Shen Jianxi watched everything unfold from the side, having instructed 77 to monitor Lianhua's movements as soon as they arrived in the demon realm.
Seeing Li Mou groveling like this now, her mood was complicated.
From being the first demon general to a lowly slave, his tastes were truly peculiar.
Back in the demon realm, Fu Zi had truly trusted him and given him a great deal of power, never expecting it to cultivate his ambition.
Now, to be treated like this was entirely his own doing, deserving of no one's pity.
...
While Lianhua was indulging his twisted desires, they had already devised a strategy. All demons were summoned and put on alert.
Shen Jianxi and Lin Xinglan acted together, Cheng Wenyu and Qiu Tao together, and Fu Zi commanded his subordinates.
Originally, Qiu Tao and Cheng Wenyu were going to find and destroy the formation in Licheng. However, upon further thought, with Lianhua and Li Mou having brought most of the demons out, Licheng might now be the safest place. So, they switched roles.
On their way, there was no time for idle chat. They boarded the flying artifact provided by Qiu Tao and hurried towards Licheng.
The entire continent, which had been rebuilt, visibly became much more somber. Even the beasts hid in safe places, daring not to show themselves.
As they had expected, Licheng was now guarded by only a handful of demons.
They found a weak spot in the defenses and slipped in, heading straight for the Demon Lord's mansion occupied by Li Mou and Lianhua.
However, it was not as lax as the city gates.
The entire Demon Lord's mansion was surrounded layer upon layer. It would be impossible to sneak in now.
Shen Jianxi and Lin Xinglan exchanged a glance, an understanding passing between them instantly.
Most of the guards here were low-level demons, possessing strength but not much intelligence. They could be tricked.
So, outside the heavily guarded mansion, a cultivator covered in blood suddenly fell from the sky.
The group of low-level demons looked at each other, and one was pushed forward to tentatively poke Lin Xinglan.
"…Hey! Hey!" Seeing Lin Xinglan on the ground unresponsive, the demon crouched down and checked his breathing. Relieved when he confirmed he was still alive, he said, "He's alive, he's alive, you…"
Before he could finish, another low-level demon, who had come to check, hit him hard on the back of the head. "Are you stupid? This is a cultivator, you idiot! What good is he alive for?"
The hit demon looked wronged. He rubbed the back of his head and asked, "Then what should we say?"
The demon who hit him crouched down, also felt Lin Xinglan's breath, then looked back at the other demon and said, "Listen carefully. You should say—"
He took a deep breath and, with great theatricality, leaned close to Lin Xinglan's ear and whispered, "You came to the wrong place, idiot. This is a demon city now. Wake up and fall somewhere else."
Watching from the shadows, Shen Jianxi, ready to act, was speechless.
"...77, I think I can just go out now." With them acting like this, wouldn't they just welcome them in if they said they wanted to enter?
77: "I think that's a good idea."
As soon as she spoke, Shen Jianxi walked over.
The low-level demons on the other side stared at her blankly.
Shen Jianxi walked up to the two demons, pointed at herself, then at Lin Xinglan, and said, "We want to go in."
The two demons shook their heads blankly and said, "No."
This cultivator girl is so cute. Will she cry if we refuse? What should we do if she cries?
But crying was not in Shen Jianxi's nature.
She smiled faintly and raised her hand.
With a sharp "Slap!", Shen Jianxi smacked both demons hard on the forehead.
"Yes or no?"
The two demons looked at her with wronged, terrified eyes, nodding incessantly. "Yes, yes, yes!"
Who said cultivator girls were gentle?
How could she trick demons?
They really wanted to go home to their mothers, qaq.
"...Get up, little brother Xinglan."
At her words, Lin Xinglan's eyes snapped open, and he stood up from the ground.
This time, not only those two demons, but all the low-level demons behind them cried out.
"A ghost!"
"He's… he's resurrected!"
"Help, I want to go home, Mom—!"
"…"
Shen Jianxi: ...
Lin Xinglan: ...
77: ...
It was just ridiculous.
However, thanks to these demons being so naive and simple, they were able to walk in through the main gate smoothly.
The two demons who had initially spoken were still leading them in. As soon as they stepped inside, the large door behind them was shut tight.
The two demons let out sinister "Heh heh heh" laughter.
The demonic sounds pierced their ears, causing splitting headaches.
Shen Jianxi couldn't help but raise her voice, "Such loud laughter!"
The two demons were momentarily choked by her ferocity. The next second, they spoke again, changing to "Hahaha—"
After laughing for a while, they seemed to feel a bit awkward. One demon stopped and said, "You wouldn't have expected it, would you? We deliberately led you in. This is called, called, catching in a jar, jar, jar—"
"It's 'catching a turtle in a jar'," Lin Xinglan kindly corrected.
"Oh, right, 'catching a turtle in a jar'!" The demon looked gratefully at Lin Xinglan. "Thanks, big bro."
He then continued, "Now you can't escape. When we catch you, we can go to Lord Lianhua to claim credit and get promoted…"
That demon was truly rambling on.
He and the other demon beside him seemed to have already envisioned their future prosperous lives and began to fantasize, neglecting the other two.
Shen Jianxi really couldn't stand listening any longer. She cruelly interrupted the two demons' beautiful dreams and asked, "Where is the main hall?"
The two demons didn't react for a moment. They even enthusiastically pointed the way for them, then turned back to discuss how they would live after their promotion. By the time they realized, Lin Xinglan and Shen Jianxi had already vanished.
On their way, they had analyzed that the formation was originally set up for Li Mou and Lianhua, so the location must be somewhere they would both frequent. This left only the main hall, Lianhua's sleeping quarters, and Li Mou's sleeping quarters as possibilities.
They didn't go directly to the main hall but searched the entire mansion, forming a general idea.
There were guards in three locations, corresponding to the three places they had guessed.
However, the number of guards in these three locations was similar. From the outside, it was impossible to tell which place Lianhua intended to protect most.
The two decided to check the main hall first. The main hall was roughly in the middle of the two sleeping quarters. If the formation wasn't in the main hall, they could split up and check the sleeping quarters.
The guards here were not as strict as outside, and their numbers were not too great. Just as they were preparing to force their way in, 77 suddenly spoke, "Xixi, they'll be changing shifts in three minutes. You can slip in then."
Hearing this, Shen Jianxi restrained Lin Xinglan, who was about to move, and gestured for him to wait.
Though unsure why, Lin Xinglan obediently hid back.
The two waited quietly for the three minutes to pass.