Chen Zhou: "..."
The Scorpion Demon certainly moved quickly.
He hadn't expected that in just a short while, the news would have already spread throughout the entire stone forest.
As Chen Zhou stepped into the cave, the little demons automatically moved aside to make a path, standing on both sides with eyes full of awe and admiration.
The air in the cave was still as foul as ever—a stench of rot mixed with the scent of herbs that made one's head ache—but Chen Zhou had already grown used to it.
He walked along the passage, and after turning two corners, he saw someone coming to meet him.
Wu Gou was wearing a brand-new set of fur clothing, though it was unclear where he had gotten it. His face was clean and even had a bit of a healthy glow, making him look quite well.
“The Big Demon is back? How was the Royal Capital? Find anything?”
Chen Zhou nodded and glanced behind him. “Where are Su Xue and the others?”
“In the back,” Wu Gou said. “Su Xue is treating the little demons' wounds.”
Just as he finished speaking, Su Xue came jogging over from the other end of the passage with Lian. Her face was a bit pale, and there were dark circles under her eyes, clearly showing her exhaustion.
Lian walked behind Su Xue, faint light flickering in her shattered eyes. When she saw Chen Zhou, she jogged a few steps before stopping, as if she felt her excitement was a bit too much and felt embarrassed.
“Lord, you’ve returned.”
Chen Zhou nodded and scanned the area. Seeing no sign of Nie Chaoxi or the Plague Rat, he asked, “Is it just you? Are Nie Chaoxi and the Plague Rat not here?”
Su Xue said, “Miss Chaoxi was overexerted while purifying the Wing-Fire Snake and hasn't woken up yet.”
“However, her demon body is gradually becoming more solid and powerful, so I don't think it's a bad thing. She might be having her own stroke of fortune.”
“I’m here, so you don't need to worry too much, Lord. I’ll take good care of her.”
Wu Gou chimed in from the side, “The little rat went into the stone door in the underground prison. There was something inside that attracted him, so he hasn't come out yet.”
Chen Zhou frowned. “Didn't the underground prison collapse?”
Wu Gou shrugged. “He went in before the collapse. It would be a piece of cake for that rat to dig his way out, so you don't need to worry about him. That fellow's life is incredibly tenacious.”
Chen Zhou didn't say anything but asked another question. “The underground prison where you fought the Wing-Fire Snake also had a stone door?”
Wu Gou thought for a moment and gave a brief description of the details of the underground prison.
After listening, Chen Zhou’s frown deepened.
That place was very similar to the stone door where Jiao Mu Jiao had been located.
Both were deep underground, both had a stone door, and both had a seal.
He suddenly remembered that back in the underground city, there had been two paths. One led to Jiao Mu Jiao’s stone door, while the other was impassable, scorching hot, and blocked by an array.
Now that he thought about it, could the Wing-Fire Snake have been outside the door on that impassable side?
It was very likely.
Chen Zhou tried to contact the Plague Rat through his sea of consciousness.
After several attempts, just like with Jian Huaishuang, he could not reach him.
Wu Gou noticed Chen Zhou’s expression and asked, “Lord, what is it?”
“I can't contact the Plague Rat, and I can't contact Jian Huaishuang either.”
Wu Gou was stunned for a moment, then frowned. “Benefactor Jian went to the Royal Capital with you, didn't he? Did you get separated?”
Su Xue’s expression also changed. “Could something have happened?”
Chen Zhou thought for a moment and shook his head. “It shouldn't be.”
He wasn't actually that worried about Jian Huaishuang and the Plague Rat.
They both possessed evil spirit bodies; the worst that could happen was they die once and then resurrect.
Even a half-step eighth-stage Siming like Purity and Filth couldn't completely erase a creation of Wan Xiu’s level, let alone an even higher-tier evil spirit body.
Of course, he didn't mean to look down on Purity and Filth.
That old man was truly capable.
“Forget about them for now,” Chen Zhou said, pulling the jiao bone carving from his robe. “Lian, come here.”
Lian blinked and walked over. “Lord?”
Chen Zhou handed her the bone carving. “Take this.”
Lian reached out to take it. The moment the bone carving touched her hand, it instantly began to melt, turning into a pool of viscous black liquid that flowed across her palm.
The liquid was as black as ink and as sticky as glue, constantly writhing as if it were alive.
It resembled a melting wax figure, barely retaining the shape of a jiao, but it had already become unrecognizable.
Lian was startled, her hand trembling as she nearly threw the object away.
“Lo—Lord!” her voice went up an octave. “I... I broke it!”
“I’m sorry! I didn't mean to! I... I—”
Chen Zhou raised his hand and patted her head.
Her dry hair was a bit coarse to the touch, but he didn't mind.
“It’s not broken,” he said. “This thing was meant to be like this.”
“It looks ordinary, like a mortal object.”
“But it can autonomously change its form based on the holder's death qi. Try to see if you can use it.”
Lian gave an “oh” of relief and carefully looked down at the pool of black liquid in her hand.
Taking a deep breath, she tried to inject death qi into the black liquid.
The moment the death qi made contact with the liquid, a sudden change occurred.
The black liquid seemed to come to life, lunging up from her palm and frantically absorbing the death qi from within her body.
Lian’s face turned pale, and she tried to pull her hand back, but the black liquid was stuck to her hand like glue and couldn't be shaken off.
“Lord—” she cried out, her voice trembling.
Chen Zhou frowned and was about to reach out to help her, but Wu Gou stopped him.
“Don't rush,” Wu Gou said. “Let's wait and see.”
Just then, dense black spots began to surface on Lian’s skin.
The black spots writhed across her body, following her arm and crawling one by one into the pool of black liquid.
Lian gasped in pain, her body beginning to shake.
She could feel the black spots being dragged out from her body by the black liquid. It felt like a tug-of-war, causing her whole body to ache.
But she gritted her teeth and didn't make a sound, struggling to steady her mind and keep herself from moving.
As her death qi drained and the black spots diminished, the filth within her body was being cleared bit by bit.
After an unknown amount of time, once the death qi and black spots in her body were nearly exhausted, the black liquid finally detached from her hand and leapt onto the ground.
Then, it began to expand, deform, and solidify.
It was as if something were gestating inside, desperately trying to break free.
Lian took a step back, her eyes wide.
The black liquid gathered more and more, becoming increasingly solid, until it suddenly burst open, transforming into a Jiao as black as ink.
The black Jiao was about three feet long and pitch-black all over. Its scales shimmered with a dark luster, as smooth and warm as ink jade.
It raised its head, its amber vertical pupils reflecting Lian’s figure, and then it opened its mouth to let out a low cry.
The sound wasn't loud, but the entire cave vibrated.
The little demons were so frightened that they lay prostrate on the ground, trembling uncontrollably.
Lian stared blankly at the black Jiao, unable to speak for a long time.
The black Jiao watched her for a moment before swimming to her feet. It coiled up into a ball and rested its head on the top of her shoe, closing its eyes as if it had fallen asleep.
Lian looked down at it, her eyes stinging with tears.
“Lord...” she whispered. “What... what is this?”
Chen Zhou looked at the black Jiao, the corners of his mouth turning up slightly.
“Jiao Mu Jiao is yours now.”
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