First Meeting

“Stop.”

Bai Ci’s descending scythe froze mid-air, the blade mere centimeters from Qi Qiao.

When had arms wrapped around his waist?

Delicate, snow-white arms—so out of place against his body shrouded in black mist.

Yet the dark fog didn’t resist them. Instead, it merged seamlessly with the soft golden light radiating from her skin.

Two opposing forces—annihilation and light—flowed together in perfect harmony, creating a beauty so profound it defied words.

“Hmm…?”

For the first time, a flicker of emotion stirred in Bai Ci’s hollow eyes.

He felt himself trapped in endless darkness.

Struggling desperately, his body was immobilized by thick, sticky black sludge. Around him: only suffocating mist and pulsating, fleshy red walls like living flesh.

Time passed—how long, he couldn’t tell—until suddenly, a beam of light pierced through the sludge enveloping him.

So bright. So warm.

Like a drowning man grasping at salvation, Bai Ci chased the source of that light.

If I can just reach it…

He clawed through the black fog blocking his path.

“Don’t go…”
“Stay… stay with us…”

Voices whispered—near curses—trying to drag his consciousness into eternal decay. But the warmth of that light wrapped around him, shielding his last shred of sanity.

What is… that?

At the edge of darkness, Bai Ci found the source.

Guided by its glow, he tore open a crack in the void and lunged toward the other side.

Ah!

Bai Ci snapped his eyes open. Blinding sunlight made him instinctively raise a hand to shield his face. The next moment, the soft warmth pressed against his back told him something was off…

“You’re awake?” A voice, ethereal and tinged with quiet relief, came from behind.

He turned his head—and met a pair of golden eyes filled with concern. The girl’s face was so close he could feel her breath.

Those familiar golden irises. Her lashes lowered slightly. Her flawless face flushed faintly pink.

It was her—the mysterious girl from before. But hadn’t she left already?

And without even letting me finish my sentence…

So why was she hugging me now?

Bai Ci stared, mind drifting into meaningless questions.

Uh…

They locked eyes for a moment before the girl realized how intimate her actions were. She pulled her arms away like a startled fawn.

“Don’t get the wrong idea! I was just… helping you!” She shot Bai Ci a glare.

“Helping me?”

Bai Ci vaguely remembered the Holy Heaven Army trying to kill him, then fusing with Annihilation energy…

After that, his consciousness had been sealed in darkness—until that light guided him back, dispelling the chaos.

“So… was that light… you?”

Bai Ci asked, puzzled.

“Sort of,” the girl said playfully, sticking out her tongue.

Bai Ci looked down at his hands. The black mist was slowly fading. Recalling the malicious void he’d been trapped in, he shivered.

He scanned the surroundings—the collapsed Holy Heaven soldiers, Qi Qiao unconscious nearby.

“These… are they…?”

Still haunted by the memory of falling into darkness, Bai Ci already had a rough guess.

The girl stepped in front of him, her golden eyes reflecting his own face.

Softly, she said: “Your power—it grants absolute destruction of all material existence, the dissolution of concepts… but at the cost of losing your rationality, consumed by negative emotions.”

Bai Ci knew she was almost entirely correct. After fusing with Annihilation energy, the sensation of being possessed by another soul was far from pleasant.

Was this the negative effect of the Blood of Annihilation?

If the girl hadn’t pulled him from that darkness today, he might’ve spiraled into irreversible rampage…

Bai Ci regretted not choosing a different title. This downside was way too sinister.

Being a hero wouldn’t have been so bad, right?

“Anyway… thanks,” Bai Ci muttered, embarrassed. He’d wanted to save her, yet ended up being saved by her.

“Mm… consider it a reward for your heroic act.”

“But, honestly? I could’ve escaped anytime. No one can stop me if I really want to leave…” She shrugged helplessly.

“Who told you to cut me off and run off playing the cool savior?”

“That noble ‘You go, I’ll hold them!’ act… it was kinda hard to say no to.”

Bai Ci winced. His righteous,passionate move sounded embarrassingly cheesy when she put it like that.

“But what about this mess? What will you do?”

She gestured toward the unconscious Qi Qiao at their feet.

What indeed?

Maybe just… finish it.

Cautiously, Bai Ci shaped a jet-black dagger from annihilation energy.

