A claw, pulsing with malevolent energy, ripped through Elder Mu's chest.
Qing's eyes narrowed in shock.
A pitch-black creature emerged behind her, its form grotesque: winged, six-horned, cloaked in thick, dark hide, with a vaguely human face that radiated an alien menace. It moved with blinding speed, and Qing, her spiritual power nearly depleted, had no chance to evade.
At the last moment, Elder Mu lunged forward, shielding her with his body. The claw meant for Qing tore into him instead.
Another sickening sound echoed as the claw pierced his chest.
The demonic energy surged, shredding his organs instantly. His veins and bones blackened, and his torn chest revealed withered ribs. He coughed up a torrent of tainted blood, mixed with fragments of corrupted innards.
His chest darkened rapidly, the chaotic demonic energy consuming his vitality in moments.
Qing's eyes widened, her mind frozen as she watched Elder Mu's frail, hunched figure stand defiantly before her. She couldn't process the sight.
A hiss erupted as the demonic energy reached a sacred force within Elder Mu's body. A divine power flared, burning the creature's claw with an intense heat.
The creature shrieked in pain.
Xian Lilith, spiritually linked to the demon, felt the same searing agony. A yin-yang symbol flickered in Elder Mu's mind, sending a burning sensation through her fingertips.
The demon corpse, now unbound, lunged toward Qing, drawn by an aura reminiscent of the maiden who had slain it eons ago.
"Hiss… pain…" it muttered, dazed by the burning yang energy and the fading of its ancient obsession. Sensing danger, it fled.
Qing watched Elder Mu's body fall like a broken kite, her heart shattering with him.
"No! I didn't do this… come back!" Xian Lilith shouted, frantically trying to soothe the rampaging demon. She spun, glaring at the Evil King, who had just plucked the Longevity Grass. Her face twisted with rage as she demanded, "Was this you? Why can't I control it?"
The Evil King, disguised as a seven-year-old boy to avoid suspicion, didn't bother refining the Longevity Grass into a pill. To eliminate any risks, he swallowed the vibrant herb in front of Xian Lilith.
The grass, a miracle of the three realms, melted into a warm current, coursing through his body. Endless vitality nourished him, banishing the shadow of his dwindling lifespan.
After centuries of scheming, he had succeeded.
A second life.
The grass's miraculous power rejuvenated him. His bones grew youthful, his dull eyes sparkled with life, and his mind and body regained vigor. His thoughts became lively, his senses sharp.
Hunger, thirst, and mortal desires emotions long forgotten returned with a vengeance. The sensation of truly living overwhelmed even the Evil King, a near-millennial monster, bringing tears to his eyes.
The return of desires made his gaze toward Xian Lilith brazen. He openly ogled the Demon Sect saintess's curvaceous figure. His voice, now boyish and almost childish, replaced his former aged rasp.
"Control?" he said, responding to Xian Lilith's question with a peculiar look. "When did you think you could control it?"
"What?" Xian Lilith's body jolted as if struck by lightning.
"Fine, since we're parting soon, I'll explain your Demon Sect's mess…" Reborn as a seven-year-old, the Evil King was in high spirits, his childlike urge to boast evident in his boyish voice as he revealed his secrets.
"It's well-known that this Nine Nether demon is likely the last pure demon in the mortal world, the founder of your Demon Sect, your so-called 'Holy Lord' or 'Demon Lord.' For the Nine Heavens Mysterious Lady, whom even immortal emperors feared, to personally intervene, your 'Demon Lord' at its peak was likely far stronger than Yuanwu Jun."
"Of course, it's dead now, just a corpse. It was the Nine Heavens Mysterious Lady's primary target. Keeping a whole corpse shows its strength. What I'm saying is, your Demon Sect's 'saintess' system passing the title through generations, separate from protectors and elders, requires a suitable successor to inherit the previous saintess's mantle."
"You now know the 'Holy Lord' is the 'Demon Lord,' so the 'saintess' is naturally the 'Demoness.' The Demoness's legacy exists to serve the Demon Lord. Your meditations and connections are all to the Demon Lord…" He grinned wickedly. "So, as the one meant to 'serve,' how could you claim to control it?"
"What?!" Xian Lilith trembled, staring at him in disbelief, her sharp mind grasping his meaning.
"No! I won't accept this!" She was a servant… to a corpse?!
"Relax, it's just a corpse. Serving a dead demon is better than a living one, right?" the Evil King said, pulling out a mirror to reflect Xian Lilith's face, pointing at her inhuman purple eyes and beastly golden pupils. "You're in symbiosis. If you die, it dies; if it dies, you die. It's merging its instincts with you, transforming your body into a pure Nine Nether demon frame."
"Look on the bright side. In ancient times, countless predecessors sacrificed everything for even the lowest bloodline. This Demon Lord-level symbiosis is something others could only dream of. You got it so easily imagine the envy of those who lost everything to become Nine Nether beings!"
"Go to hell!" Xian Lilith channeled her altered body's power, her demonic cultivation now tinged with pure Nine Nether energy. Spiritual power surged in her hand, ready to strike the Evil King's face.
"Hey, hey, stop!" Reborn with a seven-year-old's cultivation, the Evil King was defenseless. If Xian Lilith killed him, he'd be done for. He pointed at her hand. "Don't overuse demonic energy, it'll speed up your transformation."
Xian Lilith extinguished her energy, glaring at the Evil King who had deceived her. "You'd better hope I never see you again."
"Let's hope so." He smiled faintly, sensing his three wayward disciples nearby. With a wave, he vanished from Xian Lilith's sight.