Let's Talk It Over

At this moment, in the eyes of the crowd, Su Luo perfectly embodied the image of the Demon Lord.

Selfish, wicked, and utterly ruthless.

Su Luo didn’t care how they perceived him—in fact, he intended to deepen that impression.

He raised his sword, pointing it toward the sky.

Dark energy began gathering at the tip of the blade, forming a massive sphere.

The swirling black energy within pulsed ominously.

It grew larger and larger.

Some began to despair, praying that the energy sphere above Su Luo’s head would crush him instead.

Or that a miracle would occur, sparing their lives.

Di Haoran tried to stand, but his injuries were too severe—he could do nothing.

Su Luo continued charging his attack.

The longer it took, the deeper their despair grew. It was like a blade hanging over their heads, its fall inevitable yet unpredictable.

Su Luo was still gathering power—not because he wanted to prolong this, but because Jiang Ningshu hadn’t arrived yet.

He had no choice but to stall.

Though it felt a bit out of character, it was fitting for a villain. Being a little dramatic was expected—at least he wasn’t monologuing.

The others, however, were on the verge of breaking down.

Why was he still charging? Couldn’t Su Luo just get it over with?

Wait, no—let him take his time. The longer this dragged on, the more chances there were for things to go wrong.

Su Luo had twisted their emotions into knots. They didn’t know what to think anymore.

Then—it happened.

Su Luo sensed Jiang Ningshu’s arrival.

"Rest in peace," he said coldly.

With a swing of his sword, the massive energy sphere rolled across the ground, leaving a deep scar in its wake—yet it didn’t explode.

Instead, it maintained its spherical form, rolling toward the crowd like an unstoppable force of destruction.

Normally, this sphere would crush everything in its path, turning back and forth until nothing remained.

The crowd could only watch in despair, powerless to stop it.

But then—

Jiang Ningshu arrived in a flash, her sword slicing the energy sphere clean in half.

The split halves didn’t explode—they simply disintegrated, dissipating into the air.

To everyone present, that strike was nothing short of breathtaking.

She had saved their lives—how could it not be?

"Jiang Ningshu?!"

Many recognized her. Her reputation far surpassed Su Luo’s, especially among the stronger cultivators.

Opinions about her were mixed.

Though she had occasionally aided the righteous side, intentionally or not, she was still the former Demon Lord.

"Demon Lord!" Even though Su Luo now held the title, facing Jiang Ningshu, they instinctively reverted to calling her by her old name.

"I am no longer the Demon Lord. You are."

"No matter what, you will always be my Demon Lord."

"Even if I stand in your way?"

"Of course. But I don’t understand—why are you stopping me?" Su Luo asked, genuinely puzzled.

"I happened to be passing by."

"Passing by… and then saving them?"

"I do as I please." Jiang Ningshu didn’t give a clear answer—or perhaps that was answer enough.

Su Luo fell silent before finally saying, "Demon Lord, return. The Heavenly Demon Sect needs you."

"I don’t need the Heavenly Demon Sect. In fact, I wish it would vanish."

Her voice dripped with resentment, as if the sect had committed some unforgivable sin.

To the onlookers, it seemed she had acted purely out of disdain for the sect.

"No, no—the Heavenly Demon Sect is different now!"

Jiang Ningshu didn’t respond. Instead, she attacked.

"Enough. Speak again, and I’ll kill you."

"No! With you back, the Heavenly Demon Sect will be stronger than ever!"

She refused to listen. With a single strike, she sent Su Luo crashing into the ground, leaving a deep crater.

"Ha… haha… Very well. I understand your resolve now."

Su Luo climbed out of the crater, picking up his sword. "If you won’t return, then don’t interfere. Otherwise, don’t expect mercy—even from me."

"You think you can stop me?"

"I’m not the same as before."

Su Luo launched his assault.

Jiang Ningshu met his blade, the two clashing in a fierce battle.

The onlookers, still sprawled on the ground, couldn’t fathom Jiang Ningshu’s motives.

But as long as they fought, it was good enough.

