When Destiny Brings the Demon

On Three Sage Mountain, spiritual power could not condense. Staying here for long was an extremely oppressive and painful experience for cultivators, akin to trapping a large fish in a shallow puddle. Sima Jiao had endured this prison for five hundred years, and now, at this very moment, he had finally broken free completely.

As the chains shattered and the sealed jade tablet crumbled, a surge of spiritual power erupted from the ruins below. The dense, tangible spiritual energy enveloped the entire Three Sage Mountain like mist, instantly forming a sea of clouds. Even someone like Liao Tingyan, who had no idea what cultivation was, instinctively began absorbing the spiritual energy flooding into her body—far more exhilarating than the last time.

The few surviving powerhouses in the area were struck by this wave of spiritual energy, their expressions shifting through a kaleidoscope of colors, a sight to behold.

Three Sage Mountain had originally been a spiritual mountain, its energy the purest and most abundant. When Sima Jiao was imprisoned, great efforts were made to isolate the earth vein spiritual energy with this grand formation. That energy had been diverted underground to other parts of Gengchen Immortal Mansion—who benefited from this was no secret. Now, with Sima Jiao’s actions, countless interests within Gengchen Immortal Mansion would surely be ruined.

Yet this was not the gravest matter. The most severe issue was Sima Jiao’s complete escape. As he had once said, he would not spare them. It was laughable how many had assumed that after five hundred years in such a deranged state, he would emerge weakened, and they could easily subdue him together.

Half a month ago, the sect leader had sent many with ulterior motives to test the waters, attempting to placate him temporarily. Many had dismissed it, believing this long-standing threat was no longer a concern. But now, it was clear—this was far from "no concern"; it was a full-blown disaster.

"Taoist Lord Cizang, given the current state of Three Sage Mountain, perhaps you could temporarily relocate to White Deer Cliff? Once the mountain is restored, we will invite you back," a seemingly young man said, as if nothing had happened.

The others inwardly cursed his shamelessness. This man belonged to the sect leader’s faction, which advocated appeasing Sima Jiao. By stepping forward now, he was making his stance clear, distancing himself to avoid provoking the ancestor’s wrath—lest he decide to kill a few more people, which he was entirely capable of doing.

Whether to kill or spare them, they expected some reaction. But Sima Jiao ignored them entirely. His expression was blank as he stared at Liao Tingyan in his arms.

Earlier, they had noticed the woman in their ancestor’s embrace, but with life-and-death matters at hand, they hadn’t paid much attention. To them, someone with such negligible cultivation was little more than an ant. An ancestor holding an ant wouldn’t draw much notice.

But now, due to Sima Jiao’s eerie silence, the others couldn’t help but shift their gazes to that woman.It seems... she was one of the hundred female disciples sent in earlier. Which one was she? Although these hundred were supposedly selected from all branch sects, in reality, their spots had long been reserved by various palaces. If she made it in, she must have been arranged by some important figure from one of the palaces—there must be something special about her. Yet none of those present knew which faction had sent her in, nor how she had managed to survive until now.

They glanced at the ruins beneath their feet. Of the hundred originally sent in, she was likely the only one left alive. What capability did she possess to have that cruel, bloodthirsty ancestor-tyrant keep her by his side and protect her? Could it be... the ancestor had taken a liking to this female disciple? Impossible, impossible. Recalling what had happened back then, they dismissed the thought in their hearts.

If Sima Jiao could ever take a liking to any woman, the sun would rise from the west, and the World of Cultivation would form a marriage alliance with the Demon Realm—utterly inconceivable.

Liao Tingyan felt several pairs of scorching eyes on her but pretended not to notice, stiffly clinging to the ancestor’s waist, motionless as if paused.

"My waist... is slender?" After a long silence, Sima Jiao finally repeated those words.

It was a question, so the feigning-dead Liao Tingyan was forced to respond, "Yes, I think it might be from being locked up and starved for so long."

Three Sage Mountain had no food at all—of course he’d be starving. In her free time, she’d imagine this ancestor sitting in prison with no one delivering meals, enduring hunger until he grew increasingly deranged. Though she entertained such thoughts, she knew better than to voice them—doing so would mean death. Knowing was one thing, but the current situation left her no choice. The Truth Buff this ancestor activated whenever he pleased made proper communication impossible. The plastic boss-employee relationship she’d envisioned had instantly taken a bizarre turn.

"You’re right," Sima Jiao said. "The suffering I endured should be repaid one by one."

Liao Tingyan: "?" Wait, when did I ever say that?

Sima Jiao turned his gaze toward the few survivors. None of them were ordinary, but upon seeing his expression, they instinctively tried to flee. However, the spiritual energy between heaven and earth had returned, and Sima Jiao was even more ferocious now. Moments later, the only ones left alive were Sima Jiao and Liao Tingyan.

No matter which faction they belonged to, no matter whether they bore malice toward Sima Jiao or not—to him, it made no difference. If he wished it, he would kill. In this world, no one truly harbored goodwill toward him, especially those from Gengchen Immortal Mansion who knew all his secrets and past.

Witnessing all this, Liao Tingyan shuddered and instinctively buried her face against Sima Jiao’s chest—only to realize afterward that the very person she was clinging to was the source of her terror. Honestly, if they weren’t still midair, she’d have let go by now.

Instead of releasing her, Sima Jiao adjusted his hold, lifting her slightly. His other hand slowly trailed up her back until it reached the nape of her neck. Liao Tingyan had no idea what he was up to, but she sensed danger—she swore this ancestor was considering whether to snap her neck. If she had fur, it would have bristled from that touch.Sima Jiao lowered his gaze to look at her, seemingly deep in thought, somewhat distracted. His hand unconsciously stroked Liao Tingyan's back again. His movements were light, slow, and dangerous, making Liao Tingyan's heart race with each touch. She tensed up with every motion, her nerves on edge. In Sima Jiao's eyes, every time he touched her, she held her breath, and when he let go, she exhaled slowly.

