Chapter Fifty-Seven: You Cannot Leave

Ning Xianyu had thought the great demon would keep the stone, studying it slowly to find a way to rid himself of the inner demon. There was also Akali—she was the Saintess, her connection to the Bloodstone unbreakable. Surely, he would force her to stay as well.

But now, facing the powerhouses of the demon realm, there was no fight, not even much in the way of threats, just a sudden relinquishment. What was going on?

The moment she finished speaking, the demon lords across from her seemed unperturbed by this development. Duan Wuyou stepped forward from among them to retrieve the Bloodstone.

Xuan Yuan Tunhan remained motionless, and naturally, so did Ning Xianyu.

Akali cried out, “Senior, are you just going to hand me over?”

Yi Tianling, equally incredulous, stared at the two of them. “Senior, I thought you were on our side.”

Xuan Yuan Tunhan was genuinely puzzled. “On your side about what?”

Ning Xianyu did not reply, but she was thinking the same: it was true, the great demon had never actually promised to help them.

From the start, all he had wanted was to help the people of Xu Town rid themselves of demonic energy, and to be rid of his own inner demon.

Yi Tianling was stunned. “Senior, you don’t know? If Akali returns, she’ll be imprisoned, forced to live in darkness, only to bear children, then age and die in obscurity!”

He held Akali tightly, as if facing a final farewell.

Akali was equally distraught.

Under the pressure of the ten demon lords and the demon king, escape was utterly impossible.

“Brother Yi, you should go,” Akali said, her voice choked. “Though our time was brief, spending this day with you has brought me great joy. I can’t let you be dragged down with me.”

The demon lords would not harm her, but would certainly not spare Yi Tianling.

But Yi Tianling refused to leave. “Akali, I told you—I will stand with you, whatever comes.”

He drew his weapon, a brilliantly gleaming sword, and placed himself before her, shouting, “If you wish to take Akali, you’ll have to walk over my dead body first!”

Akali was so moved she was on the verge of tears, desperate to die with him then and there.

Ning Xianyu wondered—was this the moment for the protagonist’s halo to shine? Perhaps they ought to step back, lest they be caught up as collateral damage to the male lead’s glory.

Yet the demon lords made no move, not even Zhuntian himself.

Meanwhile, Duan Wuyou, struggling under the weight, had already brought the Bloodstone back among the demon lords. Only then did Zhuntian speak.

“Akali, you must return with me. This is your duty, your destiny. You must come back.”

Akali, furious, retorted, “Why should I be born to bear a duty? I only want to live as an ordinary person, to cultivate, to advance on my own. Everything you say is nothing but a burden you’ve forced upon me.”

Zhuntian sneered, “And you really think you have any talent? Without your identity as Saintess, you’d never have survived to adulthood. Once grown, you’d have been killed, or become someone’s plaything.”

It was as if he had said: without her title, Akali was nothing.

She was deeply shaken by this, and his words also enraged Yi Tianling.

He suddenly leapt toward Zhuntian, sword flashing.

When the protagonist unleashed his might, someone was bound to end up as cannon fodder.

Ning Xianyu hurriedly moved closer to Xuan Yuan Tunhan, seeking reassurance by his side.

But almost as soon as she did, Yi Tianling was captured.

Zhuntian bound him with a rope, suspending him in the air, then said kindly, “Akali, if you like this pretty boy, you may have him. After you bear a child, you may have as many pretty boys as you wish.”

“What?” Ning Xianyu couldn’t help but exclaim aloud.

Was this really how things worked in the demon realm?

“Ancestor, is this really how things work here?” she quickly messaged Xuan Yuan Tunhan, seeking clarification about this plot twist.

From the looks of it, the only things the demon realm demanded of Akali were childbirth and participation in ceremonies; nothing else concerned them.

Strangely enough, the idea of such a life even evoked a hint of envy.

The system found her thoughts absurd: [You’d only live a hundred years, die after childbirth—is that really so wonderful?]

Ning Xianyu retorted at once: [Most mortals only live a few decades. As a Saintess, you’d enjoy decades of health and veneration, with only one day of duty each year, the rest spent in leisure.]

[And at the end, when death nears, you have a child—who you need not even raise yourself—and needn’t worry about their future. Tell me, isn’t such a life quite tempting for a mortal?]

The system, for a moment, had no answer: [If it’s so wonderful, would you do it yourself?]

Ning Xianyu flatly refused: [No way. Bearing a child with my own ancestor? That’s revolting. And no woman should ever be forced into childbirth. That’s the most important principle.]

The system snapped: [Then why are you talking nonsense? You’re speaking from a place of privilege.]

Ning Xianyu smiled awkwardly: [Aside from the revolting part about having a child with my ancestor, the rest of the treatment isn’t bad. But after all, she’s the Saintess—why would someone as insignificant as me need to worry?]

Her own life hung by a thread as it was; better to worry for herself first.

Still, Akali refused to go.

“I will not return to bear your child. I’d rather die.”

But it was clear Zhuntian would not let her die. With a wave of his hand, a dozen swords materialized, piercing Yi Tianling like a pincushion, blood pouring forth.

Ning Xianyu, unaccustomed to such brutality since arriving here, was startled.

[Is he going to die?]

He was the protagonist—if he died, would the world itself come to an end?

The system replied: [Don’t worry, he’s not dead. Zhuntian knows what he’s doing.]

It was clear Zhuntian only meant to frighten Akali, not truly kill Yi Tianling.

When Akali, furious, screamed for him to stop, Zhuntian did not attack again.

“Akali, come with me, or I will kill every spirit cultivator you’ve ever met.”

Akali, in torment, looked at the bleeding Yi Tianling, then turned to Xuan Yuan Tunhan and Ning Xianyu, wordlessly pleading for help.

But neither of them responded, and Akali could only say in anguish, “I’ll go with you. Let him go.”

Weeping, she walked toward the demon lord.

Ning Xianyu felt something was off: [Doesn’t the protagonist have a halo? Why isn’t he acting?]

The system admitted uncertainty: [Perhaps your and the great demon’s presence has caused a system anomaly, so the protagonist didn’t receive the halo he was supposed to.]

According to the original plot, the protagonist fought his way out of the demon realm to rescue her.

Apparently, he went through something else before he finally gained the strength to stand against the demon lords.

But while the two talked, Xuan Yuan Tunhan suddenly spoke.

“You cannot leave yet.”

The demon lords, the demon king, and Akali all looked over in surprise, half-expecting him to act.

But Xuan Yuan Tunhan simply said, “You can’t just go so easily. These are our spoils. If you want to take them, you’ll have to give something in return.”

Even Ning Xianyu looked over in astonishment.

The great demon, truly formidable indeed—was he actually extorting the demon lords?