The Demonic Venerable’s Thrall

Over three months had passed since Su Xiaoxiao was forcibly taken to the Demonic Realm.

Her frame was emaciated, clad only in a single, flimsy white robe. Ill-fitting, its wide neckline hung open, exposing the pale skin of her chest, marred by a scattered constellation of kiss marks and teeth imprints.

Chains bound her ankles, confining her movements strictly within the confines of this single room.

These nightmarish days, during which she had become Demonic Venerable Xiyue’s personal thrall, had stretched on for an unbearable length of time.

A searing pain, as though her body had been torn in two, racked Su Xiaoxiao. She had no recollection of how long she had drifted in this stupor, until the sound of a door being pushed open roused her, and she blearily forced her eyes open.

The one who entered was none other than Demonic Venerable Xiyue, the very architect of her torment over these agonizing months.

“I hear you haven’t touched a drop of water all day.”

Su Xiaoxiao refused to utter a single word to her, an act of defiance that predictably incensed the other. The immense disparity in their physical forms and cultivation levels rendered Su Xiaoxiao utterly powerless; she couldn’t even muster the strength to break free from Xiyue’s iron grip.

It was only when Su Xiaoxiao’s face contorted in undeniable agony that Xiyue finally loosened her hold.

Su Xiaoxiao slumped onto the bed, wracked by a fit of violent, choking coughs.

Back in the South Sea, she had rarely known sadness or shed a tear.

The clan elders had always taught her that a merperson’s tears were precious treasures, not to be shed lightly when venturing beyond their home.

Yet, in these grueling days, Su Xiaoxiao felt as though she had wept away every tear she had accumulated over her three centuries of life.

Her voice trembled, her eyes blazing crimson as she declared, “I hate you.”

Xiyue seemed to find her words immensely amusing. After a brief, stunned pause, she scoffed, “Do you, this foolish little fish, even comprehend what hatred truly means?”

Her hand, reaching beneath Su Xiaoxiao’s inner garment, gently caressed her flat abdomen.

“Before, you fought me with such desperate fervor, as if life itself was unbearable. Now you refuse even a sip of water. Tell me, that little fish in your belly—are you truly intent on abandoning it now?”

****

The skies of the Demonic Realm were perpetually shrouded in a pervasive gloom, as if draped in a veil of black gauze. A faint, metallic tang of blood permeated the humid air.

The current Demonic Venerable, Xiyue, was a Flood Dragon—a species long believed extinct in this world. The only true dragons remaining were the Heavenly Monarchs of Shanghua Heaven, who held dominion over both the Celestial and Mortal Realms.

Three millennia prior, Xiyue had emerged from obscurity to slay the previous Demonic Venerable. Her methods were ruthless and swift; in a mere seven days, she purged the entire Demonic Realm of any who harbored rebellious inclinations.

From then on, Xiyue’s high position remained unchallenged. While the demonic race was inherently tyrannical and cruel, Xiyue herself was notoriously capricious. Rumor had it she held the inhabitants of Shanghua Heaven in utter disdain, having repeatedly provoked them over the course of a millennium.

Deep-seated animosity simmered between the immortal and demonic races. Ten millennia ago, during a grand war, the current Heavenly Emperor, then merely the Crown Princess, found herself locked in a fierce and desperate struggle. It was at this critical juncture that the immortal faction unexpectedly gained the formidable power of the merfolk, a reclusive race that had remained hidden from the world for countless years.

For tens of thousands of years, the merfolk race had dwelled in isolation within the secret realm of the South Sea. They rarely ventured forth and steadfastly refused to partake in worldly conflicts. This venerable race excelled in the art of medicine, and their island, blessed by propitious celestial timing, geographical advantage, and harmonious inhabitants, teemed with innumerable immortal herbs and precious treasures.

The world remained ignorant of the terms the immortal race had offered, terms so compelling they swayed the merfolk to fight alongside them. Following the immortal faction’s resounding victory, the Crown Princess ascended the throne, and the merfolk’s designated clan leader astonishingly entered into a marriage alliance with her.

The demonic race remained stagnant and disheartened for several millennia, until the formidable Flood Dragon, Xiyue, burst onto the scene.

