When Destiny Brings the Demon

A thousand zhang beneath the mountain range lay hollows formed by years of spiritual energy erosion, their shapes varied like the fine membranes on human spiritual veins. The intersecting spiritual energy channels would converge into a small spiritual pool deep within the mountain's core—the most vital heart of any spiritual mountain.

A tall, slender black figure bent over the spiritual pool. With a flick of his finger, golden-red liquid dripped into the pool like sparks falling into a vat of wine. Flames spread across the surface, burning silently yet rapidly.

The burning pool released denser spiritual energy, seeping outward through the hollows. The pale fingers of the shadowy figure twitched slightly, brushing away the clinging wisps of energy before turning to leave.

Locating the spiritual pool was no easy task, nor was reaching its edge. Were it not for the faint connection between the spiritual mountains of Gengchen Immortal Mansion and the Fengshan Spirit Fire, Sima Jiao would never have found this place.

Behind him, the flames he left behind began slowly spreading through the dispersed spiritual energy, igniting every corner.

Within the inner sanctum of Gengchen Immortal Mansion, nine spiritual mountain ranges housed nearly the entire Shi clan. The palaces of several Palace Masters and the sect leader stood here, along with ceremonial altars, plazas, and the Fengshan Divine Hall—all clustered at the mountain range's heart. Now, hidden fires burned within each mountain's spiritual pool, waiting only for the east wind to arrive.

As Sima Jiao emerged from the mountain's depths, a man robed in the Shi family insignia stood waiting, his eyes vacant and expression reverent. Passing by, Sima Jiao tapped the man's forehead lightly. The man showed no reaction, though after a moment his gaze cleared slightly before he walked away in another direction, appearing completely normal.

Many like him already existed within the inner sanctum—low-status, low-cultivation marginal disciples of the clan, overlooked by the main branch for various reasons. These were the "kindling" Sima Jiao had selected. When the day came, the grand spectacle he wished to witness would require these sparks to set it ablaze.

A colossal entity might appear formidable, but its very size created countless blind spots. A deeply rooted tree cannot be easily uprooted—but what if one set fire to its heart? The flames would ride the wind, burning everything to pristine nothingness.

Today, no blood stained his clothes, nor had he found any trinkets worth bringing back. Only upon reaching the courtyard gate did Sima Jiao realize his hands were empty.

At some point, returning with something had become habit.

No matter. Since he'd brought nothing today, he'd let her sleep undisturbed rather than shake her awake.

Having settled this internally, he entered the house.

She wasn't there.

Usually, whenever he returned, a small lump would be curled up beneath the blankets on the large bed. The room would carry a faint fragrance, with small plates of snacks and large bottles of spiritual liquid arranged on the bedside table. The thousand-mile mirror would hang by the bed, emitting soft chimes. While the inner chamber's candles remained extinguished, a dim floral lantern in the outer chamber would cast blossom-shaped shadows across the floor and bed curtains.

But today, the room stood silent. The warm scent had nearly dissipated, leaving behind emptiness. The floral lantern remained unlit.

She'd gone out to play again.

Sitting in the darkness for a while, Sima Jiao's mood soured. He rose to drag the wayward girl back to bed.He had just stood up when he heard a rustling sound by the window. A little black snake slithered in through the window and, upon seeing him, wagged its tail excitedly before darting over to bite the hem of his robe.

Sima Jiao looked down at the foolish mount he had raised for many years, whose brain seemed to have never grown. It was trying to convey something, its body twisting into knots like tangled hemp.

"Let go."

The little black snake timidly released its grip and began circling the floor in distress. Suddenly, it flopped onto the ground, lying stiff as a board.

Sima Jiao watched it for a moment, his expression gradually darkening. "Liao Tingyan?" he asked.

At the sound of that name, the little snake twisted around in a circle before collapsing stiffly into another pose. Sima Jiao's face turned so cold it seemed to frost over. He grabbed the writhing little black snake from the floor and flung it outside.

"Go find her."

The little black snake transformed back into the large black serpent upon landing. Sima Jiao stepped onto its back, and it carried him swiftly toward the Ziliu Mountain Villa outside Chen Academy.

This villa was currently occupied by Yue Chu Hui. Built into the mountainside, the villa's highest point housed the Cloud Platform, where Yue Chu Hui resided. Dozens of maids and hundreds of guards attended to this little princess.

