“You hit me here.” He guided her finger to the side of his jaw, saying irritably.

Perfunctorily rubbing it for him, Er’er focused intently on Long Xu.

She looked so desperate, her eyes filled with defeat. She had even withdrawn her protective barrier, allowing the rampant immortal energy around her to scrape against her physical body. Even as it cut into her flesh and drew blood, she didn’t even glance aside, clearly showing she no longer wished to live.

Looking over at Xin Wu, he seemed completely unperturbed. Even hearing Long Xu confess to murder only caused him to raise his eyebrows slightly before continuing his confrontation with Dui Ren.

“I have no reason to kill him.”

“How can you say that?” Dui Ren sneered. “Do you think we’re all deaf and blind, unaware of your affair with Long Xu?”

His eyes tinged with ferocity, Xin Wu leaned against a stone block in the ruins and laughed lazily: “If everyone who had an affair with someone else’s immortal companion committed murder, how many immortals in the Nine Heavens would survive?”

“…” These words were too arrogant and shameless. Dui Ren immediately erupted and attacked him.

Xin Wu seemed tired of explaining further and swept his sleeve to meet the attack. He was so habitually frivolous that even though his seniority was comparable to Li Ye’s as a higher god, Er’er had no idea how powerful he truly was.

…

…

As a result, on a cloud above Xiaxin Palace, Dui Ren couldn’t even withstand two moves from Xin Wu. A massive, brilliant light exploded like a hammer through a drum, and he fell back down into the rubble below amid the smoke.

“Wow—” Er’er couldn’t help but exclaim in amazement.

Li Ye glanced over as well, saying disinterestedly: “Let’s go.”

“Not yet.” She tugged at him, excitedly saying, “Don’t you want to see the outcome?”

“Although Xin Wu’s cultivation isn’t high, dealing with these Dui clan juniors is more than easy for him.” He snorted with laughter. “What’s there to see?”

Turning her head in surprise, Er’er was amazed: “Then why do they dare to provoke Higher God Xin Wu?”

“Because someone will come to clean up the mess.” Li Ye lowered his eyes.

The mess was already this bad—who could clean it up?

Just as she was about to ask, the sky suddenly brightened intensely, instantly illuminating the entire Dui clan immortal sect as bright as day. The light wasn’t harsh but warm like the rising sun, making Er’er unconsciously relax.

Gold and white robes swept across the ground, dispersing the killing intent in the surroundings. The scattered tiles on the ground flew up one by one, returning to their original places. Even Dui Feng’s corpse floated up, gently falling into the sea of clouds.

Curious, Er’er raised her head to see who had arrived, but Li Ye pressed her head firmly back against his rigid chest.

“Don’t move,” he warned in a low voice.

Being so close, she sensed the unusually tense aura around the boss, as if suppressing anger, even his elbow had stiffened.

So Er’er guessed who had come.

“Diviner of the Heavenly Way.” Dui Ren clutched his chest as he stepped forward, bowing in indignation.

The newcomer had kind eyes and a benevolent countenance, with his hair tied back with a bagua disc, his body adorned with the five elements patterns. As if unaware of the unusual atmosphere here, he smiled gently while guiding Dui Feng’s soul.

“It was our obsession that kept him for several hundred years. Now that his soul has returned to heaven and earth, it is simply the natural way of the Dao.”

“Master, this was murder!” Dui Ren growled with reddened eyes. “Although my brother’s soul was incomplete, if others had no ill intentions, he could have enjoyed tens of thousands of years of offerings. How could he meet such a fate!”

“Indeed, Master. The murderer just tried to silence us. Even if we embrace compassion, we cannot be overly lenient toward evil.”

As the condemnations grew louder, the Diviner of the Heavenly Way showed a troubled expression and finally slowly turned his gaze toward Xin Wu.

“If I had done it,” Xin Wu didn’t look up, his tone mocking, “he wouldn’t even have a physical body left.”

After a slight pause, the Diviner of the Heavenly Way shook his head disapprovingly and looked toward Long Xu.

“It wasn’t her either.” Tightening his fist, Xin Wu narrowed his eyes. “When it happened, she was with me.”

Even though everyone had guessed it, hearing it from his mouth still caused a collective intake of breath around them.

Er’er struggled for a moment and finally raised her head from Li Ye’s embrace to see Long Xu swaying slightly, looking at Xin Wu with near disbelief.

Earlier, he had distanced himself from her, so why was he suddenly acknowledging their relationship? Was he afraid she would confess in front of the Diviner of the Heavenly Way and then be reduced to ashes?

She was afraid to think this way, yet couldn’t control herself. Long Xu pinched her skirt, her eyes brightening for an instant.

Today was her birthday. She had waited at the entrance of Xin Wu’s cave dwelling, waiting until dusk before he finally emerged. She knew he was unwilling to accompany her on what he considered a trivial birthday, but on this one day of the year, she had a legitimate excuse to cling to him.

Long Xu didn’t resent her father at all, even though he had sent her away like an object just to protect a hundred li of sea territory, even though they had only met twice in several hundred years. But he had sent her to Xiaxin Palace, to the place closest to Xin Wu, and for that, she felt content.

However, Xin Wu didn’t like her.

It didn’t matter. Having been disliked since childhood, Long Xu didn’t find this problematic at all. Every year on this day, being able to pull Xin Wu along to chat about random things and eat a bowl of longevity noodles only found in the mortal realm made her very happy.

Of course, this year she had also gifted him a piece of her dragon scale.

The pendant he wore around his neck had been enchanted by her and couldn’t be removed or thrown away, but it could block many attacks for him because it already contained over a hundred dragon scales.

Rolling up her sleeve, Long Xu presented her wrist with a fresh scar where a dragon scale had been removed to the Diviner of the Heavenly Way.

“He isn’t lying, and neither am I.” She curved the corners of her eyes. “Please judge fairly, Master.”

The surrounding discussions grew louder, mixed with a few curses. Er’er hugged her head and quietly asked Li Ye: “Which has worse consequences—confessing to murder or admitting to an affair?”

Due to the Diviner of the Heavenly Way’s appearance, Li Ye was in an extremely bad mood, his tone hardening: “The same.”

“The same?”

“Confessing to murder brings heaven’s punishment and earth’s destruction; admitting to an affair brings verbal and written condemnation.” He said languidly. “The latter may not be easier than the former, but at least one can survive.”

Someone as carefree as Xin Wu could easily have abandoned Long Xu, so he hadn’t expected him to make such a decision.

However, none of this concerned him.

Glancing at the Diviner of the Heavenly Way, Li Ye turned to leave.

“Do you need a witness?” A small hand was innocently raised.

His steps halted as his face darkened.

Er’er stood on tiptoe with her hand raised, her voice clear and bright: “At dusk, I saw the two of them together, indeed they were together, right on that street over there, and they even fought.”

The people who had been discussing were startled and all looked over. The Diviner of the Heavenly Way, standing at the front, turned around, his brilliant eyes fixed steadily on her.

“Oh?” A strange light flashed in his eyes as the Diviner of the Heavenly Way extended his hand toward her.

Er’er’s body began to float involuntarily. She widened her eyes, about to marvel at the pure spiritual energy, when a powerful arm violently pulled her back.