Chapter 122: Little Nightmare Demon—So, How Do You Get Stronger?

"Look, look, how many people are obsessed with your beauty, unable to even blink their eyes. Do you feel immensely honored? You are my treasure, my most beautiful treasure..."

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. Look at your proportions, look at you—ruby lips and pearly teeth, hair like a waterfall, eyes as seductive as silk, cherry-red mouth. Tsk, tsk, tsk... Too beautiful... Especially this texture..."

"Ah, ah, ah... This is the masterpiece I have created... Look, look, too beautiful, too beautiful. Especially this mole, truly exquisite..."

Words were not enough for Liu He; while speaking, he actually began to touch her. He wandered his hands from one spot to another, finally resting his fingers on that very mole. Earlier, Li Chunfeng had noted that the only difference between the female corpse from the desolate village and Zhang Shuang, the sister-in-law, was that single mole. Watching Liu He obsessively stroke it was truly nauseating.

"..." Lin Yi.

Damn it... This Liu He, he's the real master of "driving"! And to think he is such a perverted freak, acting this way in front of everyone, molesting the village corpse. Although Lin Yi knew that his own arrival, coupled with Wang Tiandi’s words, meant that he, An Yingxiong, and Master Mu had walked into an ambush, the scene before him made Lin Yi believe that what Liu He said earlier was likely true. Liu He was so wretched that he was certainly capable of such wretched acts.

Liu He did not look like a man of seventy or eighty; he appeared to be a middle-aged man of forty or fifty. This was largely due to his sharp-featured, monkey-like face. However, if one looked at his physique, the bulging muscles suggested he could easily pass for someone in their twenties or thirties from behind. He wore a yellow robe that looked strangely familiar to Lin Yi. Suddenly, it clicked: this was the same robe worn by Zhao Qilin in the memories extracted from the human-faced spider.

"Boom!"

An Yingxiong’s aura surged, and Master Mu stepped forward, closing the distance. They stood as a shield in front of Lin Yi. Given the robes and his own declarations, it seemed to Lin Yi that Liu He and Zhao Qilin shared the same profession—they were both necromancers of the Corpse Refiner clan. And considering Liu He’s words, the female corpse from the desolate village was likely his own creation, which explained his obsessive attachment.

"Back away later," Master Mu, who rarely showed such gravity, whispered with a dark face. "It is too dangerous here."

The situation was indeed critical, with too many unsolved mysteries. For instance, were Liu He’s prior claims true? And while it was certain that Wang Tiandi and the others were conspiring with him, why had the house of the person known as the "Second Donkey" disappeared? If the female corpse was here, then where exactly was Zhang Shuang, Li Chunfeng’s sister-in-law?

...

Perhaps aside from Lin Yi and his companions, even Wang Tiandi had not expected Liu He to behave this way, molesting a female corpse in public.

"Uh... *cough, cough*," Wang Tiandi cleared his throat and spoke to Liu He. "Enough of that, Elder Liu. It is time to act. If the Nine Nether Formation disks we obtained lose their effectiveness, won't our entire plan go to waste? As you said, we must do this to resurrect your companion... We cannot wait any longer. Strike."

Hearing Wang Tiandi’s confidence, the expressions of An Yingxiong and Master Mu grew even darker. An Yingxiong was more direct: "Lin Yi, don't back away—run! See if you can get close to the Nine Nether Formation disks. They are the areas with the densest energy, likely small black flags. Once you find them, use the energy of your pure, yang-based technique to attack them. When the formation falters, shout as loud as you can to attract others. We have been trapped in a formation. Damn you, Wang Tiandi, to think you actually possess the Nine Nether Formation disks..."

An Yingxiong did not hold back, speaking his mind as his aura continued to churn, preparing to leap into the fray.

*Snap, snap, snap.*

The *Sutra of Severing* began to stir. Since it had absorbed the fragmented barrier space, it had been dormant. Lin Yi had only received some cryptic words from the long line of previous holders, otherwise, he would have assumed the book was full and needed time to digest. Now, it finally moved.

In his mind’s eye, Lin Yi saw the *Sutra of Severing*, once entwined by black and white dragons of light, settle down from its floating position. It returned to the stone table, though clusters of black and white light continued to flash across its surface. The book was open, its pages flipping until it stopped on a specific one.

Lin Yi focused his consciousness on it and realized the situation depicted was slightly different from what he had expected. He hadn't believed Liu He could take on both An Yingxiong and Master Mu, but now he realized Liu He was a "big fish." If Liu He were merely a cultivator, even from the Corpse Refiner clan, Lin Yi might have been nervous, as the *Sutra of Severing* was designed to target demons and ghosts. But now, he wasn't afraid at all. Liu He was a fish that had jumped straight into the net!

"Lesser Nightmare Demon: Yellow-grade, mid-tier. Nightmare Demon lineage. Nightmare Demons are creatures of lust and evil, prone to straying in dreams. This Lesser Nightmare Demon is similar. Skills: Dream Entry, Illusion. Dream entry is a highly unique and potent method; those with great power can manifest these dreams into reality. Furthermore, due to its lustful constitution, the Lesser Nightmare Demon's strength increases significantly when its blood is surging."

"Low-level Zombie: Yellow-grade, mid-tier. A reasonably well-refined zombie. Skills: Copper Skin and Iron Bones, Blood-sucking."

The *Sutra of Severing* had indeed turned the page, displaying two images. One was a grayscale picture of the female corpse, nearly identical to the one before him. However, while the real corpse was beautiful, the image in the book showed a face covered in bronze-colored, bristle-like hair, with rotting, skeletal eyes—a hallmark of a classic monster.

The second image was of a human-like figure that looked like Liu He, possessing a gaunt head but a sturdy body. Its torso was riddled with countless pinprick-sized holes, making it look like a sieve. The image flickered, reminding Lin Yi that the Nightmare Demon could take many forms, but a key weakness was that strong light would reveal these holes in its body—the basic method for identifying a Nightmare Demon.

Lin Yi could only curse internally. It wasn't because the corpse was disgusting, but because he realized how powerful the Lesser Nightmare Demon was—its strength increased with its blood flow! And what "blood surging" meant in this context was painfully obvious. A male, with blood surging... Lin Yi felt like he was going to explode!

The skill set of this Lesser Nightmare Demon was incredible! It was the exact same routine he had used to train with the Mermaid and his reserved mistress, Zhang Fang! Only now did he realize why Liu He was molesting the corpse—he was stimulating his own blood flow to reach peak power.