Shao Yi let out an “ah”: “Wait a moment.”

Wait? He had nearly been injured!

Zhi Xi twisted her wrist and shredded that female demon. Who knew she would giggle and condense back into a body, coquettishly complaining with a smile that wasn’t quite a smile: “Who is this? So fierce.”

Her body suddenly transformed into countless white jade small rats that scattered in all directions, then silently gathered behind Zhi Xi. The blade in her hand immediately chopped down toward her head and face.

Zhi Xi’s movements had always been agile. She flipped to dodge, but unexpectedly a hand suddenly reached out from behind her, unhesitatingly grasping the strangely shaped pitch-black blade. In an instant, blood flowed freely. She couldn’t help but be stunned.

Shao Yi’s voice came from above her head: “Ning Ying, long time no see.”

He gently pushed Zhi Xi aside, his right hand gripping that pitch-black blade tightly, not allowing the alluring Fourth Princess of Great Lord Jade Rat across from him to retrieve it.

Ning Ying laughed delicately: “I heard it’s bitterly cold and lonely here. I originally wanted to come secretly, but Father discovered me, so I had to come with him. Shao Yi, we’re enemies now… don’t you think this is actually more fun?”

Shao Yi laughed lowly: “You still have so many tricks. When do you have time?”

Ning Ying sighed wistfully: “I’m afraid not in the coming days. Speaking of which, I also haven’t seen Lord Shenjun Fucang in a long time. When will he come over? If you know, you must write to tell me.”

Shao Yi snatched the blade from her hand and said leisurely: “Having me, you still want other divine lords—such an insatiable little female demon.”

Ning Ying laughed prettily twice. Her figure again transformed into countless white jade rats scurrying on the ground, leaving only her voice lingering: “I hurt you—don’t be angry with me. It’s all because Father kept urging me. Oh right, don’t forget to tell Lord Shenjun Fucang for me that I still most want to dual cultivate yin and yang with him.”

Shao Yi spread his palm open. As expected, this pitch-black blade had indeed been infected by turbid energy. Several cuts on his palm were both deep and long, the wounds completely black with turbid energy coiling impurely around them.

Zhi Xi stared blankly for a long time, then suddenly seemed to come to her senses. She hurriedly grabbed his hand, her rejuvenation technique falling on the wounds.

Shao Yi pushed her away again: “There’s turbid energy. You can’t use rejuvenation techniques.”

“…Then what should we do?” Zhi Xi asked in a daze. His action just now in saving her had left her still somewhat unable to recover her senses.

Shao Yi didn’t answer. He turned his head to look at the barrier. The Flames of Destruction were no longer as lively and leaping as before. Seeing the white jade rats rushing over growing more and more numerous, they probably wouldn’t be able to hold out much longer.

Great Emperor Gouchen was fighting joyously with Great Lord Jade Rat’s demon body. Seeing the Flames of Destruction suddenly surge high then fall back again, actually looking like they were about to extinguish, he began thundering in rage again: “Where’s the fire?! Your divine power was exhausted this quickly?!”

Shao Yi smiled bitterly as he spread his hand toward him. His right palm was dripping with blood, the pitch-black turbid energy swaying endlessly at the wounds.

Great Emperor Gouchen was so angry his hair nearly stood on end: “Who told you to get infected by turbid energy?!”

No matter how severely wounded warriors were, it was fine. Various techniques could heal them. If that really didn’t work, there was still the Qingyang Clan’s phoenix heart feather. But if wounds were infected by turbid energy, they had no choice but to return to the upper realm to recuperate. They had to wait until the turbid energy was completely expelled before they could descend to the lower realm again to slay demon clans. The warriors of the Dingmao Division had all returned to the upper realm after slaying Great Lord Fuquan precisely because many warriors’ wounds had been infected by turbid energy. Crown Prince Chang Qin had been sighing endlessly about it. Who would have thought the same damned thing would happen here.

Shao Yi kindly suggested: “How about I try fluctuating my divine power again? As long as the turbid energy doesn’t infect the heart and lungs, I shouldn’t perish.”

“Go stand aside!”

Great Emperor Gouchen punched Great Lord Jade Rat, making him stagger. He handed him over to the warriors to surround and beat wildly, then quickly landed before the barrier. Seeing the Flames of Destruction about to extinguish, he couldn’t help but sigh deeply. If those tide-like white jade small rats really rushed to the formation, they should still be able to hold out for a while. They could only hurry to slay Great Lord Jade Rat before the formation was gnawed to pieces.

Great Emperor Gouchen frowned tightly. This Great Lord Jade Rat had been extremely difficult to deal with to begin with. Now that he had fallen into becoming a demon, who knew how long they would be entangled with him. They couldn’t engage in prolonged battle now. There were simply too many variables in the lower realm. They needed to call for reinforcements. He drew out a command talisman from his sleeve, looked at it with a frown, took out the one marked “Yihai,” lit it, and threw it into the air.

It was all trouble stirred up by the Zhuyin Clan and the Qingyang Clan. Now they had the Qingyang Clan—he wouldn’t let the Zhuyin Clan stay free and easy outside!

