Chapter 420: Slow down, I'm Actually a Demon

Hearing this, Sea Charm's face lit up with surprise and joy. It knew the Sky-Burning Clam Pearl would develop sentience, and once it did, it would never tolerate humans coveting it. This meant Jiang Fan was doomed. With him dead, the karmic necklace around his neck would be ownerless, and it could then find a way to remove it. Its heart swelled with anticipation at the thought.

Moon Pearl broke into a cold sweat and quickly interjected, "Hold on! Look around you. Is this still your master's temporary palace?" The Sky-Burning Clam Pearl spun its body, remaining still for a long moment. "Where is this?" it asked. "Isn't this the Demon Lord's Temple?"

Moon Pearl gently coaxed, "Little clam pearl, as you can see, this isn't the Demon Lord's Temple, and we haven't trespassed. Your master's commands don't apply here." The Sky-Burning Clam Pearl nodded. "You're right," it chirped in a childlike voice. "You didn't trespass. I made a mistake. I'm sorry." Moon Pearl's lips twitched. It actually knew how to apologize. What a well-behaved child.

However, its very next sentence sent shivers down Moon Pearl's spine. The Sky-Burning Clam Pearl continued, "But my master said that when I emerge, I will be welcomed by demons. And those who seek to destroy me will be humans. You two are humans, so you must be here to destroy me, right? My master also said I should strike first. So, I still have to kill you." As it finished speaking, its entire body erupted in a surge of flames. In an instant, Moon Pearl's clothes burst into fire, and she felt as if she had been plunged into molten lava.

The intense heat caused her excruciating pain. In ten breaths, she would be reduced to charcoal. This was merely a release of its temperature, not even a direct attack! Yet, this passive heat was enough to burn an eighth-level Core Formation cultivator alive. Its terrifying power was simply unimaginable.

"Who said I was human?" Jiang Fan questioned. A faint, ethereal layer of demonic energy now enveloped him, appearing from seemingly nowhere. A closer look would reveal a transparent, spherical pearl held in his mouth – the very Illusionary Mirage Demon Core he had acquired from Liuli. If Moon Pearl could use it to conceal her demonic aura, why couldn't Jiang Fan use it to mask his human presence? Combined with the demon core's innate demonic energy, what else could he be but a demon?

The surprise on Sea Charm's face froze, replaced by a look of utter astonishment. *No way, he wants to trick it into human territory? Surely the Sky-Burning Clam Pearl wouldn't fall for it?*

"Oh! You really *are* a demon! You're welcoming me!" the Sky-Burning Clam Pearl exclaimed in surprise. It swiftly retracted its flames and said, "I'm so sorry, I misunderstood you. But what about the human next to you?" Jiang Fan patted Moon Pearl. "Her? She's my captive," he replied. "I see!" the Sky-Burning Clam Pearl suddenly understood.

Sea Charm watched, growing desperate. It opened its mouth to speak: "They are..." "Silence!" Jiang Fan snapped. The sharp pain in its soul immediately forced Sea Charm to close its mouth. It stood there docilely, not daring to utter another word, fearing that Jiang Fan would use the karmic necklace to kill it before the Sky-Burning Clam Pearl even had a chance.

"Even she's your slave!" the Sky-Burning Clam Pearl exclaimed, surprised. "You're amazing." Jiang Fan replied modestly, "You're too kind. There are many demons far more powerful than me."

"Now that you've emerged, what are your plans?" Jiang Fan asked. "Would you like to come explore with me?" Sea Charm's mouth dropped open in shock. *No way, he wants to trick it into human territory?*

The Sky-Burning Clam Pearl shook its head. "I want to find my master," it said. "But thank you for your kindness, big brother. We'll meet again if fate allows." Just as it spun to depart, it suddenly seemed to notice something.

It zipped forward, stopping abruptly in front of Jiang Fan. This startled Jiang Fan, and Moon Pearl's face also turned pale with alarm. Thankfully, it merely circled repeatedly around Jiang Fan's chest. "Strange, how strange!" it mused. "Why do I sense such a familiar aura on big brother? It's like I've encountered it somewhere before." Jiang Fan steadied himself, pulled open his robe, and revealed the tiny Qilin sleeping soundly within.

