Great Demon - Chapter 118 Part 2

After leaving the Cloud Altar, Zhuyou reverted to her human form and made her way to Changming City, where she had separated from Hanzhu and Huoshu.

The city was peaceful, with faint traces of demon energy drifting from the Su residence.

The devilish aura concealed within Zhuyou’s spine crept upward again—just an inch, but ever closer to her heart.

Changying still had not awakened, and as her heart harbored devilish thoughts, the devil aura within Zhuyou’s spine grew increasingly aggressive.

She glanced up toward the Nine Heavens, then gathered her spiritual power to restrain the rising devil aura before concealing herself and slipping into the Su residence, following the demon energy to a tightly shut room.

Inside, it was not quiet. A chatty demon was muttering endlessly to herself, receiving no response, as if talking to the air.

Zhuyou passed through the door and lifted her gaze, spotting Hanzhu and Huoshu sitting at a table, eating pastries with heavy hearts.

On the bed, Su Wenqing lay motionless. He could neither see the demons in the room nor hear their voices, as spells covered his eyes and ears. He murmured to himself, “Why can’t I remember what happened those days? Am I about to die?”

Huoshu turned to look at him, even feeling a little sorry for him, and commented, “These mortal pastries are actually quite tasty.”

Just as she finished speaking, she suddenly noticed a shadow looming over her. She immediately recalled how she had been terrified by the Nine Heavens’ Divine Venerable before. She jerked her head up—only to see not the Divine Venerable but the Vermillion Phoenix.

Hanzhu, sulking with her head down, took a tiny bite of her pastry. After a while, realizing that Huoshu had fallen silent, she looked up in confusion—only to see Zhuyou as well. Her hands trembled, and the pastry dropped to the floor.

Zhuyou endured the discomfort caused by the restless devil aura. Seeing that the two demons were safe and sound, she let out a small sigh of relief and asked, “Why are you still here?”

Before her words even faded, she noticed a water demon crawling out from under Su Wenqing’s bed. At the same time, the roof creaked above her. Looking up, she saw a cat demon peeking down through a lifted tile.

The cat demon froze upon seeing her, hastily placing the tile back into place, only to slowly open a small gap to sneak another peek.

Only then did Huoshu speak. “We returned to Shangxi City earlier, but the Buddhist light was too dazzling, so we had no choice but to descend to the Demon Realm. Then we saw…”

“The Sumeru Mountain suddenly came crashing down with a thud.”

“How is the Demon Realm now?” Zhuyou asked, recalling the lord of demons, who had been on the brink of death.

“The demon lord received a string of prayer beads. I don’t know who gave it to her, but her health seems to have improved quite a bit,” Huoshu said thoughtfully.

“Prayer beads?” Zhuyou couldn’t recall any treasure in the Three Realms that could extend one’s life.

Huoshu’s eyes flickered as she added, “I saw them from a distance. They seemed to be wooden beads, carved with lotus patterns. They weren’t particularly beautiful, and the string holding them together looked quite old.”

Zhuyou immediately understood—it was something left behind by the Immovable Buddha. She pursed her lips, thinking that, for all his apparent detachment, the Immovable Buddha was meticulous in his care. He seemed indifferent, yet he had seen to everything.

Hanzhu stood up, clutching her robes hesitantly. “Mistress…”

Zhuyou finally turned to look at her. After a moment, she reached out and placed her palm on Hanzhu’s forehead. “It’s a shame I haven’t returned to the Nine Heavens, or you could have once again been my peafowl immortal.”

Hanzhu’s lips trembled, her eyes growing misty. She had never expected her mistress to come back for her.

Zhuyou withdrew her hand, sensing the devil aura in her spine becoming increasingly agitated. Her heart sank. She realized that the aura had once again broken free from her spiritual restraints and surged upward by another inch.

Her expression changed instantly, and she furrowed her brows. “I have things to take care of. If you have nowhere to go, head to the Demon Realm.”

Hanzhu quickly bowed, understanding the situation and choosing not to say anything more.

Zhuyou swept her gaze over the gathered demons before turning and stepping away. In a flash, she was gone, covering a hundred feet in an instant, ascending once more to the Nine Heavens.

Inside the room, the demons exchanged glances. Hanzhu pouted and muttered, “She won’t even return to the Nine Heavens, yet she still regrets that I can’t be a peafowl immortal.”

