AUOF - 7

Her gaze was filled with astonishment, suspicion, and disbelief.

Sang Li’s toes curled into the ground, wishing she could find a crack to hide in, but she had no choice but to shuffle reluctantly into the palanquin.

She could feel Situ’s gaze following her all the way. Just before stepping into the轿, she distinctly heard a disdainful snort.

But Sang Li wasn’t overly worried.

She barely knew Situ, and she had no evidence to prove any connection between her and Ji Hengyu. Even if she left and never returned, or came back, Situ had no right to question her about anything.

Thinking this way, Sang Li felt at ease again.

The lowered curtain blocked out countless stares. With the command “Depart, activate the array,” the flying horses soared into the sky, heading straight for the cloud peaks.

Inside the palanquin, it was just her and Ji Hengyu.

Sang Li felt uncomfortable, pressing her body against the far edge of the carriage, turning her head away and completely ignoring his presence.

The man, however, appeared perfectly at ease.

He casually toyed with his white jade fan, his eyes never leaving her face.

His gaze wasn’t intense—it was almost indifferent.

Yet Sang Li felt as though she were being scorched by flames, making her entire body restless and uneasy.

Could he have sensed that she was a little fox spirit of the Ling Race?

No, that couldn’t be.

The only difference between the Ling Race and other races was that the Ling Race lacked a spirit core. They were beings naturally born from the world, and to conceal this minor difference, Yan Jinglou had specially placed a fake spirit core inside the little fox.

As long as the spirit core remained intact, even a high-level deity wouldn’t be able to detect anything unusual.

With this in mind, Sang Li regained some confidence and mustered the courage to look back at him.

Though her attempt to appear bold fell flat, coming off more as bluster than bravery.

Ji Hengyu found it amusing and tapped his fan lightly. “Are you afraid of me?”

Sang Li clutched the handrail, avoiding his gaze. “No.”

Ji Hengyu raised an eyebrow slightly: “Not afraid?”

His tone shifted, a hint of coldness creeping into the corners of his eyes.

Sang Li tensed up like she was facing a great threat and quickly corrected herself: “Afraid! Of course I’m... afraid.”

“Mm.” Ji Hengyu seemed satisfied, opening his fan and waving it gently. “Being afraid is the right attitude. After all, demons and immortals cannot coexist.”

Sang Li: “.”

Die, will you.

Inwardly cursing, she outwardly maintained an obedient demeanor.

Ji Hengyu lounged lazily: “Tell me about your Demon Lord...” He paused momentarily, as if trying to recall something. “...What was his name again?”

Ji Hengyu genuinely seemed to have forgotten Yan Jinglou’s name, even taking a moment to think carefully.

Sang Li helpfully reminded him: “Yan Jinglou.”

Ji Hengyu’s eyebrows lifted in sudden realization: “Ah yes, Yan Jinglou. How does he plan to have you kill me?”

He asked casually, as if this were just a lighthearted conversation.

But Sang Li didn’t miss the small green sprout hidden in his sleeve, its antennae swaying faintly.

Instantly, cold sweat drenched the back of her neck.

Her lips went dry, her throat tightened, and fear made every pore on her body stand on end. She even felt an uncontrollable urge to transform into her original form for self-protection.

Fortunately, she managed to restrain herself at the last moment.

Sang Li opened her mouth, her voice strained: “The Demon Lord... ordered me to seduce you.”

Her voice grew quieter with each word, and the moment the last syllable left her lips, Ji Hengyu’s fanning motion stopped abruptly.

Sang Li bowed her head deeply, not daring to look at his expression.

The original host was a rare nine-tailed fox of the Ling Race.

Not only was she exceptionally talented, but her beauty was unmatched. With a little training, Yan Jinglou was confident no man could resist such allure.

He started from the perspective of a man, ordering Sang Li to find a way into Ji Hengyu’s bed. If all else failed, they would resort to the final desperate option of mutual destruction.

Of course, things hadn’t gone according to plan.

Forget women—there wasn’t even a living soul in Ji Hengyu’s chambers.

In the end, she hadn’t managed to climb into his bed, nor had they resorted to mutual destruction.

The little fox’s fate ended in utter tragedy.

After a brief silence, the sound of the man’s soft laughter reached her ears, like clear spring water colliding with jade, impossibly pleasant to hear.

“All these years, he’s still as incompetent as ever.”

From the sound of it, it seemed the two had some history?

The original story only mentioned that Yan Jinglou and Ji Hengyu were mortal enemies, without elaborating on the reasons.

Unable to resist, Sang Li raised her head, holding her breath and summoning her courage to ask: “Lord Ji... do you know my Demon Lord?”

He shifted from his upright sitting position to a reclining one, lazily leaning against the crystal-soft couch. His eyelids drooped halfway, his expression relaxed.

“Over three thousand years ago, Yan Jinglou ascended to the immortal platform seeking to become my disciple. But he was born with demonic bones and malevolent energy. If I had kept him in Gui Xu Sea, wouldn’t that be harboring a hidden danger?”

Ji Hengyu smiled as he recounted the cruel tale in a gentle, unhurried tone.

Sang Li listened with chills running down her spine.

For cultivators, their bodies contained one large spirit continent and three smaller ones. The large continent referred to the dantian, where qi and spirit were stored. The three smaller continents were the sea of consciousness, the life meridians connecting heaven and earth, and the five-element spirit roots.

For a cultivator, destroying all four spirit continents meant severing their path to ascension. No wonder Yan Jinglou was covered in scars, and no wonder every time he mentioned Ji Hengyu, he gnashed his teeth in hatred, wishing to flay him alive and throw his corpse to the hundred ghosts for devouring.

Sang Li’s face turned pale. Ji Hengyu observed her exposed fear with amusement and reassured her: “Don’t worry. I’ve long passed the age of killing on a whim. I won’t do anything to you.”

