Chapter 17 Cruelty Her face was deathly pale, and a trickle of bright red blood flowed from the corner of her lips…
Almost a month has passed since we arrived here. My brother's health has recovered quickly, and with the help of the elixir, he is now able to cultivate.
Mu Meng looked out the window alone, because she hadn't seen her brother for two days.
After all, starting over means cultivating step by step from the lowest level, so one must go into seclusion for three days every three days.
This is his third time in seclusion, and today is the third day. They will be able to see each other again tomorrow morning. I have to say, although my brother is usually not very talkative, I really miss him a bit now that I can't see him for a while.
With him gone, Mu Meng was able to better reflect on the things he had been avoiding for so many days.
There's no doubt she likes her brother, but if it's that kind of liking, she's a little unsure.
Mu Meng touched her lips with her finger in a daze. Actually, upon closer examination, she didn't dislike that kiss that night.
Over the years, she had grown accustomed to her brother's presence; no one else could give her such trust, reliance, and security.
Moreover, he seemed to have become a different person these days. Although he was still gentle and doting, he was different from before. He would not take her hand, ruffle her hair, or hold her in his arms. He was strict with etiquette in every way.
Even so, the unique, cool aura of masculinity emanating from him grew stronger and stronger, enveloping him completely. Even though he was extremely polite, it still felt as if he had crossed a line.
No one had ever given her that feeling before.
Sigh... If only my sister were here. Mother passed away early, and at that time my sister was just beginning to experience love. She had no one to confide in, so she kept pouring out her sweet feelings to her.
If her older sister were here, she would definitely tell her all her worries.
Thinking of her sister, Mu Meng recalled what her sister had said when she visited her a few days ago.
"With Mu Qingheng around, he dotes on you like the apple of his eye. If you can't tell the difference, he will tell the difference for you and give you a good eye."
After thinking it over, Mu Meng couldn't help but curl the corners of her lips. Her sister probably never imagined that the person she trusted the most back then was actually not so easy to deal with.
Her brother didn't choose a good husband for her, but he himself became her husband.
actually……
if……
If it's your older brother, then give it a try, give it a try.
...
The palace is located beneath the desolate tomb.
"That was a truly exhilarating battle! The mighty Celestial Clan, the number one clan in the Six Realms! Yet they are nothing but pampered good-for-nothings!"
Helan Que walked in wearing a heavy suit of armor, which was covered in blood and seemed to be steaming. He smiled wickedly: "It is thanks to the wise Demon Lord's brilliant planning and divine use of troops that my Demon Clan was able to cross the Nine-Mile Protector River in just over ten days and enter the Heavenly Clan's territory as easily as taking candy from a baby."
Yu Da stood in the center of the hall, glanced back at him, and smiled, "So it is Lord Helan who has returned in triumph. Congratulations. However, Lord Helan is one of the seven Demon Realm Envoys. You should be more careful with your behavior. The Demon Lord is still here. How can you be so loud?"
Provoked by her forced smile, Helan Que finally noticed that someone was sitting in the main seat in the distance, but he hadn't seen him for a moment because of the poor lighting and his smugness.
Helan Que immediately knelt down and bowed, saying, "Greetings, Demon Lord." His arrogance vanished, and he explained in a low voice, "When I left the battlefield, the Demon Lord was still there. I didn't know that the Demon Lord... had already returned before me..."
Mu Qingheng remained relaxed and casual, his expression unchanged: "Get up."
Helan stood up anxiously.
He secretly calculated in his mind that the Demon Lord had personally led his troops into battle, fighting fiercely on the battlefield, covered in blood and grime. Yet now he was dressed in clean and tidy clothes, looking relaxed, and he didn't know how long he had been back. His spiritual power had reached an almost terrifying level.
Thinking of this, he felt it necessary to persuade you again: "Your Majesty, although I do not know how you obtained the power of the Crimson Heart Pill, it has already greatly benefited you. If you obtained it all, wouldn't conquering the Celestial Clan be a piece of cake? In any case, as long as the Crimson Heart Pill is not extracted, there is still a risk. I believe that the method of extracting the pill by cutting open your heart is more thorough and a permanent solution..."
Helan Que's voice grew softer and softer as he spoke, because Cangbi had given him a wink at least three times.
Although Cangbi is from the Jade Heart lineage and his spiritual power is inferior to his, he is exceptionally intelligent and highly regarded by the Demon Lord. If he disagrees with me, he must have his reasons.
