In a corner of Balance City, Ye Yu erected several layers of barriers.
He then began to summon forth the Greedy Spirit Sheep.
Originally there had been five, but he’d handed one to Shen Kangren along with a poison pill—so only four remained.
That was more than enough!
Ye Yu unleashed his Dream-Realm Fusion talent and merged the four Greedy Spirit Sheep into Little White.
Perhaps because both sides were of such high cultivation rank, the fusion required half an incense-stick’s time.
Of course, Ye Yu did not need to stand there and wait. He simply placed the sleeping Little White into his arms, while the four Greedy Spirit Sheep dissolved into streams of white light and flowed into its body.
Once the fusion was complete, Ye Yu prepared to explore Balance City once more.
Alas, with so many dazzling items on display, he did not know where to begin.
But before long he spotted a familiar figure—Gu Yingbai!
Last time he had guided Ye Yu to the perfect purchases in Balance City. Enthusiastic and cheerful, Gu Yingbai was an excellent guide.
Ye Yu produced a handful of Divine Stones and flung them into Gu Yingbai’s arms.
“Come with me to shop.”
Gu Yingbai examined the Divine Stones, and his face brightened with a brilliant smile.
“Very good, Your Highness. You truly have an eye for quality. I am the finest guide in the Divine Realm! I guarantee you’ll find exactly what you desire.”
“Shall we start with Divine Artifacts? Intelligence reports? Or perhaps Divine Techniques? You need only say the word.”
Ye Yu considered for a moment and then whispered, “Let’s just browse first. By the way, I heard Su Tian the Drunkard might also be here. Have you seen him?”
“No. That old fellow hasn’t appeared in over half ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) a month. He’s probably been lured away by some exquisite wine again.”
As Balance City’s professional guide, Gu Yingbai was intimately familiar with every corner of the place. Hearing that Su Tian was truly gone, Ye Yu relaxed noticeably.
“That’s good—better that he’s not around.”
They soon arrived at the southern district, where intelligence reports were sold. Ye Yu purchased a dossier on the Flesh-and-Blood God Shen Kangren and began to read:
Shen Kangren’s arrival in the Divine Realm is undocumented. His power is believed to be in the early Ancient-God Realm, and he possesses the ability to fuse flesh and blood.
Eight hundred thousand years ago he remained hidden. After the Star-Chaos Burial and the disappearance of the Fire Star, he began to emerge.
He rampaged across the Divine Realm, killing nearly a hundred deities and fusing countless bodies.
His strength has been rising rapidly. He currently ranks eleventh on the Evil List (with much room for further advancement).
Unless you’re absolutely certain you can kill him, ingratiate yourself. He is narrow-minded, holds grudges, and is extremely vengeful. Caution, caution, caution!
The triple warning at the end underscored how serious a threat Shen Kangren posed.
Gu Yingbai added, “Your Highness, Shen Kangren is no ordinary foe. Rumor says he is nearly immortal. Unless you can overwhelm him with raw power, he is unbeatable in prolonged combat.”
Ye Yu fell silent, then softly asked, “If his flesh and blood are so formidable, what of his divine soul?”
Every time he entered the Divine Realm, he could not help but think of the God of Inner Demons—a master of soul attacks. If they clashed, who would prevail?
The question flickered through Ye Yu’s mind, then was dismissed. He had witnessed both Shen Kangren and the God of Inner Demons firsthand and felt that Shen Kangren’s divine-power fluctuations were stronger. In a direct confrontation, the God of Inner Demons might not stand a chance.
Gu Yingbai nodded. “Someone once tried to counter Shen Kangren by summoning a soul-master, hoping to strike from within. In the end, that soul-master met total destruction. That path seems closed.”
Ye Yu merely inclined his head and said no more.
He and Gu Yingbai spent most of the day in Balance City, purchasing several Divine Techniques, Artifacts, and countless alchemical pills—spending an astronomical sum of Divine Stones.
Gu Yingbai could not stop marveling at His Highness’s grandeur—little did he know that Ye Yu scarcely batted an eye at the cost. Having slain so many Evil Gods and acquired a Golden-God-Realm powerhouse’s storage ring, Ye Yu was comfortably wealthy. Everything he bought was essential.
When their shopping concluded, Ye Yu drew out his final Divine Stones and rented a Blessed Grotto in Balance City. For the next two days, he would perform all his fusions there.
Yet Gu Yingbai could not bear to leave. He lingered in the shadows, watching Ye Yu’s grotto with a complex expression. After a time, he produced a Communication Stone and murmured, “Second Brother, I’ve found a fat lamb here. Interested? It’s really plump—I wouldn’t have called you otherwise. You won’t believe—”
Before he could finish, the stone in his hand shattered. Shocked, Gu Yingbai whirled around to see a white, adorable little lamb emerging from the darkness—fluffy as a toy. A lamb so precious could fetch a fortune if sold to some Divine Maiden.
But its voice did not match its appearance: “You call my Big Brother a fat lamb? He’s furious. So, are you ready to be eaten?”
The blood-thirsty tone sent a chill down Gu Yingbai’s spine. He felt ensnared by a murderous aura, as though death could strike at any moment. Yet years in Balance City had taught him self-preservation. He crushed a talisman from his sleeve.
In an instant the surroundings shifted, and he found himself outside the city walls. He believed he had escaped—until the little lamb followed, opened its blood-stained maw to reveal its true ferocious form, and swallowed Gu Yingbai in one swift, fluid motion.
In the City Lord’s mansion, Yu Buxia watched everything through the Water-Moon Mirror and murmured, “What a peculiar divine beast. What a peculiar deity.”
