A few days later, in the Demonic Domain, far from the partially ruined palace of the Demon Empress, a large crack in the rocky mountain opened up to a dark tunnel, just wide enough for two people to walk side-by-side. The tunnel twisted and turned like a giant python, carrying with it a damp, cold air and the smell of wet stone and ash. The deeper one went, the fainter the light from the crack outside became, leaving only a thick, suffocating darkness and a feeling of absolute stillness.
The gloomy space was so quiet that all natural sounds—the wind whistling through the cracks, a drop of water splashing on a rock—became haunting, as if echoing from a great depth. After a winding section, the tunnel opened into a large cavern. In the center, on a decrepit stone platform, lay a massive stone coffin, etched with grotesque and chilling patterns.
"Creak!" The lid of the stone coffin rattled, letting out a grating groan that tore through the suffocating stillness of the tunnel. The initial gap was just a thin line, but the ancient carvings on the surface trembled with a slow rhythm, casting a pale, faint light from the mouth of the cavern.
Little by little, the heavy stone slab shifted, revealing a deep, dark void within. A small, porcelain-white hand slowly reached out, slender yet holding a power that would make anyone shudder. The fingers gently curled and uncurled, the faint light casting a glow on the pale skin, making the gloomy space seem to freeze; even a breath would be caught in one's chest.
A youthful voice broke the eerie silence:
"They… are they gone now? I've confirmed it with my Divine Sense a few times." The Demon Empress whispered, her voice unbelievably clear and pure, then suddenly it changed into a strange, ghostly giggle. "Hahaha… those foolish righteous cultivators! They actually thought the thing they destroyed was my real body? How laughable! I only pretended to be defeated… You think you can easily defeat this Demon Empress? Dreaming in broad daylight!"
The clear yet cold laughter echoed throughout the stone cavern, then fell silent. The small shoulders shrugged, and the Demon Empress's expression was both amused and chillingly nonchalant.
"Phew…" A light sigh escaped her lips.
"I wasted so much effort to refine that puppet… had to make it realistic down to the last strand of hair, and then set up countless arrays to conceal this godforsaken mountain… I'm absolutely exhausted! But it was worth it! Because finally… I can 'retire'!"
A mischievous smile bloomed on the childlike face. "Yes, literally retire! No more annoying righteous flies buzzing around, just eating, sleeping, and playing… absolutely never having to dirty my hands with that idiotic killing business again!"
With that, the small figure with long black hair down to her waist sprang up, leaping out of the coffin. A sharp light flashed in her amber eyes; though her stature was only that of an eight or nine-year-old child, her arrogant aura still seemed to make the darkness in the cavern tremble.
"Ouch!" She grimaced, stretching her body.
"I haven't been lying in this stupid rock for long, but my back already feels like it's about to break! I should've told those useless subordinates to put in a mattress and a pillow. This is really the ailment of old age… dammit!"
The Demon Empress gnashed her teeth, her tone full of scorn. "Foolish subordinates! All they know is how to design things that look cool on the outside, but the quality… is trash! This stone coffin, and that skull throne too! Good thing I had the puppet to take the hit, or my butt would have been sore and I'd have hemorrhoids!"
Her amber eyes darted around the damp, musty tunnel, then stopped, focusing on the pitch-black Hanfu she was wearing.
"Hmm…" A snort of disdain. "The price of the Corpse Puppet Art is truly outrageous! It consumes a whole mountain of demonic energy, and I even have to endure this troublesome curse of turning into a child. But…" A sinister smile flickered. "This is still the most advanced puppet refinement art. Sacrificing a few hundred, maybe even a thousand corpses, even those high-level righteous old-timers couldn't detect it… Compared to what I imagined, this curse is still quite mild. Plus, it's a good thing; I don't have to waste my energy on that cheap Disguise Art. Besides… who has ever seen my appearance as a little kid before?"
The Demon Empress took a deep, cold breath, then skipped playfully over the jagged rocks. Her long black hair swayed with each light step, the hem of her black Hanfu fluttering, yet in every movement, there was an undeniable power.
She stopped before the large crack leading to the outside world, her amber eyes glancing at the cold rock walls, taking a deep breath of the rare fresh air after her long confinement in the coffin.
"Maybe… I should go back to that ruined palace to see if there's anything valuable left…" The childlike voice rang out, but it held a sharp calculation. "I think… the treasure room is still there."
The Demon Empress's palace was now just a cold ruin. The walls were cracked, the stone floor was a broken mess, and thick layers of dust covered every corner. Faint streaks of light pierced through the cracks, painting strange shapes amidst the desolation…
The Demon Empress stepped into the grand hall. The smell of mold and old dust rushed into her nose, making her frown in annoyance. Every piece of broken stone under her feet created a lonely crunching sound in the vast space. The dark velvet curtains, once magnificent, were now just ragged scraps of fabric, dangling from the ceiling. On the skull throne, where her puppet had sat for years, a thick layer of dust had settled.
"Hmph… what a mess." The Demon Empress showed no regret. She strode towards a secluded corridor, where previously only her most trusted subordinates were allowed to enter.
The corridor was pitch black, with only the rhythmic sound of her footsteps echoing. She didn't light a torch, because for a Demon Empress like her, darkness was just an old friend. At the end of the corridor, she lightly tapped a stone with her finger. The stone didn't move, but a magical symbol hidden deep within it suddenly lit up, then vanished into thin air. The Demon Empress glanced at it and sighed: "The array is destroyed too…"
She gave the heavy stone door a gentle push. It creaked open, revealing a small room, not a treasure room, but a room filled with ancient scrolls and books. The Demon Empress stepped inside, dusting off a parchment scroll.
"Ah, here it is… The ledger of assets." She unrolled the scroll, walking through the rooms as she read. "The Demon God Tower, destroyed. The Dark Forest, burned to the ground. The Blood Shadow Blade, shattered. The demonic energy source… sealed by those righteous fools. Is there anything else… Hmm… The collection of Demonic Arts and Demonic Cultivation books in the library must be ash now. Gold, jewels, and all the spiritual and demonic stones have vanished without a trace."
She snorted in disdain. "What a bunch of scoundrels. They used my stuff and then destroyed everything, now they just leave me with this pile of garbage without even cleaning it up. The damage is far too great! I don't know if they came to kill me, or to vandalize and rob me..." The Demon Empress crumpled the scroll and tossed it into a corner.
"Sigh… so there's only that place left..." the Demon Empress muttered.