Ye Yu awoke after an indeterminate time, his eyes fluttering open to unfamiliar surroundings. He frowned as he took in the scene.
“You’re awake?” a familiar voice asked. Ye Yu turned his head and saw Xu Nanqiao seated not far away, engrossed in writing.
He tried to sit up, but a sharp pain stopped him. Glancing down, he saw a grim sword scar across his chest.
Only now did he fully «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» recall that as he had slain Tang Tianjia, the latter had driven a sword through him. He remembered excruciating pain, then blackness.
At the time, Ye Yu had even thought his dream would shatter and he’d return to reality. But clearly that had not happened—he had survived.
“Tsk tsk tsk, lucky indeed,” came Xu Nanqiao’s dry comment. “If it weren’t for Ling Qiansha and the Fragmented Sword Demon-Slaying Art injuring Tang Tianjia first, you’d have truly fallen in the Heavenly Realm. The power of an Immortal Emperor Realm cultivator is formidable.”
Ye Yu exhaled and said softly “Should I be thanking you?”
Xu Nanqiao set down her brush and rose to his side, studying him. “You needn’t thank me. If anything, I should be thanking you for letting me go first back there. And if thanks are due, thank luck—it granted our return to the Demon Realm.”
She paused, gaze distant. “Do you know that in the Ascension War this time, Dongyao Prefecture deployed over nineteen hundred demons? Only about three hundred returned. Other prefectures fared similarly. That we two escaped on the final wave was no small feat.”
Ye Yu couldn’t help but smile. Thank luck—how amusing. He had half expected Xu Nanqiao to demand some reward for saving his life. Instead, she asked for nothing, elevating her in his estimation.
Xu Nanqiao smiled faintly. Something about Ye Yu’s smile struck her as rather pleasing, then she blinked and resumed her seat. As she wrote she asked, “What will you do next?”
“What do you mean?” Ye Yu winced but pushed himself up. “We’re back in the Demon Realm—do what we must.”
He stared seriously at his scar. Since cultivating Demon’s Arrival in Heaven his physique had improved remarkably—injuries normally healed in moments. Yet here, back in the Demon Realm, this wound lingered fresh. Peering closer, he saw lingering sword intent preventing normal regeneration.
He retrieved a storage ring from a demon lord and took out some healing pills, intent on mending himself.
Upon seeing the ring, Xu Nanqiao sighed. “Those Demon Spirit Pills won’t help your injuries—even an entire bottle won’t.”
Ye Yu examined the vial, noting only the character “Heal.” “How do you know these are Demon Spirit Pills?”
Xu Nanqiao’s tone held a hint of grievance. “That ring belongs to Bai Qingsong—whatever’s in it I know.”
Ye Yu’s expression flickered. Of course—Bai Qingsong was the puppet demon lord Xu Nanqiao had backed. She had invested great effort in him, only for Ye Yu to end it. It was natural she felt some sorrow.
He tossed the ring back to her. “Does it pain you?” he asked.
“Not at all,” she replied as she caught it. “I hold rings from the other seven demon lords—losing this one is nothing.”
She continued as she replaced the ring. “While you were unconscious I used numerous pills on your wounds, but none worked. Immortal Emperor sword intent surpasses my expectations. Now you must rely on your own physique to recover—perhaps several days.”
Ye Yu raised an eyebrow. A few days’ recovery for slaying an Immortal Emperor cultivator was acceptable. “By the way, why did you ask what I intend to do next? Is something happening?”
Xu Nanqiao tapped the table in mild puzzlement. “You don’t actually think life in the Demon Realm will be easy, do you?”
Ye Yu’s face twisted in confusion—her meaning was unclear.
Covering her face with one hand, Xu Nanqiao explained earnestly. “Heavenly Realm immortals aren’t lambs waiting to be slaughtered, nor do they enjoy being bullied. History shows this clearly. After our last Ascension War failed, the demons retreated. But only half a month later, a massive force of immortals invaded the Demon Realm seeking vengeance. Both sides suffered countless casualties. The immortals never regretted it—they vowed blood for blood. After that war, the Demon Realm’s vitality was shattered, and talk of ascension ceased for millennia.”
She paused. “If this time’s failure infuriated them as before, they won’t swallow it. They’ll come again to settle the debt with blood.”
Ye Yu shrugged indifferently. “So what? Let them come. At worst, we fight another battle.”
