While other demons were restrained by just one mystical iron chain, he alone had thirty-two chains piercing his body—a clear indication of how dangerous this being was.

Liu Shuang dared not underestimate him despite his childlike appearance and asked, “Elder, are you the Night Demon Lord?”

The youth lazily raised his head to look at her, chuckling softly: “Night Demon Lord?”

“Are you not?” If not, why would he be on the thirty-fifth floor?

The youth moved his shackled wrist slightly, revealing a pure smile, and said: “I’m not called Night Demon Lord—such an ugly name. I’m called Ye Li. And you? What’s your name? I’ve never seen you in the Demon Suppression Tower before.”

“Liu Shuang. My name is Liu Shuang.” Liu Shuang refrained from revealing her surname, proceeding cautiously. The youth before her might appear pale and fragile, but he was unmistakably the Night Demon Lord—only he seemed to dislike how others addressed him.

The youth appeared quite delighted as he tilted his head and asked her: “No one ever comes here. Why have you come?”

Liu Shuang said, “I wish to ask Elder about something.”

The youth interrupted her: “Ye Li.”

“Ye Li,” Liu Shuang complied readily. “Do you know where the fifth spirit meridian from ancient times is currently located?”

His eyes curved into a smile, his silver irises gleaming brilliantly. He looked somewhat troubled as he said, “Oh dear, the fifth spirit meridian? I’ve slept for too long and forgotten.”

Liu Shuang sat cross-legged, well aware he was likely lying, yet still responded good-naturedly: “Then I’ll wait until you remember.” She hadn’t expected to learn the meridian’s whereabouts immediately anyway.

Ye Li nodded and said with seeming sincerity: “I’ve been trapped here for too long, sleeping on and off. Seas have turned to mulberry fields in the time that’s passed, and my memories grow hazier day by day. If I remember, I’ll certainly tell you.”

Liu Shuang would be a fool to believe him.

With memories from her previous life, she recalled how her foolish former self had been thoroughly deceived by Lord Su Lun. She understood that most demon creatures were extremely cunning, with minds full of tricks. Of the words that came from their mouths, believing even three-tenths would be generous.

Not wishing to waste her days in the Demon Suppression Tower, Liu Shuang closed her eyes to cultivate.

Ye Li glanced at her once, then closed his eyes and fell back asleep.

In places unknown to Liu Shuang, the demons within the Demon Suppression Tower began chattering excitedly. Having been imprisoned here for tens of thousands of years, they had developed their means of survival.

Though constrained by mystical iron chains and suppressed by the ancient formations within the tower, unable to take a single step outside, they could still secretly communicate with one another—something none of the immortal warriors guarding the tower realized.

And so the gossip began—

“She went to where the Night Demon Lord resides.”

“What will the Night Demon Lord do to her? Those snake demons of his kind presumably can’t stand the sight of women, especially one so beautiful.”

“The Night Demon Lord has abstained for tens of thousands of years. He probably won’t let her go easily. Who knows if she can leave the Demon Suppression Tower alive?”

The demons grew increasingly excited as they chatted.

Life in the tower was already endlessly boring. Liu Shuang’s arrival was like a stone dropped into a lake, creating countless ripples and causing the demons within the Demon Suppression Tower to boil with excitement.

At this moment, a languid voice spoke with amusement: “Are you all very curious?”

“Naturally curious,” a flower demon replied before realizing something was amiss.

Someone’s face gradually paled: “L-Lord Ye.”

Ye Li said, “Continue talking. Don’t mind me.”

But no one dared make a sound. They were filled with apprehension. When demons communicated secretly among themselves, none would be crazy enough to include the Night Demon Lord. Yet though he usually remained silent, today’s soft utterance caused everyone to break out in cold sweat.

Only now did they realize that although he had lost all his demonic power and could not cultivate within the Demon Suppression Tower, an ancient great demon who had lived as long as heaven and earth could still accomplish many things as long as his spiritual form remained.

Moreover, he still retained his pair of silver eyes.

