Chapter221: Sect Mascot
“Lord, please take the throne.” Lin Yu courteously guided her to the highest seat.
There were three seats aligned together up above, and they had always been the seats of the three Nascent Soul Sovereigns. Zhu Yao did not reject their courtesy either, and directly sat on the seat at the very center. However, with her taking that seat, the other three Sovereigns did not have the nerve to be seated at the same level as her. Thus, the Sect Master and the three Nascent Soul practitioners sat on the seats a level lower, while the remaining Azoth elders and a portion of the elite disciples either sat or stood behind their own masters.
A large half of the people in the hall had never seen this Demigod before, so naturally, they were extremely curious of the matter of her entering Blue Parasol Sect with a concealed identity. Though they did not dare to inquire about the matter in the open, the eyes they had towards Zhu Yao were more or less filled with curiosity.
This was especially so for Lin Xiang who tagged along behind Lin Yu, her present emotions were plastered on her face. Ever since a moment ago, her face was filled with shock as she stared straight at Zhu Yao, and she seemed to have not regained her senses yet either.
Sect Master Lin Yu hesitated for a moment, but for the interests of the sect, he had no choice but to ask with a thick skin. “I wonder what plans Lord has for the future?”
Zhu Yao shook her head. “Nothing for now!” Regarding Yi Ling’s bug, she did not know what was going on either. She could only take things a step at a time.
Hearing this, Lin Yu’s face turned joyous, as he excitedly stood up. “If Lord doesn’t mind it, you can always stay in our sect. Though my Blue Parasol Sect is said to be a small sect, it can still be considered as a blessed land. Furthermore, we have a large number of disciples. If Lord has any matters that need to be taken care of, you can always instruct the disciples, and they will follow your instructions without any hesitation.”
These words of his sounded very sincere, as though he was extremely afraid that she wouldn’t agree to his proposal.
“It’s not that I can’t.” She initially had no plans on leaving anyway. Lin Yu instantly became excited, as he persuaded her even harder than before. “If Lord plans to stay in my sect for a long period of time, it will naturally be a great blessing for Blue Parasol Sect. Lin, I, am not gifted, but I am willing to represent this lowly sect to bestow Lord the title of Grand Ancestral Master. I wish that Great Ancestral Master will be willing to watch over my sect, and give pointers to our disciples so that they can witness the Heavenly Dao.”
“Ah?” What was this Grand Ancestral Master thing about?
Lin Yu however did not care if she understood the content, and instead respectfully bowed down in front of her, a bow with all five of his joints touching the ground. “This disciple Lin Yu greets Great Ancestral Master.”
“…” Was he forcefully selling things to her?
This bow of his seemed to have clicked something similar to a play button, as the disciples behind him began to kneel down one after another as well, and they then shouted in unison. “Grand Ancestor.”
Even the three Nascent Soul Sovereigns bent their bodies and shouted. “Ancestral Master.”
Zhu Yao who was referred to as an ancestor: “…”
Why did she feel that she had instantly grown many years older?
Was this driving a duck onto a perch?
She finally understood what kind of ploy Lin Yu had planned. He wanted to have her forever reside in Blue Parasol Sect, and raise her as a mascot for the sect. In the entire cultivation world, she was the only Demigod on the surface. In this world where strength was fancied the most, it meant that whichever sect was able to rein her in, that sect would instantly be elevated to the most powerful deity sect.
Furthermore, she had once admitted into Blue Parasol Sect. No matter if it’s for fame or benefits, it’s basically impossible for Blue Parasol Sect to give up on a living signboard like her. However, given her strength, it was definite that there wouldn’t be anyone who could match her. So, he thought of this method of giving her an incredibly peerless status, in order for her to stay willingly. And in order to do so, he unhesitantly let go of his pride as a Sect Master, and threw away whatever face he had, all to elevate her status even more.
Though it had to be said that he sure was going all out, he was indeed very suitable as a Sect Master. He was decisive, knew when to pull back and push forward at the right times, and furthermore, in times like this he was capable of viewing the big picture and thus make the most suitable decision. Zhu Yao had some level of admiration for him now.
Zhu Yao waved her sleeves to form a gust of wind, instantly pulling up all the people on the ground. “No need for courtesy. I still do not have the intentions of leaving this place, so if its matters like protecting you people during my stay here, I don’t see any problems.” Zhu Yao honestly said.
She came to Blue Parasol Sect for the bug. In these few years, though she had been attacked by Yu Ling’s words, both in public and in private, and thus had a pile of aggro pushed onto her, she had not suffered any sort of actual harm. Though she hated Yi Ling, she only hated Yi Ling herself, and not the entire Blue Parasol Sect.
She had clearly separated these two entities, and she wouldn’t direct anger on the entire sect just because of a single person’s mistakes. Otherwise, she wouldn’t be different from those people who exact vengeance on society just because of personal reasons.
When she joined Blue Parasol Sect back then, she was merely a normal disciple, and what Blue Parasol Sect gave her was the level of care and protection designated for a regular disciple as well. Strictly speaking, they did not ill-treat her, and instead because of her relationship with Yue Ying, she was given a certain degree of convenience.
What reason did she have to say no then?
Lin Yu’s pair of eyes instantly shone, as though he had never expected that she would actually be this cooperative.
“But…” Zhu Yao’s tone changed. “If there comes a day where I have intentions of leaving, you people can’t stop me.” Everything had an exception, and no one could know what would happen in the future. Taking residence in Blue Parasol Sect could be done, but if they were to go too far, then she wouldn’t hold back either.
“But of course.” Lin Yu understood her intentions, and nodded with a smile, his entire face was filled with excitement from obtaining a resident mascot. Though it seemed the expressions of the three Nascent Soul Sovereigns were not aligned with everyone else. Xuan Xu particularly had strained brows, looking as though he had something to say, but was desperately holding it in.
She could not help but look towards Xuan Yin at the side. “Oh right, Sovereign Xuan Yin.”
“Yes, does Ancestral Master have any instructions?” Xuan Yin seemed to have taken in everything rather quickly, as she respectfully bowed.
“Yue Ying was injured during the beast wave, so I brought him back to my place. He was unable to return in time, and I hope you don’t mind it.” Yue Ying was after all still her disciple, so it was necessary to notify her.
Xuan Yin was startled, and a thought flashed past her face.
After a while, she replied. “Thank you, Ancestral Master.”
“Great Ancestral Master!” Lin Yu once again butted in. “It will be an auspicious day in three days, and this disciple wishes to transmit a message to the various clans and sects to gather here, to witness Great Ancestral Master taking the title of my sect’s Grand Ancestral Master. I wonder…” Lin Yu was excited, looking as though he wanted to drag her out in front of the various sects and clans to boast.
Zhu Yao instantly rejected his idea. She still needed to take care of Yue Ying, you know? So where would she find the time to tag along everywhere with him to show off?
“You heard it as well, Yue Ying is injured. Let’s just put aside these mundane affairs!”
“Great Ancestral Master, this…” Lin Yu was a little disappointed, and wanted to persuade further.
Zhu Yao however suddenly felt a light thud in her consciousness, the defensive formation outside her courtyard had been broken by someone. She suddenly stood up with an ugly expression. “Yue Ying!”
In an instant, her figure disappeared in a flash. She threw everyone else aside and flew back to her own courtyard. However, she was stunned by the scene before her eyes.
A fire wall of several meters high was surrounding her entire courtyard, wildly spreading towards the building. The flames carried a large amount of spiritual energy, and the barrier outside the courtyard had long lost its effects. A burnt smell suffused in the air, and a large number of tree roots suddenly appeared at the center of the courtyard, tightly covering the hole where Yue Ying resided in. The two large trees next to the hole had long been set ablaze, and their trunks were already burnt charred black. Their leaves had long been burnt away, and they looked like they merely had a single breath of life left. However, the tree roots covering the hole did not move a single bit.
Zhu Yao’s heart ached, and in an instant, anger that filled her entire heart surged, and she suddenly had the impulse to destroy everything. She cast a water-type mystic art, and in an instant, five water dragons appeared in the sky, and they directly pounced towards the fire wall.
Sizzling and fire extinguishing noises sounded everywhere, and in almost a blink of an eye, the sky-piercing fire wall disappeared without a trace. “Great Ancestral Master, what in the world…” When Lin Yu and the rest rushed over, the situation in the courtyard gave them a fright as well. No one knew what happened, and the main point was, there wasn’t any other figure in the surroundings.
Zhu Yao did not reply, as she looked at the two trees that had already been burnt to the point of being wilted. She could feel her heart clenching, and with trembling hands, she touched at the charred trunks.
“You have returned…” A voice so weak that could be barely heard sounded. It clearly had trouble speaking, yet it faintly carried a hint of expectation of being praised. “We did… as promised, help… look after. It’s… fine. Fruit… fine.”
Just these few words took all of its strength. Thereafter, the roots that were tightly bound together in the courtyard, as though they had suddenly lost their energy, collapsed in an instant.
Zhu Yao felt as though they was a knife poking at her heart, causing it to ache and twitch. Flames of fury endlessly surged, causing even her eyes to burn in crimson red. Something seemed to have snapped in her mind, and for a moment, she really wished to brutally torture the person who set this place ablaze.
Immediately releasing her divine sense, it enveloped the entire Blue Parasol Sect. A moment later, she raised her hand and cast an art, instantly summoning a bolt of lightning that struck towards a mountain bolder several dozen meters away.
An explosion roared, and that gigantic boulder was instantly turned into ash. A man that evidently heavily injured was presently lying at the bottom of the crater, and blood was flowing out from his seven apertures.
“Mu Liu!” Yi Ling exclaimed, as she recognized the person over there. He was exactly the Nine-tailed Fox Mu Liu whom they met at the dungeon back then.
Mu Liu’s expression changed. That heavenly lightning bolt earlier instantly scattered his cultivation, and he only managed to sit up after using all his might. Gasping for air, he looked towards Zhu Yao with a fearful expression. When did she become so incredibly powerful?
“You were the one who started the fire.” Zhu Yao said with certainty, and not in a questioning tone.
Mu Liu’s body trembled, as he felt fear on an instinctual level. “It’s, it’s not me… I only came here by coincidence.”
“Coincidence? The residual aura of fire spiritual energy on your body is exactly the same as that fire wall. Are you saying that’s a coincidence as well?” The one who started the fire was him, and Zhu Yao walked towards him.
“You’re lying!” Mu Liu’s expression changed. “I don’t have any reason to burn down your house at all.”
“Reason?” Zhu Yao coldly laughed, her sense of reasoning seemed to be lost from the flames of fury in her heart. “I don’t care for your reason, and I don’t need a reason to take your life either!”
His expression changed, as he turned about and planned to flee.
Zhu Yao immediately released her pressure, forcefully rooting him to the ground, and instantly summoned countless spiritual swords. Mu Liu was startled, and wanted to set up defenses. However, his Dantian had long been shattered, and he was basically unable to bring out any spiritual energy at all. He could only watch as those spiritual swords pierce through his chest one after another.
For a moment, Mu Liu’s screams rang in everyone’s ears.
“You… You…” Mu Liu only had a single breath left. He indignantly glared at her, and ruthlessly said. “So what if it was done by me? You… treated Ling’er that way… I only hate the fact that I did not manage to burn you along with the house!”
These words of his instantly shot past Zhu Yao’s explosive limit, and without holding back any longer, a spiritual sword directly shattered the demonic core in his body.
Mu Liu instantly turned back into his original form – a white Nine-tailed Fox.
With a twist of her wrist, Ruling Plume turned into a long sword and appeared in Zhu Yao’s hands. She stopped next to the white fox, and coldly said. “I heard that Nine-tailed Foxes possess spiritual awareness at birth, and are kings among demons. A tail would grow every hundred years, and on the thousandth year, one would be able to take up a human form.”
With a swing of her sword, she instantly sliced off his eight tails.
For a moment, the entire Blue Parasol Sect was filled with Mu Liu’s screams.
Zhu Yao however simply watched on, yet the anger in her heart could not be suppressed no matter what. Even his screams, sounded especially irritating. Not enough! He killed those two trees, and was this close to harming Yue Ying! With just these few lashes, how could it possibly be enough!?
That impulse to destroy grew even clearer, and she unconsciously raised her sword, wanting to end this fox that was screaming endlessly.
“Yu Yao!” A cool and low voice rang in her mind, like a bucket of ice water being poured onto her head. Her figure shook, and the anger that seemed as though was about to charge out of her body earlier, was now slowly dispersing. Master…
She stood dazed for a long while.
Taking a deep breath, she was finally completely calm. Looking at the fox which had already fainted on the ground in front of her, a hint of uncertainty flashed within her eyes, and then, she turned and headed back.
Looking at Lin Yu and Yi Ling who was at the side, her face sank. She then coldly said. “Sect Master Lin, I want you to give me an explanation for this incident.”
After saying that, before even waiting for him to reply, she directly walked back to the courtyard. With a wave of her hand, she placed down layers upon layers of formations.
Suddenly, the ground underneath her greatly shook.
The crowd flew on their swords one after another, and they watched as the ground split apart inch after inch. With the courtyard Zhu Yao was residing in as the center, a circular area of radius of several kilometers, as though it was being pulled by some sort of energy, separated from the mountain body. It gradually rose into the air, floated above the mountain peak, and continued to rise high in the air.
A ray of formation light flashed past, and the floating mountain that turned into its own piece of land was instantly enchanted with a layer of transparent barrier.
Lin Yu’s face was ash-grey. It seemed like this Lord was truly furious. He had thought that with such a huge backing behind Blue Parasol Sect, they would become the number one sect in the cultivation world. However, he had never expected that they would offend that person not even a short while later. He could not help but give Yi Ling a resentful glare. Just as he was about to ask what was going on with the fox called Mu Liu, he realized Yi Ling seemed to have an ash-grey expression as well.
Zhu Yao placed down several spiritual energy guiding formations within the courtyard, and then inserted a large amount of wood spiritual energy into the two trees. Seeing that the charred black trunks were slowly regaining a little vitality, she heaved a sigh of relief. The life force of trees were resilient in the first place, and though they had suffered intense injuries now, as long as they were given time, they would still grow back. As long as wildfire do not endlessly burn, life would still be born with the spring breeze. As she was over the top furious earlier, she basically did not think of this possibility at all.
Recalling the matter earlier, Zhu Yao’s heart sank. She did not know why she was so impulsive either? And that uncontrollable anger was making her a little worried. That feeling felt as though even her entire being was being controlled by anger itself.
The more she thought about it, the more she felt something was wrong. She quickly isolated the entire space, placed down several layers of restrictions, before heading into the house with an uneasy feeling.
“Master…” She habitually called out. Earlier, if not for his timely call, she would have really sliced that fox into thousand pieces. Though Mu Liu deserved it for his crimes, given her personality, her first reaction definitely would have been to save the two trees, and not look for Mu Liu to settle scores with. However, at that moment back then, she seemed to have selectively forgotten this problem. That uncontrollable feeling was really a serious issue.
Chapter222: Please, Be Prideful And Cold Like Before
A white light flashed in front of her eyes. Sesame flew out from her divine sense, and with a wave of its hand, passed her a white pearl.
“Mistress, here.”
