“Immortal Lord! You must obtain justice for us!”
A giant bird covered in burning red flames fell to its knees with a thud in the center of the hall, weeping tears of grief. “While we were busy cleaning, Sacred Lord Zhang cleaned out all my children!”
With the giant bird taking the lead, the dense crowd of great demons kneeling behind it immediately erupted in shared outrage.
A Heaven-Swallowing Demonic Toad cried, “My children are gone too!”
A Nine Underworlds Nether Snake hissed, “Not even a single egg is left in my nest!”
...
Su Li had transformed into her human form. Clad in white robes, she stood at the very front with her hands on her hips, her chin held high.
Her foxy eyes were filled with smugness as she pointed at Zhang Mingyuan's nose and loudly accused him, “Immortal Lord, please listen to this! This fellow is simply lawless! Not only did he oppress us, but he even committed such sneaky, underhanded thievery! He has completely disgraced the reputation of cultivators!”
Zhang Mingyuan stood to the side, his arms crossed over his chest, squinting at the group of wailing demon beasts.
This dead fox sure moves fast.
But wanting me to admit defeat? Not a chance!
“Slander.”
Zhang Mingyuan cleared his throat and spoke shamelessly, “This is blatant, naked slander! I am the dignified Sacred Lord of Qingyun Heaven, a peak Mahayana Stage powerhouse! What kind of heavenly treasure have I not seen? Why would I care about a few of your worthless eggs?”
He turned to look at Su Jinxue on the high platform, his face a picture of innocence. “Please judge wisely, Immortal Lord. I was merely inspecting the Spirit Beast Garden just now to show concern for my subordinates' living conditions. It's bad enough that these demon beasts usually have no sense of hygiene, but now they've even learned to bite people with false accusations!”
“Bullshit!”
Su Li pointed at Zhang Mingyuan, “I saw you with my own eyes, sneaking and slinking around in all the nests!”
“Saw me with your own eyes? Where's the evidence?”
Zhang Mingyuan spread his hands, adopting a posture of a dead pig that didn't fear boiling water. “To catch a thief, you need the stolen goods. You want to defame me with just your mouth? I could also say I saw you wetting the bed last night with my own eyes!”
“You—!”
Su Li's cheeks flushed red with anger at his rogue-like words. “Fine! You won't shed tears until you see the coffin, is that it? Let's see how you quibble in a moment!”
She abruptly raised her snow-white wrist and threw a Projection Stone into the air.
Spiritual energy was injected, and a screen of light instantly unfolded in the center of the hall.
In the projection, Zhang Mingyuan's figure darted back and forth between various hidden nests like a common thief.
“Heh, nice egg. It's mine now.”
“Whoa, there are even innate Dao runes on this eggshell. Good stuff, mine!”
“You can never have too many demon beasts. I'll pack them all up and take them back to my Qingyun Heaven to guard the gates. That'll be so prestigious!”
The audio in the projection was crystal clear.
Zhang Mingyuan's money-grubbing face played on a loop in the hall with a 360-degree view without any blind spots.
The great demons below exploded with rage upon seeing this. Had they not been mindful that this was the Immortal Lord's main hall, they would have probably pounced forward and bitten Zhang Mingyuan to death.
The smile on Zhang Mingyuan's face froze.
I was too careless.
I was so busy gloating that I forgot this dead fox is also in the Mahayana Stage.
Now, both the physical evidence and the witness are present.
“Zhang Mingyuan! What else do you have to say now?!”
Su Li stood with her hands on her hips, her tail wagging triumphantly behind her, looking completely victorious. “Immortal Lord, this man is of vile character and has committed heinous crimes! Please immediately strip him of his cultivation and throw him into the Ten-Thousand-Year Ice Prison!”
The hall fell silent.
Everyone's gaze gathered on Zhang Mingyuan.
Zhang Mingyuan's eyes darted around. He cleared his throat and forced a righteous expression onto his face. “Ahem... well, everyone, please don't misunderstand. I was actually just keeping them safe for you.”
“Keeping them safe?” Su Li laughed in sheer anger.
“Yes!”
The more Zhang Mingyuan spoke, the more reasonable he felt he sounded, and he straightened his back. “Think about it, what were you all doing just now? Spring cleaning! There was no one in your nests. If some thief had targeted them, it would have been a disaster! I was merely taking preventive measures! I was worried that you parents would be careless, so I gathered the eggs to protect them uniformly. As for why I didn't admit to taking them earlier, it was because I wanted you to feel anxious so that you would remember this lesson!”
