Liu Shuang did not believe Yan Chaosheng.

This man was cold-hearted and cold-blooded. He showed no emotion even toward his consorts, so it was impossible that he would protect her in a dangerous situation.

But after weighing her options for a moment, she still followed Yan Chaosheng.

Though Liu Shuang could distrust him in countless ways, she trusted his ability to survive. Thinking about it clearly, seven hundred years later, he would be alive and well, while there would be no such person as Liu Shuang of the Chi Shui Clan in the world.

Staying where they were meant certain death when the immortal energy dissipated. Following Yan Chaosheng might truly offer a sliver of hope for survival.

Liu Shuang silently remained vigilant against him, touching the various life-saving trinkets at her waist, forming a plan in her mind. Yan Chaosheng had no cultivation, but she had a collection of magical treasures she could use.

She was no longer a celestial herb; she was now Liu Shuang of the Chi Shui Clan. If they were going together, then together they would go—whoever died first was the dog!

The two walked toward the city center, seeing lanterns lit in every residence they passed.

The city was eerily quiet; even a falling leaf could be heard.

Suddenly, the sound of suona horns pierced the air, particularly grating. Though wedding music should be joyous, it now carried an indescribable desolation.

“Come here,” Yan Chaosheng said.

He and Liu Shuang hid outside, watching as the wedding procession with its suona music headed toward the city lord’s mansion.

Outside the mansion, a sea of people gathered, all wearing stiff smiles on their faces. They held lanterns, staring fixedly at a bridal sedan chair.

Amid the suona music, the sedan chair stopped.

A wedding attendant emerged carrying a woman on her back. The woman suddenly lifted her veil and struggled frantically on the attendant’s back, crying out in despair, “Let me go! I won’t marry him! I refuse to marry a beast!”

She wildly struck the wedding attendant, but the woman seemed to feel no pain, continuing to smile cheerfully and saying in a vacant voice, “The groom welcomes his bride—”

The main gate of the city lord’s mansion suddenly flung open, and a gust of cold wind blew out. Liu Shuang stared at the doorway, feeling inexplicably tense.

After a moment, a man was “escorted” out by others.

No matter how Liu Shuang looked at him, his walking posture seemed indescribably strange.

The man’s complexion was pale, his lips a deep black, yet he appeared unexpectedly handsome. He seemed not to notice the bride’s struggles and smiled as he approached her: “Yun’er, let us bow to heaven and earth together.”

Seeing him, the woman trembled and tightened her grip around the neck of the wedding attendant beneath her, afraid to look at him.

The man considerately said, “You are weak. Have something to eat before the ceremony so you’ll have energy later.”

As soon as he finished speaking, countless red threads suddenly burst from the body of the woman called “Yun’er,” sprouting thorns that pierced into the bodies of several onlooking commoners. In an instant, those entangled by the red threads turned into withered corpses and collapsed.

Meanwhile, “Yun’er’s” complexion became even more radiant.

Liu Shuang pressed her lips together tightly. This wasn’t good.

Although her experience was limited, she could still analyze the current situation. That man was a demon, though she didn’t know what kind. Liu Shuang’s cultivation was low; if Bai Zhuixu were here, he would likely identify it at a glance.

The demonic aura around Yun’er was also very strong. After consuming the ordinary people, her expression became even more pained, suggesting she was unwilling to do this.

Yan Chaosheng’s gaze focused on the man’s legs beneath his wedding robe, his expression inscrutable.

Watching as people streamed into the city lord’s mansion to witness the ceremony, Yan Chaosheng spoke, “Young Lord, do you know what place Taichuan City is?”

“What place is it?”

Yan Chaosheng turned his head, meeting the little pink zongzi’s confused gaze. He concealed the malice at the corner of his mouth and smiled gently, saying warmly, “For thousands of years, Taichuan has belonged to Kung Sang in the Southern Territories, so this place is under your jurisdiction, Young Lord.”

Hearing this, Liu Shuang’s face nearly turned green.

She knew that each ancient celestial realm had its earthly territories. The immortals in the celestial realms had a duty to protect the mortal world. In return, mortals made offerings to immortals, providing them with endless power of faith and belief, thus giving birth to spiritual veins.

Now that Kung Sang’s spiritual veins were withering, it proved that the ancient celestial realms’ influence over mortals was declining, as people’s faith was insufficient.

As a member of the Chi Shui lineage of Kung Sang, Liu Shuang naturally carried the heavy responsibility of slaying demons and exorcising evil. It would have been fine if she hadn’t encountered such a situation, but now that she had, she truly couldn’t stand idly by. It seemed the entire city’s population was being controlled by demons as a food reserve.

She was Liu Shuang of Chi Shui, and she couldn’t ignore this.

