She formed the Soul-Gathering Seal, causing fierce winds to surge from around her, desperately searching for remnants of the divine soul in the air, trying to bring Taihe back.

However, no matter how much spiritual power she used, no matter how long she waited, there was no response from anywhere.

The soul fragments had all been burned clean by the divine fire, leaving nothing behind.

Her throat trembled as Er’er’s eyes reddened again.

Li Ye stood behind her, not knowing what to say. After a long silence, he only asked: “Would you like to come with me to find Zhu Yan?”

He thought she wouldn’t hear him, as the little one now looked dazed and foolish, as if she had lost her soul. But as soon as he spoke, she responded quickly.

Wiping her face and standing up, Er’er released the seal and turned back: “Yes.”

There were too many accounts to settle with Zhu Yan; she had to go personally.

Summoning a cloud, Er’er stepped onto it and turned to extend her hand to him.

Li Ye looked at her hand with pursed lips, standing in place with his hands behind his back, a faint darkness in his eyes.

He looked somewhat aggrieved. Er’er was startled, but before she could figure out why, he had already stepped onto the cloud himself, standing silently beside her.

Er’er’s mood was already poor, and since he was unwilling to speak, she had no energy to ask. Li Ye had something weighing on his mind, and since she wouldn’t bring it up, he naturally wouldn’t beg for an explanation.

So they traveled in silence.

Perhaps because the awkwardness between them was too obvious, the scouts lurking around the Barren Mountain returned to Zhu Yan and, after reporting the situation, couldn’t help but add: “Those two have had a falling out.”

“Oh?” Zhu Yan found it curious, but after a moment’s thought, he smiled. “Taihe is quite remarkable.”

For two people who had been so good together to have a falling out, it could only be because of Taihe.

He smiled, brushing his brand-new purple-gold robe, and leisurely continued pouring tea.

“Aren’t you leaving?” The scout bowed. “Those two are already on their way here.”

“Leave?” Zhu Yan raised an eyebrow, turning his head as he inhaled the tea’s fragrance, his expression completely calm. “Where could one go when the Divine Li Ye wants to kill them?”

In the Tianji Formation, if Li Ye couldn’t leave, he would die; but once he did leave, Zhu Yan would die.

Zhu Yan, though merely a True Lord, had stirred up such great waves, making the leaders of many immortal gates tremble at the mere mention of his name. He had some skill. Thus, as he sat there so calmly now, the scout still felt that he must have another move prepared.

But after waiting for some time, until the divine fire burned over, Zhu Yan was still only savoring his tea.

Fresh Longjing tea, with its rich aroma, he took a sip, fingering the small cup. Soon, the reflection of a red robe appeared on the rippling surface of the tea.

Excitement flickered in his eyes as Zhu Yan sat up straight.

“Greeting, Divine One,” he smiled as usual in greeting, though he did not stand.

Li Ye stepped into the pavilion where he sat. Divine fire instantly engulfed everything outside the pavilion. He looked down at Zhu Yan without saying a word, but his gaze was painful to one’s very soul.

Zhu Yan bared his teeth, still smiling: “The Divine One hasn’t been this angry for a long time.”

“Not running?” he asked coldly.

Giggling twice, Zhu Yan shook his head: “A minor immortal deceiving the Divine One deserves death.”

Though he said this, his expression was exceptionally satisfied. Slightly turning his head to look at the Nine Heavens covered in divine fire, Zhu Yan stretched lazily and generously took out his essence core, placing it on the tea table before him.

“I was one move short.” he looked toward the shadow behind Li Ye. “Had I known this young lady would have such great ability, when we first met, I shouldn’t have spoken up for her.”

Er’er stepped out from behind Li Ye, looking at him coldly.

“Do you hate me?” Zhu Yan sighed. “I hate you too.”

If not for her, Li Ye would have destroyed the Nine Heavens as he had wished. At that time, he would have grown weary of ruling, and everything would have naturally fallen into his hands. It wouldn’t have come to this, where he had to sacrifice his life.

But it didn’t matter. Zhu Yan snorted lightly. He had done everything he wanted to do; losing his life was nothing special.

“Oh, right,” as if remembering something, Zhu Yan gently clapped his hands and smiled at Er’er. “The idea of binding the Celestial Divination Master and Taihe’s souls together was mine. I thought that with Taihe’s life as a counterbalance, you would spare the Celestial Way. I never expected… is Taihe Xianshi still well?”

Er’er clenched her hand.

She had originally wanted to question Zhu Yan about how he had schemed with Bie Ji and how he had deceived Li Ye, but now, with rage burning within her, she only wanted to kill him.

“Your soul will not return to heaven and earth,” Er’er formed a seal, enunciating each word as she looked at him. “You will scatter and never find peace.”

Zhu Yan smiled lightly, seeing her spiritual power approach, and still raised his hand to block.

He was a True Lord, while Er’er was merely a Celestial Immortal.

However, as expected, this Celestial Immortal’s spiritual power easily broke through his defensive barrier and violently penetrated his divine soul.

Intense white light illuminated half the sky.

Crack—

The essence core on the table shattered.

Within the white light, Zhu Yan moved his eyeballs and, before his last breath, laughed hoarsely: “One final gift for you.”

“Didn’t you want to save all living beings? I want all these living beings to die because of you.”

As the last word fell, Zhu Yan’s three hun and seven po souls exploded, scattering countless fragments, along with his essence core, down upon the Nine Heavens.

Er’er hadn’t anticipated this. She was shielded by a red robe, protecting her from his soul fragments, but his words made her scalp tingle.

A mere True Lord, even using soul fragments as weapons, how many could he harm?

She clutched Li Ye’s sleeve, feeling somewhat bewildered and uneasy.

Li Ye looked at his soul fragments with half-closed eyes and waved his sleeve to send divine fire to burn them. But they were too scattered; even the great divine fire missed some, which fell to the mortal realm.

He suddenly felt weary.

Those who should have died had died, and those who shouldn’t have had also died. This farce in the Nine Heavens seemed to have no end in sight.

Zhong Su and Zhong You were still leading people in a standoff with the Immortal Gates of the Nine Heavens. Countless broken divine souls were being burned by divine fire, emitting an unpleasant smell. The ten directions of the cloud sea were filled with holes, and bodies and remnant souls were falling to the mortal realm like rain.

When immortals die, the mortal world falls into chaos.

The mortal realm began to suffer endless warfare and plagues. Mortals who died became wandering spirits, drawn up to the Nine Heavens to continue the slaughter. It wasn’t until news of the Celestial Divination Master’s death spread to every corner that the various immortal gates gradually began to cease fighting.

That was already four months later.

For four months, Er’er watched helplessly as the Nine Heavens transformed into the netherworld, unable to do anything.

Li Ye had sent her to the Queen Mother of the West’s immortal island, perhaps wanting her to see and worry less, but whenever Er’er closed her eyes, she knew clearly what was about to happen outside.

“The world has already fallen into chaos,” the Queen Mother of the West sat before her, sighing softly. “There are no changing seasons, no rain or snow, no sunny days. In a few more years, nothing will remain.”