“Flame qilin blood really is top-notch nourishment for the soul.”
After licking her bloody fingers clean, she crouched in front of the qilin’s body and re-moistened her fingers with its blood.
“Scram.”
Lady Nuwa gently raised a palm and emitted a flash of pink light. The girl leapt into the air, narrowly avoiding the light’s path.
Rumble.
The rosy-pink light fell to the ground, blasting a deep hole into the earth.
Gazing into the blackened and smoking ditch, the loli-voiced girl signed lightly and stuck out her tongue.
“Lady Nuwa really does deserve the title ‘goddess.’ In the time it took to raise your hand you released such a terrifying spiritual art!”
“But,” she wondered, “if you’re so strong, why did you just sit and watch as I killed your qilin?”
She smiled but Nuwa paid her no heed. She merely glanced cooly at her before walking up to the qilin and placing her hand gently on its forehead.
Poof.
The flame qilin transformed into countless specks of light and disappeared.
The loli-voiced girl shrugged and said, “Stingy. Hey, you up there, are you coming down or not? Do you really want me to go up there and make you come down?”
“We’ve been discovered.” Yuan Hong raised his bushy eyebrows and gulped.
His hands were drenched in sweat, and he’d been constantly rubbing them on his clothes to dry them.
Everyone in the clouds had seen the loli-voiced girl obliterate the flame qilin before their very eyes.
“Don’t worry about it.”
Fatty Yin’s face was also damp, but he comforted himself, saying that he was only sweating because he was fat and the flame qilin’s fire had made him hot.
A quarter hour passed, and after a brief laugh the loli-voiced girl pouted her lips.
“It seems you really do want me to invite you down myself. It’s just, my method for inviting people is a little special; I hope you guys can handle it.”
With that, she turned suddenly and pointed at the cloudlayer.
“Break.”
The ones hiding amongst the clouds felt a chill down their backs. Ye Zichen subconsciously held Su Yan tight and leapt hundreds of meters to the side.
The others did the same, but the moment they did….
Rumble.
The ink-colored clouds exploded instantly, shrouding everyone’s line of sight with dense smoke.
After about ten breaths of time the smoke started slowly dissipating, displaying them to everyone else.
“This isn’t something they can handle. I hope they’ll wise up and run as fast as they can.” Lady Nuwa sighed inwardly. Given her strength, she had sensed Ye Zichen and company as soon as they’d arrived. It was just that she was primarily focused on Denglong and had no spare time to worry about them.
“Are you okay?”
Ye Zichen grasped Su Yan’s shoulder and looked her up and down.
Speaking honestly, despite nominally establishing their status as lovers back in the modern realm, their relationship was still in its awkward, early stages.
Then, because so much had happened in between, the world “lovers” became an empty title. They’d barely so much as hugged before.
Seeing Ye ZIchen’s worried expression from such a close distance made Su Yan’s cheeks inexplicably redden. She averted her gaze and shook her head.
“I’m fine.”
“That’s good.” With a warm smile, he reached out his hand and gently tousled her hair.
“You up there! Come down and chat with us.” The loli-like voice reappeared.
The group up in the sky turned and looked at each other.
After witnessing firsthand the way she’d obliterated that flame qilin, it would be a blatant lie to say that their confidence hadn’t been affected.
If they followed Fatty Yin’s suggestions, then they’d just…
Run away.
Even the flame qilin had died. What would going down there accomplish? Their own deaths?
“Might as well head down.”
Ye Zichen smiled dully and leapt downward. Seeing him take action, the others leapt as well until only Fatty Yin was left behind. After a moment of gritting his teeth, he followed them.
“And here I thought you were going to run away.”
From the beginning the loli-voiced girl had yet to reveal her true face. Ye Zichen ignored her and walked over to Lady Nuwa, only to receive a transmission in his sea of consciousness.
“Why did you come? Denglong isn’t something you guys can deal with. Why didn’t you run away just now?”
“Hey, niece. How could you say that? As your uncle, could I really just leave you? Saying something like that, aren’t you insulting you uncle?” transmitted Ye Zichen.
“I don’t have to joke around with you. Denglong really isn’t something you people can handle, frowned Nuwa. “If my real body had descended I could perhaps protect all of you, but right now all I’ve got is a primordial spirit incarnation. Once it self-destructs, take advantage of the opportunity and run for your lives.”
“No, let’s fight it out and see,” said Ye Zichen lightly, “If we fight to the end, who knows what the result would be? “
“This is no time to play hero,” sighed Nuwa.
“Then you think I should run?” he looked intently at Lady Nuwa.
She nodded, and he couldn’t help but transmit back, “It seems you haven’t considered that the people here are at the pinnacle of the Three Realms. If even we aren’t Denglong’s opponents, then you go on and explode your incarnation, what will become of the Three Realms?”
Nuwa was silent.
She, who had once cared for everyone in creation, had shockingly not even considered this.
She had from early on made plans for a worst-case scenario.
From the start she’d made plans for the worst-case scenario. Even if her incarnation self-destructed and she gave up for now, she could come back later and take the higher ups from the Heavenly Court, Underworld, and Region with her.
Once her primordial spirit recovered from self-destruction, they could take their time to consider the best course of action.
Even if Dengong were much fiercer, he couldn’t possibly attack the God Realm.
But she had forgotten: the low-leveled people of the three realms were also real, living, breathing people. The spiritual beasts of the beast region were living things too.
When had it been that’s she’d become like this?
Could it be that after so long at the top, she’d forgotten her true nature?
Fortunately, Ye Zichen’s question “what will become of the Three Realms” had reawakened her. Otherwise, she might never have noticed her own changes.
“Thank you.”
Lady Nuwa’s transmission was completely sincere, but Ye Zichen had no idea how much his words had just influenced her.
He assumed she was simply thanking him for coming to her aid and said in a self-important manner, “My dear niece, what are you saying? Aren’t we all one family? Don’t be so distant. Your uncle ought to thank you too–if not for your words, who knows, I might’ve lost my will to fight.
“Oh really?” She laughed lightly, but didn’t believe him at all.
How could someone held all people in his heart lose his will to fight in front of a strong opponent?
She simply laughed without responding, but then noticed an unusual spiritual spiritual energy by Ye Zichen’s side.
She focused her gaze behind Ye Zichen. At that very moment Fatty Yin was hanging his head and in a huff.
“Yin Shang, when did you descend?”
As if it were a group chat, Ye Zichen and the others received her transmission as well.
Fatty Yin laughed mischievously, and said, “Lady, I….It’s hard to explain concisely, so please don’t ask.”
“It’s better if you’re here,” she said, glancing at the Zombie Progenitors. Then she sent a new message to the entire group chat.
“With you here, we might actually have a shot.”