“What is this?” Just as she received it, a white figure floated out. It was her master, of course.
Zhu Yao: “…” Why did her master become portable again?
The biggest question was, why was he in Sesame’s hands?
Turns around and throws a glare!
What did you do to my master?
Sesame shrank its head, and said with a wronged look. “It’s… Lord told me not to tell you. This doesn’t concern me.” “Master?”
“Back then, I sensed there was something strange in your divine sense, so I left a strand of my own divine sense with Sesame.” Yu Yan smoothly replied, and he completely did not have the self-awareness that he had been peeping on his disciple’s divine sense.
Where’s your sense of shame!
“Master, earlier, just what…” Whatever, I can’t do anything about my master anyway.
Yu Yan frowned. “What sort of feelings did you have back then?”
“Anger.” Zhu Yao honestly replied. “A form of anger that cannot be contained.”
“Yu Yao, at that time, within your divine sense was a sea of flames.” “Ah!?” It was that serious? “My emotions can affect my divine sense?”
“Exactly the opposite.” Yu Yan’s expression sank. “It was your divine sense which affected your emotions.”
“…” What did he mean? The reason why she lost her sense of reasoning from anger was because of her divine sense?”
“Yu Yao…” He sighed. “Back then, what did you have in your divine sense?”
What did I have? Of course it’s…
“Other than you and Sesame, there was only…” She suddenly widened her eyes. “The Ruling Plume!”
Yu Yan nodded. “The Ruling Plume is the feather of a phoenix, and all phoenixes are innately born with the fire element.”
“It affected my emotions?” Zhu Yao retrieved the Ruling Plume and inspected it. “Is the fire element always this explosive?”
“If it’s just the element, it shouldn’t have brought about an effect of this extent.” Yu Yan glanced at the Ruling Plume, and his expression sank a little more. “If your master did not make a mistake, the reason why you were affected by it, was because this feather carries violent emotions of its former owner when it was still alive.”
“Violent emotions?” Wasn’t phoenixes of the God Race? Why would one have violent emotions?
“This feather must not have been pulled off by the phoenix itself, but should have dropped off when the former owner passed away. That is why it was infected with the former owner’s final emotions.”
Zhu Yao was startled. Final emotions? In other words, the owner of this feather was already dead, and the only ones capable of killing Gods were… Devils!
It was no wonder she felt so furious and had the impulse to destroy everything. The hatred of Gods towards Devils were deeply rooted in their bloodline. If that phoenix was really killed by a Devil, then it was natural for it to carry violent emotions.
“It seemed like I can’t use this weapon anymore.” She was finally able to find an incredible weapon, but it couldn’t be used. She was feeling very depressed, you know?
“Remember that you can never place this object within your divine sense again.” Yu Yan had to remind this stupid disciple of his again. “The divine sense is where the core of life resides. From now on, unless you have hundred percent certainty, do not place unnecessary objects within it.”
Uh… He sounded as though she was using her divine sense as a storage pouch.
Alright, maybe a little.
“Then what do I do about this artifact?” As a God Artifact, destroying it was not possible for her. She couldn’t use it, and she did not have the qualifications to use it as a decoration either. Why did she want to retrieve it back then anyway? “You can keep it for now. Once I have found the method to destroy it, it won’t be too late to talk about it again.”
This was the only way now.
Zhu Yao placed the Ruling Plume into her storage bracelet she carried around wherever she went. For safety purposes, she even added a seal onto it.
In the next few days, Zhu Yao was living a rather leisurely life. Other than guarding Yue Ying, watering the two trees and inserting spiritual energy into them, she did not have any other jobs.
The two trees were already healed by a considerable amount. The charred black skin they had back then had already fell off, revealing brand new orange tree barks. The branches were also beginning to grow out some green buds. Although they were still not speaking yet, they should be completely restored in a short span of time.
Yue Ying’s condition was great as well, and he faintly seemed to be transforming soon. Sometimes, when she was guarding him by his side, he would suddenly call out a sweet ‘Big Sis Yao’. His voice was clear and crisp, sounding just like the child he was when he had just gained a human form back then. It seemed like, at the very least, he would be able to restore his former Essence figure.
She was unsure if it was because she had elevated the courtyard too high up, but Blue Parasol Sect had yet to send people over to disturb her.
Only three months later, did someone finally make his way to the doorstep.
And this person was not just anyone, but Xuan Xu.
Because of his relationship with Yi Ling, Zhu Yao’s impression of him was not really good. Evidently, Xuan Xu was not treating her especially well either. From the time he appeared, he had this cold look, and was staring straight at her with a resentful expression.
Zhu Yao could not be bothered with him, as she leisurely watered the two trees in her courtyard. Riding on his sword, Xuan Xu waited for a few moments in the air. Seeing that she completely did not have the intention to remove the formation and let him in, his expression sank. Then, he called out. “Disciple Xuan Xu, wishes to meet Ancestral Master.”
Only then did Zhu Yao finally remove the formation and let the person in.
Xuan Xu landed at a spot a few steps away from her, and the resentful expression on his face grew even heavier. Gritting his teeth, he bowed down unwillingly. “The incident back then is truly the fault of my disciple, resulting to a disaster which offended Ancestral Master. I beg Ancestral Master for your forgiveness.”
So he was here to apologize in place for Yi Ling.
Truthfully, when she forced Lin Yu to give an explanation for the courtyard being burned, it was a passing remark made purely out of anger. She did not really want them to do anything at all. In her heart, she knew that this matter did not concern the rest of the people. The culprit was Mu Liu, and he had already received a lesson. But…
“Since you have apologized with such sincerity, this matter can be put aside now. However…” Zhu Yao glanced at him. “The misfortunes brought about by your disciple, aren’t just limited to one.”
Xuan Xu’s expression paled.
Evidently, he knew of those men behind Mary Sue Yi Ling. Thinking about it, this Xuan Xu was rather pitiful as well, as he truly loved Yi Ling. But, he was a little unfortunate, as the one he loved was a wild horse, which was destined to have a boundless grassland to run on.
“Ancestral Master, is there a need to torment me with such words!?” Xuan Xu suddenly flared up.
“Eh?” Who’s tormenting you? I’m just giving you a kind reminder, alright?
Xuan Xu clenched his fists, as though he was trying to suppress something with all his might. After a while, he said. “I have long since found out about Yi Ling’s intentions, but… what can I possibly do? She has her own thoughts and feelings, how can I force her to love me?”
What was he getting at? Didn’t the two of them have something going on already? What’s with this resentful husband tone of his?
Xuan Xu however, as though he finally managed to find his target to vent his frustration on, poured out all the emotions he had been suppressing the entire time. “The only thing I can do, is to protect her with my role as her master, and I can only watch her silently at the side, forever. Even if that’s the case, I still love her. But you… You clearly have so much more capabilities than me, why must you treat her in such a way!?”
“What did I do?” Why did it feel as though his prideful and cold character was breaking down all of a sudden? Did he go crazy?
“It’s exactly because you’re not doing anything, and managed to obtain the one and only thing we dream of, that makes us suffer so.” “Uh…” So, no matter if she had done it or not, it was her fault?
。“I have already given up, I will no longer wish that she will turn back. I only hope that someone could treat her better. Not to the extent of loving her like she’s a treasure or a beautiful pearl, but at the very least, do not make her feel sad and broken- hearted.” After saying that, he glanced at her.
“What do you mean?” Please, can you speak human? Why did you suddenly go into hysterics, hey!?
“Ancestral Master, I don’t care what you think, but at the very least, do not be so harsh on her?” Xuan Xu’s face was filled with bitterness. “At least see her once in a while!”
“See who?” Speak clearly, hey.
“Mu Liu’s incident is unrelated to her, and she only knew about it after it happened as well. Please do not blame her!”
“Wait! Wait a minute! I’m getting more confused from what you’re saying.” Ancestral Master!” Xuan Xu’s expression sharpened, and it felt as though his entire chest was burning with rage for a moment. With emphasis on every word, he said. “Yi Ling is infatuated with you, please do not let down her love for you.”
“…” Zhu Yao blanked, his last few words constantly reverberated in her mind. Her love for you… Her love for you… Her love for you… Love!
Who? Yi Ling!
Flips table. Who would want her love!?
Xuan Xu’s brain has gone to mush, right? I understand that you’re here to act as a matchmaker for Yi Ling, but…
“I’m a woman, hey!” Are you blind!?
Xuan Xu was still unmoved, and his face was filled with determination. “I… respect Yi Ling’s decision!”
Respect my ass. Shouldn’t you be rejecting an abnormal love relationship like this to the very end? What happened to your basic conduct as a straight man?
Also, why her!?
“Can you please wake up? I’m not interested in Yi Ling in the least!”
Xuan Xu frowned. “How can you be like this? Yi Ling treats you so well?”
“Well my ass!” Zhu Yao was about to explode. “When has she treated me well? She has been pulling hatred towards me the entire time, alright?”
“The past incidents were Yi Ling’s fault, but that’s because she did not understand the feelings she had for you. That was why she went against you.”
“Even a ghost wouldn’t believe a logic like that, alright?”
“True love is not a crime!” “Scram!” Don’t insult true love, alright?
“No matter what! Whatever the case…” Xuan Xu looked frustrated. Gritting his teeth, he said with a bitter heart. “Yi Ling will be in your hands from now on. If you dare to bully her, even if I have to offend you given our positions, I won’t forgive you.” After saying that, he wildly dashed away while sobbing, looking like a lovelorn teenager.
Zhu Yao: “…”
Just what happened just now? Xuan Xu, come back here. What do you mean by handing her over to me? What does this have to do with me? Also, what’s with your lovelorn expression? Aren’t you going for the prideful and cold look? Why did your character change, hey!?
This development was too sudden, and she needed to slowly digest everything.
How did Yi Ling end up loving her to this extent? The key thing was, she seemed to have even convinced her harem members! It must be said that everything was caused by the effects of her World Favourable Impression Achievement back then, but she had already turned it off though? Sesame had seen her twice, and she did not see it going crazy over her either.
“Sesame!” She instantly called out the person concerned.
“Meow~~~” A ray of light flashed in front of her eyes, and Sesame who was dressed in a white robe appeared before her.
Zhu Yao inspected it for a while. Mn. Satisfactory performance, and his expression was completely normal.
Thus, she asked with a stern look. “When you’re looking at me now, do you still have that feeling of infatuation which you felt when I activated my World Favourable Impression Achievement back then?”
Chapter223: Prelude To War
“Mistress…” Sesame looked straight at her, its expression however began to sink. Not long after, it turned into an infatuated look. “You’re such a peerless beauty… Sesame wishes to hug your thigh at every possible moment, and raise a nest of monkeys with you. Ouu…”
With a resounding boom, before Sesame could even finish his words, it suddenly let out a scream.
A lightning bolt flashed past its body, and it instantly turned charred black from the electrocution. Sesame resentfully puked out a mouthful of black smoke. It then waved around the pearl that was still flashing with lightning sparks in its hands, and said. “Mn… That’s it for now!”
It’s not that it did not want to continue, it’s just that there was someone watching them.
After saying that, it returned to her divine sense with a grey, defeated look.
That pearl was… her master! Sesame had been enduring its infatuation because of her master? In other words…
The effect of World Favourable Impression was long-lasting!
……
…
This world is really scary. Master, hurry and bring me back to Mars!
Zhu Yao dreamt in her sleep. In her dream, she saw a large crowd of demonic beasts chasing after her, crying out their desires to bear monkeys for her. She desperately ran, but the more she ran, the more demonic beasts there were chasing her. At the very end, she was forced to a dead corner. Fortunately, a divine being descended from the sky and saved her. Just as she was planning to show gratitude to that person, when that person turned around, what she saw was Yi Ling’s face. She was smiling with overflowing gentleness, and with an affectionate tone, she said. “They are all males, only I can bear monkeys for you.” Zhu Yao woke up from fright! Even if she was beaten to death, she wouldn’t turn yuri.
With a body drenched in cold sweat, she silently went to add a formation. Confirming that even a Nascent Soul practitioner wouldn’t be able to barge his way in, Zhu Yao then let out a sigh of relief.
She did not know how long would the World Favourable Impression Achievement last, but Yi Ling was after all a bug that had yet to be dealt with. Though she did not want to see her, she would still occasionally release her divine sense to understand the matters of the sect. Then, she would peacefully hole up in her own courtyard.
This holing up lasted five years.
Yue Ying had already turned into his human form, but was still staying in the hole, as though he was in deep slumber.
The two trees at the side had long been flourishing as well.
In these few years, Yi Ling was not involved in any cases that would trigger her bug. It looked as though her entire being had changed. There were already no longer a crowd of harem members next to her. She even seemed to have suddenly lost interest with her skilled ability of acting like a white lotus flower, and had instead become serious in her cultivation.
As five years went by, the number of her harem members did not rise, but had instead decreased. Even Lan Qi and Qi Ping no longer followed her by her hips like before.
It was as though the Mary Sue cheat had been dispelled, and she was becoming more of a decent woman.
This drastic change was something even Zhu Yao was unable to believe with her own eyes, except for the word ‘bug’ that was still present on her face. She was even beginning to suspect if she had taken the wrong script.
At the start of the first year, Yi Ling would often fly on her sword and circle around her courtyard, trying to break through her formation. In her hands, she would often bring along various items such as embroidered handkerchiefs, waist amulets, and bracelets. It looked as though she was intending to send her engagement gifts. This frightened Zhu Yao, causing her to reinforce the place with several more layers of formations.
After that, gradually, the number of times she visited decreased. Probably because she knew that Zhu Yao was on guard against her, she stopped trying to break the formations. She would simply stop in mid-air, quietly stand on her sword for over an hour before returning.
Zhu Yao treated this phenomenon as an effect brought about her World Favourable Impression Achievement, and it was presently subsiding at a gradual pace. Just a little while longer, and Yi Ling would revert back to the Mary Sue she was familiar with… right?
Mn… Should be!
Zhu Yao was actually unable to figure out why the word ‘bug’ on Yi Ling’s face had yet to disappear. Theoretically speaking, the reason why she was a bug was completely because of Lin Qi. Lin Qi was already dealt with, so the cause behind the world’s destruction no longer existed. So why was she still a bug?
Unless… her bug was completely unrelated to Lin Qi. She had countlessly recalled the scenario and faintly felt that something was wrong, but she simply couldn’t find out what was wrong. Though, she had a feeling that a storm was brewing.
And then, the barrier separating them from the demonic beasts’ continent suddenly collapsed.
A faint red glow flashed past the sky. Not even a moment later, as though a huge hole was dug open, a layer of transparent barrier began to shatter and then completely disappeared. The spiritual energy in the sky suddenly grew a lot denser than before.
Lin Yu transmitted a voice message to her in a fluster, telling her about the disappearance of the barrier. Zhu Yao removed the formations, and immediately headed for the main hall, intending to seek out further details. However, no one knew why the barrier had suddenly disappeared.
“According to the report of the disciples at the frontlines, though the barrier had suddenly disappeared, a beast wave did not occur. There hasn’t been any demonic beasts entering our human practitioners’ territory either.” “Demonic beasts are usually scattered and free-willed, so it’s natural that they aren’t coming over.” Back then, she had told those demonic beasts not to come over to the human practitioners’ territory for no reason. What she was worried about was not the demonic beasts, but the Devil that was controlling them. “Whatever it is, I shall first head over to the borders to take a look.”
