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The two-wheeled carriage moved leisurely along the official road, and the occasional passersby not only took the initiative to give way but also cast envious glances.

In Pei State, those who could afford horses were not ordinary families; they were either the offspring of officials or merchants with some wealth. Moreover, the carriage windows were not covered with curtains, so people could vaguely see a young man with clear and refined features sitting inside. Everyone speculated that this might be some noble young master out visiting friends, hence traveling so lightly.

What the passersby envied was not the young master, but the driver of the carriage—after all, the former was too far removed from them, whereas being retained as a servant or attendant by the young master seemed more achievable.

In these times, working for a wealthy family meant leaving hunger behind and having shelter from the elements, no longer having to struggle all day for a living.

Ma Shun naturally felt the envious glances, but his heart remained disheartened; he never imagined that one day he would become a demon fiend’s chauffeur.

Although it was a perfectly cloudless good weather, he felt a chill sweeping over his back, and the carriage seat beneath him felt as bone-chilling as centuries-old ice.

When the demon fiend suggested going to Baihe Village alone, he panicked and realized something: his little schemes could not be concealed from the fiend. In the demon fiend’s eyes, he was as readable as a blank sheet of paper; the more he hoped the fiend would not do something, the more interested the fiend seemed to become... Under such circumstances, how could he dare let the fiend go to his hometown by himself?

If necessary, once they reached the place, he would fight to warn his elderly parents to flee.

"Your heart is beating a bit fast." A terrifying voice suddenly sounded from inside the carriage.

In that instant, Ma Shun felt his breath stop, his chest clogged with panic, and he pounded his chest, unable to take in a breath.

"I... uh... I..."

"Sigh." A sigh was heard.

Ma Shun thought he would lose his soul in the next moment and turn into the demon fiend’s fodder, yet his mind inexplicably calmed down, and he finally exhaled the breath blocking him.

"You’re scaring yourself to death; am I really that terrifying?" The other’s tone carried a hint of displeasure.

He didn’t have time to ponder how he calmed down suddenly and replied cautiously, "Of course not, Immortal Master is not scary at all. It’s just that I choked earlier."

"But that’s not how your heart sees it."

Ma Shun immediately showed a desperate expression; indeed, he couldn’t hide a thing from him, what was the point of lying?

After a brief silence in the carriage, another question came, "What do I look like in your eyes? Just be honest."

Ma Shun swallowed hard and cautiously glanced back towards the inside of the carriage.

The demon fiend’s physique was no different from an ordinary person; however, its exposed hands and head were terrifying! Its hands were drenched in blood, devoid of skin, revealing wet flesh and stark white bones intertwined; as for its head... that was even more horrifying, it was not a human face at all but a writhing mass of flesh! The eyeballs weren’t in their usual positions but roamed around, sometimes side by side, sometimes upside down; just one glance would send chills down one’s spine.

What scared him even more was that he seemed to be the only one who could perceive the demon fiend’s true appearance.

Earlier, when they descended from Tugou Mountain and encountered a convoy, the demon fiend conversed with them and with the money he gathered bought a carriage from the group. Throughout the conversation, not a single person screamed at the demon fiend, as if he was just an utterly normal person.

Ma Shun had heard many tales of demons; some were no different from animals, and one good hit with a hoe could kill them, while others could call the wind and summon the rain, kill with a glance... such terrifying demons must be dealt with by cultivators. As for more terrifying great demons, only the legendary Immortal Masters could handle them.

But among all the stories, what impressed him most were the demons that could blend in with humans, like Painted Skin Demons and Beauty Demons; they were no different from normal people on regular days, but once night fell and silence reigned, these demon fiends would shed their disguises, open their blood-stained jaws, and creep over to the pillows of sleeping people...

Could this person who calls himself Xuan possibly be a Painted Skin Demon hiding in the mundane world? If he hadn’t joined the Tugou gang and followed the leader to rob that merchant convoy, he wouldn’t have wound up running into the demon’s blade.

Maybe this is karma!

Being a bandit meant destined for an ill fate.

Ma Shun steeled himself and uttered the truth exactly as he saw it.

Now it was Chen Xuan’s turn to feel awkward.

Involuntarily, he touched his own face. If he hadn’t specifically asked the question earlier, he wouldn’t have realized that in Ma Shun’s eyes, he appeared so fearsome.

How could it be this way?

Is it because his flesh and soul have already succumbed to taboo, allowing him to see the essence of forbidden things?

If so, wouldn’t recruiting believers become exponentially harder?

Not necessarily... Throughout history, worship of evil and fearsome things has been fairly common, and mysticism had always had a market among the populace.

The key lies in how he guides the people.

"Rest assured, I don’t eat people." Chen Xuan said coldly.

"Right, right, Immortal Master wouldn’t possibly eat people..." Ma Shun paused abruptly midway, realizing that his thoughts couldn’t be concealed, "But, I..."

"That’s called fusion; how could such a vulgar term like eating be used to describe it?"

"Fu-fusion?" He was taken aback, "What happens after fusion?"

"You gain extraordinary power. If you don’t believe it, cut yourself with a knife." With that, Chen Xuan handed over a dagger.

Seeing the bloody skinned hand, Ma Shun almost steered the carriage into a ditch.

Trembling, he took the dagger that originally belonged to him and gritted his teeth, slashing hard at his own arm—after all, opposing the demon fiend was a dead end, he might as well go all in.

Surprisingly, the anticipated pain didn’t occur; rough skin indeed split open, but not much blood flowed out.

Ma Shun was stunned.

How could this be? If an ordinary person suffered such a cut, they would be sweating profusely from the pain, and blood would be gushing from the wound!

Does this body... truly belong to him?

"Do you understand now?" Chen Xuan sneered, "I am the Lord of Flesh and Blood, overseeing human life, aging, illness, and death; you are fortunate to be fused with me, your mortal body has transformed."

In fact, he merely transferred the Purifying Heart Technique and Living Dead into the other’s body; otherwise, that heart attack would have killed Ma Shun just now.

A fused soul can still die, and if they die outside, he can only reclaim some worthless flesh.

A storm erupted in Ma Shun’s heart.

Lord of Flesh and Blood? Overseeing life, aging, illness, and death?

This isn’t something ordinary demon fiends could accomplish, is it?

Could it be that this person is a legendary... Great Demon?

"Neither demons nor immortals are worthy of becoming my fodder, and great demons are no exception." Chen Xuan directly pierced through his thoughts, "The Lord of Flesh and Blood is a forbidden existence, the origin of all living things; there’s no need for you to understand what I am, as it is beyond your comprehension."

Neither a demon nor an immortal, and even great demons aren’t worth mentioning? Ma Shun felt sweat beads form on his forehead; he felt as if he had encountered something incredible.

Karma, karma!