chapter 25

Chen Li fell silent .

After Shang Bei left, all of Chen Li’s sleepiness had seemingly vanished . Alone, she quietly left her tent, strolling aimlessly around the field camp . Tomorrow, she as “King” would be leading the soldiers back into the capital, victorious . As a result, everybody was somewhat reluctant to waste the night and were all sitting outside their tents . Some were chatting, and others were drinking, but they were all envisioning how it’d be like if everywhere in the Demonic Realm was this pure . Chen Li just quietly walked away from them, her heart wondering if Xing Zhi had already left for Heaven . Walking out of the field camp, she looked up to gaze at the moon . She didn’t know why, but she felt an inexplicable urge in her heart to go to Heaven’s Space Time Rip .

The air here was already far cleaner than before . If it wasn’t for the two chains shining faintly, Chen Li wouldn’t have even been able to see the small, shrunken slit in between the earth .

Xing Zhi’s already gone . As she reached out her hand to touch the pair of iron chains, Chen Li suddenly realised that she must’ve had some kind of problem with her brain! She knew that there wouldn’t be anybody here, but still, she came running over anxiously . Chen Li smiled bitterly, pulling her hands away from the chain to leave . A wind came out of the crevice, blowing her hair to the side .

Chen Li felt alarmed, her nose sensing a strange smell . She frowned and looked at the crevice inside the darkness, the gust still blowing out from it .

This smell… . Is familiar .

Chen Li pondered, but then suddenly, an eye opened from inside the crevice! Astonished, she tried to scramble back, but as she did, her ankle was grabbed! No matter how she struggled, it was now useless . That eye inside the earth glowed with strong emotions, revealing a crazed glee in it’s eyes .

Chen Li’s combat experience was extremely rich, and despite her initial surprise, her mind quickly regained its former calm . With a wave of her hand, the Hongying spear was in her grip . It gleamed in the moonlight as it moved wickedly in Chen Li’s hands, stabbing ruthlessly into the eye . But when she pierced she could tell that it was not flesh, but the muddy ground . She tried to tug out her spear only to feel a strong force tightly grabbing the spear .

Chen Li clenched her teeth, about to use her magic when the pulling on her ankle suddenly intensified . Without allowing her to alert anyone, her whole body was dragged into the slit .

