A Demon’s Captive

The Merfolk, while naturally gifted healers, were notoriously lax in cultivating their spiritual power. Young merfolk, in particular, were described by the elders as nothing more than overgrown children, perpetually indulging in eating, sleeping, and playing.

Su Xiaoxiao was no exception. During her time in the South Sea, she had been so engrossed in play that her cultivation had become utterly abysmal. Xiyue, a formidable demon overlord, could have easily ensnared her with a mere glance, let alone now, when she was physically restrained by the sharp talons of Xiyue, who had reverted to her true, monstrous form.

It wasn’t for lack of trying; Su Xiaoxiao had already expended all her spiritual energy in a desperate bid to escape. However, to Xiyue, her struggles were no more than a faint tickle.

Moreover, Xiyue’s voice cut through the air, laden with menace. “Do you believe,” she threatened, “that with just a gentle squeeze, I could shatter you into a thousand pieces?”

Su Xiaoxiao, of course, believed every word.

Even the Merfolk, dwelling in the remote South Sea and rarely venturing beyond its waters, had heard countless tales of the notorious demon overlord, Xiyue.

“What is it, what is it you truly want?” Su Xiaoxiao’s voice trembled, her fear palpable. Tears welled in her sapphire-like eyes, refusing to fall, brimming with a terror and helplessness that seemed to articulate the profound despair within her.

The greatest peril she had ever faced in her entire life had been nothing more than an accidental scrape to her tail on a jagged reef.

She racked her brain, deducing only that Xiyue was using her as a means to escape. Logically, once they had departed Shanghua Heaven, she should have been set free.

Yet, Xiyue did no such thing. Instead, she seized Su Xiaoxiao and returned to the Demon Realm.

****

A realm of bloodied seas and mountains of corpses, where the strong mercilessly preyed upon the weak.

Seemingly frail, boneless minor demons struck with terrifying ferocity and speed, felling demon spawn many times their own size, then eagerly licked the blood from their hands. Every horrific scene on the journey back to the Demon Palace was something Su Xiaoxiao had never before witnessed.

What filled her with the most profound dread was a colossal black stone mountain. Emaciated figures, draped in tattered rags, their exposed limbs bleeding in various hues, were being relentlessly flogged as they hauled basket after basket of black stone.

“What… what is that…?” Su Xiaoxiao’s voice vibrated with uncontrollable terror.

Xiyue, however, paid her no mind. Upon reaching the grand hall of the Demon Clan, she casually flung Su Xiaoxiao to the side.

Xiyue had more pressing matters to attend to. The demons who had gathered around were exceedingly curious about the merfolk their Demon Venerable had brought back.

“It’s a merfolk! Did Your Venerable Highness journey to the South Sea?”

“Merfolk truly are exquisite creatures. Just look at that delicate face, that figure, so utterly pale with fright.”

“I’ve heard certain merfolk blood possesses potent healing properties. Allow me to have a taste.”

Su Xiaoxiao was utterly terrified, desperately scrambling backward. Only when Xiyue finally spoke did their predatory attention shift.

“Where is Chiku?” Xiyue, perched on the elevated throne, spoke with an ominous edge to her voice. Instantly, all thoughts of Su Xiaoxiao vanished from the demons’ minds. They recoiled, daring not to utter a single sound.

It was then that the snake demon spawn, Chiku, timidly stepped forward.

“Your Venerable Highness, you summoned me, but—”

His words were abruptly severed as Xiyue, transforming her arm into a formidable dragon’s claw, decapitated him. A crimson spray painted the grand hall, and his head, still contorted in a mask of terror, tumbled to the floor, his eyes wide and unseeing.

Xiyue’s movements were so blindingly fast that Su Xiaoxiao couldn’t even register what had happened before her vision was overwhelmed by a splash of crimson.

“Ah!!!”

Having never witnessed such a gruesome spectacle, she shrieked in sheer terror, drawing Xiyue’s displeasure. After a single, chilling glare, Xiyue averted her gaze, dismissing her entirely.

Su Xiaoxiao quickly clapped a hand over her mouth and scurried behind a grand pillar in the hall, desperate to hide, convinced that she would be the next one to meet such a gruesome end.

“Your Venerable Highness, what exactly is happening?” a bewildered demon dared to inquire.

Xiyue’s transformed claw remained stained with blood. She cast a chilling, warning gaze upon those below. “He colluded with the Bird Tribe,” she declared in a frigid tone, “seeking to curry favor with the Immortal Clan. He was a traitor.”

No one dared utter another sound.

Whether Xiyue possessed an exceptionally generous spirit or simply regarded Su Xiaoxiao, this minor merfolk, as utterly insignificant, she proceeded to discuss the Demon Clan’s most confidential affairs without the slightest hesitation or discretion.

Only after the weighty discussions had concluded did someone finally remember the trembling Su Xiaoxiao, still cowering behind the pillar.

“Your Venerable Highness, what should be done with this fish you’ve brought back?”

