Great Demon - Chapter 77

The sand city seemed frozen, with carriages and horses motionless, and the mortals standing still, their expressions wooden. No one knew that an immortal was suspended in mid-air, neck tilted to one side, already lifeless.

The dark clouds had not dispersed, enveloping Jingyi beneath them. Her body withered like a flower branch, her once fair skin now ashen like earth. The spiritual energy in her sea of consciousness slowly leaked out, and the original form in her spiritual platform began to crack and crumble.

The sand on the ground was stained a deep red, as if the heavens had rained blood.

After her skull was shattered, her entire face was dyed red, her neck dripping wet, and the flesh on her back was torn open. Her long dress, already crimson, now appeared even darker, soaked through.

She was dead. When a member of the Phoenix Clan dies, the phoenix fire should ignite in their sea of consciousness, reducing their body to ashes. Yet, not a single flame had risen upon her death. Instead, her body was drenched in blood, as if scorched by fire.

After Jingyi’s death, her spiritual energy rippled through the air, startling the thick clouds that clung to her.

Her beauty had turned to bone in an instant, the white skeleton revealing patches of black, as if corroded. The bones, though white on the surface, were pitch black inside, like ink.

Her other two hun souls, though acquired later, had over the centuries become inseparably intertwined with the Devil Lord’s hun soul. Now, they were held tightly in Changying’s hand, fragile and vulnerable.

“Only I can save her. If my hun soul scatters and my po soul dissipates, the ancient god you’ve been waiting for will truly vanish amidst the heavenly thunder and earthly fire,” the devil hun soul suddenly spoke in a hoarse voice. It was as if two voices spoke in unison—one was Jingyi’s, and the other was likely Guanshang.

But before the words could fully escape, the grip tightened, and only a choking sound could be heard, as if a throat was being squeezed.

Changying’s expression grew colder, but the devil hun soul in her hand struggled to escape.

Among the broken tiles and bricks on the ground, Immortal Zhiying was blinded by the lightning above, raising an arm to shield her eyes. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Changying charging forward, followed by the sounds of clashing spells. Spiritual energy erupted in all directions, and the already devastated sand city was further ruined. Yet, she couldn’t see how the battle between the two was unfolding.

When Zhuyou released her oppressive aura, the heavenly soldiers’ ears rang. Perhaps because her spiritual form had not fully recovered, the pressure was not as overwhelming as that of the Nine Heavens’ Divine Venerable, but it was enough to make their knees weak, forcing them to bow their heads and hunch their backs, unable to look up.

The Evil-Punisher Divine Lord, burned by the phoenix fire at his waist, felt as if his internal organs were boiling, the pain nearly blinding him. He had no choice but to lower his head and shield the mortals who were almost caught in the crossfire with a barrier.

In mid-air, the devil hun soul let out a low, hoarse laugh.

Changying noticed that Zhuyou had been silent, her innocent eyes wide and staring, the corners of her eyes tinged with red, her lips glistening like dew-kissed petals. Changying thought to herself, She’s truly at a loss for words. She tightened her grip, but her lips, bitten and tinged with pink, moved slightly as she chanted a cold incantation. The devil hun soul in her hand was instantly restrained, unable to utter even a mocking laugh.

As she murmured, her lips brushed against Zhuyou’s, as if gently pecking and sucking.

Zhuyou, overwhelmed by the kiss, wanted to retaliate but felt her spiritual platform burning as her spiritual form neared recovery. She released her grip on Changying’s wrist and instead clutched at her collar. Her fingers, tendons prominent on the back of her hand, crumpled Changying’s neatly arranged robes into a wrinkled mess.

Changying’s sharp, pale collarbone, hidden beneath her clothes, was now exposed, resembling a blade freshly honed.

Zhuyou’s eyes were dazed, but her grip remained firm. She was about to speak when her lips were pried open again, her tongue numbed by the suction. Waves of unfamiliar desire washed over her, and she pushed Changying away slightly, gasping for breath. She smirked and said, “You have desire in your heart.”

“What desire?” Changying’s lips, now glistening from being bitten, were cold yet alluring, her golden eyes devoid of their usual chill. Though her expression remained indifferent, she seemed to have been dragged into the Mortal Realm, both aloof and captivating.

Zhuyou looked up, and the cold, resolute image of the Nine Heavens’ Divine Venerable suddenly filled her vision, making her feel as if she had plunged into a hot spring, holding her breath. “Love,” she paused, then slowly added, “and lust.”

At these words, Changying suddenly understood what had been burning within her, igniting her heart and body.

Zhuyou, still clutching Changying’s collar, saw her stunned expression and took the opportunity to catch her breath, teasing, “The Nine Heavens’ Divine Venerable actually has such desires.”

