Fuluo Immortal Master to supervise him, and the final part is thrown into the Nine Cycles of Reincarnation, making him experience his crimes in every lifetime he is reborn into, and repay the karma he owes to those he wronged.“

In simple terms:

He couldn’t get off with just death. His soul would be split into three, and the final part would be sent to atone for his sins.

After all, if he truly died, the sins would remain unpaid. It was better to let him personally experience the evils he had created, transforming from a perpetrator into a victim. Those he had harmed, the karma he owed… none would escape.

Shi Zhihua thought about it and agreed.

She said to Fuluo: “You are his Master. Go and do it yourself.“

Fuluo accepted the command, drew her cherished sword, and walked towards him step by step.

Cen Letian adopted a posture of resignation: “Master, please kill me. I have no complaints.“

“My disciple should be the Cen Letian who cares for the world and helps the weak, not the Crown Prince of Ze’an who bullies the weak,” Fuluo said. She did not remove the scabbard, but struck his shoulder and back directly with the sheathed sword. Her blows were not gentle. As she punished him, she spoke with deep disappointment: “Since you became my disciple, you abandoned your past. Although the events are over, the karma remains. You cannot return until you have atoned for it. This beating is meant to punish your former disappointing self.“

Cen Letian endured the blows and then whispered: “Master, I am no longer a Xianning disciple. In the future, I can no longer call you Master.“

Yes, he had fallen from the immortal path and become a demon. His accidental ascension was already without proper justification, and now that he was reduced to his original form, he could never be the brilliant Senior Brother of Xianning again.

The implication was that he couldn’t go back.

In the future, Xianning would certainly not want him anymore.

How could he ever go back to see Fuluo?

His immortal journey and his life were wrong from the beginning. Born into a tyrannical and heartless imperial family, with a debauched mother, a violent father, and fratricide… He was born never having seen bright scenery, trapped within the Imperial City. His heart gradually became defiled and twisted. No one thanked him, no one loved him, and no one was truly kind to him.

He thought everyone in the world was like this: calculating, selfish, and greedy.

It wasn’t until a lucky coincidence allowed him to ascend to Xianning that he saw the world’s true appearance.

The immortals of Xianning knew the law, understood when to advance and retreat, were humble, harmonious with their fellow disciples, trustworthy in their words, and never needed to constantly suspect each other.

It was on that day that he realized the “supreme and joyful holy land” spoken of by the world was so beautiful and harmonious.

He once thought it wasn’t too late. As long as he started anew, he could become a normal, noble person.

But…

A person who grew up in the mud, every bit of their flesh and blood saturated with sin, no matter how much he learned to be good afterward, was wrong from the start.

His Master treated him well. She was the Immortal Master he revered, like a deity who cleansed his long-numbed heart, taught him the good in the world, and transformed his emotions from turbidity to clarity… Good and evil eventually return to their source. To die at his Master’s hands was, in fact, without regret.

“I blame myself for being stained by the mud and for implicating Master,” Cen Letian said with a sorrowful smile. “Siqing Immortal Saint previously said that the Holy Text Heavenly Venerable knew about my affairs and would definitely punish me. It’s just… since I am also a disciple of the Heartless Dao sect, I fear the Heavenly Venerable will also hold you responsible… My apologies.”

When did the Holy Text Heavenly Venerable find out?

Fuluo didn’t know. She turned to look at Tong Siqing and the others, but she saw Tong Siqing give an apologetic look.

Tong Siqing: I don’t know. I just made it up.

Fuluo: “…”

That was also deliberately said to trick him. This fool took it to heart again.

“As a Master of the Heartless Dao sect, my poor guidance means I must relinquish this Immortal Master position and henceforth live in seclusion, never to return,” Fuluo said. “From now on, I will divide your soul into three parts. One part is dedicated to the Demon Lord, repaying her kindness for saving you. One part remains by my side to supervise you in repaying your karma. The last part is left for you to take, to experience the suffering of the Nine Cycles of Reincarnation…”

If there is a future day, when your sins are atoned for, you may start anew.

Cen Letian bowed again: “This disciple is willing, without any resentment.”

Fuluo said plainly: “This matter is merely being communicated to you. Your consent is not needed.”

