441: 427: Killing Curse 441: 427: Killing Curse The ripples on the lake surface became increasingly violent amid Shu Ci’s laughter, her voice filled with mocking mirth, “So this is the temperament of the current Monarch?” Her tone suddenly grew somber, “Has the Monarch, after staying so long in the Mortal World, forgotten that you are also a demon?” Arao unconsciously tightened her fingertips, yet she remained unshaken, “Even if I am a demon, I am still my master’s…” Shu Ci stated almost piercingly, “But what if he knew you were not just any demon, but our Demon Lord? Even though she had long been aware of this reality, when she heard Shu Ci so bluntly disclose her most feared and unsettling secret for the whole world to hear, her body couldn’t help but grow colder bit by bit. The girl’s cold, clear voice grew increasingly chilling in the night air, “He is the World Sword Master, a Golden Immortal from above, not even unsullied snow before he came to this world compares to his purity. Monarch, you say you are his… but have you ever asked if he dares to embrace you?” Under the pressure of her probing words, Arao felt a heart-wrenching pain and couldn’t help wanting to step back, but was shocked to find that at some point, her body had sunk into the lake water, up to her waist. Beneath her, the lake turned into a true Water Mirror, the other side of the mirror connected to the great darkness of the actual Demon World! Shu Ci’s voice rose again, “Humans always have tolerance for creatures weaker than themselves, using it to display their own sacred greatness, but they would use all means necessary to destroy those existences stronger than them that incite unease and jealousy.” “Monarch, your master is the leader of the humans, the most revered Golden Immortal of the Immortal World, involved in nearly every war between good and evil. Do you think he would sit idly by and watch a young Demon Lord grow stronger?” “In the world of swans, a crow is guilty from birth. You have witnessed countless lives and deaths and should know that natural enemies can never coexist.” Not far in front of Arao, the water surged, and on the surface of the mirror, the figure of a transparent girl appeared, “Monarch, we are the true kin.” “Shut up!” A sharp willow leaf blade hurled forth, blowing the water-formed figure into a drizzle of droplets. Arao’s pitch-black hair was quickly drenched by the droplets, she slowly lifted her head, her eyes heavy with thousands of gold willow catkins, the soul hidden within unshakeable, her pupils filled with steadfast light. The water encircling her waist twisted into a whirlpool, and she stepped back onto the surface of the lake, lightly tapping the mirror-like water twice with the tip of her foot. And so, the entire lakeside froze into ice! The great darkness beneath the Water Mirror was also sealed within the ice. As she lifted her arm, thousands of golden willow leaves fell silently into the ice-covered lake, creating circles of golden, sacred ripples. From the depths of the lake, Shu Ci’s angry and weak voice resounded, “You dare to seal me with a Killing Curse! Nation destroyed, family gone, as a Demon Lord, you dare——” “What dare I not do?” Arao’s expression was utterly calm, “The words I use most frequently to him are ‘Master taught me.’ He taught me a lot, he taught diligently, and I learned diligently. A single thought of goodness brings the Jishen, a single thought of evil brings the Fierce Ghost, therefore, whether I am a deity or a ghost is all within a single thought of mine.” She held her head high, not looking at the great darkness beneath her feet, “No matter how they hurt me, wrong me, loathe me, envy me, slander me, wish to see me eternally damned, filled with self-pity, plunged into darkness? I refuse to live according to others’ wishes. So what if I’m surrounded by darkness? Ahead of me, he holds a torch aloft for me, and though the path is narrow, I can see the road ahead clearly.” “I am Arao, the master’s disciple.” “So, what else should I not dare to do?” she said, each word distinct and lucid. As the last Golden Willow leaf disappeared into the Water Mirror, below the ice-covered lake, countless gold glints like fish wriggled and sparkled. The Demon Mark between Arao’s eyebrows flickered in and out, her wide sleeves with black and gold detailing fluttered in the wind, and suddenly her heart ached. She looked down expressionlessly, calmly observing the Blood Butterfly blossoming at her heart. Her brow furrowed briefly, then relaxed, her pale face breaking into a trembling smile. “So after all preparations, I still can’t escape cowardice.” The immense fear brought by the Killing Curse slowly crept over her. Arao, who had once lived hunched and broken in Wasteland City, always thought she did not fear death. But as she grew older in the Mortal World and began to have many things, she became timid, slowly fearing loss. Just as she recently lost the most precious person in her life. Suddenly Arao buried her face in her hands, tears trickling down through her fingers; those eyes were a gift from him. At this moment, she remembered again the man who had brought her endless light, the one who had taken a red string from his sword tassel and tied a gentle knot at the end of her hair, saying, “Do not be afraid.” Thinking of this, she began to cry out loud, her voice choked like the helpless child she had been in the bloodstained past, “Master, I’m scared…” As if her calmness and fearlessness against Shu Ci were just a façade, at this moment, the timid and useless her seemed to be the real her. Or perhaps, she was never meant to become a being as powerful as the Demon Lord. As the sky and light intertwined, the Killing Curse began to take effect. From the depths of the ice lake burst a rumbling, thunderous noise, the terrifying sound spawned by Shu Ci’s extreme rage. Above in the sky, a massive dark cloud of demons brewed, rolling with terrifying blood lightning; with every Blood Butterfly that blossomed on Arao, a fresh red bolt fell from the clouds striking right above her head. The cold wind raged, the earth roared, and among the slaughtering thunder. Arao on the ice lake swayed as if bearing the weight of a million resentful Demon Spirits, and a mountain of pressure on her shoulders, with not a moment’s chance to catch her breath. The blood lightning poured down like a waterfall. Suddenly, bending at the waist, her palm covered her lips, fresh blood flowing continuously through her fingers, mingling with her tears, bitterly filling her palm. More and more Blood Butterflies burst forth on Arao’s body, and the crashing thunderbolts grew heavier and heavier. She felt she should not be able to withstand such frightful might, not stubbornly biting her lip in defiance, sensibly collapsing amidst the heavy lightning, blood streaming from her seven orifices, her vision blurring. After all, there was no one here; even if she lost face, those who wanted to ridicule her wouldn’t see it. This Killing Curse must continue for three days and three nights. Three days later, even if her soul didn’t scatter, she would inevitably revert to her true form. Arao thought, if she could live, she preferred not to scatter her soul, even if she turned into a dusty bird like a crow, her master would probably still want her. She had destroyed the last hope for the Demon Clan’s resurgence by her own hands, earning what her master hoped for, a universal peace. Thus, without the Demon Clan, naturally, there would be no Demon Lord. Amid the thunderous roar, her consciousness drifted further away. If luck favored her, perhaps upon waking, she could see her master take her back into his embrace. Then, she would no longer be afraid. Because her master had always been her cure.