Ordered to Marry by the High King - Chapter 20

Zhuoxue was already so terrified her bones felt soft and her muscles numb. The cold sweat she’d broken into before entering the hall had, in the blink of an eye, completely dried—now she didn’t even dare to sweat.

Fortunately, aside from being suspended in the air, there were no other traps.

“Don’t hurt her!” someone shouted.

Now that they were closer, Zhuoxue instantly recognized the voice—it was Lanhui.

Zhuoxue sobbed along with the moment. “My lord, even mortals about to be beheaded get a last meal. I got up so early this morning and haven’t even had a bite of meat.”

As soon as the words left her mouth, it was as if she were trapped in a narrow crevice, surrounded by an invisible demonic force. Her limbs were bound, and she couldn’t move at all.

She thought that was the extent of it, but pain suddenly stabbed the back of her neck—it felt like flesh being carved out and a thousand needles piercing her skin, almost reaching her throat. 

It was still demonic power—vast and overwhelming—pressing directly against the seal at the back of her neck. But she couldn’t fight back.

The great hall suddenly lit up, as the seal flared with bright light, its runes becoming fully visible.

Zhuoxue was in unbearable pain, her neck seemingly being throttled. She could only let out faint, breathy gasps, like a fish that had been out of water for too long, too weak to even struggle properly.

Pain.

Agonizing pain from the inside out.

Her fragile demon core trembled violently, almost splitting open with cracks. Her soul, too, was nearly forced from her body. It seemed this seal truly was tied to her life—if it were forcibly broken, she would not survive.

At that moment, a spell completely different from demonic power crashed forth like thunder, forcibly dispersing the blade of energy suspended behind Zhuoxue’s neck.

Lanhui was panting, clearly having exhausted all her strength.

Longming had half expected it, and half not. She had been certain that Lanhui wasn’t entirely ignorant, but couldn’t quite confirm Lanhui’s true identity.

“You are not a demon,” she said to Lanhui.

Those four words were like a thunderstorm, shaking the very air.

If not a demon, then what?

She certainly couldn’t be human. While mortals could also practice magic, even with spells at their disposal, they remained mortal bodies of flesh. They required magical tools to channel power—it was impossible for a mere wave of the hand to summon such force as to shift wind and cloud.

Zhuoxue couldn’t see Lanhui’s expression clearly, but she managed to catch her breath in the brief reprieve.

By then, Lanhui had already withdrawn her energy. She didn’t lift her gaze, nor did she respond, as if she hadn’t heard anything.

“Are you truly Mountain Lord Lanhui of Qiufeng Ridge?” Longming demanded.

How could she not be Lanhui? After living together for more than a decade, even if the other turned to ash, Zhuoxue would still recognize her.

Zhuoxue was still suspended mid-air. The seal at the back of her neck had been activated and would not cool down easily. Now it burned and ached terribly. She could only mutter weakly, “Aunt Lan, just go.”

“It is indeed me.” Lanhui did not leave. Her tone was calm and gentle, as usual. “May I trouble my lord to withdraw the demonic force? This little fox has been too pampered. If she has offended you, I ask for forgiveness.”

Longming smiled. “Your Dao is different, yet you defend this fox. It seems you really did raise her these past ten years. You grew fond of her over time and couldn’t bear to see her hurt.”

Lanhui said nothing.

Longming then struck again, clearly intending to use this fox to force Lanhui into revealing everything.

Zhuoxue’s nape was once again pierced with needle-like pain. Fierce demonic energy split into a thousand threads, weaving tightly across her flesh, seemingly trying to dismantle the seal entirely.

Zhuoxue’s mind grew sluggish. One moment she wanted to beg for mercy, the next she couldn’t help but ponder Lanhui’s identity.

If Lanhui was neither demon nor human, then what could she be?

In the end, the pain left her no room to think. All she could do was gasp desperately for air, tears spilling from her eyes until her face was soaked.

“I beg my lord for mercy!” Lanhui raised her voice.

“You heard my conversation just now with the mistress of Huangliang Dream Market.” Longming spoke coolly and evenly. “Kunlun Yaojing wouldn’t leave a seal on this fox without reason—and you wouldn’t have picked her up without a reason, either.”

