The faceless demon paid no mind to this, tightening her grip to lock Song Yao's waist securely in her embrace.
Her fingertips gently pinched Song Yao's chin, slowly turning her face toward her own, leaning in close to study her features.
A seductive flush tinged the corners of her eyes, her gaze both eerie and affectionate. She whispered softly, “Little lady, why don't you give me this face of yours? I truly adore it.”
Song Yao remained completely still, returning her gaze.
It was said that faceless demons spent their entire lives searching for a face that suited them. It seemed she had taken a liking to hers.
The nails resting on her waist silently grew longer, the bright red talons resembling venom-coated blades. They slowly traced upward along the curve of her waist, hooking the tie of her heavy coat and flicking it lightly, causing the knot to silently unravel.
Her shrill voice brushed past Song Yao's ear, its sweet tone wrapped in a bone-chilling cruelty. “You probably don't know this, little lady, but the cleanest way to peel a human skin is to start the incision at the hip bone. That way, no scars are left behind. Don't be afraid, my hands are very fast~”
“Once I have your skin, I will give you my current one~ I don't look half bad, and I'd actually be quite sad to just throw it away. Why don't you wear it for me first, hm?”
As she finished speaking, the heavy coat on Song Yao's shoulders slid off, pooling beside the daybed.
Holding her intimately, the faceless demon reached to untie the sash around her waist. “You smell so sweet, little lady. I like you so much. Don't worry, it won't hurt. Not even a little~”
Song Yao sat quietly in her embrace, not struggling in the slightest.
Although the demon found this a bit strange, she considered herself incredibly fortunate to encounter such an obedient prey.
It wouldn't be too late to ponder any oddities once she had obtained the skin she wanted.
But before she could even peel away a single layer of clothing, Song Yao suddenly looked ahead. “But it seems you have guests.”
In the next instant, a fierce sword light suddenly slashed out from the thick black mist, hurtling toward the daybed with a sharp, wind-breaking whistle.
The faceless demon's expression shifted drastically. Grabbing Song Yao by the waist, she scooped her up and spun away to dodge.
Song Yao instinctively wrapped her arms around the demon's neck. Behind them, a loud crash shattered the dust and fog as the luxurious daybed was sliced clean in half by the fierce sword light, sending shredded canopy curtains and wood splinters flying in all directions.
The two minor demons fanning beside the bed had no time to dodge. They were instantly blasted back into their original forms, turning into screaming, howling resentful spirits that scurried away in panic.
Several figures immediately burst out from the dense black mist. Covered in blood and looking utterly disheveled, they shouted one after another, “Found her! It's her! This is the demon that has been causing trouble from the shadows! Kill her, and we can escape this purgatory!”
Song Yao swept her gaze over them, her eyes landing on the youth in the center.
The person who had slandered her had arrived.
The young prince of the mermen race, Jingyu.
Beneath his extremely luxurious robes lay a layer of soft armor made from thin scales. Although he looked slightly disheveled, he hadn't suffered a single scratch.
His cultivation seemed to have improved significantly since their last meeting.
It appeared he had been training hard in order to reclaim the heart-protecting scale from her.
In his hands, he held a coral longbow that was entirely crimson. The bow was embedded with tiny merman pearls that emitted a warm, gentle luster, and its string shimmered with a silvery, watery light.
At this moment, the bow was drawn to its limit. The cold, sharp tip of the arrow was aimed directly at the faceless demon as he spoke in a frigid voice, “The demon race has committed countless atrocities and deserves no mercy. Today, you shall perish in this purgatory.”
Yet, the faceless demon didn't even spare him a passing glance, her gaze remaining fixed on the person in her arms.
She gently smoothed the messy hair on Song Yao's forehead, her tone as soft as if she were coaxing a child. “Don't be afraid, don't be afraid. Once I deal with these nuisances, I'll peel your skin nice and slow. Whatever you do, don't frown. It won't look good if you get wrinkles.”
