Little Pink Starfish

Ah… what the hell!

The moment Yuan Yuanyuan jumped down, she really felt like she had let go of all earthly attachments…

It wasn’t until the exact second she truly leapt that she realized—freefalling was absolutely terrifying. Her arms instinctively clamped against her sides, her whole body stiffened into a rigid, vertical plummet—like a salted fish dropping straight down.

Luckily, her forward momentum was strong enough that, although she felt like she was falling straight down, from the outside she was actually forming a parabola…

What the hell! What the actual hell!

That sensation…

Yuan Yuanyuan twisted her head, listening to the sounds around her. The previously somber atmosphere had completely vanished the moment everyone jumped—replaced by a strange, indescribable noise.

She squinted her eyes. Among the shrill laughter and cheers, she could vaguely hear… crying.

That sound… Yuan Yuanyuan frowned slightly.

It was like a symphony of all the most terrifying emotions in the human psyche—every flavor of pain, joy, fear, bitterness all woven together in a misty sky that sent chills down the spine.

The sounds clung to her—ghosts and ghouls, cries and laughter.

That eerie chorus mixed with a sharp wind, echoing across the entire sky.

In that moment, the heavens above felt like an alternate hell…

Down below in the city, people walking the streets suddenly looked up, startled—but saw nothing.

In the open air above the streets, snow began to fall—softly, gently. The sudden temperature drop in the sky had triggered it.

Some people reached out to catch the snowflakes. Kids laughed as they jumped about, sticking their tongues out to catch the flakes—only to wince, spit it out, and start crying.

No one knew why, but tonight’s snow carried a strange, metallic tang…

---

Shit, shit, shit!

Yuan Yuanyuan turned back around, her eyeballs nearly popping out. Laughing one second, crying the next—can y’all just pick a mood?! She was so scared she broke out in cold sweat.

She quickly faced forward again, too busy to dwell—because she was relying on the Earth Escape technique to survive the fall, essentially freefalling for a stretch, then using the technique to “swim” upwards through the sky like a fish—then dropping again.

Luckily, she’d anticipated looking stupid and had shrouded herself in a layer of demon energy to hide from view.

Her face was frozen in a grimace. The truth was, this kind of thing was physically miserable. In a freefall, every bodily fluid surged upward—blood, cellular fluids, and yes… even urine.

Honestly, she needed to spare a thought for her bladder right about now.

She glanced at the little demons around her and wondered if there was a common flying spell she never learned. Like—how the hell were they all flying so easily, and she was just winging it with old-school sky-hopping?

The red mist she released had thinned. Around her, the group of demons looked like a galactic fleet—probably impressive, but she couldn’t see clearly. Her eyes were squinted so tight they were basically slits.

She squinted further and saw a long purple ribbon floating nearby—the same kind she’d seen often while on the ship.

That ribbon wound through the formation. Some demons held it lightly, floating with ease. Everyone remained loosely within its range, drifting like it was nothing.

That ribbon… Yuan Yuanyuan kept searching. Finally, through the clouds, she found a small strand floating near her. She reached out and touched it.

And suddenly, everything changed.

It felt like her body had found ground. The terrifying weightlessness vanished. Even the biting wind turned into a soft breeze.

What is this? Damn, this thing’s amazing.

For a moment, she felt like she was standing on solid ground. The sheer terror of freefall disappeared, and the stabbing wind turned into a gentle current.

Then—“HAHAHAHA!”

A demon ahead of her cackled wildly, the sound sending chills down her spine. Were they all acting like extras in a horror movie?

Seriously, this whole scene probably needed a PG-18 rating. She hated horror movies. And this? This had better sound design than any horror film she’d ever seen.

Yet…

Yuan Yuanyuan got used to it within five minutes.

Because—well, she couldn’t see anything. And more importantly—she was a ghost now.

When you’re the ghost… what’s there to be scared of?

---

Everything was lit up.

Liu An and the others had come outside.

The hotels and plazas were all built into the mountain. Three days ago, locals had been advised to evacuate. Public transport now only reached the mountain base—supposedly for “road maintenance.”

Only sect practitioners, shamans, and verified loose cultivators were allowed up—after ID verification and security screening.

The plaza, hidden within the mountain, had been sealed off by a long-standing barrier. It was only unlocked that very day, and dust was still settling. The marble floor had just been sprinkled with willow water and was still damp—not completely dry.