Great Emperor Gouchen fluctuated his divine power. An enormous golden curved saber appeared in his palm. He gripped it horizontally across his chest, then suddenly pushed it outward. Masses of white jade rats gathered beneath the barrier were pushed millions of miles away by an extremely great force. He re-erected the barrier and waited several moments. Sure enough, that group of white jade rats came bustling back again.

He could only pit divine power against them head-on.

Great Emperor Gouchen fluctuated his divine power below to obstruct the white jade rats. The warriors in the sky above also gradually began to struggle. Whether techniques or divine weapons, hitting Great Lord Jade Rat’s body seemed to have absolutely no effect. Relying on his repeatedly healing ability, he rampaged through the three thousand warriors. Obstructing him even once meant broken tendons and fractured bones.

This battle that shouldn’t have been prolonged lasted a full lower realm month. The demon clans brought by Great Lord Jade Rat were almost completely annihilated. The scattered demon clans that came daily to sneak attack and harass were also successfully blocked. However, the warriors had also almost reached their limit. Great Emperor Gouchen also faintly felt the strain. He panted as he looked up. Great Lord Jade Rat was still spiritedly rampaging up to the heavens and down to the earth.

He wanted to deal with him, but the Qingyang Clan member had been infected by turbid energy. Without a warrior who could block the white jade rats, as long as the rats drilled into the Sea of Parting Regret, they would suffer a miserable defeat.

Just as he was extremely anxious, he suddenly felt countless snowflakes descending in a flurry in midair. The originally dim sky darkened several times over. Those densely packed white jade small rats slowed their pace as soon as they touched the snowflakes, finally freezing into ice, frozen in place.

A trace of delighted surprise appeared on Great Emperor Gouchen’s gloomy face. For the first time, he had the feeling that “it’s really great that the Zhuyin Clan came.”

“Your Majesty Gouchen.” Several Yihai Division warriors descended before him like a gale, cupping their hands in salute. “Three hundred warriors of the Yihai Division have come to reinforce.”

Great Emperor Gouchen felt his earlier wild joy was somewhat embarrassing, so he deliberately kept a stern face and scolded: “You came too late!”

Great Lord Jade Rat, who had just been showing off his might, seemed to sense something wrong. He let out a shocked low cry and transformed into a dark wind, wanting to flee.

A crystal-clear ice wall suddenly blocked his path. Lord Dijun Zhongshan passed through the ice layer and barehanded grasped that mass of dark wind. The various gods couldn’t see at all how he struck—they only felt it was fast to the extreme. In midair, only Great Lord Jade Rat’s wailing voice grew louder wave after wave.

Then snow light flashed. Great Lord Jade Rat lightly floated down to the ground. His enormous demon body slowly shrank, transforming into a white jade rat about three feet long. Belly up, it lay on the ground motionless as if dead.

Great Emperor Gouchen couldn’t help but sigh deeply. This was the Zhuyin Clan. No wonder they acted so wickedly and arrogantly—they truly had such ability. In one go, they beat Great Lord Jade Rat, whom they couldn’t handle in a month, into a lump of dead meat.

He hurried forward and cupped his hands in salute: “Lord Dijun Zhongshan, many thanks for your assistance.”

Lord Dijun Zhongshan slowly descended to the ground and nodded silently in acknowledgment. Since the matter of the Tongshan Clan, his temperament had also changed considerably. He was no longer as amiable as in the past. There was always a trace of desolate coldness on his face. This coldness instead made the various gods feel a bit of reverence and no longer dared to secretly mock his past romantic affairs behind his back.

Great Lord Jade Rat’s frozen rat body was bound to death by countless demon-binding cords. White paper covered in cinnabar incantations was plastered on him from head to toe in several layers as if they cost nothing. Only after confirming that even Great Lord Chiyou wouldn’t have the strength to break free did the warriors lift him up and send him to the Southern Heavenly Gate.

“Let’s go.”

Lord Dijun Zhongshan came when he said he’d come and left when he said he’d leave. He raised his hand to summon back the Zhuyin Darkness he had released. Who knew he could only recall half. He turned around in astonishment, only to see the other half of the Zhuyin Darkness he had released slowly drifting toward the Sea of Parting Regret. Greatly alarmed, he hurriedly chased after it.

“Lord Dijun must not get too close to the Sea of Parting Regret!”

Great Emperor Gouchen was also greatly alarmed. This strange Sea of Parting Regret would immediately pull any celestial deity who approached into it and wouldn’t release them even unto their annihilation. He transformed into a gale and chased rapidly. He saw Lord Dijun Zhongshan pass through the formation. Just as he was about to recall the Zhuyin Darkness, the calm Sea of Parting Regret suddenly rose from the ground. Monstrous black waves rolled over, indeed trying to grab him in.

In his urgency, Great Emperor Gouchen pulled off his belt and wrapped it around him, exerting all his strength to pull. The black waves missed their target but didn’t fall back. Like an open giant mouth, they swallowed the Zhuyin Darkness in one gulp, then fell back to their original place, once again restoring calm—only they seemed to have grown a full circle larger.