The Sky-Burning Clam Pearl immediately brightened. "It's him, it's him!" it chirped excitedly. "Hey, hey, wake up and play with me! We must have met before." The tiny Qilin, deep in slumber, was rudely awakened by the clamor and instantly threw a tantrum.

It furiously raised a tiny paw and swatted the clam pearl to the ground, snarling, "What on earth is this noisy thing?" *Slam!* The Sky-Burning Clam Pearl hit the ground, instantly melting through the lakebed and creating a bottomless hole that billowed with thick black smoke.

Streaks of lava began to seep from the newly formed chasm. Moon Pearl swallowed hard. A mere impact with the ground had melted straight through the earth, all the way to the molten lava deep below? The temperature was utterly terrifying. She doubted even Nascent Soul cultivators could control such a force.

Jiang Fan, too, broke out in a cold sweat. Had the Sky-Burning Clam Pearl splattered even a single spark when it struck the ground, he and Moon Pearl would have been instantly incinerated. After a considerable moment, the Sky-Burning Clam Pearl finally emerged from the hole. It wobbled unsteadily around the tiny Qilin, timidly asking, "Don't you want to play with me?"

The tiny Qilin lay down and impatiently waved a paw. "Who wants to play with a little brat?" it grumbled. "Go away! Go away! Don't bother me!" With that, the short-legged creature covered its eyes and was soon sound asleep again.

The Sky-Burning Clam Pearl looked forlorn, pouting as it complained to Jiang Fan, "Big brother, it won't play with me." Jiang Fan's forehead beaded with cold sweat. *Who would dare play with you? One wrong move and they'd be vaporized!* He smiled gently. "Wait until it's well-rested, then you can try playing with it again," he advised. "Alright," the Sky-Burning Clam Pearl reluctantly conceded.

"Then I'll go find my master first," it said. "If I can't find them, I'll come back and play with it." Jiang Fan's hair stood on end. *Please, for the love of all that is holy, don't come back!* The Sky-Burning Clam Pearl spun once and shot into the sky. Abruptly, it paused again. "Oh, right, big brother," it called out. "My master said the spiritual flesh of that giant ocean clam is excellent. It has unexpected wondrous uses for Core Formation cultivators. You should give it to your slaves to eat." With that, it departed completely.

Even after its departure, the lingering high temperature continued to envelop the surrounding land. It was then that Jiang Fan realized, with a jolt, that the snowfield—which even the Nascent Soul Jade Talisman hadn't melted—had completely vanished! As far as his eyes could see, there was nothing but bare earth and mountains. Not a single flake of snow remained.

A shiver ran down Jiang Fan's spine. "Good heavens," he muttered. "I thought a treasure had been born. Instead, a peerless harbinger of disaster has descended!" He recalled Moon Pearl's initial, terrible idea to destroy it.

He couldn't help but turn his head, a smile playing on his lips, "Are you still going to destroy... uh..." It was then he realized that Moon Pearl's clothes had been utterly incinerated. A single glance offered an unobstructed view. Moon Pearl froze for a moment, then, realizing her complete nudity, swiftly covered her chest with both hands. Her beautiful face flushed crimson. "Are you still looking?!" she shrieked.

Jiang Fan quickly averted his gaze, muttering sheepishly, "I didn't do it on purpose." "Not on purpose means you *can* look?" Moon Pearl ground her teeth in fury. She swiftly darted behind Little White, fumbling to retrieve a prepared set of clothes.

Though dressing was usually a practiced motion for her, she suddenly became clumsy, struggling to put on her clothes properly. Her eyes, nearly misting over with embarrassment, blazed with fury. "You rotten clam pearl!" she fumed. "So young, yet already misbehaving by burning a girl's clothes! Despicable! Lewd! Shameless!"

Jiang Fan rubbed his nose. "It's not like I haven't seen it before," he mumbled under his breath. "Is such a strong reaction really necessary?" Moon Pearl's face turned even redder. *How could he be so brazen? I'm not his woman. Why should he just look whenever he pleases?*

Jiang Fan reluctantly approached the ruins of the palace. It had already been destroyed, and the two shells of the giant clam were blown far away. A huge, translucent mass of flesh, like snow-white tofu, lay before him. Jiang Fan's eyes gleamed with fervent anticipation. The master revered by the Sky-Burning Clam Pearl had to be an unimaginably powerful being. If even *it* claimed the clam's flesh was a good thing, how could it possibly be anything but extraordinary?