I saved the entire sect by playing idly by letting things fall apart.

At this moment, Ye Qiao and Yue Qing'an were in what seemed to be an isolated space, completely surrounded by mirrors on all sides. It appeared they were trapped inside a mirror.

"Ye Qiao," Yue Qing'an said with a sigh, "being with you is truly unlucky."

Being friends with her is never peaceful. The moment Yue Qing'an realized she was being dragged into this, she tried to let go, but this stupid mirror ended up taking them both in with it.

Ye Qiao kicked the mirrors around her, channeling her spiritual energy into them, and they shattered with a single blow.

But who knows how many mirrors there are? She can't possibly kick them all the way through.

Ye Qiao sensed the resentment in Yue Qing'an's tone, so she changed the subject, "Don't you think it's exciting?"

"That was certainly exciting." He gave a forced smile. This experience in the mortal world was more thrilling than the previous twenty years of his life: "So, how exactly are we going to get out?"

Ye Qiao thought for a moment, "Perhaps we can talk to those two demons."

She used the Ghost King Tower to firmly trap the two demons inside, and similarly, Yue Qing'an and she were also trapped in the mirror.

Neither side can really do anything about the other. If they don't talk it out, they can't just keep dragging things out like this.

"Shall we talk?" Ye Qiao tapped the mirror and asked tentatively, "We don't actually need to fight." She said sincerely, "You might not believe it, but I'm a pacifist."

Fighting and killing is a waste of time.

There was no response from the other party. Ye Qiao guessed that the two demons were also flustered by the unpredictable mechanisms in the tower. She clicked her tongue twice and asked, "What's the background of these two?"

"Holding an eight-sided mirror, she is most likely a saintess of the demon race." Yue Qing'an had only been in the mortal world for a few months, but he had already figured out the general situation of the demon race very well. "The demon race has a kind of spiritual weapon that can cut the battlefield, which is a spiritual weapon that can deal with talisman cultivators."

"However," he said with some doubt, "I heard a long time ago that they have a Nascent Soul stage saintess. This shouldn't be the previous saintess, right? How come the demon race has so many saintesses?"

"Because their saintesses are disposable," Ye Qiao replied. "If one is gone, there will always be another to take her place."

A disposable saintess, a young master who comes and goes like water.

Ye Qiao understood it perfectly.

The two were crushed by the tower and fell into the first level. Facing the wooden stakes that swept towards them from time to time and the strange and ever-changing mechanisms, they finally made it to the second level. Unexpectedly, the second level had even more mechanisms than the first level.

Moreover, within the tower, there were laws and regulations that suppressed their cultivation levels to the Nascent Soul stage, causing them to turn pale and almost vomit acid.

How could there be such a disgusting magical artifact?

Upon hearing Ye Qiao say she wanted to talk, the female demon frowned and took out an eight-sided mirror, which allowed her to see the situation of the person inside through the mirror.

Ye Qiao, trapped in the mirror, also saw a human face reflected in the surrounding mirrors, while Yue Qing'an felt a chill and moved away from these mirrors.

Ye Qiao waved calmly, "Hey, hey, hey, Holy Maiden, shall I assume you recognize me?"

nonsense.

"No need for assumptions, you're quite famous among our demons." The female demon's tone was cold: "Hand over the magical artifact, and I might consider releasing you."

"That's terrifying." Despite saying it was scary, she didn't even move an inch, and said with a smile, "But you also know that this place can't do anything to us, right? If we don't come out of the forbidden area in three days, the elders will come in to check the situation, and then you won't be able to escape even if you have wings."

Ye Qiao felt that the one in a hurry shouldn't be herself, but these demons. Did they think they could leave Changming Sect's territory unscathed? It was practically impossible. Everyone cherished their life, which was why Ye Qiao thought it was worth talking to the demon saintess.

The demon quickly interrupted her, "It's alright. Just delaying you for one day will be enough."

Their goal this time was to trap Ye Qiao and seize the magical artifact.

The Demon Lord was clearly particularly wary of this disciple. This eight-sided mirror could seal a person inside its lenses, making it impossible for Ye Qiao to open it easily.

The chances of snatching the magical artifact from Ye Qiao were extremely slim, so the female demon tried to talk to her: "If you obediently give me the Bright Moon Arrow and the Dark Book, then I can let you out."

"No need." Ye Qiao sat down on the ground and laughed heartily, "We can just wait it out like this."

