The Demon Emperor's Throne (1)

After the maid brought in the bathtub, Lin Qianshuang removed her wet clothes and submerged herself in the warm water. She dunked her head under, seeking to clear her mind.

Suddenly, a rustling sound came from beneath her feet.

She lowered her head to discover a dense pile of dead scorpions at the bottom, with a few still alive and crawling around her ankles.

“What is this? Do demon cultivators have such bizarre preferences, bathing with scorpions?”

Lin Qianshuang felt a twinge of unease and reached into the water to grab one. The scorpion, still alive, thrashed its tail against her hand.

“Surely, this can’t be real!”

Since childhood, Lin Qianshuang has been terrified of insects, and the more vibrant their colors, the more she panicked.

The scorpions in this tub all have mixed green and red shells, with no indication of how poisonous they were.

Her face turned pale, and with her hands, she quickly threw the still-living scorpion out the window.

After taking off her coat from the screen, and Lin Qianshuang ran for her life, stepping out of the bathtub.

Before taking a few steps, a smooth and greasy sensation came from the soles of her bare feet.

The floor of the room was twisted and turned with venomous snakes, their colorful bodies writhing in an intertwined mass, creating a visually striking scene. Several of the snakes even spit out red letters and climbed up her calves.

Lin Qianshuang’s legs buckled, and she instinctively retreated a few steps. Several snakes dropped from the ceiling and landed on her shoulders, their tongues flicking against her face.

A wisp of demonic energy materialized as a sword in her hand, cleaving the venomous serpents hovering near her in two. The remaining snakes coiled into an aggressive stance and charged towards her.

Lin Qianshuang slashed her sword with unwavering focus for a protracted period before finally dealing the venomous creatures in the chamber.

As she dispatched the final serpent beneath her blade, she felt a sharp pain in her arm. A bite mark had appeared on her forearm, likely inflicted by one of the venomous snakes.

Just as Lin Qianshuang prepared to use her martial arts to expel the venom, acrid white smoke billowed into the room from outside. Crimson flames licked at the windowpanes, and the heavy thud of collapsing beams and the crackling of burning wood reverberated through the air.

She raised her sword to exit the room, but an invisible barrier repelled her. A high-level Demon Suppressing Bell also hovered within the center of a verdant magic circle.

This is no ordinary barrier but a demon-suppressing magic circle.

Someone wished to harm her, even to destroy her body.

Lin Qianshuang’s vision blurred for a moment. The toxin spread to her nerves, dimming her sight. In an instant, she was blinded.

The burning flames licked at the bed curtains, the heat intensifying.

She could see nothing, and the acrid smoke filled her nostrils, provoking her into a fit of coughing.

Lin Qianshuang upended the bathtub and wrapped the soaked quilt around herself. Strands of demonic energy shot forth from her hands, forming a barrier to shield her from the fire.

She had no idea how much longer she could endure, but Senior Brother Xia was just outside the room and would certainly notice the strange happenings.

“Junior Sister, where are you?”

Xia’s voice pierced through her ears, filled with anxiety.

A flicker of hope sparked within Lin Qianshuang’s heart, and she hastily cried out, “Senior Brother Xia, I’m in the room. I’m trapped within the magic formation and cannot escape. It appears there’s a fire, and I can barely breathe.”

Loud banging and pushing echoed from the door.

Lin Qianshuang fumbled in the darkness, using her divine senses to explore the surroundings. Within the Tianyi Hall, only her dormitory was ablaze, seemingly sealed off by a barrier, while the rest of the palace remained unscathed.

“Junior Sister, please endure a little longer. It will take some time to break this formation.”

Xia paced anxiously outside the door, his voice heavy with concern.

Within the room, Lin Qianshuang watched as the demonic energy waned, weakening the barrier that imprisoned her. With a final crack, the last layer of protection shattered, and flames that had been lurking nearby surged forward, engulfing her in a sea of fire.

Is this the end?

Lin Qianshuang closed her eyes serenely amidst the darkness.

Trapped as she was, struggling would be futile. Instead, she might as well ponder who could be behind this attempt on her life.

From the initial snake attack, Lin Qianshuang had deduced that the events she had encountered were likely connected to Ruan Qianmei. If she were to die during the Demon Emperor’s birthday celebration, Ruan Qianmei would be the primary beneficiary, as the position of Left Protector would become vacant. And the Demon Emperor, despite knowing that her death was not accidental, would likely not pursue the matter further due to the celebratory mood of his birthday and Ruan Qianmei’s pregnancy. Moreover, her master was no longer the Holy Maiden of the Demon Realm.

However, if Lin Qianshuang were to survive but be scarred by the demonic fire, the Demon Emperor would lose interest in her due to her disfigured appearance. Lin Qianshuang could understand the cruel prank of placing scorpions in her bath, but the presence of poisonous snakes throughout the room seemed excessive, especially considering that a spell formation had already been placed there.

Snakes are bestial creatures. Could it be…the work of a beast cultivator?

Lin Qianshuang’s eyes trembled slightly. Bai Wan’s face flashed through her mind, and a speculation emerged in her heart, but it was quickly suppressed by her reason.

The exposed skin was being burned by the demonic array. All the clothes on her body were burned out, and even her soul was struggling due to the burning, seemingly about to fall apart.

Inside her dantian, a magic core suddenly floated out, turning into a ball of blue light that sucked the flames on Lin Qianshuang’s body. The magic patterns on the core emitted a blinding silver light.

