Chapter 373: The Celestial Demon's True Identity

However, Elder Taiyin had just leaped into the sky when his vision went dark. The Celestial Demon's other giant hand was already blocking the space above his head.

The next moment, before Elder Taiyin could even react, the Celestial Demon's giant hand slowly closed, gripping his body.

Elder Taiyin was horrified. "Lord Celestial Demon, what are you doing? I am your faithful follower! Have you forgotten the millennia of loyal worship the Celestial Demon Sect has offered you?"

However, the colossal Celestial Demon gave no response. Its giant hand, gripping Elder Taiyin, simply squeezed slightly.

In an instant, blood splattered everywhere as Elder Taiyin exploded. His body was crushed into a paste, and his round head flew high into the air, its wide eyes staring blankly at Shen Daoxing.

Even at the moment of his death, Elder Taiyin couldn't understand why the great Celestial Demon would be so deferential to a mere boy.

While Elder Taiyin died without understanding, Shen Daoxing was just as bewildered. He looked up, staring blankly at the powerful Celestial Demon before him, unable to process what had just happened.

While Shen Daoxing was still dazed, the lava surged deep within the crater of Demon Mountain. A small red snake then slowly floated up, arriving in the great hall built into the mountainside.

Along with it came everyone who had previously fallen into the lava: Chu Guifeng, Tao Ying, Xin, Elder Mu, and the others, as well as the Golden-Eyed Treasure-Seeking Rat and Chi Yi.

"Where are we?"

At that moment, Chu Guifeng, Tao Ying, and the others were also completely bewildered. All they remembered was a mysterious old man—the apparent mastermind behind everything—who had appeared and, with a mere wave of his hand, knocked them all into the lava.

Chu Guifeng, Tao Ying, and the others had all been certain of their deaths, yet in the blink of an eye, they found themselves back in the great hall.

Chu Guifeng froze. Suddenly recalling the terrifying old man from before, he raised his spear in alarm, ready to fight for his life.

But when he looked, the old man was nowhere to be seen. He scanned his surroundings more carefully, only to be startled by the sight of the man's round, severed head lying quietly nearby, its eyes wide open.

Huh?

Chu Guifeng froze, then reached out and nudged Ma Wan beside him in disbelief. He nudged him a few times, but Ma Wan was completely unresponsive.

He quickly looked and saw Ma Wan staring blankly ahead, his eyes filled with utter astonishment.

Puzzled, Chu Guifeng followed Ma Wan's gaze, and what he saw left him even more astounded.

Outside the great hall, the colossal Celestial Demon—the Evil Demon feared throughout the entire East Continent—was kneeling respectfully before Shen Daoxing, its expression one of complete reverence.

Chu Guifeng and Ma Wan's eyes widened in unison. They exchanged a look of utter disbelief.

'Just who is this Shen Daoxing, to make an otherworldly Celestial Demon kneel and obey him so humbly?'

The two of them became increasingly certain that there was far more to Shen Daoxing than met the eye.

Just then, the peak of Demon Mountain began to shake violently, and everyone felt the world tremble around them.

A vast amount of red mist suddenly surged from the body of the kneeling Celestial Demon, completely shrouding its figure.

A moment later, the massive cloud of Demonic Qi abruptly retracted.

In the instant the Demonic Qi receded, the Celestial Demon's colossal body vanished.

In its place, a tall, slender woman with a graceful bearing slowly emerged from the red Demonic Qi.

The woman had delicate features: a classic oval face, a pair of captivating, slanted phoenix eyes, and gracefully curved, willow-like brows. A tight-fitting, magnificent red robe accentuated her voluptuous figure.

However, her exposed skin was unusual. It possessed a faint red hue that gave her an exotic allure, and dark red patterns running across it added to her mysterious air.

After appearing, the beautiful woman descended into the great hall. She gracefully approached Shen Daoxing, placed her hands at her waist, and performed a deep bow. "Master!"

Shen Daoxing blinked. "Celestial Demon?"

The beautiful woman nodded gently.

Shen Daoxing was stunned. He carefully looked the woman before him up and down, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't connect her with the ferocious Celestial Demon from moments ago.

"I told you, the Celestial Demon is nothing more than a bed-warming handmaiden for the Venerable Supreme."

The small red snake's ancient, world-weary voice suddenly rang out.

Shen Daoxing turned toward the voice and saw that Elder Blood Dragon had appeared by his side at some unknown point.

Hearing this, the beautiful woman's expression flickered, and she gently waved her arm.

Suddenly, the floor of the great hall split apart. The churning lava below also parted, revealing a majestic palace hidden within.

The entire group floated into the air and descended slowly, flying into the majestic palace.

Afterward, the lava slowly closed once more, concealing the palace from view.

The next moment, Shen Daoxing found himself inside the palace.

He looked around and found himself in a magnificent bedchamber, where a large, opulent bed stood in the center of the room.

The beautiful woman slowly walked to the bedside, raised her hands, and began to remove her outer robe.

Shen Daoxing was taken aback. "What are you doing?"

Hearing this, the beautiful woman's face remained impassive. She moved behind Shen Daoxing and began to remove his outer clothes. "Master, I am your handmaiden. It is my duty to serve you."

'Serve me?'

Shen Daoxing was completely dumbfounded. He had never imagined things would take such a turn.

But when he recalled the Celestial Demon's ferocious appearance from earlier, a shiver ran down his spine, and he quickly reached out to stop her.

Then, Shen Daoxing shot an astonished look at the little red snake, who was snickering off to the side.

Elder Blood Dragon had repeatedly said the Celestial Demon was just a bed-warming handmaiden for the Venerable Supreme. Shen Daoxing had assumed Elder Blood Dragon was just joking—that it was a metaphor for her status. He never imagined it was literally true.

But Shen Daoxing simply couldn't reconcile the image of the Lord of the Nine Netherworlds, the Demon God from beyond the heavens, with the woman standing before him.

As if sensing Shen Daoxing's confusion, the little red snake began to speak. "Celestial Demon? Evil God? Bah! Those are just distorted rumors spread by the people of this world. Her current appearance is her true form. Her real name is Mola."

As it spoke, the little red snake raised its head, its gaze distant as if lost in deep recollection. Its expression held the weight of ages. "Back then, the battle of the Nine Heavens embroiled thousands of worlds. So many of us fell. Mola was one of them. She plummeted into the Lower Realm, her Divine Soul was damaged, and she lost her mind. Someone with ulterior motives exploited her, turning her into that Evil God you saw."

At this, the little red snake gave a scornful laugh. "Hmph. That damned Celestial Court. They not only destroyed everything we had, they tried to erase any trace of our existence. Killing a person isn't enough for them; they have to crush their spirit too. How marvelous!"