At 5,500 years old, he was indeed no longer young in the context of the Nine Ling Realm, which had only existed for 50,000 years since the dawn of chaos.

Sang Li: “...”

Run!

She absolutely had to run!

Sang Li’s resolve to escape became firm.

This oppressive environment was suffocating, so she quietly lifted the curtain slightly and peeked outside.

The carriage hadn’t yet left Gui Xu Sea.

A transparent scroll inscribed with golden talismans formed a path, winding from Gui Xu Palace to the other side of the sea.

From above, the scenery of Gui Xu Sea was even more terrifying than Sang Li had imagined.

The waves churned into rolling black clouds that stretched endlessly into the horizon. Occasionally, flashes of lightning and the roars of demons could be seen and heard beneath the surface. Accompanied by continuous thunderclaps, the imprisoned monsters would faintly reveal their heads and limbs.

As this was the boundary between heaven and earth, a place the sun couldn’t reach, darkness and terror formed the spectacle here.

In the quiet moment, his smile faded, and his dark eyes glanced toward the window. “Guests have arrived.”

Before Sang Li could grasp the meaning of his words, a towering wall of water surged up from the sea. Deep red tentacles extended outward, slapping directly toward them.

“Enemy spotted! Form the array!”

Led by Li Ningxi, the Demon Subduing Guard swiftly erected a protective barrier to fend off the sudden attack. The monster’s tentacles flailed wildly, stirring up a massive storm surge around them. Most terrifying of all, Sang Li clearly saw that the surface of the tentacles wasn’t covered in suction cups but rather countless pairs of blinking, blood-red eyes!

The visual impact of the monster was overwhelming. Sang Li didn’t have time to think about anything else. She hastily pulled down the curtain and scooted further inside, terrified of accidentally falling out.

Outside, the sounds of clashing weapons echoed loudly, while inside the palanquin, an eerie silence reigned.

Ji Hengyu closed his eyes to rest, seemingly unconcerned.

Suddenly—

Something collided with the palanquin. Even with the protection of the barrier, the carriage still rocked violently.

The force of the impact sent Sang Li tumbling sideways, her body lurching uncontrollably toward Ji Hengyu.

The man sensed her approach, his tightly shut eyes snapping open. With effortless precision, he used his fan to block her falling shoulder and, with a slight push, successfully shoved her away before she could collapse into his arms.

Though the fan appeared light and delicate, the force behind it was substantial. Her body rolled like a mochi ball, tumbling right out of the palanquin.

Ji Hengyu: “…”

Sang Li: “…”

Her body fell out of the palanquin, passing through the busy Demon Subduing Guard disciples, then plummeting off the talisman bridge. As the group grew smaller and smaller in the distance, Sang Li rolled dizzily, her mind filled with question marks.

What the hell?

A sudden gray rain poured down from the sky.

It was a cascade of seawater stirred up by the monster’s attack.

Sang Li vaguely felt something approaching.

Turning her head, she abruptly locked eyes with countless densely packed eyes.

“!!!!!!”

She instantly snapped awake, realizing she was falling.

Her top priority was to steady herself. Summoning her strength, she flew upward for a short distance, but the monstrous deep-sea tentacle relentlessly pursued her. Compared to the colossal creature, Sang Li was as insignificant as a tiny insect.

Just as she was about to be engulfed, a pair of arms suddenly wrapped around her waist.

The hands firmly gripped her slender, soft midsection, lifting her into the air and narrowly avoiding the attacking tentacles.

Ji Hengyu held Sang Li securely with one arm while wielding his jade fan with the other. The bamboo leaves on the fan peeled off one by one, transforming into countless ink-black talismans that surged toward the monster.

His expression remained impassive as he gently flicked the jade fan—

The talismans transformed into a vast net of swords, wrapping the monster’s body tightly.

With another press of the fan, the creature was dragged back into the sea amidst its deafening roars.

The crisis resolved, and Gui Xu Sea returned to its eerie stillness.

Sang Li stared at the sea, still shaken. She clung tightly to the front of Ji Hengyu’s robes, her breathing growing increasingly erratic.

Ji Hengyu’s eyelashes lowered slightly as he glanced at the hand pressed against his chest. “Are you going to let go or not?”

At his words, Sang Li finally realized she was still in his arms. Startled, she quickly released her grip but, fearing she might fall, pinched a small corner of his sleeve between her thumb and forefinger.

Ji Hengyu gave a faint hum but didn’t immediately shake her off.

“Lord Ji.” Li Ningxi hurried over on horseback, noticing Sang Li and pausing briefly. “What is this?”

Ji Hengyu offered no explanation, using his fan to pry her hand away before flying back along the original path. “Bring her along.”

Li Ningxi nodded. Seeing that Sang Li was soaking wet, he hesitated for a moment before asking, “Are you alright?”

Alright, my ass.

Sang Li felt like dying.

Li Ningxi: “Come on, I’ll take you back.”

She didn’t refuse, allowing Li Ningxi to pull her onto the horse and return to the talisman bridge.

Back in the palanquin, Sang Li sat as far away from Ji Hengyu as possible this time.

Her clothes were half-dry, half-wet, emitting an unpleasant fishy smell.

Ji Hengyu’s eyebrows twitched almost imperceptibly, his previously half-closed eyes slowly shifting to focus on her.

Sang Li’s current appearance could only be described as disheveled.

Her elaborate hairdo was messy, her tassel hairpin askew in her thick locks. Her profile was still beautiful, but her lips were tightly pressed together, indicating her sour mood.

His index finger tapped the fan twice, rising and falling rhythmically. “Take off your clothes.”

Sang Li’s body jolted sharply, her round fox-like eyes widening in shock.