Lin Xue’s hairs stood on end, and she jumped back like a cat whose fur had been startled upright.
She twisted her head around and saw the Daoist Nun floating lightly like a ghost on the branch above, her triangular eyes coldly fixed on her.
A chill ran through Lin Xue’s body, as if she had fallen into an icy abyss.
She hadn’t expected this Female Demon Lord to find her so quickly.
She hadn’t even noticed when the Daoist Nun had silently arrived behind her.
If the Female Demon Lord had wanted to take her life just now, she would already be dead.
The Daoist Nun’s icy voice broke the silence: “I drove those filthy peasants out to the shrine’s entrance, yet I don’t see Father anywhere. Pray tell, what fancy has Father taken to climb up this tree?”
Lin Xue tensed all over, her mind racing. She answered calmly, “Father was feeling a bit stifled and came out to catch his breath.”
The Daoist Nun sneered. Her eyes swept over Lin Xue’s hastily worn Daoist robe and her bare feet as she stepped closer. “Father’s storage pouch has a new set of clothes and shoes prepared. Why didn’t he put them on?”
Lin Xue instinctively stepped back a pace. “Those clothes and shoes don’t fit well, and Father didn’t want to wear them. So he just threw on the old robe. What’s your problem with that?”
The Daoist Nun snorted coldly, staring at her for a long moment before pulling out a small red dagger from her sleeve.
She toyed with it in her hand, a faint glimmer of hope flickering in her eyes as she said, “This knife was Father’s gift to me when I broke through to the fifth level of Qi Refinement. Do you still remember the name of this knife?”
Lin Xue remained guarded, answering casually, “That’s ancient history. Why remember it so clearly? When you break through again, Father will give you a new one.”
The faint light in the Daoist Nun’s eyes dimmed at Lin Xue’s words.
Her face grew pale, her gaze icy as she shouted, “You’re not my Father! Who are you?! Where is my Father?!”
Lin Xue glanced behind her, then exclaimed with delight, “Senior Yu Changfeng, you’re here?”
The Daoist Nun looked back in astonishment.
There was nothing behind her.
Realizing she had been tricked, the Daoist Nun spun around to see Lin Xue already leaping down from the tree and sprinting far away.
Her face darkened with murderous intent as she drew a rope from her sleeve and hurled it toward Lin Xue.
Lin Xue ran desperately, wishing she had a dozen legs to run faster.
But she hadn’t taken many steps when a whooshing sound came from behind her ears.
Her heart nearly stopped; she thought the dreadful dagger was coming after her and swerved to the side at her fastest speed.
Yet the rope twisted like a living thing midair, changing direction and wrapping tightly around Lin Xue’s legs.
She hit the ground hard, groaning, utterly graceless.
The rope wrapped around her body several times and tied a tight knot.
Lin Xue struggled a few times but could only wriggle helplessly on the ground, unable to stand.
The Daoist Nun approached, grabbed her up, and said coldly, “If you won’t speak, that’s fine. Once I finish this matter, I’ll pull out your soul and search it directly.”
Lin Xue’s heart sank.
This was it—she was truly finished this time.
In the hands of this Female Demon Lord, she was as good as dead.
Still, she spat out curses, “You unfilial girl! How can you treat Father like this? Put me down at once!”
The Daoist Nun said nothing and dragged her toward the shrine.
Outside the shrine, the open ground was packed with villagers—old and young, numbering well over a hundred.
They craned their necks, peering through the Illusion Formation at the Demon Slaying Division Officers struggling to break the formation at the village entrance.
Their faces were full of hope as they whispered among themselves.
When the Daoist Nun arrived, all the villagers turned silently, suddenly afraid to look at the Immortal Masters of the Demon-Slaying Bureau or to speak.
Some villagers glanced curiously at Lin Xue being carried, then were struck dumb by her breathtaking beauty.
More and more villagers stared at Lin Xue.
Feeling hundreds of eyes upon her, Lin Xue grew uneasy, struggling and twisting slightly.
A child gasped, “That woman is so beautiful…”
Before he could finish, an elder quickly covered his mouth.
The Daoist Nun flicked her hand, tossing Lin Xue into the shrine.
Lin Xue fell hard, grimacing in pain.
Damn that Female Demon Lord—she was trying to break her Father’s bones.
Chun Shu stood at the front of the crowd. He stepped forward, bowed respectfully to the Daoist Nun, and asked, “May I ask why the Immortal Lady summoned our entire village in the middle of the night?”
The Daoist Nun faced the villagers expressionlessly. From her sleeve, she produced the red dagger and toyed with it as she spoke coldly:
“This knife is called Xuesha.”
“This blade thirsts for flesh and blood—the more it devours, the stronger it becomes.”
“You filthy peasants dared to report me to the authorities in secret and brought those black dogs of the Demon-Slaying Bureau to attack me. Tonight, I will borrow your flesh and blood to refine this Xuesha blade, so I can slay those black dogs outside! Consider this your way of making amends.”
Lin Xue’s heart jolted.
This Female Demon Lord was about to strike the villagers.
She shut her eyes, unable to bear the sight of the coming carnage.
The villagers finally understood her intention and erupted into chaos, crying and shouting as they scattered in every direction.
The dagger in the Daoist Nun’s hand suddenly gleamed with a spectral light, and a chilling, mournful wail pierced the air.
The sound seemed to come from hell itself, shaking souls and striking fear into the hearts of all who heard.
The fleeing villagers faltered at the scream, their legs weakening, collapsing to the ground trembling and pale, powerless to escape.
Some even fainted, foaming at the mouth, eyes rolling back.
Lin Xue’s blood surged with dread, her limbs weakening. But thanks to her cultivation, she recovered quickly.
That Female Demon Lord’s dagger was indeed sinister.
In battle, a sudden ghostly howl like that could easily catch an opponent off guard.
The Daoist Nun waved her hand, and Xuesha shot out, piercing Chun Shu.
He let out a piercing scream as his body withered instantly.
The scream abruptly stopped—Chun Shu had become a dried-up corpse, as dead as dead could be.
Xuesha finished absorbing his flesh and blood, then floated in the air, seeking its next victim. The dagger struck again, repeating the same dreadful process.
In the blink of an eye, several shriveled corpses littered the ground.
The villagers clawed desperately at the earth, crying out, scrambling to avoid becoming the next dried husk.
At that moment, the air around the village trembled violently, as if a mirror had shattered.
The Illusion Formation was broken.
Four black-clad Demon Slaying Division Officers, led by the short, stout Captain, stepped into the village.
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