“The struggle of the Great Dao—fighting Heaven, fighting Earth, fighting men—is exhausting!”
“I’ve battled for over a million years, even tens of millions, and have already become a god—why can’t I rest?”
“I have only one wish: to make this village the sole Pure Land of the Six Realms. No more conflicts, only peace and harmony! Mutual aid, no scheming, all striving together for strength!”
Chu Ge had spoken these three sentences to every god in the village. Under the influence of his sincere emotion, they all chose to remain. Shen Fuse Xin was no exception. After her lifetime of struggle, she was indeed weary. So, following the example of the other elders, she erected a thatched hut here, to recuperate and enjoy her time in the Celestial Realm.
And as Chu Ge had promised, the gods in this village truly lived in harmony—no plotting, everyone warm and open. It was a fine environment for cultivation.
After explaining this, Shen Fuse Xin paused and softly said, “Actually, if you haven’t decided your path yet, you could live here for a while. Senior Chu is very welcoming; don’t worry about him refusing.”
At these words, Ye Yu smiled but did not answer immediately. Instead, he turned his gaze outward. A pleasant bamboo flute melody drifted on the air, possessing a strange power that calmed the heart.
Shen Fuse Xin whispered, “Whenever he plays, Senior Chu soothes the heart of a Demon God here. I heard he won a demonic flute in the Demon Realm—though it aided him in slaughter, it also let inner demons possess him, making him prone to madness and cruelty. Only the flute’s call brings him relief.”
“But lately its effect has waned,” she continued, “showing that this Demon God’s inner demons have grown almost uncontrollable.”
Ye Yu raised an eyebrow. So Chu Ge really was a master flutist!
Wait—inner demons? Cruelty? Those were negative emotions! He couldn’t let them go to waste.
He hurriedly offered, “I have a technique that can restore calm. Let me try—perhaps it will be even more effective.”
Shen Fuse Xin was surprised but said nothing against it. The world was vast and full of wonders. Ye Yu had risen from the Half-Step Ghost Emperor Realm to Shren in only half a month—some unusual arts were to be expected.
She led him to a thatched hut at the village’s southern edge. Though it looked like the others, it was guarded by over a hundred formation talismans—its defense truly astounding.
A roar suddenly erupted—a lion’s roar—and a violent wave of qi burst forth, instantly activating the surrounding formation talismans, layers of talismanic scripts glowing and enveloping the area. Even so, Ye Yu felt a terrifying pressure.
A muffled pounding came from within—each strike shattered another layer of the formation. Shen Fuse Xin’s face darkened. “Be careful! The Demon God inside ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) is already at Da Shen cultivation—terribly powerful. Even Senior Chu alone subdued him for us. We can’t handle this; let’s retreat!”
No sooner had she spoken than the flute’s melody stopped, and Chu Ge appeared in a flash. His previous calm gone, his expression was grave. With a wave of his sleeve, he began to reinforce the formations here. Streams of multicolored light swirled around him and, guided by his will, converged above the thatched hut.
Perhaps feeling the external pressure, the pounding inside grew frantic. Chu Ge raised one hand and spoke coldly, “Xiao Shen, young friend, you two must leave now—the barrier won’t hold much longer!”
Before Ye Yu and Shen Fuse Xin could respond, all the formation barriers shattered. A three-zhang-tall figure emerged. Backlit by the sun, its features were lost in shadow, but its oppressive aura was immense.
Shen Fuse Xin trembled and whispered, “We’re done for!”
By contrast, Ye Yu remained calm. He formed a sword-finger with one hand, thrusting it forward. Streams of purple qi peeled away from the giant figure, gathering at his fingertip. Chu Ge and Shen Fuse Xin both stared, bewildered by this strange sight.
In the next moment, the towering figure rapidly shrank until it was a normal height. Ye Yu paid no heed, focusing instead on drawing in this harvest. Because he had not directly caused the negative emotions, he could not reap them—but through the Dao of Negative Supremacy, he could absorb her negative emotions for his own. Truly befitting a Da Shen—her alone supplied as much negative emotion as Ye Yu had collected in total.
A small triumph indeed. He retracted his sword-finger and looked up to see a sweat-drenched woman standing before him. She pressed a hand to her shoulder, panting, “How—how did you do that?”
Ye Yu gave her a puzzled look. Wait—who was this woman? He’d never seen her before.
As he stayed silent, she demanded again, “Answer me! How did you do that?”
Beside Ye Yu, Shen Fuse Xin hurriedly explained, “This is Senior Gu Ji, the Da Shen.”
Ye Yu’s eyes brightened. So this woman had been the three-zhang-tall berserk figure? He had assumed a male demon, but it turned out to be a River-Heart Lioness! Wildly beautiful, indeed. Though her drenched state might give the wrong impression! Ahem.
He reached out and moved Gu Ji’s right hand away, gently chiding, “Please withdraw your claws—the shoulders of my immortal robe are all torn apart.”
Only then did everyone notice: although Gu Ji had regained human form, her right hand’s claws remained razor-sharp. On Ye Yu’s robe shoulder were five deep claw marks.
