Reborn as a succubus - Chapter 32

After Xi Che fell into the strange vortex, he found himself surrounded by black, snake-like plants. The ground trembled, and the plants extended their long tendrils toward him, slithering closer. They didn’t seem like ordinary demonic plants — although dark in color, these even had serpent heads and eyes.

At first, he thought they were actual animals. When dozens of them lunged toward him, flicking their tongues and hissing, a chill ran down his spine. Quickly, he raised his hand and cast several binding spells. The serpent heads swelled into bubbles and burst, spraying thick green sap everywhere. That’s when he realized they were all connected to a single enormous tree — the tendrils were just its branches.

He staggered away from the mass of writhing vines and looked up, only to find that the hole he had fallen through was gone. Above him was nothing but a normal-looking sky. There was no way back.

“The Heavenly Ladder had an entrance like this?” he muttered. “Where on earth have we landed?”

The white tiger spirit that had been residing in his consciousness was suddenly forced into physical form and landed at his feet. It looked up at him and said, “You’ve never walked the Heavenly Ladder before, have you? No wonder you didn’t know. That Dream Master clearly had hidden motives. You swore you wouldn’t see Chu Yan again, yet he still tricked you.”

Xi Che shook his head. “I’ve been a war god for years and never knew the ladder had secret realms hidden within it. I doubt the Dream Master knew either.”

“Never let your guard down,” the white tiger muttered.

Ignoring the argument, Xi Che turned his focus to the surroundings.

The tiger stared into the distance with a rare seriousness on its cub-like face. “That mountain… it’s glowing purple.”

Xi Che followed its gaze. Sure enough, the edge of a dark mountain was faintly rimmed in violet light. He laughed. “Purple clouds from the east? What is this — the realm of some ancient deity? Don’t tell me it’s the Queen Mother of the West?”

The tiger snorted. “The Queen Mother lives on Mount Kunlun — the very one you kept hunting on. If she were still around, you’d have been dead long ago for trespassing on her land.”

Xi Che admitted that was true. Still, he had never seen a mountain shine like that before, not even in Chu Yan’s celestial palace. Could there really be a place holier than the divine realm of Jingyu?

Then the tiger stiffened, nose twitching. “That purple light feels ominous. I don’t think this is a good place.”

Xi Che raised an eyebrow. “You said the same about Chu Qi’s scent, and later you liked him just fine. Maybe your nose is broken.”

The tiger frowned. “No, I remember now. Chu Qi’s scent really was unpleasant — just like that of someone else I can’t stand.”

“Chu Yan?” Xi Che blinked.

Could it be? The tiger’s dislike of Chu Yan had always been tied to its old grudge against the Vermilion Bird. But if Chu Qi shared that scent… could he be related to the Vermilion Bird? Or even descended from the Sun Crow, the Eastern Emperor himself? Thinking back to Chu Qi’s thunder tribulation, Xi Che began convincing himself his wild guess might actually be true.

Just as he was lost in thought, a gust of wind swept past his neck. He dodged instinctively — too late. A white shadow flashed, and suddenly his body went numb. He fell hard to the ground, unable to move.

Two men in white robes appeared before him. They looked about thirty, handsome but oddly dressed — all in pure white: robes, hats, boots, even their tassels. The whiteness was so blinding it seemed they were trying to prove how “untainted” they were. They didn’t look exactly human or divine — more like something between.

The white tiger stood protectively before Xi Che, invisible to them.

One of the men, narrow-eyed and sharp-featured, leaned in to study Xi Che. “I thought we caught something rare,” he said coldly. “Turns out it’s just an incubus.”

Xi Che scowled inwardly. ‘Just an incubus? Did he really call me a ‘head’ of one?

The man looked toward the ruined vines and snarled. “You destroyed my Eight-Serpent Tree!”

Xi Che said nothing. That grotesque thing was your pet? These two are definitely insane.