This speech, which completely turned black into white, utterly dumbfounded the present demon beasts.
They had seen shameless people before, but never anyone this shameless.
He had stolen their children, yet he could explain it away in such a fresh and refined manner!
“You... you are shameless!”
Su Li was at a loss for words and could only turn her head to look at the high platform. “Immortal Lord! You absolutely must not listen to his nonsense!”
High up on the platform, Su Jinxue sat upright on the main throne, her red gown like fire.
She did not look at Su Li, nor did she look at the wailing great demons. Her crimson eyes only stared coldly at Zhang Mingyuan.
The temperature in the hall seemed to drop to freezing point at this moment.
Zhang Mingyuan immediately shut his mouth, lowered his gaze, and pretended to be completely honest and obedient.
In truth, he was also feeling uneasy.
This crazy woman had just been threatened by him with the Projection Stone recording their kiss, so she was currently in a fit of rage. Now, this group of demon beasts had run right into the line of fire, handing her a perfect weapon.
With her petty and vengeful personality, she would definitely use this opportunity to make a big deal out of it and skin him alive.
It's over. I'll probably lose half my life this time.
Looking at Su Jinxue's icy expression, Su Li was overjoyed.
The Immortal Lord was angry!
The Immortal Lord was finally going to show her wrath!
Zhang Mingyuan, you are so dead!
“Zhang Mingyuan,” Su Jinxue finally spoke, her voice cold and devoid of any warmth.
“Present,” Zhang Mingyuan replied, bracing himself. His muscles were tensed, ready to take a beating at any second.
“Do you have anything else to say?”
“No... nothing,” Zhang Mingyuan said, his eyes wandering. “If you want to kill or torture me, just get it over with quickly.”
Su Jinxue looked at him quietly.
She looked at his stubborn, rogue-like appearance of refusing to yield even in death.
Just moments ago, he had used this exact same expression to threaten her mercilessly with the Projection Stone that recorded their intimate moment.
He would rather die than be kept by her side.
A trace of imperceptible sorrow flashed deep in Su Jinxue's eyes, and her fingers clenched even tighter inside her sleeves.
The hall was dead silent. Not a single demon beast dared to breathe loudly, all of them waiting for the descent of her thunderous wrath.
After a long pause, Su Jinxue parted her thin lips slightly.
“Return the eggs to them.”
“Huh?” Zhang Mingyuan abruptly raised his head, thinking he had misheard.
“This Seat said, return the eggs.”
Su Jinxue's tone was flat, without the slightest hint of emphasis. “Do not let this happen again. If there is a next time, you will be punished to copy the rules of the Myriad Snow Palace a hundred times.”
Silence.
A deathly silence.
The smugness on Su Li's face instantly froze, her jaw nearly dropping to the floor.
The great demons kneeling on the floor gaped, their eyes nearly popping out of their sockets.
Even Zhang Mingyuan himself stood frozen in place as if struck by lightning.
What was going on?
Return the eggs? Copy the palace rules a hundred times?
What kind of punishment was that?!
I stole half of the high-grade spirit beast eggs in the Spirit Beast Garden!
If this were in the past, this crazy woman would have drawn her Xiyue Sword and chased him for three days and three nights!
Did she get possessed?
Or is this just the calm before the storm?
A chill ran down Zhang Mingyuan's spine, his heart pounding like a drum.
Something's wrong. There is definitely something wrong with this woman!
She used to be a cold-blooded female devil who killed without blinking. How could she be so merciful?
“Immortal Lord!”
Su Li was the first to react, shrieking, “How can this be! He stole so many eggs, which is a capital offense! How can you just let him off by returning them? And what kind of punishment is copying palace rules!”
Su Jinxue slowly turned her head, her icy gaze landing on Su Li.
With just one look, Su Li felt as if she had fallen into a ten-thousand-year ice cave, her blood freezing instantly.
“Su Li.”
“P-Present...” Su Li shrank her neck, her arrogance instantly deflating by more than half.
“Since when is it your place to teach this Seat how to do things?”
Su Jinxue's voice was not loud, yet it carried an unquestionable pressure.
“Li'er wouldn't dare...”
