Wu De Donkey galloped wildly through the forest when a deafening explosion erupted behind them. Bai Shuo seized the fleeting moment to glance back, her mouth falling open in shock.
The wooden pig token, which moments ago had been no larger than her palm, had now swollen to half the size of a house. A pair of diminutive golden wings sprouted from its back as it soared toward the Cloud Fire Arrow. The two beams of light collided in a dazzling, scorching flare, forcing Bai Shuo to shield her eyes from the blinding radiance.
Wu De Donkey's hooves flew like wind-driven clouds, carrying them farther from the forest's depths. Bai Shuo clutched Chong Zhao, who nearly tumbled from the saddle, and no longer paid attention to the chaos behind them.
Back in the forest, the wooden pig token opened its mouth impossibly wide and swallowed the Cloud Fire Arrow whole. Fu Ling spat out a mouthful of blood, staring in shock at the suddenly manifested Spirit Beast.
A pig with wings? What manner of monstrosity was this? Fan Yue actually possessed a Spirit Beast on the verge of ascending to demigodhood! No wonder a mere High Grade Demon Lord had managed to expand the Moonlight Palace's influence throughout the far north.
The wooden pig token flapped its tiny wings and landed before Fan Yue, glaring fiercely at Fu Ling.
Fan Yue cast a sidelong glance at the audacious wooden pig, then turned his gaze toward the direction Bai Shuo had fled.
Golden light crackled like lightning across the wooden pig's wings. Fu Ling's expression darkened with uncertainty. Just as she prepared to draw the Cloud Fire Bow again, a surge of immortal energy rippled through the clouds above.
"Second Palace Mistress, the immortals have arrived. Before the Palace Master entered seclusion, he ordered that Cold Spring Palace must not give the immortals any leverage until the Demon Emperor's throne is settled," Wen Zhu urgently whispered to Fu Ling.
Fu Ling shot a furious glare at Fan Yue. "Fan Yue, next time you won't be so fortunate! Once the Palace Master emerges from seclusion, he will crush your Moonlight Palace beneath his feet!"
"Is that so? Then this lord will await him in the far north," Fan Yue replied with cool indifference.
"Let's go!" Fu Ling barked. A flash of demonic light later, she and her masked purple-robed envoys vanished on the spot.
The moment Fu Ling disappeared, the wooden pig token—which had been baring its teeth and posturing with false bravado—instantly deflated. With a pathetic plop, it shrank back to palm size and collapsed onto the ground, panting heavily.
Fan Yue looked down, raising an eyebrow with mild amusement. "What's wrong? Finished showing off?"
The wooden pig stuck out its tongue. "Hey, little woodblock, I just saved your hide. Where's my thanks? Ugh, damn my luck! After sleeping for so long, why'd I have to wake up to such an ugly sight? Who was that flower demon with the tiny fire arrows anyway?"
"Unimportant," Fan Yue stated, stepping past the gasping creature toward the forest's edge.
The wooden pig was still catching its breath when it suddenly kicked its legs and sprang up, blocking Fan Yue's path. It stared up at him with wide, indignant eyes. "Wait a minute! How the hell did I wake up? The measly bit of demonic energy you've got shouldn't be remotely sufficient to rouse me!"
Fan Yue glanced in the direction Bai Shuo had disappeared, his eyebrow quirking with curiosity. "Funny. I'd like to know that too." He continued walking without breaking stride. "Oh, and you've received a new name."
The pig blinked in confusion. "What?"
"Long Yi Zhu."
The pig stood speechless, its bewildered eyes filled with sheer disbelief.
Who? Dared? Call? Him? Zi? Han? Grandpa? A? Pig? Who! Who! WHO!
"Aren't you?" Fan Yue asked with genuine curiosity. His tone remained mild, but the insult cut devastatingly deep.
Zi Han stretched out his chubby wooden pig hoof, his large ears drooping in defeat.
Yes. Until that person returned, he was doomed to remain a pig.
Back then, when he'd burst into the Star Pavilion wailing dramatically, the True God Shang Gu hadn't even granted him a passing glance. With a single flick of her sleeve, she'd banished him from the Divine Realm. And just like that, the mighty Ancestral Dragon was reduced to a wooden pig that could fly.
"Being a pig isn't so terrible. No need to feel ashamed."
Noticing the wooden pig's dejected demeanor, Fan Yue rolled his sleeve and tossed the token inside. With another wave of his hand, the unconscious Cang Shan vanished from the forest floor. Then, in a flicker of light, Fan Yue himself disappeared.
A moment later, countless beams of immortal light flashed as a blue-robed Immortal Lord descended into the forest with golden-armored celestial generals in tow. The leading lord possessed a gentle countenance that brought comfort to those who beheld him.
