Chapter 53

Ling Qingxiao pulled Luo Han’s hand and led her out of the arena. With so many people around, he didn’t release her hand as he had in the past. Instead, he held onto her, guiding her through the crowd, and they made their way out of the gambling den and into the bustling street outside.
As soon as she stepped into the open air, Luo Han let out a small breath of relief. With the chaos erupting inside the gambling den, a flood of panicked gamblers rushed out, and she and Ling Qingxiao simply followed the crowd. The guards wanted to stop them but were powerless to do so—in a way, the commotion actually served as their cover.
Even after reaching the street, Ling Qingxiao didn’t slow down. He continued holding her hand, leading her swiftly toward another alley without a backward glance. Luo Han lowered her voice and asked, “Are we being followed?”
“Yes,” Ling Qingxiao replied, his voice as cool and steady as ever. “But it doesn’t matter. Just some small fry.”
It was likely that their winnings had attracted the attention of opportunists. Fortunately, they weren’t being pursued by the casino or the demon clan—Luo Han relaxed considerably at that realization.
Ling Qingxiao led her into a narrow alley. The moment they stepped inside, without any warning, he wrapped an arm around her waist and took off into the air. Luo Han nearly let out a startled yelp but quickly clapped a hand over her mouth.
With a few graceful leaps across the rooftops, Ling Qingxiao completely lost their pursuers. Now that they were safe, Luo Han elbowed him lightly and asked, “You could’ve at least warned me before grabbing me like that.”
His robes fluttered in the wind as they glided between the eaves of the buildings. At her words, Ling Qingxiao’s right hand tensed slightly.
Earlier, he had been focused on shaking off their tail and had instinctively wrapped his arm around Luo Han’s waist. In the heat of the moment, he hadn’t paid attention to the difference between men and women. But now, for the first time, he noticed—his hand was still resting on her waist.
Luo Han was wearing a demon clan outfit today, its tailoring snug around the waist. If he remembered correctly, parts of the design were semi-transparent.
A sharp realization struck Ling Qingxiao—his fingers were currently pressed against one of those sheer sections.
He instantly froze.
He tried to let go, but they were still midair. The moment his grip loosened, Luo Han instinctively clutched onto him, causing his hand to return to its original position. This time, his fingers inadvertently brushed against the delicate fabric, and beneath it, a sensation as smooth as the finest jade.
Ling Qingxiao suddenly understood exactly what he had just touched. His entire hand went rigid.
Because of this brief lapse in focus, they failed to avoid the looming round tower ahead. Inside, a group of young demons were attending a lesson, and a small demon girl was leaning against the window, daydreaming.
She suddenly saw two people flying straight toward the classroom.
With a sharp gasp, she screamed.
Ling Qingxiao snapped back to his senses at the sound. Realizing they were about to crash, he twisted midair and, with a sudden burst of power, executed a near-vertical climb. At the last possible moment, he pushed off from the tower’s peak, soaring away like a shooting star.
Luo Han was left speechless by the rapid ascent and descent.
She knew Ling Qingxiao was reliable and wouldn’t truly lose focus while flying, but watching them hurtle straight toward a tower had been nerve-wracking.
Then again, this was just what made him who he was. He obviously had plenty of time to change direction but insisted on holding out until the final moment.
Luo Han assumed this was simply his confidence.
But Ling Qingxiao himself could hardly believe what had just happened.
He had actually lost focus while flying—and nearly crashed into a tower? Ever since he had learned aerial techniques, he had never made such a rookie mistake.
Especially not for a reason so...unspeakable.
Ling Qingxiao fell into deep self-reproach. He landed smoothly on the edge of a rooftop, then dropped down to the ground. The moment they landed, he immediately withdrew his hand.
In his haste, his fingers accidentally snagged a bead from her outfit.
Ling Qingxiao stared at the small black bead between his fingers, unsure of what to do.
Just then, Luo Han steadied herself and turned to him. “Where are we?”
He instinctively clenched his fist, concealing the bead in his palm.
He should have admitted his mistake right away.
But for some reason, his first instinct was to hide it.
After a slight pause, he finally answered, “The southern district. We’re close to where we’re staying.”
“Good,” Luo Han said, glancing at the familiar surroundings. “Since we’re almost home, let’s just walk. Ye Zinan and Zou Jibai should be able to find their way back—we’ll wait for them there.”
