As soon as Nuwa's Forsaken Shade's words fell, the Red Demon's face twisted in surprise—after all, as a demon, its expressions weren't as nuanced as a human's.
"When… when did you get behind me?" the Red Demon exclaimed.
"Any time I want, I can appear behind you. Even if you are a demon—a Red Lotus Demon," Nuwa's Forsaken Shade replied.
Not only had Nuwa's Forsaken Shade broken free from the Red Lotus Demon's grasp, she had also identified exactly what kind of demon it was. It was safe to say she was extremely skilled.
Nuwa's Forsaken Shade's techniques were extraordinarily bizarre—a mix of sorcery and paper-crafting art. Even demons were baffled by her tricks.
"I'll… kill you!" the Red Lotus Demon suddenly craned its neck, its whole head twisting backward in a terrifying manner.
"Oh yeah? You can try," Nuwa's Forsaken Shade retorted, completely unafraid and looking perfectly calm.
"Rooooaaar—!"
The Red Lotus Demon roared as demonic energy boiled around it. The red mist transformed into countless sharp spears that shot toward Nuwa's Forsaken Shade, while fibrous roots snaked toward her like venomous serpents.
With a series of loud poofs, Nuwa's Forsaken Shade's body was pierced and instantly torn to shreds. But instead of flesh and blood, all that drifted down were bizarre pieces of shredded paper.
The Red Lotus Demon's attacks had no effect at all. No matter how many times it struck, it was only destroying paper effigies—it couldn't even graze Nuwa's Forsaken Shade.
The angrier the Red Lotus Demon grew, the more ferocious it became. All the red mist coalesced into a devil-like form, and even more horrifyingly, the roots twisted together into a giant serpent that rose up, lifting its head high at the edge of the cliff.
Nuwa's Forsaken Shade reappeared behind the Red Lotus Demon once again. She sneered, pressed two fingers to her lips, and began reciting a strange incantation.
In an instant, dozens of paper ghost soldiers emerged from the dirt—something I'd seen before, back when she had summoned them to fight us after harming Chloe.
These paper ghost soldiers were armed with swords, spears, and clubs. A Yin General rode a tall horse, charging forward to engage the serpents. The two sides clashed fiercely.
Since Nuwa's Forsaken Shade was behind the Red Lotus Demon again, it had to twist its head around once more. Nuwa's Forsaken Shade laughed softly and punched the Red Lotus Demon in the face. Its face was like dough—immediately denting under the blow. Sparks flew where her fist made contact; she had Fulu talismans on her hands. That punch dealt significant damage to the Red Lotus Demon—not only denting its face but also covering it in blood as sparks scorched across its skin.
"Damnable human—ahhh…!" the Red Lotus Demon roared. A wave of demonic energy swept toward Nuwa's Forsaken Shade like a tornado, sending her flying. The demonic mist surged after her, all of it lunging toward Nuwa's Forsaken Shade at once.
"Two losers, haven't you broken free yet?" Nuwa's Forsaken Shade cursed in sudden fury.
"Coming, coming!" The Bagua Sword on Big Beard suddenly flew up on its own, then split into several sword shadows that slashed through the demonic mist holding him.
Makaay then produced a Demon-Suppressing Talisman, chanted an incantation, and cast the spell. With a dull thud, the talisman suppressed the demonic mist before causing it to explode and vanish.
Makaay and Big Beard were now free and joined the fray, teaming up with Nuwa's Forsaken Shade against the Red Lotus Demon.
What the hell, how could you forget me? I'm still trapped! Hey!
But with those three now fighting, who had time to worry about me? Relying on others is never as good as relying on yourself. Even though the red mist had formed a hand gripping me tightly, the Red Lotus Demon was too distracted to maintain it. The grip loosened considerably. I struggled with all my might, broke partially free, and drew my Copper Coin Sword. With one slash, I cut through the demonic mist, and my body dropped freely to the ground.
The battle was intense. Although the Red Lotus Demon couldn't kill Nuwa's Forsaken Shade, she was also finding it difficult to injure it. After Makaay and Big Beard joined in, the situation improved slightly, but the Red Lotus Demon was extremely fierce and seemed capable of healing itself. A red light emitted from its wounded areas, and the injuries closed up.
"Makaay, what kind of demon is this? It's so powerful—it can't be defeated!" Big Beard exclaimed.
"As Nuwa's Forsaken Shade said, it's a Red Lotus Demon—a red lotus that has become a demon. It's probably over five hundred years old, which puts it at the strength of a Medium Demon," Makaay replied.
Big Beard patted his chest and said, "Thank goodness it's not a Great Demon. I've killed plenty of demons, but only minor ones. I've never encountered a Medium Demon before—I didn't expect it to be this fierce. If it were a Great Demon, it would be even more terrifying. How do you think a red lotus became a demon? Isn't it a medicinal herb?"
Makaay shook his head and said he didn't know. In Mount Zhongnan, anything was possible. It was better to finish it off as soon as possible. They were only human—if the battle dragged on and they ran out of stamina, they would be done for. They couldn't afford to delay.
Big Beard said he also wanted to kill it quickly, but how could they when the Red Lotus Demon kept healing itself?
Makaay admitted it was tricky, but that was the ability of medicinal demons—there was no easy way around it.
Just then, Nuwa's Forsaken Shade said to both of them, "Plant demons are afraid of fire. Burn it!"
"Yeah! Plant demons fear fire—it's their weakness!" Makaay was reminded by her and finally understood.
"Fire descends by heavenly decree, slaying demons in all six directions. Three Flavors True Fire—burn!" Makaay twisted a yellow Taoist talisman and threw it out. As he recited the incantation and pointed two fingers toward the sky, the talisman summoned a flow of true fire that poured down like magma, engulfing the Red Lotus Demon's body.