Theoretically speaking, the formation core of the barrier had been completely fixed when she was lecturing Lin Qi. So why did it still end up collapsing?
“With Great Ancestral Master personally making a trip, this junior feels at ease.” Lin Qi was evidently waiting for her to say these words, and he heaved a huge sigh of relief a moment later. He was just a step away from waving his hands and urging her to be on her way.
The corner of Zhu Yao’s lips twitched, and felt a squeeze in her heart. Though she carried the title of ‘Ancestral Master’, there was no need to use her this thoroughly, right?
“Do you require some disciples to accompany you?” Lin Yu still had some conscience, it seemed. “No need.” Zhu Yao immediately rejected his offer. “With you people around, it will instead become more troublesome.”
Presently, she was the only one who was familiar with that formation. If she didn’t go, who could? Just as she was about to turn around and fly off, Yi Ling suddenly walked out.
“Grand Ancestral Master!”
Zhu Yao paused her steps. When she recalled that vile World Favourable Impression Achievement of hers, she took a step back from reflex. This Mary Sue couldn’t possibly want to act all crazy again, right?
Seeing her actions, Yi Ling’s initial hopeful expression paled in an instant. Clenching her fists, the corner of her lips wriggled, and unexpectedly, she merely said a single sentence. “Please be careful.” Then, she obediently retreated behind Xuan Xu with her head lowered.
Zhu Yao was confused, and felt that there were something strange with her. However, she did not mind it too much and flew off straight away. Before she went off, she released Sesame and had him rush back to the courtyard.
Yue Ying had yet to wake up, and she did not wish for the courtyard to catch fire again like before.
Just as she was about to reach her destination, her master’s voice suddenly rang in her mind.
“Yu… Yao. Make a trip to my place.”
“Ah?” Zhu Yao was startled, and suddenly, she felt a little worried. “Master, what happened?”
“Underneath this place…” Yu Yan stopped his words halfway through, and sighed. “You will know once you arrive.”
Not dallying in the slightest, Zhu Yao immediately turned around and flew to where her master was residing in.
A few kilometers away from the ruins her master was in, she felt a burning sensation in the air. As though the ground itself had caught on fire, the temperature suddenly rose. When she arrived, she realized that the ground had indeed caught on fire. Someone seemed to have started a fire in the forest, and the place was filled with the smell of ash and soot.
There was something yellowish red flowing on the surface of the ground. After taking a closer look, she realized it was actually lava. The cracks in the earth were like erupting volcanoes, constantly pouring out hot molten lava. When Zhu Yao inspected it more attentively, she saw that the place the lava was coming from, was exactly right below the floating ruins.
After the ruins rose into the air that day, a huge crater was left underneath it. Presently, the crater was filled with magma pouring onto the surface. The heat was so intense, it was even causing the floating ruins right above to drop earth and soil.
Before long, the entire ruins would crumble and disappear due to the heat.
What was going on? It was clearly a forest, so why did it suddenly turn into a volcano? “Master!” Zhu Yao immediately entered the mustard seed dimensional space, only to see the space that was still clear with a blue sky before, had suddenly turned entirely blood red. In the position right above, a gigantic teleportation formation was currently flashing.
Yu Yan stood beneath that formation, and turned his head over. “You’re here.”
“What is this?” Zhu Yao pointed to the formation up above. If it was a teleportation formation, it was a little too big, wasn’t it?
“Earlier, when the demonic beasts’ barrier disappeared, this formation appeared.” Yu Yan frowned. “There must be a connection between these two formations. As long as one of the formations is broken, the other one would activate.”
“Then the lava outside is?”
“It should be a result brought about by this formation as well.”
This formation sent lava straight towards the surface? The other side of the teleportation formation couldn’t possibly be the crater of a volcano, right?
“This formation was established long ago, and it was concealed in an extremely secretive manner. As long as it stayed inactive, one wouldn’t be able to sense it.” Yu Yan said in a sunken voice. “Perhaps these ruins, and even the God Artifact that was placed here, were just to protect what’s on the other side of this formation.”
“Just what’s there on the other side?” To actually spend so much effort to conceal it.
“I do not know.” Yu Yan shook his head, and sighed. “When this formation appeared, this place began to collapse right after. Before long, these ruins will cease to exist. If this formation doesn’t stop, I’m afraid even the entire cultivation world will be implicated as well.”
“Ah!” So serious!? “Can’t we stop this formation?”
“Unless we know the destination on the other side?” “Then let’s head in to find out just where it would teleport us to.”
“This formation is able to sense a person’s level of cultivation. Your master was immediately deflected back after attempting to cross it.”
“In other words, the higher one’s cultivation level, the harder it is to cross it?”
Yu Yan nodded.
“Then I shall try!”
“Yu Yao.” Yu Yan pulled his disciple, tapped his forehead against hers. In an instant, a clear, spiritual aura had entered her divine sense, seeping into that white pearl from before. “It’s most likely very dangerous on the other side, half of your master’s divine sense will accompany you. Remember, after crossing through the formation, retrieve that pearl out of your divine sense.”
Zhu Yao nodded. Flying on her sword, she headed towards the formation. She turned her head and glanced at Yu Yan for a moment, before crossing through that formation right after.
With a flash of red light, a different scenery immediately filled her vision. The entire place was covered in darkness, and though there were faint red glows in the surroundings, it was still impossible to clearly distinguish the place. However, this place was even hotter than earlier.
“Master!” She lightly called out.
A white illusory figure appeared next to her.
“Master, where do you think this place is?”
Yu Yan did not reply. Instead, he summoned a ball of light at the top of his fingertips, and instantly brightened up the surroundings.
The place they were standing in was actually a mountain cave. It was not very broad, with merely enough space to have two people walk side by side. On the surrounding walls, there were faint traces of lava that had yet to condense completely, and the red glows she saw earlier were emitted out by those lava.
Chapter224: Fried An Egg
Yu Yan frowned, reaching out his hand to pull onto his disciple, he habitually said in a cold voice. “Follow your master closely.”
With her master here, Zhu Yao obediently became his little tail and followed him closely behind. The further they went, the hotter the air became, and the passage grew steeper. Further on, she had to almost use her hands and legs to climb upwards, and in her surroundings, there were growing amount of molten lava flowing down the walls. Zhu Yao faintly sensed that there was something up front, but even after walking for half a day, they had still yet to reach the end.
Suddenly, bubbling sounds could be faintly heard from the front. They sounded like water.
Zhu Yao was startled. “What’s that?”
Yu Yan shook his head. “I do not know as well. There seems to be a special formation in-place, preventing my divine sense from expanding out. Follow me closely and there won’t be any problems.” “Then why must we walk on this path?” Climbing is very exhausting, you know?
Yu Yan paused his steps, and seemed to have only just realized this problem. A moment later, he said with a stern look. “Yu Yao, trust your master.”
“…” Alright, you’re the master after all! As your disciple, I should believe…
My ass!
With a darkened expression, Zhu Yao looked towards the fiery red stream that was tumbling towards them.
“Master, that ferocious stream flowing towards us is lava, right?”
“Mn.”
“What do we do now?” Yu Yan did not reply, instead, he simply picked up his disciple, turned around and quickly flew off in the direction they came from. Following closely behind was a sea of lava that was tumbling towards them. It was no wonder the passage they took was covered in condensed lava. This place was not a passageway but a canal, a canal especially used to channel lava.
Yet they were climbing straight towards the source earlier.
What happened to the promise that everything would be fine if she followed her master? What happened to the promised trust? Can there at least be the most basic level of trust between master and disciple?
Zhu Yao’s heart was in tears.
So not only was her master face-blind, he had no sense of direction as well.
Yu Yan flew extremely quickly. Even in this narrow space, he merely took a blink of an eye to throw off the lava behind. Not even a moment later, he arrived at the exit, and immediately flew out. What came blowing against them was a searing heat that was even hotter than earlier. Fiery red magma filled their visions, brightening up the entire space with a glaring red. Like the bottom of a volcano, the magma tumbled about and constantly released bubbles, making popping sounds. However, above their heads was also a thick stone ceiling.
The crater looked like it was intentionally dug out. Its area was the size of ten football fields, yet it was completely filled with magma. Furthermore, it was not known how deep it was either.
“What is that?” Yu Yan suddenly spoke up.
Zhu Yao followed his line of sight, and spotted at the very center of the magma sea was a flat platform, and placed above was something with a roundish shape that was glowing in white. After taking a careful look, she realized it was actually an egg. An incredibly huge egg. At the very least, it had the size of a dozen or so people.
Just as Yu Yan was about to bring them closer to investigate it, his figure suddenly shook, and he stopped ten meters away from it. “A formation is established in the surroundings.” In other words, they couldn’t go in. Zhu Yao carefully inspected that egg, and the more she looked at it, the more familiar it looked.
“It seems the various anomalies on our way here, is because of this egg.” Yu Yan said with a sunken voice. “I wonder what it is.”
“I might know it.” Zhu Yao weakly raised her hand. Births from an egg. Requires the magma of a volcano to act as an incubator. Furthermore, there’s so many formations placed down here. All these coincidences pointed to a single answer. “This is a dragon egg.” Though it was larger than usual, being a head taller than the usual ones. Could it be that it received especially great nourishments?
Yu Yan was startled as well, but he still accepted her theory. If it was a God, then that sword and that strange formation could be explained.
“It seems like this dragon is about to hatch.” Yu Yan said with a sunken voice. “Hence the various phenomenon occurring in the ruins.” “Hatching!?” Zhu Yao was stunned, and she suddenly recalled that Devil. Gods and Devils had always been enemies. Lin Qi had lost his Life Origin Fire and could no longer be considered as a God. So, there was a need for another God to balance everything out?
Wait a minute. The Dragon Race have always had difficulties giving birth, and hatching from their eggs was even harder. This dragon egg seemed to have been here for a very long time, and Gods always carried bloodline suppression which demonic beasts were irresistible against. However, this dragon egg had instead appeared in the human practitioners’ territory, and by adding that barrier into the equation, could she take it as that barrier existed to defend against Devils and protect this dragon egg since the very beginning?
Now that the barrier had disappeared, it must be the Devil’s doings as well. Then, the first thing the Devil would do after breaking the barrier would be…
Zhu Yao instantly took in a cold breath.
“Master, this place…” is very dangerous! Before she could even finish, Yu Yan’s expression turned cold as he pulled her towards his back. “Someone’s coming!”
Just as he said that, a fierce wind blew and the fiery red space twisted. As though it was suddenly sliced open at the center, a black-coloured hole appeared. A huge mass of devilish energy flowed out from within it, and not even a moment later, the figures of two men appeared in the air.
One of them looked familiar, but that sinister and cold aura of his clearly revealed that his was Devil. The other person was actually Lin Qi.
“Oh, I never expected that human practitioners would actually be able to make their way here.” That Devil coldly looked towards them. After clearly distinguishing Zhu Yao at the back, he seemed to have shook for a moment. Then, he began to smile dangerously. “Oh, it’s actually you! The person who stole my God Artifact.”
Zhu Yao was stunned. This person was actually the Devil who controlled the beast wave back then.
“You… Why are you here?” Lin Qi evidently recognized Zhu Yao as well, and he took a step back out of fear. “I should be asking you that.” Zhu Yao turned to look at the two of them. “As the descendent of a God, why are you colluding with a Devil?”
Lin Qi’s expression paled, and then his face turned red from anger. “That isn’t of your concern. Back then if not for you, would I be in such a miserable state? I will take my revenge no matter what.”
“What’s the rush? I have some debts to settle with this person as well.” That Devil coldly laughed, as he looked towards Zhu Yao and said. “Today, it won’t be as easy as last time…”
Boom!
A heavenly lightning bolt immediately struck towards him.
“If you want to fight, then do it! So much useless chatter!” Why were all antagonists so talkative?
“You’re courting death!” The Devil’s expression sank. In a flash, his figure was heading in Zhu Yao’s direction, throwing an attack towards her. Yu Yan sidestepped and quickly took a step forward to shield Zhu Yao. A sword aura carrying a lightning glow immediately scattered the other party’s attack.
The Devil was stunned for a moment, as though he did not expect that someone could block his attack. His face turned darker and sank even more, and the devilish aura from his body expanded in all directions. Turning his head around, he waved towards Lin Qi. “Take it!”
Lin Qi hurriedly headed in the direction of the dragon egg.
“Lin Qi.” Zhu Yao instantly sent a lightning bolt towards him. “That’s a dragon egg, are you sure you want to hand a God over to a Devil!?”
“Dragon!?” Lin Qi was stunned, as he suddenly turned to stare at the Devil. “It’s a dragon egg? You lied to me.”
“Even if you found out, it’s already too late.” He suddenly threw a palm towards Lin Qi, and a large amount of devilish energy instantly enveloped his entire being. The light in Lin Qi’s eyes gradually disappeared, and a moment later, they turned crimson red. “Take the egg.” After saying that, his body flashed, and he attacked Yu Yan with all his might.
“Be careful.” Yu Yao turned to instruct Zhu Yao before taking the hit head on. In an instant, black and white rays of light intertwined and collided with each other.
Lin Qi on the other hand was like a wooden doll as he flew towards the dragon egg.
Zhu Yao summoned her fan weapon and flew forward to block him. With a wave of her hand, she summoned lightning rays numbered in the high hundreds and attacked him. However, lightning rays simply passed through him, unable to land a direct hit on Lin Qi at all. His entire body turned into black mist and directly flew passed Zhu Yao.
Zhu Yao was startled for a moment. Lin Qi did not have a physical body, meaning that he was being controlled by the devilish energy.
That black mist reached the ten-meter mark away from the dragon egg, and was suddenly deflected by a ray of white light. It was the barrier they encountered earlier. Zhu Yao rushed over, once again summoning lightning bolts and throwing them at him. Though they had scattered the surrounding devilish energy, they gathered and took shape again a few moments later. Furthermore, he began to wildly attack the barrier.
If this kept up, the barrier would be broken through sooner or later.
Zhu Yao gritted her teeth and immediately circulated her spiritual energy to activate a sealing art. In an instant, countless ancient runic symbols floated around her body. She seemed to have instantly felt the spiritual rebound from forcefully activating a God’s sealing art with spiritual energy, as her organs and even her divine sense were beginning to experience the pain of being ripped apart.
“Yu Yao!” Yu Yan sensed the anomaly on her side and wanted to rush over. However, he was being entangled by the Devil and was simply unable to make his way there. “Stop quickly.”
The dragon egg’s barrier was already beginning to collapse, and Lin Qi who had succumbed to the Devil was about to break in. Zhu Yao immediately activated the seal. Golden mystic runes instantly enveloped Lin Qi, and the runes began to spiral at high speeds. Large amount of black devilish energy instantly flowed out from his body, disappearing into the golden seal.
Lin Qi then immediately fell over, and landed on one of the stone platforms.
“To actually wield the ancient sealing arts!” The expression of the Devil sank, and the killing intent in his eyes rose even further. “Then I can’t let you live.” After saying that, his attacks against Yu Yan grew even wilder.
