Han E had learned the Red Lotus Old Demon's demonic magic, forming a bond with him that allowed him to influence her mind in secret.
At this point, the Holy Maiden could barely hold her own against the Red Lotus Old Demon even by herself. Unable to defeat her, he had unleashed Demon Light and demon fire before leaving, laying a demon formation that trapped them inside and leaving countless demon heads to harass them day and night.
The old demon knew the Holy Maiden's weak spot all too well. He had the demon heads conjure scenes of Poison-Hand Moshi and Corpse Beauty Cui Ying pleasuring each other on the bed in her sleeping cavern. Nor were these mere images: there were sounds as well, each one pouring into her ears, her mind, and her heart.
The Holy Maiden devoted all her attention to resisting the demonic magic day and night, never noticing that the person behind her was gradually falling under its sway.
Another dozen years passed. Han E mastered many of the Demonic Path's highest spells, and during one of his battles with the Holy Maiden, the Red Lotus Old Demon finally had Han E strike without warning, attacking her from behind while he pressed her from the front.
Disaster erupted at her elbow, catching her utterly unprepared. The Holy Maiden suffered a crushing defeat. The Red Lotus Old Demon seized her primordial spirit and cast it into the Red Lotus Six Paths Wheel Dharma Realm. She passed through six lives—as a deva, an asura, a Hungry Ghost, an Animal Realm being, a denizen of hell, and a human—before finally returning to human form. He then took her into the Demon Palace to become his Demon Empress.
What he had not expected was that, even after those six