âIn an instant, the expressions of all the demons present became extraordinarily remarkable.
Were they getting fierce? Or was it their eyes playing tricks? How could people from Niepan Prefecture be embracing those from Dongyao Prefecture? Werenât they sworn enemies and traitors? What on earth was going on between those two?
Especially you,â one demon snapped, glaring at the man Bai Qingsong had called Commander Ye. âYou should take a stand. You canât just embrace her because sheâs beautiful. What kind of conduct is this?â
Another demon, unable to bear it, raised his hand to step forward and rebuke them. Bai Qingsongâs eyes were sharperâhe darted forward and held the demon down.
âWhat are you trying to do?â Bai Qingsong demanded.
âDemon Lord,â the demon stammered, âI only wished to admonish Commander Ye, to remind him not to grow too proud! What kind of occasion is this? How can he be embracing someone from the other side?â
No sooner had he finished than Bai Qingsong slapped him hard, knocking him unconscious. He muttered in displeasure, âAdmonish him? Who do you think you are? Youâd disturb his mood at the cost of your life.â
Yet Bai Qingsong himself was puzzled. What exactly was his elder brotherâs relationship with this woman? He wasnât the only one wonderingâevery demon there speculated.
But Shen Fuxin didnât care about anyoneâs stares. She had finally found Ye Yu and didnât want to acknowledge anything else. She only wished to savor this familiar yet strange embrace.
âBy the way, my husband, what are you doing here?â Her voice was low, but every demon heard it clearly.
Bai Qingsong couldnât help clutching his head. Ah! The mysterious enforcer Nie Wang had summoned turned out to be his brotherâs soulmate? If heâd known, he wouldnât have wasted so much time resolving this. If his brother had arrived two days earlier, the upheaval in Niepan Prefecture might have been crushed at its inceptionâand none of his subordinates would have perished so soon. What a pity! Bai Qingsong wept silently and sighed, impressed that even his brotherâs soulmate was so formidable.
Meanwhile, Ye Yu listened as Shen Fuxin recounted the events of recent days. When she finished, Shen Fuxin told her own story. She had been waiting for Hua Jiuming, who had promised to help find Ye Yu, but heâd gone silent. Knowing that Nie Wang was Hua Jiumingâs man, she came to demand an explanationâonly to encounter Bai Qingsongâs demon army advancing. To save himself, Nie Wang lied that Bai Qingsong had seen Ye Yu before and suggested Shen Fuxin help him smash through the lines to find Bai Qingsong. Though puzzled, Shen Fuxin seized that faint hope of finding Ye Yu and did as he asked.
Unexpectedly, despite Nie Wangâs deceit, she met Ye Yu by chance. Perhaps it was fate. Ye Yu nodded, about to speak, but felt Shen Fuxin growing ethereal in his arms.
âThisâis the void shattering?â
Shen Fuxin nodded sadly. âI should have ascended to the Divine Realm long ago, but Iâve been forcibly suppressing my cultivation. Today I used too much power, and I can no longer contain it. If not for those two idiots, I could have stayed longer with you!â
Anger flared in Shen Fuxin. She unleashed a ghost art: the critically injured Li Changkong and Sun Sun, along with the ruined ground, all dissolved into nothingness.
The demons who had been spectating shrank back in horror. If they could, they would have fledâbut flying would draw attention and seal their doom. So they bowed their heads, hoping the female killing deity wouldnât notice them. Bai Qingsong buried his head lowest of all.
âMy husband, I will wait for you in the Celestial Realm!â Shen Fuxin squeezed Ye Yuâs right hand. With that promise made, she became fully insubstantial and, drawn by a powerful force, rose into the air. With a single step she shattered the void and entered the legendary Divine Realm.
Though he had seen it before, Ye Yu still found it breathtaking. Shen Fuxin might be his first wife to enter the Divine Realm! Noâthere was also the Bone Princess; she had become a deity long ago.
Reluctantly withdrawing his gaze, Ye Yu turned to the assembled demons bowing uniformly and clapped his hands. âBai Qingsong, riseâyou may stand. She has gone.â
At those words, everyone present felt they had narrowly escaped death. Bai Qingsong exhaled long and hard, then strode to Ye Yuâs side and asked in wonder, âBrother, where has my sister-in-law gone? I have many things suitable for a ladyâI want to gather them and send them to her.â
âYou cannot. Sheâs gone to the Divine Realm!â Ye Yuâs words made Bai Qingsong gulp. The Divine Realm? Even as Demon â NĐŸvĐ”lŃgÒ»Ń â (Continue reading) Lord, he felt those words to be utterly alien. It was supposed to exist only in legend. His sister-in-law was truly extraordinary!
...
Elsewhere, in the Celestial Realm, Li Ruowangâdressed in dragon robesâarrived at the boundary between the southern and central regions. She formed a Dao seal with one hand and chanted continuously. As time passed, the golden radiance around her grew ever more brilliant.
With a sudden push of her palm, an invisible barrier materialized in the empty illusion. Li Ruowang didnât hesitate and stepped through. She stood within a hidden Blessed Realm grotto, vast in extent and brimming with immortal energy. It felt like returning home as she strode into the main hall. Behind the seat of honor rested a white dragon pearl. Li Ruowang approached, gently flicked her fingertipâand a golden hatchling dragon appeared on her wrist. It circled twice before darting toward the dragon pearl. When the two neared, both emitted a faint glow. The hatchling then spiraled around the pearl; with each rotation, a wisp of white aura rose and was greedily absorbed by the young dragon. Its blissful expression betrayed the great benefit it received.
Li Ruowang smoothed her sleeve and moved to the east wall, unrolling a painting. The scroll depicted a woman standing on a high terraceâastonishingly, the figure was identical to Li Ruowang herself, save for donning robes of ink-black rather than her own golden dragon robes that exuded imperial majesty. She studied the painting long before speaking softly, âI never imagined it would take me so many years to return. Youâyou hold no grudge against me, do you?â