"Oh, so you are that mortal?"

A clear, ringing voice addressed you, echoing off the high walls of the spacious Crimson Hall. The very young girl's dark brown eyes narrowed as she assessed you from head to toe, her chin raised proudly.

You saw her raise her eyebrows and barely restrain herself from snorting in disdain. Although a moment later the wench burst into laughter anyway.

The huge eagle, sitting next to its owner, flapped its wings as if agreeing with her, but stopped abruptly when she cast a cold glance at its pet.

"Are the gods really that stupid to think that a man like you can handle me?"

The demoness sprawled on her throne, resting her cheek on her hand and returning her gaze to you. She didn't even try to hide the smirk on her thin lips. In her eyes, you were no more than a dung fly.

You, the Great Warrior, who was destined by the gods to stop the machinations of the evil demon Yan Yingxue and save people from misfortune. Your birth was like the radiance of a pearl.

Even when your voice cut through, the fate of beheading this dark creature was written in your eyes.

But... You didn't expect to see a teenage girl instead of a grown woman, and such a bold and pushy one at that. She looked like she was barely fourteen years old, completely fledgling and naive.

It was hard to believe that it was she who, with her thin, pale hands, took thousands of lives, plunging cities and villages into pestilence and famine.