The sudden plummet in temperature froze the remaining water instantly.

Liu An felt his whole body go stiff with cold. He was dressed warmly—in a down coat—but even those in trench coats around him were visibly freezing, unable to speak.

This chill wasn’t just physical—it was psychological.

The once-damp plaza transformed into an icy lake in the blink of an eye. Seeing a wet marble surface freeze over into something out of Frozen was nothing short of shocking.

The ice reflected the hotel lights so clearly, you could see outlines on the ground.

Liu An felt frost forming on his eyebrows.

His breath turned white. The air couldn’t possibly have cooled that fast—it had to be the demons. Only their presence could turn early spring back into deep winter.

Jesus… how terrifying. These demons are insane.

He turned to look. The shaman and Taoist leaders were already calling for loose cultivators to clear the area. Bright floodlights were turned on and aimed skyward.

Instantly, the lights were so blinding that Liu An had to shut his eyes. Even through his lids, light burned like fire.

Then—a sound, like something rising from the pits of hell.

“COVER YOUR EARS! COVER YOUR EARS!”

The plaza’s loudspeakers screamed the warning.

Liu An clamped his hands over his ears and shut his eyes. But even with that, he could feel a thunderous sound booming through his bones.

And then—sudden silence.

The lights dimmed.

Liu An blinked. Slowly lowered his hands. Opened his eyes.

A massive crowd of demons had appeared in the plaza, arranged in a perfect triangle.

He blinked away the afterimages from the lights. The formation stunned him.

And not just him—everyone else, too.

---

At the very front stood an old man with gray hair and beard, dressed in pure black, which only made his white facial hair stand out more.

The demons behind him stood in perfect order—clearly arranged from high-ranking to low-ranking. You could tell by the spacing and posture.

It was cold out, and many wore heavy garments. Demons loved furs—that much Liu An had heard before.

They looked like they had walked straight out of a snowy kingdom—marching across the ice.

And they were beautiful. Not even Liu An could deny it—it wasn’t just his filter. Everyone was staring, dumbstruck.

Then the formation moved.

In perfect sync, the demons began walking forward.

Each step exuded overwhelming pressure. Especially the top few rows—those were real heavy hitters.

They moved like legions, their feet never slipping on the icy surface.

Male and female demons passed by Liu An. The frontmost ones were clearly full-fledged high demons.

He felt a chill sweep through him. A deep-seated fear born of long exposure to the demon world.

He could even smell the demon aura…

Having spent so long among demons, he recognized just how dangerous these ones were.

These are not small-time demons. Yet idiots beside him were still filming with their phones.

Liu An clenched his fists in silent panic. But none of the passing demons paid the humans any mind. They walked on, quiet and unified, their footsteps tapping like synchronized clockwork.

With every step, a faint metallic scent began to spread—a hint of blood and fog.

Most humans had never smelled this before. Even Taoists and shamans—whose practices were often far more primitive—were all stunned.

Finally, the demons stopped at the front—facing the human representatives: a balding middle-aged man and a professionally dressed woman.

The demons stood like a disciplined army—no disorder, no confusion. There was a unique killing aura that came from the demon world, impossible to replicate in the human realm.

“The demon delegation has arrived.”

The elder spoke calmly.

One by one, pairs of red eyes opened across the formation—like a procession straight out of hell.

The demons exuded an ancient energy—awakening the primal fear of demons long buried in the human psyche.

---

Within the second row, on the left, stood Yuan Yuanyuan.

She wore a thin black cloak with an oversized hood that completely shadowed her face—only her chin was visible beneath.

Hunched slightly, it was like she was hiding inside a little tent. The hood offered just enough coverage to make her feel oddly safe.

The demon beside her could just make out her slim jaw, the red lips frozen in a straight line. A strand of black hair slipped from beneath the hood.

As the others lit up their red eyes, Yuan Yuanyuan’s eyes glowed too—crimson beneath her hood, like twin coals flaring to life.

The demon next to her flinched.

Yuan Yuanyuan turned slightly to glance at him, her eyes still glowing red. Part of her face emerged from the shadows—and then she turned back, indifferent.

The poor guy was so stunned he froze on the spot.

Despite all her complaints about demons, Yuan Yuanyuan couldn’t deny one thing.

Damn… this entrance?

It was cool as hell.

And for the innocent human delegation on the other side—faced with that wall of blood and demon aura so thick it practically had texture?

There was only one word.

Badass.