Chapter 124: Losing the Smile

The people of the Demon Realm were very different.

Or rather, it was only now that Zora truly began to take notice of strangers. Much like one who ignores the scenery while rushing along a road, once that scenery belonged to her, she had no choice but to stop and observe.

Some were blinded by greed, their ambition laid bare on the surface, impossible to hide; these she arranged according to their abilities. Some remained stubbornly loyal to the old Pavilion Master—their corpses were already cold.

Still others struck a pose of being "men of use," acting unhurried and fearless, fully intending to inspect the new Master’s capabilities. They seemed to believe they possessed some right of autonomy, as if they were successfully "headhunting" themselves and the new Master ought to beg them to stay.

To be honest, this was the Demon Realm; parting on peaceful terms was rare, and the information regarding the Immortal-Slaying Pavilion was not something these people could just spread around at will. Vane didn't even bother to intimidate such types; they became obedient after being locked in the dungeon for a few days.

Those people eventually recognized the youth as her claw and fang. Knowing the new Master’s hand was iron-fisted, they realized that Vane, by comparison, would at least negotiate with a pleasant countenance—provided they didn't touch his bottom line.

Zora saw more fresh blood in a day than she ate meals. Within half a month, the Immortal-Slaying Pavilion was swiftly purged. Stricter rules were established throughout the organization. By the time the rest of the Demon Realm took notice, the Pavilion had been utterly transformed, and acts of oppressing the commoners had ceased entirely.

Vane hadn't "whitewashed" the internal rules out of some sudden onset of kindness. He simply said to Zora: "The distinction between good and evil in this world is also the difference between the long-term and the short-term. Sometimes, acts of kindness or neutrality are not for the sake of reputation, but because doing so allows one to survive longer."

"The so-called 'evil cannot prevail over good' can be explained as the 'good' side surviving longer to a certain extent. After all, extreme evil triggers a backlash; it requires a proper amount of justice to neutralize it. If the Immortal-Slaying Pavilion wants to live more comfortably, it is better to reduce the number of enemies."

Indeed, there was a steady stream of enemies. Withdrawing from the camp of oppressors to form a neutral ground would truly make things much more comfortable. Moreover, no one knew better than Zora the strong backlash caused by soft-handed oppression—not killing the opponent outright but constantly grinding them down was a recipe for hidden dangers.

"We don't need to be like the December Sect, managing every little thing and taking justice as our responsibility," Zora said nonchalantly. She had already positioned the Pavilion’s transformation. "Nor do we need to be like the Demon Lords, taking pleasure in creating wails every day. Just do our own business. If we meet an enemy, cut them down. Don't meddle in others' affairs or go looking for trouble."

Zora added: "However, before we settle down, we must first suppress those messy factions."

Such as the restless Northern Demon Lord, the hidden Southern Demon Lord, and a host of self-built powers watching from the shadows.

Vane bowed slightly: "As you wish."

...

He Songning was moving backward.

Following his memory, he walked backward into the Demon Realm passage, hoping to step on the correct nodes to exit successfully before the passage vanished again in a few months. He took a few steps back.

Then he felt the passage's fluctuation was already in front of him—he had, with absolute precision, passed through an invalid passage, walking from one patch of barren soil in the Demon Realm to another patch of barren soil.

He Songning sighed.

If one cannot crack it, the Demon Realm passage simply becomes air—intangible and invisible. One can only detect its location through demonic Qi and faint spiritual ripples. The seals changed constantly, but he hadn't expected them to change this fast.

He Songning stared fixedly at the passage. The air distorted before his eyes, and complex, ancient script and symbols appeared like flowing water, shifting rapidly.

First, you had to know these scripts. Second, your mathematical ability had to be strong enough to support a quick solution and implementation.

"..."

The light gradually faded from He Songning’s eyes. It was too hard.

How did Junior Sister Zora crack this...

He remembered that her math grades had been terrible back then. Because her talent for swordsmanship was extraordinary, it made the depth of her deficiency in literature and arithmetic all the more startling.

Could it be that Junior Sister Zora had grown so much in these decades?

He was temporarily unable to leave the Demon Realm, so the thought of finding Zora emerged naturally. He didn't know if Junior Brother Vane was alive or dead; he hoped Vane hadn't fallen into being a person of sin.

He Songning didn't know if he hoped to see his former juniors turned against each other, or if it would be better if the two still supported one another, remaining untainted by the mud.

It's not possible they've both become Demon Lords, right? Hahahahahahaha!

Thinking of this, He Songning found a bizarre sense of humor and laughed out loud. His ethereal aura collapsed instantly, his face full of joy. Not only was his sense of humor absurdly low, it was also persistent. Since there were no fellow cultivators around, He Songning wasn't afraid of being disliked; he allowed himself to let the laughter out for once instead of forcing it down.

When he used a transformation spell to disguise himself as an ordinary man, he laughed at the change in his own image. Entering a backward village, he laughed at a strange-looking weed. Ten days later, reaching the more prosperous Northern Realm City, he was still laughing.

When he discovered a recruitment notice at the city gate, he was

still

laughing.

A crowd was gathered before the notice, whispering. The benefits were simply too good—though to He Songning, it looked like the most common treatment in the mortal realm, in the chaotic Demon Realm, it was undoubtedly a peace that only the strong could provide.

"Move!" a patrolling guard barked, crudely pushing through the crowded civilians. His subordinates on either side swung long whips. "Get out of the way!"

