"Baxa-brother, has Azure Flame always been like this?" Nine Li asked.
Baxa nodded. "Ever since she first took human form, she's rarely shown any expression. Now that she's older, she shows even less."
"So even if you tell her a really funny joke, she wouldn't laugh?"
Baxa replied coolly, "Never tried, so I don't know. Why don't you give it a shot?"
"Sure! I'm great at telling jokes," Nine Li said enthusiastically.
As they chatted idly, a beautiful butterfly fluttered over.
When it reached them, it transformed into Mirage, who was smiling. She glanced at Lily Bai and Nine Li, then walked straight up to Baxa and greeted him, "General Baxa!"
"Why are you back? Weren't you supposed to be guarding Butterfly Valley?" Baxa asked.
"I have urgent military news I need to report to you personally," Mirage said.
"What news?"
"Here's the situation..." Mirage took a few steps closer to Baxa, as if she was about to whisper to him.
"Watch out!" Lily Bai suddenly shouted.
Mirage usually just rolls her eyes whenever she sees Lily.
But just now, she was actually smiling.
Lily Bai felt something was off, so she opened her Heaven's Eye to check Mirage.
And sure enough, she saw a Puppet Rune on Mirage.
She immediately shouted a warning.
But she was still too late.
Baxa suddenly roared, his whole body erupting with evil black qi, and struck at Mirage with his palm.
Mirage's cultivation was nowhere near Baxa's level.
With that strike, she was doomed.
Luckily, Azure Flame reacted fast—she yanked Mirage out of the way, sealed her immortal power, and temporarily restrained her.
Then, looking serious, she ordered the Marching Wing Guard to bind Baxa.
Several Marching Wing Guards formed a strange formation and began flying circles around Baxa.
In no time, he was tightly bound and thrown to the ground, where he kept howling, looking utterly evil.
"Baxa-brother!" Nine Li dashed forward, but Lily Bai grabbed him: "Don't go near!"
"What's wrong with him?" Nine Li asked anxiously.
"No idea. Let's check on Mirage first."
Lily Bai walked over to Mirage and pulled off the Puppet Rune.
Mirage snapped back to herself, looking dazed. "Huh? How did I end up in the Demon Emperor's Palace?"
"You attacked Baxa!" Lily Bai said. "What did you do to him?"
Mirage glanced at Baxa, looking guilty. "Oh no, his Demonic Poison is flaring up again."
"Demonic Poison?" Lily Bai's eyes narrowed. "You're saying he's infected?"
Mirage shot her a look of disdain. "Lily Bai, why are you even here?"
"Why shouldn't I be here?"
"Aren't you always pestering His Majesty to death?" Mirage rolled her eyes at her. "Shameless little vixen!"
Lily Bai: "...How did you get caught? Where's my Sixth Junior Brother?"
"Isn't it all because of your Sixth Junior Brother? A few from the Divine Race destroyed my lair, captured me, and branded me with the Puppet Rune."
"You didn't drag me out too, did you?" Lily Bai frowned.
If she did, things would get really messy.
"No! But I wasn't doing it for you anyway—losing a bet like that is just too humiliating!" Mirage said, shooting her a sideways glance.
Lily Bai breathed a sigh of relief.
The Puppet Rune only controls a person's words and actions, making them like a marionette with no will of their own. It's useless for interrogation.
Only the Soulbinder and Divine Crimson Pill can force an immortal to tell the truth.
Soon, Chen Xiao received Azure Flame's message and showed up, taking Baxa back to his quarters.
Nine Li followed closely behind.
Lily Bai went with them too.
Skye went to fetch Bones, while Lily Bai went over to ask Azure Flame, "Is he really infected with Demonic Poison?"
For once, Azure Flame showed a little emotion—her brows furrowed, and she nodded.
"So... Demonic Poison really exists in this world?" Lily Bai had only heard rumors before, stories about how terrifying it was—how it could gradually turn someone into a demon, how truly frightening it was.
"Of course it exists," Azure Flame said. "It's just pretty rare these days."
"Can Bones cure him?"
"If he could, it wouldn't have dragged on this long," Azure Flame said.