Hanyuexi’s sudden question left everyone present momentarily stunned. They all turned to scrutinize the woman who was gripping Ye Yu’s Devil Horn.
“No, the Divine Alliance is on the brink of war. Who are you, barging in and grabbing someone’s horn like that? Don’t you think this is extremely rude?”
Xie Buyu frowned as she regarded this unexpected goddess with growing displeasure. Who was she to {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} act this way? Even Xie Buyu, Ye Yu’s lawful Daoist partner, had never touched his Devil Horn—so on what grounds did this woman seize the initiative? The more she thought about it, the angrier she grew, and she very nearly stepped forward to pull them apart. In the end, though, she restrained herself—Ye Yu’s expression showed not anger but shock.
Indeed, Ye Yu felt bewildered. Could it really be such a coincidence? Every time he had met this woman—Hanyuexi—in the Divine Realm’s dreamscape... it had happened before. “Dog System,” he thought, “I demand an explanation! Is it your fault, or did she recharge you? How can her appearances be so frequent?”
Under all eyes, the woman holding Ye Yu’s horn was the first goddess he had ever encountered in those dreamlands—Hanyuexi herself. Ye Yu began to doubt his own life’s meaning. In his past experiences, a woman in the dreamscape typically appeared only once—at most twice. But Hanyuexi was different: she appeared every single time. That was absurd.
Worse still, he had just parted from her before entering this dream. What had he told her then? Ah yes—about the Divine Stone that could traverse three parallel worlds. Now the Stone was shattered, and he’d lost the ability to cross worlds. That had been his excuse. But this excuse was blowing up in his face: Hanyuexi’s grip betrayed him. She knew perfectly well that his true form was that of an Immortal, not a demon. Hence her outrage.
How could he smooth over this question? Ye Yu’s mind raced as he tried to craft the perfect reply. He finally opened his mouth: “Let go first, and I’ll explain everything.”
Hanyuexi had wanted to refuse, but when she caught the others’ odd glances, she slowly loosened her right hand—though she did not step aside, still blocking Ye Yu’s path. Her attitude spoke volumes: “Today, you must give me an answer.”
Freed, Ye Yu still had no plausible explanation. So he transmitted by thought: Situation’s complicated—three words won’t do it justice. You must leave now; this isn’t a place for you. The elders of Jiyuege intend to kill me.
At that, Hanyuexi’s face grew grave. She looked back at the Jiyuege gods, all wearing hostile expressions. The two leaders crackled with godly power far beyond her own. Damn—she had charged in as soon as she saw Ye Yu, without realizing the danger of the situation! Jiyuege was truly a formidable force—one she could not provoke. And now she seemed unable to leave.
Shaking her head, Hanyuexi sent him another thought: How did you offend such a behemoth as Jiyuege? Now I can’t leave either; their auras have locked onto me completely.
Ye Yu sighed inwardly. Even an outsider like Hanyuexi could not escape—let alone himself. Hanyuexi, mistaking his sigh for concern, said calmly by thought, “It’s fine. I don’t regret coming. Even if I die here after seeing you, I will resurrect.”
That line so amused Ye Yu he laughed out loud. “You ‘don’t regret’ it, huh?”
Xie Buyu watched their silent exchange without comment, but her expression was telling. She could tell they were communicating by thought. Her husband looked genuinely happy—something Xie Buyu had never seen before. Her indignation spiked once more.
In the next instant, her face turned serious. She shot upward, summoning an ancient Bagua Mirror in her hand. She raised it high, projecting a vast mirror-image hundreds of zhang tall. A dazzling blade of light descended from the sky, shattering the mirror projection. The Bagua Mirror itself collapsed with a crack—and Xie Buyu plummeted downward.
Ye Yu reacted just in time to catch her. Across from them, Eighth Elder Duyu of Jiyuege leaned on his enormous Ghost-Head Blade, his eyes cold. “Enough dawdling,” he said. “If you don’t strike now, my next blow will kill you.”
His words were clearly aimed at Ye Yu. Such a direct challenge infuriated Ye Yu. If he could not leave, then he would die taking them down with him.
As Ye Yu moved to set Xie Buyu down, she suddenly grabbed his sleeve and sent a thought: “Darling, be honest—what is your true cultivation level?”
At this point, Ye Yu had no reason to continue hiding. His next move would give him away anyway. Better to lay it bare. “My current cultivation is Early Celestial God Realm,” he replied, looking intently at Xie Buyu as he spoke, wanting to gauge her reaction—whether she had stayed by his side for his power.
To Ye Yu’s surprise, Xie Buyu seized the opportunity to slip a talisman into his robe. This talisman was called “Ten-Thousand-Leagues Escape.” “Once used,” she conveyed by thought, “it will transport you randomly to a place ten thousand li away. I’ll hold off the Jiyuege members—take this chance to flee. Live well. If possible, don’t forget me.”