Changying leaned in closer, whispering, “All beings in the Three Realms have desires. Even those revered as Divine Venerables cannot escape them. And when I’m with you, I am… just Changying.”

Zhuyou’s heart trembled, and she smiled, her lips curving upward. She pursed her lips and then said, “You must have gone to great lengths for today. You knew Jingyi was the reincarnation of the Devil Lord’s hun soul, yet you didn’t tell me. Do you know how long I’ve been searching for her?” Her smile faded, her expression darkening as her gaze swept slowly over Changying’s face. She had no such desires in her heart, but after the kiss, her heart stirred with a devilish urge to compete in this matter as well.

“I know,” Changying replied.

“Then why did you do this?” Zhuyou asked.

“The Devil Lord’s sins are too heavy. If you get involved…” Changying spoke each word as if it pierced her heart.

Zhuyou leaned in closer, their breaths mingling. She said, “If I get involved, I will share in those sins. The weight of millions of lives will fall upon me. Not only will the Heavenly Dao condemn me, but the heavenly thunder from beyond the realms will also strike me down. I will endure daily punishment from the thunder, my bones shattered, my hun soul and po soul trapped between heaven and earth, with no chance of rebirth. I will suffer a century of hun soul tearing and po soul splitting pain.”

“You know,” Changying’s pupils contracted. “Since you know, why are you still so reckless?”

“Since we’ve come this far, my path is no longer the same. How can I turn back now?” Zhuyou’s words were resolute. “Do you still want to give me your immortal bones, offering me a sliver of hope?”

Changying remained silent.

Zhuyou frowned, her heart in turmoil. Desperate, she looked up and saw the glistening moisture on Changying’s lips. Those pale, tight-lipped words were tightly shut, and Zhuyou longed to pry something from them. She suddenly bit down, not to wipe away the moisture but to seize something from Changying’s mouth.

She had been confident, but after being pressed back, even her breath seemed to carry the scent of the dragon. Her vision blurred as if veiled by a thin mist. She clung to Changying’s collar, using it to steady herself.

Their lips met again, and Zhuyou, exasperated, bit Changying’s lower lip, breathing heavily. “Can’t this mouth speak anymore?”

When they finally parted, Changying gasped, “It was blocked.”

By whom and how was self-evident.

Zhuyou felt embarrassed and stammered, “Couldn’t you have pushed me away?”

“But I didn’t want to,” Changying replied calmly and honestly. She held Zhuyou’s arm tightly, pressing closer, their cheeks almost touching. She whispered in Zhuyou’s ear, “I raised the barrier to give you a chance to escape, but you shattered it.” Her words were cold, but to Zhuyou, they carried a hint of grievance.

Perhaps because the dragon had been delicate and fond of sulking in her youth, Zhuyou now saw everything she did as tinged with a sense of being wronged.

Zhuyou nearly choked, her voice icy. “I won’t leave unless you give me this hun soul.”

“That, I cannot give,” Changying frowned deeply.

Zhuyou suddenly broke free and transformed into her true form.

Her wings spread, nearly blotting out the sky, casting the ruins below into shadow.

Changying was forced back by the phoenix’s true form, nearly falling onto the sand.

In the desolate and crumbling sand city, Immortal Zhiying suddenly widened her eyes, staring intently at the massive shadow beneath her feet. Slowly, she shifted her gaze, looking into the distance, where the shadow resembled a phoenix. Then, she heard the piercing cry of the phoenix and, upon looking up, saw a pitch-black demonic bird. It was… a Vermillion Phoenix that had fallen into devilry.

How long had it been since she last saw Zhuyou’s true form? It had been over two hundred years since their last encounter.

Ignoring the overwhelming pressure, Zhiying tilted her head back and stared fixedly, her heart surging with emotion. A boundless sorrow washed over her. She thought with heartache that the phoenix was once a brilliant crimson, its body entwined with divine light and shrouded in immortal mist, a beauty beyond compare. But now, only the tips of its feathers retained a faint trace of that vibrant color. The crimson hue that still burned faintly was Zhuyou’s phoenix fire.

The moment Zhuyou transformed into her true form, Changying nearly had her eyes scorched by the flames clinging to the phoenix’s feathers. She quickly dodged, only to see the dark clouds above still lingering, the lightning within them crackling as if ready to strike again. She shouted sharply, “Go!”

But Zhuyou had no intention of leaving. Soaring hundreds of feet into the air, she swooped down toward Changying with a fierce momentum, like a black lightning bolt striking from above.

In the overcast sky, lightning flashed violently.

Changying attempted to crush the Devil Lord’s hun soul in her hand, but the soul struggled fiercely, almost piercing through her palm. Seeing that the heavenly thunder was about to strike again, she swiftly darted to the side, transforming into a long dragon that coiled through the sky above the sand city and plunged into the endless desert.