Zhu Yao puked out a mouthful of blood as she mustered her strength to land on the dragon egg’s platform. Raising her head to look towards the air, the figures of her master and the Devil had already turned blurry, and only two streaks of light could be seen. The entire space was booming with loud thunder and dancing devilish energy. The surrounding magma was also affected by the countless arts as fiery sparks filled the space.
Her master’s real body was not present here, just half of his divine sense was currently in this space, while his opponent was a true Devil. If this kept up, they would definitely suffer defeat.
What should she do? Having an extra support at this time would be good as well!
Support!
Zhu Yao turned to face the dragon egg next to her. She suddenly recalled something Shao Bai had mentioned before. To hatch a dragon, it merely had to absorb enough heat energy.
If it’s heat energy…
Zhu Yao suddenly recalled that feather that was in her possession. The flames of a phoenix were definitely of a higher plane of power compared to magma. If she were to use that God Artifact, adding the Life Origin Fire she obtained from Lin Qi, this dragon might be able to hatch early.
Not hesitating any longer, she immediately pulled out the Ruling Plume, circulated her spiritual energy, and instantly turned it into a blazing sword. Zhu Yao took a deep breath, and slowly transferred her sword intent into the sword. A moment later, the fire turned purple in colour.
With a wave of her hand, the egg’s surroundings were filled with long-lasting purple flames.
While Zhu Yao controlled the flames, she paid attention to the egg at the center. Though this theory sounded correct, the flames best not be too fierce and end up frying the little guy within. She had completely no interest in fried egg whatsoever!
Chapter225: Sealing The Devil
After about seven minutes, the egg finally showed signs of hatching. A powerful might was faintly emitting out from within. It began to shake, as though something was about to break out of the shell.
Seeing this, the Devil’s devilish aura exploded forth, releasing out a large mass of devilish energy that was targeted at Zhu Yao.
“Yu Yao!” Yu Yan turned around and rushed over, sweeping his sword across the devilish energy. However, he was unable to shield himself in time, as a long sword formed by devilish energy immediately pierced through his figure.
As it was just an illusory form in the first place, it merely shook for a moment. However, small stains of blood began to appear on the robe that was as white as snow.
“Master!” Zhu Yao widened her eyes, and her heart clenched in an instant as she held onto him. That familiar feeling of anger once again poured out, and for an instant, she wanted to step forward and exterminate that Devil. “No matter.” Yu Yan’s figure shook for a moment. Pulling onto Zhu Yao’s hand, he said in a sunken voice. “I shall hold this Devil back. Bring the egg and return to the mustard seed dimensional space through that passageway.”
“But master!” That egg was so huge, how was going to bring it through the passageway, hey?
“Be obedient!” Yu Yan’s expression sank. “I will be fine.”
Only a ghost would believe you! There were already bloodstains on his body, which proved that her master who was in the dimensional space was similarly injured as well. He basically wouldn’t be able to last long.
“None of you will be able to escape!” The Devil coldly smiled. In an instant, icicles numbered in the high hundreds appeared, and they flew straight towards the two of them.
“Hurry and go.” Yu Yan swept his sword and instantly blasted a passage open. Then, he went to meet with the Devil’s attacks head on. Zhu Yao took a deep breath, and suppressed the seemingly uncontrollable anger within her heart. She knew that this was the effects of the Ruling Plume and had to calm herself down. Thus, she increased the output of the flames next to the dragon egg.
Glancing at the two people in the air, she gritted her teeth. It’s all or nothing!
Even if she went back in the direction they were from now, she might not be able to escape. Rather than that, she might as well make a gamble.
Calming herself down and taking a deep breath, she circulated her spiritual energy. As the output of spiritual energy increased, the egg began to shake and looked like it was about to hatch at any moment. The Devil’s expression sank, and it suddenly split into two. Another illusory form was summoned, and it came flying straight towards Zhu Yao.
The hell, she had no choice but to endure this the hard way!
Zhu Yao circulated the spiritual energy in her entire body, and wildly summoned flames in the direction of the dragon egg. She must make it in time!
The Devil was approaching fast, and just as it was about to strike her body…
Suddenly, a crack sounded.
Zhu Yao felt completely relieved at this moment.
Following after, a draconic roar resounded through the clouds.
A golden light pierced through the skies, instantly breaking through this gigantic space and the ceiling began to collapse. Solidified lava fell off, and not even a moment later, as though the entirety of the ceiling had been dug apart, the blue sky was revealed. The Devil’s illusory form had also disappeared at the moment of the draconic roar sounded.
This place was about to collapse!
Zhu Yao grabbed onto Lin Qi in passing and flew out, while enduring the pain that felt as though her entire body was about to be torn apart. After exiting the place that was filled with magma, she then realized that they were beneath the ruins her master was residing in. In other words, that place earlier was most probably the third level of the ruins.
That draconic roar grew even louder. In the sky above, a giant azure dragon was circling around. The Devil began to tremble and his expression was especially twisted, as he stared straight towards the sky.
The body of the gigantic dragon flashed, instantly turning into a purple-robed man, carrying an unconcealable air of royalty. He looked at the Devil with a frown.
“Ao Jiang. I can’t believe you’re still alive.” The Devil coldly snorted, and his eyes were filled with cold killing intent.
“If the Devils aren’t exterminated, how can I of the God Race pass on!?” Ao Jiang released a mighty pressure from his body and fiercely glared back. “Yan Chi, the ancient Devils are destined to never be allowed into this world. This is the Heavenly Dao, and neither you nor I am able to fight against it.” Yan Chi’s expression twisted even further, and he said with a cold smile. “You think you’re capable of being my opponent right now? Even if you had hidden yourself in your egg shell and regained your former godly powers, what of it? Ao Jiang, you couldn’t beat me in the past, and you won’t be able to beat me now either.”
“Whether I can beat you or not, I will know if I try!” Ao Jiang’s figure flashed, and he turned back into a gigantic dragon in an instant as he flew straight towards the Devil.
These two people actually knew each other? She had thought that it was a young dragon in the egg, but never did she expect that it was an old dragon nursing his injuries in his egg shell. No wonder it was so huge.
“Master!” Zhu Yao found a safe spot on the ground and placed Lin Qi down. Then, she flew over to Yu Yan.
Yu Yan raised his head and looked towards the ruins that was about to collapse completely, and said with a sunken voice. “Yu Yao, shatter that pearl within your divine sense.”
Zhu Yao was startled for a moment, and then understood a moment later. She instantly retrieved that pearl and tightened her grip on it, causing the white pearl to shatter into pieces. Yu Yan’s illusory form shook for a moment, before turning into a ray of light that flew back in the direction of his main body.
The battle between the dragon and Devil was exceptionally intense, collapsing mountains and fissures on the earth were barely enough to describe it. Zhu Yao was only able to stay away from the ripples of the battle after being doubly cautious. However, even in the present situation, that Devil did not lose the upper hand in the slightest. Instead, it was that dragon which was in a difficult position.
Just as Zhu Yao was feeling worried, the sky suddenly turned dark. Several bolts of heavenly lightning descended from the sky, striking directly in the direction of the Devil.
The Devil Yan Chi dodged them with all his might, but was still affected by the lightning sparks. Quite a bit of his devilish energy from his body scattered off, and his aura was beginning to destabilize as well. Evidently, he suffered a heavy injury.
Her master’s figure instantly appeared in the sky. This time, it was not just half of his divine sense, but his main body. Zhu Yao silently gave a thumbs up in his direction!
“Far Ancient Highgod!” Ao Jiang was stunned for a moment as he looked at Yu Yan with widened eyes. He had a face of complete disbelief. “Why is the Highgod… No, you do not have the God’s imprint on you, just who in the world…”
Yu Yan had no time to care about him, as he once again summoned heavenly lightning bolts and sent them towards Yan Chi. He did not have much time. The tribulation clouds were already beginning to gather in the sky. Once the Ascension Lightning Tribulation descends, he would have no choice but to ascend into the Higher Realm.
“Yu Yao.”
“Master?” Zhu Yao suddenly received a voice transmission.
“Tell me the method you used to seal the Devil earlier.”
“Seal…” Zhu Yao was startled for a moment, and then she shook her head on reflex. “No way master. The sealing arts are arts belonging to the God race, and they must be activated through godly energy. If you were to forcefully activate it with spiritual energy, you will suffer a backlash. So you can’t…”
“Yu Wang!” His voice sank, and he said with a lecturing tone. “Since you’re able to do it, why can’t your master? Believe in your master just once.”
“…” What he said made a lot of sense.
Zhu Yao gritted her teeth. This was the only way left. Thus, she chose the safest and also the most effective seal – the Offering Seal Art. Then, she explained to her master the art’s incantation, the critical points of its formation, and also the method of circulating spiritual energy.
Yu Yan listened to the explanation seriously, and he subconsciously frowned. Normally speaking, a sealing art that was similar to formations such as this would be extremely hard to enact without practice. Strangely however, when he heard her disciple’s explanation, a depiction of the basic structure of the seal automatically appeared in his mind, as though he knew these arts in the very beginning.
The tribulation had already descended, and eighty-one heavenly lightning bolts constantly struck him without pause. Yu Yan guided the heavenly lightning bolts with all his might, and attacked in the direction of the Devil while coordinating with the dragon.
That Devil seemed to have fallen into a difficult position. Be it the heavenly lightning bolts or the dragon’s attacks, none of them missed their mark. However, the other party was like an indestructible cockroach, and would revert back to his original look in an instant.
“Hahahaha…” He suddenly let out a wild laugh. “Ao Jiang, it’s no use. I’m a Devil. I can’t die, nor can I be exterminated. No matter how powerful you people are, it’s basically impossible to kill me.”
Ao Jiang’s expression sharpened, as his gigantic head went pouncing in his direction.
However, Yu Yan circulated that sealing art at the exact same moment, and finally at the moment the final heavenly lightning bolt descended, the seal activated.
In an instant, a gigantic runic diagram appeared in the sky, and it descended like a large cage.
“Offering Seal!” Ao Jiang was startled, and a moment later he looked pleasantly surprised. Reverting back to his human form, he looked towards Yu Yan with sparkling eyes.
“How is this possible? Why is there a human capable of using the ancient sealing arts?” Yan Chi’s face greyed from defeat as stared at the seal in the sky. He wanted to escape, but the light from the seal isolated him from within, and he was unable to break free.
“Yan Chi, I have already told you, this is fate. The ancient Devils are destined to perish.” Ao Jiang however had a calm look, and seemed to have heaved a sigh of relief. “You and I have fought for so many years, you should have seen through the Heavenly Dao.”
“I’m not content, I’m not content!” The seal pressed down even further, and Yan Chi began to struggle even wilder than before, even his scream was beginning to turn piercing to the ears. His face seemed to have been pulled or something, as it began to change in shape. “Why can’t Devils exist in this world? This world is just unfair! In a state like this, the Three Realms should be destroyed. What Heavenly Dao? Even if it’s the Heavenly Dao, I will still push on and bend the heavens! Destroy… I will destroy this world…”
As he continued on, he grew even wilder than before. Finally, it was no longer able to see his human shape, and he seemed to have turned into a mass of black mist that only knew how to vent his anger, as he clashed and collided with the seal. He had completely lost his reason. Zhu Yao’s heart sank for a moment. Was this the Devil’s main body? A mass of resentment that only knew how to slaughter, destroy, and throw itself into a bloodthirsty frenzy. However, no matter how he struggled, he was unable to escape the seal. That golden formation came crashing straight down.
Yan Chi instantly disappeared within the bottom of the seal, and not even a hint of his presence could be felt any longer. An additional round formation appeared on the surface.
Yu Yan focused and retrieved the spiritual energy, but in the end, he was still unable to sustain himself from the rebound. His body shook for a moment, and a scarlet red stream flowed out from the corner of his lips.
“Master!” Zhu Yao flew over on her sword and held onto his body. Her heart was clenching ever so tightly. “Are you alright?”
Yu Yan shook his head, and habitually stroked the top of her head. “No matter.”
“Don’t worry, it’s just that his blood is flowing in the reverse direction, his Dantian has shattered, and almost all of his meridians had been destroyed. It’s nothing serious.” That purple-robed dragon came over with a leisurely look.
Blood flowing in the reverse direction, Dantian had shattered, and his meridians were destroyed, and he was saying it was nothing serious!? Zhu Yao turned to glare at him. Say one more word, and I will strangle you to death.
“Uh…” Ao Jiang was startled, and he unconsciously took a step back. Why was this little lady so fierce? He did not say much though? Injuries like these were really nothing much to the Dragon Race. Hesitating for a moment, he still reached out his palm towards Yu Yan’s back and sent some godly energy over, restoring his Dantian. “Earlier, it’s thanks to the both of you that the Devil is now sealed.”
“It’s nothing much, though it’s true it’s something you should be thanking us for.” Zhu Yao waved her hands.
Ao Jiang: “…” This little lady was really blunt.
Chapter226: Single Dragon Can’t Be Hurt
“Master, how are you feeling? Are you better now?”
“Mn.” Yu Yan nodded. Just as he was about to give his disciple some instructions, a pillar of light sudden descended from the skies, enveloping Yu Yan within it.
Light of Guidance. He had no choice but to leave now.
“Master…” Zhu Yao grabbed onto him. Though she knew that he had to ascend the moment he stepped out, she was still reluctant to see him go, you know?
Yu Yan caressed her cheek, and said with a stern expression. “Yu Wang, you must be extremely cautious from this moment on.”
“Mn.” Zhu Yao heavily nodded, and her heart felt a little sour.
“Hurry and return to Lightning Divine Palace. Your master shall wait for you.” Yu Yan carefully stroked the hair by her neck side, and his voice was a little heavy, as though he was still worried about her. Closing in on her, he spoke next to her ear. “Don’t let your master wait for too long.”
Just as she was about to nod, Yu Yan lowered his head and sealed her lips with his own. Zhu Yao was stunned, and all the senses in her body were focused on that interlocked kiss. With an expression carrying hints of surprise and happiness, she widened her eyes, and her mind instantly went blank.
Yu Yan’s body grew fainter, and in the end, he disappeared within the Light of Guidance.
He was brought to the Higher Realm.
Zhu Yao stood on the ground, staying in the posture she had earlier. Even in her dreams, she would have never expected that her master would do something that intimate in broad daylight and in such an open space. He really was bold. But… I like it.
“Ahem…” Ao Jiang who had witnessed the entire scene coughed, reminding someone to regain her senses. Then, he probed. “Umm… Little miss, are you two really master and disciple?” Zhu Yao turned to glare at that gossiping dragon, and coldly said. “You single dragon, like you can understand anything!”
“…” He received 1000+ damage. So what if you have a partner?
Ao Jiang rubbed his nose and recovered. He sized up the unhappy Zhu Yao, and a strange feeling suddenly rose in the depths of his heart. “Little miss, have we met before in the past?”
The corner of Zhu Yao’s lips twitched. “So dragons are all so old-fashioned in the way they try to strike up conversations as well? Love between different species will never result in happiness!”