Cen Letian’s throat constricted, and tears fell: “Alright.”

The Master and disciple quickly settled the matter. Fuluo returned with the divided soul.

She offered the one part to the Demon Lord. Before the Demon Lord could take it, a half-person-tall golden snake shot out from beside her and swallowed the soul in one bite.

Fuluo: !!!

Shi Zhihua was also startled. She quickly tapped the golden snake’s head: “Why do you eat everything?”

The golden snake acted spoiled, circling in place a few times, then slithering away with the bell.

The bell was wrapped around its body. The golden snake dashed around majestically, its passage like a wild wind, carrying the whooshing sound of wind and the clinking of the bell.

Shi Zhihua sighed softly, thinking, Forget it. A spiritual pet is playful, and I’m too lazy to restrain it.

Being swallowed by the golden snake was also a form of preservation.

Tolerable, quite tolerable.

Tong Siqing asked: “Venerable One, after the golden snake mistakenly swallowed it, how will it be retrieved?”

Shi Zhihua didn’t know. She only knew that the golden snake swallowing one part of Cen Letian’s soul was to give it more confidence to deal with the timid Meridian Gate Bell.

Shi Zhihua shouted towards the golden snake not far away: “Don’t scare the Meridian Gate Bell to death. Be careful.”

The golden snake turned its head haughtily and flicked its tongue.

Tong Siqing carefully observed the golden snake and found that the little snake was truly beautiful. Especially when it was playing wildly, its pupils looked like pretty pink little hearts, and its tail swayed and meandered comfortably, showing visible joy.

Having such a pet indeed brings joy.

Later, when the golden snake was tired of playing, Shi Zhihua called it back.

The Meridian Gate Bell was already exhausted, lying listlessly on the ground as if dead. When someone picked it up, the bell didn’t even ring.

Shi Zhihua deliberately went over to taunt it: “Next time you choose a master, don’t choose a bold one. Choose one with ability. Otherwise, after recognizing a bold, useless master, you’d be better off finding a donkey.”

The Meridian Gate Bell was furious. The Meridian Gate Bell remained silent.

Seeing others unhappy made Shi Zhihua much happier. She manipulated the Meridian Gate Bell to withdraw the Nightmare Realm and carefully repaired the Ze’an Imperial City within the Mustard Seed World, planning to move it back to the Demon Realm to serve as a palace later.

Just as both parties were starting to bid farewell, Qing Lin suddenly returned and said to the Demon Lord: “Venerable One, how do we remove Di Hen Jie?”

Shi Zhihua was puzzled: “What?”

Qing Lin pointed with a conflicted expression at the golden snake beside her: “The dragon horn… it’s grown onto its head. It won’t come off.”

Shi Zhihua: “…”

Everyone: “…”

The golden snake nuzzled the Demon Lord’s sleeve with its head, feeling wronged, trying to burrow in and shrink. But it remained half-person-tall and couldn’t transform into the smallest golden snake.

A half-person-tall, horned snake… nuzzling her robe like a little dog. It looked absolutely hilarious.

Shi Zhihua was helpless and astonished, but Tong Siqing couldn’t stop laughing.

“Hahahaha, golden puppy,” Tong Siqing laughed until tears came out. “It’s clearly a snake, but why is it as clingy as a little dog? Why don’t we tie the Meridian Gate Bell around its neck and use a leash? Hahahahahaha…”

“Stop laughing.” Shi Zhihua looked at the half-person-tall golden snake, both exasperated and amused. She instantly found it no longer cute or delicate. She pushed its head away disdainfully: “You’ve grown so big. You’re ugly.”

Golden Snake: QvvQ

Shi Zhihua sighed: “Never mind. In any case, Di Hen Jie is mine, and the golden snake is also mine. Even if they’ve merged, they’re still mine. Siqing, my golden snake hasn’t been named yet. Why don’t you come up with one?”

Upon hearing this, the golden snake instantly became cheerful and went to curry favor with Tong Siqing again.

It vigorously swayed its body around Tong Siqing, rubbing and nudging delicately, wanting a majestic and dominant name.

“What name do you want?” Tong Siqing leaned down to look at it, her eyes sparkling. “Do you have any good ideas?”