Rumors held that Xiyue harbored profound disdain for the denizens of Shanghua Heaven, perpetually seeking conflict and repeatedly disrupting the immortal race’s peace over the course of millennia.

****

Three months prior.

It was Empress Yunjie’s sixteenth-thousandth birthday, and the Heavenly Monarch, in her honor, hosted a grand banquet, sending out invitations far and wide. The reclusive merfolk race, who seldom ventured beyond their hidden realm, dispatched a contingent of their younger generation to experience the broader world.

At the pinnacle of the Nine Heavens.

Beneath their feet, lakes shimmered and mountains soared. Immortal clouds drifted lazily, swirling high and low, near and far.

Outside the grand gates of Shanghua Heaven, a group of men and women, adorned in robes patterned with ice-ocean blue, white, and golden lotuses, proceeded together. Though their attire was understated, it merely served to accentuate their already remarkable visages, making them appear peerlessly beautiful, with eyes of pristine clarity. All, save for the one leading them, couldn’t help but gasp in awe.

The leader glanced back, a faint frown creasing her brow, and admonished in a low, displeased tone, “Stay close.”

She then cautioned the other merfolk, “Each of you looks as if your eyeballs are about to pop out.”

“Yes.”

“Have you already forgotten my instructions before we departed? Curb your excessive curiosity.” The woman, who appeared to be in her early thirties, was in fact tens of thousands of years old and exuded a remarkably steady temperament.

The merfolk race seemed to enjoy exceptional favor from the heavens, occupying lands imbued with the most potent spiritual energy. Every member of their clan, regardless of gender or age, possessed an undeniably striking appearance.

Gazing at the young merfolk, none of whom had yet seen their thousandth year, she couldn’t help but sigh. “Later, remember to conduct yourselves with decorum. It is Elder Yunjie’s birthday, and you must not bring shame upon her.”

Empress Yunjie, by rights, should have been the current clan leader of the merfolk. However, ten millennia ago, she fell in love with the then-Crown Princess, who would later become the Heavenly Monarch. Since the Heavenly Monarch’s ascension, they had, over the course of ten millennia, conceived and raised a daughter.

It was precisely this profound connection that, when the merfolk stood shoulder to shoulder with the immortal race, led to the decisive defeat of the demonic forces and established the current order.

The merfolk race had maintained their reclusive existence for countless years. For the past ten millennia, aside from dispatching annual tributes for Yunjie’s birthday, they had never once sent envoys to Shanghua Heaven at any other time.

Su Xiaoxiao was one of these young merfolk, though fate had dealt her a particularly cruel hand. Her curiosity had led her astray, leaving her disoriented and lost.

Never before had she set foot in Shanghua Heaven. After wandering for what felt like an eternity, her throat was parched, and with no idea how to return, she grew so distressed she was on the verge of tears.

‘Oh no, oh no,’ she fretted, ‘I’m surely in for a scolding from the elder.’

So consumed by worry that tears pricked her eyes, she failed to notice a strikingly beautiful woman, clad in white robes with subtle, intricate patterns, materialize silently behind her.

“You are… from the merfolk clan, aren’t you?”

At the sound, Su Xiaoxiao turned. Though the woman had addressed her, her face remained cold, her eyes holding an inscrutable, shadowed depth.

“V-venerable Immortal, greetings.”

The elder had sternly cautioned them upon their arrival: in Shanghua Heaven, they must observe the strictest decorum. For junior merfolk like themselves, addressing any stranger as ‘Venerable Immortal’ was always the safest and most respectful course, regardless of recognition.

Su Xiaoxiao, recalling the elder’s admonition, had been utterly disoriented moments ago. Now, with a person finally appearing, she timidly inquired, “Venerable Immortal, do you happen to know the location of the birthday banquet? This junior is visiting for the first time and has, has become rather lost. I humbly beg the Venerable Immortal to point me in the right direction.”

Xiyue slowly fanned herself with a folding fan, her beautiful peach blossom eyes narrowed in amusement. She had been lurking in the shadows, watching this foolish fish wander aimlessly back and forth, utterly unable to navigate her way out.

