The demoness, to his surprise, had plucked the stinger from the corpse of the hornet spirit. It seemed she intended to forge it into a weapon. The sting of an ordinary hornet was excruciating enough, let alone that of a spirit beast. Such a stinger could only be described as extraordinary.
Curse his reckless hand! If only his sword strike earlier had not strayed upward, how could he have allowed this demoness to flaunt her antics so arrogantly before him? And now, with the addition of a hornet's sting, subduing her would prove all the more arduous.
Should she manage to strike him unawares, the consequences would be devastating, leaving him with nothing but regret.
Unaware of Li Xiaobai's inner turmoil, Qing Yao continued nonchalantly, "The most formidable part of the hornet is this life-bound stinger. It's a rare treasure. Once I've refined it, I'll have gained a remarkable magical weapon. Even if I were to face two shape-shifting spirit beasts simultaneously, I'd have confidence in holding my own."
"What if it pierces someone?"
The moment the words left his lips, Li Xiaobai regretted them, cursing his loose tongue. Wasn't he practically inviting her to use the stinger against him?
Qing Yao, oblivious to his thoughts, smiled and replied, "This stinger contains not only the hornet's venom but also my own snake venom. Be it human or spirit, unless they possess cultivation at the True Core Realm for spirits or the Embryonic Condensation Stage for humans, a single sting would leave them either dead or crippled."
Though the snake demoness spoke with a smile, her words carried a chilling edge that sent an icy shiver down Li Xiaobai's spine.
"Demoness, I warn you—do not use it to harm the innocent. Otherwise… hmph!"
Raising his sword fingers, Li Xiaobai struck a knowing pose, as if to remind her that he had already vanquished two shape-shifting spirit beasts and would not hesitate to dispatch a third.
"Spare me, kind sir!"
The demoness immediately adopted the pitiful demeanor of an unarmed damsel in distress.
"Enough with the crocodile tears!"
Having been deceived before, Li Xiaobai was no longer swayed by such theatrics. Instead, he glared at her with unyielding severity.
"Ah! That cursed hornet! You're not dead?"
Suddenly, Qing Yao gazed past Li Xiaobai, her face filled with astonishment.
"What?"
Startled, Li Xiaobai instinctively turned his head, only to find no trace of the hornet spirit.
Too late! He had fallen for her trick once again!
In that instant, a soft breeze brushed past, and he felt a slight prick at his neck.
A peal of light laughter drifted into his ears.
"Sir, you've been fooled again!"
Seizing his momentary distraction, the snake demoness Qing Yao managed to extract a few drops of blood from his neck—blood infused with the Emperor's Lifeblood Essence, even in its diluted form within a mortal's veins.
The few drops she absorbed in an instant equaled months of arduous cultivation. Though not as potent as pure essence, its steady and plentiful supply more than compensated.
"You cunning demoness!"
Despite his efforts, Li Xiaobai's complexion darkened in frustration. Could this green snake demoness possess an inherent vampiric skill?
"Hee hee!"
Qing Yao's triumphant giggle echoed through the cavern, utterly indifferent to Li Xiaobai's indignant cries.
---
By the shores of Jumo Lake, the lotus leaves and rippling waters remained as tranquil as ever.
The humble thatched hut of the Bai family, however, stood empty, the lone boat at the lakeside untended.
"What are you looking at?"
Retracting his gaze in disappointment, Li Xiaobai found Qing Yao staring across the lake toward the faintly visible Kunlun Mountains—the very place from which their journey had begun.
"Nothing much. Sir, where are we headed?"
With her usual soft smile, the demoness seemed unchanged.
Yet Li Xiaobai, still weighed down by an unshakable sense of loss, sighed and replied, "To the city."
Without another word, he turned and strode away from the hut.
Trailing behind him, Qing Yao took a few steps before glancing back toward the distant Kunlun Demon Domain. She cast one last, lingering look before following Li Xiaobai, never looking back again.
"Fool Mu Du, if you dare, come and bite me!"