The forest floor lay littered with mortal corpses, and the entire Mu Xiao Mountain reeked of blood. The Immortal Lord at the forefront frowned slightly in distaste.
"Such potent Demonic Qi!"
The newcomer was none other than Qing Yi, the foremost disciple of the third generation from Great Marsh Mountain. Though barely a thousand years old, his origins in the famed mountains and marshes had already earned him the rank of High Lord. Coupled with his master-disciple ties to the Divine Lord Yuan Qi of yesteryears, he stood as the foremost among the younger generation of immortals in recent times.
By chance, he'd ascended to the celestial palace today on his master's behalf to offer birthday felicitations to the Kunlun Patriarch. No sooner had he reached the Heavenly Gate than he'd sensed an overwhelming surge of Demonic Qi emanating from the Human Realm, prompting him to lead his troops here.
A celestial general stepped forward to report. "My Lord, not a single member of the Yao Race was found on the entire mountain."
"They fled quickly!" Qing Yi said grimly. "The Yao Race dares to invade the Human Realm and slaughter the innocent, breaking the iron laws of the Three Realms! Report this matter immediately to Immortal Lord Jin Yao."
"Yes!"
"The rest of you, follow me in pursuit!"
"Yes!"
At the mountain's foot, Virtuous Donkey galloped at full speed, not daring to rest until the moon rose high. Then, with a final kick of its hooves, it stopped by a riverside, rolling its eyes and panting heavily.
Bai Shuo tumbled off the donkey and vomited violently under a tree. Once finished, she carefully laid Chong Zhao down against the trunk.
"You fool! What were you thinking, running out here and meddling in things? The outside world isn't someplace you can just wander into!" Bai Shuo leaned against the tree, sighing at the moon with an air of worldly wisdom beyond her years.
"Ugh! Why is it that all I meet are demons? Heavens, where are the immortals when you need them?"
"You mortals are amusing. Have the demons offended you somehow?" A cold voice suddenly spoke beside her ear.
Bai Shuo jerked her head up to see Fan Yue lounging lazily on a tree branch. Under the moonlight, his red robes fluttered as he gazed at the full moon, one leg bent casually.
"Mother of—!" Bai Shuo leaped up in fright, pointing at Fan Yue with a trembling finger. "Y-you-you-you...!" She quickly retracted her hand, her face lighting up with genuine joy. "Brother Mu! You escaped! That's wonderful!"
Nearby, Virtuous Donkey, who'd been drinking water, took one look at Fan Yue and immediately went limp, closing its eyes to play dead once more.
Fan Yue shot Bai Shuo a sidelong glance, his voice icy. "Stop pretending."
Bai Shuo shut her mouth sheepishly.
A gust of wind swept by as Fan Yue landed on the ground with graceful ease. Bai Shuo scrambled backward in panic, but Fan Yue merely strolled leisurely toward Chong Zhao beneath the tree. Bai Shuo's heart leaped into her throat, and she stopped abruptly, shouting.
"Wh-whatever's between us has nothing to do with him! If you want something, d-direct it at me!"
Fan Yue paused mid-step, then turned to ask with lazy curiosity.
"This Prince is a demon, not human. When did you realize it?"
"Uh..." Bai Shuo scratched her head, giving Fan Yue a peculiar look. "You really want to know?"
Fan Yue's eyes turned cold, and Bai Shuo shivered involuntarily. "Well, don't blame me—it's not my fault you left so many clues!"
"What clues?"
Bai Shuo studied Fan Yue for a moment, blinking in confusion. "Prince Fan, do you demons have some kind of fundamental misunderstanding about mortal intelligence...?" She pointed at her own head. "We might be mortals, but we're not idiots. Did you really think I'd just believe everything some pretty boy told me after waking up in the middle of the forest at night with no memory of how I got there, while he casually handed me a couple of wild fruits?" Bai Shuo muttered incredulously. "Not even storybooks would dare write something that ridiculous."
Fan Yue's face darkened perceptibly.
Bai Shuo yanked open her collar, revealing the back of her neck. "If you want to deceive someone, you should at least tell your servant to go easier with the hand chops. The marks are still here on my neck!" She pouted indignantly. "And those sudden wolf packs and bandits—we hid all night without being found, yet they conveniently showed up right after we left the cave."
The more Bai Shuo spoke, the more animated she became, completely forgetting to whom she was talking. She slapped Fan Yue on the shoulder familiarly. "Big bro, tricks like the 'self-inflicted wound' tactic stopped working on my dad when I was eight—"
A cold gaze swept over her, and Bai Shuo finally registered Fan Yue's expression, dark and still as deep water. Her face twitched, and she awkwardly chuckled, retracting her hand and rubbing it nervously. "I-It was you who insisted on asking me... I, I...!"