“Uh…” A woman whose love was far away could no longer be hurt by anything. “I didn’t mean it that way. I’m saying… Uh, I want to ask how did your master know sealing arts?” A seal like that originated from the ancient God race, and even he only had meagre knowledge of it. However, the two of them were clearly mortals. “And I feel that… you two look a little familiar.” Putting aside the ascended human who looked exactly the same as the Far Ancient Highgod, this little miss was beginning to look really familiar as well. Zhu Yao glanced at him. Was she allowed to say that she had learnt them from the actual Far Ancient Highgod?
“Actually…” Just as Zhu Yao was about to make up a fresh, extraordinary and astonishing story that people would wish to continue hearing more of, the ground underneath them began to shake. The seal on the ground surface was beginning to crack, and something seemed to be breaking out from the ground.
Ao Jiang’s face sank as he immediately cast an art to insert godly energy in order to stop the seal from being broken. However, everything he did was futile. That seal began to shine with a white light from the center, and the light slowly split into two. Then, a black pillar of light instantly charged out.
“Hahaha…” The Devil’s arrogant laughter instantly resounded in the surroundings, and within it carried a hint of sinister, chilling intent.
“How is this possible!?” Ao Jiang suddenly widened his eyes, as he looked at Yan Chi who was laughing maniacally. “With the power of a single Devil, how is it possible for the seal to be broken through?” “Ao Jiang, is this the Heavenly Dao you’re so ascertained of?” Yan Chi looked at him with a scornful glance. “You really think that after so many years, I have not understood the things you’re aware of? Who says that destiny cannot be changed?”
“What are you getting at?” Ao Jiang was startled, and Zhu Yao’s heart could not help but clench as well. She faintly sensed that he was about to say something grave.
Yan Chi laughed even more arrogantly. “The Heavenly Dao has destined the Devils to be exterminated? In the end, it’s just that your God Race has more luck than our Devil Race. As long as I possess luck, then destiny will be in my hands.”
Ao Jiang coldly snorted. “How can luck of the Heavenly Dao possibly lean in your Devil race’s favour?”
“You can’t say that for certain.” The Devil laughed. With a wave of his hands, a black illusory figure then appeared next to him. “I don’t possess it, but I can steal it!”
That black figure slowly turned clearer, and a moment later, the facial appearance of a girl was revealed. “Yi Ling!” Zhu Yao widened her eyes. That black illusory figure was actually Mary Sue! Her entire body was being surrounded by black mist, and she looked like she was in pain. Why was she here? And she was even captured by the Devil.
“Ao Jiang, after so many years, do you really think that by hiding in that egg shell to recover your strength, I was unable to do anything?” Yan Chi coldly laughed, revealing a complacent look as though he got away with his scheme. “I have been searching for the method to rip apart the Devil Race’s destiny, and I finally found this favoured child of the Heavenly Dao. As long as I merge with her soul, then the Heavenly Dao shall belong to my ancient Devil Race.”
Merge! He wanted to take over Yi Ling’s soul!
“Let go of her!” Lin Qi woke up all of a sudden, and he looked at Yan Chi with a tensed look. “You promised me that as long as I help you break through the barrier, you will no longer try to take over my soul, and also let go of Ling’er.”
“Let her go?” Yan Chi coldly laughed. “I have searched for so many years, and I finally found someone who carries incredible luck. How can I possibly let her go!?” Lin Qi’s face was grey from defeat.
“The human who knows the sealing arts has already ascended to the Higher Realm, so let me see what you are going to use to beat me?” Yan Chi waved his hand, and Yi Ling’s illusory figure was instantly stored back into his body. Then, he attacked Ao Jiang.
Zhu Yao felt something flashed past her mind, as though she caught a hint of something, however, she was drowned in even more doubts. Incredible luck? Was he talking about Yi Ling’s Mary Sue cheat?
Looking at this situation, Yan Chi must have caught Lin Qi in the beginning, and used him to destroy the barrier separating human practitioners and demonic beasts. Then, he caught Yi Ling, threatened Lin Qi to use his bloodline affinity to sense Ao Jiang’s position and bring him there. Most probably, Lin Qi must not have known that a God was in the egg.
The purpose of capturing Yi Ling was because of the incredible luck she possessed. The use of this luck was comparable to being the Heavenly Dao. Zhu Yao did not know how long it had been in the Lower Realm since she opened the World Crossing Heavenly Door. However, hearing from their conversation, it must have been a very long time. Within this time frame, they had been constantly fighting with each other, and during their battles, the two of them seemed to have comprehended a hint of the Heavenly Dao. Evidently, the Heavenly Dao was not on the Devil Race’s side.
That was why the Devil was trying to find ways to escape this destiny.
And Yi Ling had the destiny he was searching for, and was what we called incredible luck.
She carefully recalled the scenario, and realized that Yi Ling’s luck was indeed explosively good. In her life, other than Lin Qi who appeared at the end, it had always been smooth sailing. She never encountered any real danger, and even if she did fall into a crisis, not only would she resolve them, she would even receive a bunch of harem members who were completely infatuated with her.
In other words, Yi Ling’s bug was not caused by Lin Qi, but the incredible luck she possessed? Zhu Yao suddenly widened her eyes, as she finally understood the reason why the ‘bug’ word on her face did not disappear this entire time. Her bug was not related to anyone else as she had thought.
But…
If this luck of hers was truly so incredible…
Why would Lin Qi suddenly get back his senses at the end of the scenario, and not only did he kill off all of Yi Ling’s harem members, he even did not let go of Yi Ling herself? This was simply too illogical. Could it be that Lin Qi’s luck was larger than Yi Ling’s?
No, that’s not right. If that’s the case, Yi Ling would had been completely infatuated with him.
Unless…
Zhu Yao shook for a moment, as a daring thought suddenly popped out in her mind. She raised her head to look at Lin Qi, then she turned to face that Devil. Unless… Lin Qi at the end of the scenario was not the real Lin Qi.
Earlier, Lin Qi said that Devil actually wanted to take over his soul. In the beginning, she had thought that the Devil’s scheme was to merely have Lin Qi open the barrier. And because Lin Qi was given a bashing by her and had his strength greatly weakened, he was basically unable to retaliate against the Devil. So, before even waiting for the other party to take over his soul, he immediately agreed to his demands.
But if they had progressed in the original scenario, Lin Qi who possessed the bloodline of Gods would definitely retaliate, and the Devil would definitely forcefully take over his soul, becoming Lin Qi.
In other words, in the scenario, the one who came to love Lin Qi was actually that Devil. So, at the end, when he found out about Yi Ling’s betrayal, he became that furious and even took revenge on society, destroying the world and whatnot. These were basically not something done under anger, but rather due to the instincts of an ancient Devil. Yi Ling’s betrayal had merely awakened his instincts.
The more Zhu Yao thought about it, the more she felt that the Lin Qi in the scenario she saw was Yan Chi, especially at the end when Lin Qi brought a horde of demonic beasts to attack. She once personally saw Yan Chi use the Ruling Plume to control demonic beasts, and when Lin Qi was using his bloodline to suppress Sesame, Sesame clearly still had his own will and did not completely comply to his wishes.
This proved that Lin Qi was basically unable to control a crowd of demonic beasts.
But… Why did the present Devil not carry even the least bit of goodwill for Yi Ling? Rather, he wanted to directly take over her soul and steal her incredible luck. Was it because he did not take over Lin Qi’s soul? So he was not affected by Yi Ling’s luck?
That’s not right. If Yi Ling’s luck was ineffective on the Devil’s main body, then why would he spend so much effort to find someone who carried incredible luck?
Unless… the effects of her luck had been weakened.
Zhu Yao took in a cold breath, and suddenly recalled that… ever since Yi Ling was affected by her World Favourable Impression Achievement, her Mary Sue trait seemed to have weakened. Other that the men who had already been infatuated with her in the beginning, there had not been any other incidents where men would direct their love for her at first sight.
Could it be that she had weakened Yi Ling’s luck?
In other words… the luck she possessed, was larger than Yi Ling’s.
Uhh…
Why did she feel that this was a little dangerous?
Zhu Yao seemed to have cleared up all these messy details, but the main point now was… how was she going to deal with it!? Haah!
Her master had already ascended, and she was presently half- crippled. Most probably, that Devil might have acted as though he was sealed right from the beginning, in order to let her master, who knew the sealing arts, leave. However, he most probably did not know that she knew sealing arts as well. Earlier, she had used it once when she sealed the devilish energy within Lin Qi’s body, but because she was within the dragon egg’s barrier, Yan Chi was unaware of her actions.
This point could be considered as her trump card.
But sealing the devilish energy on Lin Qi’s body alone had used up all of her energy. Even if she charge out now, she would merely hinder Ao Jiang, let alone sealing Yan Chi once again.
Furthermore, the huge bug Yi Ling was in his hands, and he would most probably still be able to escape.
What should she do? Was there any way to end this once and for all?
Once and for all…
Zhu Yao was stunned for a moment, and then thought of a plan. Calming herself down, she sent a voice transmission to the dragon who was in a frenzy. “Ao Jiang, can you let me take over your body for a moment?”
Ao Jiang paused for a moment, and had almost been struck by the Devil because of it. Barely dodging his attack, he then sent a voice transmission back. “Brat, stop fooling around. Your injuries are not light, go hide further away.”
“I’m not joking.” Zhu Yao said with a sunken voice. “To tell you the truth, I know the sealing arts as well, but I presently do not have the strength to form the seal. This seal can only be activated by godly energy. I merely require access to your divine sense, and temporarily control your body for a short while.”
“Brat, you’re crazy.” Ao Jiang said with a sunken voice. “Putting aside whether your method is workable, first and foremost, I’m a God. If you enter my divine sense, you will definitely die from the backlash. Furthermore, the sealing arts are extremely complicated, and even I don’t have hundred percent confidence in forming one. How are you so certain that you will definitely succeed?”
He made a lot of sense, but…
“What if I say… I’m Little Seventh of the Phoenix Clan?” The gigantic dragon in the sky evidently stiffened for a moment. Not even a moment later, he suddenly leapt up as though he had taken in stimulants, and his tail wildly swept towards Yun Chi. She could hear the excitement in his voice transmission.
“Little Seventh of the Phoenix Clan! The Little Seventh who opened the World Crossing Heavenly Door, the disciple of the Far Ancient Highgod! ┗|`o′|┛Oooouuu~~ You’re still alive. I’m not dreaming, right?”
“Mn.” Earlier when he mistook her master, Zhu Yao guessed that he might know her as well. She never expected that he was really someone familiar with her.
He roared for a moment before speaking up. “Then why are you now…” Like this.
“No time to explain. So, are you going to help or not?”
“Help! Of course I will help!” Ao Jiang replied excitedly. “But entering my divine sense is too dangerous, why don’t I just lend you my dragon pearl?” After saying that, he immediately reverted back to his human form. With a twist of his hand, a prison of light suddenly appeared, and four streaks of light flew towards the Devil from different directions, instantly trapping him within.
“Little Seventh!” He shouted out, and Zhu Yao immediately flew out to follow up.
Seeing that Yan Chi was trapped, Lin Qi took the opportunity summon a massive ball of flames and sent it in his direction.
“Idiot, don’t!” Zhu Yao could not stop him in time.
A black ray of light flashed within the ball of flames, and an icicle flew out, instantly piercing Lin Qi’s leg. With a bang, he fell onto the ground, while Yan Chi escaped and was now speeding towards Ao Jiang.
Ao Jiang had already met up with Zhu Yao, but seeing that the Devil was already approaching, he no longer had the time to release his dragon pearl. He had no choice but to grab onto Zhu Yao and lower his head with the intention to directly transfer the dragon pearl. However, because of terrible aim, he ended up kissing her cheek. Hence, he had to raise his head and try again.
This time, he kissed her eyes.
Again.
The kiss landed on her forehead.
Again.
Finally had his aim right, he successfully transferred it over.
Zhu Yao who had drools all over her face from the kisses: “…”
Ao Jiang satisfyingly held onto his own lips. Mn. As a single dragon, it should be completely understandable if his techniques were not up to par.
The corner of Zhu Yao’s lips twitched. Raising her hand, she sent a slap right to his face and had successfully left a mark. Understandable my ass. If you had the time to kiss here and there, would it have killed you to directly release your dragon pearl!?
Chapter227: Piggish Party Member Achievement Unlocked
Fiercely wiping off the drool on her face, Zhu Yao felt uncomfortable all around her body.
A string of words suddenly popped out in her mind – dragon’s spittle fragrance. She read about it once in a book, and it said that the scent was comparable to the drool of a dragon. Now, her face really was covered with this dragon’s spittle fragrance, but the only thought she had right now was…
Puke, puke, puke…
She felt that she could puke out all of the food she had eaten in her entire lifetime.
The single dragon who kissed a girl for the first time received 2000 damage, as his glass heart shattered into pieces.
He silently cast an art blocked the Devil’s attack with all his might. Turning his head back, he said resentfully. “Little Seventh, at least save me some face.” Was it really that disgusting? “No matter the case, we can be considered as acquaintances, right? When you were still an egg, I even visited you a few times.”
Zhu Yao retched for quite a while, before she finally managed to stop. “I beg you, don’t talk to me right now.” She really did not wish to puke again, alright?
Taking a deep breath, she sat in the lotus position on the ground and began circulating the godly energy within the dragon pearl. Her present character was not a God, and she was basically unable to endure the presence of godly energy in her body. Seemingly in an instant, she could sense that the meridians in her body were like fireworks, popping resoundingly one after another. However, she had no choice but to grit her teeth and continue on.
Though Ao Jiang’s barrier was powerful, it could only barely fend against Yan Chi’s attacks. Adding that he had lost the dragon pearl, the source of his godly energy, he was holding on in a very desperate manner.
Yan Chi seemed to have realized that they seemed to have come up with a plan, and thus put in more effort in his attacks. He no longer maintained his human form and had turned into a mass of constantly shapeshifting black mist. Once, he turned into countless of faces to bite him, then into a twisted-looking strange beast, as though he was acting in a horror film with an extremely high production budget value.
“Little Seventh, hurry up, I can’t hold on much longer.” Cold sweat was already dripping off from Ao Jiang’s head. The barrier was growing weaker, and now that they were backed in a corner, he had no choice but to shapeshift back into his dragon form, in order to use his gigantic body to block Yan Chi’s attacks.
Zhu Yao wildly guided the godly energy, and was forming complicated hand seals with her hands.
“Hohohoho…” That Devil began to let out a sinister laugh. “Ao Jiang, no matter what you people plan to do, once I have completely merged with this girl who carries incredible luck, none of you will be able to stop me. From now on, the Heavenly Dao shall be rewritten!”
His laughter grew even louder, yet it carried a bone-piercing chilling intent, causing one’s heart to tremble. The darkness surrounding his body grew even thicker, as though he was merging with Yi Ling’s soul with all his might. Suddenly, his body shook for a moment, and his face began to distort.
It was slowly dyed with pain, and a moment later, it turned into Yi Ling’s face.
“Yi Ling!” Zhu Yao called out. The godly energy in her body began to go into disarray again.
She seemed to be in extreme pain, and her entire face had turned into a frown. Looking at Zhu Yao from afar, she seemed to have been stunned for a moment. Right after, she murmured out. “Senior-martial sister Zhu…”
She still had her own consciousness.
