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At these words, even Chaoyan, who considered herself a female devil, was left completely stunned.

Do you have any shame, huh? Any shame at all? What kind of "great love" is this? To actually describe two-timing in such a fresh and refined way... what kind of creatures are you Sword Cultivators?!

Chaoyan was left speechless by her retort, and for a moment, anger welled up within her.

Although this little brat claimed to be a "Sword Cultivator," looking at her frail, delicate frame and her devil-may-care attitude, she didn't seem like a particularly troublesome or ruthless character. Instead of listening to her blabbering on, it would be better to finish her off and eat her as soon as possible.

Just as she made up her mind and was about to strike, she suddenly heard Ning Ning say, "Let me tell you a secret."

The young girl took a step closer to her and lowered her voice to a whisper: "I am a disciple of the Xuanxu Sword Sect, and I saw through you being a demon long ago."

In truth, Ning Ning didn't want to expose her identity so directly.

This woman was clearly about to attack her; if she were to knock her out or kill her right now, the Ghost Mother would surely notice.

However, she hadn't yet thought of a way to deal with that monster, so she could only use this to stall for time.

Furthermore, she needed more information and had to extract it from this female demon.

Chaoyan was stunned for a brief moment.

Then, she simply stopped pretending, her face filled with murderous intent as she spoke in a hoarse voice: "You're lying! The Xuanxu Sword Sect is full of powerful Sword Cultivators; how could it be a little girl like you!"

Ning Ning pinched a spell with one hand, effortlessly dispersing the Gale Wind that had been thrust toward her: "Lying? My strength far surpasses yours; there is no need for me to waste time with lies."

Her spiritual energy was profound, and her cultivation base was indeed much higher than hers.

Having her attack blocked so easily, Chaoyan knew she was no match for this girl. However, there was no one else around, and she had no way to call for help from her companions.

A demon falling into the hands of a Sword Cultivator was sure to be at a dead end. She gritted her teeth in secret and thought of a plan.

The little girl looked like she hadn't seen much of the world, and her own human skin mask looked incredibly fragile. If she spun a lie, claiming she was being coerced by the White Bone Lady—

She never expected that the moment this thought flashed through her mind, Ning Ning beside her would let out a sigh: "I came to Zhaixing Pavilion this time to eradicate the great demon that devours human essence and blood. Big sister, I see that you are frail and kind-hearted; you must have been forced by that monster, right?"

Chaoyan:...?

Wait, why was her line stolen?

After a brief moment of shock, the female demon sneered in her heart.

This idiot must have seen her beautiful face and pitiful appearance and actually imagined a story about a weak girl being forced into submission. How truly ignorant.

It played right into her hands.

And so, Chaoyan answered without hesitation: "Exactly! That White Bone Lady forced us to come and receive guests, otherwise she would have wiped us all out. I was forced into this against my will."

Ning Ning, as expected, revealed a very happy expression.

Hmph, this stinking Sword Cultivator thinks she's seen through the tricks of this building, looking so pleased with herself.

She thinks she's on the second level, little knowing that Chaoyan is a step ahead of her, already at the third level of insight.

Ning Ning nodded with righteous indignation: "Could you tell me a thing or two about what is actually going on in this building?"

"We were originally demons from the mountains, coerced by the White Bone Lady to come here and absorb the spiritual energy and blood essence of mortals."

Chaoyan said: "The faces of the young women in this building are all beautiful human skins, used to trick guests into falling for them."

As expected of a naive, inexperienced little disciple, a look of fear appeared in the young girl's eyes: "Are the masks made by directly peeling off human faces?"

"The human faces are formed by spiritual power; they are not human flesh and blood. If a beautiful female guest arrives, we will also conjure a face identical to hers for future use."

To comfort the frightened little girl and demonstrate her own kindness and thoughtfulness, she flicked her fingertips, and a mask identical to Ning Ning's appeared out of thin air in her hand: "Just like this."

"I see!"

Ning Ning carefully took it, the fear in her almond-shaped eyes vanishing, replaced by a deepening smile: "I've thought of something."

Chaoyan was curious: "Thought of what?"

The girl in the purple dress curved her eyes, her voice soft and gentle, but the words that spilled from her lips made the other woman's spine turn cold: "I've thought of... how to raze this building to the ground."

After she finished speaking, she curled her lips, her voice sweet as honey: "Goodbye, sister."

A sharp sword light flashed, slicing through the ambiguous night.

The moment the Star Trace Sword pierced her body, the female demon cursed silently in her heart more times than she could count.

She had taken Ning Ning for an idiot, never expecting that the girl had been plotting all along, treating her as a mere tool to extract information.

Her pitch-black heart had been misplaced after all.

Who could have guessed that while she thought she was on the third level, that idiot was actually on the fifth.

Chapter 7

The lair of the Yinshan Ghost Mother was hidden beneath Zhaixing Pavilion. Ning Ning walked downward from the top floor, the spiraling staircase seemingly endless.

This place was filled with flying eaves and vermilion pillars, jade terraces and ornate chambers. The laughter of men and women spread wantonly with the evening breeze, a scene of true opulence and prosperity, a palace of jade and pearls.

Yet, walking through it alone, a gloomy killing intent followed like a shadow, making it impossible to find peace.

The candlelight in the lanterns on both sides of the corridor flickered, as if thousands of demons and monsters were suspended within. The dim, orange light flowed like water, swallowing the girl's slender figure whole.

The light spots swayed unsteadily, casting shadows on the ancient, intricately carved beams and pillars along the walls. Wooden faces, some intoxicated and others laughing wildly, appeared and disappeared—it didn't look like merrymaking, but rather like a cluster of hideous, starving ghosts.

Ning Ning descended the stairs slowly. The Yinshan Ghost Mother must have already sensed that one of her puppets had died and would have sent others to investigate.

She had long since left the private room. The building was teeming with people, noisy everywhere; it wouldn't be easy for the Ghost Mother to personally find the culprit.

--Ning Ning decided to go find her first.

The tunnel was hidden beneath a secret passage somewhere on the first floor. Ning Ning fumbled around, following the original text, and finally found the incredibly concealed path. The moment she opened the secret door, a wave of blood-thick stench rushed out from the opening.

She frowned slightly, though she didn't show much disgust. After taking a light breath, she vaulted into the tunnel.