Back then, all the immortal clans had attempted to destroy that pair of eyes. He had merely smiled pitifully and cried out in pain, but regardless of the method used, just as they could not destroy his spiritual form, they also could not destroy his demon eyes.

For thousands of years, the Night Demon Lord had spent most of his time in slumber. Today, he awakened and even showed interest in listening to their conversations. Although he said not to mind him, the other demons were about to explode with anxiety! Who would dare continue to talk freely? They all remembered that during the first hundred years of imprisonment in the Demon Suppression Tower, one demon, believing the Night Demon Lord to be powerless, had insulted him freely within the tower.

The Night Demon Lord had shown no reaction at first, but later, for unknown reasons, that demon’s entire body had festered, dissolving into a puddle of thick fluid.

The snake demon tribe was known for its vindictiveness.

The Night Demon Lord had slept for so long, and the tower had remained peaceful throughout, leading everyone to think he was still asleep. No one expected him to be already awake. The lingering prestige of this ancient great demon kept the Demon Suppression Tower momentarily silent.

Only the youth’s somewhat cold voice broke the silence: “How boring.”

Liu Shuang remained completely unaware of the turbulent undercurrents among the demons in the tower. She cultivated for two days, occasionally chatting with Ye Li.

His temperament seemed excellent. He never disturbed her during cultivation, and several times, he even offered guidance.

“Let spiritual energy rise upward, circulate it throughout your body, preserve your primordial energy—half the effort, twice the result.”

Following his method, her cultivation speed indeed increased.

As they grew more familiar, he occasionally asked her questions, such as: “Why do you have the blood aura of a demon creature on you?”

The question seemed strange. Liu Shuang couldn’t help sniffing her sleeve, but detected nothing beyond the faint fragrance of crab apple blossoms.

Ye Li chuckled softly: “You merely carried its traces before. You can’t smell it. Can you tell me whose blood it was? Do you enjoy slaying demons too?”

Liu Shuang shook her head: “Perhaps… the blood of an ally.”

Thinking carefully, the only demons she had encountered were the Red Python and Yan Chaosheng.

The Red Python was not killed by her, so she shouldn’t have acquired any of its blood. Yan Chaosheng had been wounded in the Ghost King’s Tomb—perhaps she had come into contact with his blood then.

“An ally, you say.” Ye Li blinked. “This is the first time I’ve heard of immortal clan members treating demons as allies.”

“What about you?” Liu Shuang pointed at her own eyes. “Why are your eyes silver?”

She had read in “Ancient Mountains and Seas Chronicles” and “Strange Beasts Legends” that demon creatures’ eyes were mostly brown, pitch-black, or blood-red for those with tremendous sins.

Silver eyes looked as pure and sacred as spring water, similar to the ancient gods who had a faint layer of gold in their pupils.

Silver eyes must be extremely noble among the demon tribes, too.

Ye Li said, “In ancient times, the royal bloodline of the demon tribe had silver eyes.”

“Are you a royal descendant?”

“I am not. It was merely a fortunate coincidence that I received the sovereign’s grace.” Ye Li glanced at her and smiled. “The descendants of the ancient demon tribe… have already been severed.”

Liu Shuang felt something was amiss. She remembered when she had first awakened in her former self’s body and was punished at Nine Thoughts Pond, seeing Yan Chaosheng in the darkness.

At that time, his eyes seemed to give off a faint silver glow, but later, when she looked again, they had become pitch-black. She wasn’t certain whether she had misremembered.

“Can silver eyes be concealed?”

Ye Li was startled, his gaze shifting before he said with certainty and a smile: “They cannot.” Except for his own.

Liu Shuang sighed in relief. It seemed she must have been mistaken that day. Yan Chaosheng had probably used some technique to see in the darkness. If Yan Chaosheng were a descendant of the ancient demon emperor, she should have noticed in her previous life. Historical records also stated that Xiang Yao had never married nor had children.

The two coexisted peacefully for several more days.

Liu Shuang calculated inwardly that it had been almost a month, yet she still hadn’t learned anything about the fifth spirit meridian.