We'll see then whether the Tower is stronger or the Eight-Sided Mirror is stronger.

Time passed slowly, and the two sides remained deadlocked. There was no danger in the eight-sided mirror, which made the two demonic cultivators trapped inside the tower feel very uncomfortable seeing Ye Qiao and the others so relaxed.

They're both trapped, so why are they so free?

"Ye Qiao." This disciple's attitude was too indifferent. As the master of the tower, Ye Qiao should be able to know her current miserable state from the feedback given by the tower, but she did not pay any attention to her at all.

This feeling of being slighted was absolutely unpleasant. The female demon's tone suddenly turned strange, and she couldn't help but spoil the surprise for Ye Qiao, "Do you know why the demons insisted on having us imprison you?"

"..."

Ye Qiao still didn't react at all; she even started chatting with Yue Qing'an.

Because she was so bored looking in the mirror, she used a twig that she had stuffed into her mustard seed bag to draw a circle on the spot.

Yue Qing'an thought she was using some kind of curse seal.

"Are you trying to find a way out? I advise you to calm down. Some magical artifacts are easily interconnected and can have far-reaching consequences." He analyzed rationally, "If the explosion of the magical artifact is too loud, it will wake up the hibernating sea fish outside, which would be terrible."

"But if we're fast enough, maybe we can..."

He kept rambling on and seemed poised to continue, but Ye Qiao interrupted him, "You're overthinking it. I'm just making empty promises."

"Why make empty promises?" Yue Qing'an lowered her eyelashes and glanced at her. "What message are you trying to send to those two demons? To threaten them?"

"without."

I'm hungry.

"I'm just drawing pictures of cakes to satisfy my hunger."

In ancient times, Cao Cao could quench his thirst by looking at plums; today, Ye Qiao can satisfy his hunger by drawing a cake.

Yue Qing'an: "..."

Her three answers left Yue Qing'an speechless.

Seeing the two of them getting more and more engrossed in their conversation, completely forgetting about them, this disdain and contempt fully provoked her. The woman couldn't help but threaten, "Hey. Ye Qiao. Don't you want to leave? Your master is still in the Demon Realm."

Ye Qiao seemed to have just heard her speak, and smiled in response, asking, "Shall we talk?"

The female demon had initially refused to communicate, but now she was chatting with Ye Qiao as if nothing was wrong. Yue Qing'an looked at her strangely and lowered her voice, "Did you drug her?"

"That's not quite it." Ye Qiao organized her thoughts and answered him in a low voice, "You can think of it as a rebellious mentality. That is to say, when one person shows disdain for her, the other person will want to contradict them to achieve psychological satisfaction."

"Of course, it won't work for everyone."

Yue Qing'an looked at her with a strange expression. After all, in the few months they had spent together, his impression of Ye Qiao was that she was indifferent to life and death and would fight anyone who disagreed with him. It turned out that she was not only good at fighting, but also quite eloquent.

Seeing the two whispering, the demon's dissatisfaction at being ignored resurfaced. She frowned and said coldly, "If you want to leave, then forget it."

"You trapping me for a day might indeed help your Demon Lord attack the Five Sects, but the two of you inside the forbidden area are just needless sacrifices."

"So what?" Her eyes were icy cold. "Sacrifice is inevitable."

"Alright." Seeing her determined expression, Ye Qiao changed the subject, "Do you get paid for working for the demons, risking your lives?"

"..."

She left the group somewhat bewildered.

salary?

What is that?

"No." Although she didn't understand, she still replied curtly.

Ye Qiao: "So there's no salary, no care or support, no rest time at all?"

"..."

Heartbroken.

"There is no such thing as rest. We were born for the demon race." The male demon beside him spoke with a hint of annoyance, "What exactly are you trying to say?"

"No salary, no rest time, we can't even get the promises the boss makes," Ye Qiao continued. "Do you know what the Demon Lord is doing to you?"

She was so talkative that the female demon already regretted ever striking up a conversation with Ye Qiao, but Ye Qiao's question was too intriguing, so she subconsciously asked, "What are you doing to us?"

What can the Demon Lord do to them?

"Isn't that obvious?"

"He's getting all this for free!"

The two demons nearly choked to death on their own saliva.

It's important to know that not everyone can use magical artifacts.

Ye Qiao suddenly clapped her hands, "How do you guys survive working for free without getting paid?"

She realized why Meng Liu was willing to collude with other cultivators to escape.

