Arriving before the main hall of the Demon Palace, Jian Lin stated she had important matters to report and requested an audience with the Demon Lord, but was ruthlessly refused by the guards.
"Go, go, go, little dancer, what are you causing trouble for?" the guards shooed her away.
Jian Lin argued her case, "I truly have important business. The Demon Lord is investigating spies, and I know who it is. If you stop me and delay this important matter, and the Demon Lord blames you, you'll be in deep trouble."
"Don't think we don't recognize you. You've been to the Demon Lord's chambers before. Why didn't you say something then?" the guards mocked her. "I think you're just infatuated and deliberately trying to see the Demon Lord."
Jian Lin was choked with anger. These guards had good memories. Unable to out-argue them, she immediately changed tactics and began to bribe them with spirit stones.
However, the guards were loyal and incorruptible. The commotion in front of the main hall continued until a sharp, piercing shout interrupted them.
"What's all the noise about! Have you no manners!" The Grand Steward Hei Yu appeared, his gaze fierce as he swept over them, causing everyone to fall silent.
Jian Lin seized the opportunity, curtsied, and urgently reiterated her request to see the Demon Lord.
Grand Steward Hei Yu, in charge of the harem affairs, was more adept at handling matters than the guards.
He waved the guards away and called Jian Lin to his side, saying earnestly, "Didn't I have Yu Yao warn you? Behave yourself lately. If you continue to pester me, don't blame me for being impolite and kicking you out of the Demon Palace."
Jian Lin, having been rebuffed repeatedly, felt like crying. She regretted not revealing herself immediately when she met the Demon Lord. Now, she couldn't even get close to him. What could she do?
The system chimed, softly reminding her, "Host, you have accumulated 20 points from cultivation. You can redeem a teleportation talisman."
Oh, right. Jian Lin always forgot she had a cheat.
She left sheepishly and retreated to her room, sitting cross-legged on her bed, communicating with the system, "Where is the teleportation talisman, how do I use it, show me."
The system immediately displayed an image and solicitously reminded her, "Host, I know you dislike me and completing tasks, but don't neglect the shop. There are many things you can utilize."
Jian Lin still harbored some resistance. "Alright, alright, stop lecturing. I only care about practical matters. If you can help me greatly, I will naturally value you in the future."
The system fell silent and directly displayed the teleportation talisman. Jian Lin looked closely. Within a radius of ten li, wherever she willed to go, the talisman could take her.
It was a small, seemingly insignificant item, but for Jian Lin at this moment, it was enough. Her demonic energy was weak, and forcing her way into the Demon Lord's chambers was unlikely. With this teleportation talisman, she could finally meet him.
On a dark and windy night, Jian Lin clasped her hands in prayer, then clicked to activate the teleportation talisman, instantly appearing in the Demon Lord's chambers.
Before teleporting, she had prepared herself mentally, even considering what would happen if she fell into the Demon Lord's arms. At worst, she would die, and the system would restart.
With a spirit of desperation, Jian Lin charged forward and materialized within the Demon Lord's chambers. Trembling, she opened her eyes, only to find the place empty and silent.
Jian Lin quickly pressed herself against the wall, stealthily looking around. She hadn't heard that the Demon Lord had left the palace for business; he must be in his chambers.
She had only been to the main hall of the chambers before, not other rooms. As she searched along the corridor, she stumbled upon the sound of flowing water.
Her eyes widened. She poked a hole in the window paper and peered inside. Mist swirled within, and she could vaguely discern a human figure.
Help! It must be the Demon Lord bathing! She had come at the wrong time!
If she appeared now, she would surely be mistaken for a pervert. But if she left now, she would be unwilling to give up. That teleportation talisman had cost her 20 points, earned through ten days of hard cultivation.
As Jian Lin was agonizing over her predicament, a gust of cold wind suddenly swept through, her vision blurred, and she felt a dizzying sensation before landing with a splash into the water.
Help! Jian Lin struggled desperately, choking on several mouthfuls of water before managing to stabilize herself and float to the surface. She frantically wiped the water from her face with her hands and opened her eyes, meeting the Demon Lord's stern gaze.
He stood tall and elegant, clad in a black sleeping robe that clung lightly to his body. Jian Lin swallowed, her gaze involuntarily drifting down to his chest. He was quite... sexy.
"It's you," the Demon Lord frowned, his voice cold. "You still haven't given up? I thought you were just a little dancer and decided to spare you. Who knew you'd be seeking your own death. If that's the case, don't blame me for being harsh."
"Wait!" Jian Lin shouted, abandoning her affected demeanor and speaking loudly, "Demon Lord, I know about the spies from Guanlan Sect. Don't attack yet! Give me a chance to say a few words!"
The Demon Lord paid no heed to her words. He extended a hand, waved it towards Jian Lin, and the next moment, she was flung out of the water. Like a chick, she was lifted by the Demon Lord, his hand gripping her neck.
The Demon Lord tightened his grip on her throat, his voice growing colder, "I warn you, don't have any ulterior motives. Investigating the Guanlan Sect is very important to me, not a ploy to seduce me."
Jian Lin grasped his wrist, struggling in despair. The Demon Lord was too ruthless! He wouldn't even give her a chance to speak!
Facing imminent death, Jian Lin channeled her meager spiritual energy. The symbol of Guanlan Sect appeared on her palm – a combination of a long sword and a crane. She forced out a few words, "De...mon...Lord...I...truly...know..."
The Demon Lord's gaze sharpened. He recognized the symbol; it was the mark of a legitimate chief disciple of Guanlan Sect. Ordinary disciples were not qualified to possess it. Could she really know something?
Thinking this, he immediately released his grip. Jian Lin fell back into the water, weakly bubbling. As she was about to meet her demise, the Demon Lord reached out and pulled her out.
