“I… brought some food.”

Her voice was very low, trembling slightly. She deliberately held up the food box in her hands, as if this could somehow salvage something for herself—those things she herself couldn’t clearly articulate.

Shao Yi didn’t respond. He bent down and gathered the immobile Xuan Yi into his arms at the waist, then suddenly said, “Senior Sister, you didn’t see anything, all right?”

Zhi Xi stared blankly as his turquoise robes swirled—he was actually leaving just like that.

Don’t go! Couldn’t he see that Xuan Yi had now fallen and become a demon? Even Fucang had used Sword Qi Transforming into Dragon to try to exterminate her, yet he still wanted to entangle himself with her? Did he know how taboo the Fall of a Celestial Deity was? Would he throw away even his own life for Xuan Yi?

She suddenly drew in a breath, feeling her voice turn dry and hoarse: “…She’s already fallen and become a demon. Even Junior Apprentice-Brother Fucang righteously eliminated his own kin, yet you still endlessly entangle yourself with her. Do you not want your life anymore?”

Shao Yi didn’t answer. With a wave of his long sleeve, the dragon scales scattered on the ground and the large frozen patches of blood were instantly consumed by deep blue flames of destruction.

He really was going to take Xuan Yi away! Zhi Xi abruptly stepped back, mustering all the courage and malice she had possessed in her entire life. Her voice became violent and shrill: “If you take her away, I’ll speak out! I’ll have the battle generals come exterminate her!”

Xuan Yi’s dragon scales were still falling off one by one. Her half-conscious, half-unconscious face forcibly enduring pain looked too innocent. Zhi Xi couldn’t help but feel a surge of shame in her heart.

But so what? Insane enmity swiftly overwhelmed the shame.

Xuan Yi was a lofty princess—she had lost to her. Now she had become a demon, yet she was still losing to her. Why should she have to face everything with such careful caution? Even when facing the divine lord she liked, she didn’t dare expect anything, only hoping she held some special position in his heart. Yet he would still rather entangle himself with Xuan Yi who had become a demon, disregarding life and death. He must have gone mad.

Zhi Xi took out a command talisman from her robe and swiftly drew one out to pinch between her fingers, repeating harshly, “As long as you take her away, I’ll summon my colleagues!”

Shao Yi slowly turned around, looking at her indifferently. The gentle smile that had always hung on his face—the one that had made her infatuated and intoxicated—suddenly vanished completely. He became sharp and profound, as if he had suddenly transformed into a completely different divine lord she didn’t recognize at all.

Zhi Xi suddenly felt a surge of panic and involuntarily stepped back. Suddenly her vision blurred. The scorching breath of the Nine Heavens Phoenix struck her face. In the blink of an eye, Shao Yi appeared before her. His hand gently pressed on the top of her head, as tender as comforting a young goddess who had done something wrong.

…Was he not leaving? Zhi Xi looked up pleadingly and resentfully, meeting his pitch-black, calm eyes.

Divine power as intense as magma suddenly poured in from the top of her head. She felt her meridians nearly being torn apart. The excruciating pain identical to being crowned with the Radiance of the Sun made her dizzy. Her knees went soft and she crashed heavily to the ground. The food box in her hand also fell, and the food inside along with the golden chestnut paste cakes rolled all over the ground.

She stared at those few pastries she had specially brought, her vision repeatedly darkening.

Her vision swayed chaotically and scattered. Suddenly she noticed a goddess lying on the ground not far away, her clothes disheveled, unconscious on the ground. She couldn’t help but gasp.

He had used the same method to deal with her? She and those romantic dalliances of his were equally wretched, lying unconscious on the ground.

The hem of his turquoise robes stepped away from her field of vision step by step. Shao Yi’s tone was light: “Senior Sister, at least before I had some admiration for you.”

Before he had some admiration? That was just said to humor her! Hoping she wouldn’t speak of Xuan Yi’s situation?

