In the Jialan Holy Land, news of Yan Zhen being abducted by the Evil Consort had not yet spread, but the higher-ups were all aware of it. Each one of them was deeply worried.
Some fretted over Yan Zhen’s safety, while others wondered if the Evil Consort’s abduction of him signaled some major scheme about to unfold.
On Holy Son Peak, the women’s moods were all somber.
Upon first hearing the dreadful news, Yan Meng’er had even burst into tears. Now, she huddled in her cousin’s arms, looking utterly pitiable. Mentor Yu Xuan hadn’t dared to tell Big Aunt or Little Aunt about the incident, but unfortunately, the two beautiful elders had come to visit everyone. At present, they sat listlessly inside Jia Flame Cave, their hearts uneasy.
“Little Brother Yan Zhen…”
Ji Ya had completely lost any interest in handling business affairs. Though she believed her good little brother was blessed by heaven, that was the Evil Consort they were talking about—a Mystic Saint expert, no less. She held Jiu Youyue’s life in her hands, too. No matter how Ji Ya thought about it, the odds were stacked against Little Brother Yan Zhen.
In Bitter Sea Cave-Heaven, atop the massive Lotus Pod Platform, everyone was present except for Jialan Fairy: Cai Lian, Dragon Girl Long Ying, Yi Xian’er, Yu Shizun, and Snow Supreme.
Dragon Girl Long Ying wore Yan Zhen’s crystal pendant around her neck, and it now glowed faintly, dimly outlining Chen Xi’s beautiful figure.
The group crowded around the star chart on the table, their lovely eyes fixed unblinkingly on the shifting patterns within.
As time passed, the positions of the stars on the chart remained in disarray, showing no sign of stabilizing.
Jialan Fairy gave up on her calculations helplessly and let out a long sigh. “The Evil Consort was prepared from the start. I can’t pinpoint her location at all.”
The three women’s eyes dimmed. Dragon Girl Long Ying pouted her little lips, looking ready to burst into tears at any moment.
“Let me try,” Chen Xi spoke up. “By borrowing the power of the Fire Refining Starry Sky, I can temporarily reach the Saint Realm. That should let me see through the Evil Consort’s disguise.”
Jialan Fairy shook her head. “The Star God Clan excels at divination techniques, but that’s not your forte, Chen Xi.”
“I have to at least try.”
“But not you. Forcing your way into the Saint Realm comes at too high a cost.”
“For Zhen’er, what does that matter? Don’t stop me, Jialan!”
“With Yan’er gone, it’s my duty to look after you. Otherwise, when he returns, he’ll blame me to death.”
Jialan Fairy remained unmoved, her tone turning slightly cold. “You need to understand your place in Yan’er’s heart, Chen Xi.”
Chen Xi fell silent.
“Yan’er’s life lamp is still burning brightly. It’s just that the flame is a bit murky. I suspect the Evil Consort has him under control, but at least we can confirm his life isn’t in immediate danger.” Jialan Fairy spoke both for the women present and to reassure herself. “To be honest, I obtained some fragments of future memories from my future self earlier, including details of the Evil Consort abducting Yan’er.”
Future memory fragments? The women all looked puzzled.
“What do you mean?”
“You’ve all seen it before—Yan’er summoning illusory projections of us to fight his enemies. Those were actually versions of us from some future timeline.”
With a flick of her sleeve, Jialan Fairy made the star chart vanish. In its place appeared the scene of Yan Zhen dueling the Spirit Mountain Ancestor. He slotted the Special Trump Card: Accelerated Synchronization into his Duel Disk’s card slot, opening a space-time gate and summoning incarnations of his future allies!
“That white one is my future self. You should all easily spot your own future projections.”
The women immediately spotted their future selves at a glance—everyone except Snow Supreme. This left her feeling somewhat left out of the conversation. Fortunately, she was in her ice sculpture form, so her lack of expression went unnoticed. Yu Shizun’s mood was a bit complicated too. Though it wasn’t her first time seeing her projection, each glimpse filled her with an odd discomfort, as if it implied some intimate connection between her and Yan Zhen.