As he was pondering which of his words had gone wrong, he saw Mu Qingheng leisurely get up and walk over.
“Indeed, Lord Helan is always ready to make decisions for me. I am curious, Lord Helan, what other brilliant ideas do you have? Please share them here.”
His tone was light, seemingly carrying a hint of a kind smile, but Helan Que instantly broke out in a cold sweat and immediately knelt down, kowtowing repeatedly: "This subordinate dares not, this subordinate has absolutely no intention of disrespecting the Demon Lord, this subordinate is truly only thinking of the Demon Lord's best interests! Please forgive me, Demon Lord..."
Mu Qingheng stood in front of Helan Que and gently tapped his repeatedly banging forehead with his toe: "Alright, Lord Helan, I did not personally lead the troops for the past five days, and you took it upon yourself to kill Mu Luo. Let's settle this score today as well."
He Lanque froze completely.
The others present were also stunned. Yu Da and Cang Bi exchanged a glance, unsure of what to say.
The Demon Lord appeared for three days and left for three days. Everyone knew where he went when he left, but no one dared to mention it casually, and they pretended not to know.
The last time the Demon Lord was not there for those three days, he made arrangements for his troops and ordered Helan Que to take command. However, he did not expect that the commander of the Heavenly Clan who was fighting on the other side was actually Princess Mu Luo, who had been imprisoned by the Heavenly Emperor for many years.
Although the battle was intense at one point, thanks to the Demon Lord's strategy, the Celestial Clan ultimately suffered a crushing defeat. Helan Que severed Mu Luo's head and limbs, hanging the head on the Celestial Clan's Yingtian Gate and taking the limbs back to the Demon Clan to celebrate.
When the Demon Lord returned and saw Mu Luo's limbs, he didn't say a word, leading everyone to believe that he approved of her.
Helan Que trembled all over, hurriedly explaining, "Demon Lord, please investigate! I didn't act on a whim, but that vile woman's spiritual power is nothing special, and her mouth is truly hateful! She kept demanding that we return her sister, and her insults towards you were extremely vile! As demons, how could we tolerate her trampling on our clan's dignity like this?! That's why...that's why..."
Before he could finish speaking, he suddenly felt a sharp gust of wind brush past his ear, and his left arm was instantly in excruciating pain. When he turned his head, he saw that blood was gushing out and a severed arm lay quietly on the ground.
"Considering your father Helan Jue's unparalleled contributions to the Demon Clan, I will spare your life today. I will sever one of your arms; take care of yourself."
Helan's face was deathly pale, ashen, and beads of cold sweat dripped to the ground: "Yes... Thank you for sparing my life, Demon Lord. I will never dare to offend again..."
He slowly took two steps back, and seeing that Mu Qingheng did not react, he knew that this meant he was being let off the hook. He bowed respectfully and withdrew.
Cangbi turned his head and glanced at Helan Que's figure, then shook his head and sighed inwardly: If Helan Jue hadn't discovered the underground passage left by the Demon Clan's ancestors, which gave the long-silent Desolate Tomb a way to enter and exit the outside world, they would have lived like rats, never seeing the light of day for many more years.
Their Demon Lord, though possessing a heart of stone, is also incredibly shrewd and calculating. If one cannot fathom his true nature, relying solely on his father to escape today, can he truly survive tomorrow?
Cangbi stopped thinking about it. Tonight, the Demon Lord should leave here and return to Mu Meng's side. He needed to hurry up and report on the progress of the matter: "Reporting to the Demon Lord, the situation is almost exactly as you predicted. In less than a month, we will have crushed the Celestial Clan."
"The people impersonating the Celestials are all ready. They have undergone rigorous training and are absolutely certain that no mistakes will be made."
Mu Qingheng nodded: "Yu Da has been in the Celestial Clan for many years. The two of you should keep a close eye on this matter together."
Yu Da immediately accepted the order: "Yes, Demon Lord."
"Also, I won't hold Mu Luo's matter against you, but the Heavenly Emperor must not kill indiscriminately." Mu Qingheng pondered slowly, then said more than a dozen names, "These people must not be killed either. Lock them up properly and wait for my judgment."
...
Mu Meng had already made up her mind that she would tell her brother her true feelings once he came out of seclusion.
However, she had to return to the Celestial Clan to report to her father, the Emperor. Such a big matter definitely needed to be reported to her father, otherwise wouldn't it be considered a secret engagement?
