Chapter 16

Before the auction had officially ended, Li Mengze noticed that many seats were already empty. Wasn’t it said that the final three treasures were the real highlights everyone would fight for?

“Unless someone is absolutely determined to win, people here have a tacit understanding. In the end, it’s usually just the major sects left to compete for those last treasures. It’s better to leave early, so you don’t attract unwanted attention to what you’ve already bought and end up losing both your goods and your pride. That just isn’t worth it,” Ba Yicheng explained to his junior sister.

Sure enough, for the last three items, not a single person on the first floor made a bid. Without suspense, they were divided up by the guests in the second-floor private rooms.

After the auction, Li Mengze and her two senior siblings strolled leisurely out of the hall. The streets outside were nearly deserted, and the few passersby were just ordinary mortals.

Back at their rented cave dwelling, they spent a restful night. Ba Yicheng and Wen Yuanyuan cultivated through meditation, while Li Mengze wrapped herself in her special small blanket, laid out the mat she’d woven from spirit-nurturing grass, and slept soundly.

The next day, they visited Fortune Pavilion again. This time, Li Mengze ate to her heart’s content, packed up extra food, and even managed to buy several secret roast meat recipes from the chefs. Only then did she set out on her journey, fully satisfied.

The place where the Tianyi Secret Realm would open was very close to the Demon Realm—a sort of buffer zone of the cultivation world, rarely visited by cultivators. Not only was it a domain dominated by demonic cultivators, but many demon beasts in the transformation stage roamed there as well. Even if peace could be maintained, cultivators found it impossible to train normally in such a place. The air was thick with demonic energy; unless a righteous cultivator switched to practicing demonic techniques, their only fate would be self-destruction.

Thus, the choice of location for this Tianyi Secret Realm was truly unfavorable to righteous sects. Just from a geographical standpoint, they were at a disadvantage: unable to cultivate normally, forced to rely on spirit barriers and pills to absorb spiritual energy—it was bound to be a money pit. The demonic cultivators, on the other hand, enjoyed a home turf advantage.

If things were as they’d been centuries ago, with righteous and demonic cultivators locked in mortal enmity, this expedition would have surely been a massacre. But things had changed. Two hundred years ago, Kunlun set a precedent: after one of its disciples fell in love with a demonic cultivator, the sect openly and unabashedly sent her to marry him and even allowed her to visit home at will. Her cultivation method remained unchanged. Once demonic cultivators ceased to be treated as outsiders, meetings between the two sides lost their sharp hostility. There was still plenty of bickering, though—in Li Mengze’s view, it was always the righteous side who started it, their tongues so sharp she often wanted to slap them herself, let alone imagine how the demonic cultivators felt.

“Oh hey, old friend, I haven’t seen you in years and your face is still so dark! Is it because your heart’s too black?” The saying, ‘appearance reflects the heart,’ was clearly invented for you—so quipped an elder from the Pill Cauldron Sect.

…A black face, but no reply.

“Look, I’m just saying as your senior—you really ought to be more careful picking disciples. Just look at them, all with deadpan faces. That’s an illness, you know. It needs treatment.” The provocations continued—go on, hit me if you dare. With so few women among the demonic cultivators, if you attack me, your disciples will be bachelors for life.

“You’re the one with a deadpan face—your whole family is! No, wait, that’s not right—he’s the only one in his family. But your entire sect’s disciples have deadpan faces!” A certain demonic elder glanced back at his disciples, all cold and expressionless. Then he looked at the other sect’s disciples—well, they weren’t deadpan, but the whole sect seemed to have attention deficit disorder.

Every time righteous and demonic cultivators met, such exchanges were inevitable. This meant that, although outright violence had faded, there was still plenty of scheming and trickery.

Before leaving, Li Mengze had been thoroughly warned by her senior siblings: when meeting demonic disciples, don’t pick a fight. Those who walked the path of demonic cultivation were all possessed of unshakable resolve. Their numbers might be fewer, but those at and above the Nascent Soul stage were certainly not less than their righteous counterparts.

Li Mengze understood the subtext—junior sister, when you meet demonic cultivators, keep a low profile. They may be few, but each one is formidable. Don’t force a confrontation; tactics and patience are virtues. As the saying goes, “A gentleman’s revenge is never too late, even after ten years.” It might sound a bit easy for outsiders to say, but another proverb fits even better: “Many ants can bite an elephant to death,” though no one was really planning to take things that far.

