It was also Ruyi’s fault for reacting too quickly at the time. Not only did she dodge Puhua’s sword by sidestepping, but she also chipped his blade, and the divine power that instinctively surged out nearly knocked Puhua completely over.

With so many disciples watching, a cultivator of over ten thousand years nearly being injured by a disciple with only one thousand years of experience—naturally, Puhua couldn’t save face. He immediately punished her with a month of confinement. When Ruyi emerged, he continuously sent her and Shen Qiyuan on life-threatening missions.

Ruyi hadn’t harbored resentment, only thinking this master was somewhat petty.

But she never imagined that this person would take revenge on her mother city!

“Aren’t you a divine cultivator?” she asked through gritted teeth. “How can a divine cultivator harm mortals?”

“Who told you I harmed mortals?” Puhua snorted with laughter, spitting out half a mouthful of bloody foam. “The one who betrayed you and opened the city gates—wasn’t that Qingli?”

Qingli.

Hearing this name again, Ruyi still felt her heart pierced by knives.

That was someone who could break off more than half of her only fruit to share during a great famine, someone who had weathered heavenly tribulation with her and sworn to be close friends for thousands upon thousands of years. Yet in her most difficult moment, she chose to stab her in the back.

Ruyi had also asked her why. Qingli had lifted her head and said only one sentence: “I should be the supreme god.”

She had been too angry at the time and hadn’t thought carefully about why she had to betray her to become a god. Now, suddenly hearing this name again from Puhua’s mouth, Ruyi suddenly understood.

“It was you?” She had a sudden realization, yet was somewhat puzzled. “Even you could make her become a god?”

Puhua shook his head with a sneer: “I couldn’t, but I didn’t break my word either. She opened the city gates, so I let her ascend to the Nine Heavens in an illusion. When she died, she was still shouting, saying she finally didn’t have to live in your shadow, finally could surpass you and be herself again.”

Ruyi’s pupils contracted sharply.

Seeing that her emotions weren’t right, Shen Qiyuan quickly shouted in a low voice: “Don’t fall for his scheme!”

Having just regained her original body, the demonic and divine powers within her were already clashing violently. Puhua was trying to provoke her into complete qi deviation.

Ruyi didn’t want to be fooled, but these old grievances had always been a deadly knot in her heart. When suddenly touched, the scenes in her mind were like a stack of papers blown by the wind, rustling as they flew up and slowly fell.

“You can go to Qidou Mountain? How wonderful. I heard there are divine beings who’ve cultivated for ten thousand years there… Perhaps, could you take me along?”

“If not, that’s fine too. It’s because my cultivation isn’t sufficient. Ruyi, I’m very happy for you.”

“With me watching over them, you can cultivate with peace of mind. Whether it’s thousands or tens of thousands of years, I’ll protect them well.”

“It’s been so long since I’ve heard my name. They always call me ‘Ruyi’s friend.'”

“How much longer before I can go to Qidou Mountain to find you?”

…

Countless scenes flashed by, finally freezing on her upturned, delicate face. Qingli no longer smiled at her, her eyes dark and heavy, as if covered by a layer of ash. Behind her were the flames rising in her mother city and the fresh blood flowing beneath countless bodies.

Ruyi’s eyes turned blood-red.

She suddenly struck out, grasping Puhua’s vital point. Her long nails could take his life in just an instant.

“Your divine bone is still in my hands,” Puhua suddenly spoke. “If you dare kill me, I’ll drag you down to eternal damnation with me.”

Ruyi sneered coldly: “It’s just one divine bone. I don’t need it if I don’t need it.”

But Shen Qiyuan suddenly grasped her wrist, gently shaking his head: “Calm down.”

Missing that section of divine bone, her original body couldn’t be complete. Whether cultivating divinity or demonhood, she would never be able to advance again. Moreover, her three souls and seven spirits had just recovered—if the divine bone at her vital point were destroyed, she might not be able to withstand it.

“Give you the divine bone, let me go,” Puhua said lazily, not bothering to look at Liu Ruyi, speaking directly to Shen Qiyuan.

Shen Qiyuan asked in a deep voice: “Why should I trust you?”

Puhua raised his hand. In the distance, a circle of light appeared, and within the flowing radiance, Ruyi’s final section of divine bone was displayed.

Ruyi turned around, wanting to snatch it.

Puhua’s hand tightened, and her steps immediately faltered.

“Release me, and it’s yours,” Puhua said. “Otherwise, you won’t get even a speck of residue.”

Ruyi pursed her lips, glanced at Shen Qiyuan, who nodded slightly, indicating she should come closer.

“Deal,” he said to Puhua.

Puhua nodded.

“Three, two, one.”

The moment Shen Qiyuan finished saying “one,” Ruyi quickly struck to reclaim that final section of divine bone and suddenly turned around, joining forces with him to try to capture the man again.

Puhua was already prepared. The moment his hands behind his back loosened, he transformed into a wisp of smoke, disappearing without a trace in the blink of an eye.

Ruyi stamped her foot in frustration.

“Don’t worry,” Shen Qiyuan raised his hand, tidying her slightly disheveled hair knot. “He’s committed countless evil deeds. Even if he escaped, he can’t avoid heavenly punishment.”

Dual divine-demonic cultivation was forbidden by heavenly law, not to mention that he had also harmed divine cultivators and instigated mortal warfare. What Puhua most wanted was to climb to the position of Emperor Lord, but after today, forget about Emperor Lord—he couldn’t even preserve his Divine Lord position.

Ruyi nodded. She didn’t put that final piece of divine bone into her body. Looking at the tooth marks on it, she handed it to Shen Qiyuan.

“I’ll wait for you in Nine Rivers Commandery,” she said.

Shen Qiyuan understood.

With Supreme Lord and the others all present, Ruyi’s current situation was somewhat inappropriate to appear before them. Only he could take the evidence to testify against Puhua.

The battle below was still ongoing, but mostly because the Demon King had already fled in defeat. The remaining demons were no longer persistent about crossing the river to attack the city, so the pressure on the formation gradually lessened.

Song Zhenshan finally had time to speak: “What happened? Did you catch the Demon King?”

Shen Qiyuan descended into the courtyard with the divine bone, looking at him with puzzlement: “Didn’t you see just now?”

“See what?” Song Zhenshan said. “As soon as you left, thick fog arose in this formation. Lord Song and several superior gods barely managed to stabilize the formation.”

His heart sinking, Shen Qiyuan frowned: “Fog arose as soon as I left?”

“Yes.” Song Zhenshan saw that his expression wasn’t right and quickly turned to the Supreme Lord: “You several lords, please speak up.”

“It was very thick fog,” the Supreme Lord said, retracting his aching hands. “Down here we could only hear some sounds but couldn’t see clearly what was happening above you.”

Shen Qiyuan quickly took out the divine bone: “This is Liu Ruyi’s divine bone from years past, entrusted to the Demon King. But just now, I obtained it from Divine Lord Puhua’s hands and discovered that Puhua is the Demon King.”

Several immortals gathered around to look at the divine bone, and couldn’t help but question: “How can this alone determine that this is the bone Liu Ruyi gave the Demon King back then?”

“There’s evidence here.” Shen Qiyuan found the tooth marks on it and explained the origins.

Supreme Lord nodded: “This mortal demon disaster came strangely and fiercely. We must immediately return to the Nine Heavens to report. Since there’s such a matter, we’ll go report together.”

“Thank you all.” Shen Qiyuan handed the divine bone to them.