As the Eleventh on the Evil List, Shen Kangren’s reputation throughout the Divine Realm was fearsome.
Upon hearing his name, many deities in Balance City grew panic-stricken, flocking toward the City Lord’s mansion to seek Yu Buxia’s protection.
What they did not know was that the Goddess of Balance was not in the mansion at all, but standing at the entrance to Ye Yu’s Blessed Grotto!
“Your Highness, has Yinghuo emerged from seclusion?” Ye Yu asked hastily.
He had clearly heard Shen Kangren demand to take two deities away—one of them must be Yinghuo, and the other very likely himself. Clearly Shen Kangren still bore a grudge over that poisoned sheep.
Normally Ye Yu preferred his enemies dead, so he could not wait for Yinghuo to strike and finish off that old villain. Otherwise his sleep would never be peaceful again!
But Yu Buxia gave a disappointing answer. She shook her head.
“Yinghuo has not yet emerged. Perhaps her soul has been separated too long—her grasp of Star Energy is far below her previous level. She will need more time to return to her peak.”
Ye Yu’s expression turned grave as he contemplated the next move.
At that moment, Yu Buxia opened her right palm and a scale appeared, suspended in midair!
“Little one, need help? I’ll deal with Shen Kangren if you’ll fuse something for me in return. How does that sound?”
Ye Yu’s lip twitched. He ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) suspected her earlier excuse was merely to set up this bargain: assistance in exchange for a fusion opportunity.
He felt no real objection—Yu Buxia had already helped cleanse Little White, and now offered to act on his behalf. One fusion was a fair trade.
Seeing Ye Yu hesitate, Yu Buxia continued: “As an added gift, I’ll give you ten Divine-Inducing Pills. It’s the best I can offer. Deal?”
No sooner had she spoken than the scale in her palm tilted toward her side, indicating her stake far outweighed his.
Though unsure if it was genuine, Ye Yu agreed.
“Deal.”
A faint smile curved Yu Buxia’s lips.
The next moment, the formation above Balance City shattered. Shen Kangren appeared above the Divine City, and before him hovered a massive mass of flesh and blood, studded with countless eyes, all staring downward.
Swiftly he located his target and looked down at Ye Yu with a mocking smile.
“You’ve been found!”
In an instant Ye Yu felt as though plunged into an ice tomb, his body locked by innumerable horrifying energies, unable to move!
Only when Yu Buxia lifted her hand before him did the sensation vanish.
“小 Shen, am I being too generous? You dare enter my Divine City. Do you truly think you cannot die?” Yu Buxia chided.
No sooner had she spoken than the flesh-and-blood mass before Shen Kangren shattered. A drop of blood splashed onto his face, giving him a crazed appearance.
Unfazed, Shen Kangren wiped the blood away.
“Goddess, so you intend to protect this brat? Fine. I’ll swallow you and your Divine City together!”
He raised both hands. A titanic globule of flesh and blood coalesced from the air, enveloping the entire city from below and beginning to contract relentlessly.
Terrified deities inside Balance City unleashed their divine techniques, attempting to shatter the mass and escape. But ordinary powers had no effect—they could only watch the flesh tighten around them.
Yu Buxia’s fury surged. She summoned the scale and formed a Daoist seal in midair.
The scale’s radiant light intensified until it bathed the entire city in brilliance.
“Break!” she cried.
With her command, the mass cleaved cleanly in two, the two halves mirroring each other. The scale’s pans exploded with vacuum force, drawing the flesh and blood into them—and Balance City was once again bathed in light.
Yet Shen Kangren showed no panic, as though all remained under his control. He grinned viciously.
“Goddess, I’ve coveted that artifact for some time!”
At his words, Yu Buxia looked down—and saw the flesh once trapped in the pans regrowing, swallowing the scale, then delivering it into Shen Kangren’s hand.
A grotesque smile spread across his features.
“Thank you for the gift—”
Before he could finish, the clear sky suddenly turned to night. Countless stars rained down, crashing Shen Kangren into the city below.
After days of absence, Yinghuo appeared at last, surrounded by starry radiance—ethereal, dreamlike, and breathtaking in her beauty. Her divine power was heavier than ever. This was her at peak strength.
Ye Yu exhaled in relief. At the last moment, Yinghuo had arrived—without her, even the Goddess of Balance might not have prevailed!
“Are you mocking me?” Yu Buxia asked, displeased as she drew near Ye Yu.
He quickly shook his head. “Not at all! Why would you think so?”
“You look at me with a hint of disdain,” Yu Buxia pouted. “Remember our agreement, or I will suffer greatly!”
“Heaven preserve us—I already lost the city’s treasure. This has been quite the bargain!” Ye Yu thought wryly.
To soothe her, he repeatedly promised he would not renege.
Yinghuo, meanwhile, had not intended to defeat Shen Kangren with one strike. To avoid harming Ye Yu, she thoughtfully condensed a formation to trap herself and Shen Kangren within it—signaling a fight to the death.
“Well played!” Ye Yu murmured.
He had thought this battle a foregone conclusion. But before long, a figure was blasted from the formation—it was Yinghuo!