“As the cultivator with the highest cultivation level in the Spirit Beast Garden, not only did you fail to supervise the spirit beasts, but you even led them to trespass on the Immortal Lord's Peak and make a racket. Where are your manners?”
Su Jinxue looked at her expressionlessly. “Has this Seat spoiled you too much on ordinary days?”
Su Li fell to her knees with a thud, her face deathly pale. “Please appease your anger, Immortal Lord! This subordinate knows her mistake!”
“You are punished to immediately get to the back mountain to reflect on your mistakes for three months, and your spiritual stones for the next half a year are docked.”
Su Jinxue coldly pronounced the sentence, “If you dare to do this again, you will be directly demoted to a low-grade spirit beast.”
Su Li was completely dumbfounded.
She simply could not understand why she was the one punished in the end when it was clearly Zhang Mingyuan who had committed the offense.
But in the face of Su Jinxue's pressure, she did not dare to utter a single word of protest. She could only grit her teeth and kowtow, saying, “This subordinate... obeys.”
“Get out, all of you.” Su Jinxue swept her gaze over the great demons below.
The great demons felt as if they had received a grand amnesty.
Zhang Mingyuan did not dare to cause any more trouble either. He hurriedly took out all the colorful eggs from his small world and piled them in the center of the hall.
The great demons scrambled forward, each hugging their own eggs. They didn't even dare to spare Zhang Mingyuan another glance as they fled the hall in a flash.
Su Li also got up dejectedly. Before leaving, she glared fiercely at Zhang Mingyuan, her face filled with unwillingness and resentment.
Zhang Mingyuan made a face at her and mouthed two words: Serves you right.
The heavy wooden doors of the hall closed with a loud bang.
The clamor was instantly shut out.
In the massive palace, only Zhang Mingyuan and Su Jinxue were left.
The atmosphere grew awkward at a speed visible to the naked eye.
The smile on Zhang Mingyuan's face faded bit by bit. He warily took half a step back, instinctively shielding his chest with his hands.
This crazy woman protected me in front of outsiders just now. Now that everyone is gone, she is definitely going to settle the final score behind closed doors.
“Well...”
Zhang Mingyuan let out two dry laughs, trying to break the suffocating silence. “Immortal Lord, you are wise and divine, discerning everything with absolute clarity. This subordinate's admiration for you is like a surging river, endless and boundless...”
“Shut up.”
Su Jinxue cut off his flattery.
She stood up from her main seat, her red skirt trailing along the cold jade floor, making a soft rustling sound.
She walked down the steps one by one, heading toward Zhang Mingyuan.
As she approached, the familiar cold fragrance once again wafted into Zhang Mingyuan's nose.
Zhang Mingyuan swallowed hard, his heels already pressed against the pillar of the hall, with no way left to retreat.
“What are you trying to do? I'm warning you, you said yourself that this won't happen again! As a Red Dust Immortal, you can't go back on your word!” Zhang Mingyuan shouted with his neck stiffened.
Su Jinxue stopped two paces away from him.
She did not draw her sword, nor did she release her pressure.
She merely tilted her head up slightly, her crimson eyes staring unblinkingly into Zhang Mingyuan's eyes.
Zhang Mingyuan felt his skin crawl under her gaze.
Something is wrong.
This look is way too off.
There was no murderous intent, no anger. Instead, it carried a trace of... resentment that made his scalp tingle?
What the hell, how could Su Jinxue ever look at someone like this!
“Zhang Mingyuan.”
Su Jinxue's voice was very soft, so light that it seemed a gust of wind could blow it away. “Do you think that as long as you hold that Projection Stone, this Seat will never be able to do anything to you?”
Zhang Mingyuan's heart skipped a beat.
Uh-oh, this woman is going to flip the table.
“I... I didn't say that... We are all civilized people, let's talk things out nicely, don't resort to violence.”
Looking at his defensive posture, a very faint curve suddenly appeared on the corner of Su Jinxue's lips.
It was a dangerous, somewhat morbid smile that completely clashed with her usual cold persona.
“Is that so?”
She suddenly reached out, her cold fingertip gently brushing across Zhang Mingyuan's cheek. “But this Seat suddenly feels that since you like to use that matter to threaten this Seat so much...”
She stood slightly on her tiptoes, leaning close to Zhang Mingyuan's ear, her warm breath puffing against his earlobe. “Why don't we turn the contents of that Projection Stone into reality once more?”
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