A golden-eared white tiger with red eyes, as large as a house, was running across the earth, her body sleek as a silver spear.
Four tails trailed behind her, leaving streaks of red demonic energy in their wake.
Her four limbs stomped deep pits into the muddy ground, the earth trembling with a thunderous roar.
She ran wildly, transforming into the four-tailed demon fox, Nongli, charging across the damp, muddy earth.
Guided by the faint scent belonging to Lin Qiyou, and driven by a bloodthirsty desire for vengeance, she sprinted on.
Before her eyes was a world dyed crimson, as if the entire world held no meaning.
She had been running for half an hour, desperately dispersing her demonic aura and spiritual power.
Within this area of tens of miles, all the demon clans could sense her overwhelming aura, yet they all shrank back, unwilling to reveal themselves.
As she ran, her mind cleared, and she immediately felt a strange fullness in her stomach, as if she had just eaten her fill.
Her entire body was suffused with a peculiar sensation.
It wasn’t just spiritual power or demonic energy—it was something very mysterious… qi?
How strange.
Just like Master and Benji had described, qi.
Where is Master?
Nongli thought, Master should be safe with the giraffe demon; the giraffe demon would protect Master.
With that thought, Nongli continued to sprint toward Lin Qiyou’s scent.
Somehow, she had just unconsciously broken through, growing a fourth tail.
That was very strange.
And unconsciously, she had eaten something that filled her.
Thinking about all the flesh and blood in Benji City, hunger… wasn’t such a hard thing to understand.
Pushing aside those troubling thoughts, Nongli pressed on.
The more she ran, the closer Lin Qiyou’s scent became.
She wasn’t just chasing—Lin Qiyou was chasing her back.
So soon, they met on a narrow path.
“Bang!”
The earth cracked; almost the moment they met, Nongli leaped up, crashing like a shooting star toward Lin Qiyou.
Her form was ghostlike, her steps like a shadow.
Waves of enormous spiritual energy surged, each lash of Nongli’s tails striking toward Lin Qiyou, who parried with sword and spiritual energy.
Though Nongli’s power had multiplied with the addition of a fourth tail, facing Lin Qiyou, who wielded spiritual power, she still couldn’t gain the upper hand.
Strong—too strong!
“I won’t let you stand in the way of my future with my Master! Die!”
Nongli roared fiercely, her tone completely different from when she had once mocked Lin Qiyou.
Because now Nongli had seen Lin Qiyou’s true strength with her own eyes.
Lin Qiyou had directly torn Benji apart.
In Benji City, she had killed all of Benji’s top experts, along with Benji himself.
And Nongli had been defeated in just a few moves.
But she could not retreat—not ever again.
Nongli had things she needed to protect.
She had been hiding and running for decades; now she could no longer hide!
“Petty tricks!”
A spiritual energy wave the size of a mountain surged forward.
Lin Qiyou infused her sword with spiritual power, blocking the blow, then smoothly swung backward.
The wave of spiritual power exploded far behind, sending sand and dust into the sky, darkening the sun.
“I’m curious—if you can run and jump, why come to find me and get yourself killed? I was still looking for you.”
Lin Qiyou frowned slightly, but her words angered Nongli deeply, as if she was certain Nongli would fail.
“You damned one!”
Nongli ground her teeth.
“I’m curious how you were chopped into so many pieces by me, yet still grew a new tail. Did you… eat someone? Did you devour your Master, that Qingmu?”
Thinking of the middle-aged alchemist with the same name as Qingmu, Lin Qiyou guessed it was likely the fox had eaten him.
This fox’s form, with four tails, so powerful—could it be thanks to Qingmu’s essence?
Of course, her own Qingmu.
Nongli’s Qingmu was merely a mortal.
“You think I’m like you, feeding on those I loved since childhood like spiritual veins?”
Nongli sneered, trying to provoke Lin Qiyou into making a mistake.
She had to find a flaw to strike.
Otherwise, Lin Qiyou was simply a monster!
But Nongli’s plan failed.
She sighed, her face not sorrowful but resigned.
Everything ended in a hallucination.
That illusion made her somewhat let go of her obsession.
If she could start over, swapping roles with Qingmu, she would willingly do the same for him.
It was repayment, and also genuine willingness.
But now, she wanted to find Benji’s secret here—the secret to reviving Qingmu.
And to subdue this fox spirit who carried Qingmu’s presence.
“Qingmu once saved your life, yet you repaid him with ingratitude, sneaking into his grave to devour his flesh.”
“Oh? You won’t ask why he saved me? Or why he entered the tomb? Dog!”
Nongli’s attitude puzzled Lin Qiyou—why such a big reaction?
“In any case, Benji promised to resurrect him, and resurrection requires you.
I guess Benji told you about this, right?
Do you know the secret to Benji reviving Qingmu?”
Lin Qiyou asked Nongli with a ‘let’s try’ attitude.
Of course, if Nongli was willing to talk, she might treat her gently.
By ‘gently,’ she meant cutting flesh.
But no matter what, she would keep Nongli alive.
Dead Nongli was useless.