And from the looks of it, Jiang Ningshu had the upper hand.

They just hoped they weren’t jumping from the frying pan into the fire.

Before long—

"Let’s end this."

Jiang Ningshu frowned. "So soon?"

It felt too staged.

"Don’t worry. Just power up and finish me off—no one will question it."

The act was nearly over. A quick fight would suffice.

Besides, Jiang Ningshu was undeniably stronger now—her defeating him instantly wouldn’t raise eyebrows.

She nodded and unleashed her ultimate technique.

Her attack dwarfed Su Luo’s earlier display.

There was no need to worry about collateral damage—her control was flawless.

Su Luo fell.

Jiang Ningshu pointed her sword at him.

The crowd immediately erupted.

"Kill him! Do it now!"

"Yes, end him! I’ll reward you handsomely once I return!"

No matter what, Su Luo’s death would be a boon.

"Silence." Jiang Ningshu’s icy tone cut through the noise.

They quickly grasped the situation and shut their mouths.

Lin Xuan spoke up, "Wait a moment. He is a traitor to our Seven Stars Sword Sect. We’d prefer to handle him ourselves."

He was genuinely afraid Jiang Ningshu might kill Su Luo with a single strike.

The others hadn’t expected Lin Xuan to say such a thing. Wouldn’t it be better to just kill Su Luo here and now?

But upon second thought, capturing Su Luo alive might have its advantages—like using him to deal a heavy blow to the newly risen Heavenly Demon Sect.

Others from the Seven Stars Sword Sect chimed in, "Yes, please hand him over to us. We’ll make sure to repay you generously."

The onlookers were even more confused. Sure, they could take Su Luo, but why did the Seven Stars Sword Sect seem so unusually invested in him?

Jiang Ningshu turned to Su Luo and said, "So then, do you want to die by my hand, or should I hand you over to them?"

Her words carried an implicit suggestion—what did Su Luo need her to do?

Su Luo rolled his eyes. In the original plot, he had simply used an escape technique from the Demon God’s legacy to slip away effortlessly.

Why complicate things?

"Heh, you can’t kill me. Like I said, I’m not the same as before."

His message was clear: if she struck, he’d vanish without a trace.

Seeing Su Luo’s unyielding defiance, the Seven Stars Sword Sect members grew anxious.

"Jiang Ningshu, just give us Su Luo, and we’ll agree to anything."

"Our Sect Leader will spare no expense. Compensation won’t be an issue."

The others found this increasingly bizarre. Why did it sound like they cared so much about Su Luo?

Nangong Xiyun knew Su Luo could escape anytime, but the rest of the Seven Stars Sword Sect turned to her, hoping she’d speak up—her words carried more weight.

Reluctantly, Nangong Xiyun said, "Jiang Ningshu, hand Su Luo over to me."

Others could be ignored, but not Nangong Xiyun.

"Is that how you ask for a favor?"

Nangong Xiyun: "......"

Was she taking advantage of the situation?

"What do you want?"

"Lower your tone a little."

"Fine. I apologize. Please hand Su Luo over to me." Nangong Xiyun’s tone didn’t change in the slightest.

Who would lower their pride? This wasn’t even part of Su Luo’s original storyline.

Nangong Xiyun refused to believe Jiang Ningshu would actually harm Su Luo.

"Oh?" Jiang Ningshu tightened her grip around Su Luo’s throat, lifting him off the ground. "Your attitude might just make me accidentally snap his neck."

Lin Xuan and the others from the Seven Stars Sword Sect tensed instantly.

"No, no, no—let’s talk this through!"

"Exactly! Peak Master Nangong, just… humor her a little."

"Think of the bigger picture, Peak Master Nangong. You know how important Su Luo is to us..."

Nangong Xiyun was speechless. It felt like she was being blamed for this mess.

This was clearly Jiang Ningshu seizing the moment to mess with her. If she gave in now, Jiang Ningshu would never let her live it down.

Jiang Ningshu, meanwhile, watched Nangong Xiyun with an amused smile.

What choice did she really have?