Lanhui didn’t answer. Her hand, hanging at her side, was clearly trembling. She lifted her eyes and said, “The little fox has neglected her cultivation since childhood. Her demon core is barely the size of a fingertip. If this continues, she will surely die.”

Zhuoxue also felt she was certain to die. She was completely drained, and couldn’t even muster the energy to move her eyes.

“You won’t kill her,” Lanhui said with conviction.

Longming gave a faint snort and ceased forcing demonic power into the seal.

As the demonic power receded, the glowing ripple caused by the assault on the seal slowly dimmed as well, and shadows once again filled the great hall.

Zhuoxue froze, realizing that the invisible prison around her was dissolving—except for a single thread that still bound her, keeping her suspended above the ground.

But the next instant, demonic power surged beside Longming, and the fog that spread out was about to fill the entire hall. In the blink of an eye, the mist condensed into a sharp, terrifying tiger’s claw. The overwhelming pressure surged like a tidal wave—it was bitterly cold, as though it meant to turn everything beneath it to ash.

Zhuoxue still had tears clinging to her lashes, and her vision was blurred. The less she could see, the more afraid she became. Her heart pounded wildly, unable to calm. The oppressive force made her breathing rapid and shallow. Eyes wide with fear, she clutched her head and cried, “Don’t hurt Aunt Lan!”

But this was the demon lord of Cangqiong Realm—how could she be expected to stop?

At once, it was as though the hall exploded into scattering snow, the wind howling in fury.

Zhuoxue had never witnessed such pressure. It was even more terrifying than heavenly thunder. In that instant, she bitterly regretted everything. If only she hadn’t come to Lingkong Mountain.

From a distance, the tiger’s claw had already descended to hover above Lanhui’s head. The intense pressure bore down on her, forcing Lanhui to bend at the waist. The ground beneath her feet cracked audibly. To resist the demonic force, she had crushed the stone slabs under her heels.

Usually gentle and reserved, Lanhui now clenched her teeth tightly. Her once mild eyes and brows were filled with unyielding courage. To stand as an equal to Longming, her power had to be extraordinary—she couldn’t be an ordinary figure.

“So,” Longming said calmly, “what if I add another layer of force, and you still don’t fight back? Why don’t you let me witness again that spell you used just now?”

Lanhui held up one arm to block the demonic force pressing down from above. Sweat poured from her like rain, and her lips were pale as paper.

“If you have a grudge, take it out on me! Aunt Lan is innocent!” Zhuoxue longed to rush over to help, but she was still bound in midair. She couldn’t even protect herself, let alone anyone else.

The crushing force sank slowly downward. The hall trembled and roared. The stone slabs beneath Lanhui completely caved in, half of her body buried in the ground.

Even so, Lanhui made no sound to beg for mercy, nor did she retaliate.

Was it that she didn’t want to fight back—or that she couldn’t?

“If you want this fox skin, then take it—just don’t hurt her anymore!” Zhuoxue cried, watching helplessly as Lanhui was swallowed by the shattered earth.

Just then, a surge of energy spread outward. Unlike demonic energy, it was light and cold—a faint orchid blooming in a secluded valley, left by one who rests in the mountains and dwells in the hollows.

It repelled all dust and worldly stain—noble and unattainable.

Though she had never in her life seen an immortal, the little fox immediately recognized the scent. This was… immortal aura.

She stared in stunned silence at the elder half-buried in rubble, unable to believe that this was the very mountain lord of Qiufeng Ridge who had lived with her day and night for over a decade—someone who was, in truth, not a demon.

It was said that immortals and demons were sworn enemies. But Lanhui had never hurt her, had never harmed the little demons of the mountain. Lanhui was so just and broad-minded, as if she could hold all the rivers in her heart.

If she were an immortal, why would she willingly stay in Qiufeng Ridge? Why would she settle for a crevice where sunlight never reached, spending her days among demons, and kindly raising Zhuoxue to adulthood?

And yet, Lanhui—was indeed an immortal.