Chapter 111
Prince Can’s lifelong dream was to steal someone else’s destiny and ascend to immortality. But Wei Jie, although a demon now, was far from achieving that.
The Dongyuan Emperor, however, having returned… he was a ripe fruit, ready to be plucked!
As the ink on the letter materialized, revealing its contents, Wei Jie read it aloud, his voice laced with a chilling calm. “As you suspected, he’s offering us an alliance. He claims the Dongyuan Emperor’s divine power core is weakened, that he’s planning to open the gates of the underworld, to unleash those creatures upon the Demon City. He’s offering us a warning to protect the innocent.”
“How dare he?!” Xiao Xiao gasped.
She was referring to the Dongyuan Emperor, avoiding his name, lest he sense their conversation.
Wei Jie’s eyes narrowed. “He’ll do whatever it takes. His reputation in the mortal realm is tarnished. He needs a crisis, a chance to prove his worth, to redeem himself.”
Xiao Xiao, thinking of the demons, finally settling into their new home, murmured, “Is this war inevitable?”
If it happened, it wouldn’t just be the demons who suffered. The Wei family, the entire world… they would all be caught in the crossfire.
They looked up at the sky, wondering if the deities, in their celestial palaces, were even aware of the brewing storm.
Exhausted, Xiao Xiao drifted off to sleep.
She slept soundly, and when she woke up, Wei Jie was gone.
She found him by the river, under the moonlight, the Feng Shui mirror in his hand.
Had the mirror revealed something?
She rushed to his side, but the mirror’s surface was blank, reflecting only his face, his expression unreadable.
“What is it?” she asked, her voice laced with concern. “Did you see the Lingshan Talisman Sect again?”
He turned to her, his voice calm and steady. “Just testing it. No luck tonight.”
She studied him, her gaze searching. “Are you hiding something from me?”
He smiled. “What is it? Are you expecting me to confess that I saw a beautiful celestial fairy in the mirror?”
His teasing tone reassured her. But before she could respond, he pulled her close, his arms tightening around her.
She looked up at him, her brow furrowed. “What’s wrong?”
He caressed her cheek, his touch gentle. “Nothing… We’re not far from Qilao Mountain. My uncle is bringing reinforcements to guard your ancestor’s home. Stay here with him. I’m going back to the Demon City. Just to… make sure the Dongyuan Emperor hasn’t… left any surprises.”
He was acting strange. But if he didn’t want to talk, she couldn’t force him.
They were parting ways again, their separation, this time, brief.
Before he left, she offered him a bowl of sweet tofu pudding she had made.
He ate it in one gulp, then asked, his voice low, “If we were separated for a longer period of time… could you bear it?”
She thought about it. “A few months maybe. But any longer… I would forget what you look like. Don’t be gone too long. Come back to me soon.”
His expression darkened, and he pulled her close, his lips capturing hers, his kiss fierce, possessive. “Don’t worry,” he murmured, his voice husky, his words both a promise and a reassurance. “I’ll remember you.”
He gave her one last look, then turned and walked away.
She watched him go, her gaze lingering on his retreating figure, her thoughts drifting. Madam Hu, her ancestor’s wife, returning from a mushroom-gathering expedition, saw her, her expression curious.
“Are you married?” she asked.
Xiao Xiao blushed. “Not yet… His mother is not not here. And I have no family. We haven’t had a ceremony yet.”
Madam Hu frowned, shaking her head. “If you’re not married, you shouldn’t be separated for long periods of time. Men get lonely. Why don’t you go with him?”
Xiao Xiao thought, “If I leave, my entire family line might be erased.”
She smiled. “Don’t worry. I trust him.”
Madam Hu, seeing her unwavering faith, sighed, shaking her head, then walked away.
Xiao Xiao turned back, but Wei Jie was gone, his figure swallowed by the vast expanse of green fields, stretching towards the horizon…
Meanwhile, in the celestial realm, Rong Yao, looking at the Mirror Lake Fairy, her body covered in burns, frowned. “What?” she asked, her voice sharp. “They were there? Wei Jie and Cui Xiao Xiao? How did they know?”
The Mirror Lake Fairy, her soul inhabiting a carp, had attempted to create an “accident,” freezing the water on the steps, hoping to injure Xiao Xiao’s ancestor.
But Xiao Xiao had arrived, boiling the spring, her attack injuring the fairy’s soul, her true body suffering as a consequence.
Injured, she couldn’t remain in the mortal realm. She had returned to report her failure.