“Alright.” Ling Qingxiao nodded.
Luo Han took a few steps ahead before noticing that he wasn’t following. She turned back in surprise. “What’s wrong? Do you need something?”
Ling Qingxiao clenched the bead in his palm, struggling to find the right words.
In the end, he shamefully avoided the topic altogether. “…Nothing. Let’s go.”
Back at the courtyard, Luo Han deactivated the protective array. As expected, the two men and the Devouring Beast hadn’t returned yet.
She headed straight to her room to put things away, and after making a round of the house, she noticed Ling Qingxiao still standing in the garden.
He was holding his mask, running his fingers over the brightly painted surface, lost in thought.
Luo Han tilted her head.
So, he took off his mask first thing after returning too?
But from the looks of it, was something bothering him?
“What’s wrong?” she asked, her voice warm and considerate. “Something on your mind?”
Ling Qingxiao looked up at her, his gaze fixed in her direction but not quite landing on her directly. After a moment, he finally spoke.
“The bead on your waist,” he said, his tone carefully neutral. “It fell off.”
Luo Han had prepared herself for all kinds of serious topics—she hadn’t expected him to say that.
Blinking, she glanced down at her outfit.
“On the right side,” Ling Qingxiao added helpfully.
She turned to check the right. After a thorough search, she finally found the missing bead’s spot—tucked away in an inconspicuous part of the waistband.
Honestly, it wasn’t that noticeable.
That section of the outfit had lace-like embroidery, layered with semi-transparent black gauze, and further accented with golden threads. With so many details, the absence of a single black bead was barely perceptible.
Luo Han was speechless.
His perfectionism was this severe?
All this time, had he been brooding over a single missing bead?
She had been about to say it didn’t matter, but considering Ling Qingxiao’s obsessive tendencies, she softened her approach. “I might’ve dropped it somewhere when I changed. I’ll look for it later.”
She said it casually, without any real intention of searching.
Then, to her astonishment, Ling Qingxiao extended his hand.
Resting in his pale palm was a smooth, glistening black bead.
“…Here.”
This development took Luo Han by surprise. She walked to the garden, somewhat astonished, and took the bead from Ling Qingxiao’s hand. “Th—thank you?”
Luo Han didn’t ask how Ling Qingxiao found the bead; she automatically assumed that it had fallen from her clothing along the way and that he had noticed. Internally, she was unimpressed. This outfit was ridiculously expensive, yet the quality was so poor that it was already losing embellishments on the first wear.
Looking at it that way, the cost-effectiveness of Yao Realm’s clothing was truly questionable.
Luo Han didn’t seem to care and didn’t press further about what had just happened. Ling Qingxiao hesitated, wanting to bring it up but feeling too embarrassed to do so. He was caught in extreme inner turmoil.
Luo Han didn’t notice his dilemma. Her mind was still on the Demon-Sealing Stone they had encountered at the gambling den. Compared to that, trivial matters like a missing bead weren’t worth mentioning. Anxious to get back to business, she didn’t bother waiting for Zou Jibai and Ye Zinan to return. She hastily pulled Ling Qingxiao toward the room. “Forget about these small things. They don’t matter. What’s the deal with that Demon-Sealing Stone?”
The two of them sat down in the flower hall, and Ling Qingxiao did his best to refocus on the serious matter at hand. “That demon gambler was desperate, yet even after losing all his demon currency and magic crystals, he still held onto the stone. That means it’s not an ordinary item—it must be far more valuable than mere money.”
Luo Han followed his train of thought and realized he was right. “Exactly. Even at his most reckless, that demon never gambled the stone away. It was only when he was completely cornered, desperate for a final shot at a comeback, that he staked it. In his eyes, that stone must be worth far more than magic crystals.”
Ling Qingxiao nodded. “Right. And after losing it, he immediately broke the rules and tried to take it back by force. Also, names carry meaning—if the demons named this stone ‘Zhuxian’ (Slayer of Immortals), it’s not without reason.”
Luo Han hesitated. “So…”
“My guess is that the demon was a low-ranking operative sent on a mission. His task was to guard that stone. Losing it would mean severe punishment, possibly even death. That would explain his actions.”