Only then did the other cultivators realize that the faceless demon was holding someone.
Wearing a Daoist robe, the person looked like a cultivator.
Quiet and still, with delicate and refined features and downcast eyelashes like raven feathers, the person's face appeared clean and lustrous. With an androgynous beauty, they were completely out of place in this dark, sinister purgatory.
Seeing everyone looking over, the young cultivator blinked and raised a hand, greeting them, “Hello there.”
Someone frowned deeply. “Is that a human or a demon?!”
The person beside him immediately replied, “It must be a demon! If it were a human, how could they be so intimate with a faceless demon?!”
Suspended upside down in midair, Ning Zhou cried out in panic, his voice cracking from the strain, “She's human! That's my senior sister! We're from the Nine Saints Hall!!”
He had been shrouded in the black mist earlier, so no one had noticed him.
With this sudden, panicked shout, everyone turned to look.
Several cultivators immediately muttered, “From the Nine Saints Hall?!”
“Is there any proof?!”
Before Ning Zhou could answer, Jingyu flicked his wrist, and the coral longbow in his hands pivoted without a moment's hesitation.
The moment the bowstring snapped back, a silver-bright arrow shot through the air.
The arrow flew with the fierce speed of lightning, suddenly splitting mid-flight into several cold beams of light that precisely struck the chains binding Ning Zhou.
A series of sharp cracks rang out as the iron chains shattered link by link.
Ning Zhou crashed heavily to the ground. Before he could even scramble to his feet, a tall, slender figure landed right in front of him.
Jingyu reached down, grabbed him by the back of his collar, and hoisted him up. Frowning, he asked in a cold voice, “You said you are from the Nine Saints Hall?”
Ning Zhou nodded hastily.
The youth before him paused for a brief moment before asking, “What is your relationship with Song Yao?”
Remembering his connection to Song Yao, Ning Zhou blurted out without hesitation, “I'm Third Senior Sister's junior brother!”
He then hurriedly pointed at Song Yao, who was still in the faceless demon's arms. “And she is an inner yard personal disciple, Third Senior Sister's legitimate Seventh Junior Sister, Lin Mu!”
Seeing that Song Yao was still nestled lazily in the demon's embrace without a care in the world, he quickly added, “Don—don't look at her like she's not afraid. She has inhaled too much demon toxin, so her mind is a bit muddled!”
The cold light in Jingyu's eyes suddenly intensified. He swept a glance toward the faceless demon before pulling Ning Zhou behind him, saying flatly, “Stay back. I will protect you and get you out.”
Ning Zhou was stunned.
Awesome.
My gamble paid off.
From what they had said earlier, he knew this young prince of the mermen race had to be deeply devoted to Third Senior Sister.
It was highly likely he would extend his affection to her associates and help them out as well.
And indeed, he had.
He didn't retreat, instead standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Jingyu, ready for battle.
Lin Mu was too close to the faceless demon. She could easily get hurt.
He needed to find an opportunity to snatch her back.
Most of the nearby cultivators had heard rumors about the young merman prince's connection to the Nine Saints Hall. Seeing that he trusted the claim, they didn't object.
In a demon realm like this, having two more allies was always better than having two more enemies.
Jingyu's fingers tightened around the bowstring, the silver-bright watery light gathering at the tip of his arrow once more.
The other cultivators also raised their swords and began chanting spells.
However, having just survived a round of torture and a fierce battle with other demons inside, their spiritual energy was running low. They could only force their energy to circulate, aligning themselves toward the center of the field in a display that was barely imposing.
The faceless demon smiled as she looked up, her tone dismissive. “Are you quite finished talking? Then let's make this quick. I still have important business to attend to.”
She gently placed Song Yao onto a new daybed that materialized out of thin air, condensing a faint red glow to shield the bed. Her tone was actually somewhat tender as she instructed softly, “Be good and stay here. Make sure to protect yourself. Don't get hurt and ruin my face.”
Rate on N.U.