“They must have been warned,” Rong Yao said, her voice cold, her eyes narrowed.
The Mirror Lake Fairy gasped. “Who would dare defy you?”
Rong Yao hadn’t anticipated Cui Xiao Xiao’s resilience. She was like a cockroach, impossible to kill.
As long as she existed, her presence a disruption, the timeline, the future… it would remain altered.
A wave of unease washed over her.
The situation in the mortal realm was becoming increasingly unpredictable. Dongyuan’s presence there… it was a risk.
“Summon him back,” she said, her voice firm. “Activate the Guiding Light. Bring him back to the heavens.”
The Mirror Lake Fairy hesitated. “He might not be able to return… And… I returned through the Clear Pool. I noticed the divine axe, the one sealed in the lotus pond… it’s gone.”
Rong Yao, usually calm and composed, stood abruptly, her voice sharp. “The axe is missing?!”
The axe, a powerful weapon, used by the Heavenly Emperor to conquer the realms, its power immense, its aura bloodthirsty… he had sealed it in the pond, its energy cleansed by the celestial waters, after uniting the realms.
When he had entered seclusion, the palace had become hers.
She had filled the pond with carp, their spirits awakened, their task – guarding the axe.
And the Mirror Lake Fairy, upon her return from the mortal realm, seeking to heal her soul, had discovered its absence.
But the palace was heavily guarded. How could it simply… vanish?
She summoned the guards, and they revealed that Dongyuan, before descending to the mortal realm, had spent a significant amount of time by the pond.
She looked into the pond, her gaze falling upon a fake axe, its surface dull. She lifted it with her divine power, and before she could even touch it, it crumbled, turning to sand.
She recognized the trick. He had taken the real axe.
She knew her son’s nature, his recklessness, but this… it was beyond anything she had anticipated.
What was he planning, with that axe, capable of splitting mountains, diverting rivers?
“Summon him back!” she said, her voice laced with urgency. “Now!”
They obeyed, but soon returned, their faces etched with worry. “Queen Mother… he’s not responding. He refuses to return.”
Her hands clenched, her nails digging into her palms.
His previous actions, his petty schemes… she could ignore them.
But this… to wield the Heavenly Emperor’s axe… it was an act of defiance, a transgression that could have dire consequences.
She couldn’t allow him to continue down this path.
She dismissed her attendants, announcing her intention to enter seclusion, her orders clear – she was not to be disturbed.
Meanwhile, outside the Demon City, the Dongyuan Emperor, his gaze fixed on the rising walls, his expression grim, contemplated his next move.
The Demon City, restored, its people empowered by their Saint… they were a threat to the heavens.
The Heavenly Emperor was in seclusion. There would be no celestial army to crush them. But he had a plan.
He looked at the axe in his hand. It was small now, but with a surge of divine power, it could become a weapon of mass destruction, capable of even splitting the Fan Mountains, breaching the barrier, unleashing the creatures of the underworld.
Prince Can, approaching him, his voice a low murmur, asked, “Divine Lord, you said you could open the gates of the underworld. When will you do it?”
The Dongyuan Emperor glanced at him, his voice laced with amusement. “Are you impatient? To unleash those creatures… it would cause untold suffering. Your dynasty lifespan might be even shorter than predicted.”
Prince Can bowed. “You are a true deity, your compassion boundless, your wisdom vast… To eliminate the Demon City, to protect the world… a few sacrifices are necessary.”
The Dongyuan Emperor smiled. “As expected of a former emperor. You understand the importance of sacrifice.”
He paused, his smile widening. “Tell me, Prince Can, in your eyes… am I necessary?”
His question, its implication clear, sent a chill down Prince Can’s spine. But he maintained his composure, his smile unwavering. “In the original timeline, I would have ascended by now, taking Wei Jie’s place. But now with everything changed… my only hope lies with you.”
His words, although flattering, were laced with a hint of defiance. He stared at the Dongyuan Emperor, his eyes narrowed.
This deity was cunning, a master manipulator. He had stolen two hundred years from the Great Qi dynasty. Had he discovered his secret, his attempts to contact Wei Jie?
But if he knew and he remained silent… didn’t it mean he was weakened, afraid of confrontation?
Prince Can relaxed slightly.
They were both in the mortal realm now, their powers limited. Their fates… they were in their own hands.
He looked at the Demon City, his gaze cold. Wei Jie and Cui Xiao Xiao… they were fools, refusing his offer of an alliance. They didn’t understand the art of manipulation, the shifting tides of power…
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