Great Demon - Chapter 102 Part 2

Changying sat upright beside her, propping herself up with one arm, her upper body nearly pressed against Zhuyou’s. Then, with a cold expression, she lowered her lips toward hers.

A breath, cool and light, brushed against the corner of Zhuyou’s mouth.

Zhuyou’s eyes were tinged with red, yet she sensed Changying suddenly pause—

The dragon was like a taut string, pulled tight and held firm, refusing to close the final distance.

She understood. Changying was restraining herself.

Changying did not press forward after all. Instead, her pale lips parted slightly, and she exhaled a thin stream of dragon breath, letting it drift over Zhuyou’s lips and tongue.

The dragon’s breath touched the root of her tongue before sinking deep into her throat.

Zhuyou felt the dragon scale lodged in her throat slowly rise, floating in the space between her and Changying’s lips. It was about the size of a thumb, shimmering as it spun, as though all the colors of the world had gathered upon it.

Changying’s pale lips closed around the scale, holding it between them.

Zhuyou averted her gaze, but she couldn’t help noticing that the scale was wet, fresh from her own mouth. The way Changying held it between her lips, her gaze was so cold it felt as if she were about to seize Zhuyou’s lips instead.

“Since this scale has left your body, can it still be put back?” Her voice came out hoarse.

Changying didn’t answer. Instead, she lifted a hand and plucked the scale from her lips. She didn’t seem to mind that it was damp; on the contrary, she held it as though it were a rare treasure.

She examined the black scale for a long moment before asking, “Do you truly not want anything of mine?”

“Did I not just explain?” Zhuyou had the nagging sense that the dragon hadn’t really listened to her words.

Changying lifted her hand and pressed it lightly against her brow. The dragon scales that had briefly appeared on her face faded from sight once again. Her body always displayed traces of the Obsidian Dragon when her emotions were unstable—golden eyes, sharp fangs, or the scales on her face.

Zhuyou said nothing, wary that if Changying got angry, even more of those black scales might spread to her neck.

Holding the scale between her fingers, Changying suddenly spoke. “If I do not die, then neither will you. I don’t want to hear such things.”

What things? Zhuyou hesitated.

Changying abruptly lifted her gaze. “Do you think that just because I’ve removed the scale, I would remain indifferent if you were hurt?”

Zhuyou’s temple twitched.

No.

Instead of placing the scale back on herself, Changying extended her hand and firmly pressed it against Zhuyou’s collarbone.

A sharp chill spread across Zhuyou’s skin. In that instant, she couldn’t tell whether she had been burned or frozen—her senses nearly went numb.

“You—”

Changying kept pressing down on the scale as if embedding it into Zhuyou’s flesh. The black scales on her own face surfaced again, creeping dangerously close to her neck before suddenly retreating.

Then she withdrew her hand.

But the scale had already fused with Zhuyou’s skin.

It was as if…

As if a leaf had become trapped within a piece of jade, impossible to separate.

Zhuyou lowered her gaze. The pain made her eyes sting. Slowly, she lifted a hand to touch the embedded scale, gritting her teeth. “This is what you meant by ‘taking it out’?”

“I only said I would remove it from your spiritual sea.” Changying’s tone was indifferent, almost dismissive. As she spoke, she hid the offending hand behind her back. Her expression darkened, and she lifted her other hand to clutch her chest, as if trying to steady the frantic beating of her heart. “I’ve already removed it. Don’t bring it up again.”

Her words sounded both like a plea and a childish refusal to take responsibility.

Zhuyou saw the turbulence in Changying’s gaze and fell silent. She wasn’t human or devil anymore, but the devilish aura clinging to her bones had not fully faded. Dark thoughts could surge at any time. Changying had exchanged heart’s blood with her—she would inevitably be affected.

Changying sat upon the parasol tree, eyes closed, motionless.

“What are you doing?” Zhuyou pressed a fingertip against the scale embedded in her collarbone, feeling awkward.

“Calming my mind,” Changying replied coolly.

Zhuyou took advantage of the dragon’s closed eyes to steal a glance at her.

“Don’t look at me,” Changying suddenly said.

Zhuyou was quiet for a while, then sighed and simply pulled Changying’s head to rest against her shoulder. She thought to herself, Fine, let it be. Whatever happens, happens. It’s not as if I could bring harm to Changying.

Changying’s eyes snapped open, fixing intently on the scale at Zhuyou’s collarbone. Then, without warning, she pressed her lips to it.

Zhuyou froze completely, unable to move.

Changying’s lips brushed against the scale as she murmured, “I need to focus. Stop distracting me.”

Zhuyou had no idea who was distracting whom anymore. Stiffly, she replied, “Then focus.”

Surprisingly, Changying actually did. She remained still for over half an hour before straightening her back. “We should go. That mortal has been buried in the snow for too long—he’ll die.”

Only then did Zhuyou move, rolling her stiff shoulders. She thought, If this dragon knows mortals can’t withstand the cold, why bury him in the snow in the first place? Or… was taking the scale never Changying’s only intention?

Her heart suddenly pounded, and she momentarily forgot to breathe.

Changying leaped down, and with a sweep of her arm, the mortal buried in the snow was instantly pulled out.

Su Wenqing’s lips were pale, his entire complexion drained of color. He had barely escaped being swallowed by the devil creature earlier, and now, after being rescued by this Divine Venerable of the Nine Heavens, he was on the verge of freezing to death in the wind and snow.

Zhuyou adjusted her clothing, ensuring the hem concealed the conspicuous reverse scale. She had no intention of letting a devil creature see the Divine Venerable’s scale on her body. It had been fine when it was hidden in her spiritual sea, but now it stood out even more.

