The Face-Snatcher Demon pointed at Nie Xian without hesitation:
"Naturally, it's her!"
The matter-of-fact tone made it hard to believe it was lying.
Nian Jiaojiao looked at it with dangerous eyes.
"So you think I..."
"Ugly! Horribly ugly!"
The Face-Snatcher Demon immediately replied.
Its disgusted expression and the motion of not being able to bear to look successfully enraged Nian Jiaojiao.
Nian Jiaojiao said no more. She unfurled her fan and recited quickly:
"Ten years to sharpen a sword, its frosty edge untested."
Instantly, a sword mark appeared on the Face-Snatcher Demon, and soon, this mark deepened until it pierced its entire body.
How, how could this be!?
The Face-Snatcher Demon looked at Nian Jiaojiao in disbelief. Just as it was about to counterattack, Nan Qing made his move.
He held a black chess piece between two fingers.
When the black chess piece was dropped above the Face-Snatcher Demon, it instantly transformed into a formation on the chessboard.
At this moment, Nan Qing calmly said:
"Triangle Formation."
The Face-Snatcher Demon was already heavily injured, but it was still two realms higher than Nan Qing. In just a few breaths, it showed signs of breaking through the formation.
Nan Qing remained unruffled, his eyes devoid of any emotion.
He stared at the Face-Snatcher Demon, his fingers twitching slightly as the formation changed.
"Plum Blossom Formation."
The Plum Blossom Formation was a square formed by four chess pieces.
This confinement formation appeared much more stable than the Triangle Formation, and the Face-Snatcher Demon was unable to break free for a moment.
Nian Jiaojiao looked at Xuan Yi.
Xuan Yi knew his wife wanted him to practice.
Thus, under Nian Jiaojiao's watchful gaze, Xuan Yi drew his long sword and charged forward.
The cultivation method Xuan Yi received was only applicable to basic sword moves.
Even so, he tirelessly practiced these basic stances from morning till night, and they seemed to have integrated into his very bones.
Thrust!
"Ah—"
A small hole was pierced into the Face-Snatcher Demon.
Slash!
"Ah—"
A sword mark appeared on the Face-Snatcher Demon.
Its violent struggles caused the once stable confinement formation to become precarious once more.
Nan Qing changed the formation again.
"Wild Goose Formation."
The Face-Snatcher Demon was once again firmly pinned in place.
Xuan Yi continued...
Only after he had used all thirteen basic moves did he sheath his sword.
Although these thirteen moves caused less damage to the Face-Snatcher Demon than Nian Jiaojiao's single move, the Face-Snatcher Demon felt the agony of being at the mercy of another.
At this, Xuan Yi retreated, and Nian Jiaojiao approached the Face-Snatcher Demon with a smile.
At this moment, the two were less than 10 centimeters apart.
Nian Jiaojiao suddenly cupped the Face-Snatcher Demon's face with both hands.
Luo Wen:!!!
You can't be serious...
Nie Xian:!!!
What a ruthless person!
Nian Jiaojiao said with a half-smile,
"Come, come, look closely. Where exactly do I make you feel disgusted."
The Face-Snatcher Demon tried to turn its head away but was forcibly straightened by Nian Jiaojiao.
"Look! Look! What's wrong with me? If you don't give me a clear explanation today, you'll keep looking at me from this close!"
The Face-Snatcher Demon: "Blegh—"
It gagged twice but didn't vomit, which enraged Nian Jiaojiao to the extreme.
She cupped the Face-Snatcher Demon's face again, pulling with all her might as she said,
"I think you got a human face for nothing, but you lack human aesthetics!
I'm not good-looking! You find me disgusting?
As a demon, you like snatching faces, don't you? You like impersonating humans, right?
If you're going to impersonate, at least do it properly!
Today, let me correct your aesthetics!"
The Face-Snatcher Demon's face contorted, and it began to make strange sounds.
Nian Jiaojiao paid no mind, continuing to lift and pull.
Finally, the Face-Snatcher Demon's face was torn off by her.
Nian Jiaojiao: Uh...
At this moment, the Face-Snatcher Demon's face was no different from those of its victims whose features it had stolen.
After its face was torn off, the Face-Snatcher Demon gave up struggling under Nan Qing's confinement formation.
