Xuan Yi’s face had originally turned pale from pain, but upon hearing these words, she spoke solemnly: “Senior Brother Fucang, since the Wujiang Fairy has invited you so graciously, just go. I absolutely won’t disturb you.”

Hurry up and put her down so she can leave!

The Wujiang Fairy looked at her with a smiling expression, a trace of greed revealing itself in her eyes: “This little princess of the Zhuyin Clan smells truly fragrant. She must taste especially fresh and delicious. I can’t bear to let her go. Besides, she hasn’t returned my pearl bracelet yet.”

Xuan Yi laughed twice: “Not at all, not at all. The Zhuyin Clan has tough flesh and hard bones, so we certainly wouldn’t suit the Fairy’s taste. Actually, with abilities like the Fairy’s, why would you need to impersonate a river deity? You’re already far more formidable than any river deity.”

The Wujiang Fairy couldn’t help but smile: “Such a sweet talker. Am I formidable? Unfortunately, no matter how formidable I am, I’m still just a demon. I can never become a deity.”

Xuan Yi looked at her thoughtfully for a few moments, then removed the pearl bracelet from her wrist and placed it in Fucang’s hand. Her fingertip lightly scratched his palm as she said: “Senior Brother Fucang, please trouble yourself to return the pearl bracelet to the Fairy.”

The moment the pearl bracelet touched his hand, Fucang’s expression remained unchanged, but he suddenly raised his hand and threw it far away. With a single toss of divine power, it flew ninety thousand li, and the pearl bracelet vanished from sight in the blink of an eye.

The Wujiang Fairy’s complexion finally darkened, and she stared at him coldly.

Fucang ignored her silent threat and said calmly: “If you don’t chase after it, the pearl bracelet will be picked up by other demon clans. You naturally know how many demon clans covet a pearl bracelet suffused with divine power, including those ancient demon clans hiding in the shadows.”

The Wujiang Fairy let out a hum that seemed both resentful and angry: “Who told me I still couldn’t bear to eat you? Fine, I’ll play along with you two.”

She turned and stepped onto her lotus to leave. Her steps were light and slow, yet she moved extremely fast. In just a blink, she was already a hundred li away.

“Quick, let’s go!” Xuan Yi urged in a low voice, wishing she could bite him to death. “Put me down first!”

Fucang acted as if he hadn’t heard, tightly gripping both her hands as he commanded the wind and rushed swiftly toward the South Heaven Gate.

Xuan Yi felt as though her finger bones were about to be crushed by him. In pain, she kicked wildly against his body. If Qi Nan saw his usually dignified little princess behaving like such a shrew, his eyeballs would probably pop out in shock.

“The South Heaven Gate is still far from here, and you’re flying too slowly,” Fucang said, letting her kick him countless times. “With her abilities, it won’t take her much effort to catch up with us. Kick me one more time, and I’ll tie you up and throw you into the river to see whether she wants the pearl bracelet or pursues me.”

Xuan Yi had no choice but to slowly retract her raised foot. She wasn’t afraid of the Five Elements Yin-Yang arts, but if that Wujiang Fairy hit her, it would still really hurt. She wasn’t like Qing Yan—she didn’t know how to fight at all.

“Fly faster!” She held in a belly full of anger. If that Wujiang Fairy discovered the pearl bracelet she threw away was a fake she’d made from white snow, she would definitely come back in a towering rage. No matter what, getting back to the South Heaven Gate first was the right thing to do.

How hateful that the South Heaven Gate was built so far away! How hateful that time in the mortal realm passed so quickly! Watching the brilliant sunset glow on the horizon with still not even a shadow of the South Heaven Gate in sight, Xuan Yi gradually felt an ominous premonition. Just as she was about to urge him on, she suddenly heard the Wujiang Fairy’s cold voice ring out behind them: “You two actually dared to deceive me!”

She came so quickly! Both celestial deities felt a chill in their hearts.

Fucang drew out Chun Jun and retreated several zhang in haste. He saw the Wujiang Fairy stepping on her lotus from afar, her complexion ashen.

She smiled coldly, looking at their faces for a moment before saying: “Fucang Shenjun, I originally couldn’t bear to trouble you, but you two shouldn’t have toyed with me! Don’t think I won’t take action!”

She stamped her foot, and the plain white ceremonial robe on her body suddenly shattered into fragments. The clear river deity’s divine power instantly transformed into overwhelming demonic power that shook outward. Even the clouds in the sky were scattered. Fucang hadn’t expected her to possess such demonic power and involuntarily retreated several steps.