When Ye Li was awake, he tended to be quiet. When asleep, his head hung low, his ink-black hair cascading down as he dangled in midair, looking utterly pitiful.

He would occasionally recall bits and pieces, advising her: “Don’t go to the thirty-second floor. There’s a lust demon there. Though he’s imprisoned, as long as you appear within his line of sight, he can inflict you with passion flower poison.”

“Don’t go to the thirty-fourth floor either. There’s a mind-reading demon who’s exceptionally skilled at deception.”

“Also, the nineteenth floor has a demon who loves to pull out its entrails—it would frighten you.”

Whenever he mentioned these things, she would make mental notes and nod obediently. The Night Demon Lord seemed quite satisfied.

After several more days, his mood appeared to improve. One morning, he implored: “I haven’t seen anything outside the tower for a long time. Could you pick a flower for me?”

His silver eyes were like clear springs. The chains pierced through his body, leaving bloody holes everywhere. Such a small request seemed harmless, so Liu Shuang agreed.

“Alright, wait a moment.”

She sealed her five senses, walked to the bottom of the tower without leaving its premises, and used magic to pick several small flowers that bloomed at the hour of Chen.

At that moment, outside the Demon Suppression Tower, a drizzle began to fall.

Liu Shuang carried the flowers and pushed open the door to the thirty-fifth floor, showing them to him: “I’ve gathered these.”

Ye Li smiled and nodded, his eyes filled with sparkling light as he softly said: “Thank you. I like you very much, but unfortunately…”

The flowers in Liu Shuang’s hands disintegrated into powder and merged with his silver eyes. The next moment, Liu Shuang felt a sharp pain in her sea of consciousness, as if something was trying to forcibly separate from her flesh. The Night Demon Lord was attempting to possess her physical body. She finally clearly witnessed the terrifying power of the Night Demon Lord—using the energy of a few blooming flowers absorbed into his silver eyes, he could possess someone’s body and leave the Demon Suppression Tower.

In the past, she had never dared approach him, but now her body moved against her will under the gaze of those silver eyes, flying toward him.

The youth smiled, tilting his head innocently as he watched her.

She gritted her teeth, trying to resist, but it was extremely difficult. Uncontrollably, she flew before him, at eye level.

“Don’t look at me like that. It makes me sad,” Ye Li chuckled softly, lowering his head to place a gentle kiss on her cheek. “Don’t be afraid. It won’t hurt.”

Liu Shuang’s pupils gradually grew unfocused. Ye Li stretched his limbs contentedly, watching as Liu Shuang was about to fall into his embrace. He was on the verge of possessing her body to escape the Demon Suppression Tower.

Suddenly, the bewitched young woman raised her hand and struck his face.

The Night Demon Lord’s face turned aside, and the young woman spun away, landing on the ground.

She looked up at him. The Night Demon Lord was incredulous, his expression growing cold: “The Fu Xi Seal?” That was an ancient divine artifact, once the imperial seal of his former sovereign.

Thinking about how she had nearly been possessed, Liu Shuang was furious enough to grind her teeth. She said: “I forgot to tell you, my name is Liu Shuang—Chi Shui Liu Shuang.”

“A descendant of the Chi Shui clan.” Ye Li said coldly. “No wonder.”

“Elder isn’t pretending anymore?”

Ye Li smiled: “No, you’re mistaken. My friendliness toward you was entirely sincere. After all, I needed a body before, and I wouldn’t have wanted to hurt you.”

“And now, does Elder still want one?”

“Yes.” Ye Li said softly. He lowered his silver eyes, his lips curving upward. “You came prepared, so I naturally cannot possess you. But there are some things I can still do, even while trapped.”

Liu Shuang had an ominous premonition.

Ye Li licked his lips, his countenance enchantingly beautiful: “Didn’t I tell you about the passion flower demon on the thirty-second floor?”

In the darkness, his spring-clear eyes rippled with an otherworldly glow.

