“Hmm, what am I witnessing here?” Beauty Kong, who had been silent until now, suddenly spoke. “A group of ancient immortal cultivators, using the pretext of eliminating demons to protect the Way, ganging up on a couple? How uncouth the Wu Fang idlers have become.” He fanned himself, smiling mockingly.
At these words, the faces of those in the air changed. Ji Wu suddenly stepped forward and declared, “Evil demons and monsters should be eliminated. This wayward disciple’s murder of her fellow student shows her mind is lost—she cannot be spared.”
Chang Yuan repeated once more: “Chen Zhu wasn’t killed by her.”
“Chen Zhu wasn’t killed by me.” This time, a soft voice from within his embrace echoed the sentiment. “Master, believe me, I didn’t kill Chen Zhu.”
To Er Sheng, it no longer mattered how others viewed what she had become, but Shen Zui and Ji Ling were different. Because she cared about them, she couldn’t bear their misunderstanding.
The sword in Shen Zui’s hand trembled slightly, the cold anger on his face subsiding somewhat. They had discovered Chen Zhu last night—a Wu Fang disciple had found him. By the time everyone arrived, he was already breathing his last. The usually vigorous youth lay cold and stiff on the ground. Upon seeing Ji Ling, he clutched her robes, tears falling as he called out “Junior Master,” before repeatedly murmuring only “Little Er Sheng” with his dying breaths.
Chen Zhu had died from a sword through the heart. Apart from his dislocated wrist, there were no other wounds on his body, indicating the killer had struck with precision and without hesitation. The sword wound was narrow and clean, very similar to what Er Sheng’s Yi Lin Sword would make. This morning, another disciple reported spotting Er Sheng in nearby Purple Scale Town, accompanied by a demon, supposedly heading to the Nine Nethers Demon City.
The Immortal Master had immediately rushed ahead alone in his fury, with the others following close behind.
Shen Zui, remembering Chen Zhu’s final moments and thinking that his overly indulged disciple had committed such an act, had been overwhelmed with pain and anger, immediately striking her. But now, seeing Er Sheng like this, he wondered if there might truly be some misunderstanding. If Er Sheng could kill Chen Zhu so decisively, why would she bother explaining herself to them now…
As he pondered this, Ji Ling, still hovering in the air, knelt before the Immortal Master: “Master, there may be more to this matter. Ji Ling requests—”
“No need for further words.” The Immortal Master cut off Ji Ling’s plea with a wave of his sleeve. “Even if she didn’t kill Chen Zhu today, she must still be eliminated. Wu Fang cannot risk nurturing another Fallen Immortal Chang An.”
Er Sheng’s whole body trembled, her slightly raised face burying deeper into Chang Yuan’s embrace.
Seeing Er Sheng like this, Chang Yuan’s heart both ached and raged, yet he didn’t know how to comfort her. He could only gently pat her back. Suddenly, half a pill appeared before him as Beauty Kong spoke coolly: “Take it. These idlers won’t let you leave today without a fight.”
Chang Yuan’s mind worked quickly, and without ceremony, he took the antidote and swallowed it. Seeing this, Beauty Kong’s eyes crinkled in a smile. He raised his head proudly: “This little girl is now one of our demon race, under the protection of the Demon God. If you want to take her today, you’ll have to get through this king first.”
The Immortal Master let out a cold snort, saying nothing more as he swung his Flame-Rising Sword. His figure vanished in the air, reappearing before Er Sheng—one simple sword swing would take her head. Chang Yuan’s heart jolted, his brows furrowing tightly. The antidote hadn’t yet spread through his body to restore his divine power. Acting on instinct alone, he held Er Sheng tight and turned half a circle, using his own body to shield her from the sword. Beauty Kong snorted twice: “Immortal Master, you’re taking this king too lightly.”
His folded fan met the sword with a clear “ding,” easily deflecting the Immortal Master’s blade.
Beauty Kong’s wide sleeves swept out, demonic energy pouring forth, simultaneously blocking Chang Wu and the others while grabbing Chang Yuan. With a mighty shout of “Go!” the three vanished into the ground without a trace.
Chang Wu wouldn’t let them escape so easily. He thrust his Flame-Rising Sword into the ground, ruthlessly channeling immortal power into the earth. Countless streams of condensed immortal power shot out as white light in all directions. Suddenly, a dull sound emerged from underground, and amidst flying dust, everyone saw blood slowly seeping through the ground several zhang away, forming a trail leading north.
Chang Wu commanded gravely: “Pursue north. Today we shall strike down these demons with our swords.”
Those still in the air responded in unison, all flying north on their swords. Only Ji Ling approached Shen Zui, and as their eyes met, both saw doubt in the other’s gaze. Shen Zui hesitated: “Master, Chen Zhu’s death seems suspicious…”
“Don’t you understand my words?” Chang Wu pulled out his sword and walked north, his steps unwavering. “When eliminating demons, there’s no room for mercy. Such weakness will only lead to greater calamities.”
“But Master…” Before Ji Ling could finish, Chang Wu had already swept away. She bit her lip and followed.
Meanwhile, the Immortal Master’s spiritual energy had struck Beauty Kong’s back, tearing open a bloody wound. Beauty Kong was furious, not for his injury, but for his rainbow-colored robes. He stamped his foot in anger: “One day I’ll make you Wu Fang Immortal Master crawl on the ground and weep!”