“That makes sense.” Luo Han thought it over, finding more supporting details. “When he attacked, his mind seemed unhinged, but his magic was still strong. I’ve heard that the Demon Realm is ruthlessly Darwinian—commoners don’t even have access to cultivation techniques. Someone with his level of combat skill must have either been born into privilege or clawed his way up and been recruited to serve the powerful. Given his desperate, reckless aura, he’s likely the latter.”
As they spoke, an ominous feeling crept in. Names in the Six Realms held power. No one would assign a name lightly. The Celestial and Demon Clans had always been bitter enemies—for instance, the Celestials had created the “Trapping Demon Chains” specifically to restrain demons and ferocious beasts. Now, the demons had a stone they called “Zhuxian.” This was no trivial matter.
Even Ling Qingxiao had never heard of it before, proving that this must be something the Demon Clan had secretly developed—recently, at that. Right now, demonic spies were prowling the Western Sea, eyeing the Devourer Beast. At the same time, a stone called “Zhuxian” had surfaced in the Yao Clan’s capital, Da Ming City. The demons had brought the Demon-Sealing Stone to the Yao Realm and sent operatives to the Celestial Realm to capture the Devourer Beast. What exactly were they planning?
Moreover, Luo Han had another concern. She knew that later in the timeline, the Demon Clan would construct a Zhuxian Platform. From Ling Qingxiao’s reaction, it was clear that the Celestials had no knowledge of it yet.
That meant either the demons had hidden the Zhuxian Platform extremely well, or it hadn’t been built yet.
And most likely, its construction material was the very Demon-Sealing Stone they had just obtained.
Luo Han and Ling Qingxiao exchanged looks, their gazes filled with tension. Luo Han forcefully suppressed her unease. “We don’t have enough information. Speculating here won’t get us anywhere. The best course of action is to figure out what the Demon-Sealing Stone does.”
Ling Qingxiao nodded and gestured for Luo Han to step back. “Stand back.”
Luo Han moved away from the table while Ling Qingxiao activated an array. Finally, he retrieved a spirit stone from his storage space and placed it alongside the Demon-Sealing Stone within the formation.
Luo Han watched with her own eyes as the area where the two stones touched slowly dimmed. The spirit stone’s energy was drained, and in the end, it completely lost its luster, crumbling into dust.
More disturbingly, the Demon-Sealing Stone emitted a burst of demonic energy. The protective wards in the courtyard detected the surge and instantly sounded an alarm.
Ling Qingxiao flicked a finger, shutting off the alert. Silence returned to the courtyard, but the lighthearted atmosphere from earlier had vanished entirely, replaced by a suffocating heaviness.
Luo Han took a deep breath, feeling chills run down her spine. “So...this strange mineral can absorb spiritual energy and convert it into demonic energy?”
“That appears to be the case. No wonder they call it the Demon-Sealing Stone. Their ambitions are no small matter.” Ling Qingxiao’s expression turned icy. Understanding the gravity of the situation, he immediately took out his communication token and told Luo Han, “Stay away from the stone. Don’t go near it. I’m reporting this to Star Lord Gu Xing.”
Luo Han nodded. While Ling Qingxiao went inside to report the situation, she sketched the Demon-Sealing Stone’s appearance and entered the information into the Heavenly Dao Archive.
To her surprise, something did come up. Her guess had been correct—the stone had only been discovered this year.
Earlier in the year, a mine collapse had occurred in Youzhi City in the Demon Realm, killing many. The aging ruler of Youzhi, the Youzhi King, hadn’t paid much attention. After all, mine collapses happened every year, and the dead were just low-class laborers. Who cared?
But when the victims’ families came to collect the bodies, they found something strange. Beneath the rubble, a few miners had survived far longer than they should have. They had discovered a type of black stone—something never seen before—that seemed to be exceptionally effective at gathering demonic energy.
This anomaly caught the Youzhi King’s interest. His advisors conducted various tests and were shocked to discover the stone’s energy source—it was absorbing spiritual energy.
It drained spiritual energy and transformed it into demonic energy. The conversion rate wasn’t particularly high, but what did that matter to the demons?
They didn’t need spiritual energy anyway.
As far as they were concerned, even if it consumed all the Celestial Realm’s spirit veins, it would be no loss to them.