Liu Shuang stepped back, sensing something was wrong with her body.

Ye Li said, “Since the Chi Shui brat sent his daughter here, let me enjoy myself a bit. These self-righteous immortal youngsters truly underestimate the ancient demon tribe.”

Liu Shuang turned and ran toward the door, but before she could exit, her legs gave way. A wave of heat instantly invaded her entire body.

A resplendent silver tail lazily wrapped around her waist, dragging her back.

The previously frail and harmless-looking youth had transformed his lower body into a snake’s tail. His upper body remained human, just like Bi Xun had been.

The passion flower poison spread rampantly through Liu Shuang’s body. The demons had lived peacefully for tens of thousands of years. Under the Night Demon Lord’s suppression, all demons had remained silent, keeping low profiles. Because of this, even Chi Shui Chong had underestimated these demons who had survived since ancient times.

They had forgotten that when the Eight Wildernesses were still unsettled, each of these beings possessed heaven-shaking abilities.

The snake tail tightened around the young woman’s waist, gradually unfastening her robes.

The divine power of the Fu Xi Seal could protect her physical body and her soul, but it could not counter the passion flower poison.

Not just Liu Shuang—even if Chi Shui Chong himself were here today, there would be no solution.

Liu Shuang struggled to remain conscious, but her awareness gradually dissipated. As her robes slipped away, someone coldly sighed in her ear: “So foolish. Why resist?”

The young woman’s cheeks flushed red, the corners of her eyes taking on a light peach blossom hue. Powerless with her waist held by his coils, her shoulders were as white as jade.

The Night Demon Lord’s silver eyes deepened, his demonic nature gradually awakening within him. He had to admit that this immortal maiden of the Chi Shui clan was an exceptionally beautiful woman. Even in ancient times, in an era of competing beauties, she would not have lost by any measure.

Even though he could not possess this body, savoring it would not be a loss.

He only wondered if she could withstand his true form.

She was left with only a final lotus-pink undergarment. As the Night Demon Lord moved to remove it, the Demon Suppression Tower suddenly erupted with noise. The mist demon called out: “Lord Night Demon, someone… no, a demon has broken into the Demon Suppression Tower.”

Night Demon Lord: “Oh?”

The mist demon, able to sense in all directions, reported: “The immortal clan tried to stop him but failed.” The mist demon exclaimed in horror: “He…”

The Night Demon Lord interrupted, coldly asking: “Where is he now?”

“He’s coming up, still ascending… he’s reached the thirty-second floor of the Demon Suppression Tower.”

The Night Demon Lord sighed: “What a pity.”

Indeed, the next moment, an enormous being appeared outside the thirty-fifth floor.

It almost blocked out all sunlight—a towering ink-black snake several zhang in length. Its demonic form was strange, with wings on its cheeks and razor-sharp teeth. Its snake eyes were even colder than the Night Demon Lord’s.

The Night Demon Lord regarded him with an ambiguous smile: “You’ve been guarding her outside for days, and now you’ve forced your original form to break in. The Lock Demon Tower imprisons demons—perhaps you’ll never leave. Your Highness, it must be painful, but do you still retain your reason? Night offers Your Highness this gift; surely Your Highness will be pleased.”

With those words, he released Liu Shuang, letting her fall from midair.

The ink-black snake coiled around the young woman. His condition was poor; having forcibly manifested his original form, blood seeped from beneath his scales everywhere. The ink snake’s eyes were shadowy as it hissed, flicking its tongue.

Ye Li said, “I haven’t done anything yet. You needn’t rush to settle accounts with me. As for her…”

Ye Li continued: “She seems to be in great discomfort. Your Highness, are you certain you want to do this here? I don’t mind observing.”

The ink snake’s eyes were so cold they seemed to forge ice. Without a word, it carried Liu Shuang away.

Ye Li watched it thoughtfully: “So angry, yet restraining himself from speaking even a single word, fearing she might recognize him afterward? Is Xiang Yao’s descendant truly so pure in his youth?”

No matter. He would be forced to change.