Chen Xi, however, locked her gaze on the black projection radiating an evil aura. “That black one is the Evil Consort, right? Why is she there too?”
“Because in some future, she became one of Yan’er’s allies. That’s the only explanation,” Jialan Fairy analyzed. “In his previous life, after Yan’er killed the Evil Consort, he kept her core essence with him to revive Jiu Youyue—even carrying it during the ritual to reverse time. I suspect she’s a reincarnator too, which is how she set this trap ahead of time and abducted Yan’er.”
The Evil Consort was a reincarnator as well? The women were stunned. Didn’t that mean they’d been in danger from the very start?
“And not just that. The Evil Consort probably obtained some future memory fragments from her future self too.”
“Why her and not me? Why do I have no future memories at all?”
“Perhaps because you haven’t reached the Mystic Saint stage yet, Chen Xi,” Jialan Fairy explained. “Mystic Saint experts can glimpse their true selves and peer into fate—seeing the past and probing the future. That’s how they receive memories from their future incarnations. Right now, only the Evil Consort and I are Mystic Saints, so we both have those memory fragments. It must be that.”
Chen Xi struggled to accept it, feeling overshadowed by Jialan Fairy and the Evil Consort.
“So you’re saying the Evil Consort knows far more than we do?”
“Exactly. We’re at a disadvantage because of the intelligence gap.”
“Does your future memory mention why the Evil Consort took Zhen’er?”
“I’ve said so much already—you should all be able to guess.” Jialan Fairy sighed softly. “Remember, the Evil God Clan possesses a sacred item called Yellow Springs Water, also known as Forget Emotion Water. Combined with the life-altering technique from the Evil God Defying Heaven Book, it can freely rewrite a person’s memories and manipulate their fate!”
The women’s breathing hitched as realization dawned. The venomous woman’s goal wasn’t to kill Yan Zhen at all. No—she wanted to steal him away from them, make him hers, and possibly even turn him against them with weapons drawn!
The mere thought of that scene sent a stab of pain through their hearts.
Dragon Girl Long Ying grew so frantic that she couldn’t sit still. “What do we do? We have to rescue Yan Zhen Zhen quickly, or else—”
Cai Lian slumped in despair. “But without knowing where she is, we can’t take any action!”
Yi Xian’er said expressionlessly, “I remember the Evil Consort has two secondary bodies besides Jiu Youyue. They must know her location. We search with full force for the Evil Consort’s other two secondary bodies, capture them, and force them to lead the way!”
“I’ve already sent people from Thunder God Peak and Mist Lord Peak,” Jialan Fairy replied. She had naturally considered this. “However, the Evil Consort’s secondary bodies are recovering their cultivation rapidly. They’re probably at the Mystic Venerable Realm by now. Finding them won’t be easy—we can only treat it as a slim hope.”
Mystic Venerables could perform pinpoint coordinate teleportation, making their movements unpredictable and hard to track.
You might spot someone heading north, only for them to teleport south, east, or west in an instant.
Chen Xi suddenly spoke up. “I just remembered—when I first met Jiu Youyue, she asked me for a wisp of Starlight Glazed Fire. It should still be with her!”
Jialan Fairy’s eyes sharpened. “Chen Xi, can you sense that wisp of sub-flame through it?”
Chen Xi’s tone grew excited. “I should be able to. Let me try.”
The women’s faces visibly relaxed upon hearing this, hope gleaming in each other’s eyes.
In the underworld, within the divine mountain, at the Nine Nether Palace.
Jiu Youyue had just fooled the dim-witted Infant Spirit. She stretched lazily, intending to rest and regulate her breathing, when a strand of multicolored, radiant flame emerged from deep within her dantian. She perked up immediately!
“That’s right! I still have the Starlight Glazed Fire. Maybe I can use it to contact Master Chen Xi!”
With that thought, the Starlight Glazed Fire’s flame whooshed out of her dantian. In midair, it gradually outlined a familiar, beautiful silhouette.
“Master Chen Xi?!”
Jiu Youyue was overjoyed.
