AUOF - 51

“I’ll do it, I’ll do it!”

Sang Li was now tied to Ji Hengyu like a grasshopper on a string.

Never mind whether she lived or died. If she survived and the Yen Jinglou discovered she had the silken worm curse, her fate would be sealed—death. And if she died, she and Ji Hengyu would perish together, granting Yen Jinglou a double kill!

So what if her spiritual form was revealed? What’s the big deal?

Sang Li focused her spiritual energy, feeling the warmth of the gathered spiritual qi in her chest. She opened her palm, surrounded by a faint glow, and then saw a beam of light leap from her fingertips.

That beam of light transformed into a smaller version of her nine-tailed fox form.

It was white, completely transparent, with tails and ear tips the same pink as her original body. Its personality mirrored Sang Li’s—it hopped around on the ground, its round eyes curiously examining its surroundings. Likely out of curiosity, its ears twitched before finally spotting Sang Li, letting out a small howl as it leapt into her arms.

Reacting instinctively, Sang Li reached out to embrace it, equally intrigued.

The spiritual form didn’t have a physical body; holding it felt like cradling a handful of water.

It was cool and smooth, an indescribably pleasant sensation.

The little fox stretched out its tiny paw to touch her face, affectionately rubbing against her chest.

Sang Li didn’t have time to play with her Haki-Mi. Nervously, she looked at Yen Jinglou: “My Lord, are you satisfied?”

Yen Jinglou remained silent.

A spiritual form couldn’t lie. If she were truly a soul thief, her spirit clan lineage would never accept a foreign wandering soul. Her spiritual form would die along with the original soul.

Thus, his suspicions were unfounded.

Feeling reassured, Yen Jinglou moved closer to Sang Li, his gaze fixed on the little fox in her arms. His tone softened as he coaxed her: “Sang Li, I want you to obey me.”

His voice was calm, but his eyes were icy cold.

The spiritual form was frightened, diving straight into her arms, wrapping itself tightly into a ball with its nine tails.

Realizing this wasn’t enough, it poked its head out, baring its teeth and growling at Yen Jinglou.

Sang Li was astounded both by her spiritual form’s reaction and by Yen Jinglou’s words. She grabbed the little fox’s head, shaking it frantically under his increasingly dangerous gaze, saying, “This won’t do. If my Lord tells me to eat feces, surely I can’t actually go and eat it, right?”

The spiritual fox wagged its tail, nodding in agreement.

Yen Jinglou let out a cold laugh, reaching out to tug at the spiritual fox’s ear. At the same moment, Sang Li felt a sharp pain in her own ear.

She clutched her ear and quickly retreated.

Yen Jinglou withdrew his hand: “If you hadn’t been able to summon your spiritual form, I would have thought you were possessed by someone else.”

Sang Li’s heart skipped a beat.

Cold sweat poured down her back.

What did he mean?

Could it be that Yen Jinglou was really testing her?

Judging by his words, the spiritual form could see the soul. But she was human, and her original fox had died. So why… could she still summon a spiritual form??

Sang Li gazed blankly at the little thing in her arms.

This little guy was even cuter than her original form, with a faintly glowing flower mark on its forehead. Sensing her gaze, the little one tilted its head, swaying left and right, letting out a soft howl.

Very affectionate.

It felt as though they were truly connected by blood.

“It’s time. Let’s go.”

Seeing Yen Jinglou turn away, Sang Li could only temporarily set aside her doubts, retracting her spiritual form and following him out.

**

The birthday banquet was held on Deer Lake.

This was a divine lake located within Huashan City’s borders. Half of the lake was filled with immortal essence, while the other half was a demonic abyss. The two mingled yet remained distinct, and even the creatures living beneath the lake stayed within their respective waters, not interfering with each other.

Deer Lake was also near Ghost Ridge. Beyond Ghost Ridge lay the domain of demons and monsters.

It must be said, Yen Jinglou had chosen this place with ulterior motives.

A massive tower ship slowly sailed across the lake.