The Demon Lord is actually a freeloader.

"Are you hungry?" Ye Qiao noticed their silence and changed the subject.

They remained silent, watching Ye Qiao intently, wondering what other nonsense she could spout. Ye Qiao took out two steamed buns from her mustard seed bag and tossed them over; they actually went right through the mirror.

Or perhaps it was just that the mirror's owner wanted to eat, which is why the mirror was opened a crack. The female demon caught the steamed bun that she threw at her, paused for a long time, and then her lips twitched violently.

Did she really put a steamed bun in there?

There's more than one?

Ye Qiao was quite observant; whether it was roasting a dark fish or making empty promises, she noticed the two demonic cultivators' unnatural reactions upon hearing it.

In those godforsaken places, there isn't even any normal food. The local food is basically soaked in demonic energy and tastes terrible.

Unless you find a proxy buyer, but damn, where would you find a proxy buyer in the cultivation world?

Demons generally stay in their own territories. Demon lords don't care about those of lower cultivation levels, but demon cultivators of higher cultivation levels like them need to report to their demon lords.

They weren't allowed to loiter while on a mission, so she unconsciously clenched the steamed bun. "What do you mean?"

What's this called? The Temptation of Steamed Buns?

She casually brushed aside the fact that Jun, who was itching to stab them to death, and looked at them with a "for your own good" expression. "Life is precious, love is more precious, but freedom is the most precious of all. Are you sure you don't want to change your boss? He not only freeloads from you but also makes you eat such awful food. He's utterly despicable."

Yue Qing'an smiled and joined the persuasion effort, saying, "After all, if you insist on locking us up, the only outcome will be death. You can survive by defecting to the enemy."

This disciple of Penglai, whose divinations were always accurate, angrily crushed the steamed bun, saying, "For the future of our demon race, it doesn't matter."

She was not afraid of death.

"But you died without ever having a proper meal. Isn't that too pitiful?" Yue Qing'an was naturally straightforward, and sometimes his words could be incredibly blunt.

It was this unvarnished truth that stung them.

No matter how terrible the demons are, they are still a place they can call home. Simply put, if you can't get over that hurdle in your heart, what's the difference between that and betraying your own home?

Ye Qiao noticed their hesitation. As long as they hesitated, it meant they could continue talking. She continued, "You should have heard of Meng Liu, right?"

The female demon stared intently at her, wondering what this disciple was up to. She nodded, her voice calm: "I've heard of her."

He was one of the few geniuses in the Demon Clan who reached the peak of the Nascent Soul stage in his twenties without relying on any method of absorbing the cultivation of other cultivators.

Other demons rely on ruthless killing to achieve their cultivation, but Meng Liu is a genuine genius.

To be honest, if Meng Liu hadn't fled, given his talent, he would very likely have been the successor to the Demon Lord.

His defection only fueled the Demon Lord's fury.

Ye Qiao met their gloomy gazes and suddenly smiled: "Even your young master couldn't tolerate this defection. In reality, you're just tools pushed out to die. What guilt does a tool need for betrayal? Meng Liu, as the young master, hasn't felt any guilt yet!"

"If you have no morals, who can hold you hostage? You're demonic cultivators, the kind who kill and commit arson, what use is such a strong moral compass to you?"

"Ye Qiao." The male demon paused for a moment, "Has anyone ever told you that you're really good at talking?"

They had also heard of Ye Qiao's deeds.

Ye Qiao is a well-known figure in the Demon Realm, or even in the cultivation world. Rumor has it that she suddenly extended an olive branch to them, which is quite tempting.

In particular, the line that no one can hold them hostage as long as they lack morality made the two of them want to run away.

The girl gripped the octagonal mirror in her hand and calmly asked, "If I side with you, how will I explain myself to the Demon Lord?"

"My mission is either to trap you for a day, or to bring back the magical artifact. If I fail to do either, I'll be severely injured even if I don't die when I return to the Demon Realm." She couldn't possibly not go back; if she didn't report back, the Demon Lord would definitely come to check on their lives.

If they are found to be alive but have not returned to the Demon Realm to report, then the Demons will not let them go.

"He has ways to control us subordinates. Do you know that the demon race has a flower that can enhance cultivation? Any demon cultivator who has consumed that flower becomes a pawn of the Demon Lord, and he can easily decide our life or death." This is also why demon cultivators dare not betray him.

Yue Qing'an: "Then why is your young master Meng Liu unharmed?"

