I. The March of the Marked
The land bent beneath Xiao'er's footsteps.
Grass withered to ash. Rivers froze mid-flow. The air itself thickened with the scent of burning copper, clinging to the back of Xiao Chen's throat like a second skin.
His marked harem followed in eerie silence:
Leng Xueyi, her frost now so cold it burned, leaving blackened ice in her wake.
Mei Ling, her venom-tipped fingers braiding human hair into nooses, humming a lullaby.
Princess Luo Ying, her crimson phoenix now a writhing mass of shadow and flame, scorching the sky with every beat of its wings.
Shā, her blade-fingers carving symbols into her own flesh, whispering secrets to the wind.
High Priestess Lian, her brand pulsing as she dragged her nails through the dirt, digging for something only she could hear.
And Xiao'er—
The child skipped ahead, its tiny hands plucking birds from the sky, twisting them into shrieking human faces before swallowing them whole.
"Daddy!" it called, holding up a still-beating heart it had ripped from a stag. "Look! It's shiny!"
Xiao Chen said nothing.
His demon-arm ached, the obsidian claws twitching with every pulse of the Heavenly Demon's influence. 30% control. And growing.
II. The Hollow Saint
They found her at Duskfall Pass.
A woman in white, standing alone in the center of the road, her unmarked skin glowing faintly under the dying sun.
No brand. No corruption.
Pure.
Xiao Chen raised a fist, halting the procession.
The woman lifted her head, her golden eyes meeting his without fear.
"Xiao Chen," she said, her voice clear as a bell. "The last Sovereign of Beasts."
Leng Xueyi stepped forward, her black-veined frost coiling. "Who are you?"
The woman smiled, and the air shimmered with warmth.
"I am Lin Ya," she said. "The Hollow Saint. And I am here to save you."
Xiao'er giggled, its void-eyes narrowing. "Liar."
Then it lunged—
—and Lin Ya caught its wrist, her fingers glowing gold.
Xiao'er screeched, its skin sizzling where she touched it, black blood boiling to the surface.
For the first time, the Fiend God child looked afraid.
"D-Daddy—!"
Xiao Chen moved, his demon-arm slamming Lin Ya back, his other hand snatching Xiao'er away.
The Hollow Saint skidded across the dirt, her robes torn, but her golden eyes still calm.
"You don't understand," she said, rising. "That thing isn't a child. It's a key. And it's unlocking something far worse."
Xiao Chen glanced at Xiao'er, now clutching his robes, its tiny body trembling.
"Prove it," he growled.
Lin Ya closed her eyes—
—and sang.
A single note, pure and bright, shattering the corrupted air.
And for the first time in weeks, Xiao Chen's brand stopped burning.
III. The Heavenly Demon's Wrath
That night, the Heavenly Demon raged.
"KILL HER," it snarled, its voice shredding the walls of Xiao Chen's inner space. "SHE WILL RUIN EVERYTHING."
Xiao Chen stood amidst the storm, his demon-arm flickering between obsidian and flesh.
"Why?" he demanded. "What is she?"
The Demon screamed, its blade-fingers carving gouges into the void.
"SHE IS NOTHING! SHE IS NO ONE!"
But for the first time, Xiao Chen heard it—
Fear.
IV. The Choice
At dawn, Lin Ya waited by the campfire, her golden eyes reflecting the flames.
"They call me the Hollow Saint," she said, stirring the embers with a stick. "Because I am empty of the Fiend's touch."
Xiao Chen watched her, his brand pulsing faintly. "How?"
She lifted her sleeve, revealing pale, unmarked skin. "I was born dead," she admitted. "My soul never fully settled. The Fiend's corruption cannot cling to nothing."
Xiao'er hissed from the shadows, its void-eyes glowing.
Lin Ya ignored it. "The child is a key, Xiao Chen. It is opening a door—one that should never be opened."
Xiao Chen flexed his demon-arm. "What door?"
Lin Ya met his gaze.
"The one you sealed. A thousand years ago."
Silence.
Then—
"Liar!" Xiao'er shrieked, its tiny body distorting, its mouth splitting open into a maw of teeth.
It lunged—
—and Xiao Chen caught it, his demon-arm wrapping around its throat.
"Enough," he said, his voice cutting through the child's wails.
Lin Ya stood, her golden eyes sad. "You must choose, Sovereign. The child—or the world."
Xiao Chen looked down at Xiao'er, now sobbing in his grip, its void-eyes filled with tears.
"Daddy," it whimpered. "Don't let her hurt me."
And for the first time, Xiao Chen hesitated.
Chapter 12 End