Inside the ship, there was music and dance, drinking and revelry. Though the feast had not officially begun, the atmosphere was already lively.

Aside from a few guardians from the ten palaces of Yin Zhou, today’s attendees included kings and lords from the thirty-two palaces of Yin Zhou, Fengdu, and Luoshan. Everyone who should have come had arrived, except for Yen Jinglou.

The demon realm was naturally scarce in resources.

Over the years, the various kings fought fiercely over trivial interests—big kings versus big kings, small kings versus small kings. In short, no one among the thirty-two palaces respected anyone else. However, Yen Jinglou allowed them to fight as long as they remained loyal and didn’t harbor any treacherous thoughts.

Though they clashed privately, outwardly, everyone maintained a facade of harmony, laughter, and goodwill.

“The Demon Lord is so fond of this mortal woman; I wonder what kind of bewitching potion she has fed him.” The speaker was the King of Yin Zhou. He poured wine for the nearby King of Luoshan, his tone tinged with displeasure.

Compared to the tall and ferocious physique of the King of Yin Zhou, the King of Luoshan was much thinner and shorter.

He smiled amiably: “If the Lord likes her, that’s good. The position of Queen has been vacant for a long time; Yin Zhou Palace indeed needs a mistress.”

As they spoke, the sound of clashing weapons came from the deck.

Then, with a loud crash, a black shadow flew overhead, landing violently at their feet like a piece of rotten meat.

It was a person.

Covered in blood, not a single part of his body intact, his corpse slowly shifted into its original form—a giant black scorpion.

The King of Yin Zhou put down his wine cup, clearly dissatisfied: “King Gui Cang committing such slaughter on such a joyous day—isn’t he afraid of angering the Demon Lord?”

“Hmph.” King Gui Cang was as tall as a small mountain, with red skin and eyes, a circle of skulls wrapped around his waist. His steps shook the earth, throwing the dancers on stage off rhythm.

“The kings aren’t fools. The reason the Demon Lord summoned us here is something we all understand.” He said, “Futian Hou’s escape this time was to take the Demon Lord’s head. It’s clear he suspects one of us is colluding with him, aiming for a total annihilation!”

With that, King Gui Cang picked up the lifeless small king from the ground and devoured him in two bites.

Looking at the splattered blood on the ground, the kings all wore expressions of disgust.

The King of Yin Zhou wanted to say more when suddenly the music stopped. Everyone turned to bow in one direction.

“Pay respects to the Lord!”

“Rise.”

As everyone straightened up, their gazes were immediately drawn to the woman by his side.

Her face was partially veiled, her head bowed as she walked beside the Demon Lord. Her flowing, water-blue dress trailed along the ground, its hem shimmering like ripples on a lake, spreading outward in concentric circles. A thin silk scarf draped over her arm, and as she moved, the jewels adorning her head swayed with her steps, clinking softly against one another.

It was as though a drop of moonlight had suddenly fallen into the center of the lake—everything seemed to fall silent.

Yen Jinglou abruptly stopped in his tracks, glancing at a pool of blood on the ground.

King Gui Cang stepped forward, unflinching as he addressed Yen Jinglou: “That was a minor king from Juechi. He spoke out of turn first, so I killed him and ate him. If this displeases you, my Lord, feel free to punish me.”

“The strong survive; why should I punish you?” Yen Jinglou flicked his sleeve and took his seat, giving an order: “Chun Ling, attend to the Lady.”

With that single sentence, Sang Li once again became the center of attention.

Chun Ling was deeply dissatisfied with how Sang Li was being treated. If her own master were here, she would surely be stealing all the attention instead. Now, this woman was basking in the spotlight meant for someone else.

Dissatisfaction aside, orders were still orders.

She helped Sang Li take her seat and dutifully poured wine for both of them.

The dancers entered one after another. Yen Jinglou lounged lazily on his cushion, his interest clearly waning.

Out of the corner of his eye, he glanced at Sang Li. From the moment they entered, she had been eating and drinking as if nothing were amiss, completely at ease and carefree.

