Of course, what truly irked Ying Huo wasn’t Jiyue Pavilion’s Elder.
The two of them were barely acquainted—hardly more than passing nods. Her tone was the least of it. There were two real reasons she was grumbling.
First, this entire trip to Jiyue Pavilion had been a waste of time. She’d returned empty-handed, with no useful information at all.
Second, the appearance of Bone Ji had planted a seed of insecurity in her heart. That little lioness truly was beautiful, brimming with untamed grace. Ying Huo found herself worrying she might no longer be the favored one—and her temper flared as a result.
Yu Buxia, one of her close friends, understood this well. But comforting someone is an art, and with someone as proud as Ying Huo, you can’t start by mentioning that second point—doing so would only provoke her rebellious streak. Deny it, and she’d fly into an even bigger rage.
So Yu Buxia could only smile awkwardly. Suddenly, though, she sensed a familiar aura—a rich, sanguine presence that, anywhere in the Divine Realm, belonged to only one person.
Yu Buxia whipped around, and Ying Huo’s expression turned grave. Behind them was nothing—but in the next moment a breeze stirred, and the figure of Shen Kangren, God of Flesh and Blood, appeared not far off. The very ground around him seemed to flush red with his potent flesh-and-blood aura.
“High Deity Ying Huo, long time no see,” he called in that infuriating voice they both hated. “I was wondering if I could borrow something from you?”
Ying Huo and Yu Buxia had met Shen Kangren before in their dreams, and they knew his intent: he wished to devour her divine form. “You don’t have the ability for that,” Ying Huo said coolly, stepping forward.
“Help me! I need to vent!” Shen Kangren sneered.
Yu Buxia immediately drew forth her Balance (her Lifebound Artifact). Though she’d not been altered by Ye Yu nor accompanied by Little White here, their strength had grown. Together, they might even be able to defeat Shen Kangren. At worst, they’d trap his flesh and feed it to Little White. Wait—feeding Little White sounded oddly like feeding a dog, she thought, then cleared her throat.
Yu Buxia summoned all her power into Balance, but at the same moment she felt something was off. This Shen Kangren didn’t quite match the one from their dream. Yet she couldn’t pinpoint how.
...
Meanwhile, Ye Yu was making his way back toward Equilibrium City when he suddenly halted. Hidden in the shadows, Han Gu raised an eyebrow. What was that about? Could Ye Yu have sensed his presence? Impossible—Ye Yu was merely at the New God Stage. Even if his strength grew a hundredfold, he couldn’t detect someone of the Ancient Divine Stage. So why stop?
Just as Han Gu pondered, Ye Yu sprinted northward. Curious, Han Gu followed at a composed pace, keeping his distance. Within a few breaths, Ye Yu reached the foot of a valley—and there, he beheld his greatest foe from the Celestial Realm’s dreamscape: the Mind Devil God.
Whenever Ye Yu had encountered this being in his dreams, he’d hastily exited the dream. In the Divine Realm’s dreamworld it was no different. Calling him his arch-nemesis was hardly an exaggeration. It was the Mind Devil God’s power surge that had drawn Ye Yu here.
Standing opposite the Mind Devil God was someone Ye Yu also recognized from those dreams: Monk ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) Wuguo (introduced in chapter 1026). Last he’d seen this monk in the Celestial Realm—now, unexpectedly, Wuguo had shattered the void and entered the Divine Realm, even achieving the Heavenly Divine Stage. His progression had outstripped Ye Yu’s—unbelievable. “Seriously? Are you hacking too?” Ye Yu thought.
He concealed himself and watched. Both the Mind Devil God and Monk Wuguo bore wounds, clearly locked in a fierce, no-holds-barred clash. Han Gu frowned in the shadows. “Why are you watching the gods fight? Aren’t you afraid the waves of divine power might harm you?” Yet his curiosity was as keen as Ye Yu’s: the two of them formed a triangle of observers—quite a comical scene.
Clutching a gray-white prayer bead, the Mind Devil God hissed, “Boy, is this endless fighting necessary? We’ve only just met.”
“Exorcising evil spirits is my Buddhist merit,” Monk Wuguo replied calmly but firmly. He moved his arms, sinewy muscles coiled like hidden dragons. The faint Buddha phantasm behind him brightened, illuminating the area.
By contrast, the Mind Devil God’s aura grew darker. His mask twisted into a grotesque sneer as he crushed the prayer bead in his hand. “Filthy shaven-headed mongrel—if you seek death, I’ll oblige! Descend into eternal damnation!”
At his words, his divine form dissolved like ink in water, blotting out everything within a ten-thousand-mile radius in pure blackness. Undeterred, Monk Wuguo continued chanting Buddhist sutras, each syllable materializing as a holy aura on the Buddha phantasm, attempting to stem the darkness’s advance. It worked—just barely—delaying but not halting the encroaching void. The patch of sanctified ground beneath him shrank, beads of sweat appearing on his smooth scalp. He was clearly straining.
Ye Yu, however, stood above the encroaching void as if untouched—though inside, he already regretted his curiosity. The Mind Devil God was a Golden Divine Stage powerhouse. If only he’d waited until he’d grown stronger before seeking revenge... Or perhaps now would be a good time for a tactical retreat.
Just as Ye Yu weighed his options, the Mind Devil God’s nauseating laughter echoed—and then abruptly cut off. Huh? Ye Yu thought. Why did it feel like there was suddenly another presence?
