At the same time, as though summoned by the Demon Seed, the Demonic Sword abruptly stopped fighting Su Jiu. It swiftly withdrew from her side and plunged back into its original position on the altar.
Apart from the addition of a horde of demonic beasts, nothing seemed to have changed.
A-Yu had been standing in place with both hands raised for more than ten breaths.
She muttered under her breath, as though summoning something, or perhaps conducting some sort of sacrificial ritual.
An ominous premonition stirred in Su Jiu's heart.
What she had not expected was for that premonition to come true in the very next instant...
A-Yu's previously unblemished arms suddenly began to darken, until they looked like withered branches.
Then her face and the rest of her body began to change as well.
Feng Qi's eyes went wide with shock. "What... what is this now?"
Su Jiu's heart grew heavy. "I've heard of cultivators undergoing demonization before, but this is my first time seeing it."
A-Yu's face became utterly desiccated, and the loss of moisture drastically altered her features.
Her already large eyes grew even larger, to the point of being horrifying. Her mouth shrank and her cheeks caved in, making her look as though she already had one foot in the grave.
But in Su Jiu's eyes, A-Yu truly could no longer be considered human.
Although she still retained some of her own consciousness, the Demon Seed controlled far more of her.
An immense power lay within her body, but that power no longer truly belonged to her.
A-Yu's shoulders and back gradually hunched, while several lumps rose beneath her skin. Within a few breaths, the protrusions on her back tore through her clothing and emerged.
They were withered branches the same color as her skin, except