The Demon Suppressing Bell emitted a violent trembling sound in the formation, but in an instant, it disintegrated into two halves and shattered on the ground.

In the gradually fading magic formation, Lin Qianshuang curled up on the ground unscathed. She held the fragments of the Demon Suppressing Bell in her hand, with a faint hint of demonic energy remaining on the fragments. This demonic aura was clearly left by Bai Wan. Bai Wan had obviously seen the spell formation laid by Ruan Qianmei in her room, but she just hadn’t told her.

All the ideas were connected in one moment.

Lin Qianshuang tossed the Demon Suppressing Bell to the ground, initially feeling a surge of anger. However, it soon dissipated into an indifferent smile. She had been naive to believe that Bai Wan considered her a friend. After all this time, she was still nothing more than a pawn in Bai Wan’s schemes.

Lin Qianshuang had a premonition that her attendance at the banquet would be Bai Wan’s most crucial bargaining chip.

“Junior Sister!”

Xia burst through the door with force, relieved to find Lin Qianshuang unharmed. His gaze fell upon the fragments of the Demon Suppressing Bell on the ground, and he glanced at Lin Qianshuang with a contemplative expression.

“Senior Brother Xia, what am I to do? This cursed magic circle has destroyed my last set of clothes.”

Lin Qianshuang expressed her concern as she spun in place, her gaze unfocused as she pretended not to notice what lay before her.

“Junior Sister, what’s wrong with your eyes?”

Xia approached Lin Qianshuang and noticed that her eyes appeared sightless, yet his expression remained unchanged.

A flicker of disappointment crossed Lin Qianshuang’s eyes, imperceptible to others. She clasped Xia’s hand and implored, “Senior Brother, I require a change of attire. I’m afraid that my clothes made of demonic qi won’t last long.”

“I recall that Master left a set of robes within the cave. I shall retrieve them for you.”

Xia gently stroked the hair atop Lin Qianshuang’s head, offering comfort. “Fear not, Junior Sister. Senior Brother shall return swiftly. Remain here and await my arrival.”

Lin Qianshuang watched Xia depart, her lips forming a slight frown. A faint unease stirred within her, its origin unknown.

Xia returned from Tianmu Cave soon after, carrying a set of sheer crimson gauze garments into the room.

He watched as his junior sister retreated behind a screen to don the vibrant, fiery robe. From the makeup box before the vanity mirror, he retrieved a vermilion hairpin.

Lin Qianshuang finished dressing and sat down at the mirror. She called out for a maid, but her summons were met with silence.

A strange feeling crept into her heart. Although there had been many people present when she awoke, she couldn’t find a single soul when she needed them.

“Junior Sister, I have served Master in the past and have some knowledge of women’s hair buns. Would you like me to comb your hair?”

Xia approached Lin Qianshuang from behind, gently lifted her hair, and patiently combed it with a wooden comb.

Lin Qianshuang gazed at her reflection, a faint smile curving her lips. “Thank you, Senior Brother.”

Xia’s fingers caressed Lin Qianshuang’s raven hair, his gaze lingering on her profile as he carefully inserted the crimson hairpin into her sideburns. Wisps of hair cascaded down her shoulders, lustrous and vibrant like flowing beads.

With gentle hands, he gathered a loose bundle of hair and tied it with a scarlet ribbon at the nape of her neck, adorning it with an ornate silver ornament. A flicker of guilt crossed his eyes. “Junior Sister, I apologize. I have wronged you for the sake of the Beast Emperor, but it is for your own well-being. The greater the distance between you and her, the less you will suffer in the future.

The paths of beasts and demons are inherently different. If you were truly destined to be with the Beast Emperor, it would be by the will of the heavens. Moreover, the Beast Emperor already harbors feelings for another. If she were to awaken fully, what place would she have for you?

Xia glanced at Lin Qianshuang’s reflection in the mirror, her face etched with gratitude and innocence. How could he bear to see such an untainted soul corrupted by the madness of his master?

Xia recalled the fate of Xuan Luoqing’s human cultivator companion and couldn’t help but sigh slightly, shaking his head.

The Demon Palace was bustling with activity, with Hall Masters, Elders, and Demon Sect Patriarchs all chatting and laughing. They raised their cups one by one towards the Demon Emperor to congratulate him on his birthday.

Bai Wan sat on the right side of the Demon Emperor, her hand covering her abdomen. Her eyes swept towards the bottom of the steps, but she did not see Lin Qianshuang. She felt a little puzzled.

She had specially instructed Xia to wake up Lin Qianshuang, fearing that she might miss the time. Why hadn’t she arrived yet?

A faint gaze came from somewhere.

Bai Wanmin looked sharply at Ruan Qianmei on the seat, who was drinking fruit wine with a happy expression on her face. Even her gaze at Bai Wan had become much gentler.

Ruan Qianmei seemed to be in a good mood.

And Qianshuang still hasn’t shown up. Could something have happened?

Bai Wan was startled and was about to find an excuse to leave the Demon Palace and search for Lin Qianshuang when she suddenly saw a fiery red figure slowly entering from the Demon Palace, with Xia cautiously supporting her and following closely behind.

Wasn’t this the outfit that Han Shengyao often wore?

Why was she wearing Han Shengyao’s clothes to attend the Demon Emperor’s birthday, with Han Shengyao’s favorite hairpin no less?

Bai Wan glanced at Lin Qianshuang’s approaching figure, her eyes darkening slightly, her heart souring with a hint of envy.

Sure enough, her heart still yearned for her master, and even on such an occasion, she displayed her affections for her to all.