“Step on me and then ask.”
Nongli replied coldly.
“Hah, a fox hunted for decades yet still dares to challenge me like this.
You mean nothing to me.
If you hadn’t eaten Qingmu, I wouldn’t even have glanced your way.”
With that, a sword energy slashed toward Nongli.
The sword energy rapidly grew in size mid-flight, forcing fox-form Nongli to dodge.
One of her four tails became disconnected; a tail tip was cut off by the sword energy, sending a jolt of pain through Nongli’s body.
“Don’t act so high and mighty!”
Nongli plunged her tail into the ground, and from beneath Lin Qiyou’s feet, tails burst forth from the earth.
Each tail tip sprouted a cluster of spiritual power, which suddenly exploded, sending smoke and dust everywhere.
Lin Qiyou flew out of the smoke, swinging her sword to chop at Nongli’s head.
Just as she was about to reach Nongli’s fox head, Nongli abruptly dispelled her fox form.
Seizing Lin Qiyou’s missed strike, she quickly closed in, claw formed on one hand, stabbing toward Lin Qiyou’s abdomen.
But Lin Qiyou spun sharply, kicking Nongli away, narrowly avoiding the attack.
Hovering back, Lin Qiyou looked down, noticing a large tear in her skirt around her waist.
Had she been slower, she would have been seriously injured.
This fox was truly formidable!
“Wait, demonic energy?”
Lin Qiyou suddenly sensed strong demonic energy from all directions.
It didn’t appear gradually, but all at once, as if it could no longer be hidden.
Were other Demon Kings arriving?
Lin Qiyou was on high alert.
Taking on a single Demon King along with Benji and some minions was manageable, but a group of Demon Kings would be a brutal fight.
Could she kill them all?
Lin Qiyou questioned herself.
Not only did she sense the Demon Kings approaching; Nongli, as a demon herself, felt it even more clearly.
A surge of confidence filled her as Nongli launched a storm-like assault.
Her attacks were rapid but reckless.
Though her shape-shifting caught Lin Qiyou off guard, Lin Qiyou was still hit by several sword strikes.
But now was not the time to retreat.
She had to buy time for the arriving Demon Kings and prevent Lin Qiyou from escaping!
Demon Kings were the strongest beings in the demon realm.
If they arrived together, they could suppress Lin Qiyou and kill her completely.
The recently released demonic aura was for this very purpose.
“Demon King Anlin is here!”
“Demon King Guna is here!”
“Demon King Jun’en is here!”
“Demon King Buriri is here!”
“……”
As Nongli pinned Lin Qiyou down, one Demon King after another appeared.
Even Lin Qiyou’s face showed signs of strain.
There were no fewer than twenty Demon Kings.
Surrounded like this, Lin Qiyou silently cursed herself for losing her mind—being besieged by so many Demon Kings in the demon realm.
In the human world, she was also betrayed by her own Youjian Sect.
“Demon Kings, aid me! Help me slay this woman who bloodied Benji City and killed Demon King Benji!”
With the Demon Kings present, Nongli’s confidence surged.
The other Demon Kings responded in kind, quickly encircling Lin Qiyou.
“Ugh… I will return.”
Lin Qiyou temporarily decided to give up.
Better to live and fight another day.
Nongli was already a great demon, not easily killed.
She only needed to wait for another chance to come to the demon realm and arrest her.
Don’t let her escape!
But the Demon Kings, seeming to realize Lin Qiyou’s intention, swarmed to suppress her.
Nongli also joined the battle.
In the end, Nongli’s plan failed; Lin Qiyou escaped.
And on her escape, Lin Qiyou effortlessly slashed down seven Demon Kings and injured twelve others.
The name Youjianxian remained renowned.
But the Demon Kings never imagined this human woman was so strong.
They began studying ways to seal the demon realm, to prevent such a terrifying being from wreaking havoc again.
Since then, Lin Qiyou earned a new name—the Female Butcher.
Benji City’s demon population was mostly slaughtered.
The city became a sea of corpses and blood.
When the Demon Kings entered, they were shocked by the scene.
“Hah… hah…”
Nongli sat weakly atop Benji City’s walls, unable to stand.
Beside her, the Demon Kings spoke.
“Since you were once Benji’s friend, how about we entrust this area to you to govern?”
The Demon Kings each had their own ideas.
The city was almost razed flat, worthless now.
Nongli carried the ancient great demon bloodline.
If she could curry favor, who knew what benefits might come.
They tried to win her over.
But Nongli herself paid no heed, her eyes fixed on the blood river below.
The lesser demons were clearing the flooding caused by a spell-induced downpour.
Her gaze swept the city.
Sadly, she was too exhausted to stand, her body aching as if her bones were being dismantled.
Every now and then, she weakly cried out, “Have you seen my Master?”
Each time she was told no, her heart sank.
Tears gathered in her eyes, yet stubbornly she believed Qingmu was safe.
“Report! A giraffe demon requests an audience, claiming to be one of Benji’s subordinates.”
One of the Demon Kings’ underlings shouted.
The Demon King nodded, “Let him in.”