Futian Hou had yet to make a move, and Yen Jinglou grew impatient. “My Lady.”

At first, Sang Li didn’t realize he was addressing her. When he called out again, more impatiently, she turned her head in confusion: “Huh?”

Yen Jinglou restrained his frustration. “It is rare for everyone to gather here. My Lady, grace us with a dance for the assembly. What do you say?”

Sang Li choked: “...No way.”

Yen Jinglou’s smile was devoid of emotion.

The people below exchanged glances, then began to cheer—

“Good! If we can witness Lady Ningyue’s dancing, it will be worth attending this feast!”

Yen Jinglou urged her: “My Lady, why don’t you go now?”

Sang Li felt utterly hopeless.

Reluctantly, she rose to her feet, her movements stiff as she made her way forward.

All eyes on the tower ship were fixed on her.

Yen Jinglou watched her, calmly awaiting the spectacle.

The music shifted, and Sang Li had no choice but to follow its rhythm, twisting her body into motion.

Her graceful movements made the shimmering dress appear even more radiant and ethereal.

Just as the crowd was becoming entranced, the sound of the pipa suddenly grew urgent, and the mist swirling at their feet thickened. Sensing danger approaching through the haze, Sang Li twisted her waist, attempting to quickly evade. But before she could move far, a sharp pain shot through her waist, as if something had struck her, disrupting her rhythm entirely.

Barely steadying herself, she turned to look in astonishment.

Yen Jinglou sipped his wine leisurely, his fingertips still glowing faintly from the spell he had just cast.

In the next instant, the chain around her collarbone flew past her, extending a tiny iron hand. The hand pierced through flesh and bone, firmly gripping her shoulder blade, pulling her into the air.

Though Sang Li couldn’t feel pain, she could sense everything else—first a deep ache, then numbness, followed by the tightness of her bones being stretched, leaving her dizzy and disoriented.

The sudden change caused chaos below, but Yen Jinglou remained unmoved, watching indifferently as the kings fought amongst themselves.

After downing a jug of wine, someone finally lost patience and unleashed their killing intent.

Countless blades surged toward Yen Jinglou, but before they could reach him, an invisible barrier intercepted them, stopping them mere inches from his body.

Seeing the assassination attempt fail, the figure hidden in the mist tried to flee.

Yen Jinglou gave him no chance. With two fingers, he flicked his wine cup, sending it soaring through the mist and past the weapons. It struck the man’s chest with a sharp clang .

With a wave of his sleeve, the mist dissipated.

“My Lord—!”

King Gui Cang and the King of Yin Zhou rushed to his sides.

Yen Jinglou calmly observed the man pinned to the mast of the ship—

It was none other than the King of Luoshan.

Blood dripped steadily down his chest as he gasped for breath, his eyes filled with crimson fury.

“Yen Jinglou! Since you declared yourself supreme, you’ve plunged the entire demon realm into chaos, pitting the thirty-two palaces against each other for petty scraps of power. You killed my kin, harmed my second brother—you’ll pay for this!”

Yen Jinglou rested his chin on one hand, listening to the man’s tirade until it ended, then smiled.

“King Gui Cang.”

“Yes, my lord.”

Yen Jinglou picked up another small wine goblet, his tone indifferent: “Eat him alive.”

King Gui Cang hesitated for a moment, then replied affirmatively.

He approached the mast, his massive hand tearing off one of the man’s legs.

Ear-piercing screams echoed across the deck as the other kings lowered their heads, not daring to breathe loudly.

Once he finished, Yen Jinglou finally stood up, surveying the crowd from above: “Lady Ningyue carries a tracking talisman I planted on her earlier. Whoever finds and eliminates the remnants of Luoshan’s forces and Futian Hou’s followers first will claim Luoshan’s throne.”

The King of Yin Zhou hesitated: “And what of Lady Ningyue?”

Without blinking, Yen Jinglou replied: “If she survives, bring her back. If Futian Hou uses her as leverage, her life or death no longer matters.”