Zhu Yao tightened her fists, and for a moment she was a little frustrated. This Devil was truly a motherf**king bastard.
“Senior-martial sister Zhu.” her expression turned even more painful, as though she was resisting against something with all her might. A moment later, she said. “Don’t mind me… Hurry… Run!” The hell, if you say such things, this lady here can’t bear to see you die even more. She suddenly recalled when she left Blue Parasol Sect, Yi Ling was also hesitant like this. Most probably, she had already sensed that she was going to be in danger, and had wanted to seek Zhu Yao for protection. However, she still did not speak up in the end.
Zhu Yao could not help but feel a hint of guilt at this moment. In the past, because Yi Ling’s Mary Sue trait had left a very deep impression on her, she had habitually avoided her because of it. Ever since she was affected by the World Favourable Impression ability, Zhu Yao never trusted her either. Now that she thought about it, that World Favourable Impression Achievement really carried the effects of suppressing her Mary Sue cheat.
Then…
“I never expected that you still held onto your consciousness.” Yan Chi’s face twisted for a moment, and then it reverted back to its former look, as though he had once again suppressed Yi Ling down. The darkness enveloping his body once again thickened.
There was no time left. If this continued, Yi Ling would be completely killed by him. Zhu Yao gritted her teeth, and took a gamble.
She immediately turned on the World Favourable Impression Achievement above her head. If this World Favourable Impression Achievement could suppress Yi Ling’s luck, then she could most probably use this point to completely remove Yi Ling’s bug.
Seemingly in an instant, something was transferred in Yan Chi’s direction, and the devilish energy on his body seemed to have receded quite a bit.
“What happened?” Yan Chi was in a fluster, and his figure suddenly shook. A hole seemed to have opened up within the black mist, and a pink figure was struggling to escape from within. Though she was unable to see it, Zhu Yao could sense that Yi Ling’s luck was being transferred over in her direction.
“No, how is this possible? How can she possibly escape my control?” Yan Chi released out even more devilish energy, fully enveloping Yi Ling with the intention of trapping her back within his own body. However, it was ineffective. It was as though Yi Ling was being guided by a completely irresistible force towards the direction of the barrier. Even Ao Jiang was staring straight at Zhu Yao, his eyes were filled with sparkles. Seeing Zhu Yao who was already covered in blood from the uncontrollable godly energy, he turned back his gigantic dragon head and annoyingly said. “Little Seventh, so you phoenixes all look so otherworldly. Are you interested in bearing an egg for me?”
“Scram!” Zhu Yao glared at him, and sent a voice transmission. “Ao Jiang, once the girl with incredible luck completely escapes from the Devil’s grasp, immediately release the barrier.”
Ao Jiang was startled for a moment before nodding his head.
As for Yan Chi, he had already fallen into madness, as he desperately tried to stop Yi Ling from escaping his control, but to no avail. Looking at Zhu Yao within the barrier, as though he had awoken from a dream, his eyes widened like that of a cow’s. “No… Impossible. There’s actually still someone with even greater luck in this world!”
I’m sorry, the World Favourable Impression Achievement is that overpowered. Zhu Yao calmed herself down, and used all of her willpower to have Yi Ling escape. Yi Ling’s figure was becoming clearer as well. Yan Chi realized that he was unable to stop it either and decided to not restrict Yi Ling any longer, instead, he came attacking in Zhu Yao’s direction. At the same time, Yi Ling fell in the direction of the barrier.
“Ao Jiang!” Zhu Yao shouted and Ao Jiang instantly released the barrier.
Yan Chi had already charged in, and at the same time, Zhu Yao guided out all of the godly energy in the dragon pearl. Her hand seals were complete, and just as the other party was about to approach her, she instantly activated the seal.
“Devil Smiting Inscription!” In an instant, a ray of light scattered in all directions with Zhu Yao as the source like an exploding fireworks. Everywhere the light went, there weren’t any changes to the anything, though the Devil turned into nothingness the moment he came in contact with it.
Devil Smiting Inscription. The only art that could completely exterminate Devils.
“This… This seal is?” Ao Jiang was stunned, as though he was completely unable to react to what happened. His gigantic head turned about, and he said with a dumbfounded look. “We… won?”
However, Zhu Yao merely had a single breath left, and her consciousness were beginning to blur. Turning to look at Yi Ling who fell down not too far away. Her breathing was normal and her face looked really clean as well, there wasn’t any strange writings in it any longer. In an instant, Zhu Yao heaved a sigh of relief.
From the beginning, she knew that the moment the Devil Smiting Inscription was activated, she would definitely receive a serious backlash. Even with how tough a God was, one was only able to use it twice, let alone her who was merely a tree demon at the Demigod cultivation level.
Fortunately, she protected a strand of her consciousness at the very last moment. As long as she did not move too rashly, then she would still be able to…
“What a relief.” Ao Jiang suddenly shouted excitedly, and then pushing his two feet off the ground, he pounced in her direction. “Little Seventh!” In an instant, a gigantic dragon-shaped shadow came descending from the sky.
“Don’t come over!”
Splat~~~
Her entire world turned into darkness…
Ting!
A familiar conversation window once again popped out.
“…”
The hell!
Ao Jiang, if you have the guts, don’t run away after school ends!
This was definitely the most ridiculous death of the year, with no competition to speak of!
The conversation window stopped for two seconds before it flashed again, changing into another row of words.
The corner of Zhu Yao’s lips twitched, and she said with a sunken voice. “Realmspirit, stop hiding. Come the hell out.”
The loading numbers instantly paused. They stopped for exactly a minute, before they flashed and disappeared.
A familiar QQ conversation window popped out.
Realmspirit: Courageous young maiden, you have finally taken over the world. Welcome back. The bug fix this time was done too marvellously! I gave you a five-star review, dear friend.
“You still dare to say something like that? What’s with that scenario? Not only were there not any images, you even gave me a wrong version?” If she had not guessed everything out at the end and seen through the causes and effects, it would have long been game over for her. “Just a single scenario, did it have to be so brain-draining?”
Realmspirit: Young maiden, calm down! I have said it from the beginning that you would encounter an unprecedented difficulty with the bug this time, didn’t I?
“May I ask, which one of your scenarios did not pose any difficulty?”
Realmspirit: Hohoho… Don’t mind such details.
“Details, your sister!” Zhu Yao took a deep breath and suppressed her impulse to beat him up. “Also, what’s with that World Favourable Impression Achievement? It’s basically a powerful aphrodisiac, alright?”
Realmspirit: That’s actually special treatment. I only gave it to you because we’re so close, you know?
“I don’t want to be close with you, thank you!” Realmspirit: Don’t be so heartless, young lady. Didn’t you use it really well?
Alright, she had to indeed thank this World Favourable Impression Achievement, otherwise she would not have been able to deal with Yi Ling that quickly.
“We made a deal back then. After fixing this bug, you will tell me everything. It’s time. Tell me, who in the world are you?”
Realmspirit: Uh… Hohoho. Young maiden, the weather today is pretty good. Why don’t we chat about something else?
Zhu Yao’s expression darkened. “The way you’re changing the subject is too obvious!”
Realmspirit: …
“Actually, even if you don’t say it, I have already guessed more than half of it.”
Realmspirit: (⊙o⊙) “You’re capable of providing me with unlimited reincarnations, and also capable of freely choosing my reincarnated targets. Furthermore, you’re even able to provide me with a seemingly heaven-bending ability such as ‘World Favourable Impression’, and not to mention you’re fully aware of all the matters concerning the Three Realms. Let’s not forget the jobs you task me with are all these impossibly high-level missions like saving the world and such.” Zhu Yao took in a deep breath, and continued her analysis. “In the beginning, I had thought that you were an incredibly powerful ancient God. Thereafter, I realized that when compared to the things that you do, what the Gods are capable of doing are extremely weak, and even they are in the palm of your hand. After that, I thought that you originated from the Realm of Gods. After all, I have never met a true God within the Three Realms and am unaware of their abilities, so naturally I would be led to believe that a God would be capable of doing these things. But currently, I don’t think that’s the case anymore.”
Realmspirit: Oh?
Chapter228: Reincarnate Into – The Hell?
“No matter how strong a God is, one would still have begun as a human practitioner. No matter how strong one gets, it’s impossible to be stronger than heaven’s will and resist against the Heavenly Dao. But, the ‘World Favourable Impression’ Achievement broke this rule. So…” Zhu Yao glanced at the conversation window, and said with certainty. “Either you’re an existence comparable or even above the Heavenly Dao.”
Realmspirit: …
“What is it, is there something wrong with my conjecture?”
Realmspirit: It’s not wrong.
“Then?”
Realmspirit: I suddenly realized your IQ has made its way back home. Congratulations!
“Scram!” Zhu Yao rolled her eyes at him. “Since you’re so powerful, then you should be able to casually deal with those bugs that I fixed, so why do you have to pull me over? Or… is the world that I live in in your control as well?”
Realmspirit: You’re wrong, young maiden.
“Wrong?”
Realmspirit: You should know this right? There are many planes in the spatial void, and there are even more small worlds under each plane, just like the Three Thousand Worlds that you saw. As for you, you were living in another plane.
“Then why did you drag me over?”
Realmspirit: Because we’re friends, young maiden.
“Scram!” You must have plotted this right from the start, right? Otherwise, you wouldn’t have chatted with me for so many years on QQ, before revealing your true intentions.
Realmspirit: Haah, young maiden. In truth, having too much power doesn’t mean it’s a good thing. Putting aside the fact that I have no vacation all year round, I have to work without getting paid. It’s really sad, you know? Occasionally, I will get sick, and I don’t have any medical insurance to speak of, not to mention there isn’t a doctor I can look for. I have to support myself with my own immune system, you know.
“Speak human!”
Realmspirit: This old man can’t fix these bugs, and you’re the only one capable of doing it?
“You can even bend the Heavenly Dao, you’re telling me you can’t fix these little bugs?” Zhu Yao expressed her doubts.
Realmspirit: No one is perfect, young maiden.
“If you’re simply looking for someone to help you protect world peace…” Uh, something seemed strange with what she said? “There’s so many people in the Three Realms, can’t you just pick out someone randomly? Why did you have to go all the way out to trick someone from another plane over?” Realmspirit: Trick… Young maiden, you’re harming the friendship between us.
“Scram!” Our friendship has long shattered into pieces, alright? “Just why?”
Realmspirit: No one in the Three Realms can do it. They are beings that are born in this world, so they are affected by the Heavenly Dao of this place. Just like Yi Ling’s situation, since she possessed incredible luck, people who were affected by this luck of hers would be unable to escape, and everyone would unconsciously submit to her luck. However, you’re different. You don’t belong in this world in the first place, nor do you belong in the same plane. The Heavenly Dao simply can’t do anything to you.
“From what you’re saying, no one is able to escape from Mary Sue’s cheat?”
Realmspirit: The luck that everyone possesses, carries a purpose given by the Heavenly Dao. The luck present in Yi Ling’s body was to keep the Devil in check in the first place. Yi Ling who carried incredible luck would not encounter any danger next to the Devil. Then, the Devil would suppress his instincts, and his nature as a Devil would have slowly disappeared. This was the goal of the Heavenly Dao.
“From what you’re saying, if I didn’t go to that world, Yan Chi would have fallen in love with Yi Ling?”
Realmspirit: In the beginning, yes. However, luck can be controlled, but one’s heart is difficult to perceive. Not only did Yi Ling’s luck affect the Devil, it had affected others as well. The Devil who could not obtain what he wished for, instead had his nature strengthened, and then brought about the collapse of the world.
“You’re saying, Yi Ling was initially a patch came up by the Heavenly Dao, but not only did it not end up fixing the problem, it turned into a bug instead.
Realmspirit: Young maiden, you’re too clever. I like you.
“But when I saw the Devil, forget about falling in love with Yi Ling, he clearly wanted to kill Yi Ling.”
Realmspirit: Everyone’s luck is different. Someone with little luck would be affected by someone else who has more luck. The reason why Yan Chi did not end up loving Yi Ling was because her luck was affected by your World Favourable Impression Achievement. Thus, she no longer carried the incredible luck she once had before. In the end, when you fully activated your World Favourable Impression Achievement, the excess luck within her disappeared, and she was no longer a bug.
“…” Zhu Yao’s expression darkened. “From what you’re saying, since the Heavenly Dao could cause a bug to appear just by casually distributing some luck, wouldn’t I be stuck fixing bugs forever? Just how long more must I patch these brain- crippling bugs? I’m not even someone from your plane, so I don’t have any reason to continue working for you, right?”
Realmspirit: Isn’t this great though, young maiden? The heavens are helping you, in the truest sense.
“Hoho!” Zhu Yao chuckled. “Don’t use such words to deceive me. You wouldn’t drag someone from another plane and drop her into what evidently seemed like a dead loop for no reason. There’s definitely another reason. Be honest now!”
Realmspirit: Young maiden, if you’re so serious, you won’t look cute, you know? “Speak the truth.”
Realmspirit: Now is still not the time yet, you still have yet to completely understand everything. However, I can guarantee you that you won’t continue fixing bugs for long.
“Is your guarantee of any use?” Zhu Yao rolled her eyes at him. Back then he even made a promise, yet it still turned out the same. There wasn’t any value in his words at all.
Realmspirit: … Come on, we’re friends for so many years, give me some face. Life is so harsh, there are things you can’t tear apart.
“Our friendship ends here.”
Realmspirit: … ORZ
“Forget it.” Zhu Yao took in a deep breath. If Realmspirit really did not want to talk about it, there wasn’t any use even if she pressed on. Realmspirit: Oh mighty ancestor Zhu. (╯3╰)
Countless small flowers instantly flooded the QQ screen, and in a flash, the familiar reincarnation loading screen appeared.
Zhu Yao watched the moving loading bar. After a while, she could not help but raise her head and add on.
“Realmspirit, to tell you the truth, I really hope you will always remember the friendship we have, and don’t dupe me too miserably. Though I’m not from your plane, I’m still a regular human being.”
After leaving these words, her figure flashed, disappearing amidst the darkness.
Only a conversation window was left hanging high within that space, and after a moment, it vibrated and disappeared. A moment later, a solemn voice rang out.
“Alright, my friend.” When Zhu Yao opened her eyes again, her vision was still filled with darkness. If not for a few moving black figures in her line of sight, she would have thought that the reincarnation loading screen had hanged!
Rubbing her eyes, just as she was about to clear up her vision, an urging voice suddenly sounded from behind her.
“What are you dilly-dallying for? Hurry and catch up!”
When she turned around, what came in sight was a pale face with fanged teeth. Dressed in white cloth, his hair was dishevelled and his pair of eyes was protruding out. Blood was flowing out from his seven orifices, and his tongue was even stretched all the way down to his chin. He looked extremely like a certain Sadako crawling out from the television.
Zhu Yao took in a cold breath, as several hundreds of horror films instantly surfaced in her mind. A scream instantly pierced through the horizon. “Ghoooost—–!”
Sadako covered his ears and floated several meters away. His eyes protruded out even more, as though he was furiously glaring at her. After sizing Zhu Yao up for a moment, he said. “Why are you shouting? You sound as though you’re not a ghost yourself.”