Several people were struck by the whips. They were about to wail in pain, only to find they felt nothing. ...The whips didn't hit? The group didn't have time to think, scrambling away on all fours.

He Songning scanned the fleeing group. He withdrew the spiritual power that had blocked the whips for them just as they were about to strike. The ethereal energy had acted as a shield right against them; no one noticed anything amiss.

"It won't come off!" a subordinate tried to tear down the notice, but the seemingly ordinary piece of paper was stuck to the wall and wouldn't budge an inch.

"What?" The lead guard tried himself. The fragile-looking paper remained rock-solid. Only then did he read the contents carefully, his face turning ugly in an instant.

"Report to the Demon Lord. The Immortal-Slaying Pavilion has a death wish."

Internal fighting, then. Demon Realm infighting,

He Songning thought lightheartedly. There were still people in the crowd unwilling to disperse; he mingled with them and continued reading the notice.

Pavilion Master Zhi.

Ah, the same surname as Junior Sister Zora.

"That Zora is bold beyond belief! The Demon Lord didn't even blame her for not reporting immediately after she became Master, and here she is, daring to provoke us on our own turf!" a subordinate said indignantly, voicing the leader's fury as they walked away.

He Songning kept his smile: "..."

Ah, she has the same name as Junior Sister Zora.

Does this Immortal-Slaying Pavilion know their Master shares a homophonous name with one of the top sword cultivators in the cultivation world?

Hahaha.

Until the patrol returned and pasted a wanted poster over the notice.

Though He Songning hadn't seen Zora in a long time, he had a very deep impression of her—specifically, the way she would stare at him fixedly the moment he suppressed a smile.

He Songning looked at the portrait on the wanted poster: "..."

His smile gradually vanished. The corners of his mouth flattened in a split second.

In an instant, a subordinate cried out: "What—! Captain! Captain! The wanted poster is on fire!"

The surrounding crowd scattered immediately, clearly frightened by the sudden combustion. Flames consumed the paper in an instant, heat radiating outward. Black ash floated upward, drifting toward the sky and vanishing amidst the chaotic, disordered screams.

The covered recruitment notice was completely unaffected. Instead, it reappeared as the wanted poster vanished.

In the chaos, a man with unremarkable features walked toward the city exit, his silhouette disappearing into the city.

Impossible. Absolutely impossible.

This was He Songning’s first thought, filled with disbelief.

He walked over a hill.

Perhaps there’s some misunderstanding.

He didn't use spiritual power, relying on his feet for another day and night.

Or perhaps Junior Sister Zora is hiding her identity as a cultivator. To gain a foothold in the Demon Realm, seizing power is indeed the best method.

His steps didn't stop as he passed scattered, sparse earthen houses.

Right, I cannot maliciously speculate about her without knowing the truth. At least—at least I must hear it from her own mouth.

The sun rose and set. He Songning frowned.

And even if she says it herself, she might be lying to me. What if she has some hidden grievance? Looking around these past few days, the people of the Demon Realm are sinister and cunning. With her pure heart, she might not be able to compete.

In terms of strength, she was undoubtedly powerful, but what if she was being tricked? Or, she was just using this power to develop in the Demon Realm; it didn't mean she was on the Demon Realm’s side. After all, she came here to capture Vane, and once the passages shift, they are hard to find. A girl alone needs to live.

The more he thought, the more reasonable it seemed. That initial shock dissipated significantly, and his heart slowly calmed.

After walking for five days and five nights, he finally stopped.

He Songning looked straight ahead. The place mentioned in the notice actually existed. It was a temporary shack where a person sat idly by the door. A table and chair were set up in the open air, with a stack of paper and a brush on the table.

Beside her stood a white cloth fluttering in the wind. He Songning usually saw "Divination" written on such things in the mortal realm, but this one said:

"No idlers, no incompetents, no restless souls, no one who disrespects the Master."

There was a barrier around the house; sound didn't travel out. Around the area were the separated bones of corpses; clearly, there had been a fierce battle before He Songning arrived. Several people sent by different factions had been intimidated, lingering at a distance to monitor. The woman remained unruffled, doing her own business as usual.

He Songning, who hadn't smiled once in five days, suddenly had a flash of insight.

Could it be that Junior Sister Zora is using the name of a demonic sect to perform acts of providing timely assistance?

"Hah—?!"

Just then, a sallow, thin man walked slowly up to the woman and seemingly said a few words. The recruiter suddenly slammed the table, her expression full of anger.

"If you are useless, don't come! What do you think the Immortal-Slaying Pavilion is?"

Wang Yili had been sitting here for seven full days; she was numb from sitting. She wasn't like a naive newcomer to the Demon Realm. Here, no matter how piteous someone looked, they could become a ghost gnawing on your bones in the next instant. At the very least, the Demon Realm was prolific in producing ingrates; indulging in kindness would only lead to being treated as a fool or a corpse.

She had seen plenty of people who thought they could get a free meal, or those trying to take shortcuts and lying; she was becoming increasingly irritable.

Wang Yili: "Do you think our Immortal-Slaying Pavilion is some damn cultivation sect?!"

Her tone turned icy: "Who are you calling a 'great philanthropist'? I advise you not to slander our brilliant and divine Master. If you come and waste my time recruiting subordinates again, I’ll kill you."

He Songning, watching from afar: "..."