“Jiuyou?” Yan Zhen felt a spark of surprise. “When did you get here?”
Jiu Youyue sauntered over to her lover and stopped in front of him, smiling playfully.
“Of course, I’ve been here for a while~ I’ve been waiting for you all this time.”
Yan Zhen looked her up and down.
“Are you okay? What’s the situation with the Evil Consort? Is she still keeping tabs on me?”
It had been nearly half a year since Jiu Youyue had sent him that message, and the Evil Consort hadn’t made a single move. Yan Zhen suspected that Jiu Youyue must have done something to stall her.
But then the demoness grinned mischievously.
“Why wouldn’t she be? I came here this time specifically to capture you and take you back.”
Yan Zhen was taken aback.
“The Evil Consort sent you to catch me? Just you alone?”
“Mm-hmm, isn’t one of me enough?”
“What star Mystic Ancestor are you now?”
“Guess~”
“No guesses. Doesn’t matter how many stars—it’d take a Mystic Venerable to have a shot.”
Yan Zhen crossed his arms over his chest, looking smug.
Jiu Youyue shot him a sideways glance.
“So you became the Saint Son, big deal. Look at that cocky attitude. Still underestimating me? I’m pretty amazing, you know~”
Yan Zhen waved her off.
“Fine, fine, I’ll drop it. So how do you plan to report back on the mission? You can’t just say you failed to catch me—the Evil Consort would definitely punish you for that.”
“Little Zhen Zhen’s worried about me? That makes me so happy~”
“Ahem, let’s talk business. Stop beating around the bush.”
Yan Zhen sat down on the rooftop. Seeing this, Jiu Youyue joined him, settling at his side.
He couldn’t help but glance over. The demoness’s snowy-smooth calves extended straight from beneath her knee-length skirt, her delicate feet clad in crystal-studded high heels, her toenails painted black. The sight was utterly seductive and captivating.
“Do they look good, Little Zhen Zhen?”
Yan Zhen quickly averted his gaze and said seriously,
“Has the Evil Consort fully recovered yet?”
“Not quite.” Jiu Youyue smiled faintly. “She’s just a little short, but it should be soon.”
“She didn’t suspect you, did she?”
“Dummy, if she did, she wouldn’t have sent me to catch you.”
“You can’t be sure. What if it’s a trap? Maybe she sent other secondary bodies too, watching from the shadows. My master said the Evil Consort’s third secondary body excels at concealment and illusions.”
The Evil Consort’s three secondary bodies corresponded to her essence, qi, and spirit.
Jiu Youyue was the qi secondary body, inheriting the Evil Consort’s mystic power—her Yin Mystic Power could even transform into Death Mystic Force.
The bloody loli he’d encountered before, the Infant Spirit, was the essence secondary body, inheriting the Evil Consort’s Evil God Bloodline and wielding Blood Mystic Power.
The final spirit secondary body, Yan Zhen hadn’t seen yet, but according to the script, it was a shadow-like existence—like those black shadow figures from Death Note—named the Faceless Woman. She inherited the Evil Consort’s dark will and used Desire Mystic Power.
The three women had vastly different personalities. Jiu Youyue seemed sly and flirtatious but harbored inner gloom, yearning for freedom. The Infant Spirit was cold-blooded and ruthless yet cowardly; if she realized she couldn’t win, she’d flee without a second thought, never even considering a desperate fight. The Faceless Woman was a perverted stalker who loved voyeurism and tailing targets—once she locked on, you could never shake her.
She would simply kill the target or devour their soul as a snack, or bottle the soul in a gourd as a collector’s item.
Jiu Youyue remained unperturbed by Yan Zhen’s words and continued leisurely,
“The Infant Spirit and Faceless Woman are off on missions elsewhere—they didn’t come. Relax. Being this cautious isn’t like you, Little Zhen Zhen. Did that message from before really spook you that badly?”
Yan Zhen pursed his lips.
“I wasn’t spooked. A wise man knows when to avoid immediate trouble. I can’t beat the Evil Consort yet, so of course I steer clear!”
