Chapter 48: Go With the Flow, Overthinking Is Useless
Li Yu felt that this world wasn’t very friendly towards her.
She knew so little about it, yet constantly encountered situations where “she” was supposed to know things, like being slapped in the face with facts.
And after being slapped, she couldn’t even react.
After a brief silence, Li Yu took a deep breath and tried to recover. “Actually, I’ve suspected this for a while, but I didn’t think it was possible…”
Xiang Hanyu suddenly realized, “So you were asking those questions to confirm your suspicions?”
“Indeed,” Li Yu breathed a sigh of relief.
Having a high status was convenient; any random statement would be interpreted favorably.
Xiang Hanyu: “Unfortunately, I don’t know much about him either…”
Li Yu: “Don’t blame yourself, he’s very secretive.”
Xiang Hanyu: “Do you really suspect that the black-robed figure is that fallen ancient god?”
Li Yu didn’t answer, just frowned and fell into deep thought.
The black robes, the stellar power, the fallen god, the battle four thousand years ago.
Xiang Hanyu’s words contained a lot of information; she needed to process it.
In her memory, the battle four thousand years ago was just a brief backstory.
Simply put, the Heavenly Demon was revived four thousand years ago.
At that time, the last ancient god protected the world, leading the other immortals and gods to defeat the Heavenly Demon and seal its soul fragment within the Upper Spirit Lamp.
After this battle, the ancient god’s power was completely depleted, his soul nearing its end.
Knowing he could no longer protect the world, he entrusted the Upper Spirit Lamp and a world-protecting artifact to “Li Yu.”
Since then, “Li Yu” had kept the Lamp sealed within Suiqiong Cave on Mount Chao Yao.
None of this mentioned that the Heavenly Demon in that battle was also an ancient god.
But speaking of fallen gods, she remembered the shadow puppet show Qin Yuan had organized.
In that story, an ancient god, driven by resentment, fell into darkness and was ultimately slain by other gods and immortals, his name forever tarnished.
The story didn’t mention the Heavenly Demon, nor when it happened. She had dismissed it as a fictional tale, never imagining it was based on a true story.
In the world of Demon Bone, ancient gods were true gods who survived the brutal primordial war between gods and demons, each one incredibly powerful, always ready to sacrifice themselves for the world.
Now, it seemed Qin Yuan was right; when one’s power reached a certain level, the line between god and demon was indeed thin.
But if the only one who could control stellar energy was the ancient god who became the Heavenly Demon four thousand years ago, then who was the black-robed figure manipulating the resentment in the human realm?
Could it be that the ancient god hadn’t truly died, that he had a contingency plan, waiting for the right moment to return?
That seemed unlikely.
In this novel’s setting, even immortals and gods weren’t immortal.
The reason the ancient gods fell was because of their long lifespans, reaching their limits.
When their lifespan ended, but they were still alive, it was called “burning the candle.”
During this period, their power would gradually fade, and when it was extinguished, their souls would dissipate.
The ancient god in the story, resorting to the Heavenly Demon’s power to avoid this fate, must have been in this “burning the candle” phase.
Now, four thousand years later, even if he hadn’t truly died and had a contingency plan, it seemed impossible for him to survive with his injuries, avoid detection, endure the “burning candle” phase, and still have the energy to cause trouble.
If that were true, this ancient god would be so powerful that even the other fallen gods would be astonished.
However, nothing was impossible.
Logically, the black-robed figure couldn’t be that ancient god.
But this was a novel; if the author wanted it to be true, they could simply make it so.
So, he both couldn’t be and could be that ancient god.
This was too much!
She couldn’t think about it anymore; it was giving her a headache!
Li Yu closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
Go with the flow, overthinking is useless.
What was destined to happen would happen; what she tried to avoid might be unavoidable.
There was a saying, “A road will appear when the cart reaches the mountain, a boat will find its way when it reaches the bridge.”
It was just an NPC, why obsess over his identity?
As the main storyline progressed, she would eventually find out, wouldn’t she?
Thinking this, she pushed all those puzzling thoughts aside.
As she opened her eyes, she met Mu Tao’s worried gaze.
Li Yu couldn’t help but ask, “What’s wrong?”