The other man, with thick brows, chuckled and whispered to his companion, “No humans come here for centuries, and the first one that does is an incubus. How amusing. I’ve heard they’re resilient and… clingy. Since the young master won’t want such a low creature, why don’t we keep him for ourselves — to make up for your broken tree?”

The first man grinned, showing sharp, unnatural teeth. “The young master only takes humans. Fine, we’ll do as you say.”

They spoke casually, as if Xi Che weren’t even present. When they moved to lift him off the ground, he realized his body and even his tongue were paralyzed. Desperate, he called silently to the white tiger.

The tiger leapt and bit the sharp-eyed man’s arm — hard. The man shouted, but to Xi Che’s horror, there was no wound, not even a drop of blood. Impossible! he thought. The white tiger’s bite should have torn flesh from bone.

The tiger, equally shocked, backed away, realizing that these two were not ordinary beings.

The thick-browed man frowned. “What’s wrong?”

The other hissed, “There’s something else here. This incubus has a hidden guardian — something just bit me.”

They both looked around but showed no fear, only a cold confidence. Xi Che’s instincts screamed that these weren’t humans at all — or even demons he recognized.

The tiger, noticing their large, catlike ears turning to track sounds, moved silently behind them. When they heard nothing, they relaxed and grabbed him again. The tiger struck a second time, biting the thick-browed man, but this time the other kicked with uncanny precision, striking the tiger squarely and sending it flying.

“Bai Hu!” Xi Che cried.

The men froze, realizing the name. “Ah, so there really is a companion.”

Xi Che called the tiger back to his inner realm before it could be hurt again. The men mocked him lightly, remarking on his “invisible helper.” Their calm only deepened Xi Che’s unease — these creatures had terrifying instincts.

Soon, they lifted him and carried him toward the Eight-Serpent Tree, tossing him onto the thick vines. He lay there, unable to move, glaring up at them.

The thick-browed one said, laughing, “It’s been so long since I had some fun. You’ve got your lady companion — let me have this one first.”

His companion smirked. “Don’t bring her up. That was just a passing arrangement. We’re not bound by mortal morals.”

Xi Che kept his face impassive, but his mind raced. The two clearly had tension between them — perhaps a rivalry over that woman. Maybe he could use that.

As one of them leaned closer, Xi Che shouted hoarsely, “Wait!”

The man actually paused. “What do you want to say?”

Xi Che met his gaze and said, “If you’re going to humiliate me, at least let the stronger one go first.”

The narrow-eyed man raised a brow. “Oh? Why?”

“You look more capable,” Xi Che said coldly. “Your companion doesn’t seem like he could handle it. We incubi prefer power — and I doubt he could satisfy me.”

The smirk that followed was enough. The second man, enraged, lashed out at his partner. “You always take everything from me — even this?”

Steel met steel. The two fought fiercely, each refusing to yield. Xi Che watched blankly, silently cheering, Yes, fight. Best if you kill each other.

Unfortunately, they soon realized the futility of their quarrel and stopped, glaring at Xi Che. “Let’s just deal with him together,” one suggested.

Xi Che’s stomach dropped. Perfect. Just perfect.

Before they could act again, a thunderous voice rang from above:
“Enough!”

A streak of divine light split the sky. A man with a sword descended like a bolt of lightning — Chu Yan.

The two white-robed men barely had time to react. Chu Yan’s blade, the Taiyi Sword, pierced straight through one man’s skull, then kicked the other aside, sending him crashing into the rocks, coughing blood.

Xi Che’s paralyzed body fell backward, but before he could hit the ground, he felt a familiar presence — cool, steady, and filled with power.

He was caught in Chu Yan’s arms.

“Asa…” came Chu Yan’s quiet voice.

Xi Che didn’t even lift his head. He simply pressed his face into Chu Yan’s chest, trembling slightly.

After a long silence, his voice came muffled and weak but tinged with emotion:
“Chu Yan… when you came flying down like that — you looked so damn cool.”