Yue Chu Hui lived in the finest palace of the villa, while Liao Tingyan, as a prisoner, was confined to the dungeon. Back at the Cloud Robe Embroidery Workshop, Liao Tingyan had refused to hand over the little black snake and even released it right under Yue Chu Hui's nose. Enraged, the princess had immediately ordered her capture.

Assuming Liao Tingyan was some minor figure like Yong Lingchun from the Night Wanderer Palace, Yue Chu Hui had no fear. After roughing her up, she casually tossed her into the cold, damp dungeon and promptly forgot about her.

More than a day had passed since the conflict, and Liao Tingyan had already slept twice.

When Sima Jiao found her, she was curled up in a corner, her face pale and pitiful. He strode over and crouched beside her, reaching out to touch her cheek.

The dungeon was freezing, and so was her skin. At first, Sima Jiao thought she had fainted, but then he realized she was asleep.

Sima Jiao: "..."

"Wake up."

Liao Tingyan groggily opened her eyes to see Sima Jiao's stern, icy face. "You're awake. Did you sleep well?" he asked. She instinctively nodded. "Not bad."

Seeing his expression twist into something terrifying, she snapped awake and quickly corrected herself, "No, it was awful! So uncomfortable! You’ve finally come to save me, boo-hoo!"

Sima Jiao: "Get up."

Liao Tingyan sighed. "It's not that I don’t want to move—I can’t."

Only then did Sima Jiao realize her condition was indeed poor. She had internal injuries, and her spiritual power was suppressed.

Reading his expression, Liao Tingyan cleared her throat weakly and explained, "Well, if they were weaker than me, I would’ve fought back. But there were four Transformation Stage cultivators—I couldn’t win, so I didn’t bother."

Four seasoned Transformation Stage opponents at her level—engaging them would not only be futile but also risk exposing her identity. Better to endure for now. She knew he would come for her eventually. She’d let the big boss handle it.

Still, when they kicked her in the stomach and struck her face, it had hurt. Lying here alone had been bearable, but now that Sima Jiao was here, the pain and discomfort surged to the forefront.Sima Jiao's expression hadn't been this grim in a long time. Every additional glance Liao Tingyan stole at him made her shrink further into herself. It was as if they'd returned to those early days at Three Sage Mountain, when he'd been that murderous lunatic ready to sacrifice lives at a moment's notice.

Sima Jiao lifted her into his arms, settling her against his body, only then noticing the long, blood-crusted gash along one side of her face—as if made by something sharp. His gaze turned icy and heavy as he reached out to touch the wound that had stopped bleeding.

Liao Tingyan: "Ow ow ow!"

Ignoring her, Sima Jiao pinched her cheek with increasing pressure, reopening the wound until beads of blood welled up like morning dew between the parted flesh.

Liao Tingyan tried to squirm away from his grip: "Ancestor, stop! You're killing me here!"

He clamped a hand around the back of her neck, forcing her back against his chest, and leaned in to lick the freshly squeezed blood from her wound.

Liao Tingyan found herself staring at his jawline, his collarbones, the bob of his Adam's apple. Her face burned—both from the heat of the man's mouth and her own involuntary reaction.

Wait, what are you doing?! Since when does saliva disinfect in cultivation worlds? Can we not do these creepy things?!

Her hand instinctively flew to her abdomen, where another wound lay hidden. If he planned to treat all her injuries this way, she'd never survive. They were adults—this kind of teasing was completely inappropriate.

With her blood staining his lips, Sima Jiao pressed a terrifying kiss to her mouth before lifting her completely into his arms.

Draped over him, Liao Tingyan looped an arm around his neck and went completely limp, complaining absently: "This place is the worst. No beds, the floor's freezing, that young mistress's lackeys hit so hard they sealed my spiritual power. I had a bed stored in my spatial pouch but can't access it, can't even get food out. Haven't bathed either—first thing when we get back, I'm soaking in the tub."

Sima Jiao: "Shut up."

Liao Tingyan: "One more thing—where are we going?"

She'd assumed after rescuing her, he'd take her straight back. Instead, he was heading directly for the highest Cloud Platform Palace in the detached palace complex.

Liao Tingyan ventured: "Going to kill someone?"

Sima Jiao: "Obviously."

