Volume 6: Demons Arise in Troubled Times Chapter 18: Little Witch vs. Blood Demon
"You damned bastard! How dare you place restrictions on me? You're seeking death! Huh? I never expected you to have obtained the incantation of the Indestructible Golden Body. You're utterly despicable! How could you do this to me?" the Blood Demon suddenly spoke.
If Dugu Baitian could hover in the air by himself, he would likely have been scared into falling by now. Stammering, he asked, "H-how do you know what I'm thinking?"
"Ugh! You lecherous scoundrel actually has so many filthy and despicable thoughts. You infuriate me!" The Blood Demon's face flushed crimson, with a faint red glow flickering in her eyes.
This time, Dugu Baitian was truly stunned. "Y-you can really see what's in my mind?"
"Go to hell, you perverted brat!" The Blood Demon hurled Dugu Baitian violently toward the ground.
With wind whistling past his ears, Dugu Baitian felt himself plummeting rapidly toward the ground. He quickly steadied his mind, unleashing the powerful divine consciousness of the Emperor-level.
The Blood Demon, hovering in the air, let out a miserable scream and swooped down, grabbing him by the collar. "What did you do to me?"
"Activated the restrictions on you, of course."
"You... I'll kill you!" Two red beams shot from the Blood Demon's eyes as she glared hatefully at Dugu Baitian.
"Didn't you just try that? You can continue by throwing me down again."
"You..."
"Since you know the incantation of the Indestructible Golden Body, you should understand that our lives are intertwined. I've planted 108 spiritual imprints within you. If I die, you won't live either. But sorry to say, if you die, I'll still be alive." Dugu Baitian spoke coldly.
"Ah..." The Blood Demon's eyes turned blood-red as she let out a furious roar to the sky. Her body emitted a dazzling radiance, and a powerful demonic aura surged forth, spreading throughout the entire Heavenly Demon Valley.
In the Demonic Cult, strength has always been revered. The shared origin of their cultivation techniques allowed every disciple in the Heavenly Demon Valley to instantly sense the overwhelming, supreme aura of the Blood Demon. Everyone trembled with fear and unease.
The raging demonic flames surged tumultuously within the Heavenly Demon Valley. No one noticed the giant bronze statue of the Heavenly Demon suddenly tremble.
The Little Witch, Xuanxuan, looked up at the Blood Demon in the sky, her eyes sparkling with admiration. "Wow, so cool! So amazing! If only I could fly up there too. Why hasn't that damned Little Bai come down yet? I want the Blood Demon to take me for a couple of spins in the air!"
At that moment, the Blood Demon was desperately trying to break through the 108 spiritual imprints within her. Unbeknownst to her, her disciples and followers had already prostrated themselves on the ground.
"Ah..." After letting out one final roar of frustration, she gave up her futile efforts. The powerful demonic aura receded like a tide, and the disciples in the Heavenly Demon Valley awoke as if from a vivid dream.
The Blood Demon angrily scolded Dugu Baitian, "You despicable bastard, release the restrictions on me now!"
"Heh, as if that's possible. If I release the restrictions, won't you tear me to shreds immediately?" In truth, he was constantly afraid. If the Blood Demon could see his thoughts, she could directly read the method to break the restrictions. Although he could kill her before she succeeded, he was unwilling to do so unless absolutely necessary.
A fleeting look of sorrow passed over the Blood Demon's face as she whispered, "I never thought that upon my return to the world after a thousand years, I would lose my freedom again."
An inexplicable feeling of bitterness welled up in Dugu Baitian's heart. He said softly, "Let's go down. Whatever needs to be said can be said below. You don't want your disciples and followers to admire your... exquisite form, do you?"
The Blood Demon, her expression downcast, grabbed Dugu Baitian and descended into the Hidden Demon Valley.
The Little Witch, Xuanxuan, cheered, "Oh, you finally had enough fun up there, Little Bai! Wow, Sister Blood Demon, you're so beautiful! Did that big pervert Little Bai bully you? Hey, Little Bai, turn around already! Can't you see Sister hasn't put on clothes yet?"
Dugu Baitian stared in shock. "You... little girl, what did you call her? Sister? Did I hear that right?"
Xuanxuan rapped him on the head. "None of your business! Hurry up and take off your outer robe."
"Don't you have one too?"
"You lecher! Are you trying to make me take off my clothes? You're rotten from head to toe!"
The Blood Demon looked curiously at the Little Witch. With her profound cultivation, she could naturally see that Xuanxuan possessed Emperor-level power. She was astonished that such a young girl had achieved such a high level of cultivation and found this peculiar girl quite intriguing.