Zhuyou pursued closely behind, her wings flapping so powerfully that the already unstable sand dunes were swept aside by the gale.

The desert, already filled with swirling sand, became even more obscured as her wings stirred up a rolling storm of yellow dust, completely blocking the distant view.

The dark clouds in the sky stretched further, and a bolt of white lightning crackled down, splashing the sand and causing the entire dune to tremble.

Changying seemed to be racing against the dark clouds above, or perhaps against the phoenix relentlessly chasing her.

Amidst the yellow sand, a patch of emerald green suddenly appeared, with a lake at its center. The lake’s surface reflected the rolling black clouds above, making the water appear dark and heavy.

The massive Obsidian Dragon suddenly dove toward the lake, but the lake seemed too small to contain her enormous form. As she neared the water, the dragon shrank in size, crashing into the lake and shattering its mirror-like surface. Water splashed out, soaking the surrounding sand. After the waves settled, the Obsidian Dragon remained submerged, as if she had drowned within.

Zhuyou swooped down, sensing that Changying had not left. Her presence was still within the lake, undiminished. Assuming the lake wasn’t too deep, Zhuyou transformed into her human form as she plunged into the water.

Her body radiated intense heat, and the moment she entered the lake, the water sizzled and boiled, sending up clouds of steam. If not for the surrounding desert, it might have resembled a fairyland.

The lake was clear, its bottom free of sediment, seemingly transparent. But where was the dragon?

Earlier, when she had been kissed into a daze, she thought the heat she felt was due to the waves of desire washing over her. But now, submerged in the lake, the heat was still unbearable. Perhaps… the burning in her spiritual platform had spread throughout her body.

Her spiritual sea felt as if it were about to burst, and the dragon scale within, which had lain dormant for so long, suddenly rang out with a metallic clang, sending a tingling sensation through her scalp.

After the spiritual threads in her consciousness grew wildly, she seemed to have an epiphany. Her cultivation, already at the threshold, surged uncontrollably. If she didn’t break through soon, her spiritual sea might explode.

But… if she broke through now, how could she withstand the tribulation of heavenly thunder and earthly fire?

Filled with anxiety, as she sank into the water, her only thought was to seize Guanshang’s devil hun soul as quickly as possible.

Yet the underwater world was eerily silent, with not even a few strands of water grass in sight. At the bottom of the lake lay a piece of driftwood, but it didn’t seem large enough to hide anyone.

Suddenly, something hooked around her neck. Silver hair floated in the water, and Changying’s voice sounded by her ear.

Changying said, “Don’t let the devil hun soul bewitch your mind. I’ll help you avoid the heavenly tribulation. I’ll find a way to free you from the constraints of the Three Realms. Then, you can do whatever you wish, whether as an immortal, a devil, or a demon. No one will be able to oppress you.”

But Zhuyou only stared at Changying’s tightly clenched fingers. She turned toward Changying, but her waist was encircled by a single arm. Her silver hair floated around her, revealing her pale face. She said, “How do you plan to free me from the constraints of the Three Realms? I don’t want your immortal bones. Can that wooden head of yours come up with any other ideas?”

Changying remained silent, her eyes slightly lowered as Zhuyou’s words dripped with sarcasm.

Zhuyou smirked, thinking to herself that this was far more complicated than mere foolishness. “If you carve out a piece of your immortal bone, your cultivation will plummet. Whether you’ll still be revered as the Nine Heavens’ Divine Venerable is uncertain,” she said through gritted teeth.

“You don’t need to pity me.” Changying frowned.

Zhuyou’s heart felt heavy, and she glared at her. “I don’t pity you. Wh-who would pity you?” She abruptly pursed her lips, swallowing the rest of her words.

This dragon, revered as the Nine Heavens’ Divine Venerable, was respected and feared by the immortals, but few truly understood or cared for her. Otherwise, how could she have remained alone for a century in the heavens?

Changying’s temperament… she understood it all too well.

Zhuyou shook her head. “I told you, I don’t need your help. I have my own way.”

“But your way is now in my hands,” Changying said slowly.

“You said you’d give me whatever I wanted. Were those just empty words?” Zhuyou narrowed her eyes, already preparing a slew of mocking remarks. She watched as Changying’s pale lips parted slightly, as if wanting to argue but unsure where to begin.

She let out a derisive laugh, thinking to herself that desire was like a flaw in pristine jade.

Zhuyou pressed forward fiercely, forcing her embarrassment down as she bit Changying’s lip hard enough to draw blood.

Changying froze again. The words she had prepared scattered into fragmented breaths. The phoenix-eyed woman before her, who had just bitten her own tongue, now had flushed eyelids, and even the phoenix markings on her seemed to have been stained with red.

She turned the tables, forcing Zhuyou into retreat.

