Purple demonic energy flowed from Su Su's body into Tantai Jin's, the lips on her forehead feeling slightly cool.
Su Su's gaze happened to fall upon his Adam's apple. Noticing her stare, Tantai Jin struggled to suppress the thrill of being watched so intently.
Yet he couldn't control his instinctive reaction—his Adam's apple bobbed slightly.
Su Su felt strange inside.
Although transferring demonic energy was entirely beneficial to her, perhaps due to her inherent bias against him, something that shouldn't have felt intimate somehow felt wrong.
She placed her hands on his arms, intending to push him away.
The youth's voice was hoarse and somber: "Almost done."
As he spoke, Su Su grew even more uncomfortable. Unnoticed by her, his lips were no longer cool, the burning heat on her forehead gently brushing against her skin.
The crimson cinnabar mark seemed to be softly touched by something moist and tender.
Su Su shoved him away abruptly: "You!"
She covered her forehead, about to say more, but Tantai Jin closed his eyes with an indifferent expression and began absorbing the demonic energy throughout the stone chamber.
He actually intended to draw all the demonic energy in the chamber into his own body!
"Have you gone mad?" Su Su whispered.
The dense demonic energy surged overwhelmingly toward the youth's body. In mere moments, Tantai Jin's lips turned an eerie purple.
He knew well that merely transferring the demonic energy from Su Su was useless—as long as demonic energy remained in the chamber, it would continue corroding her spiritual body.
Beads of sweat formed on Tantai Jin's forehead. He knew the young maiden was watching him.
The demonic energy invading his body felt like torrential floodwaters, crashing through every meridian. The pain nearly forced a groan from him. Tantai Jin gritted his teeth tightly—he was indeed deceiving her.
Pure Divine Marrow could never accommodate so much demonic energy; his body fiercely rejected it.
Had any powerful cultivator been present, they would have detected his aura was no longer pure, devoid of any immortal essence. At this moment, he might as well be called a Fiend.
But he couldn't become a Fiend—he would... be despised.
Tantai Jin suddenly remembered the God Slaying Crossbow, the demonic artifact within him.
All things in heaven and earth are interconnected.
Was it possible to transfer the demonic energy into the God Slaying Crossbow?
The thought sparked immediate action. Tantai Jin attempted to channel the demonic energy through his meridians, pushing it toward the God Slaying Crossbow.
The crossbow grew slightly excited, showing no rejection toward this demonic energy. As Tantai Jin pushed it forward, the crossbow absorbed it all.
This process was prolonged and agonizing.
The demonic energy had to circulate through two full cycles within his body before the God Slaying Crossbow could absorb it without being summoned.
Su Su watched him intently. Seeing his aura become indistinguishable from that of demonic beasts, she couldn't help but exclaim: "Tantai Jin!"
The youth opened his eyes, his pitch-black pupils tinged with an eerie purple.
Then he blinked, and when Su Su looked again, the purple had vanished.
Drenched in sweat, his gaze locked firmly on her, he finally curved his lips: "I'm fine."
Chongyu flew down from Su Su's neck: "Something's wrong."
It circled Tantai Jin once. Tantai Jin narrowed his eyes at it but didn't interfere.
"Chongyu, what did you find?"
Chongyu returned to Su Su's hand: "Nothing. Chongyu found nothing. For a moment, he seemed like a Fiend, but now... the demonic energy has completely vanished."
Chongyu was equally perplexed. As a divine weapon, it could sense powerful demonic artifacts.
It had clearly felt the bloodthirsty restlessness of the God Slaying Crossbow within Tantai Jin, yet when it flew closer, that dangerous aura disappeared without a trace.The youth before her had raven-black hair and pitch-dark eyes, his lips utterly devoid of color as he leaned against the corner, radiating a rare sense of frailty.
Su Su put away the Chongyu zither.
With the Demonic Energy gone from the stone chamber, there was no longer any threat to her.
The youth in the corner hugged himself tightly, trembling slightly—perhaps from absorbing too much Demonic Energy.
He was clearly suffering.
After meditating for a while, Su Su opened her eyes again and walked toward Tantai Jin.
Whether to prevent the rise of a great demon or to avoid repaying kindness with malice, she felt compelled to check on him. She reached out and pressed her fingers against his wrist.
Tantai Jin’s gaze shifted slowly from the ground to settle on her.
He felt the soft touch of her fingertips. Though his body ached from suppressing the God Slaying Crossbow, his senses focused entirely on that point of contact on his wrist.
As Su Su drew near, every sensation intensified.
The air seemed to carry the fragrance of Epiphyllum blooming in the night. The God Slaying Crossbow, inherently steeped in the darkest and most malevolent Demonic Energy, seemed to conjure a sinister voice whispering temptations in his ear—
“She’s deliberately approaching you, deceiving you. Why treat her well?”
