Dead City was an ancient divine artifact. To halt its advance, one needed to be at least a Half-Saint!
—Had Jialan and the others tracked them down?
Sure enough, the old woman continued,
“The attacker is a woman in white robes with white hair. If there’s no mistake, it must be the rumored Jialan Fairy. She’s pounding the outer three layers of barriers around Dead City with overwhelming force. She’ll probably break through soon.”
Dead City was shielded by nine layers of barriers in total—three outer, three middle, and three inner. Breaching the outer three wasn’t a big deal, but with Jialan Fairy’s strength, shattering all nine at full power would be no challenge.
Even so, the Evil Consort found it baffling. She had deliberately altered Dead City’s trajectory to throw off Jialan and Chen Xi based on their memories from their past lives. It had only been half a month—how had they found them so quickly?
—Could that wretched girl have tipped them off?
But Jiu Youyue was locked away in Nine Palace and had no idea where Dead City was now. How could she have sent word?
The Evil Consort hated this feeling of things slipping beyond her control, but she wasn’t truly afraid of them. With a cold voice transmission, she commanded,
“Granny Meng, pass the order: Dead City enters full combat readiness. Have the five God Marquises report to the Main Divine Temple at once.”
Granny Meng acknowledged the order, and her voice slowly faded away.
Granny Meng was the last of the Evil Consort’s Dead Soldiers, possessing Supreme Cultivation. But her lifespan was nearing its end. In their past life, she had died shielding the Evil Consort from Jiu Youyue’s near-suicidal assassination attempt.
The thought made the Evil Consort itch to slap that treacherous rebel flat—Jiu Youyue, who had grown a pair of horns behind her back. In her fury, she momentarily overlooked the Yan Holy Son who had joined Jiu Youyue in ambushing her back then.
Yan Zhen, who had been rubbing the Evil Consort’s back, keenly sensed the shift in her aura. Concerned, he asked,
“What’s wrong, Evil Consort Master? Am I rubbing too hard?”
The Evil Consort glanced sideways at him. It felt good, but she couldn’t praise him too much—this little scoundrel would only push his luck.
If she said it was comfortable, the Flame Emperor would no doubt reply that he’d rub her back every day. That would be walking right into his trap.
She had grown accustomed to their current dynamic and could predict Yan Zhen’s responses. After a moment’s thought, she gave a lukewarm evaluation:
“Your technique could use some work, but it’s not bad.”
Yan Zhen nodded in agreement.
“I think so too—I’m no professional. So, Evil Consort Master, will you keep practicing with me?”
???
The Evil Consort was speechless and could only put on a stern face.
“What’s there to practice? It’s a waste of time. Just focus on your cultivation, Yan’er.”
Yan Zhen countered,
“I know cultivation is important, but making Evil Consort Master feel good is important too.”
The Evil Consort’s heart stirred, a faint blush coloring her exquisite features.
“Having the thought is enough, Yan’er.”
Yan Zhen grinned.
“It’s not just about thinking it—it’s about doing it. If Evil Consort Master is happy, it’ll motivate me even more in my cultivation.”
—Full of sweet nothings. As if This Palace would fall for that.
The Evil Consort knelt in the pool with one arm covering her ample bosom. Though modest in intent, the half-hidden swell—soft flesh slightly compressed—only made her more alluring.
Before this, she had never imagined sharing a bath completely naked with the Flame Emperor, so intimately. The thought dredged up a term: a lovers’ bath.
—No! He had snuck in on his own. It wasn’t her choice, so how could it count as a lovers’ bath?
The Evil Consort shook off the odd notion and said coolly,
“Enough. I’m done bathing. You can stay soaking if you want, Yan’er.”
Yan Zhen immediately stopped and chimed in,
“I’m done too! I’ll get out with Evil Consort Master!”
She had seen that coming and inwardly cursed the little lech.
“You’re a man, and I’m a woman. Bathing together is already improper. Getting out together? What kind of scandal is that? Get out first, Yan’er. Hurry up—don’t waste my time.”
Instead of obeying, Yan Zhen wrapped his arms around her lithe waist from behind and whined,
“If Evil Consort Master doesn’t get up, I won’t either. We’ll be together forever~”
—Where did this little pest come from?!
The Evil Consort felt a surge of frustration. Then she sensed something enormous and scorching pressing against her lower back. Now she understood why this rascal was clinging so desperately. But they had released just a few hours ago—why was he ready again?
—I should have kicked him out earlier!
Gritting her teeth inwardly, the Evil Consort still turned in his embrace to face him directly. Beneath the steaming water, her pale jade hand seized the throbbing source and began to soothe it with unhurried strokes.
Sure enough, Yan Zhen instantly settled down, eyes half-closed in bliss.
Seeing him so enraptured made the Evil Consort’s own body heat up. Her stunning face drew close, and their lips met in a deep kiss.
The mature beauty and the youth entwined intimately in the bath, her voluptuous form pressed tight against his toned physique—a scene brimming with forbidden allure.
With fragments of future memories and her power as a Mystic Saint Expert, the Evil Consort’s touch quickly lost its initial awkwardness. She handled him with expert ease, bringing him under control.
After the time it takes for one incense stick to burn, she released her hands. In her palm floated a spinning milky white pill. Channeling spatial power, she froze it and stored it away in a private pocket space.
A similar milky white pill already hovered there quietly.
—Once he becomes emperor, these white elixirs will be even more nourishing than Chen Xi’s Saint Xuan Pills.
Humiliating as it was, it had to be done. She had made such sacrifices; at least she could milk some benefits from the Flame Emperor!
Afterward, the sated Yan Zhen obeyed and returned to Demonic Flame Palace to rest. The Evil Consort herself donned dignified robes and opened a space portal to the Divine Hall at the base of God Mountain.
The Evil God Clan’s Divine Halls numbered three: the central Main Divine Temple flanked by two auxiliary ones.
The Main Divine Temple housed the clan’s Ancestral Temple and fell under the Evil Consort’s direct command, symbolizing the pinnacle of the Evil God Clan’s authority.
One auxiliary hall was the Sacrificial Temple, overseen by two Half-Saint Priests and their Ceremony Officials. The other was the Guardian Temple, home to the Divine Mountain Forbidden Guards. It should have had a Forbidden Guard commander, but lacking a suitable candidate, the Evil Consort led it personally.
These were merely the Evil God Clan’s reserves. The true heavy hitters were the Five Great Ruling God Marquises (Supremes), the 108 Town-Gate God Generals (Mystic Venerables), and the 3000 Protectorate God Guards (Mystic Ancestors).
The Capital Protecting God Guards defended Dead City itself, while the Town-Guard God Generals secured its 108 gates. The God Marquises, however, were the true ruling elite!
Though called a “city,” Dead City was vast, rivaling Jialan Holy Land in scale. It was divided into five territories, each governed by one of the five God Marquises.
The central territory around God Mountain fell under the Central Divine Marquis’s domain.
This was the God Race for you. Even in decline, the Evil God Clan’s remnants could match a continental holy land. The thriving God Race on the Eighth Continent was even more formidable—which was why the Demon Domain Lord dared not assault it outright to seize the Divine Authority.