Huoshu clicked her tongue, took a bite of a flaky pastry, and said, “I had heard before that Her Grace slayed devils and ate demons, her methods cruel beyond measure. But now that I know her better, I see it was nothing but rumors. Her Grace has a kind heart.”

From the dark space beneath the bed, the water demon let out a shrill voice. “Know her better? How shameless. Her Grace has never acknowledged knowing you.”

***

The Vermillion Phoenix soared skyward, her silk dress billowing like a blooming flower. She had always felt that the tighter the devilish energy was bound, the more fiercely it struggled.

Suddenly, the dragon scale embedded in her collarbone emitted a piercing chill, like a needle stabbing into her flesh again and again.

Zhuyou raised a hand to cover the reverse scale. Even through the thin gauze of her clothing, a thin layer of ice formed in her palm. The frost-white ice had already spread beyond her collar, freezing a large portion of her chest in an unyielding chill.

In an instant, her heart’s blood surged. Though she had yet to see the Obsidian Dragon lying upon the clouds, Zhuyou knew—

Changying had awakened.

Her breath hitched. With a sharp flick of her sleeves, she stepped onto the wind and clouds, but the devilish energy in her spine grew even more rampant.

The ice creeping over her collarbone creaked as it spread to her throat, as though suffocating her.

Zhuyou grew anxious, but fortunately, the phoenix was of fire. With a single thought, she melted the ice formed by the reverse scale. The melted ice soaked her clothes, leaving them damp, as if drenched in sweat.

She knew this wasn’t right, yet the thread of devilish energy in her spine was on the verge of breaking free. Changying wouldn’t… succumb to the devil, would she?

Zhuyou dared not delay. Her mind flashed to the words the Immovable Buddha had once spoken to her, yet she still did not understand. What exactly was it that Changying wanted to hear? All this time, it seemed she had never truly understood Changying’s heart.

Changying’s thoughts were like the entrance to Shenhua Mountain, hidden beneath the depths of a frigid lake—icy, unyielding, pushing all away, impossible to grasp or approach.

Above the heavens, divine light shimmered.

Zhuyou hovered at the edge of the clouds, only to find that the place where Changying should have been lying was completely empty. Not only was Changying gone, but even Immortal Zhiying was nowhere to be seen.

Her heart sank. It felt as if the might of the Nine Heavens had been shaken. An overwhelming spiritual force surged from the distance, ruthless and icy, without the slightest restraint.

In that instant, the clouds shattered, and even the Heavenly Palace rumbled as the barrier suspended above began to crack, a fine fracture spreading across it.

Several immortals rose into the air, reaching out with their hands to hold the barrier together, preventing the Divine Sun flames from cascading down.

Zhuyou’s gaze snapped toward the Heavenly Palace.

It was Changying!

She rode the wind toward the palace, startling the celestial soldiers into raising their shields and long spears. Upon recognizing her, they swiftly lowered their weapons again.

Once inside, she finally saw the dragon.

Changying stood outside the main hall, her head slightly turned, golden eyes cold and piercing. Her lips were tightly pressed together, and the golden beads that had once adorned her forehead had been yanked off, her hair ornament askew, barely hanging on.

Wrapped around her wrist was a lock of hair intertwined with a red thread, making her pale, jade-like wrist appear even more striking.

Immortal Zhiying lay beside her, clutching her throat, struggling to breathe, her body curled in pain.

Zhuyou’s steps faltered.

She saw it—black smoke rising within Changying’s golden eyes. The devilish energy in Zhuyou’s own spine trembled violently in response.

Changying’s gaze was icy, as if she no longer recognized her.

Immortal Zhiying struggled to force out a few words. “No, don’t—”

The disturbance had drawn a crowd of immortals. Staring at the scene in shock and confusion, none of them knew what was happening.

The awakening of the Divine Venerable should have been a joyous occasion. But why did it seem like the Divine Venerable was filled with nothing but anger?

As the immortals neared, Zhuyou rushed forward and seized Changying’s arm.

Changying loosened her fingers. The golden beads in her palm tumbled to the ground, along with a small mustard seed.

Zhuyou recognized it immediately—it was the one she had left for Changying.

Summoning her spiritual power, she lifted the mustard seed into the air, dragging Changying into it with her. She could not let the immortals see the devilish energy in Changying’s eyes.

