Chapter 137: Assembly

The December Sect did indeed contain people who remembered the faces of Zora and Vane.

Though the path of immortality is long, the pair possessed extraordinary appearances, and the incident they caused years ago was considered unique within the sect. Thus, three days later, when the forces assembled and made their appearance, some disciples immediately rubbed their eyes, unable to believe that the person who had once wounded an elder and "fled" had become the Pavilion Master of the Demon Realm.

The scene fell into a sudden, dead silence.

The people on the Demon Realm side were naturally undisciplined, but after the new Pavilion Master ascended, they were forced to tighten their skin. Now, they actually appeared quite similar to the neatly organized ranks of the cultivators.

There were elders in the December Sect who had joined after Zora’s departure and did not recognize her at all. At this moment, they were staring at Zora with expressions of extreme vigilance, as if treating her like some flood or fierce beast, eager to engage in a struggle immediately.

Another elder, who also did not know Zora, was silently speechless.

We’re preparing to cooperate; is it necessary to be so disrespectful? He knows nothing of social graces, completely unable to mask his feelings.

But she couldn't say much; under the watchful eyes of the public, she couldn't undermine the prestige of her own side.

Before the numerous immortal soldiers and demonic armies lay a precipice. Standing at the very front were Zora and Turi Qi. Behind them were the Immortals and demonic cultivators of secondary power; the Master of Floating Cloud Valley and the Sect Leader of Drunken Lu Bay were a step behind. The righteous immortal sects always took the December Sect as their leader.

Elder Chen, who was wary of Zora, had spent the previous night wondering: what if the demonic cultivators defected halfway through the exorcism? What if they tried to reap the benefits of the struggle? Or perhaps, after the trouble was resolved, a battle between Immortals and Demons would be inevitable; the most convenient method would be to strike during the chaos. Demonic cultivators were certainly not above underhanded tactics.

The more he thought, the worse his expression became. Rationally, he knew that cooperating with the Demon Realm was the best path, but internally, he remained ten thousand times unwilling and a thousand times vigilant. After all, the Demon Realm's reputation was long-established and known to all.

After a few breaths, when logic dictated that either the leader of the cultivation world or the master of the Demon Realm should speak, the Demon Realm master looked slightly back. Instantly, an abrupt, short scream rang out.

Elder Chen was clutching one eye, blood flowing from between his fingers. His other hand was in a spell-casting gesture, but it was clearly a useless effort; his eye had been wounded regardless.

The people around him were cultivators of no low level, yet by the time they tried to intercept the attack, it was already too late.

"What is the meaning of this, Pavilion Master! Is the Demon Realm not sincere in this cooperation?" a cultivator shouted, judging by his robes, an array master from Drunken Lu Bay.

Another array master beside him rolled her eyes at him. She hadn't reached the point of treating elders from other sects as her own, and she felt her fellow disciple's words were merely inciting conflict. "Only you would speak up. The Sect Leader will surely deal with you when we return."

"..." The angry array master immediately looked as if his mouth had been plucked shut, his face turning red with suppressed frustration. ...He was just wary of the demonic cultivators and spoke without thinking...

"Wait." Turi Qi stopped several people beside her who also wanted to speak in anger.

Today, the morning sun shone brightly, casting a warm light over everyone. The girl at the center of attention looked at Elder Chen thoughtfully. She didn't look like someone who had suddenly attacked during a cooperation, but rather like someone who had performed an ordinary task. The hair on both sides of her head was tied into bud-like buns with the rest flowing behind her; the obedient hairstyle combined with her naturally pure face made her look even more innocent.

"The way he looked at me—isn't that the same as issuing a challenge? I simply accepted the challenge. It wasn't a waste of time."

...

Who said this was a waste of time! Who said it!

Everyone felt stifled.

Wang Yili saw that the Master intended to speak first, so she kept quiet. Her colleagues clearly knew the Master’s personality as well; they hadn't rushed out to protect her just now, showing they were quite clever.

the cleverest one had already spoken unhurriedly: "We cannot help but wonder if the cultivation world intends for the mantis to stalk the cicada while the oriole follows behind. After all, when even a minor elder dares to glare at our Master, it’s hard not to doubt your so-called alliance. Could it be that you are all people who fish for fame? Even at such a moment of crisis, are you still thinking of your own sect's prosperity, regardless of the lives of the world?"

Having spoken, Vane narrowed his dark eyes and gave a light smile: "Please forgive my speculation; the situation left me with no other choice."

Wang Yili swallowed the crude insults she had wanted to shout. Numerous managers of the Immortal-Slaying Pavilion also swallowed various comments like "serves you right," "reflect on whether you're an eyesore to the Master," or "ugly people cause the most trouble." Those who knew Vane and were aware of his past deeds didn't dare to expose that history openly; they simply kept their mouths shut.

He Songning... He Songning didn't want to speak. He kept drifting at the outermost edge of the demonic cultivators, furthest from the people of the cultivation world.

"Sect Leader." Some disciples looked toward Turi Qi.

As the Sect Leader, she ought to demand an explanation. Thus, Turi Qi spoke without her past intimacy, yet also without anger, in an ordinary tone: "Pavilion Master Zhi, even if he was in the wrong, the punishment should not have been so severe."

A kind-looking elder also said: "Indeed. The demonic cultivators look at us the same way, yet we haven't done anything, have we? Demons and Immortals haven't spent much time together; let us not damage our harmony further."

Zora did not look at the elder. She met Turi Qi's gaze for a moment, then looked back down at the crowd below. From her high vantage point, she stroked her chin, her tone remaining steady: "If the demonic cultivators look at you that way, feel free. As long as you can win."