Mu Tao: “Master seems troubled, yet I can’t do anything to help.”
Li Yu was momentarily speechless, unsure how to comfort her.
She had thought Mu Tao was afraid, afraid of the black-robed figure, afraid of not being able to retrieve the Upper Spirit Lamp, afraid of the Heavenly Demon’s revival and Mount Chao Yao being held accountable.
If that were the case, she could offer reassurance, but now, she didn’t know what to say.
After a long silence, Li Yu gently took Mu Tao’s cold hands in hers. “You are helping me.”
Mu Tao: “…Huh?”
Li Yu: “Just being by my side, facing these things with me, is helping me.”
Mu Tao’s eyes widened. “Really?”
Li Yu smiled and nodded.
She wasn’t just saying this to appease her; she meant it.
Mu Tao always felt inadequate, unable to contribute, especially now that she wasn’t needed for finding the Upper Spirit Lamp. She was probably starting to feel useless again.
But Li Yu never saw her as a burden.
Initially, forced into this role, her mind had been consumed by character compatibility.
Only after the City of the Undying incident did she start appreciating this world.
This world wasn’t so bad, the mountains, the water, the people around her, they were all good.
But the best part was undoubtedly Mu Tao.
Mu Tao was the source of her security in this world.
As long as Mu Tao was by her side, she felt protected by the protagonist’s halo, fearless.
Without Mu Tao, she wouldn’t want to continue this main storyline.
If, initially, she had only been trying to appease Mu Tao for survival,
Now, she genuinely liked Mu Tao more and more.
She enjoyed the little girl’s constant companionship, her cooking, her sweet greetings, and the feeling of being needed.
In this chaotic world, she had once been completely powerless, yet this little girl trusted her, cared for her, valued her, and always prioritized her well-being.
Wasn’t it natural to like such an adorable, devoted girl?
As Li Yu was lost in these thoughts, Mu Tao snuggled into her arms.
Li Yu smiled and gently stroked Mu Tao’s hair.
Perhaps not having slept well the previous night, Mu Tao quickly closed her eyes in her arms.
Xiang Hanyu watched them, lost in thought.
Time passed, the little girl in her arms dozing and waking, shifting positions.
Just as Li Yu was starting to feel sleepy, Xiang Hanyu suddenly stood up. Li Yu stifled a yawn, her slightly teary eyes staring at her.
“Someone is coming,” Xiang Hanyu said, transforming into a grayish-brown bird and flying away.
Mu Tao, hearing the movement, woke up groggily, rubbing her eyes.
Seeing her messy hair, Li Yu instinctively smoothed it out.
Soon, Xiang Hanyu returned.
The little bird flapped its wings excitedly. “Human cultivators! Exalted God, can we leave now?”
Li Yu nodded and helped the sleepy Mu Tao stand up.
She glanced at the resentment in the sky, seeing that it was no longer as intense, and summoned the crane.
The crane seemed more stable than before; it seemed they wouldn’t have to walk back. Li Yu was relieved.
Although Xiang Hanyu was eager to leave, Li Yu waited.
After months of absence, the imperial cultivators returned to the City of the Undying.
They saw the shattered altar and the remnants of the formation.
They brushed away the deep snow, seemingly searching for the remains of their fallen comrade, but found nothing.
“The resentment here is too strong, it devours everything.” The grayish-brown bird said in a low voice, its eyes unfocused. “Without spiritual energy protection, nothing remains after ten days.”
Li Yu frowned and sighed softly.
So that’s why they hadn’t found any bodies when they arrived.
It didn’t matter.
At least this time, the souls of the deceased weren’t trapped here anymore.
“Let’s go,” Li Yu said softly, no longer lingering.
Weisheng Xuanzhu had said that the human realm had its own tribulations.
Si Qinglan had also said that even with the power of an ancient god, one couldn’t save everyone.
She told herself that the City of the Undying incident, though influenced by the black-robed figure, ultimately stemmed from human resentment.
Now, after three hundred years, the Huai cultivators had finally returned. They should handle the rest themselves.
She had more important matters to attend to.
Now, it was time to go to Lingzhou.
The little bird was already waiting impatiently.
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