I have the face of a great demon.

Just as Liu Xingchen finished speaking, a soft footstep sound came from around the corner of the passage.

A figure slowly walked out; it was Ye Sisi.

Her face was pale, and her eyes were filled with fear and anger.

Ye Sisi stood in the shadows of the passageway, her gaze fixed on Liu Xingchen, her voice trembling slightly: "So... you really are the great demon Liu Zhantian. Liu Xingchen, you've deceived me so badly."

She took a step forward, her anger gradually overpowering her fear:

"You said your Nascent Soul stage cultivation was just an illusion created by your robe, something to deceive people and make them think you're a great demon. But look at you now! Even Elder Wu is no match for you. How do you explain that?"

Liu Xingchen turned around, his gaze meeting Ye Sisi's, his eyes devoid of any emotion: "Explanation? I don't need to explain, do I? Ye Sisi, you should have known when I revealed my true form and appeared before you."

Ye Sisi's breath hitched. Yes, this was the Great Demon Lord's.

The unforgettable memories from over a thousand years ago resurfaced in her mind; this face, this aura, made her tremble.

"In front of others, you are Liu Xingchen, posing as the Great Demon. In front of me, you are the Great Demon. Why don't you just kill me instead of toying with me like this?"

"Playing tricks? It seems you know nothing about the infamous demon king. Isn't playing tricks on people one of his specialties?"

Ye Sisi's eyes burned with rage, and her voice suddenly rose: "You big devil! You are shameless! You are despicable! You killed my father back then, and now you're using this identity of Liu Xingchen to approach me and humiliate me! What else do you want?"

Liu Xingchen's gaze turned cold, and his voice carried a hint of impatience: "Ye Sisi, do you think I'm interested in humiliating you? You're wrong. What I want to do, I will do; what I want to kill, I will kill."

"I haven't killed you yet because the time hasn't come."

"Now, it's time to finish what was left undone a thousand years ago."

Ye Sisi's pupils suddenly contracted, and her body instinctively retreated, but behind her was a cold stone wall, with nowhere to go.

Since there is no way to retreat, then we will not retreat.

“That’s right, I should have died a thousand years ago. The reason I didn’t die then is for today.”

"Great Demon! Today I will no longer be weak. Even if I die, I will die on the road of charging forward!"

After saying that, Ye Sisi's spiritual power suddenly erupted, and the long sword in her hand pointed directly at Liu Xingchen. She leaped up and charged towards the great demon in front of her with an indomitable momentum.

……

Inside the underground palace's passage, Tie Zhu dragged his weary body and limped forward.

His clothes were burned to shreds, his hair and eyebrows were singed, and his face was covered in soot and sweat.

His steps were heavy, and he muttered to himself, "Will this trap ever end? First a sea of ​​fire, then a poison array, and now we can't even find an exit. It's killing us!"

He wiped the sweat from his face with his sleeve as he walked, but the black grime on his sleeve only made his face dirtier.

He couldn't help but complain, "If I had known it would be this difficult, I wouldn't have participated in this sect competition! I must have had the worst luck ever!"

Just as Tie Zhu was complaining, his eyes suddenly narrowed and he abruptly stopped in his tracks.

His gaze was fixed on what was ahead, his voice filled with undisguised shock: "What...what is this?"

At the end of the passage stood a huge ice sculpture.

The ice sculptures are crystal clear and exude a chilling aura, as if freezing the surrounding air.

Tie Zhu's breathing became rapid instantly, and his heart pounded like a drum.

He instinctively rushed forward a few steps, getting closer to the ice sculpture.

When Tie Zhu finally saw the person inside the ice sculpture, his pupils contracted sharply, and he let out a low growl: "Sister Sisi!"

Tie Zhu rushed forward a few steps, about to rescue Ye Sisi from the ice sculpture.

But when he walked around to the front of the ice sculpture, he was completely stunned.

Inside the ice sculpture, Ye Sisi stood quietly, her hands hanging at her sides, her eyes closed, as if she were asleep.

Her face was still beautiful, but her complexion was as pale as paper, without a trace of blood.

A long sword pierced through her chest, the blood congealed and fused with the ice sculpture, resembling a poignant and beautiful painting.

Tie Zhu slammed his hands down on the ice sculpture, the chill from his palms sending a shiver through him.

His voice trembled, filled with barely suppressed anger and grief: "Sister Sisi! How could this happen! Who! Who did this!"

Tie Zhu's tears welled up instantly, sliding down his cheeks and dripping onto the ice sculpture.

His fists clenched so tightly his knuckles turned white, and his voice trembled with tears: "Sisi, wake up! Wake up! It's me, Tiezhu! I've come to save you!"

Tie Zhu stood before the ice sculpture, his eyes burning with anger and grief, his spiritual power surging wildly within him, like a wild beast about to erupt.

He took a deep breath, swung his fist, and smashed it hard against the ice sculpture.

"Bang!" The fist collided with the ice sculpture, producing a muffled sound.

A small crack appeared on the surface of the ice sculpture, but it remained solid overall.

Tie Zhu's fists went numb from the impact, but he was completely oblivious, continuing to swing his fists and growling, "Break! Break!"

"Bang! Bang! Bang!" Fists rained down on the ice sculpture, causing cracks to widen and ice shards to scatter everywhere.

Finally, with a loud bang, the ice sculpture shattered completely, and ice chunks scattered everywhere.

Ye Sisi's body slid off the ice sculpture, and Tie Zhu quickly stepped forward and caught her in his arms.

Tie Zhu held Ye Sisi tightly, feeling her cold and stiff body. Tears welled up uncontrollably, sliding down his cheeks and dripping onto Ye Sisi's pale face.

His voice trembled, filled with endless grief: "Sister Sisi, I'm here... I've come to save you... Wake up... Wake up!"

He shook Ye Sisi's body desperately, as if that would wake her. But Ye Sisi's eyes remained tightly closed, the long sword piercing her heart, the blood already congealed.

She could no longer respond to Tie Zhu's calls, nor could she ever show that familiar smile again.

Tie Zhu's hands trembled as he gently stroked Ye Sisi's face, trying to tidy her messy hair.

His gaze fell on her chest, the spot where the longsword had pierced her, and a sharp pain shot through him. He murmured under his breath, "Who...who did this to you..."

Suddenly, his gaze fell on Ye Sisi's sleeve. There seemed to be some marks on the inside of the sleeve. He gently pulled open the sleeve, and his pupils suddenly contracted.

Inside Ye Sisi's sleeve, two crooked characters were written in blood.

The handwriting was messy, clearly written in the last moments of her life, with all her remaining strength.

Tie Zhu examined it carefully and was suddenly shocked—the two characters were actually the words "stars".

"People say that the murderer will write the killer's name somewhere..." Tie Zhu murmured, his voice filled with barely concealed doubt and struggle, "Could it be... that the killer is Brother Xingchen?"

"Impossible...this is impossible!"