Long Ying panicked at once:
“Yan Zhen Zhen!”
She tried to rush over but was blocked by the Sea God Clan puppet.
The Heavenly Gu Elder burst into laughter:
“Kid, this is what you get for ruining my plans—die devoured by ten thousand gu!”
A mere Mystic Lord couldn’t resist his Heart-Devouring Gu. In moments, Yan Zhen would be done for.
“You stinky old man!”
Even knowing it was a fake Yan Zhen, Long Ying was furious. She rampaged like a little bull, hammering the Sea God Clan puppet into steady retreat.
The Heavenly Gu Elder sneered coldly, about to poison the Mystic Ancestor loli brute as well, when a chill hit him from behind. Before he could react, two massive mystic power palms clamped in from both sides, slapping him brutally away.
Cai Lian and Yi Xian’er had finally made their move.
They knew Yan Zhen carried the lotus root substitute from the Jialan Fairy, good for one sacrificial death, but the sight still rattled them. Their counterattack was ferocious.
Though only at the Mystic Ancestor Realm, they had been top-tier Mystic Saints in their past lives. Executing Venerable Mystic Techniques came naturally, leaving the Heavenly Gu Elder with almost no room to fight back.
The Solar Essence Flame had quieted the Taiyin Primordial Fire, impairing even his gu worms’ ability to threaten the women effectively. Meanwhile, the enraged Long Ying pummeled the Sea God Clan puppet black-and-blue, breaking its bones only for them to knit back together—again and again—with no chance to retaliate!
How could the Heavenly Gu Elder not realize he’d been tricked?
—”Where’s that kid? Don’t tell me he actually died?”
He glanced at Yan Zhen’s corpse. Feedback from the gu worms inside confirmed the boy was indeed dead, leaving him baffled.
What was going on? Had the kid really died? Had they plotted to kill him but botched the timing, capsizing in the gutter?
Seeing the three women’s fury, the Heavenly Gu Elder grew convinced of his theory!
—Good riddance!
He had an Incarnation Gu; he could revive even after death. It would cost him dearly, but trading one life for one wasn’t a bad deal!
Just then, the Snow Spirit Peak Fifth Elder and Chief Bing Tang arrived one after another. They spotted the familiar corpse at the fire pit’s bottom and froze like they’d been struck by lightning, minds blank.
“His Highness the Holy Son!”
Chief Bing Tang dove down frantically, landing beside the body. She reached to lift him and check if he could be saved—only for countless gu worms to burst from his chest cavity in a torrent.
His heart was completely devoured, the cavity empty. There was no surviving that.
“You bastard!”
The Fifth Elder flew into a thunderous rage and joined the battle. His potent Ice Mystic Force was weakened by the Solar Essence Flame, but still enough to make the Heavenly Gu Elder pay dearly.
Under the siege of three powerhouses, the old poisoner couldn’t hold out long. Soon enough, he burst apart.
On the other side, Long Ying had smashed the Sea God Clan puppet into scrap and kicked it flying.
With that, the battle ended. The Heavenly Gu Elder’s body was destroyed, but killing him for good would require tracking down his lair.
Chief Bing Tang froze Yan Zhen’s corpse, her expression heavy. The Fifth Elder beat his chest in regret, beside himself:
“How could this happen? How could this happen!”
Chief Bing Tang said gravely:
“We can’t let this get out for now. Say His Highness the Holy Son was only injured. Take his body back to the holy land first, and let the Holy Lord decide.”
Cai Lian and Yi Xian’er kept their heads down, silent—worried an unconvincing show of grief might give them away. Long Ying, meanwhile, darted her eyes around, searching for the real Yan Zhen Zhen.
The man in question was deep at the fire pit’s center, summoning the Great Crimson Heaven Flame, Wind-Thunder Crystal Fire, Evil Spirit Dragon Breath Flame, and Rootless Earth Spirit Fire—four big scary gangsters—to intimidate the Solar Essence Flame into coming quietly.
Freshly separated from its mother, the Solar Essence Flame was still just a child. Surrounded by the four toughs, it whimpered in fright and burrowed straight into the Fire Refining Starry Sky.
After the Fire Seed had been subdued, the surrounding flames were no longer as vigorous. They would probably burn themselves out in another three to five days.
Jiuyou, who had been concealing her aura, narrowed her eyes at the sight. Suddenly, she spoke up.
“The power of the Fire Refining Starry Sky is truly wondrous. It can suppress all sorts of Extreme Flames and make them obey… Come to think of it, I don’t believe I’ve ever taken a proper look. Little Zhen Zhen, mind if I take a peek?”
Yan Zhen shook his head.
“Let’s get out of here first. Sticking around any longer risks blowing our cover.”
“Fair enough. Let’s go, then.”
Jiu Youyue snapped her fingers. Moonlight enveloped the two of them, and they vanished from the spot. By the time they reappeared, they were back in the small courtyard of the City Lord’s Mansion.
This was Coordinate Teleportation, a spatial ability exclusive to Mystic Venerable experts. It required preset coordinates, and those coordinates could not be moved.
Only those in the Supreme Realm could perform mobile coordinate teleportation. For instance, the Yu Shizun could always pinpoint Yan Zhen’s location because she had planted a coordinate mark on his body.
Jiu Youyue’s ability to teleport back here was clearly due to the coordinates she had set the previous night.
“You’re already a Mystic Venerable, Jiuyou?”
“Mm-hmm. Surprised?”
“Your strength is rising alongside the Evil Consort’s recovery?”
“In theory, yes—but enough of that. No one’s around. You can relax.”
If anything, the entire City Lord’s Mansion felt deserted. Nearly all the experts had rushed to the walls to fend off the Beast Tide, while the remaining elderly, infirm, women, and children had been gathered together under protection.
Yan Zhen studied the Demoness’s alluring face.
“What’s your next move? Heading straight back to report in?”
Jiu Youyue hummed in agreement.
“I’ll tell Lady Evil Consort that you, Little Zhen Zhen, were slain by the Heavenly Gu Old Man. Your corpse is being guarded by the sacred land’s people, so I couldn’t retrieve it.”
“Will the Evil Consort buy that?”
“She should.”
Jiu Youyue smiled, then abruptly added,
“…You’re filthy all over. Why not wash up before you go? I’ve worked up a sweat myself~”
The words fit her usual style perfectly, yet Yan Zhen sensed something off. They lacked her signature seductive charm without veering into vulgarity—it came across as forced.
Still, he didn’t call her on it. He simply nodded.
“You’re right. The Solar Essence Flame has another ability people often overlook: its light makes anyone exposed to it sweat profusely.”
The two made their way to the open-air bath in the backyard.
“Nice setup here~ So, Little Zhen Zhen, are you undressing yourself, or should I lend a hand?”
“Uh, I’ll handle it.”
Yan Zhen felt profoundly uneasy, but he endured for the Demoness’s sake.
He had a vague inkling of her true intentions.
In a few swift motions, he stripped down to his Long-Trunked Little Elephant Boxer Shorts. Glancing at Jiu Youyue, Yan Zhen saw that she wasn’t looking his way at all. She had turned her head, pretending to admire the surrounding fixtures.
—What a sloppy act. The real Jiuyou would’ve been glued to those little elephants.
Yan Zhen grumbled to himself, shucked off the Long-Trunked Little Elephant Boxer Shorts, and plunged into the pool.
It was a long while before Jiu Youyue finally approached, wrapped in a bath towel.