Yan Chaosheng said, “Young Lord, need not worry. This disciple has observed that there are only two who can move and fight. With the Young Lord’s divine might, they shouldn’t be difficult to handle.”

Liu Shuang was speechless. She hadn’t expected that before she could experience the joy of being Kung Sang’s Young Lord, she would first face such heavy obligations.

Liu Shuang sighed inwardly with frustration. Cang Lan had been her past responsibility, and now that she assumed Liu Shuang’s identity, the original owner’s responsibilities also became hers to uphold.

She ought to guard the current Kung Sang celestial realm just as she had guarded Cang Lan. Liu Shuang didn’t know if the original owner would have intervened in this situation, but she certainly would.

Though her heart had lost the ability to feel joy, deep down she was still the same person—one who had once sacrificed everything for Cang Lan and would now shoulder the responsibility for Kung Sang.

But—

Liu Shuang raised her hand, gesturing for Yan Chaosheng to look. She summoned ice-blue celestial magic, but it dissipated instantly. “I can’t fight them like this.”

“That’s truly unfortunate; they’ll have to die one by one then,” Yan Chaosheng said coldly. He had only been taunting Liu Shuang and hadn’t expected her to truly dare to go.

No wonder the spiritual veins of the four great celestial realms had been withering in recent years. Immortals had become increasingly selfish. After thousands of years, mortals either improved their lives on their own or found no help when they sought it, gradually losing their reverence for the immortal sects.

With insufficient faith, the decline of spiritual veins was inevitable.

Yan Chaosheng inwardly sneered, about to placate Liu Shuang, suggesting she stay put while he went to investigate. To his surprise, before he could move, a delicate white hand caught his hem, gently tugging at it.

The little pink zongzi opened her palm, ignoring his cold expression, and said thoughtfully, “But we can’t allow demons to wreak havoc. You possess demonic bloodlines—help me see which of these can be useful. Let’s give it a try.”

In her palm lay a qiankun pouch.

Yan Chaosheng stared at the pouch in her hand for a long while before asking, “How did you know I possess demonic bloodlines?”

Liu Shuang couldn’t explain that she recognized him, so she honestly said, “I saw it that day.” In the Nine Thoughts Pond, those black, ugly scales on his body.

Upon hearing this, Yan Chaosheng lowered his eyes and fell into silence. After a moment, he reached out and took Liu Shuang’s qiankun pouch. He didn’t speak to her, keeping his face cold, as if someone had prodded a painful spot, refusing to continue the topic.

This inspection revealed quite a few useful items. He took out a stick of red incense and a flute.

Yan Chaosheng asked Liu Shuang, “Does the Young Lord know how to use the Moonfall Flute?”

Liu Shuang looked at the jade-green flute in his hand and shook her head. When she was a little celestial herb, her mortal mother hadn’t taught her the flute; all the young ladies in the manor learned the guzheng instead.

Yan Chaosheng said, “I’ll use the Moonfall Flute to deal with that demon. Can the Young Lord light the incense?”

From his flat tone, Liu Shuang sensed the threat of “if you can’t do anything, then go die” and took the incense with a nod.

She stated with certainty, “I can.”

Yan Chaosheng glanced at her.

Seeing his look, the little pink zongzi, holding the incense in her hand, earnestly added, “Don’t worry, I’ll do it well.” At least not worse than you.

Her face veil hid her ugly appearance, but her eyes shone like water, as if saying she wouldn’t hold him back.

Yan Chaosheng looked away. Ridiculous. This was the first time… someone of noble status was asked to save people, and she agreed to go.

In Liu Shuang’s previous life, demons weren’t nearly as ferocious as they were now, because more ferocious than the demons was the Demon Lord Yan Chaosheng, who had established strict laws.

Under Yan Chaosheng’s iron-fisted methods, not a single demon dared to cause trouble. Those who did often had grass growing three meters high on their graves.

Liu Shuang knocked out a mortal and blended into the bride’s escort procession.

The commoners of Taichuan were under her protection, and strictly speaking, Yan Chaosheng was helping her this time.

They hadn’t yet turned against each other to kill, but unexpectedly found themselves cooperating on the same mission. She wondered why Yan Chaosheng was willing to save Taichuan City.

They split up. Liu Shuang’s task was to use a stick of Single-Thought Incense to subdue the bride. Liu Shuang removed her veil, kept her head down, and imitated the vacant expressions of the puppet-like people around her, remaining silent.

The surrounding mortals were all under control, and no one noticed she had just infiltrated their group.

Liu Shuang followed behind the others. The city lord’s mansion had rugged artificial mountains, and further in was a goldfish pond. Liu Shuang glanced at it secretly; every fish in the pond was motionless, as if frozen in time.

Not a single bird flew in the sky. It seemed all living things in Taichuan City had been controlled.

