Originally, I intended to look for someone, but I didnât find himâinstead, I ran into a competitor?
Yinghuoâs eyes narrowed, and divine power rippled around her.
Seeing this, Yu Buxia thought, This is badâmy best friend has a short fuse. What began as a simple misunderstanding, and Yinghuo nearly wanted to beat me senseless; much less an outsider!
âAh... could it be someone with the same name?â Yu Buxia hurriedly suggested, trying to calm Yinghuoâs surging power. Better a false alarm than my dear friend smashing half my city in rage!
âImpossible,â Fu Nuannuanâs voice crackled through the Communication Stone. âBy her description, itâs definitely the Ye Yu youâre seeking.â
A flicker of killing intent ignited in Yinghuoâs eyes. She mouthed to Yu Buxia: ask where Bone Maiden is now.
Yu Buxia nodded repeatedly, opening her mouth to speakâwhen Fu Nuannuan interrupted again: âSister, listen. Bone Maiden may be a small lionessâonly a Great God Realm cultivator, hardly a threat. But beware of being undermined [N O V E L I G H T] from the shadows; donât let her snatch your Dao partner away. That would truly be a loss.â
Cold sweat beaded on Yu Buxiaâs brow. Next to her, Yinghuoâs expression twisted with suspicion. Friendâso it wasnât just misunderstanding before!
âNuannuan, donât talk nonsense! When did I ever say Ye Yu was my Dao partner?â Yu Buxia protested.
âHeh, sister, I know your lazy nature well. Yet you care so deeply about Ye Yuâasking daily about any news. If he werenât your Dao partner, Iâd snatch your head and kick it like a ball.â Fu Nuannuan paused for emphasis.
Before she could continue, Yu Buxia crushed the Communication Stone in her hand. Forcing a smile, she spat out, âFriend, what if I tell you this is still a misunderstandingâwould you believe me? I only want to find him sooner so you two can reunite. But some people always overthink. Ha, what can I do?â
âDo you think Iâd still believe you? Friend!â Yinghuoâs final words struck like a hammer.
In the Celestial Realm, Ye Yu sneezed violently. âHmmâwhoâs thinking of me now? Little White?â He smiled. The beast must be busy with Yinghuo; I hope by the time I reach the Divine Realm, Little White will be stronger!
Yet another dilemma loomed: the Dao itself. This dream had been immensely rewardingâafter viewing the Daos of Yinghuo, Yu Buxia, Shen Kangren, and others, Ye Yu had fresh insights. Too many ideas, but implementation was extraordinarily difficult. In the Celestial Realm, oneâs Dao determined oneâs future in the Divine Realm. The choice mattered more than effortâand made him feel every path was wrong, every choice regrettable. What a nightmare of indecision!
Scratching his head in confusion, Ye Yu sat in thought.
At that moment, his daughter Ye Nian flew in on the currents and threw herself into his embrace. âFather, youâve woken up? Youâve slept for two days this time!â
To Ye Nian, sleep was a waste. Since she began cultivating, sheâd nearly ceased rest, devoting all her time to practice and play. She couldnât understand why her powerful father loved sleep so much.
Ye Yu chuckled. âTwo days isnât too long. Howâs your mother? Any news?â
Ye Nian shook her head. âNo news, but no need to worryâsheâs Li Ruowang, after all! Rather than fret over Mother Empress, you should worry about yourself. You look troubledâmet some difficulty? Want me to help?â
Her innocence brought a warm smile to Ye Yuâs face. Perhaps an outsider sees more clearly than the one embroiled. He caught himself and spoke earnestly: âNianâer, for an immortal in the Celestial Realm wishing to reach the peak, one must choose oneâs Dao. Right now, Iâm lost; I donât know which Dao to take. If it were you, what path would you choose?â
âI... I donât know!â Ye Nian frowned and thought hard but found no answer.
Ye Yu wasnât disappointedâperhaps the question was too profound for her. He rose, planning to take her out for a stroll, when her words froze him in place: âI donât know which Dao Iâd choose, but I think you, Father, should take the Dao of Sleepâone dream lasts two or three days.â
In that instant, Ye Nian had opened a door to a new world for him. Of courseârather than chase some lofty Dao, he should pursue what he excels at!
Grasping his daughterâs hand, Ye Yu said, âYouâre truly your fatherâs good daughter. Now go play with your other aunts. I have pressing mattersâonce Iâm done, Iâll take you on a grand outing!â
With that, he transformed into a streak of light and disappeared, leaving a bewildered Ye Nian behind. âFatherâs gone to sleep again?â she muttered, pouting. Why did he love sleeping so much?
Spotting the beautiful Aunt Banxia, she perked up. âAunt Banxia, do you have time to take me out to play now?â
âA... now? Sorry, NianâerâIâm busy. Why donât you let Xiao Meng keep you company?â Banxia said, flustered. She promptly sent forth the azure bull, then hurried away.
Ye Nian stared at little Qiniu and demanded, âXiao Meng, did you get a tattoo? Why is there a big black patch on your forehead?â
Some three thousand li from Wuwei Tower, Banxia arrived at the ruins of an immortal sectânow under reconstruction as a stronghold of the Three Corpses Hall. There, she met the long-unseen Demon Heaven Lord.
Yes, she had come to break free from the Three Corpses Hallâs control. But some matters couldnât be resolved by will alone. Sheâd deliberately refused the Demon Heaven Lordâs Communication Stone to sever tiesâbut the mysterious death aura above Xiao Mengâs head had terrified her.
Banxia knew well this was a unique cultivation art of the Demon Heaven LordââDoomed Demise.â The caster could decide the victimâs time of death at will. When had Xiao Meng been afflicted? How infuriating!
To prevent her thousand-year companion from perishing, Banxia had no choice but to agree to meet the Demon Heaven Lord here.