Wenya Sinking Deeper and Deeper

In the time that followed, Wen Ya maintained a facade of playing with the Jade Spirit Dragon while secretly scouring the land for Dream-Prolonging Stones. With the assistance of the Heavenly Demon Evil Eye, her harvest was bountiful.

As the sun dipped toward the horizon, Wen Ya was forced to return home. With a heart full of reluctance, she shed her silk stockings and princess shoes, donning her original trousers and cloth shoes for the journey back. Wearing those loathed old clothes made her skin crawl, but she had no other choice for now.

The moment she finished dinner and retreated to her room, she bolted the door and slipped back into the stockings and shoes, once again basking in the physical bliss of the demonic garments.

Using the stones she had gathered that day, Wen Ya manifested the centerpiece: the Gothic Lolita Dress. Looking at the breathtakingly ornate gown in her hands, she was overcome with joy. She slipped it on immediately, which triggered the inevitable “endurance ritual.”

Having been through this several times now, Wen Ya was a veteran of the pain. However, this time was different. The Gothic Lolita Dress covered a massive surface area; her entire upper body was suddenly wracked with agony, making it impossible for her to sit or stand still.

Left with no other option, she burrowed under her covers, using her sheer willpower to fight the pain. But with Wen Ya acting as an “internal mole” against her own nature, the defeat of her spiritual power was a foregone conclusion. Soon, the spiritual energy in her upper body retreated in total collapse. The demonic power claimed victory, taking root and spreading through her pores. In just a few days, her upper body would also transform into a demonic-affinity constitution.

Once the pain ebbed away, Wen Ya felt a wave of comfort wash over her entire frame. She fell into a blissful sleep, wrapped in the energy of the gown.

Now, Wen Ya slept in the Heavenly Demon Princess Gown every night. She spent the vast majority of her day in the outfit, removing it only for breakfast, dinner, and her brief walks through the streets of Nangong City. Consequently, the demonic energy of the gown was working to “demonize” her skin almost twenty-four hours a day.

Over the next few days, Wen Ya continued to gather fragments outside the city until she had manifested every single component.

Finally, her wish came true: she wore the full, completed Heavenly Demon Princess Gown in the real world. She wore the magnificent Gothic Lolita dress, the black silk pantyhose and princess shoes, her hands encased in long silk gloves, a shimmering gem necklace around her throat, and a delicate golden crown perched upon her head.

She was the living image of a cute little princess, yet the abyssal black theme of the attire marked her clearly as a princess of the dark forces. It was a perfect fit for her new identity as the Heavenly Demon Princess; Chen Ye had clearly spared no effort in his designs.

Clad in the full set, Wen Ya’s appearance and aura were elevated beyond measure. She exuded a sense of noble elegance that was both adorable and captivating.

Any person with a standard sense of beauty would find it impossible to resist her charm. One look would be enough to steal their gaze, forcing them to stop and stare. It would even be excusable if such a sight triggered certain “darker” fascinations in the beholder. Fortunately, the local folk were simple and kind-hearted, possessing enough self-control to restrain their impulses.

If the effect on others was this potent, the effect on Wen Ya herself was absolute. Women naturally have little resistance to beautiful clothes and jewelry, even more so at Wen Ya’s age. Combined with the aesthetic “beautification” of the Evil Eye toward all things dark, Wen Ya’s love for the gown bordered on fanaticism. She was convinced that this was the only outfit in the world that truly suited her, and she vowed to wear it forever.

Whenever this thought crossed her mind, she would instinctively stroke the fabric of the gown. Her hands, having frequently channeled demonic energy and been eroded by the black gloves, had long since achieved demonic affinity. Thus, when her hands touched the demonic fabric, the sensation of comfort was doubled. She was hopelessly addicted.

Touching the gown became a habit—a nervous tic she performed constantly. Whenever she felt upset during the day and couldn’t sleep to talk to Chen Ye, she would stroke the dress to soothe her nerves.

Lately, her interactions with Nangong Yi had become increasingly unpleasant. This wasn’t actually Nangong Yi’s fault; it was the combined manipulation of the Heavenly Demon Evil Eye and Mystic Ears. Even when he did nothing wrong, in Wen Ya’s eyes, he appeared as a fierce, cruel, and “bad” father.

Normally, Wen Ya would have been suspicious of her father’s “behavior” and investigated. But now that she had a “Dream Father” who satisfied her every whim, she simply didn’t care about Nangong Yi anymore. She only saw him at breakfast and dinner; she could endure those brief moments by ignoring him or refusing to speak.

Nangong Yi noticed her coldness, but he was too swamped with official duties to investigate personally. He asked “Third Uncle” to look into the cause, hoping to repair the relationship once he understood the problem. However, Third Uncle was already one of Chen Ye’s pawns. By entrusting the task to him, Nangong Yi ensured that his relationship with his daughter would only continue to spiral toward disaster.

Wen Ya had been obsessed with the gown for some time now, and the physical cost was heavy. The Heavenly Demon Princess Gown covered almost every inch of her; save for her head and neck, her entire body was under constant demonic erosion.

Unbeknownst to her, the process was remarkably effective. Everything from her neck down had been converted into a demonic-affinity constitution.

She could now feel the “bliss” of the gown over her entire body, driving her obsession even deeper. She took every possible opportunity to wear the full set. If it weren’t for the need for secrecy, she wouldn’t even have taken it off to bathe.

A vicious cycle had formed. Wen Ya was now physically and psychologically incapable of being without the gown, and the gown, in turn, continued to demonize her body to prepare her for her true awakening.

This was the horror of the “withdrawal reaction.” She was blind to the corruption of her flesh, seeing only the beauty of the dress. The demonization of her body had become irreversible.

However, her head and neck remained unaffected. Chen Ye knew he had to keep pushing.

While it would have been easy to trick her into creating a wig or a mask, Chen Ye realized such items would look out of place and ruin her natural cuteness. More importantly, they were too conspicuous and risked exposing her secret. After much thought, he abandoned that specific plan.

He also chose not to have her wear the golden crown yet. As the symbol of the Heavenly Demon Princess, the crown was not a mere ornament but a powerful magical construct.

Once she became a true Heavenly Demon Princess, the crown would instill within her a profound sense of identity, pride, and mission. She would take pride in her status and strive to be “worthy” of the title. Most importantly, the “sense of mission” would ensure she worked for the Primeval Heavenly Demon (Chen Ye) with proactive enthusiasm, rather than just following orders.

Beyond the gown’s influence, Wen Ya was also inadvertently training for her new role. Her control over demonic energy was becoming precise and masterful—a necessary talent for a Heavenly Demon Princess.

This was the result of constant practice, as she was always manifesting clothes and toys. Since manipulating demonic energy is fundamentally similar to manipulating spiritual power—something Wen Ya was already a prodigy at—she was learning at a terrifying speed. It was the perfect “pre-employment training.” Once she officially ascended to her title, she would be able to use her powers to help Chen Ye demonize other people and spirit beasts with ease.

Now that the full set was complete, Wen Ya changed into her regalia the moment she stepped outside Nangong City.

One day, she stood before the Jade Spirit Dragon and displayed the full ensemble. Again, she asked for his opinion.

The dragon knew nothing of the darkness behind the dress or its sinister name. He saw only the breathtaking beauty of his friend. He gasped, praising the magnificence of the gown and Wen Ya’s enchanting appearance. He concluded by telling her that the outfit suited her perfectly.

From that day on, whenever they played outside the city, Wen Ya wore the Heavenly Demon Princess Gown the entire time. The dragon grew used to it, accepting it as her “normal” clothes, and faithfully kept his promise never to tell a soul.