They reached a forest where their pursuers had temporarily lost them, allowing a brief rest. Beauty Kong pointed into the forest: “Continue forward and you’ll find a sea of white flowers. Beyond that lies the entrance to the Nine Nethers. Little girl, have you decided whether to enter the Nine Nethers?” He smiled faintly. “Surely you see now? This world has no place for you anymore. No matter what you do, right or wrong, as long as you’re a demon, there will always be those single-mindedly trying to eliminate you. Without entering the Nine Nethers, what other path do you have?”
Er Sheng kept her head down for a long while before asking quietly: “Chen Zhu… you killed him?”
Beauty Kong’s lips curved into a smile: “Not so stupid after all, little girl. So what if I schemed against you? In the capital, I saw you weren’t sincere about joining our demon path. Without forcing your hand, leaving you no way out, you would always resist.”
Er Sheng nodded, stating firmly: “You killed Chen Zhu.”
Before Beauty Kong’s smile could fade, he suddenly felt a killing strike coming straight for him. He instinctively dodged, but a second strike followed immediately, each targeting his vital points. The Yi Lin Sword’s whistling strikes chilled the blood of all who heard them. Beauty Kong couldn’t avoid them all and was struck in the left shoulder. Shocked, he looked up to see Er Sheng’s face completely blank, her blood-red eyes glaring at him viciously, two sharp fangs visible between her blackened lips as if she would tear him apart. Her sword-wielding hand had grown long black nails—she had completely demonified.
Beauty Kong felt both fear and joy—fear that he might lose his life here today, joy that in thousands of years, Er Sheng was the first to gain such powerful abilities so quickly after falling to demons. If this power could be harnessed, attacking the Celestial Realm might not be impossible.
Though her sword had struck him, it hadn’t hit any vital points. Er Sheng pulled it out without hesitation and attacked again.
Chang Yuan’s divine power had now recovered. He stood quietly aside, watching Er Sheng fight Beauty Kong with near madness, growing more excited with each drop of blood she drew. By the end, even Er Sheng probably couldn’t tell if she was seeking revenge or merely satisfying her inner bloodlust.
For the first time, Chang Yuan felt at a loss.
He didn’t know whether to stop Er Sheng or let her release her inner pain.
He thought that if Er Sheng kept suppressing everything, she might go mad. But if she continued to indulge in the pleasure of killing, she was already mad.
The Yi Lin Sword pierced Beauty Kong’s body again. His body, like his clothes, was now riddled with holes—a pitiful sight. His rainbow-colored robes had become nothing but bloody rags. Beauty Kong laughed weakly: “Er Sheng, given time, you could surely claim our demon race’s throne, vacant for a thousand years. But fighting so recklessly, staking your life with each strike, you won’t live long enough. You’ll die ugly, and then your broken body will be controlled by the bone demon’s core—or rather, the new Evil Spirit Pearl—becoming nothing but a walking corpse.”
Chang Yuan’s brows furrowed at these words, but Er Sheng just smiled eerily: “So what? By then, I’ll already be gone.”
Er Sheng’s sword flicked upward, brutally slicing off a chunk of flesh from Beauty Kong’s shoulder. She laughed with delight, pressing down to cut off another piece.
Beauty Kong finally groaned in pain. Er Sheng’s eyes blazed with excitement: “This is lingchi… how delightful…”
She raised her hand to strike again, but suddenly her wrist was gripped tightly. She turned to see Chang Yuan staring at her with a grave expression. Er Sheng asked in confusion: “Why are you stopping me?”
“Do you truly find this enjoyable?”
Chang Yuan’s severe tone startled Er Sheng. She turned back numbly to look at the devastated Beauty Kong, with two bloody chunks of flesh before him—the pieces she had just cut off. Er Sheng’s already pale face grew even more ghastly. Something seemed to dawn on her as cold sweat slowly beaded on her forehead.
Her left hand trembled violently as she grabbed her right hand. “Did I do this?” she asked fearfully. She tried to throw away the Yi Lin Sword, but her right hand wouldn’t obey, still determined to cut into Beauty Kong.
Er Sheng’s face filled with terror and panic as she desperately tried to beat her right hand away. “No! Let go!” She turned to Chang Yuan helplessly. “Chang Yuan… I can’t stop it. My body won’t listen to me.”
As Er Sheng turned, Chang Yuan suddenly realized that one of her eyes had become pitch black while the other remained blood-red, as if she were two people in one body—one deeply fallen to demons, the other still the original Er Sheng!
The gravely wounded Beauty Kong lay on the ground, giggling: “The Evil Spirit Pearl has become half of Er Sheng—you two have merged, haven’t you?”
His ear pressed to the ground heard movement in the distance. He slowly closed his eyes as his body began sinking into the earth: “Little girl… or should I call you Evil Spirit Pearl now? Don’t forget the directions to the Nine Nethers I told you about. This king will be waiting for you there.”
His smile held mockery: “And don’t forget to kill all the immortals who follow. They shouldn’t know the entrance to the Nine Nethers.”
Chang Yuan was furious. This person had caused Er Sheng to fall to demons and now used various means to tempt her—he deserved death. He stepped forward, viciously stomping on the half of Beauty Kong’s face that hadn’t yet sunk into the ground, grinding down with all his might, determined to crush it to powder.
Unexpectedly, Beauty Kong’s body transformed into half a tree root lying broken on the ground—it had been merely a puppet controlled by Beauty Kong’s art. The face carved into the root grinned grotesquely: “Don’t hit the face—how uncouth of you, Dragon. If you have grievances with this king, come quickly to the Nine Nethers. This king has prepared a grand feast for you.”