“Of course not…” Zhu Yao refuted on reflex. When she lowered her head to take a look, what she saw was her two floating feet, and then she screamed out once again. “Ghooooost
—–!”
Chapter229: Regular Citizen Of The Underworld
Before her rebirth, Zhu Yao was worried that with Realmspirit’s unreliability, she wondered just what the hell she would reincarnate into? Who knew that she would actually reincarnate in hell!
She had not actually reincarnated at all, but had turned into an actual ghost!
Zhu Yao felt as though she could hear the sound of her rebirth cheat shattering above her head.
“Why are you spacing out again? Hurry and go!” Seeing Zhu Yao had stopped again, Sadako behind her had no choice but to push her. “The door to the Underworld is about to close, you won’t make it if you space out again. Hurry and catch up to the group.”
Zhu Yao was stunned for a moment. Raising her head, she saw a long queue ahead of her. There were several ghosts who looked like Sadako, with dishevelled hair and dressed in white cloths, and they were standing in a queue in an orderly manner. Not far ahead, a pitch-black door, that was huge to the extent of touching the skyline itself, was presently wide open. The door itself was floating above ground, surrounded by fog in all directions. On the other side of the door was pitch-black, and it unknowingly carried an attractive force, urging Zhu Yao to approach it.
Following her heart, she floated to the front and followed the group up ahead.
Zhu Yao curiously stared at the door. That’s the entrance to the Underworld? Did I really turn into a ghost?
Suddenly, a noise sounded beneath her feet, as though something had rolled over to her side.
“Haah, little missy, I dropped something. Mind helping me pick it up?” The ghost in front suddenly voiced out.
“Ou.” Zhu Yao bent her waist on reflex, and picked up the round pearl-like object beneath her feet. After taking a look, she realized a pale white eyeball was in her hands. Zhu Yao’s hands trembled, and with her hand raised, she threw it away. With a swoosh, that eyeball disappeared from sight.
“My eye!” That ghost screamed out. He then left the group and chased after his eyeball.
Zhu Yao: “…”
Just what in the world is this place? Why are there even people throwing their eyeballs around to play?
“Little missy, good throw!” Sadako behind her came forward, and said with an excited look. “I felt that ghost was an eyesore the entire time. Just because he was a death-by-falling ghost, he would throw around his eyes and ears to play. Hmph! So what if he had his limbs broken and shattered? When I die in my next lifetime, I will definitely fall and have my body broken even worse than him.”
“Uh…” Was this really something worth flaunting?
However, Zhu Yao’s shocked little heart finally managed to calm down. Taking a deep breath, she braved herself and looked carefully at the queue of ghosts behind and in front of her. If she hadn’t looked, she wouldn’t have known, however, she was frightened to death the moment she took a peak. It was seemingly hard to even spot a single person who had his or her entire body intact. Forget about those who had broken arms and legs, there were even some who had their stomachs cut open, their appearances looked worse as she looked further on. Using ‘beyond recognition’ was even an understatement.
“Oh right, I was hanged to death. How did you die?” Student Sadako began to start a conversation.
“Uh…” I courted death. “Pained to death.”
“Oh…” He inspected Zhu Yao for a moment, then his expression sank, and said with a soft voice. “No wonder you’re so intact.”
Hey, hey, hey. What’s with that look of pity?
“Don’t be sad.” He patted on Zhu Yao’s shoulders, and said with a stern look. “Try to die more miserably in your next lifetime.” “…” Are you certain you’re not cursing me?
Is dying miserably what’s trending in the Underworld right now?
“It’s almost our turn.” Sadako pointed to the front.
Zhu Yao raised her head, and realized that unknowingly, they had already floated to the giant door. The ghosts in front were already entering the door one after another, and their figures disappeared in a blink of an eye.
The Underworld was behind this door?
Zhu Yao suddenly recalled the various ghastly and eerie sceneries she saw on television, and took several deep breaths. After preparing her heart for quite a while, she then braved herself. Gritting her teeth, she followed after the steps of the previous ghost, and stepped through that door. The darkness that filled the openings of the door earlier suddenly fluttered like curtains. Her entire being felt as though it had sunk into quicksand, as she was immediately sucked into it. Everything instantly turned dark in her line of sight, and a moment later, the scenery in front of her shook. As though the curtains had opened, a street filled with lanterns and bright lights instantly appeared before her eyes.
The street was extremely extravagant. Bright red lanterns were hung high up in the air. Bars, inns, restaurants, and various stores filled the place. Zhu Yao felt as though she had entered an ancient city shown in those television drama shows. The entire place was brightly lit by the fire of the lanterns, and there wasn’t a single eerie and terrifying feel to the place.
On the street, there were even several people raising sparkling plates and loudly shouting.
“Come, come, come! Megalin Hall is taking in disciples! Not restricted by any ghost ranks! Not restricted by looks nor height! You will be a member the moment you join! Deep and profound cultivation techniques will be imparted on site! Famed masters will provide you with guidance and teachings, and resources will be given for free!”
“East Elegance Clan, East Elegance Clan ghost practitioners! Boundless resources! Managed by famed masters! A great disciple will be nurtured with great resources! East Elegance Clan ghost practitioners! The price is fair, and no disparity between men and women! Join now and you will even receive a basic cultivation technique. Stay on to enjoy a ghost practitioner’s extravagant set meal!”
“Seven Star Sect! Seven Star Sect’s training institution! Large reservoir of resources! Convenient location! Come for a free trial, and quit without any repercussions if you find us unsatisfactory! Seven Star Sect is your wisest choice! Join the sect now to receive free contribution points, giving you a stable ground to rely on!”
“Riverna Hall…”
Zhu Yao: “…”
Was this really the Underworld? Not the advertising department?
While she was stunned, a man wearing a robe with two big words ‘Seven Stars’ written on it came approaching her. “Eh? Little missy, I see that you have a fine skeleton, and your ophryon is looking dark, you must possess great aptitude. Do you want to join our Seven Stars Sect?” “…” The hell did her ophryon looking dark mean?
“This ghostly friend, she is already a disciple of our Shurluse Clan.” She felt a grip on her hand, and was suddenly pulled behind a white robed male ghost.
That Seven Stars Clan disciple looked at the two of them, before leaving with a disappointed expression and continuing with his advertising activities.
The white robed male ghost turned around, and warned her with a stern look. “I’m warning you, you must definitely not listen to the nonsense of these ghosts. All of them are small clans and sects that trick new ghosts into joining them. Some of these clans and sects only have one or two ghosts in total. You definitely mustn’t be deceived.”
Zhu Yao looked at this man who had a delicate and handsome look. “You are?” Who are you?
The man was startled for a moment, and then pointed at himself. “I’m the death-by-hanging ghost, the one standing behind you? Did you forget?” Hanged-to-death ghost! The one who had blood flowing out from his seven orifices?
“After crossing the Door of the Underworld, one’s ghost body will naturally be restored. No wonder you couldn’t recognize me.” His face was filled with disappointment and regret. “Haah, as expected, my earlier appearance looked mightier!”
“…” ORZ Not in the least!
The corner of Zhu Yao’s lips twitched. She looked around, and just as he had said, she was no longer able to see any ghosts with broken parts on their bodies. Thank you, Door to the Underworld!
“Thank you, ghostly senior brother, for your teachings. I wonder what is ghostly senior brother’s esteemed name?” She courteously asked.
The male ghost smiled. “Our encounter is a work of fate, death-by-sickness ghostly little missy, there’s no need to be so polite!” Death-by-sickness ghostly Zhu Yao: “…”
“There’s no need for any titles. My surname is Chen, and my name is a single word – Zhen.”
Chen Zhen?
Chen Zhen: A character in the Chinese movie ‘Fist of Fury’, and a student of martial artist Huo Yuanjia. After realizing that Huo Yuanjia was poisoned to death by his Japanese rivals, Chen Zhen departed on a journey of vengeance for his master, and to restore his legacy.
“Hello, I’m Huo Yuanjia!”
“Huo Yuanjia? Your name is really weird.”
Not as strange as yours, alright?
Chen Zhen was startled for a moment, and then passionately continued a moment later. “Death-by-sickness ghostly little missy, from your looks, you must be a ghost who had just died not too long ago. It’s your first time in the Underworld, right? Come, this big brother shall help you sign up for a certification?”
“Aaah–” Getting a marriage certification on our first meeting?
Aren’t we moving too fast?
“What are you gasping for? Hurry and float!” Chen Zhen urged. “Only by getting an identification at the Realm Definition Council Hall can you become a true ghost and freely travel about the Underworld. Otherwise, you’re just a wandering ghost.”
So it was to receive an identification.
“Thank you, big brother Chen.”
“Death-by-sickness ghostly little missy, no need to be polite!”
“…” Could we not bring up the matter of her dying from sickness? Zhu Yao had thought that the so-called Realm Definition Council Hall would definitely be a powerful and domineering place. After all, it was the place to receive identifications, so no matter the case, it should be a government-like facility. In the end, Chen Zhen dragged her to a pool at the roadside, and said while pointing at the muddy pool of water. “This is the Realm Definition Council Hall. Place your hand inside the water.”
“…” What happened to the promised government facility? The way their identification was made was a little too easy- going, wasn’t it?
Zhu Yao reached out her hand into it with a darkened expression. However, the water in the pool did not give the least bit of wet feeling, it felt as though her fingertips had touched a pile of soft cotton. A moment later, a faint green glow suddenly lighted up at the palm of her hand. A circle slowly appeared, and within the circle was the word “Under”.
It’s green.” Chen Zhen happily patted on Zhu Yao’s shoulder. “Death-by-sickness ghost, as I thought, we’re really fated!”
“What’s the meaning of this colour?” Zhu Yao retracted her hand, and the glow on her palm slowly dimmed, leaving a green coloured word “Under” the size of a fingernail. “There’s a total of seven colours. Every ghost who enters the Underworld for the first time will have a certain colour on their identification mark. These colours represent the city they will be living in from then on. Green represents Green City.” He reached out his hand, and she saw that there was a similar green mark on his hand. “Coincidentally, there’s an empty space next to my place, you can live there. We will be neighbours from now on.”
So these colours act as identification cards, and one could freely choose their land. I wonder if there’s certificates of ownerships too?
“Big brother Chen, don’t ghosts have to reincarnate? Why do we have to choose places to stay in?”
Chen Zhen turned to look at her with a strange face. “Reincarnate? Why do you have such a terrifying thought? Don’t you want to cultivate into a deity?”
“Ghosts can become deities as well?” You’re kidding me.
“Of course!” Chen Zhen nodded heavily, and dragged her to the seats at the side, looking as though he wanted to chat with her about dreams. “Missy, I know being a death-by-sickness ghost is a little miserable, but you don’t have to let yourself down, you know? As long as you’re able to cultivate a spiritual body, you have hopes of attaining the Heavenly Dao.”
“…” What did this have to do with dying from sickness?
But she had really never heard of ghost practitioners. Putting aside the past cultivation worlds she resided in, even in Divine Realm, she had never seen ghosts ascending into deities.
Chen Zhen saw that she still had that dubious look, so he disseminated to her some of the Underworld’s common sense.
After he was done, Zhu Yao then understood that their so- called cultivation was similar to the deity cultivation she had done. However, the cultivation here was more complicated than what human practitioners usually do. If ghosts wanted to cultivate, they first must cultivate a spiritual body, then, ascend to the Spiritual Realm and obtain a material body. They will then be able to cultivate into deities for real.
To put it simply, one must first cultivate a body, detach oneself from the identity of a ghost, and then ascend into a deity.
“Then why don’t people directly reincarnate and obtain a new body to cultivate? Doesn’t that save a lot of trouble?”
“For reincarnation, one must cross the River of Forgetfulness.” Chen Zhen said. “The River of Forgetfulness is able to wash away the memories of one’s former life, including cultivation and spirit veins. It’s impossible to predict the future, and it’s not certain that you will even have spirit veins, let alone attaining the Heavenly Dao. But ghost practitioners are different. As long as you’re able to cultivate a spiritual body and ascend to the Spiritual Realm, you will be able to regain your former cultivation. Isn’t that much better than reincarnation?”
So that’s the case, no wonder there were so many ghosts staying in the Underworld. They were taking another gamble. Furthermore, she was now a little curious of that placed called Spiritual Realm.
The place next to Chen Zhen was still empty, so he allowed her to stay there.
When Zhu Yao took a look, she realized the place next to his house was really still empty… an empty plot of land.
An empty plot of land filled with lush green weed!
Flips table! What’s the use of giving me a piece of empty land to live on? Do I have to dig a hole?
Zhu Yao looked at Chen Zhen’s single household manor, and then looked at the empty land in front of her again. The corner of her lips twitched. “… Big brother Chen, a ghost… can’t live here right?”
“Of course you can. The place is rather big too?” Chen Zhen said kindly.
“There’s not even a room here!”
“Oh right.” Chen Zhen scratched his head, and then passed her something. “Here, this is for you.”
“…” What’s the use of giving me a shovel? Dig a hole and bury myself inside? “This spot is good.” Chen Zhen stomped on the empty land a few times and stopped at a certain spot. Then, he waved her over. “Dig over here then! Dig out a larger portion, it will be more comfortable when you lie down.”
He really was thinking of having her burying herself in the ground!
“The sun is about to rise. I’m going home to sleep now, I won’t accompany you any longer.” Chen Zhen waved his hands at her. “See you tomorrow, death-by-sickness ghostly little missy.”
“… Wait a minute~” First settle problem of my residence first. What happened to the promised love between neighbours? Did it all amount to a shovel?
Chen Zhen however did not turn back, and simply floated back to his own courtyard. Then, he took out a white cloth, tied it to a tree in his courtyard with a dead knot, and after that…
He hanged himself! Zhu Yao: “…”
Was this… the correct sleeping posture for a death-by-hanging ghost?
What should she do? She suddenly felt that digging a hole and sleeping in it was more normal than that.
Zhu Yao silently picked up the shovel.
Currently, she was just a normal ghost. Even if her mind was filled with cultivation techniques, she was unable to wield them. She had no choice but to shovel out the earth one at a time. The sky was beginning to brighten up. The surroundings which was still a little dark earlier, could now be clearly seen.
Houses were scattered all around. Compared to the city she entered earlier, this place was much quieter. It was most probably because the rest of the ghosts were sleeping, as her surroundings were very silent.
Zhu Yao was curious as to where the sudden source of light came from. Raising her head to take a look, what was hanging in the sky was not sun, but layers of aurora-like lights, and they were constantly dancing in the sky like fluttering ribbons.
She reached out her hand to feel the air for a moment, yet she was unable to sense the last bit of warmth. The lights were just bright, but not sources of heat.
Zhu Yao dug for a total of two hours, before she was able to shovel out an adult-size hole.
Strangely, she was not the least bit tired. She was basically not feeling any fatigue from doing a high-intensive activity. Thus, she decided to finish everything in one go, and put in even more effort into her shovelling. As though she was creating an underground cave, she dug herself a basement. Then on, she added a bed, tables and other household items made with soil. When she was done, an entire day had already passed, and the sky had begun to turn dark.