Halfway through her sentence, Bai Shuo suddenly found herself unable to speak. A silver-ice ring had materialized around her neck, tightening until she could barely draw breath.
Fan Yue stared at her coldly. "Dare to play clever with me? Speak—who are you? Immortal or demon?!"
"Bai... Shuo..." She clawed desperately at the ice ring, her face turning crimson. "Mortal...!"
Fan Yue didn't believe her for a second. With a slight movement of his palm, the ice ring constricted further.
"A mere mortal wouldn't know about Long Yi and Long Er."
Bai Shuo's eyes gradually lost focus as her legs dangled in the air, kicking weakly. Gasping for breath, she choked out, "Long... Yi... Mu Zhu... you... told... me..."
Fan Yue's gaze flickered with recognition. With a flick of his wrist, the ice ring vanished, and Bai Shuo collapsed to the ground, coughing violently. Despite her near-death experience, the fear in her eyes faded rapidly. She scrambled to her feet and charged at Fan Yue with reckless abandon.
"Last night, when I was half-conscious, I heard you talking," Bai Shuo cut straight to the point. "I heard you say I could awaken Long Yi and that I carried Long Er's aura... The only thing of yours I ever touched was that wooden pig token! So when that female demon tried to kill you today, I used my blood to test it! I really don't know what the hell Long Yi and Long Er are! If I meant you harm, why would I save you?" Her eyes burned red with emotion, fists clenched. "Yes, I lied to you, but you lied to me too! If you can't swallow your pride, just kill me! Crushing me is as easy as squashing an ant for you! But he—" She pointed at Chong Zhao beneath the tree. "He's done nothing to you, saw nothing... Even demons should have honor! Let him go—consider it repaying me for saving your life!"
Bai Shuo finished her outburst, glaring defiantly at Fan Yue.
Fan Yue remained silent for a long moment before speaking abruptly. "Have you been reading too many storybooks?"
Bai Shuo blinked in confusion.
"Who told you demons have honor?"
"You—" Bai Shuo stood speechless, but before she could retort, Fan Yue backhanded a streak of demonic light at her neck.
Damn it! Not again! Dizziness washed over her as Bai Shuo slowly closed her eyes and crumpled toward the ground.
Fan Yue's indifferent face was the last thing reflected in her unwilling gaze. For some reason, Bai Shuo felt a pang of grievance pierce her heart. With her last ounce of strength, she reached out toward Fan Yue.
Look, you rotten demon! I saved you with my own blood—at least spare my life, damn it!
The palm of her hand, wrapped in white gauze, bore faint traces of fresh blood. Whether Fan Yue noticed or not, as Bai Shuo's head was about to strike the ground, a surge of demonic light swept beneath her, catching her gently before cradling her and placing her beside Chong Zhao.
"You could tell at a glance that she's just an ordinary mortal. Why did you still play tricks on her?" Long Yi Zhu flew out from Fan Yue's sleeve, crossing his legs in midair as he asked with curiosity.
Fan Yue didn't answer, only asking in return, "Why could her blood awaken you?"
"Treasures of heaven and earth are born from nature, your demonic power comes from nature, and this person naturally descended from nature too. Some people in this world possess extraordinary bloodlines, making them excellent blood catalysts. Although this girl is a mortal without a trace of immortal essence, it just so happens that her blood perfectly matches my Soul Power and can awaken me. However..." Long Yi Zhu shrugged, fluttering his tiny wings philosophically, "she is after all a mortal. Awakening me once will cost her ten years of lifespan. What a pity—such a good medicine vessel, yet can't be used many times!"
Long Yi Zhu cheerfully flapped his wings toward Bai Shuo when suddenly, several streams of immortal power surged toward them from afar. Fan Yue frowned, scooping up Long Yi Zhu and vanishing into the night sky.
In the blink of an eye, Qing Yi arrived at the riverside with his entourage, just in time to witness a silver light disappearing in the distance. As Qing Yi prepared to give chase, an immortal general beside him exclaimed urgently.
"Your Majesty! There are people here!"
Qing Yi turned in surprise and saw Chong Zhao and Bai Shuo unconscious beneath a tree. He hurried forward to examine their injuries. Seeing they bore only superficial wounds, he sighed in relief. A wave of immortal power flowed from his palm, dispersing the injuries afflicting their bodies.
"They're fine, just some minor wounds."
"Your Majesty, how should we handle these two?"
"Judging by their attire, they must be from wealthy families, likely out for a night stroll when they encountered the Yao Race. Go ask the local deity about their identities and send them home."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Without further delay, Qing Yi turned and pursued in the direction where the silver light had vanished.
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