Luo Han could only retrieve general records from the Heavenly Dao Archive—natural events like mine collapses and new mineral discoveries. But after that, whatever the Youzhi King did, whoever he met, whatever he discussed—those details were beyond her reach.
This information was enough to piece together a general outline. At that moment, Ling Qingxiao stepped out of the house and said to Luo Han, “I’ve reported everything to Star Lord Gu Xing without any alterations. He considers this matter extremely serious and has instructed us to investigate further while ensuring that neither we nor the Devourer Beast are exposed.”
Luo Han nodded. Just hearing this sent chills down her spine. Gu Xing was part of the military and had dealt with the demon race extensively—his level of concern likely reached much deeper. The mere fact that the demon race had brought the Demon-Sealing Stone to the demon realm was enough to make him break out in a cold sweat.
Ling Qingxiao carefully stored the Demon-Sealing Stone away, making sure there were no oversights before gesturing for Luo Han to sit. She took a seat by the desk and discreetly reworded the information she had just uncovered before sharing it with Ling Qingxiao. “I heard that there was a mine collapse in Youzhi City within the demon realm, and they seem to have discovered a new type of ore beneath the rubble. It could very well be this one.”
Ling Qingxiao didn’t question how Luo Han had acquired such information while alone in the courtyard. He merely nodded slightly and said, “Youzhi isn’t a wealthy place. It relies on mining for survival and ranks at the bottom in terms of power among the demon realm’s cities. The Youzhi King is old, feeble, and indulgent in debauchery. That reckless gambler from the casino didn’t seem like someone the Youzhi King could have recruited.”
The demon realm operated differently from the celestial realm. In the celestial realm, the Celestial Emperorruled from the Celestial Palace, overseeing affairs across the celestial, mortal, and underworld realms, much like an emperor governing a mortal dynasty. Because of this, both the mortal and underworld realms followed an imperial system.
But the demon realm was different. It functioned as a collection of autonomous city-states, each ruled by its own demon king. Although there was a supreme leader—the Demon King—his role was mostly symbolic, serving as a mediator when disputes arose between the kings. In terms of actual governance, the Demon King had no authority over individual cities.
Only Hao Cang City, the seat of the central government, was directly controlled by the Demon King. The other demon kings ruled their own cities, collected their own taxes, and even imposed trade barriers between regions. The eastern and western cities in the demon realm didn’t even share a common language.
Youzhi was just one of these city-states—weak, unremarkable, and never a major player. This entire ordeal didn’t seem like something the Youzhi King could have orchestrated alone.
Luo Han was stunned. “You’re saying that this has already spread beyond the Youzhi King’s knowledge?”
“Of course. He doesn’t have the capability for something like this.” Ling Qingxiao looked thoughtful. “It seems that Hao Cang City isn’t aware of this yet.”
Luo Han was taken aback again. “How do you know the Demon King doesn’t know?”
“If Hao Cang City knew, they would have already begun mobilizing the entire demon realm for war. Why would they travel all the way to Da Ming City to seek the demon race’s aid?” Ling Qingxiao explained. “Bringing the Demon-Sealing Stone to Da Ming City likely means they’re looking to forge an alliance with a high-ranking demon king. If that’s the case, I have a good guess who it is.”
What? Luo Han felt as if she had lost the thread of the conversation entirely. “Wait, what do you mean? What did you figure out now? How do I not know any of this?”
“You’re unfamiliar with the power dynamics of the demon realm, so it’s natural that you wouldn’t think of it.” Ling Qingxiao elaborated, “Right now, the demon realm has seven demon kings, roughly divided into three factions. There’s the Lord of Darknight City, Darknight King; the Lord of Lei Lie City, Lei Lie King; and another one you might have heard of—Wuyou King of Wuyou City.”
Luo Han hesitated before asking, “The Wuyou City from the phrase ‘a carefree life in Wuyou City’?”
“Yes. Wuyou City is in the extreme east and specializes in assassination. They’ve always stayed out of the demon realm’s power struggles. But because of their reputation, none of the other six kings dare provoke the Wuyou King. Darknight City and Lei Lie City, however, have been at odds for years. Darknight City used to be the dominant power in the demon realm, but in recent years, its influence has waned, and Lei Lie City has been rising. Youzhi City lies just south of Lei Lie City.”
