In the Demon Race’s world, there’s a simple rule of logic:
Strength is the measure of all things.
The winner is king; the loser is a bandit.
At his peak, Luo Shu truly was a banner of Tongtian Pavilion—second only in status and power to the Lord of the God Alliance, Bai Hong.
The demon gods honored him as the Great Sage Who Guards the Boundary.
But all of it was ruined in that battle three million years ago.
In that battle, Luo Shu played every last trump card and still suffered a crushing defeat.
Not only were his divine body and Dao bones completely shattered, even his divine power was stripped away.
If Bai Hong hadn’t paid a tremendous price to keep Luo Shu alive,
he would likely have vanished from the God Realm long ago.
Even so, Luo Shu was only barely clinging to life.
Not one in ten thousand of his former strength remained, and he could only show himself in the shape of a lapdog.
For the former Great Sage to fall this far—enough to make one sigh.
At first, even though Luo Shu had lost most of his strength and fallen to the bottom,
the demon gods still treated him with respect for his former prestige.
But past glory can’t feed you for a lifetime.
With Bai Hong’s fall and the old generation of demon gods gone, Luo Shu’s status in Tongtian Pavilion declined by the day.
Many even truly treated him as nothing more than a demon hound.
In the beginning, Luo Shu would still snap back in anger.
But as time went on, he grew indifferent. A Great Sage without strength is no different from a hound.
As clear as Luo Shu was about titles and pride, having him say it aloud was like rubbing salt into an open wound.
It hurt.
But pain can have value.
Precisely because Ye Yu knew Luo Shu’s story, he made him say it himself.
The goal was for Heng Xuanzhen to hear it.
Ye Yu pointed at Luo Shu and raised his voice. “Tongtian Pavilion and Ancient Sword Gorge are mortal enemies. You coming for revenge—no problem. You wanting to level Tongtian Pavilion—no problem. But killing an old hound who didn’t take part in destroying your Alliance, and taking revenge on me—a bystander—isn’t that a bit unreasonable?”
The argument made Heng Xuanzhen’s eyes widen despite herself.
Luo Shu’s expression instantly turned wonderfully complicated.
Right then and there, Ye Yu earned a new label in Luo Shu’s mind: a debate demon.
What a performance.
Never mind what Heng Xuanzhen thought—if it were him, °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° he’d turn around and leave.
“Killing a dog for revenge”—even the name of it sounds tacky.
It’d be embarrassing to spread.
Still, surviving like this... a little suffocating, no?
Luo Shu shook his canine head.
“Idiot—look at the situation. How can you worry about pride now?”
Hadn’t he stomached enough humiliation over the years?
Swallow your anger and live—that’s worth more than anything.
Bai Hong had sacrificed so much to save him back then. He must not die lightly. Even if he died, he had to live to see Tongtian Pavilion rise again.
With that thought, Luo Shu moved to assist.
“The yokai friend is right, Heng Xuanzhen. Do you want to be the first ‘dog-slaying hero’ of Ancient Sword Gorge?”
Ye Yu couldn’t help arching a brow.
So the assist begins? If he’d known Luo Shu had zero idol burden, he’d have made him sound even more pitiful earlier.
A complex light flashed in Heng Xuanzhen’s eyes; the razor-edged sword intent around her stalled for a beat.
Ye Yu’s heart leapt. Was that a success?
Honestly, I want to laugh.
Talking down an Ancient God Realm expert in three lines—that’s brag-worthy for ten thousand years.
It wasn’t just Ye Yu; even Luo Shu naïvely thought they had it in the bag.
But in the next instant, the stalled sword intent roared back to life.
Waves of ferocious pressure blasted outward from Heng Xuanzhen’s center.
Ye Yu could barely keep his footing.
“No. This is wrong, and what you said is wrong. He isn’t some ordinary old hound—he’s Luo Shu, one of Tongtian Pavilion’s founders, the so-called Great Sage Who Guards the Boundary. Without him, there might never have been a Tongtian Pavilion.”
“As for you—yes, you’re a yokai god—but in Tongtian Pavilion’s current ruin, you still appear here. That alone proves your ties run deep. Therefore, both of you die here.”
“As for the demon gods who destroyed my Ancient Sword Gorge and later left Tongtian Pavilion, I’ll hunt them down one by one. Rest assured—they’ll go below to keep you company.”
Hearing this, Ye Yu’s heart went cold.
So in the end, all for nothing?
The next second, a string of silver-bell laughter rang out.
Ye Yu turned and saw a figure step from the shadows—draped in a violet gown, curves sinuous, a face so perfectly delicate it dripped with allure.
“Honestly, after watching this long, I nearly believed you’d talk this woman into backing off. Didn’t expect you to fail at the last step.”
“What a pity.”
“But your performance was splendid. And you, Great Sage—I never imagined three million years could grind your spirit down this far. Incredible.”
At the familiar tone, Ye Yu instinctively glanced at Luo Shu beside him.
Luo Shu was baring his teeth with fury. “Liu Yuennong, you dare to come back? Showing up now—what exactly do you want?”
At that name, Heng Xuanzhen tensed like facing a mortal foe. She lifted her sword hand, two fingers pointing up before her chest, taking a defensive stance.
But Liu Yuennong didn’t spare her a glance. She walked straight up to Luo Shu and pressed his canine head down with a raised hand.
“Don’t be like that, as if you’re a mad dog ready to bite anyone. As you are now, you can’t bite me. Save your strength. Think about how to live.”
Luo Shu clearly held a deep hatred for this woman; he grew violently agitated, thrashing to break free of her grip.
It was useless. No matter how he struggled, he couldn’t move—her hold was iron.
Liu Yuennong’s eyes shimmered; she snapped her fingers. A golden chain shot out and bound Luo Shu tight.
Then her gaze slid to Ye Yu at the side.
“This fellow Daoist looks very unfamiliar—and a yokai god at that. Tell me, why are you here in my Tongtian Pavilion?”
“Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten the rules we set back then. Since when do outsiders qualify to join the God Alliance?”
It was a reprimand, yet Liu Yuennong’s voice carried a languid drawl, and the fragrance around her made Ye Yu’s spirit quake.