Moments later, the giraffe demon came running in, disheveled.
Just as he was about to speak to the Demon Kings, he spotted Nongli sitting nearby.
“Nongli!”
“Brother Giraffe!”
Nongli hurried over, shouting, “Where is my Master? Qingmu?”
The giraffe demon hesitated, closed his eyes, and said, “Sorry! I couldn’t stop him; no matter what, he insisted on entering the city!”
“What did you say?”
Nongli grabbed the giraffe demon’s tongue, anxiously asking, “Master entered the city?”
“Done for! Done for!”
Nongli screamed, ignoring her weakened body as she rushed toward the city wall’s steps.
She missed a step, rolling down the stairs.
No demon present reacted in time until Nongli lay bloodied on the ground.
She struggled up and searched the near-dry street for Qingmu’s figure.
Qingmu wore a gray robe today, very plain; she had to search carefully.
Nongli repeated Qingmu’s appearance and attire.
The lesser demons hastened to search according to her description.
In theory, as a human, he should be easy to find.
As Nongli searched, she passed a human skeleton.
Near it were fragments of the gray robe.
Some bloodied flesh hung from the bones, some fragments chewed to bits.
Nongli glanced briefly, her pupils trembling; she dared not look again.
“Find him for me! My Master must be hiding in some house! Find him! If you don’t, I’ll eat you all! Eat you all!”
Nongli shouted angrily, her demonic aura soaring, chilling all the Demon Kings present.
They all felt that Nongli would one day be the backbone of the demon race and resolved to align with her.
They hurriedly ordered their subordinates to obey Nongli’s commands.
“My lord, someone is behind you?”
A pig demon flatteringly pointed behind Nongli.
“Pfft!”
Just as he was about to speak, Nongli slapped his head off, which flew to the ground.
His body wobbled and collapsed.
“Ahhhhh!!!”
Nongli screamed, clutching her head and kneeling, motionless like a statue.
Benji City’s first priority was not clearing corpses or aiding refugees, but finding a human—a human who should be impossible to be alive.
Anyone could see Nongli desperately wanted to find that so-called Master right behind her.
Yet she refused to admit it.
The Demon Kings exchanged glances, no one daring to speak.
At Nongli’s current state, even if the Heavenly King himself came, there’d be no solution.
They could only wait for her to sort herself out.
After a day and night, Benji City emptied.
The corpses were cleared, refugees relocated, demons and Demon Kings retreated outside the city.
Only Nongli remained.
She still knelt there, feeling the world was gray, abandoned by all.
No, not abandoned.
Nongli turned dazedly to look at the skeleton behind her.
Mice gnawed at the flesh.
Mice…
“Ah!”
Nongli crawled over to chase the mice away, then stared blankly at the skull.
She touched her face, tears silently slipping down.
She was not abandoned by the world, but rather… she had eaten her entire world.
“Ugh—”
Nongli dug her fingers into her throat, wanting to vomit.
She wanted to vomit Qingmu out.
To get her most beloved out of her stomach.
Why? Why?
Why am I a demon? Why can’t I control my instincts?
Why must I devour the greatest love in the world?
Eat him?
Eat him twice?
Did I eat Qingmu?
“Ugh—”
“Ahhhhh!!!”
“Why can’t I vomit him out?”
“Master, are you in my belly? Master?”
“Help! I’m going to die, I’m going to die! I’m dying!”
Nongli went mad, clawing at her face like she wanted to peel off her skin.
She smashed her teeth against a rock.
She rammed her head against the steps.
“Ah, it hurts so much! Not enough! It must’ve hurt more when I ate him!”
Nongli tried to recall the memory of devouring Qingmu while out of control, but couldn’t.
At that time, she was a beast—truly a wild animal unable to control her instincts and malice.
Master was right!
It’s all over!
Nongli dared not look at Qingmu’s white bones, only wishing to die.
Living held no meaning anymore.
“Master? Are you in there?”
Nongli, battered beyond recognition, looked at her belly.
Suddenly an idea came.
She extended her nails and stabbed into her abdomen, then painfully began cutting.
“Master, don’t be afraid, I’m coming to save you! Don’t fear, I’ll stay with you always!”
“Huh? Why is there nothing? Master, where are you?”
“Wuuu… Master! Aaaaaa!!!”
…
……
Elsewhere,
The army had been routed; the mages were fleeing.
Lin Qiyou, sword in hand, fought from the east to the west of the Rose Capital without blinking.
The Saintess Yue Lan had nowhere left to run.
Faith was a joke.
Seeing soldiers and mages fall to her, the so-called devotion to faith and light became empty words.
They fled, desperate.
Civilians scattered, but Lin Qiyou did not pursue.
This was her mercy.
Unarmed people were her limit.
But anyone wielding a weapon challenged her—and she took challenges seriously.
These believers had already abandoned their Saintess, like the church’s bishops, knights, and mages.
At the square where a racial massacre had once occurred, blood was spilled again.
Lin Qiyou, dressed in white unstained by a speck of dust, seemed the most unique person in the world.
Sword in hand, she cornered Yue Lan.