The Demon Lord Wants a Vacation - Chapter 22: My Shidi

What had begun as internal strife within the demonic sect, ostensibly aimed at Duanmu Wuqiu and incidentally involving the innocent Song Gui, had now taken a far more sinister turn with the involvement of Mu Qianli—inhabiting the body of Mu Ge.

Mu Qianli had no rational motive to assassinate Duanmu Wuqiu.

This was a man capable of the unthinkable—engineering a child through the forced union of spiritual roots, and later usurping his own kin’s body. It was clear that Mu Qianli valued nothing above his own survival.

Could such a man, who had long since abandoned morality, truly care about the so-called greater good? Would he, having committed countless atrocities, then fearlessly target someone as dangerous as Duanmu Wuqiu without fear of reprisal?

Though Duanmu Wuqiu had yet to fully reveal the extent of his power to Luo Xianyun, the latter had already discerned that Wuqiu’s strength was extraordinary—his cultivation profound, his mysterious bonded weapon unparalleled. He was undoubtedly someone capable of standing alone against an entire sect.

Should Duanmu Wuqiu have discovered Mu Qianli’s role in the conspiracy, then not even Qingtian Sect would have been able to shield him from retribution.

Therefore, unless Mu Qianli was either truly unafraid of death or possessed absolute certainty that the Earthly Fiend Soul Devouring Array would kill Duanmu Wuqiu—or that Wuqiu would never trace the attack back to him—his actions made no sense.

Yet the array, while formidable, was not fatal.

Luo Xianyun had personally dismantled it. By his assessment, it would have severely injured Duanmu Wuqiu, but it lacked the power to kill him outright.

Logic dictated that, once the array was activated and Wuqiu gravely wounded, the traitorous demonic cultivators would seize the opportunity to ambush him. That, in turn, would allow Duanmu Wuqiu to interrogate them—learning that a righteous cultivator had collaborated with them. If that occurred, Mu Qianli’s life would hang in the balance.

Mu Qianli was no fool. He would have foreseen this possibility and would not have gambled his life so recklessly.

Thus, only one conclusion remained—so implausible it verged on the absurd:

From the beginning, the Earthly Fiend Soul Devouring Array had been set to ensnare Song Gui.

If its target had truly been Duanmu Wuqiu, why had no measures been taken to monitor the valley, to ensure that no one else entered prematurely and triggered the trap?

The cultivation world had no shortage of methods to observe places from afar, yet no such precautions had been employed. As a result, Song Gui had walked unimpeded into the trap.

Furthermore, when Duanmu Wuqiu confronted the visions conjured by his inner demon in search of the truth, all he saw was Song Gui’s figure entering and leaving the valley.

This raised another alarming question.

Wuqiu had personally placed a monitoring array at the valley’s entrance. Why had it only recorded Song Gui’s presence, and not the array setters?

The answer was clear: someone had deliberately orchestrated events so that Duanmu Wuqiu would believe Song Gui had destroyed his home, pushing him into conflict with Beichen Sect—weaponizing him to eradicate the sect.

On the surface, the notion of declaring war over a deserted valley devoid of treasure seemed laughable.

But given that Duanmu Wuqiu had, within mere decades, unified the fractious demonic path through ruthless means, it became far more believable.

No one knew of Wuqiu’s desire to retire in peace. To the outside world—Xiao Hongzhou included—he was an ambitious tyrant, the sort of man who, after subjugating the demonic path, would inevitably set his sights on the righteous sects.

Beichen Sect had been hesitant to recall Song Gui precisely because they wished to observe Wuqiu’s intentions.

In Mu Qianli’s mind, all he needed to do was offer Duanmu Wuqiu a justification, and the latter would take it.

And no one had understood that Carefree Valley, to Duanmu Wuqiu, was sacred—a sanctuary against his inner demons, a secret haven nestled in his heart.

This scheme had been flawed from the outset. And yet, through a chain of improbable coincidences, the conspirators had nearly achieved their intended outcome.

Had Luo Xianyun not emerged from seclusion early—had the two systems capable of glimpsing the future not been present—the result would have been tragic.

Now, having pieced everything together, Luo Xianyun tried to explain, but Sect Master Duan remained unconvinced.

He frowned, doubtful. “Even if Senior Mu has deviated, he never displayed ambition. All he ever wanted was to stay alive. You claim he sought to incite conflict between Duanmu Wuqiu and Beichen Sect so the Demonic Sovereign would destroy us—but why? What would he gain from this? He must have had a motive!”

Luo Xianyun gave a bitter smile, shaking his head. “I fear the root cause lies in my sins, committed two hundred years ago.”

“Nonsense!” Duanmu Wuqiu cut in sharply before he could continue. “My shixiong has compassion for all living things. You wouldn’t even trample a blade of grass. You are the kindest person in this world—how could you have sinned?”

He didn’t wait for any justification. For Duanmu Wuqiu, loyalty required no explanation.

“Shidi, allow me to finish before you judge,” Luo Xianyun said solemnly.

“When the Heavenly Pillar fractured, I led the Seven Stars of Deliverance in an attempt to restore it. We were prepared to lay down our lives, using the spiritual roots of seven cultivators to stabilize the pillar.

“Perhaps the end of the world had already been decreed by fate—or perhaps I lacked the skill and conviction. In the end, I failed. We managed to complete only half the formation. As a result, none of us perished, but were left in a liminal state between life and death.

“That failure planted the seeds of Mu-shixiong’s downfall. That was my first sin.