Dugu Baitian said with a sly grin, "Hehe, little demoness, you'd better be careful of your 'sister.' She can see through what others are thinking."
Xuanxuan didn't mind him calling her "little demoness." Instead, she was so frightened that she took several steps back and exclaimed in shock, "Ah, really?"
The Blood Demon said, "Don't be afraid, little sister. I can only know what someone is thinking if my right hand touches their body. Otherwise, I can't tell what's on their mind."
"Oh, then I'm relieved! Sister, you're so beautiful, so gorgeous!"
Dugu Baitian nearly fainted. He thought to himself, "This Blood Demon actually called the little demoness 'little sister'? Th-this... this is just too... And that little demoness is usually unbearably unruly, yet today she's acting like a well-behaved darling, calling her 'sister' so sweetly. It's enough to make me sick! Am... am I dreaming? Has the demoness actually changed her nature?!"
He soon realized the little demoness's ulterior motive.
Xuanxuan called out sweetly, "Sister, could you take me up into the sky using your left hand?"
The Blood Demon was both amused and exasperated. She hadn't expected this girl to be flattering her with a purpose. However, she genuinely liked the girl from the bottom of her heart. She laughed and said, "Ah, you little girl, such a clever little devil. Alright, I'll take you up for a spin." But after saying this, she deliberately extended her right hand.
The little demoness was so frightened that she immediately stepped back.
"Hehe, don't be afraid, little sister. I was just teasing you. Come on."
The little demoness said suspiciously, "Sister, you're not tricking me, are you? Your left hand can't also use 'Mind Reading,' can it?"
The Blood Demon was taken aback and said, "I didn't expect you to know so much, little sister. You actually know about 'Mind Reading.' But don't worry, I can only use it with my right hand. Little sister, do you know a bit of it too?"
"Hehe, my eyes can use a superficial version of 'Mind Reading' called 'Heart Reading Magic.'" After saying this, she glanced at Dugu Baitian.
Dugu Baitian was utterly exasperated. Back when they were at Misty Hidden Peak, Xuanxuan had once used "Heart Reading Magic" on him, uncovering all those embarrassing childhood stories of his.
"Alright, little sister, hold on tight! Up we go!" The Blood Demon wrapped her left arm around Xuanxuan's waist and soared into the sky with her.
Dugu Baitian sighed, "Why is the treatment so different between people? I rescued her from the sealed stone chamber, and all I got was being lifted into the sky by the collar. But this little demoness only had to call her 'sister' a few times to get carried up in her arms."
Just as the Devil Cult members were immersed in the joy of their cult's Saint-level expert breaking free from the seal, they suddenly heard cheerful laughter above their heads. Everyone was greatly surprised and looked up.
"Haha, this is amazing! I never knew being a Saint-level expert could be so much fun!" The little demoness cheered excitedly in the sky.
The Blood Demon clearly adored this "little sister" and happily flew with her all over the Sky Devil Valley.
"Heavens! The Blood Demon Ancestor is actually flying! She's practically divine!"
"Is that our Devil Cult's Saint-level expert, the Blood Demon Ancestor? She's so beautiful!"
"Shut up! Be careful, or the Blood Demon Ancestor will skin you alive."
"Ah, am I seeing things? Isn't that the little demoness?" a Devil Cult disciple exclaimed.
"It really is her."
"Which little demoness?"
"Brother, how can you be so uninformed? Don't you remember? A couple of days ago, a giant turtle was carved onto the Sky Devil statue. Elder Li accidentally cursed a few times, and that very night, while meditating, someone drew a little dog on his face, nearly causing him to lose control of his cultivation."
"Yeah, I think I remember something like that."
"Think? It's absolutely true! It was that little demoness who did it."
"Shh, keep your voices down. The Holy Maiden is over there."
"What? What does this have to do with the Holy Maiden?"
"Brother, how do you not know this? Everyone in Sky Devil Valley knows about it by now. All of the Holy Maiden's clothes were stolen from her wardrobe and ended up being worn by some of the male disciples in our cult. And who do you think did it? That little demoness again! Over this, our Holy Maiden went to the cult leader and even to the Hidden Devil Valley to find the Elder Council, but in the end, nothing came of it."
A Devil Cult disciple next to them chuckled and said, "Well, this matter isn't entirely bad, though."
"Why do you say that?"
"Hehe, just think about it. Usually, it's hard to even catch a glimpse of the Holy Maiden, but now we can actually get our hands on her clothes. What do you say... hehe..."
These people exchanged knowing smiles.
"I heard that every piece of the Holy Maiden's clothing is being sold for sky-high prices now. Ah, that Little Witch has made a lot of people rich!"
