Though the beautiful, mature woman before her looked human, Bai Sha knew she was not. She was a Transformation Realm Demon.
A Demon Cultivator’s cultivation path goes from Qi Condensation to Foundation Establishment, then to Demon Core, and finally to Transformation. For humans, the path is Qi Condensation, Foundation Establishment, Golden Core, and Nascent Soul.
Transformation is equivalent to a human’s Nascent Soul realm.
A Demon capable of Transformation… One could only imagine her power.
Most importantly, Bai Sha had met this person before. She remembered it was during her fourth life. After emerging from the Cultivation Shell, she’d encountered this very woman. She recalled the woman looking anxious, as if she’d run into some trouble, which had made her curious about what could make a Transformation Realm Demon worried.
Naturally, Bai Sha had no way to investigate. In her fourth life, after meeting her, she’d headed for the Sunlight Sea. The result, as she knew, was failing to reach it. After discovering the Heavenly Devil Palace was blockading the Eastern Sea, she was captured by them.
Bai Sha never expected to have the chance to meet this Transformation Realm Demon again, and under such circumstances.
She remained silent for a moment before asking, “Is Senior one of the Demon Alliance’s high-ranking overseers in the Eastern Sea?”
“That’s right.”
The woman nodded, looking at Bai Sha.
Bai Sha’s calm demeanor surprised her.
She had expected her sudden appearance to frighten Bai Sha, perhaps even cause a severe loss of composure. But none of what she’d imagined happened. The other party remained remarkably calm, so calm that she almost forgot she was facing a mere Qi Condensation Demon Cultivator.
“May I ask how Senior is addressed?” Bai Sha asked again.
“Yan Mengzhu.”
Yan Mengzhu didn’t hide it. Her name suited her perfectly, as dreamlike and illusory as a bamboo grove in a dream.
A Demon’s appearance upon Transformation is completely beyond their control, much like how a human’s appearance is predetermined at birth. To possess such beauty was undoubtedly a rare blessing.
Seeing Yan Mengzhu made Bai Sha imagine what she and Yin Sha might look like when they transformed.
But after just a fleeting thought or two, she reined in her musings. Now was clearly not the time for that.
Yan Mengzhu observed Bai Sha curiously.
In her eyes, Bai Sha was truly strange. She was clearly just an insignificant Qi Condensation Demon Cultivator, yet her behavior was anything but.
After looking her over intently, Yan Mengzhu asked, “The Demon who posted the news about the Heavenly Devil Palace in the Chat Section of the Dream Ruins was you, wasn’t it? How did you get that information?”
Yan Mengzhu knew the situation at the Heavenly Devil Palace inside and out.
She knew that any who learned of it would find it difficult to escape death. So, no one should have been able to obtain that news and bring it back.
And to top it off, the one who did was a Qi Condensation Demon Cultivator.
No matter how one looked at it, it seemed far too unbelievable.
Bai Sha didn’t answer her question. Instead, she asked, “Senior, why have all the Demons at the Seven-Colored Shell vanished in such a short time? I hear that those who learn things they shouldn’t can only bid this world farewell. Surely the Demons who were originally here haven’t already bid farewell to this world? If so, who was it that made them say goodbye—the Devil Cultivators of the Heavenly Devil Palace, or you, Senior?”
Yan Mengzhu looked at her. “You haven’t answered my question.”
Bai Sha gave a slight smile. “Between you and me, Senior, you clearly hold the initiative. What if you kill me to keep me quiet as soon as you learn what you want to? That wouldn’t do. So, Senior should answer my questions first.”
Though the Seven-Colored Shell had a rule against fighting, rules never applied to those who made them.
Without a doubt, Yan Mengzhu was one of those rule-makers.
Yan Mengzhu found Bai Sha truly audacious.
Under normal circumstances, would a Qi Condensation Demon Cultivator dare to haggle like this when facing a Transformation Realm Demon?
Yet Bai Sha dared.
Yan Mengzhu couldn’t shake the feeling that Bai Sha possessed some kind of hidden confidence, but she couldn’t fathom what it could be. She could sense clearly that there was no third Demon nearby. Meaning, there was no one who could save Bai Sha.
She looked deeply at Bai Sha before slowly speaking. “Since you’ve said it yourself—that there are things one shouldn’t know—then those who learn what they shouldn’t can only bear the corresponding consequences.”
“So Senior killed them?” Bai Sha asked.
“No. You killed them.” Yan Mengzhu’s expression was calm. “If you hadn’t spread the news and let them learn what they shouldn’t have, they needn’t have died.”
“I just never imagined that aside from the Heavenly Devil Palace, the same situation existed within the Demon Alliance itself.” Bai Sha sighed, then continued, “So what does this mean? Does it mean you, Senior, are in collusion with the Heavenly Devil Palace? Is it just you personally colluding with them, or does the entire Demon Alliance have some dealings with the Heavenly Devil Palace?”
“You ask too many questions.” Yan Mengzhu didn’t want to answer.
“It must be Senior’s personal matter,” Bai Sha mused, thinking aloud. “If the entire Demon Alliance were colluding, and then the Demons of the Eastern Sea vanished afterward, the resulting disturbance would be enormous. It might even topple the Demon Alliance itself. Which Demon would still trust the Alliance? But if it’s Senior’s individual act, that’s not a problem. It’s far more logical.”
Yan Mengzhu watched Bai Sha silently.
