Hehehe!
The corner of the girl’s lips involuntarily curled up into a slight smile.
That smile was like a ray of sunlight, piercing through the gloom that had shrouded her heart, dispelling the humiliation that had accumulated over the past days.
Her breathtakingly beautiful face looked even more vivid and radiant under the glow of the setting sun.
Those originally clear and bright sky-blue eyes now shimmered with excitement, like two dazzling stars.
She seemed to have already caught sight of the dawn of victory.
In her mind, that arrogant Horned Demon Bastard, defeated by the “spoils” he casually controlled—
What kind of expression would be on his face?
Shock?
Anger?
Or helplessness?
Just the thought of it sent waves of exhilaration through Su Nian.
The humiliation of the past days seemed to vanish along with it.
A gentle breeze stirred the slightly oversized [Concealment Cloak] draped over her shoulders.
The hem of the cloak fluttered softly in the wind, producing a faint “rustling” sound.
That sound was like the prelude to the revenge plan she was about to unfold.
—
Elsewhere.
Chu Tian was carefully examining the “Token” he had just taken from the Demon Race captain.
It was a stone as black as ink, irregular in shape, its surface pitted and uneven.
The stone seemed to have been scorched by flames, exuding a faint sulfur scent.
There were also peculiar patterns engraved on it.
He held the stone in his hand, scrutinizing it repeatedly.
“Ding dong, detection of magical power positioning on this item confirmed. Spend 20,000 Annoyance Value to erase?”
The System’s voice sounded.
Chu Tian was momentarily startled.
“Erase.” He made his decision.
From the Advance Team’s previous conversations, this was the Token of the Demon King, and it clearly had contingencies left behind.
He wasn’t yet ready to face the Demon King head-on.
He still needed time to gather enough Annoyance Value and grow stronger, to be able to confront the legendary demigod-level Demon King.
After erasing the magical positioning from the Token, Chu Tian activated the [Soul Prism] he had purchased from the System Shop and began interrogating the souls of the five Demon Race soldiers.
Within the [Soul Prism], five ethereal figures writhed and struggled in agony.
They emitted piercing wails.
That was the pain of their souls being scorched, a torment far more intense than any physical pain.
Soon.
One of the Demon Race soldier’s souls could no longer endure the endless suffering.
He began to speak in broken, trembling words, revealing their mission.
“We… we… were ordered… to come… seek… Mal·Skeleton…”
The soul’s voice was weak and trembling.
“Mal·Skeleton… is… is a… human… Necromancer…”
“He… he dispatched… his… Undead Creatures… to form an alliance… with us… the Demon Race…”
“He… wants to… offer… the entire… Red Maple Kingdom…”
“The condition… is… to obtain… the Eternal Soulfire…”
Each word from the Demon Race soldier’s soul seemed to drain every last ounce of strength.
The voice grew fainter until it completely faded away.
When a human becomes a Necromancer, they can strengthen their Soulfire by devouring the souls of other beings.
But Soulfire will eventually extinguish.
Only the Eternal Soulfire can grant a Necromancer true immortality.
This was obviously Mal·Skeleton’s so-called goal of “eternal life.”
He intended to use the Demon Race’s power to realize his ambition.
“Hmph, delusional.” Chu Tian snorted coldly.
He casually put away the Token, already formulating plans in his mind.
After obtaining this intelligence.
Chu Tian turned to look at Su Nian, who was still immersed in her own fantasies.
A faint smile still lingered at the corner of the girl’s lips.
“Little wildcat, what are you thinking about? Smiling so happily.”
Chu Tian spoke, a teasing tone in his voice.
‘Mind your own business!’
Su Nian suddenly snapped back to reality, nearly blurting it out.
Luckily, she reacted quickly enough to swallow the words back down, replacing them with a pitiful expression.
“Since we’re out on a trip, I… I’m just a bit happy.”
Su Nian racked her brains and finally found a somewhat plausible reason.
She lowered her head, her slender fingers nervously twisting together, her knuckles turning slightly white from the tension betraying her nervous mood.
In truth, she was already overjoyed inside.
But she couldn’t let the Horned Demon Bastard in front of her find out.
Why was she happy?
Because she would soon personally deal with that bastard!
“Since we’ve obtained the Token and learned the Necromancer’s purpose, next, we should go meet that Mal·Skeleton.”
Chu Tian said as his body began to change.
His skin gradually turned a deep purple-black at a visible pace, as if soaked in ink.
“Just play the role of the Horned Demon Lord’s captured little slave.”
The smooth top of his head slowly bulged, growing two curved horns, fierce and terrifying, like some demon from the abyss.
Behind him, a pair of enormous bat wings suddenly unfolded, blotting out the sky and casting a huge shadow that enveloped Su Nian entirely.
In the blink of an eye, his appearance changed from a handsome human man into a monstrous and frightening Horned Demon.
Su Nian watched this familiar scene, unable to suppress a wave of disgust in her heart.
At least the Horned Demon Bastard’s previous form wasn’t ugly…
It seemed this form was his true appearance.
In fact, the human-like form after demonic transformation was the real one.
This current look was a deliberate alteration by Chu Tian, simulating the Demon Race’s image in order to deal with the Necromancer.
“I’m the Demon Race’s contact with the Necromancer, that makes sense…”
Chu Tian appraised Su Nian up and down, as if inspecting merchandise.
“And you also need a reasonable identity.”
“Me?”
Su Nian spoke instinctively, suddenly overwhelmed by a bad premonition.
She vaguely sensed that this Horned Demon Bastard was about to pull some nonsense again.
“Yeah, you… just play the Horned Demon Lord’s captured little slave.”
Chu Tian’s lips curled into a teasing smile.
“A human female slave I’ve caught.”
“What?!”
Su Nian’s eyes immediately widened, her face filled with disbelief.
She suspected she had misheard.
“No way! I don’t agree!”
Without hesitation, Su Nian rejected it outright.
What a joke!
Let her play the captured slave of this Horned Demon Bastard?
A female slave?
That was worse than being killed!
“Don’t agree?” Chu Tian sneered coldly and stepped closer to Su Nian.
His figure loomed larger and larger in her eyes, like a mountain pressing down, suffocating her.
“Little wildcat, you seem to have forgotten who you are.”
Chu Tian looked down at Su Nian with a mocking gaze.
“Besides, a Horned Demon bringing along a human girl—what other relationship besides this makes sense?”
His warm breath brushed against Su Nian’s ear, sending chills down her spine.
“Oh… I get it. You don’t mean to play my wife, do you?” Chu Tian suddenly leaned close and whispered in Su Nian’s ear.