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Even if she'd still had a sliver of doubt before, the fury of having her essence stolen was enough to divert all her attention.

What had Ning Ning said at the time?

"Madam! While entertaining guests tonight, I met a Sword Cultivator who'd had a few drinks and claimed that a hundred-year-old great demon, Yinshan Ghost Mother, was hidden beneath Zhaixing Pavilion. I've heard the Ghost Mother also cultivates by feeding on human blood essence. She was wounded by the righteous sects a few years ago, and her whereabouts have been unknown ever since. Could it be... that she's behind the dwindling supply of yang essence in the pavilion?"

White Bone Lady wasn't completely stupid. She hesitated, then asked, "A Sword Cultivator?"

"Exactly! She claimed to be a disciple of the Xuanxu Sword Sect. Chaoyan didn't dare act rashly, so I got her drunk first, then came to report to you."

The explanation had a clear cause and effect. The logic was sound, practically airtight.

What's more, Ning Ning secretly made a hand seal and conjured in her palm the Human Mask she'd hidden in her sleeve. "This is what that Sword Cultivator looks like. If you don't believe me, I can use this Human Mask to test her. That poison woman will surely confess to her crimes."

Changing faces was a trick unique to the demons in the pavilion.

So loyal, so attentive, so considerate—and she could even conjure a human-skin mask on the side.

This had to be the real Chaoyan! What was there to doubt?

And so White Bone Lady was led here by her.

White Bone Lady regretted it bitterly.

She'd thought she'd brought along a loyal little follower. Instead, she'd picked up a traitor with a heart black as coal, who'd used her as a tool from beginning to end, then sold her out without the slightest hesitation.

Yinshan Ghost Mother was furious.

She'd thought she'd planned things through carefully enough to handle these two with ease. Instead, she'd fallen into their trap and beaten half to death the only person who could have become her ally, right in front of a righteous Sword Cultivator.

Yinshan Ghost Mother shrieked, "You actually led a Sword Cultivator to my lair! You idiot! Did a donkey kick your brains out?"

White Bone Lady, on her last breath, gritted her teeth. "You're the demon hag who stole my opportunity! You stinking woman, you're still barking here? I'll smash your mouth in!"

"Idiot!" "Thief!"

Why were these two acting like children?

After listening to them bicker for a while, Ning Ning hesitantly spoke up. "Um..."

Yinshan Ghost Mother and White Bone Lady snapped, "Shut up, you stinking Sword Cultivator!"

Fury surged through Yinshan Ghost Mother. She gritted her teeth and silently recited a spell.

Several deep-red venomous spiders sprouted from the bloodstained stone walls. Blood-red light shimmered across the countless webs. "You think this is over? I am Yinshan Ghost Mother, and I command millions of Nether Poison Fetuses. I still have strength left. What can a little Sword Cultivator like you do to me?"

"Oh."

Ning Ning ran her fingers over the cold scabbard of the Star Trace Sword, then lifted her eyes and smiled. "Then I suppose I should introduce myself too."

At her call, Star Trace leapt from its scabbard, shining like a luminous pearl beneath a starry sky.

Sword Qi surged like the tide, filling the dark cave in an instant and suppressing the foul wind blowing toward them.

"I am a disciple of Tian Xianzi of the Xuanxu Sword Sect, and I've come down the mountain today to slay demons. You can call me—"

She paused, then continued in a half-joking tone. "Thousand-Layer Pancake."

"Hahahahaha, Thousand-Layer Pancake!"

Beside the Mystic Mirror, Tian Xianzi shook with laughter. He pointed at Ning Ning in the illusion, grinning from ear to ear. "Did you see that, Senior Brother? That's my disciple! Hahaha, isn't she adorable?"

Zhen Xiao: ...

Zhen Xiao glanced at the young man beside him, at his patched white robe and the way he couldn't stop grinning.

So plain and unadorned. So utterly unpretentious.

Just like a poor kid several hundred years old, and not particularly bright.

Zhen Xiao said, "She really is your disciple."

And women's thoughts were terrifying.

His sword was still the best.

Chapter 8

A scarlet purgatory, fragrant with white bones.

Within Zhaixing Pavilion, songs and dances swirled beneath the flowing lights. The men and women indulging in pleasure would never have guessed that two fearsome demons were lurking beneath the pavilion.

The Star Trace Sword glimmered all around. Beneath the dim Everlight Lamp, its radiance seemed veiled in a gauzy moonlight. Venomous spiders swarmed toward her, only to be cut down by the sword in an instant.

Yinshan Ghost Mother was taken aback.

She'd assumed the girl was bluffing, but judging by how she fought, her cultivation had already reached at least the second level of the Golden Core Realm.

If she were still at full strength, taking care of Ning Ning wouldn't be difficult. But her fierce battle with White Bone Lady had cost her forty percent of her power. Even if she gave it her all, the two of them would be evenly matched.

She absolutely couldn't rush things.

She reassured herself that righteous Sword Cultivators mostly used straightforward techniques. She might be able to gain the upper hand in a one-on-one fight, but faced with venomous spiders coming from every direction, Ning Ning surely wouldn't be able to fight ba—

Suddenly, Yinshan Ghost Mother froze.

It felt as if someone had slapped her hard across the face. The sting left her a little dazed.

Just what kind of sword technique was that Sword Cultivator using?!

The Star Trace Sword abruptly changed direction, its path inscrutable. Its Sword Qi split into several pale, glimmering afterimages, like frenzied serpents rising into the air and dancing wildly as they lunged unexpectedly at the oncoming spiders.

Her sword was so swift, her Sword Qi so fierce, her footwork so strange and hard to read that even a demon like Yinshan Ghost Mother—and probably even an evil cultivator—would have blurted out that Ning Ning looked like someone from the demonic sects.

Was this really a sword technique the righteous sects should be teaching?!

Outside the Mystic Mirror, Sword Venerable Zhenxiao gave a slight nod. "Pants-Selling Sword Technique."

He still hadn't forgotten how his junior brother sold his pants to buy the Sword Manual.

"It's the Golden Snake Sword Technique! She only learned it a few days ago, and she's already using it so skillfully!"

Tian Xianzi ignored him, watching with delight as he clapped his hands. "She's adapting to the situation. Not bad, not bad. Looks like the Ghost Mother's spiders are all going to be eaten by venomous snakes."

"Watch closely." Zhen Xiao remained impassive. "The Ghost Mother is making a move."

Yinshan Ghost Mother wasn't stupid. She understood that this wasn't the time to confront Ning Ning head-on. The latter was now focused on the venomous spiders, leaving her perfect room to strike from behind when she least expected it.

Demons didn't abide by the righteous sects' sanctimonious rules. As long as they could win, they were willing to use any means necessary.