Feeling bored and restless, and having grown accustomed to living here, Mu Meng went for a walk alone. This time, she went a bit further, and the scenery was somewhat unfamiliar.
As she walked, a dark shadow suddenly flashed past in her peripheral vision. Mu Meng immediately turned her head and shouted, "Who?!"
The desolate graveyard was deserted, without a single living creature in sight. Where did the dark figure come from?
Just as I was filled with doubt, a person actually walked out from behind the withered bushes next to me.
This was an ordinary-looking man, tall and upright. Mu Meng frowned as she looked at him, but felt that the man's figure was inexplicably familiar.
Having only met her brother for so long, the sudden appearance of another person immediately put Mu Meng on high alert: "Who are you? What brings you here?"
The man looked her up and down a few times, then suddenly smiled and gave her a strange, respectful bow: "This young mistress is quite beautiful. Is she our Demon Lord's new concubine? This subordinate has met her."
His actions and words were respectful, but his tone was flat and even slightly disdainful.
Mu Meng frowned: "What nonsense are you spouting? You..."
No, the demonic aura on this person can't be faked. He's a member of the demon race. His sudden appearance here, and his mention of some Demon Lord, suggests he came prepared. Who knows if he has accomplices around him?
I still don't know his purpose, how much he knows about me, the demons... If he's here to find my brother, is he in danger right now?
Mu Meng casually touched the spot on her chest where the Soul Flower was placed. The Soul Flower was unharmed, so her brother should be safe for the time being. She thought to herself and carefully replied, "I was just passing through your esteemed place during my travels. Seeing how desolate this place was, I thought it was uninhabited and did not mean to disturb the Demon Lord."
The man smiled and said, "I see. I was being presumptuous. This humble place rarely has distinguished guests. I should have invited you for a cup of tea, but unfortunately my Demon Lord is away on campaign. Please go ahead."
He spoke with such conviction that Mu Meng couldn't tell whether he was bluffing, making things up, or if there really was such a person as the Demon Lord: "Thank you, brother. However, I have always been ignorant and did not know that a Demon Lord had been born in the Six Realms. I am truly disrespectful. May I ask what the Demon Lord's name is?"
"The Demon Lord is busy with many affairs and has not yet decided on an honorific title. However, he did have a name before, Mu Qingheng."
Mu Meng's heart skipped a beat, but she quickly regained her composure—this person was definitely up to no good. Could it be that his purpose in appearing before her was to sow discord between her and her brother?
The man seemed oblivious to Mu Meng's expression and continued, "But... young lady, you've traveled far and wide. Even if you haven't heard of the Demon Lord's birth, you didn't know that the great war between the Heavenly Demons was personally led by my Demon Lord, resulting in rivers of blood and darkness?"
Mu Meng was stunned for a moment.
All thoughts of careful maneuvering vanished; the man's words were like a thunderclap in her ears, leaving her momentarily dizzy.
Mu Meng stepped forward and grabbed the man's forearm: "What did you say?!"
They were extremely close at that moment, only a few inches apart.
Suddenly, a cold glint flashed in the man's eyes. He abruptly raised his gaze, twisted his wrist, and a soft sword shot straight out from his sleeve!
Mu Meng was already in a state of mental confusion, and he did not expect him to make a sudden move. He was too close to dodge and was mercilessly stabbed in the heart.
This move...
This move...
She thought she would never see that move again in her life.
Mu Meng coughed up a mouthful of blood. Seeing that she was injured but hadn't fallen, the man immediately drew his sword and swiftly swung it at her throat again.
Mu Meng held her breath and gripped the sharp blade half an inch from her throat, blood flowing freely from her palm.
"Who are you..." Her face was deathly pale, and when she opened her mouth, a stream of bright red blood flowed from the corner of her lips.
The man didn't want to answer and tightened his grip, intending to kill her. Mu Meng, however, gripped him even tighter, as if she felt no pain. In the ensuing stalemate, the man suddenly laughed.
"who I am?"
"Hahahaha...Who am I?"
He tilted his head slightly, his hateful expression paired with that smile, making him look strange and twisted: "Mu Meng, no matter how much time has passed, you shouldn't forget me."
He raised his hand and ripped off the thin, gossamer mask from his face: "I—I was deceived by you siblings for years, causing the slaughter and massacre of my entire family. I gave you my heart, only to have it ruthlessly trampled upon—"
"—Your fiancé, Yun Jiuyan."
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