In fact, the current cultivation world had a phenomenon Li Mengze found quite peculiar: the Demon Realm had become one of the sects eligible to recruit disciples. Many children with spiritual roots actually possessed a variant—dark spiritual roots—which were best suited for demonic cultivation.

Many disciples hoped to have dark spiritual roots, mainly because Demon Realm disciples were just too handsome. When a dozen icy, aloof men appeared together, the effect was overwhelming. Li Mengze had only seen it once, and even as a mature woman, she struggled not to drool.

Thus, Li Mengze privately suspected the reason for the peace in recent years was herd mentality. Among the general population, demonic cultivators had become a high-status profession—at least in mortal eyes. With public opinion as it was, and romantic ties between the sides, the righteous sects found it convenient to go along and cultivate a benevolent image. The real reason for all the jibes at their meetings was nothing more than sour grapes.

Li Mengze kept these thoughts to herself; to say them aloud might earn her a scolding from her elders. Even if they didn’t act, their lectures were fearsome enough.

The closer they drew to the Demon Region, the more Li Mengze felt the spiritual energy in the air thin. Even here, at Demon Thought City, still some distance from the true Demon Realm, spiritual energy was already scarce. They stopped for a brief rest, waiting to rendezvous with other sect members.

In Demon Thought City, those below the Nascent Soul stage were not allowed to fly, so they had to walk before entering. At the city gate stood three sentinels, all icy and handsome, dressed in fitted uniforms. Although only at the Foundation Establishment stage, they stood straight as guards on parade.

Not only Li Mengze, but even Wen Yuanyuan gazed at them with appreciation. Ba Yicheng looked at his two junior sisters, then at the line ahead, where there were clearly more women than men. He couldn’t help but sigh—gentle, warm-hearted men were out of fashion. These outwardly upright but secretly mischievous men were far more popular with female cultivators. Did he need to adopt a double-faced persona to be liked? He finally realized why prodigies like Wei Qing were more popular than himself and his peers. It wasn’t that they weren’t good enough; they simply weren’t the type the times admired.

Li Mengze, for her part, was simply enjoying the view—who doesn’t appreciate beauty? But was it really necessary to go to such extremes? She noticed one woman queuing for the fourth time. This wasn’t free—each city entry cost three low-grade spirit stones. Even if you’re rich, isn’t this wasteful? If your parents knew, would they approve?

But as Li Mengze soon realized, it wasn’t for nothing. Look at that woman in red—was she really so bold? Taking the opportunity to pay, she slipped her hand into the guard’s. Did she want to steal a kiss next? And that demonic guard—please don’t ruin your image! She only held your hand, and you left her a communication jade talisman? Was such luck even possible?

Li Mengze was a bit stupefied—wasn’t this all just a bit too much?

She hardly remembered handing over her own spirit stones, and received a city pass with her identity. She wasn’t the only one stunned; Wen Yuanyuan was also taken aback. As soon as they entered, she grabbed Ba Yicheng’s hand and stammered, “But—but—wasn’t it said that the demonic side practices strict monogamy?”

Among the righteous sects, strength was revered. Powerful male cultivators could have countless female followers, and strong women could likewise collect suitors. Polygamy and polyandry were common. Aside from formal dual-cultivation partners, all other companions or concubines could leave freely, and with a generous husband, might even receive compensation for lost youth.

The demonic sects, however, maintained strict monogamy—one dual-cultivation partner only. After the ceremony, their techniques intermingled, binding them one-to-one. Anyone who secretly kept an outside lover would be punished by heaven itself. Perhaps to compensate, once a dual-cultivation partner was established, their method would automatically adjust to suit demon energy, allowing them to thrive in the Demon Realm. This explained why righteous women could marry into the Demon Realm.

Perhaps the shock was too much for Wen Yuanyuan; she spoke so loudly that the sharp-eared cultivators around all glanced at her—another young woman with shattered illusions.

Ba Yicheng saw his junior sister’s confused face and sighed deeply. This was the trouble with women obsessed with good looks—they didn’t realize that warm-hearted men were still more reliable.

“They haven’t established a dual-cultivation bond yet, have they? As long as no techniques are run, there’s no real issue.” After all, men have needs—so long as it’s just physical, not involving cultivation, and both parties are willing, few men refuse such opportunities. Besides, when the women are so forward, it would be rude for the men not to respond. With women, a little gallantry goes a long way.