Liao Tingyan: "Couldn't you drop me off first?"

His face darkened: "Can't wait that long. Stay quiet or I'll kill you too."

Liao Tingyan: "???" Wait, boss, have you lost your damn mind? What kind of nonsense is that? I'm your precious! You wouldn't really kill me, would you?

Sima Jiao sounded deadly serious: "Better to die by my hand than anyone else's."

Liao Tingyan: silently retreats into shell

The ancestor was having another episode—reasoning was impossible. Best to lay low for now. Surely she wouldn't be tonight's most endangered person.

The unluckiest person present: Yue Chu Hui.

Yue Chu Hui awoke on her Cloud Brocade-covered bed to flickering light beyond her doors. Frowning, she called sharply: "What's happening out there? Chaoyu, get in here!"

The doors opened—but instead of her trembling maid, an unfamiliar man entered. His robes were bloodstained, a woman cradled in his arms with her hands over her eyes, silent as a grave.Yue Chu Hui recognized the person as Yong Lingchun, who had previously defied her and been imprisoned. She immediately shouted, "How dare you! Who gave you the audacity to barge into my Moon Palace!"

"Where are the guards? Taoist Lord Han, Taoist Lord Jiaofeng!"

After calling twice with no response, Yue Chu Hui finally sensed something amiss. A trace of doubt flickered in her eyes. "Who are you? What did you do to lure them away? Let me tell you, even if you've temporarily drawn them off, they'll return soon. None of you will escape then."

It never crossed her mind that her bodyguards might already be dead. After all, besides the four Transformation Stage cultivators openly guarding her, she also had a hidden protector whose cultivation had reached the Void Refining Stage. With him around, she could strut through the outer palace as she pleased.

Liao Tingyan lowered the hand covering her eyes and glanced at Yue Chu Hui sitting on the bed. A scene of utter disaster—those who flip the cart know best how it feels.

Sima Jiao set Liao Tingyan down to sit aside, then walked to the bedside. He shattered the defensive formations Yue Chu Hui hastily activated and intercepted her distress signal. Gripping her neck, he dragged her off the bed and toward the door.

The struggling Yue Chu Hui froze in shock, her eyes widening in disbelief at the sight outside.

Liao Tingyan fully understood the little princess's current state of mind. Having followed Sima Jiao for so long, she'd witnessed many of his killing scenes, but none as gruesome as this one. She'd managed to stomach the previous ones, but today's was too much—if she didn't cover her eyes, she'd vomit.

"Impossible... this can't be..." Yue Chu Hui trembled, murmuring in a daze. Her expression when looking at Sima Jiao transformed into pure terror.

Facing death, most people wore this expression—utterly different from when they dealt death to others.

Dragging Yue Chu Hui by the neck to Liao Tingyan, Sima Jiao said, "You do it. Peel off her face, then kill her."

Liao Tingyan: "Huh?!"

She immediately slid off the chair to her knees. "No way."

Sima Jiao seized her hand, forcing her fingers toward Yue Chu Hui's face as sharp blade-like energy condensed at her fingertips. He was determined to make her personally skin and kill someone.

Liao Tingyan tried to pull back, but couldn't match Sima Jiao's strength. He wrapped his arms around her, pressing her back against him, his cheek against hers as he whispered in her ear, "She bullied you, hurt you—you should take revenge yourself. She injured your face, so peel hers off. She had people beat you, so break every bone and meridian in her body. She made you suffer pain, so make her die in agony."

Sima Jiao's tone was icy, his eyes burning with wrathful red, terrifying the paralyzed Yue Chu Hui into sobbing and begging for mercy.

Liao Tingyan's hand shook violently, and she yelped in pain, "I'm really hurting! My stomach hurts terribly, seriously! Let go first, we can talk properly. Let's discuss this back home, okay?!"

Sima Jiao: "No."

Liao Tingyan pretended to cough up blood, feigning mortal injury. "I've suffered severe internal injuries. If you don't treat me soon, I'll die."

Sima Jiao bit her neck, making her thrash like a fish.

Feeling his grip loosen slightly, Liao Tingyan immediately broke free and hugged the terrifying ancestor's head, planting messy kisses on him. "I was wrong! I'm scared of pain! Let's go back and heal first, okay? Please, oh mighty ancestor!"