Volume Two: Kunlun’s Fleeting Life Chapter Seventy-Eight

By midday, she wandered alone into the orchard. As she passed each fruit tree, she recalled how she and Jingye had once picked fruit together, admired the blossoms together. The peaches were tender and juicy, the green pears sweet and crisp, then apricots, plums... and the immortal pear tree that seemed always to bloom. She stepped into the wind, standing amid the snow-white blossoms, chose a comfortable spot, and lay down at her ease.

Between the white pear blossoms, the clear blue sky shimmered indistinctly above her. She drank wine, hoping to drown all these memories. Petals fell in a flurry, blanketing the grass in a thick white layer.

Beside the orchard stood the Celestial Palace. In her drunken haze, she wandered there as if led by some unseen hand—and in her blurred vision, she saw Jingye, dressed in celestial robes.

Jingye regarded the drunken woman before him; his brow furrowed, his eyes slowly filling with distaste. Jinli had clearly promised him not to set foot in this place, and yet today she had come, drunk out of her senses. She had sullied his Celestial Palace.

With a swift gesture, Jingye seized her and demanded in a deep voice, “Who allowed you in here?”

Jinli could barely stand. Upon seeing Jingye, she simply threw herself at him, her delicate fragrance of lotus mingling with the sweet scent of wine, lingering at his nose. He grew angry and barked, “Get off me!”

But unexpectedly, she pressed a finger to his lips. “Hush, don’t speak.”

Jingye, unwilling to touch her, tried to invoke his immortal powers, but before he could even move, Jinli saw through him. With a wave of her hand, a wave of fragrance swept over him, and suddenly his whole body felt weak and powerless, unable to move. Emboldened, she pinned his hands above his head, rendering him completely at her mercy.

“Jinli! Get off me! Release me!” he roared, but no matter how he shouted, she refused to let him go.

With a sultry glint in her clear eyes, she silenced him. Lying atop him, she gazed at the palace ceiling and murmured, “Why do you still come here? Do you miss her so much? If you missed her so, why didn’t you save her back then, stay by her side, ease her worries, keep her from harm?”

Guilt flickered in Jingye’s eyes as he looked at her in shock.

“You couldn’t protect her? You never could. She was but a mortal—how could she ever have belonged by your side?”

The guilt in his gaze turned to rage. He glared at Jinli, wishing he could tear her to pieces. She knew nothing, understood nothing—how dare she judge his Tianyu.

“She’s dead, gone forever. Even if she returned, she would never forgive you.”

Silence!

Jinli gazed greedily at his face, then raised a white silk ribbon to cover his eyes. Jingye’s pale skin tinged with pink, his lips a beguiling camellia shade, and a tiny beauty mark just beneath them—how tempting. His lips were perfectly shaped, and now, at her mercy, he seemed to tempt her into crime.

She leaned close, her breath hot against his ear, and whispered, “She will never forgive you. Not in this lifetime.”

What shamed him further was that Jinli’s hand slipped inside his robes—his sash was undone at some point, exposing his bare chest.

He was blindfolded, his senses sharpened painfully. He could feel, acutely, the path Jinli’s hand traced across his body. When her lips brushed the corner of his mouth, he shuddered uncontrollably.

This woman—he would kill her. He must.

Jinli’s kisses fell like rain upon his lips, his cheeks, the curve of his ear, the lobe, trailing down to his neck. She nipped at his Adam’s apple—the most vulnerable spot on a man, now laid bare before his enemy, and he swallowed, his throat moving visibly, a temptation in itself.

She stroked his cheek, and a single tear fell upon his lips.

The coldness startled Jingye.

Anger, humiliation, and shock surged within him.

“Bastard, Jingye, you heartless wretch, I will never love you again.”

She was crying?

With wounded dignity, she sobbed brokenly, then dressed him once more, her lotus scent gradually fading away.

And then, she was gone.

Jinli sat beneath the pear tree. Jingye would never forgive her now—he might even kill her. After all, she had committed such a grave transgression against him; anyone would be shamed and furious. The wine’s haze faded; she rose and left the orchard.

As expected, that night Jingye stormed in, gripping the white silk tightly. When he saw Jinli, his anger and loathing were plain. “Celestial Lady, if you cannot hold your liquor, then do not drink!”

Jinli raised her eyes to meet his; he regarded her as if she were a stranger. “When I allowed you residence in Junhua Palace, I made it clear: there would be nothing between us. But your conduct disgusts me!”

Before Yunyi and Xinian, he showed no leniency, burning the blindfold white silk to ashes before their eyes. Then he said coldly, “Even a lady’s temper should know its limits—not everyone is yours to provoke. Show some respect for yourself, Celestial Lady.”

He turned to go, but Jinli spoke softly, halting his steps. “I have walked the Path of Freedom since childhood, and am accustomed to acting as I please. That day, I was drunk and offended the Emperor—I beg your pardon. As for my so-called temper, if you have come on behalf of Saintess You Su to demand an explanation, I have nothing to say.”

She rose and walked step by step toward him, her gaze chilly, her tone even colder: “Yes, I did it on purpose. I detest her. What can you do about it?”

He had heard the stories—how the Lady of Lianchuan was wanton and reckless, her actions absurd. Seeing her now, he found it all true.

“You would do well to reflect upon your actions in Junhua Palace for a few days,” he said, then turned and strode away, his back radiating coldness.

Reflect? Why should she reflect?