Luo Han struggled to sort out the geography and align the pieces of information. The demon realm seemed to be in a three-way standoff. Wuyou City had its own independent source of power and had no interest in the ongoing conflicts. Darknight City, the former hegemon, was being challenged by the rising Lei Lie City. Meanwhile, the Demon King ruled from Hao Cang City, sitting on the sidelines as a mere figurehead. Youzhi City, weak and unimpressive, had the misfortune of existing right next to a powerful neighbor and was left with no choice but to submit to Lei Lie City’s control.
Now, Youzhi City had discovered the Demon-Sealing Stone, but before the Youzhi King could even capitalize on it, Lei Lie King had swooped in and seized it for himself.
After piecing it together, Luo Han made a guess. “So, the one who sent people to Da Ming City is actually Lei Lie King?”
Ling Qingxiao nodded slightly. “It’s just speculation for now—we still need to verify it.”
Even if it was only a guess, the fact that Ling Qingxiao had said it with such certainty meant it was nearly a foregone conclusion. Luo Han thought about it and realized it made sense. Lei Lie King was vying for supremacy against Darknight King. He wouldn’t want to share the spoils with his rival, but his own strength wasn’t enough to contend with the celestial realm. That left him with only one option—seeking an alliance with a powerful Demon King.
The celestial and demon realms each had their own systems, but at least they had structured hierarchies. The demon realm, however, lacked even a central government. Powerful demons ruled their own territories as they pleased—no laws, no regulations, no formal governance. If Lei Lie King could persuade a major demon to ally with him, the deal would be sealed.
Luo Han thought for a moment before asking, “If the demon and monster realms form an alliance and attack the celestial realm...what then?”
The more she spoke, the more uneasy she felt. Wasn’t this the early signs of the great celestial-demon war?
In the future, the war that would engulf all six realms—the one that would shock the heavens and shake the earth—was the result of the male lead, female lead, and numerous supporting characters joining forces against Ling Qingxiao.
Could it be that even now, the groundwork was already being laid?
Luo Han had always thought she could prevent the story from unfolding as it did in the novel. She believed that as long as she kept an eye on Ling Qingxiao and ensured he didn’t stray onto the wrong path, the six-realm war could be avoided. But in reality, everything she had done had only served to confirm how events were aligning toward that inevitable future.
Wars weren’t caused by a single person or a single love story. They were the culmination of countless conflicts, interests, and tensions, far beyond what one individual could stop.
The depletion of resources across the six realms and the escalating tensions between celestials, demons, and monsters—these were the true reasons behind the war. Preventing Ling Qingxiao from falling wasn’t nearly enough.
Had the Bodhi Tree sent her back to stop Ling Qingxiao? Or had it sent her back to use Ling Qingxiao’s hand to preemptively sever the growing tensions between the celestial, demon, and monster realms?
Luo Han fell silent.
Ling Qingxiao noticed the change in her expression and asked in a low voice, “What’s wrong?”
"It's nothing," Luo Han shook her head, feeling dejected. "I just feel that time flows like a great river, and the wheels of history won't stop for any one person. An individual's power is far too insignificant in the face of such tides."
The demons had already discovered the Demon-Sealing Stone. Soon, they would use it to construct an Zhuxian Platform. No matter who sat on the Celestial Emperor’s throne, they would never allow that to happen. A war between the immortals and demons was inevitable. Millennia of accumulated hatred ensured that once battle broke out, neither side would hold back. More and more people would be drawn into the conflict until, eventually, the use of forbidden techniques became unavoidable.
Even if Luo Han could stop the protagonists from ever coming into contact with forbidden arts, the demonic realm was full of dark and unorthodox methods. They would always find another way to secure victory. In the end, Luo Han would still meet her doom.
After everything she had done, nothing had actually changed.
Luo Han suddenly felt a wave of despair. Ling Qingxiao could tell that she knew something—something she was desperately trying to avoid. Now that she was so dispirited, was it because what she feared was beginning to take shape?
Ling Qingxiao's dark eyes were as quiet as the night, gleaming like obsidian. He looked at her for a moment, then said calmly, "Actually, the demonic realm may not necessarily have the upper hand."
Luo Han was startled and turned to him in surprise. "What?"