On the road, Chu Yang suddenly asked out of curiosity, "Your cultivation level should be enough for you to take on human form, right?"
Xiao Qi was silent for a moment, then nodded, "Indeed, I can. But my appearance after transformation is very ugly. You will definitely be scared."
Chu Yang laughed heartily, "I want to see."
"After all, we are going to the Ancient Forbidden Land, a place where we might never come back from. At least before I die, I want to remember what my savior looks like."
Xiao Qi was clearly hesitant, but in the end, she nodded in agreement.
She activated her cultivation technique, colorful divine light enveloping her form. The prominent fox tail flickered and then disappeared.
A misty purple haze surrounded Xiao Qi.
Moments later, a graceful figure gradually emerged from the light.
Xiao Qi's figure was impeccable, almost perfect.
Her face was exquisitely beautiful, flawless, as if an immortal had stepped out of a painting. Every movement she made was filled with charm.
Her bright eyes sparkled like beautiful blue sapphires, mesmerizing and captivating.
From the side, her half-face was the most perfect Chu Yang had ever seen, unmatched by any woman he had encountered.
Yet, this perfect face was only half of her visage.
The other half was terrifyingly hideous, with purple blood continuously corroding her face, exuding a thick aura of curse.
It was shocking.
Due to the curse, the other half of her face was wrinkled and shriveled, like dried tree bark, devoid of any vitality.
It was more horrifying than the legendary demons, making one shiver.
Seeing the shock in Chu Yang's eyes, Xiao Qi apologized, "I'm sorry. My appearance must have scared you."
Chu Yang's voice was hoarse as he shook his head. He stepped forward and gently touched the terrifying half of Xiao Qi's face, saying with great empathy, "No, actually, you are very beautiful."
Chu Yang meant this from the bottom of his heart.
Without the influence of the evil curse, Xiao Qi's appearance would have been stunningly beautiful, capable of captivating all beings.
However, what should have been her proudest feature had become extremely frightening, unfit to be shown to others.
Being tormented by such a curse, how much pain must Xiao Qi endure in her heart?
Upon hearing Chu Yang's words, Xiao Qi's face turned slightly red. Her expression showed a mix of delight, sadness, and a shy girlish charm.
Ever since she was born with this terrible curse, no one had ever praised her beauty.
Even within the demon clan, other tribes treated her clan as accursed, avoiding them like the plague.
Though they were demons, her clan was ostracized and viewed as monsters, harbingers of disaster.
Only Chu Yang, after seeing her true appearance, neither despised her nor avoided her, but praised her. This made Xiao Qi feel a strange emotion.
...
Outside the Heavenly Emperor's domain.
The cultivators, upon seeing the little fox's human form, felt a sense of familiarity.
The half of her face untouched by the curse was stunningly beautiful, even the most experienced strongmen who had seen many beauties couldn't help but admire her.
But it was a pity that the other half of the little fox's face had been corroded by the curse beyond recognition.
Someone exclaimed, "Why does this little fox's appearance look so much like the Demon Emperor Bai Xiao Qi?"
As the words fell, those cultivators who had felt a sense of familiarity suddenly realized, and all their gazes turned to the nearby Demon Emperor, Bai Xiao Qi.
It was too similar.
If one only looked at half of the face, it wasn't just a resemblance—it was identical!
Ye Fan's mind was filled with frustration. Before the Demon Emperor could respond, he turned back and angrily rebuked the cultivators, "What are you all thinking? The Demon Emperor's beauty is unmatched. This little fox's transformed appearance is just somewhat similar, but how can her aura compare to the Demon Emperor's?"
Even though he himself was amazed at the similarity, he couldn't admit it.
He was already terrified. If this little fox truly had some connection with the Demon Emperor, it would be a disaster for their anti-heaven army, especially with Chu Nannan having already defected and Nie Fengyun possibly turning against them at any moment.
This must not be allowed to happen!
Hearing Ye Fan's words, the crowd nodded in agreement.
After all, Bai Xiao Qi was a favored one of the Heavenly Dao, a true child of destiny, living a life of smooth sailing without any disasters.
But what about the little fox in the mirror?
Aside from the resemblance in appearance, they were completely different!
The little fox had suffered countless hardships and was even cursed by a Great Emperor, living a life of misery. How could they be the same? Though similar, the crowd believed the differences were too great.
Only Bai Xiao Qi's bright and captivating eyes remained fixed on the little fox in the mirror.
She also felt that the differences between herself and the little fox were vast, but the resemblance was undeniable.
Shaking her head, she stopped pondering. No matter how much she thought about it, that little fox could never be her.
The attention of the cultivators shifted away from the little fox and the Demon Emperor, turning instead to denounce the Heavenly Emperor.
In their view, the little fox's care for the Heavenly Emperor during his lowest moments, and her selfless help, was a tremendous kindness.
Even sacrificing his life wouldn't be too much in return.
But why did the Heavenly Emperor still massacre the demon clan and harbor such deep hatred for them? The hatred of the Heavenly Emperor for the demon clan was well-known across the Myriad Spirits Continent. It was a deep-seated loathing, leading to the brutal slaughter of many demon clan experts and the bloodbath of the entire demon clan.
Back then, the demon clan was forced to flee in desperation, hiding to avoid being slaughtered by the Heavenly Emperor.
This caused the demon clan's power to plummet.
Even Bai Xiao Qi's mother was suppressed by the Heavenly Emperor.
It was the fox demon who saved him, giving him the hope to rise again!
How could the Heavenly Emperor commit such an ungrateful act?
Didn't his conscience hurt?
"The Heavenly Emperor's brutality and bloodthirstiness, bringing disaster to the world, disloyal and unjust, is this the first time you've seen it? This is his true nature, only now he's yet to fully reveal the evil in his heart!" Ye Fan, seeing the growing hostility towards the Heavenly Emperor, smiled and fanned the flames.
The cultivators agreed wholeheartedly. If the Heavenly Emperor weren't brutal and bloodthirsty, why would all the world's strongmen unite against him now? Everything done before was just a facade; later, the Heavenly Emperor's true nature was revealed!
Indeed, the Heavenly Emperor was extremely insidious and cunning. How could they be deceived by him?