The golden snake, hearing that it could actually be consulted, instantly felt so happy its eyes were almost forming hearts. It majestically propped up its triangular head, displaying the incredibly mighty dragon horn on its head, and flicked its tongue with a hissing sound…

“You’re golden, you have a dragon horn, you’re the Demon Lord’s top demon beast, and you’re fierce and powerful in a fight…” Tong Siqing considered it carefully, and under its expectant gaze, she solemnly pronounced the name she had chosen: “How about ‘Fierce Fighter’!”

Everyone: “…”

Golden Snake: ???

Say that again? What?

Shi Zhihua almost lost her composure and burst out laughing.

The golden snake was indignant, feeling it was utterly unfair. To add to its presence, it retrieved the bell from the Demon Lord’s hand, shook its head, and put it around its neck, looking majestically at Tong Siqing again—

Tong Siqing didn’t understand the meaning, so she said: “You want to name it too? It’s an immortal artifact that can influence the entire Chixiao Realm! It’s so incredible, its ability is so great. The only flaw is that it’s a bit timid. How about calling it ‘Little Timid’!”

Meridian Gate Bell: “…”

Thank you. I’m inanimate. I don’t need a name.

The golden snake’s attempt at a name change failed. It instantly went limp like a piece of rope, lying annoyingly on the ground.

Fuluo: “…”

Astonishing, truly astonishing, terrifying indeed.

“Alright, stop making trouble, all of you.” Shi Zhihua walked over, relaxed. She reached out to pluck the Di Hen Jie from the golden snake’s head. As expected, it didn’t budge. She thought for a moment and said: “Since it can’t be removed, you should recognize a master. After recognizing a master, maybe you can shrink down and fit into a sleeve.”

Everyone agreed it made sense and gathered around to watch Di Hen Jie’s master recognition.

Qing Lin remarked: “This whole ordeal is truly marvelous. In my lifetime, I’ve witnessed three immortal artifacts recognizing a master. No, not entirely recognizing a master. Phantasmal Shadow Mirror’s recognition was rejected by Fuluo Immortal Master, so it doesn’t entirely count.”

Fuluo smiled slightly, indicating that this was impolite.

Since the recognition of Di Hen Jie was a very crude binding, the only way was for the golden snake to recognize a master again.

Shi Zhihua nodded: “That’s fine. Hurry up and recognize a master.”

The golden snake lowered its head. The Di Hen Jie on its head emitted a pale blue watery glow. The dragon horn harmoniously reflected the light with it. It could communicate telepathically with the immortal artifact and recognize a master again…

The golden snake looked up at everyone, then without a word, it approached Tong Siqing and affectionately rubbed against her.

In the next second, before Tong Siqing could react, she was forcefully made its Master, as if by a compulsory sale.

Tong Siqing: ???

Shi Zhihua: ???

Everyone: ???

Wait? Wasn’t that the Demon Lord’s spiritual pet? Why did it suddenly switch sides and go to Tong Siqing?

Shi Zhihua almost blacked out. She questioned the golden snake: “You are this Venerable One’s spiritual pet. What are you doing? Can master recognition go wrong?”

The golden snake successfully recognized a master, instantly transformed into a small, horned golden dragon, and immediately burrowed into Tong Siqing’s sleeve, too afraid to come out.

Shi Zhihua: “…”

You good-for-nothing…

She was furious.

Tong Siqing felt the coolness in her sleeve and was also somewhat bewildered. She watched the small golden snake’s dragon horn prop up a bulge in her sleeve, unsure how to feel.

Tong Siqing gently negotiated with it: “Fierce Fighter, did you recognize the wrong master? I’ve never raised any cats or dogs, and even little flowers and plants almost never survive when I raise them. You need to think carefully. With me, you might not even survive one full year…”

Golden Snake: “…”

Although I don’t feel cold, why am I shivering?

Qing Lin understood: “Venerable One! Could it be that Siqing Immortal Saint named the golden snake just now, which is why it recognized her as its master?”

Who knows!

Shi Zhihua was so angry she didn’t know how to reply.

But it made no difference. Tong Siqing was hers anyway. Regardless, the immortal artifact and the person were both in her hands and couldn’t escape.

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