Liu Shuang thought to herself that the demon must be quite powerful to control an entire city and cause the celestial energy to dissipate within it.

The bridal procession stopped outside the bridal chamber. Liu Shuang stood properly with the group of puppet people. Soon, the bride was brought back, still carried on the wedding attendant’s back, presumably having completed the ceremony.

Liu Shuang kept her head down. As the bride passed by, she smelled a strong demonic aura.

Just as she was worrying about how to enter and light the incense without being discovered by the female demon inside, someone placed a basin in Liu Shuang’s hands and said mechanically, “Go attend to the young lady’s washing.”

Liu Shuang couldn’t have asked for better. She immediately took the basin and entered.

Red candles burned in the bridal chamber. The female demon Yun’er sat at the head of the bed, with the wedding attendant and several maids coldly watching her, not allowing her to leave the bridal bed.

Liu Shuang approached, knowing these attendants and maids were probably the male demon’s people and not as foolish as the puppet-people outside. Liu Shuang dared not alarm them directly, so she knelt with lowered eyes and wiped the bride Yun’er’s hands.

Yun’er’s face was ashen, her flower-like beauty bearing a listless expression.

After a while, Yun’er suddenly looked at Liu Shuang’s clothes, her gaze piercing: “Who are you? Where is my maid Qiaoqiao?”

Liu Shuang was startled, not expecting Yun’er to recognize the maid she had knocked out and impersonated.

At her words, the stiff-faced old women suddenly raised their eyes, staring at Liu Shuang.

Liu Shuang’s heart nearly leaped to her throat. Her hand touched the incense, but then Yun’er softly said, “Oh, it’s Alien.”

The old women resumed their festive smiles.

Liu Shuang looked up at Yun’er, who secretly squeezed her hand once. Under the cover of the handkerchief, Yun’er wrote in Liu Shuang’s palm: “Help me.”

Liu Shuang closed her fingers tightly, pretending nothing had happened, and carried the basin out. Before leaving, she swiped the Single-Thought Incense, quietly placing it in a corner where no one could see, then waited silently in the outer chamber.

The Single-Thought Incense had originally been given to the original owner by the Realm Lord’s wife to pacify her soul. Yan Chaosheng told Liu Shuang that for demons, Single-Thought Incense was a powerful sleeping agent; even those with deep cultivation would eventually fall into a deep sleep if they inhaled it long enough. The original owner had never used it, but by chance, it was now put to good use.

Liu Shuang silently counted in her heart. After a while, she walked into the inner chamber to find the standing maids and old women gone. On the ground lay several motionless, colorful little snakes.

So they were snake demons!

Yun’er, however, hadn’t fainted. She looked at Liu Shuang with desperate hope, too excited to speak coherently: “I knew it! You’re an immortal! Immortal, have you come to save our Taichuan City?”

Liu Shuang asked puzzledly, “You’re a mortal?” Yun’er didn’t seem to be a demon, completely unaffected by the Single-Thought Incense, but why did a mortal have such a strong demonic aura?

Yun’er smiled bitterly and said, “This humble girl is indeed mortal, but I swallowed that monster’s demon core, which is why I’ve become like this.”

Yun’er stepped around the snakes on the floor and came to kneel before Liu Shuang: “My name is Si Yun’er, daughter of the Taichuan City Lord. I beg the immortal to show mercy and save this humble girl, my family, and the people of Taichuan.”

Liu Shuang helped her up: “Please rise. I will help you, Miss Si. Tell me what’s happening now.”

With a mortified expression, Si Yun’er said, “It’s all Si Yun’er’s fault for entangling with that demon, bringing disaster to Taichuan City. The demon used a divine artifact to control everyone in the city. Now the city is covered by a barrier that allows entry but not exit. All living things within become like puppets, their vitality disappearing day by day until they die.”

“A divine artifact?” Liu Shuang was extremely surprised. A demon possessed a divine artifact? No wonder the Seven Treasures Copper Coin had scattered and fallen when flying over Taichuan, and Bai Zhuixu hadn’t detected anything unusual at first!

Entry allowed but not exit… For some reason, Liu Shuang remembered the barrier that had trapped Cang Lan in her previous life.

Grandpa Tree had once sent a message saying a divine artifact trapped Cang Lan celestial realm, preventing anyone from escaping, and warned Liu Shuang never to return.

How similar to what Si Yun’er described now! Could it be the same divine artifact? That artifact had caused Cang Lan’s destruction, leaving not a blade of grass alive. Liu Shuang felt a heavy weight in her heart. In the past, she had neither the time nor the ability to find the culprit who harmed Cang Lan, but now she might have a chance!

