In just two breaths, Yinghuo’s body shattered into countless lotus leaves, drifting to the ground and dissolving into motes of starlight.
The woman who had emerged from the box abruptly opened her eyes, as if a drowning soul finally rescued to shore. She gasped in two greedy breaths before exhaling a single rasping sigh.
Yinghuo flexed her wrist and felt a rush of clarity and vigor. Ah, she thought, there’s no place like one’s own body. Now, after eliminating those fools, I’m even more confident.
While she murmured to herself, Ye Yu and Xiao Bai readied themselves to flee. They were now almost certain that this woman was the monstrous killer who had slaughtered countless beings in the Underworld and Demonic Realm in her obsessive search for her own body.
But how had she retrieved it? That question mattered little compared to the one pressing on their minds: how to survive.
“Don’t go anywhere,” Yinghuo called, her voice echoing like distant thunder. “Tell me exactly what happened!”
She turned slowly, her gaze sharp and assessing, fixing on Ye Yu—after all, he was the one who had produced the box, not Xiao Bai.
Ye Yu met her eyes without flinching and recounted how he had come into possession of the box in the Mortal Realm. He emphasized that neither he nor Xiao Bai could open it, so the body inside must be unharmed—and that it had come to him quite by accident. “I had no idea it belonged to anyone,” he added. “Ignorance is no crime.”
Yinghuo’s interest lay elsewhere. “You mean this box was taken from the Mortal Realm more than a decade ago?” she pressed.
Ye Yu nodded. “Yes. It was deep in the sea where the Northern Wilderness and Central Continent meet.”
Yinghuo stepped forward. She was tall—almost exactly Ye Yu’s height—so their eyes nearly met. A mere dozen years to ascend from Mortal cultivator to a True God... Ye Yu’s heart thumped wildly. That’s obscenely fast, even for the New God Peak!
Before he could form an excuse, Yinghuo’s tone shifted. “Your pace was actually rather slow. Tell me—before you reincarnated, which god were you?”
Ye Yu blinked in surprise, then realized she must suspect him of being a reborn Celestial. Yet how common was divine rebirth in the Lower Realms? Yinghuo’s expression, however, betrayed no real astonishment.
He answered smoothly, “Just a nameless grunt. I studied under the drunken Su Tian for a time.” He invoked the reputed ancient-god-level cultivator to lend credence.
Yinghuo frowned. “That old drunk Su Tian? What was worth learning from him? And you—after you delivered my body back to me, I owe you more than a little gratitude. Do you know how much trouble I went through in the Mortal, Demonic, and Underworld Realms to retrieve it? Otherwise, I’d have returned ages ago.” Her voice trembled with wounded resentment.
Ye Yu felt awkward. So she really is the mad one everyone spoke of... he thought, but he dared not voice it. Instead he forced a laugh. “It really was just coincidence.”
Yinghuo’s brow furrowed into deep knots as she studied him repeatedly. Ye Yu felt gooseflesh creep up his spine. What does she want now?
At last she sighed. “You’re lucky, boy. Here’s the deal: if our paths cross again, you may ask one small favor of me—whether to slay a god or to obtain a divine technique. But don’t push your luck. If you overstep, you won’t live to regret it.”
“A... favor?” Ye Yu blinked. Not only no punishment, but a reward...? Why wait until next time? Why not grant it now?
What Ye Yu did not know was how torn Yinghuo truly felt. A dozen days ago, upon her return to the Celestial Realm, she swore that whoever restored her body would earn a boon. But she had not expected someone to actually succeed—especially not in this way. Had Ye Yu not acted so swiftly, she would never have delayed punishing him. So she was determined to balance merits and demerits—and grudgingly honor her vow next time rather than immediately.
“Enough chatter,” she snapped. “I have other matters. Farewell.”
With a flick of her sleeve, she walked onto a path of starlight, moving so fast she became a blur. Only when her divine aura vanished did Xiao Bai finally exhale.
“That woman is too complicated,” it muttered. “Big brother, she looked so conflicted while watching you—I almost felt sorry for her!”
Ye Yu nodded. She wasn’t unreasonable—she didn’t massacre on sight, at least she heard his explanation, and even offered a promise. That contradicted every rumor he’d heard in the Underworld and Demonic Realm. Rumors were worthless.
Neither he nor Xiao Bai lingered. They set off back toward Wuzhong Mountain. Before leaving, Ye Yu destroyed the divine city utterly.
“What rotten peaches and plums,” he growled. “A thousand-year legacy of one-night stands, really just a ploy to lure gods here for slaughter. Kong Ying, you were supposed to be a good sister!”
His anger flared hotter with each thought. All of you are worthless! he spat. You preach eradicating evil gods yet can’t even see what’s under your own roof. You ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) keep ghosts in your own home and call yourselves guardians? If Yinghuo hadn’t intervened, I’d be finished!
Ye Yu clenched his fists, his resentment burning like wildfire as they left the ruin of the divine city behind.