"Hey, those wealthy senior brothers also got a taste of spiritual enjoyment."
"The Holy Maiden is spending a fortune to 'buy them back,' hehe... but I heard she's about to go bankrupt."
...
A group of mischievous disciples from the Demon Cult were gossiping among themselves, unaware that a woman with a livid expression was already standing behind them.
"Ah! The Holy Maiden!" one of the mischievous disciples exclaimed in shock.
The crowd scattered in an instant. Holy Maiden Hua Yunxian, brandishing her treasured sword, chased after them throughout the Heavenly Demon Valley, causing the Demon Cult disciples to cry out in panic.
Above, the Little Witch was shouting and making a commotion, while below, the Holy Maiden was running around everywhere. The Heavenly Demon Valley was in complete chaos.
Dugu Baitian looked up at the duo in the sky and sighed. "I never thought the Blood Demon had such an unknown side. Ah, how should I deal with her?" He recalled the sorrowful expression on the Blood Demon's face in the sky. Having been trapped in a dark, sunless place for over a thousand years and then being placed under a restraint immediately after breaking free—it was truly enough to evoke sympathy.
"And that Little Witch, she actually went back on her word. Before the seal was broken, she was haggling with me, demanding a few Saint-level experts as subordinates. But now? She's gotten along so well with the Blood Demon."
The noisy Heavenly Demon Valley finally quieted down. The Little Witch had finally had her fill of being the "Flying Witch" and descended into the Hidden Demon Cave with the Blood Demon.
Dugu Baitian asked, "Xuanxuan, did you see any of the Demon Cult's elders come out of the Hidden Demon Cave?"
Xuanxuan replied sheepishly, "Well... I didn't see them come out."
"Ah, you mean they... still haven't come out?"
"That's right."
"Then why didn't you tell the Demon Cult disciples to come and clear the Hidden Demon Cave?"
"I told them it was too dangerous here and that they should stay far away."
Dugu Baitian: "..."
The Little Witch said, "Isn't this great? Let them suffer a bit under the rubble. They always act so high and mighty, and they barely even acknowledge me when they see me."
"Please, my dear Little Witch, they are, after all, the sect leader and elder council members. They can't lower themselves to talk to you every time they see you, right? How could you bury eleven top experts here just because of a minor grievance? If all of them die here, the Demon Cult won't recover its strength for fifty years. If that happens, those hypocritical old men from the orthodox sects will be gloating, and the world will fall into chaos."
The Little Witch said, "Don't worry, they won't die. Those old men are tough. At most, they'll just break a few ribs."
"..." Dugu Baitian was truly speechless with the Little Witch. He turned to the Blood Demon and said, "Um... Blood Demon... oh, your name is Xu Nuo, right? Senior Xu, why don't you hurry and rescue your disciples and grand-disciples?" Even now, Dugu Baitian was still hesitating about how to face this Blood Demon.
Xu Nuo, the Blood Demon, gently raised her hands, and large chunks of rubble rose from the collapsed Hidden Demon Cave, then shot out in all directions with a thunderous roar. After repeating this over a dozen times, the collapsed Hidden Demon Cave was finally cleared. Of the eleven Demon Cult experts, six were in a deep coma, while the other five stood up shakily.
The Great Elder of the elder council and the Demon Cult leader, Gai Tianfeng, were the first to react. They quickly bowed to the Blood Demon. "Disciples pay respects to our Ancestor."
"Ha ha..." Xuanxuan couldn't help but burst into laughter.
A group of super-elderly men, with no hair or teeth left, bowing to a beautiful young woman and calling her "Ancestor"—it was a truly comical scene.
Xu Nuo, the Blood Demon, also felt somewhat awkward and said sternly, "Alright, go and tend to your injuries. Come see me again after you've recovered."
After the Demon Cult experts disappeared, the Blood Demon stared coldly at Dugu Baitian and asked, "Just who are you?"
"I'm Dugu Baitian, the one who rescued you from the seal."
"Hmph, don't pretend. When we were in the air, I noticed that part of your memories were completely inaccessible. Just now, while I was circulating my energy, I unintentionally discovered a supremely powerful force hidden within your body. Tell me, who are you really?"
Xuanxuan said, "Sister, what are you talking about? Isn't he just Little Bai? Besides, he's known in the martial world as the Undying Demon, but it's not impressive at all. He's like a rat scurrying across the street, chased down every day. If it weren't for me helping him out, he would have been 'eliminated for the sake of justice' long ago."
Dugu Baitian said, "Let me say it again: I am Dugu Baitian!"