“My second sin was my carelessness in speech. Afterward, I told several people that the heavens would still collapse one day—that our sacrifice had merely delayed the inevitable, not prevented it. That this world, perhaps within a thousand years, would once again face destruction. My words shattered the Seven Stars’ hope. For Mu-shixiong, it bred despair.

“He once asked me what we cultivators could do if the world were truly doomed. I told him that we could only entrust our last hope to the World-Waking Bell.

“When the Heavenly Pillar broke, the Bell had protected Beichen Sect. Perhaps, when the world is destroyed, it could preserve a fragment of it—an isolated realm, like the ancient secret domains that still exist today. In the end, all we could do would be to seal within the Bell the entirety of our legacy—scriptures, medicines, artifacts—and hope that someone in the distant future would awaken it, giving our heritage another chance to bloom.

“Before the final collapse even occurred, I had already revealed the sect’s greatest secret. That was my third sin.”

With this final confession, the full picture of Mu Qianli’s actions fell into place.

His deepest desire was survival—not merely through the five declines, but beyond the world’s end itself.

Confronted with the prospect of his imminent demise, Mu Qianli’s thirst for survival warped into unbridled ambition. The vanishing of heavenly tribulations emboldened him to extremes.

Thus, he possessed his own son’s body, razed Carefree Valley, framed Song Gui, and orchestrated the destruction of Beichen Sect.

Upon retracing these events, Luo Xianyun noticed a new and disturbing detail.

Had everything unfolded as Mu Qianli intended—had Song Gui perished and the Beichen Sect Master led his disciples to demand justice—it was inconceivable that no Law Body cultivators remained behind at Beichen Sect.

Surely, the Sect Master would have stationed several Law Body elders to safeguard the sect and ensure the legacy of the World-Waking Bell would endure.

If the World-Waking Bell had remained protected, Duanmu Wuqiu could not have stormed Beichen Sect and butchered its young disciples.

This raised a chilling question: who had slain the Law Body cultivators who should have remained to defend the sect, prompting the Savior System’s dire prophecy of Beichen Sect’s annihilation?

The answer, perhaps, was once again Mu Qianli.

Luo Xianyun released a long, heavy sigh.

Before the breath had even escaped his lips, Duanmu Wuqiu abruptly clamped a hand over his mouth and nose, silencing him.

Startled, Luo Xianyun stared at him.

Duanmu Wuqiu said flatly, “Every time you speak, it’s just ‘my fault, my sin.’ One might begin to think you personally implanted Mu Qianli’s inner demons and ordered him to commit every atrocity.”

“That may not be the case, but—”

“But nothing,” Duanmu Wuqiu interjected. “Your sect possessed a priceless treasure, and someone coveted it. How is that your fault? By that logic, if I were to steal the Chixue Sword right now, it wouldn’t be my fault—it would be Qingtian Sect’s fault for owning it in the first place.”

“These words are ridiculous,” Sect Master Duan cut in. “You’re saying that if you stole our divine sword, we would be to blame?”

“Exactly,” Duanmu Wuqiu replied. “Even Sect Master Duan agrees.”

“You…” Sect Master Duan pointed at him, trembling with frustration, unable to conjure an adequate retort. Finally, he turned to Luo Xianyun with weary sincerity. “Xianyun, his logic is sound. This isn’t your burden to bear. It was Qingtian Sect’s failure to discipline Mu-shixiong that led to this. I’ve known for a long time that he strayed toward the demonic path, yet I continued to pardon him, allowing his crimes to fester and grow.”

His expression resolute, Sect Master Duan continued, “I cannot allow him to persist. Xianyun, Duanmu…”

He paused, uncertain of how to address the other man.

“Xianyun’s shidi,” Duanmu Wuqiu supplied without hesitation.

Sect Master Duan could only carry on. “Xianyun and his shidi, I ask you to trust me. I will personally see that justice is done.”

“I naturally believe Sect Master Duan,” Luo Xianyun said with composure. “But my shidi’s thoughts must be heard as well.”

Since Mu Qianli’s schemes had affected Duanmu Wuqiu most profoundly, it was only right that he have a say.

Duanmu Wuqiu, characteristically disinclined to exert effort, was more than happy to defer responsibility if someone else volunteered to act.

Expression calm, he said, “Initially, this Lord intended to seek recompense from Qingtian Sect in full. But out of deference to my shixiong, I’m willing to grant them some dignity. However, I must personally witness Mu Qianli’s punishment. I won’t risk you showing him mercy again.”

Sect Master Duan frowned. “Duanmu Wuqiu, Qingtian Sect stands accountable in this matter, and I accept that. But for the Demonic Sovereign to oversee internal sect discipline is a grievous insult.”

Righteous sects clung fiercely to decorum. Even when punishing one of their own, they could not abide the scrutiny of a demonic cultivator. The humiliation would be too great.

But Duanmu Wuqiu immediately shifted tactics. “This Elder is Xianyun’s shidi, a disciple of Beichen Sect—not a member of the demonic path.”

Sect Master Duan: …

He turned to Luo Xianyun, exasperated. “Elder Luo, what is the truth? Is he really a disciple of Beichen Sect?”

“There is a saying: ‘Lay down the butcher’s knife and attain Buddhahood in a single moment.’ My shidi sincerely longs for righteousness, and I have chosen to grant him the opportunity. He has never harmed the innocent nor wronged the righteous. In the future, should he stray, I will bear the consequences with him,” Luo Xianyun said steadily.

With his identity now firmly validated by Luo Xianyun, Duanmu Wuqiu became all the more smug. Hiding behind his shixiong, he declared, “What my shixiong said is absolutely correct.”