Seeing Hua Jiuming’s arrival, Ye Yu and Mo Tianjun both felt extreme astonishment.
They had clearly just seen him in the southern part of the Celestial Realm; how had he arrived inside the Three Corpses Hall so quickly? Had he used some teleportation formation?
Hua Jiuming paid no heed to their puzzled expressions and continued: “Using the Celestial Realm Zhuoxin Worm as a guide and applying the secret art Mind Chaos Burial indeed allows control over another’s mind and makes it impossible for outsiders to detect any abnormality. The method is truly clever. I did not expect such an ancient technique to have survived to this day. However, if one believes everything is foolproof just because of this alone, that would be far too naïve.”
On hearing this, Mo Tianjun’s expression changed slightly. Ye Yu also clearly caught that subtle change. It seemed Hua Jiuming was correct. But what exactly was this Zhuoxin Worm? Why had no one ever mentioned it before?
Hua Jiuming then took the initiative to recount the earlier events. As he himself had said, one should not place too much trust in one’s subordinates. So even back when Qu Zhengding was still alive, the Underworld Lord of Nirvana Province, Nie Wang, was actually Hua Jiuming’s man, though he had remained hidden in the shadows, like a concealed pawn unbeknownst to anyone.
Later, Qu Zhengding fell, and Hua Jiuming saw Qu Congchun for the first time. At that time he had no suspicions. It was only when Qu Congchun said he could not locate the master hall of the Three Corpses Hall or Mo Tianjun’s precise whereabouts that Hua Jiuming began to feel something was amiss. As the Demon Lord of the Demon Realm he should have countless means of making immortals speak, and sending a few evil immortals from the central Celestial Realm to intercept them would have sufficed. Yet the search here was continually delayed. If it wasn’t stormy weather, it was rain. Was it truly difficult, or did you simply have no intention of investigating?
Thus Hua Jiuming on one hand ordered Nie Wang to send people to the central Celestial Realm to inquire about the location of the Three Corpses Hall. On the other hand, he fixed Qu Congchun with a scrutinizing gaze. «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» After all, with one’s own father slain, Qu Congchun should have been more eager than anyone to find Mo Tianjun. Yet he remained so calm? It was clearly suspicious.
Sure enough, Hua Jiuming soon discovered the problem: Qu Congchun’s mind had been controlled by a secret art. But he did not raise an alarm. He understood that the one who had captured Qu Congchun’s mind was most likely Mo Tianjun. Otherwise, he would not have shown such lack of effort in finding the Three Corpses Hall. Therefore Hua Jiuming decided to turn their plan against them. He kept Qu Congchun by his side to restrain Mo Tianjun, while ordering Nie Wang to diligently search for the location of the Three Corpses Hall. And only today had he obtained definite intelligence. At that point Qu Congchun naturally had no reason to stay alive any longer.
After Hua Jiuming finished his account Mo Tianjun spoke up: “So now that you have found us, what do you intend to do?” He enunciated the word “us” with particular clarity. Ye Yu rolled his eyes inwardly. Yet he felt a surge of curiosity: Mo Tianjun was usually not one for idle talk. Why did he suddenly become so verbose today?
The next moment Ye Yu understood the truth. For Mo Tianjun’s voice echoed in his mind. “Brother Ye, this man’s power is terrifying. We were caught unprepared today. We might as well retreat and fight another day!” Tsk tsk tsk. Academics and their long-winded phrases. He could have said it in four characters: let’s run.
Hua Jiuming seemed to read Mo Tianjun’s thoughts and a disdainful smile appeared on his face. He took a step forward to completely seal off Mo Tianjun’s path of escape. “Kid, when any living creature is gripped by fear, their first instinct is to flee. Yet whether they succeed depends on the mood of the hunter. Although Qu Zhengding was worthless, he was still a dog I raised. You killed him and even used the jade token to provoke me. Therefore, you must die! As for you, feel free!”
He directed those last words at Ye Yu. Ye Yu could not help but feel that this pretender god Hua Jiuming truly knew how to draw lines. Every wrong had its proper culprit. Impressive.
But Mo Tianjun was beside himself with frustration. He felt as though he were being set up by the two of them. The one who had used the jade token to provoke him was Qu Congchun, not Ye Yu. Why did they insist on targeting him? And why deliberately spare Ye Yu? Had Mo Tianjun not been treated as a human at all?
He seethed with rage yet managed to keep his mind clear. If he pointed out that it was Qu Congchun who had used the token, without considering whether Hua Jiuming would believe him, he would certainly lose Ye Yu’s alliance. After all, a child would not falsely blame someone in such dire circumstances. What mattered most now was to make Ye Yu fight alongside him.
“Brother Ye lend me your strength! As soon as there’s any movement, the three thousand evil immortals outside will immediately rush to aid us. Perhaps then we might stand a chance!” “By the way I forgot to tell you, those three thousand wastes outside are already all dead. Next, it’s you!”
Hua Jiuming gave an evil, charming smile. Mo Tianjun shivered as cold flowers suddenly bloomed around him. Their presence completely restrained his movements. No talk of escape—he could not even fight back!
Just as Hua Jiuming was about to snap his fingers to send Mo Tianjun away forever, a white chain suddenly appeared, wrapping around Hua Jiuming’s palm. “Thank you for your kindness, but he once said he was my ally, and I cannot bear to see him die before me!”
Ye Yu apologized verbally but never stopped moving. A red talisman materialized before him. With a gentle flick from Ye Yu the stone slabs beneath Hua Jiuming melted away and celestial fire of the Celestial Realm gushed out, engulfing him completely. With him the entire Three Corpses Hall was consumed.
Ye Yu retreated rapidly until he reached a safe distance. Mo Tianjun thereby broke free from the restraints and escaped, albeit looking somewhat disheveled from the burns. “Thank you for not giving up on me! We should seize the moment and leave this place quickly!” Mo Tianjun knew well that while Ye Yu’s celestial fire was powerful, it was impossible to kill Hua Jiuming outright. It would be better to go somewhere safe and seek a way to sever a god.
Ye Yu said calmly: “Now that matters have come to this, do you really think he will let you escape? Don’t delude yourself. Today one of us will die here.” At these words Mo Tianjun paused, surprised: “Shouldn’t you have said ‘us’? Why single me out?”
“Because he cannot kill me. Do you believe that?” A smile appeared on Ye Yu’s face. And with that smile Mo Tianjun realized the gulf between them for the first time. The one who once looked down on others now had to look up at someone else. Even if his realm was higher, the truth remained the same.