Survival of the fittest and the supremacy of strength were the common rules of the three realms, but she had forgotten that the cultivation world’s methods were nominally gentler; at least they gave a reason, debated, judged, and then sentenced—just as when Vane's Demonic Seed was exposed.

Mhm... it’s not too late to remind them now,

Zora thought.

As soon as her voice fell, the demonic army below simultaneously dropped to one knee, heads bowed in compliance. The other half, the cultivators, remained silent, momentarily stunned by the evident deterrent power of the Demon Lord.

The more harmless the Demon Lord appeared, and the more casual her tone, the more bone-chilling the reaction of the demonic army seemed.

"Fine. Let's arrange the manpower according to where the evil spirits appear," Zora said, clearly not finding any issue with what had happened.

She assigned the manpower based on the familiar geography of the Demon Realm. The people of the cultivation world could only listen, as they did not understand the Demon Realm. Notably, because some people knew that Zora and Vane were formerly cultivators, had lived in a great sect like the December Sect, and had participated in trials held jointly by several sects, they understood the roles of cultivators. This made them even more convinced of her decisions... at least she had a foundation.

...

There's nothing to be happy about... no, it's still worth being glad.

Tension permeated the atmosphere, as if something tightly wound was about to snap. The elders remained silent. Strangely, the Demon Lord seemed not to sense it at all; after finishing the arrangements, she began to daze.

Each party followed the plan, lining up according to the arrays set by the array masters a day prior. The territory spanned several miles, and the crowds dispersed, vanishing within moments, leaving only a few scattered array masters.

Yiling Ke looked left and right, signaling her followers to remain calm, and shot a glance at the array master who had spoken rashly earlier. She sighed inwardly and looked at Turi Qi’s back without speaking. Recalling the days they spent together in the sect felt like a lifetime ago. Now she understood Turi Qi’s speech; as a Sect Leader, Turi Qi always placed the sect’s interests above everything except herself. And she understood Zora... well.

Yiling Ke didn't have much of a sense of justice in her heart; she was quite casual. At this moment, she really wanted to remark that Zora was practically born to fit the rules of the Demon Realm. In the cultivation world, she had looked like a pure cultivator, at most too direct, but honest and real.

Mhm... she’s still honest and direct now.

However, the Demon Realm seemed to have completely meshed with her aura. The strength and status she held gave strangers a sense of the unfathomable; the first things produced were vigilance and fear.

Zora wasn't dazing; she was listening to the System.

[It's finally coming to an end!]

The System made a happy sound, like a corporate slave about to finish a project.

Before the System could finish, it saw the villain step forward and quietly take the Host's hand. Most of the elders and demonic generals behind them had dispersed, but some still saw. The demonic generals looked straight ahead, their pace unbroken; the elders glanced at each other and also remained silent.

[—]

The System was speechless and retreated.

No one spoke. After a while, Zora was about to continue spacing out to listen to the System when she felt her hand being squeezed. Her attention returned to Vane. He was half a step behind her. A constant wind blew, making his stray hairs and ponytail drift slightly.

Only when they were the only two left on the cliff did Vane speak: "Turi Qi has become a Sect Leader, and Yiling Ke as well. Just as birds fly upward toward the sky and fish dive to the bottom of the water, the two can no longer walk together. It is a perfectly normal thing."

"I know. I also blinded an elder's eye."

"He got what he deserved."

"Mhm... true." Zora had to agree.

"After the disaster of the evil spirits passes, whether in death or life, the Demon Realm and the cultivation world will separate, just as before."

Zora blinked. "I know."

It was already difficult to meet. In the future, unless there was some great affair between Immortals and Demons, or if they abdicated to wander, they likely wouldn't meet again in this life. Even for mortals in the human realm, if they cross to another city, it's hard to say if they'll see old friends again; perhaps they won't even see them when they close their eyes for the last time, let alone the distance between the cultivation and demon realms.

"As long as everyone's alive." Zora didn't find it strange or have any negative emotions. She had been decisive and clean when she left the cultivation world; she had always known what she wanted to do. Over these years, she hadn't felt much longing; people like her rarely had such emotions. She only occasionally wondered if those people were still alive. To her, the greatest concern was whether one’s life was still intact.

However, it was true that when Turi Qi spoke in official terms just now, it felt a little bit strange. Zora had even glanced at her; it was as strange as seeing a mouse eat a kitten. That feeling was fleeting and left nothing in her mind. Now that Vane slowly brought it up, she recalled it belatedly, and it once again dissipated even more lightly.

Zora had never changed. In the past, she could easily kill someone for a provocation regardless of status, even in the cultivation world. It was just that now, one was a Sect Leader and the other was a Pavilion Master.

That strange feeling, thinking about it now, was the first time she realized the existence of "stances"—fuzzy things. But so what? Even if she realized it, she wouldn't care. Otherwise, she wouldn't have spoken according to "old friend" rules when she reunited with Turi Qi and the others.

Thus, the feeling quickly dissipated in her heart. So Zora also squeezed his hand.

Vane suddenly smiled. Unlike the slight curve of his lips before his subordinates where his eyes held no joy, now his eyes curved slightly. He insisted on interlacing their fingers, preferring their skin to touch.

Zora: "..."

She stopped squeezing.

Then, the two also went to lead their troops and set the arrays. The cliff was finally empty. The blood from the elder's eye blurred on the yellow earth, gradually congealing, and along with the faint sword Qi of the Demon Lord, it slowly dissipated into the world.