***

A dragon and a phoenix tumbled into the icy, snow-covered land. The moment they hit the ground, Zhuyou swiftly flipped over and covered Changying’s eyes with her hand.

“Do you not want to see me?” she asked.

Changying remained motionless, as if frozen in place.

Beneath her palm, Changying’s long eyelashes trembled slightly. Zhuyou’s hand itched, and seeing that Changying did not resist, she slowly lifted it. Immediately, she saw the dark, heavy devilish energy swirling in Changying’s golden eyes.

Changying stared at her without blinking, as if she had lost the ability to speak.

Zhuyou grew anxious. She pressed a finger to Changying’s forehead, attempting to drive out the devilish energy. But such a method was only a temporary fix—so long as the blood connection remained, so long as the devilish energy lingered in her own spine, Changying would still be affected.

Unless she could find a way…

Uproot the devilish thoughts from the depths of Changying’s heart.

Before she could fully enter Changying’s spiritual consciousness, her hand was seized.

Changying stared at her intently before suddenly biting down on her wrist. It hurt, but the dragon’s fangs were restrained, stopping short of breaking her bones.

Zhuyou did not move, only watching as Changying brushed aside her collar and began rubbing the abrupt, protruding reverse scale. The cracks that had once marred the scale were now gone—it was smooth and intact.

The more Changying rubbed, the heavier her breathing became. Her golden eyes narrowed slightly, and in a cold voice, she declared, “I will kill Guanshang.”

Zhuyou’s pupils shrank.

“I will kill Guanshang. I must kill him,” Changying muttered, her pale lips moving as an overwhelming aura of bloodlust surrounded her.

Zhuyou lay there, silver hair blending into the snow.

“I will kill Guanshang,” Changying repeated, grinding her teeth, her gaze nearly dripping with hatred.

“Guanshang is already dead!” Zhuyou shouted.

The fangs clamped around her wrist sank in slightly, as if about to sever her tendons.

But Changying seemed unconvinced. She released her grip and, instead, sucked lightly at the inside of Zhuyou’s arm. In a softer voice, she said, “No, I know—he’s hiding in the Heavenly Palace, having taken over someone else’s body.”

Zhuyou finally understood—Changying’s mind was in turmoil. She hesitated for a moment, lips trembling, before asking, “Do you even know who I am?”

“Zhuyou,” Changying replied, sucking lightly on her wrist once more.

Zhuyou gently but firmly pushed her shoulder away and got up. She walked toward the parasol tree growing in the Liqueur Spring and asked, “Do you know where this tree came from?”

Seeing her rise, Changying followed closely, not a step behind. Her outer robe hung open, the collar slipping down to her elbows, yet she made no move to pull it up. She glanced at the parasol tree and said, “It has always been here.”

“Not transplanted from Mount Danxue?” Zhuyou took a slow, deep breath.

Changying raised a hand to press against her head, as if in pain. “Yunshuo did wrong—why would I take anything from him?” Her golden eyes suddenly sharpened, flashing with a glimmer of recognition. Grinding her teeth, she snarled, “Yunshuo made his mistake because of Guanshang. I must kill Guanshang!”

The moment the words left her lips, she transformed into the Obsidian Dragon and shot skyward, intent on breaking out of the mustard seed space.

Zhuyou immediately shifted into her phoenix form and pursued, thinking, If I let this dragon escape, who knows which unfortunate soul will be mistaken for Guanshang?

Before the Obsidian Dragon could pierce through the sky, the Vermillion Phoenix’s talons clamped down on her back scales. Furious, the dragon threw back her head and roared, lashing her long tail.

The Vermillion Phoenix flapped her wings, ramming into the dragon and sending her plummeting downward. If such a massive body crashed, it would surely shatter the mustard seed space.

Zhuyou shifted back to human form in midair, wrapping an arm around the dragon’s waist and striking her hard with a palm.

She thought, Changying must not be allowed to leave this space!

Struck by the blow, the Obsidian Dragon’s form abruptly shrank, reverting into a woman with black hair and dark robes. Zhuyou held her tightly, both of them slamming into the parasol tree. The tree’s leaves rustled down, covering the lake in a golden blanket.

Zhuyou flicked her wrist, summoning a long cord out of thin air and binding Changying.

Changying’s gaze was icy, her white teeth flashing as she snapped, “I will kill Guanshang!”

Her words were abruptly cut off as Zhuyou’s silver hair cascaded down, brushing against her face like moonlight.