It suddenly squatted down, covered its face with its hands, and began to cry "ying ying ying."
Everyone present twitched their lips.
They never expected that they were here to slay a demon, but the atmosphere had suddenly turned into this.
However, this demon looked rather pitiful...
Luo Jin, still lying on the ground, stared at the people who hadn't come to help her from beginning to end, her eyes filled with unconcealed hatred.
Why?
Why was she the only one who had a problem?
She looked down at her hands, which had become somewhat wrinkled. If she said she was fifty years old, people would probably believe her.
At this moment, Luo Wen finally realized something and quickly rushed towards Luo Jin, helping her up.
"Jin Jie, Jin Jie, are you alright?"
Luo Jin said in a hoarse voice,
"What do you think?"
Luo Wen opened her mouth but didn't know what to say.
Meanwhile, on the other side.
Nian Jiaojiao looked down at the face skin in her hand.
After being peeled from the Face-Snatcher Demon's face, the skin seemed to have lost its vitality, becoming dull and lifeless.
Nian Jiaojiao said coldly,
"Tell me, for the people whose faces you stole, if they are still alive, can their faces be returned?"
The Face-Snatcher Demon cried "ying ying ying" but did not answer.
Nian Jiaojiao unfurled her fan with a "snap" and brought the tip close to the Face-Snatcher Demon's neck, saying,
"Are you going to talk or not?"
Only then did the Face-Snatcher Demon say aggrievedly,
"Naturally, they can't be returned. You call me the Face-Snatcher Demon, not the Face-Attacher Demon..."
Nian Jiaojiao: "So you're saying that once the face is taken by you, there's no going back?"
The Face-Snatcher Demon: "That's..."
Before it could finish speaking, Nian Jiaojiao cleanly severed its head.
"Since you're useless, why waste words."
Nian Jiaojiao said indifferently, looking at the headless body on the ground.
[Humanoid Outer-Heaven Demon, Weakness: Neck. Only by severing the head can it be completely eliminated.]
The head on the ground gradually turned into a wisp of black smoke and disappeared. After its head vanished, its body also instantly disappeared.
...
Half an hour later.
The group returned to the City Lord's mansion.
"What, what is this?"
The City Lord exclaimed upon seeing the aged Luo Jin.
Nie Xian said, "We encountered the Face-Snatcher Demon."
"The Face-Snatcher Demon!"
The City Lord looked at Luo Jin's miserable state and assumed that everyone had been unable to defeat the Face-Snatcher Demon and had fled ignominiously.
"What should we do? Can the examination hall send more people?"
As the lord of a city, besides her son's name issue, she was also concerned about the safety of her citizens.
Nian Jiaojiao said,
"City Lord, I have some good news and some bad news."
The City Lord's heart tightened, "Please, tell me."
Nian Jiaojiao said,
"The good news is that the Face-Snatcher Demon has been eliminated, and the people of Re City no longer have to live in fear. But the bad news is..."
As Nian Jiaojiao spoke, she handed over a handkerchief.
The face skin of young master Ding Shen had been neatly folded by her.
The City Lord took the handkerchief and asked as she unfolded it,
"What is this?"
Nian Jiaojiao replied,
"This is your son's face skin."
The City Lord's hand trembled.
Face? Face skin?
She wanted to throw it away, but this was indeed her son's face skin.
Therefore, she stood frozen in place, caught in a dilemma.
Nian Jiaojiao kindly reminded her,
"Won't you take a look and confirm?"
The handkerchief only needed to be opened a tiny bit more to see its contents.
At this moment, the City Lord re-wrapped it and said,
"No, no need. Since you could eliminate the Face-Snatcher Demon, you naturally wouldn't make a mistake."
Nian Jiaojiao said solemnly,
"Although your son's face skin has been found, it cannot be reattached. The moment his face skin was taken, he died. The reason he appeared alive before was just an illusion of survival caused by the demon's aura."
The City Lord sighed deeply.
In truth, she had expected this, but as a mother, she had held onto a sliver of hope.
At this moment, a servant ran over hurriedly and said,
"My lord, the young master suddenly collapsed and... died..."
The City Lord closed her eyes for a moment.
Then she opened them and looked at Nian Jiaojiao and the others, saying,
"Regardless, thank you all for eliminating the demon for our Re City."