Malice

"Yao Yao, how can I let you live in your current state?"

Qu Yao was covered in blood as she stood on the roof. The entire street was littered with corpses, and hundreds of immortals surrounded her. Each of them held a sword, and their expressions were stern as they glared at Qu Yao, who was only eight years old and standing on the roof.

Her eyes were red, and her golden snake tail swayed slightly. Qu Yao sobbed as she questioned, "Why must I die? I'm not a monster, and I have no desire to kill anyone. Those people made me do it!"

"Sister, I beg you, please let them let me go, okay? Please save me." Her sobs had made her voice hoarse. "Three years ago, I became like this because I wanted to save you. Tell them the truth, and they will definitely believe you."

Suddenly, she was startled to hear a secret voice that only she could hear. It was her sister's voice.

"Don't be ridiculous, my dear sister.

"That day, I purposefully asked you to look at the stars and then fell into the water. Only then would I be able to curse you. I didn't expect everyone to believe my story about you being half-human and half-beast.

"You don't know, do you? When you were born, the thousand-year-old locust tree in the backyard was struck by lightning and killed. Your mother died because it was extremely difficult for her to give birth to you, your father died of depression, and there was a three-year drought throughout the city. It was all because of you! You are a monster, a catastrophe that must be eradicated."

Qu Yao noticed her sister flash an imperceptible smile. Her previously painful heart had died the moment she realised the truth. Who should she despise?

Should she despise the heavens for not allowing her to live happily? Or despise her sister's animosity toward her? Qu Yao was five when saved her ten-year-old sister, but in the end, she was the one who turned into a monster that everyone wanted to beat up.

Her sister pretended to be sympathetic and attempted to persuade her "Don't be so stubborn, sister. All of the people you killed were innocent. I believe these immortals will let you live as long as you return to the demon-locking well."

The immortals and the crowd around her started shouting at her to stop struggling pointlessly. No matter how hard she tried, her sin would only deepen. Only her death could restore peace to the entire city... and only then could the innocent dead souls be appeased.

"Innocent?" Qu Yao began laughing coldly, then changed to a wretched laugh. Finally, she threw her head back and burst out laughing. Her wretched laughing reverberated throughout the city, which terrified the folks below, causing their hair to stand on end and cold sweat to break out.

If she spare these people's lives, who would save hers?

Who would compensate her for the humiliation and pain she had endured for three years at the bottom of the well? Why did the entire city have to sacrifice her three years ago to the statue of the god of light in the temple?

She was not willing. Why did the god who required human sacrifice not count as evil, but the five-year-old her became a monster that everyone wanted to beat because of her snake tail?

She swept the entire temple with her snake tail at the time. She was the one who knocked down the statue and destroyed the temple. Those who knew how to subdue demons and remove evil spirits later came from everywhere to kill her and imprisoned her in the dry well for three years.

During those three years, she was pelted with 53,941 pebbles and soaked in urine 658 times.

Sharp weapons, rotten food, stinky saliva... she couldn't count the humiliations she'd endured. She only remembered how painful the transition from five to eight years old was.

"They're not guilty, but am I?" Qu Yao paused in her wild laughter and asked sternly, "Do I deserve to die simply because I am different from others? Why should I be pursued by these so-called innocent individuals with knives?"

People found it difficult to open their eyes due to the scorching sun. Qu Yao had the feeling she was about to burn. The smell of blood filled her throat. With the last of her strength, Qu Yao shouted to the people surrounding her, "You want me to let them go, but I want everyone in the city to die with me!"

As soon as she finished speaking, a cloud of black smoke erupted from Qu Yao's body. Her body shot into the air, and her snake tail grew in size, as huge as a mountain range, crushing all the houses. Her tail swept mercilessly through the streets, causing countless people and buildings to be thrown all over the place at the same time, and screams could be heard everywhere.

Hundreds of immortals flew into the air, encircling Qu Yao in the center, who had gone crazy. Their swords rained down on Qu Yao like rain, but they were all swept away by her massive tail.

Qu Yao was stained with too much blood, as she absorbed the resentment of thousands of dead while killing. She morphed from half-human to half-beast to demon in an instant.

Someone screamed in terror, "She's turned into a demon! She's turned into a demon! Kill her!"