I Am One of the Demon Sect

Bai Jinfei's palace wasn't far away. It stood amid a quiet bamboo grove.

Soon, Lu Li arrived in front of the palace.

It was an incredibly luxurious palace.

The walls were pure gold.

The tiles were green jade.

Under the afternoon sunlight, they reflected dazzling light.

As soon as Lu Li approached, a beautiful young woman guarding the palace gate came forward, bowed, and said sweetly, "This servant greets Young Master Lu. Have you come to see my young master?"

She was probably one of Bai Jinfei's maids.

Lu Li nodded. "Yes. Sorry for the trouble, could you let him know I'm here?"

"Please wait a moment, Young Master Lu."

The girl gave a slight nod.

Then she took a small bell from her sleeve and gently shook it three times.

Ting, ting, ting.

The clear bell chimes rang out all around.

Before long, the palace's red doors rumbled open, and Bai Jinfei hurried out. He laughed warmly. "Junior Brother Lu, congratulations! Congratulations!"

"Hmm? What is there to congratulate me for?"

Lu Li was taken aback.

"Junior Brother Lu, you've been cultivating in seclusion all month. Now that you've come out, you must have made a major breakthrough in your cultivation. Isn't that worth celebrating? Wait, Junior Brother, you've reached the third level of Qi Refining? Tsk! Such talent is truly terrifying!"

Bai Jinfei exclaimed.

Why did that sound so sarcastic?

Lu Li furrowed his brow and said coldly, "Senior Brother Bai, it took me a whole month just to reach the third level of Qi Refining. My cultivation speed is probably near the bottom of the entire Yin Underworld Ghost Sect. Why mock me? If you don't welcome me, I'll just leave."

With that, he turned and walked away without the slightest hesitation.

Seeing this, Bai Jinfei hurriedly flashed in front of him, blocking his way. He cupped his hands and smiled apologetically. "Junior Brother, you've misunderstood. How about coming inside? We can drink, admire the graceful dances of beautiful women, and let me explain?"

"...Fine!"

Lu Li pondered briefly, then nodded.

He didn't care about the drinking.

He mainly wanted to admire the beauties and lift his spirits.

"Haha, this way, Junior Brother."

Bai Jinfei laughed and led Lu Li into the palace.

As soon as they passed through the palace gates, a white jade wine pool shaped like the character 田 came into view.

The wine pool stretched thirty zhang in every direction and was enormous.

Thick mist rose from its surface.

A light breath brought with it a heady aroma of wine, mingled with the intoxicating fragrance of women, straight into the lungs.

Through the dense white mist, he could vaguely make out several graceful figures in the pool.

Clap, clap.

At that moment, Bai Jinfei gently clapped beside him.

A breeze swept through.

The mist dispersed.

At once, the two dozen figures in the pool came into view.

They were all gorgeous women, each one ravishingly beautiful, their clothes soaked and as thin as a spring breeze.

When they saw Lu Li, some covered their faces shyly and slipped beneath the water like mermaids, while others slowly swayed over, their alluring eyes captivating and soul-stealing.

"Junior Brother, what do you think of my Wine Pool and Meat Forest?"

A trace of pride appeared on Bai Jinfei's face as he asked with a smile.

His gaze was sharp as an arrow, fixed on every change in Lu Li's expression.

Most people would have been swept up in excitement at the sight of such a dazzling scene.

But Lu Li's expression remained calm. He looked over the beauties and slightly furrowed his brows. "Your Wine Pool and Meat Forest is all right, Senior Brother. But I do have one question."

"Oh? Please, go ahead, Junior Brother Lu." Bai Jinfei looked curious.

"If they secretly relieve themselves in the wine pool, or pass gas, do you think anyone would notice? Would the wine in the pool still be drinkable?"

Lu Li asked solemnly.

"Uh..."

Bai Jinfei's smile froze on his face.

His eyes widened, too.

Was that the point?

I wanted you to look at my peerless beauties! How did your mind wander to something so mood-killing?

The beauties in the pool bit their lips, their faces full of shame and anger.

The scene grew unbearably awkward.

Lu Li said nothing more.

Bai Jinfei had simply wanted to use this spectacle to cow him, intimidate him psychologically, and test his personality.

But to Lu Li, this was nothing. He'd seen it all before.

"Ahem, all right, let's not worry about these little details. This way, Junior Brother Lu." Bai Jinfei composed himself and spoke quickly.

