When Yan Yong at last produced the Xuanba Shitian Axe (Supreme Conquest Sky-Devouring Axe), Dongfang Yelai’s heart had leapt with joy. He had already imagined how he would receive this priceless artifact.
But to his utter disbelief, he watched as Yan Yong placed the axe into Xie Buyu’s hands instead!
In that moment, Dongfang Yelai’s fury boiled over. He could not understand why his master had gone back on his promise to give him the axe.
Memories of five years spent groveling at Yan Yong’s feet flashed before his eyes—scenes in which he had humiliated himself daily, like a clown in a circus, all for the sake of earning what he believed was rightfully his share. And in the end, he had received nothing. It was a monumental joke—and a grave insult.
Unrestrained rage filled Dongfang Yelai’s chest. He stormed before Yan Yong and demanded, “Master, what do you take me for? Toilet paper—used once and discarded? You promised to give me that axe! Why didn’t you?”
Perhaps affronted by being questioned so openly, Yan Yong’s face darkened. With a thunderous voice, he reprimanded his disciple’s greed: “Even if I was drunk that day and babbled, I have every right to change my mind! It’s your impetuous character—day after day you waste your time on trifles instead of refining your cultivation. What makes you worthy to inherit my legacy? Or to take leadership of the Fate Hall?
“Moreover, by all rules of seniority, Xie Buyu is the eldest—it is only fitting she succeed me!”
At this last declaration, Dongfang Yelai’s eyes turned blood-red. “Seniority? By that logic, I should have been first—after all, I was the very first to stand by your side! If you loathe me so, then I will walk my bright path and you yours: we shall never meet again!”
With this scathing retort, he stormed out of the Fate Hall. Yan Yong trembled in anger, pointing after the departing figure, speechless.
Two days passed, and in his pride, Dongfang Yelai refused to return. He resolved to venture alone into the Divine Realm, never to step foot in that cursed place—or the Divine Alliance—again.
But then Zhu Qiyuan found him. Instinctively, Dongfang Yelai assumed his Second Senior Brother had come to persuade him. “If you’re here as a mediator, get lost—I'm never going back!”
Instead, Zhu Qiyuan handed him a flask of divine wine. “Mediator? Nonsense. Fourth Junior Brother, you were right. Master is an old fool: he promised you the axe, then gave it to Senior Sister. It’s a mockery! Why should I, the Second Brother, get nothing?”
As Zhu Qiyuan defended him, Dongfang Yelai seized the wine and drained it. Encouraged, he agreed: “I refuse to submit any longer!”
“We will take what is ours,” Zhu Qiyuan pressed on. “But we need help. My eldest brother, the Demon God, will lend us aid. Together, we’ll seize the Xuanba Shitian Axe from Master—and then kill him!”
Dongfang Yelai froze. He harbored resentment but had never contemplated patricide. Hastily, he protested: “We may reclaim the axe, but Master remains Master—it would be wrong to kill him!”
Zhu Qiyuan slapped Dongfang Yelai’s cheek with mocking contempt. “He might see you as a disciple, but does he truly regard you as such? He treats you like a dog!”
Fury welled in Dongfang Yelai’s fists as he recalled the betrayal. A murderous impulse arose: “If he will not show mercy, neither shall I!”
That night, Dongfang Yelai and Zhu Qiyuan met with the Demon God Gou Langtu. After planning, they chose to ambush Yan Yong atop Eternal Vibration Divine Mountain in five days’ time—on the fifth day of the eighth month, the very day Yan Yong traditionally climbed the peak in solemn remembrance.
Gou Langtu even recruited additional accomplices to ensure a killing blow.
When the day arrived, they lay in wait. Yan Yong appeared, looking gaunt and wearied. Gou Langtu and his men attacked, driving Yan Yong back step by step—until the master drew {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} forth the Xuanba Shitian Axe.
With its power in hand, Yan Yong rooted himself firm, and his divine energy surged so fiercely that he forced Gou Langtu’s forces to retreat. Seizing the chance, he broke free and fled northward.
Only Dongfang Yelai knew of this annual pilgrimage; no one else could explain Yan Yong’s sudden absence. Determined to prevent his escape, Dongfang Yelai and Zhu Qiyuan risked casting powerful divine seals to hinder him.
They succeeded in halting him—but in doing so, Dongfang Yelai overreached. Yan Yong’s retreating palm caught the edge of his robe, yanking him off balance. Terror shot through his heart.
Perceiving the betrayal, Yan Yong held back his axe—only then did Gou Langtu and company strike from the shadows, grievously wounding the master.
Yet fate proved elusive: even mortally injured, Yan Yong staggered back and managed to escape.
As his master’s retreating form vanished from sight, dread overwhelmed Dongfang Yelai and Zhu Qiyuan. They knew they had gravely miscalculated—for in the Divine Realm, crimes against one’s master could incur a fate far worse than death.