This guy even defected.

"Of course he hasn't eaten it before," the female demon said coldly, "but not everyone is a genius like him who doesn't need to rely on external forces."

"That's easy to solve." Ye Qiao snapped her fingers. "You just stand there and don't move. After we beat you up, go back to the Demon Clan to report. When the Demon Lord asks, just say I was too strong. The two of you working together only managed to trap me in the mirror. You'll see the mission accomplished and come back covered in wounds to report."

She clapped her hands: "The time has come to test your acting skills after we return to the Demon Realm."

After hesitating for a few seconds, the two seemed to think this was a good excuse and took the initiative to say, "We can talk this over in detail. But you have to promise that after we get out, you won't let your senior brothers lay a hand on us."

"Can."

After Ye Qiao readily agreed, the mirrors that had risen from all directions disappeared into thin air, and Ye Qiao and Yue Qing'an stood in the tower.

Almost the instant the mirror disappeared, she pulled Yue Qing'an behind her and slashed down with her sword. The sword light flashed everywhere, and together with the mechanisms in the tower, the two of them were caught in a pincer attack.

"……"Depend on.

Ye Qiao, who has no martial ethics!

But clearly, the demonic cultivators had no intention of upholding martial ethics; the two attacked simultaneously the instant they emerged.

Inside the tower was Ye Qiao's territory. After quickly defeating the two demons, the tower disappeared before her eyes and fell into Ye Qiao's palm.

……

After the two were trapped inside the mirror, the five people who were anxiously waiting outside the delivery room saw a demon appear out of thin air.

Some drew their swords, others made talismans, and Xue Yu, who was not a combatant, even found a large rock to smash the two demonic cultivators to death when they came out.

"Don't move! If you move again, I'll crush you to death."

As soon as the two demonic cultivators emerged, they were confronted by five fierce-looking faces, and they couldn't help but curse them inwardly for their shamelessness.

"What do you mean, Ye Qiao?" The female demon steadied herself. "Killing us will do you no good."

"You're not that irrational, are you?"

"There's no benefit to it," Ye Qiao nodded, "but it'll be very enjoyable."

"……"Oh shit.

"But—" Ye Qiao changed the subject: "We can let you leave, but how will you explain to the demons after you leave? We'll use the excuse I just gave you. What do you think? This will largely spare you from physical suffering."

"Just say the mission was successful, and that Ye Qiao was trapped inside. Without your command, the magical artifact cannot be opened, and Ye Qiao is locked inside."

"The mirror was left behind during the battle with the righteous path."

Ye Qiao wanted them to personally deceive the Demon Lord, but the two of them didn't have the guts at all. But honestly, her answer was the best response.

"I will cooperate with your false report and disappear from the demon race's sight for a few days. When the two factions fight, the Demon Lord will have no time to care about your lives. If all goes well, you can completely escape by dying in the chaos."

If they succeed, they can escape from the clutches of the righteous path and the demons; if they fail, they will face certain death.

Let's see if they dare to cooperate with Ye Qiao.

"If we succeed, how can we escape there?" The demon saintess looked up at her.

Ye Qiao looked at Yue Qing'an.

At that moment, as if bathed in holy light, Yue Qing'an felt a blessing well up in his heart. He reached out his hand, smiled, and said, "If you succeed, Penglai Island will welcome you."

Penglai is a secluded place, and as long as they don't do anything reckless, hiding there is actually a good choice.

When Yueqing was installed, it looked quite professional, immediately intimidating the two hesitant demons.

"Huh?" Chu Ling was dumbfounded.

What are they talking about?

Ye Qiao rattled off a whole bunch of things. Was she trying to turn the two demons against their cause?

And then there's the eldest disciple. Damn it, will Penglai accept them? Master would beat you to death if he found out, you unfilial descendant!

Two of their protégés were online, acting like charlatans and preaching their doctrines. Chu Ling, seeing this, helplessly pounded on the wall, wanting to call the police.

Could it be that running a pyramid scheme is a unique skill of their "Cang Sheng Dao" (a group of people with powerful connections)?

The two stared at each other blankly for a moment, then stammered, "We..."

She gritted her teeth, persuaded: "We'll consider Penglai then. It's a deal."

Ye Qiao smiled and said the words she had said countless times before: "Of course, it's a pleasure to cooperate with you."

Chu Ling covered her face. What was most unbelievable was that she was actually persuaded.