Zhu Yao then floated to her bed and laid down. Initially, she had thought that she wouldn’t feel any fatigue, but a sense of tiredness then assaulted her, and she immediately fell asleep.
This type of sleep was different from a regular sleep as well. She still held onto her consciousness, but was unable to feel anything in her surroundings. It felt as though her entire body was floating in water, experiencing an unbelievably gentle sensation. In her surroundings, there seemed to be white string- like substances floating about, looking a little similar to those auroras she saw in the daytime, however these were even thinner than the auroras. She subconsciously wanted to grab them, but they disappeared in the end.
Suddenly, she felt as though someone was nudging her. When she opened her eyes, she saw Chen Zhen’s eager expression, and he said. “Huo Yuanjia, the sky has turned dark. Let’s go out and scare some people!”
Chapter230: ‘Scare People Ten Times’ Achievement Unlocked
Before Zhu Yao could even react, Chen Zhen had already dragged her out of the Door to the Underworld, and floated to a small farmer’s house nearby. The surroundings were pitch- dark, and that house was the only one dimly lit with an oil lamp. There were movements of human shadows within the house.
“What are we doing here?” As a ghost, going to the mortal realm was never comfortable as the yang energy was too heavy.
“To scare people, of course.” He said with a stern expression.
“…” Why do we have to go out to scare people all of a sudden!? “Are there any benefits to scaring people?”
Chen Zhen was stunned. He swept a glance at her, and said with a stern look. “As a ghost, if you don’t even know how to scare people, won’t that be extremely embarrassing?”
==! She didn’t feel that way at all.
“Huo Yuanjia, don’t be sad.” He said with an empathizing look. “It’s fine if you don’t know how to scare people, big brother can teach you.”
“Hoho…” She didn’t want to learn it in the slightest, alright? “Thank you!”
“Don’t be courteous, we’re neighbours, after all!” He patted on Zhu Yao’s shoulder and then shook his body, returning back to his ghost-like form with blood flowing out from his seven orifices. He then said pridefully. “Today, big brother shall show you what an outstanding ghost really is.” After saying that, he confidently floated into the house. “Wait here, this big brother shall demonstrate how a ghost scares people.”
“…”
Zhu Yao’s expression darkened, while Chen Zhen had already seeped through the wall to conduct his master plan of scaring people. However, two hours passed, yet there was not even a slightest noise in the house, let alone a scream or anything like that. He couldn’t have been captured, right?
She could not help but feel a little worried. With her present location, she was still a little far away from the house. Stretching out her head, what she could see was merely the blurry shadows moving behind the window. “If only I can see a little more clearly.”
“Here!” A tall and skinny ghost suddenly popped out next to her. Blinking his only left eye, he passed her a gift. “You can borrow this to take a look.”
Zhu Yao was stunned for a moment, and she thought that he was giving her some mystic artifact that could display images or allow her to clearly see objects from afar. When she lowered her head to take a look, a round eyeball was lying in his hand.
“…” Like your eye has any use here!? -Flips table- And can this thing be taken out this easily to play with?
“You don’t want it?” That tall and skinny ghost tilted his head with a disappointed look. Thus, he pressed his hand onto his left eye, and with a plop, he took out his other eye as well. “Fine, I shall lend you both of them.” The corner of Zhu Yao’s lips twitched. It’s not about the number here, hey.
“No… No need.” Taking a deep breath, she still decided to take a look on her own.
She floated directly into the house.
There was a woman in the house, and she was currently sitting on the chair, diligently stitching something? Her surroundings were very quiet.
Other than…
Chen Zhen, who was trying his best to do various ghastly faces in front of the woman!
Using both of his arms and legs, he stretched his face which had blood flowing out from all his seven orifices, into various shapes. Square. Circle. Trapezoids of different angles. His face seemed to change every second, and there was never a single repetition. He was putting so much effort in his performance it was becoming a little moving. But… that woman did not seem to have any reaction at all! She was seriously knitting the cloth in her hands. She would only raise her head occasionally, and they were to adjust the oil lamp next to her.
She… basically couldn’t see him, right!?
“Death-by-sickness ghostly little missy, just wait a few more moments, I’m just about to scare her.” Chen Zhen said with a stern look, as he put in more effort in pulling his face.
This obstinacy, was rather… moving!
Just as Zhu Yao was about to remind him.
A cold wind swept past. The skinny and tall ghost who wanted to lend her his eyeballs with such passionate earlier, was now floating towards the woman as well. The ghastly air surrounding him was dark and sinister, looking as though he was planning to do something big.
Suddenly, in front of the woman, he popped out two of his eyeballs, and then he threw and caught them within his palms. As though he was doing acrobatics, he began to juggle them one at a time.
Zhu Yao: “…” This truly was… frightening!
==!
“It’s this death-by-falling ghost again?” Chen Zhen glared at the tall and skinny ghost who suddenly appeared, and instantly flared up. He furiously shouted. “Even if you try to steal, it’s no use. I will definitely scare her before you do.”
“Hmph! Whoever manages to scare her gets the score.” The tall and skinny ghost coldly snorted. Then, he took down one of his ears, and began to juggle the three pieces, putting even more effort into it.
Chen Zhen’s fighting spirit seemed to have ignited as well, as he pulled his face even more desperately. After making the shape of the letter ‘S’, he squeezed out the letter ‘B’ a moment later.
Zhu Yao: “…” Just where did these scaring methods come from?
Did no one notice that the woman was basically unable to see ghosts at all? She must be a normal mortal human, right? So her third eye was basically not awakened, right? No matter how scary you two try to be, it’s no use, hey.
Why did they have to enter undergo such a childish competition?
“Speaking of which…” Zhu Yao probed. “Just how many mortals have you two scared off before?”
Ka…
The moment she said these words, it was as though she had pressed on their ‘stop’ buttons. The two ghosts stopped at the same time, and their expressions turned awkward.
Zhu Yao suddenly had a bad premonition. “It can’t be… not a single one, right?” The tall and skinny ghost looked down and counted his eyeballs.
Chen Zhen squatted at the corner of the wall and drew circles.
Zhu Yao who accidentally guessed it right: “…”
-Flips table!- He hasn’t even scared a single person before! Just where did you find the confidence to say that you’re going to teach me how to scare people!?
“Kuh kuh… Death-by-sickness ghostly little missy.” Chen Zhen decided to find back his pride as a big brother. “Scaring people is a profound field of study, it’s not as simple as you think. Furthermore, this woman’s capabilities are too powerful, and her willpower is extremely firm. She won’t be scared so easily.”
“…” She simply could not see you two, alright?
“It seems we have to change to another target.” Chen Zhen looked around, and his line of sight swept towards the baby who was in the cradle at the side. In an instant, his eyes shone. “Let’s choose him this time then!”
The corner of Zhu Yao’s lips twitched. Where’s your sense of shame? You’re not even letting a child go.
Chen Zhen was already floating eagerly towards the cradle. Strangely, the child in the cradle was actually giggling. Grabbing onto a small wooden horse with one hand, he happily waved his other little hand at Chen Zhen.
An infant’s state of mind was pure and clean, and one could indeed see many things that adults were unable to. Thus, infants being able to see ghosts were not really strange.
Chen Zhen became joyous, as he began to make scary faces in front of the little child with all his might.
Unfortunately, the child did not cry from fright.
The child giggled.
Giggling ever so happily. Chen Zhen was not disheartened as he changed his tactics. He turned his face pale white and terrifying, and a dark, ghastly air surrounded him. Stretching out of his lips was a long, purple tongue, and it drooped directly down onto the cradle. It stretched longer… and longer…
And then…
It was grabbed by the child.
“It hurts, it hurts, it hurts…” Chen Zhen bounced up and down from the pain, and only managed to save his own tongue after sparing lots of effort. With a pitiful look, he hid far away.
“Let me!” The tall and skinny one stared straight at the child. Suddenly, he blew out cold air, and slowly, he took out his two eyeballs, which he then passed to the child. With a sinister voice, he said. “I… don’t have eyes.”
The child’s little hands waved about, instantly smacking his eyeballs away.
“Ah… my eyeballs.” The tall and skinny one instantly broke character, as he turned about and began to find the eyeballs that rolled off.
“…”
Were they monkeys sent by idiots? Just who was scaring who?
Zhu Yao sighed. Turning around, she looked at the child in the cradle. He seemed to have lost interest in the small wooden horse, and was now playing with the other eyeball which the tall and skinny ghost had dropped.
“Death-by-sickness ghostly little missy, watch out!” Chen Zhen spat out his tongue, and warned her fearfully. “That child is too frightening. You can’t beat him.”
Zhu Yao ignored his comments and looked at the child. Then, she immediately reached out her hand and swiped away the eyeball from the child’s hands.
With the sudden disappearance of his toy, the child dazed for a moment. In an instant, a frown appeared on his small face, as he began to bawl, crying ever so sadly.
The child’s cries startled the woman, as she hurriedly carried the child to pacify him.
Just as Zhu Yao was about to return the eyeball to the tall and skinny ghost, she was faced with two worshipping faces when she turned around.
“Death-by-sickness ghostly little missy, how did you do it?” Chen Zhen’s eyes were dyed with a green glow.
“Ah?”
“You scared that child.”
“Uh… I didn’t do it on purpose.”
“Aaaaaaah!” Chen Zhen twirled around from excitement. “You actually managed to scare someone. I have never managed to scare someone, you know? He even cried from your scare! You’re really too amazing.” “…” Was this really something to be proud of?
“If you continue like this, you will be able to scare even more people at an amazing pace.”
“…” I don’t want to scare people in the least, alright? “Speaking of which… Just why must we scare people?”
“To become a ghost officer, of course!” Chen Zhen said with a matter of fact.
“Ghost officer?” The hell’s that?
“As long as the people you scare amount to ten, you will be able to become a ghost officer. Only by being a ghost officer can you cultivate a spiritual body.”
One could only cultivate a spiritual body after scaring ten people?
Just who came up with this rule? This was a little random, wasn’t it? It’s no wonder Chen Zhen gave her such a sympathizing look when he found out she was merely a ghost who died from sickness. With a ghost who had a body as intact as hers, she definitely wasn’t as frightening as those ghosts who even had their organs spewing out from the stomach.
Weren’t ghost officers in charge of arresting souls? When did they start cultivating as well?
Zhu Yao felt that she needed to rebuild her view of this world.
Looking at the eyeball in her hands, she then looked at the child who was placed back in the cradle. Wasn’t it just ten times?
Reaching out her hand to pass the eyeball to the child, when she saw that he was reaching out his own hands to receive it, she immediately retracted it back.
The child’s lips creased, just as it was about to bawl again, she immediately passed it towards him, and then retracted it back…
And then passed it… And thus she repeated these actions!
Ten times!
Mission Complete.
Title Unlocked: Bad Auntie
As expected, when all ten times were completed, the green “Under” word on her hand released a bright light. Slowly, it turned into the word “Officer”, which was white in colour.
She became a ghost officer just like that?
This really was random…
“Huo Yuanjia.” Chen Zhen and his little companion was dumbfounded. With trembling hands, he pointed at the child, and then pointed at her. “You, you, you… You actually completed ten scares in a single day, this is unbelievable… You’re a real genius!” ==!
“It’s not even a challenge, alright?” Zhu Yao immediately returned the eyeball to the tall and skinny ghost.
“I have never seen any other ghost do such a thing.” Chen Zhen said seriously.
A hint of doubt flashed past Zhu Yao’s mind. Before she could even think this through, several rooster cries suddenly sounded.
“The sun is rising.” The tall and skinny ghost yawned. “Let’s hurry and return home to bury ourselves.”
After he said that, he floated off.
Chen Zhen dragged Zhu Yao along and followed after him. Along the way, his eyes were sparkling when he looked at her, as though he was a fan who saw his idol.
As they floated to the Door to the Underworld, the ‘Officer’ wording on her hand garnered the attention and awe of various ghosts.
“Wah, you’re a ghost officer. This is my first time seeing one.”
“That’s right, that’s right. You managed to scare ten people so quickly, incredible.”
“Mighty ghost officer, let’s become friends?”
“How did you do it? Teach me too, I… I can give you a bone to play with.”
“Me too! I can let you count my intestines.”
“Me too…”
Zhu Yao’s face darkened. I’m not the least bit interested in your bodies, alright!?
Chen Zhen on the other hand a proud look on his face. “All of you scram. Huo Yuanjia is my neighbour, and you people have no part in this. If she wants to play, then of course she will be playing with my body!”
Zhu Yao who plays with bodies: “…”
Zhu Yao fled back home under the passionate and intense gazes of the crowd of ghosts.
Before she entered her home, Chen Zhen still pulled onto her with a reluctant look, wanting to invite her to his residence.
“Huo Yuanjia, why don’t you stay at my home today? The tree here is big enough, it can hang lots of ghosts.”
“…” Like hell I want to be a death-by-hanging ghost!
Zhu Yao rejected Chen Zhen and floated back to her own basement.
Looking down, she studied the “Officer” wording on her hand. Earlier, when she became a ghost officer, she clearly felt a sort of energy flowing out from the word and entering her ghostly body. After paying attention to the sensation, her body seemed to have become more corporeal than before.
Could the word actually aid her in cultivating a spiritual body? Then what’s the correct method of using this ghost officer mark?
She had once asked Chen Zhen about it, but he only had some superficial knowledge of it as well. As he spoke back and forth, he seemed to be only aware that ghost officers could cultivate their spiritual bodies. As to the process and how the cultivation worked, he was not able to elaborate on them.
Not just him, while they were queueing for the Door to the Underworld, she asked the other ghosts as well. Without an exception, all of them were unaware of it.
Zhu Yao faintly sensed that there was something amiss with these ghosts, but she was unable to ascertain it.
After pondering for a moment, she decided to take a look at the Realm Definition Council Hall where she obtained her identification. When she arrived at the Realm Definition Council Hall, the sky was already bright. The street that initially bustling with activities, was now empty without the sight of a single person. Though this was the Underworld, ghosts never liked to stroll under the daylight in the first place. Adding that she was already here for two days, but she had yet to encounter any bad incidents. The public safety in the Underworld was unexpectedly great, matters such as fights and brawls had never occurred before.
The pool of the Realm Definition Council Hall was by the roadside. Zhu Yao glanced at the reflection on the water surface, and what she saw was the face of a woman of about twenty years old, which she was all too familiar with. Probably because she had turned into a ghost, this was her former appearance in the modern era. However, compared to the first time she saw it when she came to the Underworld, her current body was evidently a little different. Before, it was a see-through illusory figure. However, suddenly, it felt as though someone had dyed her with colours, making her a little clearer than before.
She immediately stretched the hand, which had the “Officer” word written on it, into the pool.
Suddenly, the water surface stirred. Ripples of water marks scattered across, and there seemed to be something slowly rising from within the pool. A moment later, a red light flashed, and a circular formation instantly appeared on the water surface.
A teleportation formation!
Zhu Yao was stunned, as she saw a human head suddenly popping out from the teleportation formation. When he saw Zhu Yao, his eyes brightened and with an excited look, he said. “Finally someone has awakened her spiritual consciousness, I’m about to turn dog-tired from all the work. Hurry, hurry! Newcomer, come with this senior to scare some ghosts!”
“…” Were scares trending in the Underworld?