Originally, I intended to look for someone, but I didn’t find him—instead, I ran into a competitor?
Yinghuo’s eyes narrowed, and divine power rippled around her.
Seeing this, Yu Buxia thought, This is bad—my best friend has a short fuse. What began as a simple misunderstanding, and Yinghuo nearly wanted to beat me senseless; much less an outsider!
“Ah... could it be someone with the same name?” Yu Buxia hurriedly suggested, trying to calm Yinghuo’s surging power. Better a false alarm than my dear friend smashing half my city in rage!
“Impossible,” Fu Nuannuan’s voice crackled through the Communication Stone. “By her description, it’s definitely the Ye Yu you’re seeking.”
A flicker of killing intent ignited in Yinghuo’s eyes. She mouthed to Yu Buxia: ask where Bone Maiden is now.
Yu Buxia nodded repeatedly, opening her mouth to speak—when Fu Nuannuan interrupted again: “Sister, listen. Bone Maiden may be a small lioness—only a Great God Realm cultivator, hardly a threat. But beware of being undermined [N O V E L I G H T] from the shadows; don’t let her snatch your Dao partner away. That would truly be a loss.”
Cold sweat beaded on Yu Buxia’s brow. Next to her, Yinghuo’s expression twisted with suspicion. Friend—so it wasn’t just misunderstanding before!
“Nuannuan, don’t talk nonsense! When did I ever say Ye Yu was my Dao partner?” Yu Buxia protested.
“Heh, sister, I know your lazy nature well. Yet you care so deeply about Ye Yu—asking daily about any news. If he weren’t your Dao partner, I’d snatch your head and kick it like a ball.” Fu Nuannuan paused for emphasis.
Before she could continue, Yu Buxia crushed the Communication Stone in her hand. Forcing a smile, she spat out, “Friend, what if I tell you this is still a misunderstanding—would you believe me? I only want to find him sooner so you two can reunite. But some people always overthink. Ha, what can I do?”
“Do you think I’d still believe you? Friend!” Yinghuo’s final words struck like a hammer.
In the Celestial Realm, Ye Yu sneezed violently. “Hmm—who’s thinking of me now? Little White?” He smiled. The beast must be busy with Yinghuo; I hope by the time I reach the Divine Realm, Little White will be stronger!
Yet another dilemma loomed: the Dao itself. This dream had been immensely rewarding—after viewing the Daos of Yinghuo, Yu Buxia, Shen Kangren, and others, Ye Yu had fresh insights. Too many ideas, but implementation was extraordinarily difficult. In the Celestial Realm, one’s Dao determined one’s future in the Divine Realm. The choice mattered more than effort—and made him feel every path was wrong, every choice regrettable. What a nightmare of indecision!
Scratching his head in confusion, Ye Yu sat in thought.
At that moment, his daughter Ye Nian flew in on the currents and threw herself into his embrace. “Father, you’ve woken up? You’ve slept for two days this time!”
To Ye Nian, sleep was a waste. Since she began cultivating, she’d nearly ceased rest, devoting all her time to practice and play. She couldn’t understand why her powerful father loved sleep so much.
Ye Yu chuckled. “Two days isn’t too long. How’s your mother? Any news?”
Ye Nian shook her head. “No news, but no need to worry—she’s Li Ruowang, after all! Rather than fret over Mother Empress, you should worry about yourself. You look troubled—met some difficulty? Want me to help?”
Her innocence brought a warm smile to Ye Yu’s face. Perhaps an outsider sees more clearly than the one embroiled. He caught himself and spoke earnestly: “Nian’er, for an immortal in the Celestial Realm wishing to reach the peak, one must choose one’s Dao. Right now, I’m lost; I don’t know which Dao to take. If it were you, what path would you choose?”
“I... I don’t know!” Ye Nian frowned and thought hard but found no answer.
Ye Yu wasn’t disappointed—perhaps the question was too profound for her. He rose, planning to take her out for a stroll, when her words froze him in place: “I don’t know which Dao I’d choose, but I think you, Father, should take the Dao of Sleep—one dream lasts two or three days.”
In that instant, Ye Nian had opened a door to a new world for him. Of course—rather than chase some lofty Dao, he should pursue what he excels at!
Grasping his daughter’s hand, Ye Yu said, “You’re truly your father’s good daughter. Now go play with your other aunts. I have pressing matters—once I’m done, I’ll take you on a grand outing!”
With that, he transformed into a streak of light and disappeared, leaving a bewildered Ye Nian behind. “Father’s gone to sleep again?” she muttered, pouting. Why did he love sleeping so much?
Spotting the beautiful Aunt Banxia, she perked up. “Aunt Banxia, do you have time to take me out to play now?”
“A... now? Sorry, Nian’er—I’m busy. Why don’t you let Xiao Meng keep you company?” Banxia said, flustered. She promptly sent forth the azure bull, then hurried away.
Ye Nian stared at little Qiniu and demanded, “Xiao Meng, did you get a tattoo? Why is there a big black patch on your forehead?”
Some three thousand li from Wuwei Tower, Banxia arrived at the ruins of an immortal sect—now under reconstruction as a stronghold of the Three Corpses Hall. There, she met the long-unseen Demon Heaven Lord.
Yes, she had come to break free from the Three Corpses Hall’s control. But some matters couldn’t be resolved by will alone. She’d deliberately refused the Demon Heaven Lord’s Communication Stone to sever ties—but the mysterious death aura above Xiao Meng’s head had terrified her.
Banxia knew well this was a unique cultivation art of the Demon Heaven Lord—“Doomed Demise.” The caster could decide the victim’s time of death at will. When had Xiao Meng been afflicted? How infuriating!
To prevent her thousand-year companion from perishing, Banxia had no choice but to agree to meet the Demon Heaven Lord here.