She raised a hand and clawed at it, attempting to pry the dragon scale out. However, after just a few touches, she was met with Changying’s cold, piercing glare.

Like a guilty thief caught in the act, Zhuyou retracted her hand, realizing that only Changying could remove the scale.

Su Wenqing remained motionless, barely clinging to life. After swallowing the spiritual energy Changying pressed to his lips, his vitality returned slightly, and he no longer looked so fragile. Yet, he still couldn’t open his eyes. Muttering feverishly in his unconscious state, he repeatedly whispered, “There’s a ghost.”

Changying, having given him the spiritual energy, rubbed her fingers together. “That reverse scale—do not try to remove it again.”

“I won’t.” Zhuyou was terrified that if she tried again, this dragon might press it onto her forehead next. Like a dog in the Mortal realm lifting its leg to mark its territory, even knowing to leave a sign.

But Changying… it seemed she truly didn’t want anything to happen to her.

Suddenly, darkness engulfed them. When she opened her eyes again, the biting cold was gone. The twisted trees around them rustled in the wind, their branches swaying chaotically. They had already left the mustard seed domain.

The devil’s presence had vanished. Zhuyou scanned the surroundings but found no trace of it. She suspected this devil was the same one that had left its aura behind in Qiaomu Manor.

She had staged an act earlier, fearing that Guanshang might be lurking in the shadows, watching for any slip. Now that the devil had left, it was just as well.

Su Wenqing, who had been taken into the mustard seed domain, was also released. Changying’s spiritual power supported his limbs, allowing him to stand, though he swayed like a drunken man, staggering unsteadily.

“We need to return him to Changming City,” Changying said.

Zhuyou nodded but furrowed her brows. “Wait.”

Changying was reluctant to touch the mortal. To be precise, she didn’t want to touch anyone other than Zhuyou, whether they were immortal or devil. Just as she was about to grasp Su Wenqing’s shoulder, she hesitated and withdrew her hand. “You want to track the devil?”

Zhuyou formed a hand seal, but the soul-searching spell had no effect on Guanshang.

The surroundings were eerily silent, only the sound of wind whistling and the river rushing past.

Then, she suddenly widened her eyes, catching a lingering trace of the devil’s aura not far away—decayed and withered, identical to the one in Qiaomu Manor.

“This devil’s aura always vanishes abruptly, as if it’s being hidden too well,” Zhuyou said, lowering her hand.

“A devil gate,” Changying stated calmly. “There must be a devil gate nearby.”

Zhuyou’s gaze sharpened as she shook her head. “But there was also a lingering devil aura in Qiaomu Manor, and it was just a single, fragmented wisp. Does that mean Qiaomu Manor has a devil gate too?”

Changying fell silent.

Zhuyou clicked her tongue. “Devil gates aren’t like hens laying eggs, spawning one after another with certainty.”

Changying gave her a strange look.

It was only then that Zhuyou realized that after spending a few days in Shangxi City, she had somehow picked up the way those devil creatures spoke. She remained silent for a moment before saying, “Do you think the devil gates have begun to link together? Three thousand years have passed—Guanshang can’t have remained stagnant.”

A flicker of thought crossed Changying’s face, and she suddenly furrowed her brows. “Earlier, when I sought out the earth god, he mentioned that the lifespan of the mortal emperor was nearing its end, and the dynasty was on the verge of collapse—much earlier than predicted. There’s something strange about it.”

“The fate of the mortal emperor is tied to the dragon veins,” Zhuyou mused. “Where do you think the dragon veins of the Mortal Realm lie?”

Changying’s eyes darkened. “The location of the dragon veins should be where spiritual energy is most abundant. But here, the spiritual energy is thin… I had nearly forgotten—this is where the dragon veins begin.”

Zhuyou’s breath hitched. She had spoken offhandedly, but now it seemed she had unwittingly hit upon a crucial truth. There was a real possibility that the devil gates were no longer what they used to be.

Changying steadied herself and said, “I will go to Changming City. You return to Shangxi City— No, you come with me.” Changying abruptly changed her mind. “I have yet to figure out how to get Hua Lingjun to soak in the Reincarnation Pool again.”

Her expression remained neutral, but Zhuyou could tell at a glance that this dragon already had a plan and was just trying to fool her.

This dragon had truly turned bad.

Zhuyou shook her head. “Then you’d best change your appearance. If there is a devil gate in Changming City, Guanshang’s eyes could be anywhere. I don’t want to fight you again—it’s exhausting.”

The moment she finished speaking, the tall, slender dragon woman beside her suddenly transformed.

Her hair was still black, her face still pale, but she had shrunk significantly—only reaching Zhuyou’s waist.

She now looked exactly the same as she had a hundred years ago.

Changying suddenly asked, “That child you said you saw earlier, the one who looked like me—did she look exactly like this?” 

The little girl lifted her head and stared at her with unblinking eyes.

Zhuyou wasn’t sure where the strange sourness in her chest came from. “Not as good-looking as you.”

***

Half a moment later, the three of them stepped into Changming City.

The woman walking ahead had an ordinary appearance, while the little girl she held by the hand had a face full of cold indifference. The man trailing behind them wore only his inner garments, staggering as if he were drunk.

A city guard shuddered and pointed at the man. “Isn’t that the young master of the Su family?”

“How can you tell? His head is nearly drooping to his chest. He looks off… Could he be possessed?”

“Could it be that woman’s doing?”

The moment the words left his mouth, Zhuyou didn’t react, but Changying turned and shot him an icy glare, sending a shiver down the guard’s spine.

“Is that little girl possessed too?”