During the next century, old dog Gou Langtu seemed to vanish from the Divine Realm as if he had never existed. No matter how they searched, there was no trace of him. As for the two shadow-cloaked figures, they remained a complete mystery—only Gou Langtu himself could have known their true identities.
At this point, Zhu Qiyuan began urging Senior Sister Xie Buyu to let go of her hatred. “Old dog Gou Langtu may already be dead,” he said. “We should look ahead and cultivate properly. Master would not want us to wander endlessly. Besides, if we ever learn of Gou Langtu’s whereabouts, we can still go kill him later.”
Xie Buyu considered his words sensible. She agreed and led her junior brothers and sisters northward in the Divine Realm, where they established the Boundless Hall. Their quest for vengeance was put on hold.
Dongfang Yelai grew excited. To avenge Master, Senior Sister could not part with the Xuanba World-Devouring Axe, but now that revenge was paused and their Divine Alliance was formed, perhaps she would give it to him? He waited eagerly—but days passed and she never mentioned it.
Finally, he approached Xie Buyu and confessed, “I want the Xuanba World-Devouring Axe. Please, Senior Sister, bear the pain of giving it up.” Her reply was firm: “Before Master passed, he specifically instructed me that I could give you anything—except this. It must remain in my hands.”
Fist clenching in frustration, Dongfang Yelai thought, Master this, Master that—even though Master was dead, she kept invoking his will. That day, Xie Buyu struck him across the face—her first blow to a junior brother—and he stomped back to his chamber in a rage.
Later, Zhu Qiyuan came to comfort him. “Junior Brother, you were indeed too forward. That is a superior-grade artifact—who wouldn’t covet it? Whether Master truly said it or not, even without his words Xie Buyu would not have handed the axe to you. Give it up and focus on cultivating in the Boundless Hall. Our Alliance is prospering: if we unite, we can seize resources from other Divine Alliances!”
This only # Nоvеlight # fueled Dongfang Yelai’s fury. He had sacrificed too much for the Xuanba World-Devouring Axe—there was no turning back. If he dared slay Master, why shouldn’t he kill Senior Sister?
His murderous intent ignited, and he began plotting Xie Buyu’s assassination. Unexpectedly, before he could act she left the Divine Alliance without a word.
Ten days later, a weary Xie Buyu returned and immediately entered seclusion for cultivation. But the Xuanba World-Devouring Axe had become Dongfang Yelai’s obsession; he had to possess it. He confided in Zhu Qiyuan, “We must lure her out and kill her.” Unable to dissuade him, Zhu Qiyuan produced a vial of red elixir—a divine pill Gou Langtu had given him to manipulate others’ minds. “We’ll trick our juniors into taking this,” he explained, “then feign peril and call for Senior Sister’s aid. When she arrives, we strike.”
Dongfang Yelai agreed. He asked, “Why didn’t we bring Gou Langtu to help kill her?” Zhu Qiyuan sneered, “He grows ever more timid and never shows himself; he only sends orders. We’ll have to do it ourselves. He’s promised us a hefty sum of divine stones in exchange.”
Though reluctant, Dongfang Yelai said nothing more. The plan proceeded flawlessly: under Zhu Qiyuan’s direction, Ma Tongtian and Jiang Mingtian ingested the pill and fell under control. Nangong Yantian, traveling abroad, was not present. Ma Tongtian sent a distress call from Shaling Valley, claiming they were being pursued and begging Senior Sister’s rescue.
True to form, Xie Buyu rushed to their side. As she neared, the two assassins struck, wounding her. Zhu Qiyuan and Dongfang Yelai believed they had secured victory—but they had gravely underestimated her strength.
Half an hour later, risking damage to her divine spirit, Xie Buyu slew Zhu Qiyuan, Ma Tongtian, and Jiang Mingtian in succession. Her eyes glowed red as she confronted Dongfang Yelai, bloodlust radiating from her. Yet she paused and asked why he had done it.
Furious, Dongfang Yelai roared, “I wanted the Xuanba World-Devouring Axe! Why won’t you give it to me? Master said so, and so do you—you both deserve to die!” Having no hope of survival, he threw himself into reckless defiance.
Xie Buyu extracted Zhu Qiyuan’s soul and learned the whole truth. Unexpectedly, she spared Dongfang Yelai’s life—but shattered both his legs and forbade him from ever setting foot in the side hall again. Thereafter, he languished imprisoned in that chamber for three hundred thousand years.
When Ye Yu finished recounting this tale, everyone present was stunned. Ye Yu himself looked at Dongfang Yelai with disdain: “Someone who colluded with outsiders to slay Master truly deserves death.” Hong Zhencheng trembled; he had never imagined their gentle master capable of such severity—truly merciless. The most sorrowful was Nangong Yantian, whose eyes filled with red as he shouted, “Why? Why did you deceive me?”
Dongfang Yelai merely sneered, “Did I lie? When you asked why Zhu Qiyuan, Ma Tongtian, and Jiang Mingtian fell, I said they were mind-controlled and cut down by Senior Sister. You thought her methods too extreme, refusing to seek alternatives and killing our fellows, so you hated her fiercely. That suited me just fine—why explain more?”
Hearing this, Nangong Yantian flushed crimson, spat blood, and collapsed to the ground.
