Chapter 60: Explanation (Edited)

When Luo Ling was violently dragged to her feet, the Magic Shackles on her wrists and ankles clashed with a sharp, grating sound.

She staggered, but her gaze remained locked on the straight back of the Demon Queen Ishayat.

That figure was noble and dignified, the black royal robe draping her like frozen night—yet it sent a chill deeper than any torture device.

“Yes, Master.”

The two succubi replied in unison, their voices as sweet as melting honey, but with a coldness like a snake’s tongue.

They supported Luo Ling on either side, their fingertips icy and slippery, carrying an inhuman sensation.

Luo Ling struggled.

Immediately, glaring runes flickered across the shackles, and a wave of numbness swept through her body, leaving her too weak to lift even a finger.

“Let me go!”

Luo Ling gritted her teeth and forced out the words, her voice trembling with anger.

The succubus on the left let out a coquettish laugh, extending a crimson tongue to lick her full lips.

“Little hero, don’t be so disobedient. We wouldn’t dare defy the Master’s orders, you know.”

Her fingers traced lightly over Luo Ling’s cheek, leaving a cold trail that made Luo Ling shiver.

The succubus on the right pressed a hand over Luo Ling’s mouth.

Her palm carried a strange fragrance, dizzying to the senses.

“Behave, and maybe you’ll suffer a little less.”

Her voice was low, edged with threat.

Luo Ling was forcibly dragged out of the Throne Hall, stumbling between the two.

Green torches burned along both sides of the corridor, casting grotesque sculptures on the walls into writhing shapes.

The air was thick with the faint scent of sulfur, and a corrupt, indescribable odor unique to the Demon Realm.

She didn’t know what this so-called ‘cleansing’ truly meant, but from Ishayat’s cold gaze and the succubi’s malicious smiles, she knew it couldn’t be anything good.

Fear crept up her heart like vines, but even more intense were her unwillingness and rage.

She couldn’t give up like this.

She had to escape.

She had to fulfill her mission.

After passing through several long corridors, they entered an extremely luxurious bath chamber.

To call it a bath was an understatement—it was more like a palace.

The floor and walls were built from white jade, inlaid with gemstones of various colors that sparkled with light.

In the center was a massive circular bath, filled with steaming black liquid that gave off a strong herbal scent, yet mingled with an ominous undertone.

By the poolside, various strangely shaped metal instruments were arranged, gleaming with cold luster, making one’s hair stand on end.

In the corners, several Incense Lamps burned, releasing the same strange fragrance as the succubus’s hand that had covered Luo Ling’s mouth—only thicker now, making her entire body go limp the longer she inhaled.

“Throw her in.”

The left succubus said, her tone tinged with excitement.

“Wait,”

The right succubus stopped her.

“The Master said to ‘cleanse’ her properly—not just toss her in. We have to get rid of all the filth on her body first.”

She stared at the tattered Uniform on Luo Ling, eyes filled with disdain.

Luo Ling’s heart sank.

She knew what was coming would haunt her forever.

The left succubus nodded.

“Fine, I love ‘cleaning’ disobedient little ones the most.”

“Let me go! What are you trying to do!”

Luo Ling’s voice cracked with terror.

She struggled desperately, but the Magic Shackles were too powerful; her body wouldn’t budge.

The right succubus’s eyes narrowed.

“Don’t be nervous. It’ll be over soon.”

Blinded, Luo Ling’s other senses sharpened.

She heard the succubi’s footsteps moving around her, smelled the intensifying strange fragrance, and felt her clothes being ripped away.

The instant cold air touched her skin, she shuddered uncontrollably.

Suddenly, searing pain exploded across her back!

Luo Ling groaned, her body arching involuntarily.

“Ah!”

She couldn’t hold back a cry.

Her back felt as if it were being torn apart, a fiery pain burning deep.

“Tsk, such tender skin.”

The left succubus giggled.

“This is only the beginning, little hero.”

Blood trickled down Luo Ling’s back, arms, and thighs, staining her skin red.

She clenched her teeth, refusing to let any more sound escape, but tears slid from beneath the blindfold, soaking the cloth.

At last, the torment ended.

Luo Ling was numb with agony, barely upright—only the succubi’s grip kept her from collapsing.

“All right, now we can throw her into the Purification Pool.”

The right succubus said, impatient.

Luo Ling felt herself lifted and tossed into a freezing, biting liquid.

“Splosh!”

The impact made her choke on mouthfuls of the liquid, its icy sting and corrosive force burning her wounds far worse than any whip.

“Ah—!”

Luo Ling screamed.

She struggled to surface, but it felt like countless hands were dragging her deeper.

“Stop struggling. This Purification Pool was prepared specially for you by the Master.”

The left succubus’s voice sounded from the edge, laced with cruel amusement.

“It’ll ‘purify’ all the Light Power from your body—turning you into a truly ‘clean’ child of the Demon Realm.”

Only then did Luo Ling understand what ‘cleansing’ and ‘purification’ meant.

They wanted to strip her of her hero’s power!

No. Absolutely not.

She couldn’t lose her strength!

Without the Light Power, how could she fight the Demon King? How could she save those oppressed by the Demon Realm?

A surge of desperation erupted in her.

Gritting her teeth, she summoned the last vestige of Light Power within her, resisting the liquid’s corrosion.

Golden light flickered weakly around her body, colliding and clashing with the black liquid.