A demon ventured, “Perhaps Your Venerable Highness should consume her. Your previous injuries have yet to fully mend, and folk legends claim the flesh and blood of merfolk can prolong life, cure ailments, and heal wounds.”

“Is that so? The version I recall states that dual cultivation with a merfolk can significantly enhance one’s cultivation.”

The clamor of their many voices became utterly vexing.

Xiyue raised a hand, silencing them with a curt command to disperse. “This journey to Shanghua Heaven was not entirely fruitless,” she declared, “aside from eliminating the traitor.”

She cast a fleeting glance toward Su Xiaoxiao’s hiding spot before continuing, “There might be unforeseen complications between the Merfolk and the Immortal Clan. Keep this fish for now.”

A hushed silence seemed to fall over the hall, and Su Xiaoxiao dared not even peek from her hiding place.

It wasn’t until a pair of black and gold boots appeared directly before her that Su Xiaoxiao dared to look up. Xiyue’s peerless face, framed by snow-white hair bound with a jade-inlaid, gilded crown, bore an expression both resolute and inviolable. Her calm, peach-blossom eyes betrayed nothing, her graceful features perfectly composed. Vibrant red lips curved into a mocking smile as she looked down from her imposing height. “Your tail is showing from fright.”

Su Xiaoxiao cast her gaze downward, only then realizing that, at some point, her legs had involuntarily reverted to a shimmering blue and white fish tail.

So overwhelming was her fear that, in her sheer panic, she had failed to conceal her magnificent tail.

It was Xiyue’s first glimpse of a merfolk’s tail. Su Xiaoxiao’s scales, a luminous blue and white, shimmered with an ethereal glow, paradoxically enhancing the captivating beauty of her terrified face.

Xiyue was a flood dragon, yet before her transformation, she had been nothing more than a snake, birthed from the most squalid and debased chaos of the Demon Realm.

Though she had ascended to the form of a flood dragon, the fundamental essence of her nature remained largely unaltered.

Xiyue was a demon, and the denizens of the Demon Clan were notorious for acting without restraint or principle. Whatever they coveted, whatever they wished to achieve, they would relentlessly pursue it by any means necessary.

Su Xiaoxiao possessed an undeniable beauty and charm. Coupled with the Merfolk’s unique allure and mystique, Xiyue needed only a moment’s contemplation to realize precisely what she desired.

She extended a hand, gently brushing Su Xiaoxiao’s cheek. The gesture was deceptively soft, yet in Su Xiaoxiao’s terrified eyes, it was the flicking tongue of a serpent, ready to devour her into the abyssal depths.

“You will remain here, in the Demon Realm.”

Su Xiaoxiao’s fish tail quivered almost imperceptibly as she choked out, “You’ve already departed Shanghua Heaven. When will you finally release me?”

Xiyue, notoriously impatient, had just told Su Xiaoxiao to remain, and this foolish fish immediately asked when she would be released.

“Remember, I dislike repeating myself.”

She glanced at Su Xiaoxiao’s large tail, seemingly finding it peculiar, and, quite uncharacteristically, picked her up directly.

On the way back to her sleeping quarters, Su Xiaoxiao struggled fiercely, irritating Xiyue. As a demon, Xiyue was never one for gentleness; upon reaching her chambers, she unceremoniously tossed Su Xiaoxiao onto the ground. The fall was painful, naturally, but Su Xiaoxiao barely registered it.

She forced herself to calm down, transforming her fish tail back into legs, then scrambled up, limping as she tried to flee.

Such a small ploy naturally couldn’t escape Xiyue’s notice. The demon lord didn’t even bother to contend with her, merely waving a hand just as Su Xiaoxiao was about to reach the chamber door. The door, as if locked, refused to budge. With another wave of Xiyue’s hand, the sheer draperies on the bed seemed to spring to life, rushing towards Su Xiaoxiao, binding her hands and feet tightly, and roughly dragging her back.

Stumbling and falling, Su Xiaoxiao could no longer control herself. Her falling tears transformed into tiny, luminous pearls, scattering across the floor and the bed.

Xiyue, far from relenting, picked up a pearl and examined it.

“Interesting.”

Su Xiaoxiao, bound to the bed, couldn’t break free. Her mind was blank; she no longer knew how to face such a situation, unable even to speak.

Xiyue didn’t waste words with her. Instead, she produced a dagger.

Su Xiaoxiao watched in abject horror as Xiyue’s slender, porcelain-like fingers, with their long, elegant knuckles, held the blade. The Merfolk were inherently terrified of such knives and sharp weapons. Fishermen on the South Sea coast, having caught a fish, would swiftly gut it with a single stroke. Merfolk lived in the water; they were, after all, a type of fish, and thus, naturally fearful.

“A few days ago, I was too eager in my cultivation and injured myself. I’ve heard that your merfolk blood possesses healing properties…”

No sooner had the words left her lips than, without the slightest hesitation, she sliced a gash across Su Xiaoxiao’s fair, tender arm. Warm blood welled forth, and the searing pain made Su Xiaoxiao forget to cry, instead letting out a piercing scream.