A moment later.
Under Ye Yu’s guidance, Han Gu arrived at Han Yuexi’s Divine City.
Peering down the deserted street, his expression grew complicated.
To any outsider, it must have looked like an ordinary marketplace—nothing to fuss over. But to Han Gu, this scene felt hauntingly familiar, for it matched exactly the image he had left behind in his Reflection Stone.
Nearly ten million years ago, Han Gu had been a mortal cultivator in the human realm. As he ascended, he used the Reflection Stone to preserve one last memory of the bustling market—a final keepsake of his mortal life.
Later, he cultivated in the Celestial Realm, then advanced into the Divine Realm, where he met his wife and welcomed two children: Han Yuexi and Han Qianzhang, a daughter and a son. Everything unfolded naturally. At that time, Han Gu had just entered the Golden Divine Stage, his humanity and divinity emerging in tandem. His divine nature dominated, leaving him little warmth for Yuexi. As a child, Yuexi’s greatest joy was gazing at the scenes within her Reflection Stone. Though brief, she never tired of watching.
Children deprived of parental affection cling to other comforts. As Yuexi grew and matured, she no longer depended on her parents. Han Gu, meanwhile, advanced into the Ancient Divine Stage and fully separated his human side from his divine side, suppressing his humanity deep within. It was then that Qianzhang was born. Han Gu lavished love on Qianzhang, never sparing any companionship. Only then did he truly feel like a father.
Years later, each solar eclipse drove Qianzhang into a berserk state. Anxious, Han Gu and his wife searched everywhere for a cure, entrusting Qianzhang’s care to Yuexi. That single departure lasted nearly a hundred thousand years. Han Gu felt he had deeply wronged Yuexi but never knew how to make amends. Seeing this empty city, he felt a fresh pang of regret. The deserted streets reflected Yuexi’s chill heart.
Han Gu sighed softly, then said, “Boy, from now on, treat that girl Yuexi well.”
Ye Yu, walking ahead, suddenly frowned. What was this about? Had Han Gu decided Ye Yu was Yuexi’s future partner? Ye Yu’s brow tightened as he hurried to explain, “Senior, I’ve told you many times: Yuexi and I are just friends, not daolu partners!”
“Friends? Friends!” Han Gu’s face went stern, his gaze darkening. “She calls you so intimately and you still deny it? Pfah—what a scoundrel! Do you lack the courage to admit it?”
His right eye was ringed with a comical bruise courtesy of Little White’s playful strike, making the reproach oddly amusing. Ye Yu opened his mouth, then closed it. No matter how he explained, this obstinate old man refused to listen. As for the name Yuexi—he was simply following Han Yuexi’s own affectionate address. Why wouldn’t Han Gu let it go?
At that moment, Ye Yu began to understand Little White’s methods: sometimes only a beating teaches stubborn people a lesson. One moment Han Gu was gently urging him to treat Yuexi well; the next, he was calling him a scoundrel. Pure double standard!
Weary of further explanation, Ye Yu broke into a run toward the city’s center, intending to drop the old man off with Yuexi and make his escape. But to his surprise, the central district lay empty. There was no sign of Yuexi. She wasn’t here? This posed a problem.
Han Gu was still examining the surroundings, so Ye Yu threw up his hands. “If Yuexi isn’t here, I don’t know where she is. You’d better stay and wait for her. I have other business.”
He’d done his duty as a friend. When Han Yuexi and her father met again would be fate’s decree. As for him and Han Gu—he didn’t want to stick around. He feared he might have to lay into the old man again.
Han Gu said nothing at first, but after a moment’s thought, he decisively agreed. Ye Yu was taken aback. After their journey together, he had assumed Han Gu was a clingy, talkative elder; he hadn’t expected such resolve. Very well, thought Ye Yu.
He saluted briefly and left the spot. Han Gu, meanwhile, quickly penned a letter and left a Communication Stone behind. Then he concealed himself and silently shadowed Ye Yu.
His reasons were simple. First, ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) he wanted to see if Ye Yu was secretly contacting Yuexi—though that seemed unlikely. He had already explained the stakes; if Ye Yu knew where Yuexi and Qianzhang were, he would have spoken up. Second, he intended to guard Yuexi’s interests and judge whether Ye Yu was worthy of her trust. If Ye Yu were a cad who toyed with feelings, Han Gu would become a righteous father and erase him from Yuexi’s life—that, too, would be a way to atone.
A blaze of determination ignited in the old father’s eyes.
...
Elsewhere, Ying Huo and Yu Buxia had just left Jiyue Pavilion. The former’s face was stormy. Yu Buxia tried to console her: “Don’t dwell on it. That little lioness had extraordinary luck—nobody could have predicted her sudden enlightenment. And with the intervention of Jiyue Pavilion’s Elder, we had no choice but to withdraw. We can always return after some time.”
A few hours earlier, Ying Huo had deliberately reduced her cultivation to the Great Divine Stage and made a pact with Bone Ji: whoever lost would reveal any information they knew about Ye Yu. She had expected an easy victory, but Bone Ji proved formidable, holding out for the length of an incense stick before she began to lose. Furious, Ying Huo prepared to unleash another divine art—only to see Bone Ji, mid-step, enter a state of profound realization. Divine energy pooled into her like a rising tide. Breaking through mid-battle was exceedingly rare.
At that moment, Jiyue Pavilion’s Elder appeared. She and Ying Huo had met before and did not feel unfamiliar. She declared, “Bone Ji is my personal recruit to the Divine Alliance. Regardless of your feud, depart at once. Return after her breakthrough has stabilized.”
With that, the Elder escorted Bone Ji back to Jiyue Pavilion, leaving Ying Huo empty-handed—and incensed. Even Yu Buxia’s soothing words did little to quench her fury. “You say ‘after some time’? If this had happened before, would she have spoken to me so boldly? When I first ascended the Evil Rankings, she regarded me like the moon in a well. Now that she’s the Pavilion Elder, she dares to speak so defiantly?” Her resentment burned hot.