“You know you can’t restrain yourself. Look at this cautious, timid version of you—is this truly who you are? Sooner or later, your true nature will be exposed before her.”
“A wolf disguising itself as a lamb—how laughable. Even if Li Susu has fallen for this version of you, you know deep down it’s not real, merely a facade you’ve crafted.”
“Her touch makes your breath quicken—why suppress it? With the Demon God’s Crossbow, you can do as you please.”
A sinister cackle echoed in his mind. Tantai Jin’s lips grew parched as wicked thoughts raged within him.
He stared fixedly at where their skin made contact. Though his body was in pain, the touch of her fingers on his wrist ignited an overwhelming excitement.
The temptations of the God Slaying Crossbow reverberated incessantly in his mind.
His pupils contracted slightly. After a long pause, he coldly retorted inwardly, “Silence!”
Simultaneously, he channeled the immortal spiritual energy within him, forcefully suppressing the God Slaying Crossbow. The restless artifact reluctantly quieted down.
Su Su withdrew her hand, studying Tantai Jin with confusion. There was nothing—just as Chongyu had said, he appeared fine.
Tantai Jin suddenly spoke, “It’s been almost twenty shichen. Once twenty shichen pass, the Devouring Formation will fully activate.”
With no distinction between day and night in the stone chamber, Su Su realized they were truly in danger.
Having barely resolved the issue of Demonic Energy corroding her meridians, they remained trapped by the Devouring Formation. Cang Hai and Yaoguang had yet to appear.
Once the formation activated, both she and Tantai Jin would dissolve into pools of blood, consumed by the array.
Yet Tantai Jin leaned against the stone wall and said to Su Su, “Don’t look so grim. If the time comes, I’ll break the formation for you.”
Even if it meant sacrificing his soul, he would ensure her escape.
The only thing he had ever feared was death. But at some point, he began to fear something else more: the possibility of remaining alive, yet searching for her through the highest heavens and deepest hells, never finding her.
That lifetime in the grand dream had been too bitter.
He had crawled out of the River of Wailing Ghosts, weeping as his body shattered piece by piece only to regenerate—not to watch her die before him again.
Naturally, Su Su didn’t believe him. She had witnessed Tantai Jin resort to any means to survive far too many times. Survival was ingrained in his very bones.
He feared neither hardship nor pain, yet he would slaughter all under heaven if it meant staying alive.
She took out the voice-transmission compass, attempting to contact her senior sister.Unfortunately, her voice could only echo within the devouring formation, as the array swallowed even her words, preventing them from reaching outside.
Time drew closer to the twentieth hour.
Tantai Jin's expression grew solemn as he lowered his gaze to the ground, lost in thought.
With a sharp click, the stone chamber's door swung open, and the surrounding formations were abruptly shattered.
Two voices called out from outside: "Su Su!" and "Junior Brother."
Cang Hai and Yaoguang had arrived.
Yaoguang rushed over, scrutinizing Su Su from head to toe. "Su Su, are you alright?"
Su Su shook her head. "Thankfully, you arrived in time."
Yaoguang's expression darkened, and she fell silent. Su Su keenly noticed her red-rimmed eyes, clearly from recent tears.
Su Su immediately sensed something amiss. What about the infant from the Zhang residence?
Cang Hai, no longer his usual cheerful self, appeared guilt-ridden and despondent. He wiped his face and said, "I'm sorry, this is all my fault. After entering the Ghost Willow with you, I intended to help capture the Three-Headed Demon and find the token to the Demon Realm. But I encountered 'Junior Brother Jiumin' and Fairy Li."
It turned out that shortly after entering the Ghost Willow, Cang Hai had met "Tantai Jin," who claimed to have lost track of the Three-Headed Demon. Fearing a diversion tactic, "Tantai Jin" suggested returning to check on Yaoguang and the infant.
However, as soon as "Li Susu" took the infant from Yaoguang's arms, "Tantai Jin" suddenly attacked, injuring Cang Hai before disappearing with "Li Susu" and the infant.
By the time Cang Hai and Yaoguang realized the deception, the two demonic beasts had vanished.
"I'm also to blame for being too trusting. Those two demonic beasts not only looked identical to you but even carried the same immortal aura," Yaoguang frowned. "Though it sounds disheartening, even if they reappeared before us now, we might still struggle to tell them apart."
Both Yaoguang and Cang Hai were deeply troubled. The child had been lost right under their watch, and coupled with Cang Hai's earlier divination showing the infant's grim fate, Yaoguang couldn't hold back her tears.
Su Su comforted her with an embrace, whispering, "Senior Sister, it's not your fault. Throughout history, even the most perfect transformations may replicate appearances, but posture, clothing, personal belongings, and speech patterns would differ. They shouldn't be able to deceive those with higher cultivation."
