Chapter 16 - Faceless Sui Demon.

Night began to fall.

And tonight, there was no moon.

The light in the Earth God Temple was dim, enveloped by a tense and eerie atmosphere that made everyone afraid to breathe.

"Gulp~"

Li Shiwu's sound of swallowing saliva rang out again, particularly jarring and ill-timed.

"You, surnamed Li, are you truly that murderous, arsonist, man-eating, bloodthirsty demon?"

The young man drew his sword, his eyes glinting with cold light. "In that case, your act of patricide seems perfectly normal."

Inside the temple, Li Shiwu breathed heavily.

He struggled to suppress the absurd thought in his mind.

He spoke as if nothing had happened: "Don't overthink it. I just have a strange illness, a kind of instinctive reaction to blood."

Seeing this, the three said nothing more, but their vigilance intensified.

Then, the young man, holding his sword, lifted the white cloth from a corpse, then used the sword to scrape the ground, sparking a flame that fell into an oil lamp on the wall.

Immediately, a wisp of fire rose.

By the light, Li Shiwu clearly saw that beneath the white cloth was a bloated corpse, its body intact, clothes undamaged.

The only horrifying thing was that its human face had been completely peeled off, revealing the flesh beneath.

"All the corpses in this temple, without exception, died in the same way: their faces were peeled off," the old monk said.

"It seems that the Sui Demon that recently appeared in Taoyao Town kills by peeling faces."

Seeing this, Li Shiwu was again puzzled.

"Sirs, why do Sui Demons kill people? Do they gain any benefits from it?"

Hearing this, the woman explained: "Daoist Li, no one knows how Sui Demons or Sui Beasts are born.

"Furthermore, you cannot use the eyes of a normal person to view or understand their actions."

"Alas!" she sighed.

"But from past experience, whenever they appear, they bring disaster and act maliciously towards humans."

"Just like your Coffin Master on your earlobe, doesn't he also like to eat human blood buns and is very ferocious?"

Li Shiwu nodded, indicating he understood.

Afterward, the four investigated further, then, under the cover of night, returned to Taoyao Town.

"Sirs, is the Qingyang Temple nearby truly just home to a group of ordinary Daoists?"

"Or is there some secret hidden there that outsiders don't know about?" Li Shiwu probed.

Even now, he still didn't believe Huoyanzi's explanation about the origin of the Seed Immortal Temple.

The basket-carrying woman shook her head. "Daoist Li, I know that Qingyang Temple; it's just a group of useless mortals." Read at Novels Haven (novelshaven.com)

Li Shiwu hummed, his expression unclear: "Thanks, I understand."

The night grew deeper.

Aside from the occasional whimper of cats and dogs, every household was shut, and it was terrifyingly quiet.

The old monk, holding his staff, said: "Sirs, that Sui Demon only harms people at night. We must stay alert."

Hearing this, the others also became highly vigilant.

Time slowly passed.

The four wandered around the town in circles, again and again, until a thin mist rose between heaven and earth, yet there was still no movement.

As for Li Shiwu, he still swallowed saliva occasionally.

Whenever he recalled the corpses in the Earth God Temple, an uncontrollable craving surged within him.

Besides that, he was worried about Hua Erling, wondering how he was doing now.

"Damn it, I can't take it anymore."

The young man cursed, turned, and glared at Li Shiwu, angrily saying: "What's with this guy all the way? Do you want to eat us?"

"It's just a Sui Demon. I'd rather go alone."

After he finished speaking, he clasped his sword and disappeared into the concealing mist.

Seeing this, the old monk shook his head.

"Sirs, since you have the courage to subdue demons."

"That means you have some confidence."

"In that case, let's split up. If you truly encounter a Sui Demon, just call for help immediately."

Having said that, he too disappeared.

As for the basket-carrying woman, she also bowed. "Daoist Li, be careful!"

Watching the others disperse, Li Shiwu couldn't help but turn around.

Facing the direction of the Earth God Temple outside the town, his eyes showed a deep craving.

"Slap!"

A crisp slapping sound suddenly rang out.

It was Li Shiwu, who had slapped himself forcefully.

Under the black cloth, his already withered and shriveled skin was now bruised and torn.

Li Shiwu gasped for air until he laboriously pulled his gaze away.

He had followed Qianyuanzi for so many years, and being influenced by him was inevitable, but he would never tolerate himself becoming an existence more evil, even more disgusting, than Qianyuanzi.

"Planting an Immortal, Planting an Immortal!"

"What I'm planting is an immortal, not a ghost, not a demon, and not a devil!" Read at Novels Haven (novelshaven.com)

He murmured repeatedly, about this Daoist temple that was originally fictitious yet truly existed.

For no reason, a kind of fear arose, surging from all directions, as if to devour him completely.

On the other side.

The sword-wielding young man walked on the bluestone street, still grumbling about Li Shiwu, believing him to be a menace.

"Bah!"

"Patricide, cannibalism, this kid is definitely no good."

But he didn't notice that the white mist behind him was growing thicker.

A vague, indistinct babbling sound, like that of a child, faintly came from the mist.

It was the Sui Demon.

It was heard muttering: "An elder among the Sui Demons once said that young men walking alone with swords should be treated cautiously. Most of them have sharp methods and are extremely difficult to deal with."

Next, it stared in the direction of the old monk.

"It's also best not to deal with old monks like this. Although they look kind and benevolent, when they start fighting, they're like a Vajra in a furious gaze, terrifyingly fierce."

With that, it glanced towards the basket-carrying woman.

"As for women walking alone who are also beautiful."

"Tsk tsk, even more caution is needed."

"They may seem as delicate as willows swaying in the wind, but one wrong move, and you wouldn't even know how you died."

The Sui Demon seemed to be thinking, then it turned its gaze towards Li Shiwu.

"Heh, that's the kid."

"He's so stupid, crying one moment and laughing the next. He looks like he's not right in the head, probably scared out of his wits before even seeing this Sui Demon."

"Since that's the case, don't blame me."

In Jule Town, the sword-wielding young man suddenly turned around.

His sword flashed out of its scabbard: "Who's there?"

"Get out."

However, apart from a thin white mist, there was no response.

And in another direction.

Watching the white mist visibly thicken before him, Li Shiwu's expression was strange, as if he had guessed something.

Sure enough, a human-shaped figure, a zhang tall and draped in a gray robe, emerged from it like a ghost.

Seeing this, Li Shiwu showed no fear in his eyes, but when he looked up, he realized that this monster had no facial features.

"Heh, do you see my face?" the Faceless Sui Demon suddenly spoke, its voice hoarse and grating.

"No," Li Shiwu shook his head. Read at Novels Haven (novelshaven.com)

"Alright then, give me your face."

"I don't want to give it."

"Don't be so quick to refuse. I'll pay you, I guarantee your satisfaction."

Hearing this, Li Shiwu was full of surprise, and couldn't help but touch his own wrinkled, shriveled face under the black cloth.

"What?"

"It can be sold for money? There's such a good thing?"