“Jialan Fairy is a reincarnator too—she must have given you plenty of protective talismans. And with Master Chen Xi and the Fire Refining Starry Sky helping out, you don’t need to be that nervous. The Evil Consort is powerful, sure, but she’s not omnipotent. Plus, I’ve been working things from the shadows on your behalf~”
“Better safe than sorry! Once I subdue the Solar Essence Flame, I’ll head straight back to the holy land and lay low. Let others handle the rest. I won’t give the Evil Consort any chance to get me!”
Jiu Youyue narrowed her eyes at that, pondered for a moment, and said,
“That’s too soon—I won’t be able to make my report.”
“That’s why I’m discussing it with you, isn’t it?” Yan Zhen gave the demoness a look. “You tease but won’t spill the details.”
“Don’t get mad. I was just about to tell you, wasn’t I?”
“Go on, I’m listening.”
Jiu Youyue blinked and lowered her voice.
“We can put on a little show. After the beast tide hits, you join in suppressing the Beast Venerable. Then, in the chaos, fake your death to fool both sides. That solves two problems at once—the Evil Consort stops hounding you, and I complete my mission smoothly! What do you think, Little Zhen Zhen? Great idea, right?”
Here it comes—the classic fake death ploy.
Yan Zhen grumbled inwardly but put on a thoughtful expression.
“Faking death works, but we can’t hide it from Cai Lian, Xian’er, and Long Ying. I’m worried they wouldn’t handle the shock.”
“Sister She Ji and the others are completely trustworthy. We can tell them or not—even better, we could have them play along to make the act more convincing.”
“Not bad, not bad.”
“Then it’s settled.” Jiu Youyue stood, brushing the dust from her skirt, and gazed at the starless night sky. “If I remember right, the Solar Essence Flame will descend before dawn. Get ready in advance, Little Zhen Zhen.”
“Are you leaving already, Jiuyou?” Yan Zhen rose as well. “Cai Lian and the others are right in the courtyard—don’t you want to say hi?”
“Better not. With big sis not here, I’ll move freely. I’ll help you from the shadows when the time comes, so just charge ahead boldly, Little Zhen Zhen.”
“Alright.”
“See ya~ Bye, muah~”
She blew him a flying kiss, then Jiu Youyue melted into a wisp of black shadow, blending seamlessly into the pitch-black night sky and vanishing.
Yan Zhen stood in the night breeze, watching the direction she’d gone, lingering there for a long while before climbing down from the roof and returning to his room.
He shut the window, and his face immediately darkened. His fists clenched involuntarily, the knuckles cracking.
It had been half a year since he’d last seen Jiu Youyue. Their reunion was so brief—not even a hug or a kiss. Did she really think he was too stupid to notice?
Yet the aura emanating from her was unmistakably Jiu Youyue’s. Even the Evil Spirit Dragon Breath Fire Seed he’d planted inside her was still there. Not even the Faceless Woman could fake that, could she?
“Jiuyou…”
Yan Zhen was certain: something had happened to Jiu Youyue.
“I have to save her.”
He took a deep breath to calm himself and glanced at the Star Shifting Fire Seal in his hand. After a moment’s thought, he decided not to activate it.
Outside.
Jiu Youyue, who had just left, had somehow returned unnoticed. Shrouded in darkness, she hovered silently in the void, watching Yan Zhen’s room.
At the same time, high above in the distant sky, hidden within spatial rifts, the Dead City.
Deep within God Mountain, in an ancient and grand stone palace, the Evil Consort lounged on her Skeleton Throne. A light screen projected before her displayed Yan Zhen’s current figure.
She narrowed her pitch-black beautiful eyes, dark flames flickering at the corners. She could see the Fire Refining Starry Sky on him, as well as the White Lotus Mark planted by Jialan Fairy.
To capture Yan Zhen smoothly, she needed to erase the White Lotus Mark and pull him away from the Fire Refining Starry Sky.
That was why she hadn’t made a direct move yet.
“Xing Chenxi, and Jialan—no matter what, you won’t protect him forever. Hmph, this palace will make you all regret it!”