‘She indeed has some charm,’ Xiyue mused, ‘truly a merperson. Her long blue hair is as soft and flowing as seaweed, her face exquisitely delicate and fair, her figure slender and graceful, and her skin as luminous as moonlight. Yet, her intellect and cultivation seem rather lacking.’ The clueless woman, with her bewildered, sapphire-blue eyes, gazed up innocently at the woman before her.

Xiyue’s expression remained impassive as she replied, “I naturally know.”

Su Xiaoxiao’s previously bewildered eyes now brightened with sudden joy as she eagerly asked, “Is Venerable Immortal also attending the birthday banquet?”

Xiyue gracefully accepted the opening. “Indeed,” she replied. “However, I seem to have misplaced my invitation. If you, little fool… ah, if you, little immortal, would be so kind as to bring me along, I shall accompany you to the main hall.”

Recently, numerous overt and covert conflicts had erupted between the demonic and immortal races. Consequently, the security measures for this Empress’s birthday banquet in Shanghua Heaven were far more stringent than ever before.

Of course, Xiyue could have easily infiltrated the premises. However, entry to the banquet required a document bearing the Heavenly Monarch’s personal imprint.

Xiyue had been waiting there, initially intending to ambush some unfortunate soul and seize their invitation. Instead of a prime target, she had stumbled upon a mere little fish with exceedingly low cultivation.

Su Xiaoxiao, however, gave little thought to such complexities. Unaware of Shanghua Heaven’s strict protocols, her mind was fixated on the urgent need to return. She feared the elder would discover her absence and she would be punished.

She hastily nodded.

Xiyue, satisfied, folded her fan, and together with Su Xiaoxiao, they set off toward the location of the birthday banquet.

This fish was truly foolish. Not only was her spiritual power meager, but she answered every question Xiyue posed, completely devoid of caution or suspicion.

“Did your merfolk clan come here to sign a pact with the immortal race, to together resist the demonic race?”

“Resist the demonic race? No, we’re here to attend Elder Yunjie’s birthday banquet, aren’t we?”

Perhaps not entirely foolish after all.

Xiyue’s brow furrowed almost imperceptibly. She was always suspicious by nature and clearly did not believe Su Xiaoxiao’s words.

Just as she was about to probe further, Su Xiaoxiao, impatient with her slow pace, suddenly grabbed her sleeve. “Venerable Immortal! If we don’t hurry back, I truly will be punished. Please, could you hasten your noble steps!”

Su Xiaoxiao’s eyes were clear and brimming with genuine sincerity as she spoke.

Xiyue found herself being pulled along by her.

Upon reaching the entrance to the banquet, they were, as expected, stopped.

The merfolk’s attire, appearance, and the unique spiritual aura emanating from Su Xiaoxiao immediately identified her. Given that the current Empress was a merperson, the Heavenly Soldiers dared not offend her. They magnanimously allowed Su Xiaoxiao to enter.

However, when Xiyue attempted to follow, she was halted.

Ordinarily, Xiyue would have simply taken the life of the soldier blocking her path, but today, an important matter was at hand. Instead, she merely called out to Su Xiaoxiao ahead, “Did you perhaps forget about me?”

The Heavenly Soldier looked perplexed. Xiyue stated coolly, “We came together, didn’t we?”

She had claimed to be attending, but had merely lost her invitation. In Su Xiaoxiao’s eyes, there was nothing amiss with this. She nodded towards the Heavenly Soldier. “That’s right, we came together.”

In the past ten millennia, the merfolk clan had never dispatched so many members to Shanghua Heaven.

Due to the harmonious relationship with the Empress, the Heavenly Monarch had personally decreed before the banquet that the merfolk were to be treated as honored guests, not to be offended.

Xiyue, leveraging Su Xiaoxiao’s presence, effortlessly blended into the main hall of the birthday banquet.

As Empress Yunjie’s clan relatives, the merfolk’s seating was naturally positioned toward the front. Xiyue, benefiting from Su Xiaoxiao’s unwitting assistance, took a seat at the very back of the merfolk section, right beside Su Xiaoxiao.

She heard the little fish sighing, pressing a hand to her barely-there chest. “Phew, good thing the elder didn’t notice.”

A companion from her clan spotted her and quietly asked, “Where did you go?”

Su Xiaoxiao offered a shy smile. “I got lost.”