The next day, Xie Buyu departed from Lieyang Gate. Before leaving, she sincerely thanked Ye Yu and Elder Ge and promised that—should the opportunity arise—she would repay their kindness.
Elder Ge asked her what she planned to do next. “If you have no clear direction,” he said, “you could go to the Western Divine Realm. There you can lay down your hatred and start anew. With your strength, you could surely reestablish Wuliang Hall. I’ll even stay behind to help you hold it.”
Xie Buyu smiled sadly. She knew Elder Ge meant well—he wanted to dissuade /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ her from a reckless course. But she shook her head. “Some things must be done, no matter the cost. No matter what Dongfang Yelai plots, my master’s grace is too great. His artifact must be reclaimed by me. I cannot allow those old dogs to wield it and make mockery of us.”
Elder Ge frowned, about to urge her again, but Ye Yu gently intercepted him. Ye Yu understood that some people were immovable—call it obstinacy or call it resolve, they would not turn back even if they struck their head against a wall. “It’s understandable that you wish to recover the Heavenly Devourer Axe,” Ye Yu said, “but I advise waiting until you are stronger or more certain. Otherwise you risk riding to your death—and still fail to reclaim your master’s weapon, becoming a laughingstock.”
Xie Buyu’s eyes flickered. She cupped her hands once more, then left Lieyang Gate. After her departure, Elder Ge sighed deeply.
Two days later, Ye Yu grew restless. He could not spend endless days in idleness—he needed to grow stronger. Otherwise, each passing day would be mere wasted time. He approached Elder Ge and firmly took the wooden “Soul Severance” replica. “Since you can’t tame the artifact spirit right now, let me hold it for self-defense.”
Those words struck Elder Ge speechless—then his face fell. “Boy, don’t use Soul Severance for protection! Bring it back and I’ll forge you a real divine artifact.”
“No need,” Ye Yu waved him off. “This is fine.” With that, he vanished from the annex.
Elder Ge tore at his hair in panic. Even a genuine high-grade artifact would serve as a decent defense despite an uncooperative spirit. But this “Soul Severance” was merely wood! Using it for self-defense... was absurd!
Behind him, the solid-wood table’s underside bore the outline of a wooden blade—identical in size to the one Ye Yu had taken. Elder Ge had intended to craft a fake while the real Soul Severance was missing, simply to placate Ye Yu until his passion faded. Then he would claim the spirit was irretrievable and make a replacement. It had seemed reasonable... until Ye Yu planned to actually use the fake in battle.
Panicked, Elder Ge flailed for a solution.
Meanwhile, Ye Yu made his way to the Battle Merits Hall of Lieyang Gate, intending to accept some Divine Alliance missions. On future expeditions, he planned to unleash his special effect and harvest a wave of Devotion Points. The strategy was sound—but reality proved very different.
The hall was deserted and silent. Ye Yu wondered if he’d come to the wrong place. When Xiao Cui passed by, he asked her—and learned the truth. Lieyang Gate was exceptional: divine beings here did not rely on alliance missions, and nobody posted tasks. Gate Lord Zhu Xin Cheng believed every deity should focus solely on strengthening themselves; anything else was a waste of time.
“No missions will be arranged,” Xiao Cui explained. “So train diligently.”
Ye Yu realized he had not erred: the Battle Merits Hall was simply abandoned. This disruption threw off his plans—without public tasks, how could he harvest Devotion Points? He couldn’t just trigger his effect here for no reason. With barely ten permanent deities at Lieyang Gate, most sequestered in retreat, there was no audience—and thus no reward.
Had he known, he would never have chosen Lieyang Gate. Better to roam outside instead. But should he join another alliance?
As Ye Yu pondered, Xiao Cui said, “Fellow cultivator Ye Yu, if you truly have nothing to do, you could wait in the Eastern-Western Valley for the Gate Lord’s escort. She is bringing over a hundred divine beings back—your fellow disciples. You’ll meet them early and perhaps even receive a pleasant surprise.”
At the prospect of over a hundred deities arriving under Zhu Xin Cheng’s command, Ye Yu’s eyes lit up. “That sounds promising!” He agreed immediately. Before leaving, he asked Xiao Cui what the “pleasant surprise” might be—she only smiled enigmatically.
Without further thought, Ye Yu sped toward Eastern-Western Valley, thirty thousand li from Lieyang Gate and on the route back to the alliance. The scenery was splendid. Ye Yu found the highest overlook, sat cross-legged, and quietly opened his divine sense to survey the surroundings. He resolved that the moment Zhu Xin Cheng arrived with her retinue, he would activate his special effect—his powerful display would surely reap a harvest of Devotion Points.
In the next instant, Ye Yu’s expression shifted. His divine sense registered no sign of Zhu Xin Cheng’s arrival—but there was, far below in the valley floor, a hidden array seal of extraordinary subtlety. Curiosity piqued, he darted downward at great speed.