The sky suddenly darkened as wild winds arose and demonic clouds gathered densely, layer upon layer trapping the two of them. The Wujiang Fairy’s alluring figure was wrapped in an extremely thin ochre-colored long dress. She glanced at the Zhuyin Clan princess clinging to Fucang’s back. The little girl was holding onto him with both hands and feet, her face pale, looking quite unlike the legendarily arrogant Zhuyin Clan.

She suddenly drew out two long, flexible whips from under her ribs. Fast as lightning, they stabbed toward Fucang’s eyes from left and right.

Fucang drew a circle in the air with Chun Jun before his chest, and the clear light of the Two Principles and Eight Trigrams flashed. But unexpectedly, the two flexible whips changed direction midway. One whip shattered the clear light of the Two Principles and Eight Trigrams, while the other whip, with lightning speed, coiled toward Xuan Yi.

Fucang concentrated and recited an incantation. An invisible barrier formed around Xuan Yi within three chi. But with a crack, that barrier proved utterly useless and was instantly shattered. The long whip swiftly wound around Xuan Yi’s leg and pulled hard.

Xuan Yi was greatly alarmed—this trick again! The enormous pulling force on her leg left her completely unable to resist. Crying out, she was dragged down. In her panic, her hands flailed wildly and grabbed onto Fucang’s hair.

His scalp was pulled with excruciating pain, forcing him to bend down. His hands supported her under her arms, gripping her tightly as he urgently said: “Let go!”

“I won’t let go!” Xuan Yi said in exasperation. “If you can’t hold onto me, then become bald!”

This dragon princess who only causes trouble! Fucang blew out a breath, and the sharp wind cut through his hair. His grip on her changed from holding her with both hands under her arms to one hand tightly grasping one of her arms, while his other hand wielded Chun Jun, slashing toward the flexible whip.

But unexpectedly, though the flexible whip looked thin and long, it was incredibly resilient. Even with the might of Chun Jun, it only cut a small crack.

The Wujiang Fairy laughed: “With your abilities, even if you hack at it for a thousand years, you won’t be able to sever my flexible whip! Perhaps if your master came, he could give it a try! Let go. Let me devour this Zhuyin Clan member, then I’ll come play with you!”

Fucang’s brows furrowed tightly. He felt the pulling force from the opposite side growing stronger and stronger, but he refused to give up, using his full strength to hold Xuan Yi tight.

She’s going to break! She’s going to break! Xuan Yi nearly screamed from the pain.

She suddenly showed a delighted expression, looking behind the Wujiang Fairy and urgently calling out: “Father! Quickly kill this demon!”

Zhongshan Dijun has come?!

The Wujiang Fairy’s heart jumped in alarm, and the force in her hands involuntarily relaxed by a few degrees. Before she had time to turn her head, she felt a sharp wind behind her. She was extremely wary of the three words “Zhuyin Clan” and didn’t dare to resist directly. Immediately abandoning her flexible whips, she spun around countless times and hurriedly dodged.

But there wasn’t even half a person’s shadow behind her—only several azure sword lights sparsely crossing through where she had just been standing. It seemed the wind sound just now was only the sword energy sound from a technique.

She’d been fooled!

In that split second, the Chun Jun sword that sent chills down her spine was before her eyes again. The cold gleam like autumn water formed a dense net, firmly locking her inside. In an instant, blood splattered everywhere. She didn’t even know how many times her body had been slashed in a crisscross pattern. That thin ochre-colored long dress had nearly become a tattered rag.

She hadn’t expected this young deity lord to have such sharp skills. Moreover, since Chun Jun was a heavenly treasure sword, the places wounded by it caused piercing pain throughout her heart. The Wujiang Fairy roared and suddenly curled her body into a ball, revealing her true form—she was actually a giant catfish demon dozens of zhang long. She roared silently at Fucang, and her fish tail descended with the force of thunder.

Xuan Yi cried out in a low voice: “Quickly return to the South Heaven Gate!”

As soon as her words fell, a pitch-black darkness where one couldn’t see one’s hand before one’s face suddenly descended. The Wujiang Fairy didn’t react in time and was stunned for a moment. This darkness came quickly and left just as quickly. When her eyes could see things again, she immediately chased toward the South Heaven Gate direction. She flew several thousand li before suddenly realizing: she’d been deceived again!

This cunning princess of the Zhuyin Clan!

She ground her silver teeth in hatred. With a flick of her fish tail, she flew several hundred li, and another flick took her several hundred more li—she absolutely had to find her and swallow her alive!