Jian Lin, having narrowly escaped death, coughed violently, lying on the cold jade floor, tears streaming down her face. She had never suffered like this before! She hated this world!
The Demon Lord squatted before her, reaching out to pinch her chin and grasping her wrist with his other hand. He unleashed his demonic energy, forcibly entering her body. The pain caused Jian Lin to cry out, her entire body feeling as if it were being pricked by needles!
What was he doing? She truly wanted to die with this man!
The system softly reminded her, "Host, he is probing your cultivation. Your sea of consciousness is about to be breached. I'll hide for a bit."
What? Jian Lin was still wondering when her head throbbed with pain, her vision went white, and she instantly lost consciousness.
After an unknown period, perhaps a brief moment or half an hour, Jian Lin slowly regained consciousness. Like a dead fish, she flipped over with a flop and saw the Demon Lord sitting beside her, looking at her with confusion.
"Are you truly the chief disciple of Guanlan Sect? Why is your cultivation so unbearable? You are only at the middle stage of Foundation Establishment, and your demonic energy is erratic and rootless, like that of a newly initiated child."
The chief disciple of Guanlan Sect was someone who formally paid respects to their master and received one-on-one guidance, not a rogue disciple who attended lectures and cultivated on their own.
The Demon Lord judged by appearance; this woman should have been cultivating for quite some time, yet she hadn't even formed a Golden Core. This was very unusual.
Jian Lin closed her eyes, refusing to speak. It wasn't enough that he had caused her such pain; he also had to verbally humiliate her. This man was truly stubborn and difficult.
"Speak. Don't think I dare not kill you!" the Demon Lord threatened coldly.
Jian Lin sighed helplessly and spoke weakly, "Demon Lord... I am cold and in pain all over right now. Please be merciful and let me catch my breath..."
The Demon Lord looked at her intently. Jian Lin, having given up all pretense, met his gaze fearlessly.
After a long pause, the Demon Lord relented. He touched her with two fingers, drying her clothes, and then went to a small tea table nearby to pour her a cup of tea.
Jian Lin propped herself up and took the cup, drinking it down in one gulp. The tea the Demon Lord used was naturally precious. She felt there were some spiritual herbs within it. After drinking it, the pain in her throat eased considerably.
"Are you satisfied now?" the Demon Lord urged unfeelingly. "Speak quickly, my patience is limited!"
Jian Lin sighed slowly, stood up leisurely, and tidied her sleeves. She did not curtsy like a dancer. Instead, she cupped her fists and solemnly introduced herself, "I am Jian Lin, courtesy name Pei, Daoist name Musheng. I believe the Demon Lord must have heard my name."
The Demon Lord's gaze sharpened. "You are that traitor from Guanlan Sect who was executed! They said you colluded with the demonic cult, and you... you're not dead?"
"Precisely," Jian Lin raised her eyes and looked at the Demon Lord earnestly. "Demon Lord, do you believe me now? Why don't we find a place to sit, and I will tell you everything I know."
Late at night, in the chambers, the Demon Lord leaned back comfortably on the bed. He did not invite Jian Lin to sit on the seat, and she did not wish to stand. Finally, resigned, she sat cross-legged on the carpet.
The Demon Lord looked at her with amusement and said teasingly, "There's something you might not know. When the matter of the Twelve Peaks reached my ears, I intended to capture you and question you. I didn't expect those old men to be so swift and execute you directly."
"I didn't die," Jian Lin emphasized. "Speaking of which, I was actually wronged. Because my spiritual power diminished, my cultivation stagnated. So, I chose to plant demonic energy, seeking another path of cultivation."
"You're quite adaptable. I thought everyone in Guanlan Sect was single-minded," the Demon Lord rested his arm on his knee and leaned forward curiously, asking, "So, who gave you the idea, and by what method did you plant the demonic energy?"
"A mysterious person. I don't know who he was. He gave me an Yin Yuan Pill and told me to take it directly to plant demonic energy."
Jian Lin searched the original host's memories. That person was extremely cautious, appearing as a shadow, revealing no distinguishing features.
Now, it seemed everything was planned. Someone orchestrated a tragic incident and coincidentally chose a weakling like her as a scapegoat.
"Yin Yuan Pill is a spiritual elixir from my Demon Sect. It is difficult to refine and extremely precious," the Demon Lord mused. "If people from Guanlan Sect could obtain it, there must be an inside spy in my Demon Sect."
"Not only that," Jian Lin took a deep breath and revealed the truth from the book. "Demon Lord, obtaining the Yin Yuan Pill might have been someone from Guanlan Sect, but the ones who attacked the Twelve Peaks disguised as members of my Demon Sect were not humans, but demons. Their leader is called Zhan San Dao."
The Demon Lord was taken aback. "Zhan San Dao, I know him. However, my Demon Sect and the demon race have always kept to ourselves."
"Demon Lord, haven't you ever considered that the people of Guanlan Sect colluded with the demon race to frame us?" Jian Lin asked.
In the original novel, Guanlan Sect, representing the immortal realm, was not a positive character. It was eventually exposed by the original novel's male and female protagonists, leading to a new force replacing the old and ushering in a new era for the cultivation world.
The Demon Sect was destroyed by the righteous alliance in the mid-to-late stages. From the perspective of the male and female protagonists, Guanlan Sect's destruction of the Demon Sect was purely a case of internal strife. They discovered that the catalyst for the incident was the demon race, solely to frame Guanlan Sect.
No one cared about the Demon Sect's potential injustice.
Jian Lin informing the Demon Lord of the truth now was essentially a premature spoiler, which would definitely alter the course of the original events. She wondered what the future would hold.