Not falling into the dark state again—he exhaled in relief.

So that’s it. As long as he avoided the extreme fusion form—the full transformation into the Annihilation Witch—using basic abilities wouldn’t steal his mind.

A small comfort.

From now on, never fuse with the Annihilation Witch unless absolutely necessary. Save it as a last resort.

As Bai Ci approached Qi Qiao with the dagger, the girl made no move to stop him. Instead, she casually remarked:

“Her father is Qi Yue—the Supreme Commander of the Holy Heaven Army, one of the strongest warriors in the Yundu Empire.”

“If you kill her, he’ll mobilize the entire empire’s forces to hunt down her killer. And trust me… they’ll find you.”

!!!

Forget it.

Hearing her calm explanation, Bai Ci dissolved the dagger in his hand.

“How about we just leave before she wakes up?” Bai Ci proposed Plan B.

“What else? Want to carry her somewhere to heal her, then dream she’ll wake up and thank you with gratitude?” The girl raised an eyebrow, staring at him with mock pity.

Yeah, better not.

“Hurry up and go, you big dummy…!”

She was right. Best to leave this place quickly.

Not long after leaving the battlefield, the two wandered aimlessly through the wild, uninhabited wilderness.

Why were there two of them?

The girl claimed she was fascinated by Bai Ci’s power.

Bai Ci needed her to snap him out of Annihilation Witch rampages when necessary.

Thus, a mutual agreement was formed: long-term cooperation moving forward.

“Why can you… pull me back from that state?” Under a quiet clearing in the forest, Bai Ci finally voiced the question burning in his heart.

Xiya tilted her head, then suddenly rose on her toes, leaning close to his ear:

“Because I’m…”

Warm breath tickled his ear, sending a strange heat through him.

Then she pulled back, giggling, twirling a strand of hair around her finger.

“I won’t tell you, hehe~”

This annoyingly playful attitude… why does she remind me of someone?

Bai Ci sighed. Since she didn’t want to say, he wouldn’t press further.

But seeing Bai Ci lose interest, the girl seemed oddly dissatisfied.

“Maybe if you asked a few more times, I would tell you?”

“No lies. Tell me—do you really want to know or not?”

“Yes.”

“Even if knowing means you might die?”

“I won’t die.”

“Haha, just kidding~ Don’t take it seriously.” Seeing Bai Ci tense up, the girl laughed mischievously.

“Do you remember the story I told you about the Demon King and the Demon Lords?”

Bai Ci thought for a moment, then nodded.

The Demon King bestowed his blood upon seven Demon Lords, who then created the demon races.

With overwhelming force, demons ruled all other races—until the Demon King vanished. The Demon Lords fought among themselves, were eventually sealed by the united forces of the continent, and demons lost dominion.

That was Bai Ci’s complete knowledge of the world’s demonic history.

“Before I give you that answer… do you want to know who I am?”

The girl stretched lazily, glancing away.

“Aren’t you the Saintess of this empire?” Bai Ci clearly remembered the Holy Heaven Army calling her “Saintess.”

That couldn’t be wrong, right?

“Oh?” She chuckled softly—a sound like wind chimes, yet layered with unspoken emotion.

“Well, I was planning to keep pretending to be the Saintess and tease you a little longer.”

A strange purple aura rose from her feet, swiftly engulfing her like a living mist.

?

What… is happening…

Bai Ci stood frozen.

The purple energy swirled around her like sentient smoke. Her crimson hair gradually shifted into dreamy lavender. Her radiant golden eyes transformed into mesmerizing pink, glowing with eerie, enchanting light.

“But since someone already promised from the heart… that they’d tell me their name next time we meet?” Her voice was now lazy, teasing.

Two translucent, delicate horns sprouted from her temples. Her butterfly wings unfurled fully, scattering shimmering motes of light.

“Let me introduce myself—I am the only Demon Lord in this world who has never been sealed.”

She smiled, revealing two sharp fangs, then dipped into a graceful curtsy—twirling lightly in the air, skirt fluttering.

“Pleased to meet you.” She landed before Bai Ci, extending a slender finger. A soft glow danced at her fingertip as she gently tapped his chest.

“My name is Xiya—the Demon Lord of Light and Dreams.”

“Please take care of me~”