The day to forge the Demon-Sealing Talisman was at hand. Alone, she went to the Cloud’s Edge above the Pool of Shadows to gaze at the night sky, only to overhear the immortal maidens’ gossip.

“They say the Ninefold Emperor quarreled fiercely with the Empress and went straight to the Taiyi Hall.”

“That Lianchuan lady has men all around her—no self-restraint at all. No wonder the Emperor is angry.”

“Junhua Palace had not welcomed a new resident in three hundred years, and as soon as she arrived, she showed up Saintess You Su. Of course the Emperor was angry.”

“Seems the Emperor still cares for the Saintess.”

“This engagement only exists for the sake of the world. There are no feelings. I doubt that Celestial Lady will remain here much longer.”

Hearing their ridicule, Jinli was indifferent. She vanished into the clouds, wine in hand, and went to You Suwen’s Moon-Gazing Palace. The air still seemed tinged with blood; she heard You Suwen, using her own voice, speak words that sickened her. She truly wanted to ask: why had she hated Tianyu so?

Tianyu was just a mortal—why so much loathing?

There would be time yet for answers.

She drank and left the palace gates.

“My lady?”

Jinli looked up. It was one of Jingye’s attendants—what was his name?

Star Lord of Fate.

“So it’s you, Star Lord.”

He smiled. “Why are you out so late, my lady?”

“Admiring the night. And you, Star Lord—why linger here?”

No sooner had she spoken than Jingye appeared behind her. He didn’t even glance her way, just walked past without a word. Jinli followed his path with her eyes—so he had been at the Moon-Gazing Palace just now.

“I have business elsewhere. Please excuse me,” the Star Lord said.

Jinli nodded.

So, he truly despised her.

She had been “married into” the Holy Domain for over a month now.

That day, she sat in the Taiyi Hall with the assembled deities, forging the Demon-Sealing Talisman.

Jingye did not appear. Perhaps he was making his distance clear.

That night, You Suwen came to Jinli in tears, her body covered in wounds. “Please, Empress, I beg you—save the Emperor. He went alone to the Demon Realm and has not returned.”

Carried by the clouds, Jinli hurried away.

She returned to the Lijiang River. Unlike before, the waters now ran black and lifeless; there were no stars reflected, only resentment in the air.

She formed a seal and activated the formation, transporting herself to the Demonic Heavens.

The demonic energy here was overwhelming, constantly eroding her own purity.

Was this still the Demon Realm she had once known? The starry river was gone, the lanterns gone, even the black crystal vanished. Only resentment and demonic aura remained. Was this the Demon Realm, three hundred years later?

Here, her power was suppressed.

“Well, well, a little immortal, is it?” a voice drawled.

She stiffened and turned. All around the high cliffs, countless heads appeared—demons with crimson eyes and grotesque features.

When had the demon clan become so fearsome?

She turned to flee.

But on their own ground, escape was impossible. Soon, a figure stood before her—his black robe embroidered with unknown flowers, his hair tied high with a red sash and no crown. The demonic mark on his brow marked him as a demon lord. His eyes were long and narrow, filled with amusement and a touch of roguishness.

“I said she’s mine,” he declared.

“Lin Xian, you again?” she said warily.

A woman in a black and red gown, her smile sultry yet resentful, emerged from the shadows, playing with her hair.

Lin Xian raised a brow, eyeing Jingyue with interest.

“You’re from the Holy Domain, aren’t you?”

“I am.”

Now that the immortals and demons had called a truce, and the demons had retreated beyond the Lijiang, they belonged to the Six Realms, but bitterness remained.

He eyed the calm-faced woman, his curiosity piqued. “So, an immortal—what brings you here?”

Of course—it was You Suwen’s trap once again.

“I entered by mistake. I beg your pardon.”

“Report, my lord—the traitors have been captured.”

Lin Xian nodded, and demon soldiers dragged the traitors forward. “Take them away for the Lord’s judgment.”

The Demon God?

Lin Xian grinned at Jinli. “Guests should be entertained. Care to join us?”

Jinli was about to refuse, but demon soldiers surrounded her. With her powers not yet restored, she could not fight.

The Demon Palace was utterly changed—once resplendent, now only dark colors remained, not a single flower in sight.

“My lord, a guest has arrived.”

Jinli looked up at the throne and her expression changed.

Shi Xin.

He raised his eyes slowly, the red pupils cold and venomous as a serpent’s, fixing her with a chilling stare. “Isn’t this the Empress of the Ninefold Heavens? What brings you to my Demon Palace?”

Jinli forced herself to remain calm. “I entered by mistake, Lord Demon. I beg your pardon.”

In a blur of shadow, Shi Xin’s face drew close, and she saw a flash of surprise cross his wicked, arrogant features. Then he smiled. “Since you are here, how could I not show you proper hospitality?”

“Rui Xin, take the Empress to rest. Tonight, I’ll personally welcome her.”

The woman in red stepped forward. “Yes, my lord.”

“Please, Empress.”

Jinli was escorted by Rui Xin to a side chamber. She could still glimpse the old Qin Palace and catch the faint scent of magnolia.

She heard the door being locked and understood she was now trapped, a lamb among wolves. How unlucky—she had only meant to check on things, but now could neither leave nor resist.

No one could guess the Demon God’s intentions, but his bold annexation of the Ghost Realm made his ambitions clear—Shi Xin was not the same as before.

He was the Demon God now, commander of six demon lords, each one cunning and dangerous—not to be trifled with.