“I haven’t seen this divine artifact,” Si Yun’er continued. “Three days ago, Taichuan City suddenly became like this. Everyone seemed to lose their souls, controlled by that demon. Only under my persistent questioning did he tell me the reason, but he wouldn’t let me see where the divine artifact was kept.”

Liu Shuang asked, “The demon you mentioned is the man who wants to marry you, correct?”

Si Yun’er replied, “Yes, his name is Bi Xun. He told me he possesses the bloodline of an ancient ascending serpent. Immortal, no matter how powerful he is, without his demon core, he must be extremely weak. If you want to eliminate him, now is the best opportunity.”

Liu Shuang glanced at her abdomen: “But he gave his demon core to you. Do you want me to kill him?”

Si Yun’er froze, then turned away: “I only find him disgusting. Immortal, evil demons and monsters must be eliminated! I will not marry a snake.”

Liu Shuang pondered in her heart: the bloodline of an ancient ascending serpent—such a great demon with a demon core cultivated over hundreds or thousands of years!

How unlucky they were to encounter such a powerful demon on their journey, especially one wielding a divine artifact. Even if both young masters of the Bai family were here, it would still be thorny, let alone if Chi Shui Chong came, he would also find it difficult.

Such a powerful demon had taken out his demon core, using a divine artifact for evil, disregarding even heavenly punishment, all to marry a mortal girl.

Trapping an entire city for the sake of one person.

He had truly gone mad.

Yet the girl he loved wanted him dead. Seeing the disgust on Si Yun’er’s face, Liu Shuang deeply understood that seven hundred years ago, the existence of demons was truly detested by the Eight Wastes. Liu Shuang had initially worried that Si Yun’er, with the demon core inside her, might be reluctant to let Bi Xun die and might help him instead. Now it seemed Si Yun’er felt only disgust and hatred toward Bi Xun.

That made things easier, at least they wouldn’t face another enemy.

“Demons all deserve to die,” Si Yun’er murmured.

Liu Shuang did not comment. Bi Xun had ruthlessly slaughtered people in the city; he certainly deserved death.

Liu Shuang didn’t argue with Miss Si that there were also good demons in the world, like the Lord Su Lun she once knew. In this era, everyone detested the demon race. It couldn’t be explained in a few words, and there were more urgent matters at hand.

The sound of a flute floated in the air. Liu Shuang knew Yan Chaosheng was confronting Bi Xun.

Liu Shuang’s expression tightened. This was bad! They had rashly come to eliminate demons without knowing beforehand, but now that she knew the opponent was a descendant of the ascending serpent, her heart sank.

A single Moonfall Flute couldn’t possibly deal with Bi Xun. Even without his demon core, even appearing as sickly as he did, thousands of years of cultivation were no joke.

They couldn’t possibly defeat Bi Xun!

“Miss Si, something’s wrong! Do you know where Bi Xun is now? Can you take me to him?”

Si Yun’er said, “Follow me.”

The city lord’s mansion was, after all, Si Yun’er’s home. The two quickly arrived at the main hall, only to see the man in wedding attire, his lower body now transformed into a snake’s tail, tightly coiled around someone’s neck—none other than Yan Chaosheng.

“How presumptuous.”

Bi Xun’s snake tail was crimson red, and his eyes had turned a bloody red as well. The proper young gentleman who had welcomed his bride at the door had suddenly become bloodthirsty and brutal.

Yan Chaosheng, his neck in the coil’s grip, maintained a cold expression. With a vicious glint in his eye, regardless of whether he would be strangled to death, he thrust the jade flute in his hand into Bi Xun’s snake tail.

Even in death, he wanted to drag someone down with him.

Bi Xun winced in pain and angrily transformed into a red snake, slithering out from his clothes.

The fallen garments revealed a massive red python rising. It was a full eight feet thick and ten zhang long, flicking its tongue, nearly blocking all light from above.

The red snake whipped its tail, instantly crushing the jade flute inside its body.

The red snake slammed its tail into Yan Chaosheng. Without his cultivation, Yan Chaosheng spat out a mouthful of fresh blood. Just as the red snake was about to swallow him whole, it paused as it approached Yan Chaosheng.

The red snake spoke in human language, with a mocking tone: “Since you possess the blood of a demon snake, why don’t you kneel and pay homage to me?”

The red snake shot out a red light that struck Yan Chaosheng’s shoulder.

Yan Chaosheng was forced to kneel, his clothes tearing to reveal a body covered in black scales.

The red python sneered coldly: “You can’t even transform to hide your shame. So you’re just the lowliest black snake.”

Liu Shuang had just settled Si Yun’er, telling her to hide safely, when she turned to see the kneeling Yan Chaosheng, his fist clenched tightly, his gaze cold and dark.

So even the young Yan Chaosheng had his painful spot… apparently, he was ashamed of his bloodline.