Zhuyou had intended to pull away, but a firm grip on the back of her head dragged her right back in. Her lips and tongue felt muddied, as if caught in a relentless tide.

Like a starving dragon and phoenix, they greedily swallowed the breaths escaping each other’s lips.

The lake water seethed, nearly boiling, sending waves of steam rolling into the air.

Changying had only loosely hooked her arms around Zhuyou’s waist at first, but now, inch by inch, her hands crept downward, finally pressing against Zhuyou’s lower abdomen.

That waist was indeed slender. The moment she touched it, it instinctively flinched backward.

Changying’s gaze darkened. Beneath her palm lay Zhuyou’s spiritual sea, and she could sense that it was already overflowing, unable to contain the surging spiritual energy any longer. The breakthrough was imminent—urgent, inevitable.

“Let me help you,” she said.

But Zhuyou raised a hand, her eyes red as if stained with rouge. She gave Changying’s beautiful face a firm pat and said, “I don’t need you. I’ll find my own way.”

Changying frowned, though her own breath was just as unsteady. She muttered, “You refuse to let me help you.”

Suddenly, Zhuyou grabbed Changying by the collar and lifted her out of the water. Her body, softened as if boiled, trembled as she shoved Changying aside and collapsed against the riverbank, panting.

She said, “You pity me, but can’t I be the one to pity you?”

As soon as she spoke, something pressed against her back—soft, warm. It was Changying.

Zhuyou stiffened. Changying’s posture seemed to cage her in an embrace, trapping her. Her hands, braced against the shore, were seized and held in place. She tensed, shifting her waist slightly, and gritted out, “Let go!”

But Changying extended a single finger, tracing slowly down her spine.

Zhuyou’s clothes were soaked through, and as that fingertip slid downward, it pulled the damp fabric into faint wrinkles.

She clenched her shoulders and neck, the wet clothes clinging tightly to her skin. The slow descent of that finger left a damp, searing sensation. With each inch it moved down, a tremor ran through her waist.

Then, suddenly, Changying’s hand stopped.

Zhuyou’s eyes went wide. It was at that exact spot—beneath Changying’s hand—that her immortal bone had been extracted. She twisted violently, but Changying’s oppressive spiritual pressure crashed down on her, making her entire body tremble.

She twisted violently, but Changying’s overwhelming pressure left her trembling.

From behind her, Changying spoke in a calm, almost indifferent voice. “So, the thing inside you now is a devil bone? What would happen if I replaced it?”

Zhuyou’s soaked hair clung to her face and neck, each strand weighed down with droplets of water that seemed to pull at her scalp, sending a shiver down her spine.

“You’ve never felt true pain before, have you? If so, why not smash your head into the ground until mountains crumble and earth splits apart?”

“Do you really want to bear the Devil Lord’s curse?” Changying pressed her hand firmly against Zhuyou’s back.

“Yes,” Zhuyou gritted out through clenched teeth. She could only arch her back, lowering her waist to evade Changying’s touch. The movement forced her spine into an unbearably elegant curve.

Changying loosened her grip on Zhuyou’s wrists and instead wrapped an arm around her waist. Her expression remained cold, but a flicker of hesitation flashed through her thoughts.

Maybe… I should just let go.

Zhuyou, now free, pushed off with her arms and abruptly rolled to the side. Seeing Changying still propped up, unmoving, she seized the opportunity and wrapped herself around Changying’s shoulders.

Changying’s shoulders were sharp as carved jade—slender, yet her frame bore no lack of strength where it mattered.

Zhuyou collided with her chest, pressing herself close as if flinging herself into an embrace, leaving no space between them. She even tilted her neck, resting it against the side of Changying’s throat.

Beneath her ear, a heartbeat pounded—fast, steady.

She steeled herself, bared her teeth, and bit down through the fabric on Changying’s shoulder. The moment her teeth sank in, blood surged hot through her veins.

Changying stiffened for a split second. When she turned her head, she saw Zhuyou loosen her bite. Yet instead of pulling away, she caught Changying’s collar between her lips and slowly tugged it downward.

The fabric slid away, revealing the skin beneath—white as jade, yet now dusted with a flush of red from the bite.

Like rouge painted onto stone.

Zhuyou stared at her without blinking, her thoughts swirling, Desire has already arisen—how can the mind possibly remain still?

She was a devil. And devils were cunning by nature. Seizing the distraction caused by their mingling heart’s blood, she struck, embedding her fingers deep into Changying’s palm, and in that moment, she wrenched away the fragile, already-cracked hun soul.

Changying’s hand was left empty.

Zhuyou let out a soft laugh. “If I die because of this hun soul, then that is my fate.”

With that, she shoved Changying away, spread her wings wide, and transformed into a phoenix, soaring into the distance.