After three repetitions, Liao Tingyan stopped reacting.

Damn it, just kill me already. This back-and-forth is exhausting.

Sima Jiao didn’t kill her. Instead, he carried her back to the partially collapsed Central Tower. Finally standing on solid ground, Liao Tingyan still felt unsteady, her legs weak. She immediately pulled out a chair from her brocade pouch and sat down.

Sima Jiao walked past her, step by step, into the green pond where the red lotus grew. He stepped into the water and slit his wrist. Threads of red seeped into the pond, strangely not dispersing but gathering at the center.

Liao Tingyan sat there watching for a long time, until dawn broke, but Sima Jiao showed no reaction. She saw the big Black Snake peeking cautiously in the morning light. With only the three of them left alive here, Liao Tingyan beckoned to the snake, but it shrank back timidly, not daring to approach.

Fine. Liao Tingyan hadn’t slept all night and was dead tired. Unfortunately, her bed had been destroyed, leaving her nowhere to rest. After some thought, she took out some fabric and rope, quickly fashioned a makeshift hammock, and hung it between two pillars before climbing in.

Just before falling asleep, Liao Tingyan saw Sima Jiao’s blood in the green pond transform into a red lotus rising from the water, faint flames flickering above it. So that’s how the precious lotus grew. Come to think of it, wasn’t this ancestor himself the greatest treasure? While others needed rare materials to advance, he himself was the rarest of them all. No wonder he was so formidable.

Liao Tingyan fell asleep. Not long after, the sun fully rose, and the red lotus and flames in the green pond returned to their usual appearance. Sima Jiao emerged from the pond, drenched. With each step, the water on his body evaporated into the air, leaving only a faint dampness by the time he reached Liao Tingyan.

His lips were paler than usual, the usual ferocity in his demeanor gone. Now, he was only black and white, even more unsettling. He leaned down beside Liao Tingyan and lay down.

When Liao Tingyan woke from her nap, something felt off. Her hammock was quite large, but now it felt cramped.

The murderous ancestor was lying beside her, seemingly asleep. His head rested against the crook of her neck, his light breaths brushing her collarbone. The fabric she had pulled over herself while sleeping turned out to be his robe and sleeves. Since the hammock naturally cradled its occupants inward, she was now entirely nestled in Sima Jiao’s embrace, with strands of his long black hair draped over her chest.

Liao Tingyan: No, I’m suffocating. What the hell? I just took a nap, and now I’ve been slept with.

Her eyes darted around and landed on the big Black Snake coiled beneath the hammock, curled into a large loop, also fast asleep.The sunlight outside was brilliant, and the dark clouds that had been hovering over the Central Tower seemed to have dispersed along with the shattered seal. Warm rays shone directly onto the ruins, while white mist-like spiritual energy floated gently in the air. She turned her head to look at the green pond nearby, where an even more beautiful red lotus bloomed quietly, and the foul-mouthed flames were as silent as a chicken.

It was extremely quiet. Liao Tingyan didn’t dare move a muscle and lay there for a while before unknowingly falling asleep again.

There was nothing in life that couldn’t be faced—and if there was, she’d just sleep on it first.

...

The commotion from Three Sage Mountain had caught the attention of all the big shots in Gengchen Immortal Mansion. Even those in seclusion, who hadn’t bothered with affairs for years and only sought to break through barriers to ascend, had almost all emerged.

Gengchen Immortal Mansion had hundreds of notable families, with the top few always controlling several palaces and powerful branches. Beneath them were affiliated families. Take, for example, the Shi lineage under Sect Leader Shi Qianlv—the main family alone had over ten thousand Shi-named disciples. If all branch families and external disciples were included, the number reached hundreds of thousands. The sheer size of a single family’s influence could rival that of a mid-sized sect outside. With so many complex forces intertwined within Gengchen Immortal Mansion, the diversity of opinions was unimaginable.

The issue of the last bloodline of the Fengshan Clan had been a longstanding dilemma, with no unified resolution to this day. The recent events at Three Sage Mountain had stirred countless complicated thoughts among these people.

Nearly a hundred disciple soul lamps had almost completely extinguished overnight, leaving only a single one still burning. Even the dozen or so prodigies and formidable figures sent to monitor and investigate had all perished without exception.

Sect Leader Shi Qianlv summoned the soul of a man and calmly asked, “Geyan, what exactly happened at Three Sage Mountain?”

Shi Geyan was the young man who had previously spoken kindly to express his stance when emerging from Three Sage Mountain. Now, his soul appeared with a bitter smile. “Uncle, Taoist Lord Cizang is indeed as cruel and bloodthirsty as you said. All of us who went to investigate—whether we posed a threat to him or not—were slaughtered by him. Thankfully, he didn’t completely annihilate us and left my soul intact.”

Shi Qianlv showed no surprise, merely pondering for a moment before saying, “One disciple’s soul lamp hasn’t gone out. Do you know why?”

Shi Geyan: “This... I was quite surprised too. There was a female disciple who seemed to have won Taoist Lord Cizang’s favor and was kept by his side.”

Shi Qianlv finally showed a hint of astonishment. “Truly?”

Shi Geyan: “Indeed. Not just me—others saw it too.”

“So it’s true.” Shi Qianlv fell into thought, a trace of a smile appearing in his eyes. “Perhaps... this could be an opportunity for us.”