"Sure!"

Lu Li didn't dwell on it.

The two crossed the wine pool and entered the palace's main hall.

The hall was splendid and resplendent, with silvery-white pillars, jade-carved murals, and flying celestial maidens. Together, they created a grand and elegant atmosphere.

"Have a seat, Junior Brother Lu."

Bai Jinfei sat in the seat of honor and smiled.

Lu Li didn't stand on ceremony. He sat directly in the large white jade chair at the upper left.

Clap, clap.

Bai Jinfei clapped again.

Soon, beautiful women filed out from behind the pearl curtains at the side doors on either side of the hall. They all wore black gauze robes embroidered with gold trim and veils as white as snow.

With a flick of their long sleeves, they began to dance gracefully in the hall.

At the same time, music from zithers and flutes rang out all around, its melody flowing like water from a high mountain, clear and pleasant to the ear.

Maidservants brought fragrant tea and spirit fruits, then stood behind them, slowly fanning them with Banana Jade Fans.

The whole scene was straight out of an emperor's indulgent pleasure palace.

"Junior Brother, try this tea. It was personally prepared by young women in their prime, and carries a delicate fragrance." Bai Jinfei lifted his teacup and smiled.

"I'll try it."

Lu Li picked up the jade cup and seemed about to take a sip. Then, as if he remembered something, he set it down and asked, "Senior Brother, you still haven't explained what you said earlier."

"Junior Brother, I really was praising you earlier! You're cultivating the Blood-Devouring Heaven-Swallowing Art, right? In just one month, you reached its third layer without devouring any spirit blood at all. That kind of talent is absolutely unrivaled in the sect!"

Bai Jinfei raised a thumb.

"How do you know I haven't devoured any spirit blood, Senior Brother?"

Lu Li asked in return.

"Haha, Junior Brother, you stay shut up in your room all day, and you're not exactly flush with cash. A single portion of spirit blood costs tens of thousands of spirit stones. How could you possibly afford it? So you must have relied on your own hard work, forcing your cultivation realm upward through sheer effort. I truly admire that! This way of cultivating is more righteous than the righteous path itself! If your cultivation weren't so low, I'd suspect you were a spy sent by the righteous sects."

Bai Jinfei praised him.

The speaker might not have meant anything by it, but the listener took it to heart.

Lu Li's heart suddenly sank.

That was true. He was upright and compassionate, never went looking for trouble, and even cultivated along the righteous path. If the Yin Underworld Ghost Sect ever investigated for spies, wouldn't he be the first to come under suspicion?

And given the Demon Sect's nature—better to kill an innocent than let a guilty person go—his fate would be grim!

One sentence had jolted him awake!

Lu Li suddenly understood, and a chill crept up his spine.

Good thing he'd realized in time!

From now on, he had to act like one of the Demon Sect.

What did it mean to be one of the Demon Sect?

Lu Li's thoughts turned, and sixteen characters surfaced in his mind.

Do as you please! Be the only one who reigns supreme!

Those who defy me die! Those who obey me die all the same!

With that, Lu Li leaned back slightly in his chair and smiled at Bai Jinfei. "Senior Brother, you can't just say things like that. My master was the one who took me in. If I were a spy from the righteous path, wouldn't that make my master a spy too?"

Bai Jinfei's expression shifted. He forced an awkward laugh. "Haha, I was only joking. You're taking it too seriously, Junior Brother."

"You can't joke about something like that. But you were right about one thing: cultivating in seclusion really does make my progress too slow. So I want to get some spirit blood."

Lu Li got straight to the point.

"Oh? Do you want to borrow spirit stones to buy spirit blood?"

Bai Jinfei's eyes lit up.

"No."

Lu Li took out the Ghost Raising Tower from his robes and slapped it down on the jade table beside him. "I'm here to sell something."

"Sell something? Wait, isn't this the Ghost Raising Tower our master used during Qi Refining? You want to sell it? Aren't you afraid our master will be angry?"

Bai Jinfei looked surprised.

"Of course not. I wouldn't dare sell our master's Ghost Raising Tower. I'm selling the Spirit Ghost inside." Lu Li channeled his magic power into the tower.

Hum.

The Ghost Raising Tower emitted a circle of golden light, slowly spinning as it floated upward.

Through the tiny holes in the tower, one could clearly see a mass of ghostly mist flecked with golden light, huddled in a corner.

It was a Low-grade Spirit Ghost.