Don’t go, don’t go. Xuan Yi has already fallen and become a demon—why still entangle yourself with her? She knew she had always been upright and inflexible, not skilled at being tactful. But he had once treated her as a goddess, not as a steady senior sister or a diligent battle general. Her feelings for him were genuine. Her affection was unique—different from Xuan Yi, different from those romantic dalliances around him. Yet he still ruthlessly trampled on it.

Cold rain carrying turbid qi fell on her face. Someone was shaking her forcefully, loudly asking something. Zhi Xi suddenly jolted awake to see auspicious light clustered before her. Several patrol battle generals from other divisions looked at her with confusion and concern, asking repeatedly, “What happened? Did you encounter a demon? How did you end up unconscious here alone?”

She looked around blankly. The surroundings were empty. Shao Yi and Xuan Yi had long since disappeared without a trace. Even the goddess who had been knocked unconscious earlier was gone.

Only the food box she had brought was soaked by the rain, the food and golden chestnut paste cakes a chaotic mess—just like her heart right now.

She stared blankly at the leftover food. Shao Yi and Xuan Yi together had ruined her kindness and affection like this.

Zhi Xi remained in a daze for a long time, until a patrol battle general pulled her up from the ground with a jerk and shook her shoulder. Only then did she slowly glance at them. They were still loudly inquiring whether she had encountered a formidable demon.

Speak out! He would rather use the Nine Heavens Phoenix’s magma-like divine power to crown her head with pain until she fainted than choose to be with Xuan Yi. Why didn’t he just kill her? Did he think she wouldn’t speak out? She would deliberately speak out. She no longer liked him. Now all that remained was hatred. He wanted to throw his life away together with Xuan Yi? She would grant him his wish.

“…There was a demon.” Her spirit seemed to instantly fly ten thousand miles away, unable to control her body’s actions. From an extremely distant place, she heard her own voice, small and vicious: “There was a very formidable demon from the Fall of a Celestial Deity.”

The patrol battle generals were startled: “What?! Where?!”

Zhi Xi drew in a breath. Her open lips suddenly bit down and sealed shut.

What was she doing? The voice in her heart asked her in horror. Not out of a celestial deity’s duty, but actually out of malicious jealousy, pushing that little princess onto the path of annihilation—she was actually about to do such a despicable thing.

She abruptly stood up, disregarding the pain lingering in her body, hastily stepping back several paces. She said in a low voice, “No, I spoke nonsense. There’s no demon. I was just quarreling with a colleague. Farewell.”

She rose on the wind, flying about in confusion for a while. After confirming that those patrol battle generals hadn’t caught up, she swiftly flew toward that remote mountain hollow. The tree house was still there, the pitch-black cold ice inside was still there, the barrier had been broken open, and she hadn’t had time to set it up again. They mustn’t discover it!

Zhi Xi landed in the mountain hollow. Fortunately, no one had discovered this place yet. She raised her hand to repair the barrier, but heard those patrol battle generals from earlier sternly shouting, “Don’t move! What is this?!”

They had been concealing their auras and following far behind the entire time?! Her heart sank to the very bottom.

The patrol battle generals stepped forward and vigilantly pulled her aside. Two battle generals immediately entered the barrier and saw the tree house inside swallowed by extremely thick Zhuyin White Snow like black crystal, with insane turbid qi rushing toward their faces.

“This is… Zhuyin White Snow?” The battle generals’ gazes sharply fixed on Zhi Xi. Her complexion instantly turned deathly pale.

*

The little mudfish in his arms had stopped trembling. Her heavy panting had also gradually subsided.

Shao Yi loosened his long sleeve to take a look. It was covered with dragon scales. After a short while, these dragon scales torn off by turbid qi turned into fragments. The turbid qi that had dissipated due to the dragon scales falling off was now instead gradually being drawn back in.

In the distance, auspicious light surged. Shao Yi avoided it and went in another direction, hurriedly landing under a tree. He set up a barrier and placed Xuan Yi on his lap. Golden-cyan regenerative divine power surged from his palm as he tried pressing it on the back of her hand—no response whatsoever. The dragon scales had been torn off by turbid qi. As long as the turbid qi remained, they would never grow back.

His brow couldn’t help but slowly furrow.