“Oh? You’ve got a strong will.”

The right succubus raised an eyebrow, surprised.

“But did you really think you could withstand the might of the Purification Pool with such paltry strength? How naive.”

As she spoke, she flicked her wrist and produced a strange, crystalline funnel that shimmered with eerie purple light.

Its touch radiated a chill of lingering malice.

With a twist of her slender fingers, she dipped the funnel’s tip into the dark green pool, then pressed the cold mouth firmly against Luo Ling’s lips.

“Haa… haa…”

Luo Ling wanted to scream, wanted to roar, but only broken, ragged breaths escaped her throat.

Her vocal cords twisted and changed, roughening and rasping with a metallic edge.

A burning sensation welled up from her chest, reeking of sulfur and char, forcing her mouth open.

Dark green, corrosive saliva dripped from her lips, spreading strange ripples through the pool.

Her body began to stretch and distort.

Bones cracked and popped, her spine arching like a waking serpent beneath her skin.

Her limbs lengthened, gaining power and a disturbing, inhuman grace.

Her shoulder blades throbbed as if something struggled to burst free, the skin swelling and hardening into scales.

But the most terrifying change was within.

She felt the Light Power inside her—the warm, radiant force like sunlight—screaming in agony as it was devoured by the Purification Pool—no, by this Corruption Source.

The faith, mercy, and protection it represented crumbled away, dissolving like snow before a blazing sun.

In its place rose a new power—cold, dark, and ravenous for destruction.

It was thick and viscous, like ink, roaring through her veins and igniting a feverish sense of strength and pleasure.

Her reason quickly faded, replaced by primal, violent instinct.

She wanted to destroy.

She wanted to slaughter.

She wanted to tear and devour everything.

“Light…”

In her final moment of clarity, Luo Ling’s soul screamed in despair.

She felt the being called ‘Luo Ling’, who once held light in his heart, dying within endless darkness and agony.

Her skin grew dense with scales that glimmered with ghostly light.

At her tailbone, searing pain erupted as a tail, sheathed in dark purple scales and ending in a lethal point, slowly emerged.

Her teeth sharpened, canines protruding, glistening with murderous intent.

The pool churned wildly, the dark green liquid boiling with black bubbles that released a stench as they burst.

Luo Ling’s body convulsed, every inch of skin, bone, and nerve undergoing a hellish transformation.

At the peak of this torment, she snapped her eyes open!

They were no longer Luo Ling’s eyes.

They were the eyes of a demon—filled with violence, madness, and overwhelming power.

Dark red pupils locked onto the surface, lips curving into a savage, satisfied smile that bared a mouthful of fangs.

“ROARRRR——!!!”

A roar erupted from her mouth, shattering the silence with a force that shook the entire pool.

No longer a mere gasp, but a full-throated, monstrous bellow of power and terror.

The sound shook the chamber, sending waves crashing across the Purification Pool.

The invisible chains binding her shattered like paper under this newborn darkness.

A figure slowly rose from the churning water.

It was tall, powerful, and female in form, yet every line exuded inhuman, twisted beauty.

Her body was sheathed in dense, unbreakable dark purple scales that gleamed coldly.

A pair of sharp demon ears stood alert atop her head.

Dark red eyes burned with a bloodthirsty flame, fangs bared in a predatory grin.

Long limbs ended in gleaming claws.

A thick, scaled tail flicked behind her, the tip poised with menace.

The protrusions at her shoulders swelled, as if wings might rip forth at any moment.

Despair flooded in, drowning her last shred of resistance.

“No… I don’t want to become a demon…”

That was Luo Ling’s last thought before she lost consciousness.

—

When Luo Ling awoke, she found herself lying on a soft, oversized bed.

The room was decorated in extravagant Demon Realm style, just as luxurious as the previous bath chamber.

The air held a faint, cool fragrance—not the dizzying scent from before, but something clean and crisp, like plum blossoms after snow.

She moved her fingers, discovering that the Magic Shackles on her wrists and ankles were gone.

Sitting up, she looked down at her body.

All her wounds had healed, her skin paler and smoother than before, yet marked by an unnatural, inhuman sheen.

Her nails were long and black.

She reached up to touch her ears—sure enough, they were the pointed shape unique to demons.

Luo Ling’s heart plummeted.

She knew she was no longer the Light Hero she once was.

Her Light Power was gone, her body remade as a demon.

“You’ve awakened.”

A cold voice spoke from the doorway.

Luo Ling’s head snapped up.

Ishayat stood there, still wearing her black royal robe, a playful smile on her lips.

“How does it feel, my maid?”

Ishayat walked to the bedside, gazing down at Luo Ling with the arrogance of absolute control.

Luo Ling’s eyes burned with anger and despair.

She glared at Ishayat, forcing out words through clenched teeth.

“What… do you want?”

Ishayat chuckled softly, reaching out to caress Luo Ling’s cheek.

Her fingers were cold, yet radiated a strange magic that made Luo Ling’s body tremble.

“What do I want? Of course, I want you to be mine.”

Ishayat’s voice dripped with temptation.

“You came to slay the Demon King—but now you’ve become the Demon King’s maid. Isn’t that amusing?”

“I will never become yours!”

Luo Ling’s voice shook with fury.

“I’d rather die than submit to you!”

Ishayat raised her brows, as if pleased by the defiance.

“Oh? Is that so? Then let’s see just how strong you really are.”