Su Su continued, "The Three-Headed Demon is clearly no match for us in combat, yet his and his subordinate fiends' transformations are perfect replicas, indistinguishable even in aura. Logically, no one should possess such capability."
But the Three-Headed Demon had achieved it.
Beyond grief and anger, Yaoguang felt a sense of dread. "If he truly has such power, wouldn't all Three Realms be in danger?"
This thought echoed in everyone's minds. If the Three-Headed Demon's ability was indeed this terrifying, the prospect of them impersonating revered immortals like Qu Xuanzi to commit murders was horrifying. Demonic beasts could infiltrate Immortal Mountains undetected.
"No, that shouldn't be the case," Su Su pondered briefly before shaking her head. "Demonic beasts are inherently arrogant and reckless. If the Three-Headed Demon truly possessed such power, he would have long since targeted Immortal Sect members. Yet he hides in the mortal realm collecting infants, proving either his transformation art has flaws or limitations."
Hearing this, Cang Hai immediately agreed: "Right, the Three-Headed Demon's cultivation isn't even strong enough to withstand more than a few dozen moves against Junior Brother."
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief—as long as there was a way to counter it, there was hope.
"The urgent task now is to find the Three-Headed Demon, rescue the infant before he kills it, and force him to surrender the Demon Realm token," Su Su declared.Yaoguang said, "But where can we find him? Senior Brother Cang Hai and I lost track of him. This demon's cultivation may be weak, but his escape skills are top-notch."
Wasn't that true? Su Su thought. In fact, one could even say he was meticulous—using transformation arts to deceive everyone separately and setting up a devouring array in his lair long in advance. Clearly, this was not a demonic creature that relied on brute strength to survive.
He was likely no minor demon, but a great demon who had lived for many years, with survival methods far from ordinary.
Combined, the four of them probably hadn't lived even a fraction of the ancient monster's age.
Tantai Jin had remained silent until now, when he suddenly spoke up: "Go to the Zhang residence."
His voice was clear as he analyzed, "If I were the three-headed demon, I'd return to the Zhang residence. First, we chased him from there, so no one would think to go back and check. Second, that child in the Zhang residence, Zhang Fang Sheng, is suspicious."
"What... what's suspicious about him?" Cang Hai couldn't help asking.
Wasn't he just a quiet mortal child?
Tantai Jin paused, then smiled faintly. "He killed someone."
Cang Hai exclaimed, "How do you know!"
Tantai Jin said, "I saw it."
Hearing this answer, Cang Hai nearly choked on his breath, his lips trembling. "Junior Brother, you..."
You saw it, yet didn't stop it, didn't say a word—just watched Zhang Fang Sheng kill? Junior Brother, are you really a cultivator?
Tantai Jin cast a cold glance at Cang Hai, as if retorting, What's the problem? It wasn't me who killed.
Su Su sighed. For some reason, the Tantai Jin before her overlapped with that cold-blooded man from five hundred years ago. Even after cultivating immortality, some inherent traits remained unchanged—he lacked any kindness in his heart.
Nor did he consider a few deaths to be of much consequence.
"Let's return to the Zhang residence."
On their way back to the Zhang residence via Sword Control, Su Su watched as Cang Hai chattered endlessly, lecturing Tantai Jin.
"Junior Brother, the master said, 'Cultivators should understand the vastness of the universe, yet still cherish a blade of grass.' Do you understand?"
Tantai Jin said, "No, get lost. Stay away from me."
Ah, Junior Brother has become fiercer since going out. Wasn't he very obedient and well-behaved before? Cang Hai flew to Tantai Jin's left side. "Junior Brother, the master said, inner demons often evolve from small matters. Do you understand?"
A vein throbbed on Tantai Jin's forehead. How could there be such an annoying person in the world? I'll kill you, believe it or not!
Cang Hai flew to the right side. "Junior Brother, the master said..."
This repeated several times.
"Junior Brother..."
Tantai Jin said, "I understand."
"Huh?" Cang Hai scratched his head. He hadn't even finished speaking, and Junior Brother suddenly understood?
"Good that you understand, good that you understand. Don't make the same mistake next time."
Su Su glanced back, unable to suppress the laughter in her eyes.
The Carefree Sect was truly a wonderful sect.
Freed from Cang Hai's incessant nagging in his ears, Tantai Jin examined the God Slaying Crossbow within him.
The last time he used the God Slaying Crossbow, it wasn't this powerful and could still be suppressed by him. But now, after absorbing the Demonic Energy from the stone chamber, it exuded a sinister aura.
Like a lurking venomous snake, hissing with its tongue.
Tantai Jin frowned slightly.
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