The wind blew . Not a thing was left on the cliff .

~~~

Within the darkness, bits of pieces of voices echoed in Chen Li’s ears noisily . No matter what Chen Li did, from blocking her ears, to sealing all 5 senses, the monster’s voice still remained . It dug deep into her mind, slowly making her lose all reason .

“Shut up . ” Chen Li couldn’t help but snap, “Shut up!”

“Kill…… “ This word, sometimes high and shirl, other times low and malicious . It slowly turned her world red, a scarlet red . A bloody red, as if she was slaughtering seamlessly like a dance in a battlefield, bringing death upon the appearance of her enemies . A boiling flame rose up in her chest and her eyes glowed crimson, her body emitting a red light . But suddenly, a cooling wave washed over her heart, flowing gently into her limbs as a pleasant feeling settled into her body . A gentle hand with the warmth of a sun gently stroked her head, “Cluck, cluck, why are you so angry?”

Angry? She’s always been restraining her anger far too much in that little courtyard…

“Chen Li?”

A voice called for Chen Li, awakening her as she slowly opened her eyes . In the darkness, the white robe that clad Xing Zhi’s body was all the more striking . Chen Li was stunned for a moment, but then averted her eyes as she looked at their surroundings . A tight frown was on her face, “Is this inside the Space-Time Rip?”

Xing Zhi smiled, “King is wise . ”

“You…… Why is Sir God still here? The seal……”

“The seal was remodeled successfully, but some of the demonic beasts spells were released outside . ” He spoke bluntly, “It took many days worth of effort to refresh the seal, and I didn’t notice the loopholes they exploited . Miasma has polluted the Space-Time Rip for many years, so it’s not easy to purify it all at once . In the meanwhile, I’m taking a walk . ”

This dark world, tainted with miasma, lived in by only the most fearsome Demonic Beasts… was actually just another place for him to take a walk in… . Originally Chen Li wanted to ask if he had any injuries, but hearing this, she couldn’t help but feel that her worries were completely unnecessary .

Xing Zhi just smiled and looked at Chen Li, “Did King also come to the Space-Time Rip to take a walk?”

Chen Li facepalmed, “No, I had no interest in doing so . However…” Her voice paused, “However, while I was patrolling with my soldiers and neared the Space-time Rip, some strange forced dragged me into here . ”

“Ah, “ Xing Zhi touched his chin, thinking for a moment, “It can even drag you in . It seems like these damned beasts are actually more interesting than I thought . ”

How could this be called interesting, ah!

Chen Li held a moment of silence . She looked up and down at Xing Zhi, “Does Sir God have a way to go out? I didn’t hide it from Sir God: Tomorrow, I must return back to the capital along with General Shang Bei . If he can’t find me in the morning, he’ll definitely believe… . ” Her heart sighed, “ Believe that I must’ve ran away to escape the marriage . There will definitely be a huge commotion . ”

“We can’t go out now . ” Xing Zhi turned and slowly walked forward . In this pitch-black world, let alone words like “east”, “west”, “north”, “south”, even the earth they stood on was ambiguous . But even so, his steps were calm as if they were on solid ground, unconsciously leading Chen Li the direction forward . She followed his footsteps, speaking somewhat anxiously, “Sir God, I’m really not joking with you . We don’t know how many days we’ve spent in the Space-Time Rip, so when we get out, it’s highly probable that General Shang Bei has already left for the Capital . If he were to then report to the Demon Emperor that I’ve ran away again, I really will suffer!”

Although she admits her mistakes in coming here, to be punished for something she didn’t do, was just something Chen Li couldn’t accept .

Xing Zhi turned his head to look at Chen Li, his voice stern, “Am I a liar?”

Chen Li’s voice was also stern, “The Great Lying God never lies . ”

Xing Zhi’s face turned serious, “ This time, we really can’t get out . ”

“Teasing me must be very fun . ”

“Very fun indeed . ” Seeing Chen Li’s forehead vein pulse in anger, Xing Zhi couldn’t resist chuckling as he asked, “Why do you think I’m lying to you?”

“Aren’t you always lying to me?!” Chen Li jumped up, accusing Xing Zhi, “You being unable to find your way through the Demonic Realm, you embracing me for your water evading techniques, was there really no other way? All these matters, in which are you not lying to me?”

Xing Zhi’s eyes twinkled, “As you say, it is like that . ” He smiled, “But was it not to cleanse the miasma in King’s body? Little King really should learn how to show thanks, ah . ”

Chen Li took a deep breath, forcefully holding back the evil intentions in her heart as her voice turned calm, “Many thanks to Sir God Xing Zhi for his grace . As of now, we ought to get out of here . ”

Xing Zhi sighed, at last he has lost to Chen Li . He slowly extended his arm, previously hidden by his long, thick sleeves . Chen Li stared closely, discovering vicious, bloody indents on Xing Zhi’s right arm, the marks so grisly that one could not tell what made it . Sinister black miasma oozed from the wound, creating a terrible sight . Chen Li’s heart leapt as she stared at Xing Zhi in shock who withdrew his arm back into his robe, shaking his head helplessly, “You see, I didn’t want to frighten you . ”

“This is…”

“While I was blessing the fire seal, I was careless and injured by one of the beasts . They wanted to interrupt me while I was blessing the seal, in an attempt to weaken the seal . ” Xing Zhi said, “But what they didn’t know is that, now that it has been resealed, even if I were to die here, it wouldn’t weaken for thousands of years to come . ”

Chen Li was startled as she listened to him explain, “The Space-Time Rip is a seal, but for such a grand seal, even the divine power of the ancient gods does not suffice to completely sustain it . So I, using the world’s power, the 5 elements, remodeled the Space Time Rip’s seal into a twin-layered seal . To do this, I chose to use the fire element I placed inside the Space Time Rip to force the two layers to merge together . This way, if someone tried to breach the seal, whether internal or external, it would not be easy for them, buying some time for the military to arrive . Second, relying on the world’s power lets it absorb the surrounding power in the area, making it much more stable for the long term . Even so, it’s not inexhaustible, and after these thousands of years, it’s gradually been depleted . That’s why I came here, to reinforce and supply the seal . ”

“After remodeling the seal, it all depends on the world’s energy . It will follow its path, locking in the miasma . ” Xing Zhi shook his arm, “So before the wound has healed, I cannot go out . As for you… …” Xing Zhi spoke, “The miasma within your body has already been expelled, but miasma is everywhere in the Space-Time Rip . A demon’s body doesn’t possess the ability to purify the miasma as ours do, so it’s very easy for the miasma to invade a demon’s body . Although it has no effect on you, the seal won’t allow you out . If I didn’t have this injury, I would’ve been able to purify the miasma in your body so you could go back . But now……”

In any case, she can’t leave until his injury heals… Chen Li frowned, “This injury, how long until it’s healed?”

Xing Zhi played it down, saying, “Soon, just a few walks and it’ll will be fine . ” His words suddenly stopped as he recalled something . He smiled at Chen Li, “Don’t be afraid . If we’re late, I’ll go back to the capital with you and explain to the Demon Emperor so you won’t suffer any injustices . ”

He raised his hand, as if about to pat Chen Li’s head, but then moved to the side, patting her shoulder as he smiled comfortingly .

Chen Li looked at his hands as he turned away . She wanted to stop the words from spilling out, but in the end, couldn’t block the words in her heart . Chen Li shouted at his back, asking bluntly, “Does God know…… That when a god sleeps, their soul changes into one of a mortal’s to live a lifetime in the human world . ”

Xing Zhi’s footsteps didn’t falter as he continued to walk casually, “Maybe . ” Noticing how Chen Li didn’t keep up, he turned to look at her, “What?”

Chen Li stared at him in the eye, before suddenly breaking out into a smile . “Nothing, it’s just that God… Reminds me of an old friend . ”

“Oh?” Xing Zhi continued to walk leisurely, “It’s pretty rare for someone to resemble me . ”

“Yeah . ”

It was silent in the darkness for a long time . A white figure continued to walk, as if he’d never stopped . “Azure Sky King . ” Xing Zhi suddenly spoke, “It’s not always a good thing for people to be too persistent . ”

Chen Li’s eyes lowered, “ Chen Li thanks Sir God for the advice . ”

Chen Li fell behind as she walked behind Xing Zhi’s back, but then she suddenly realised that this wasn’t good either! In the darkness, nothing could distract her from Xing Zhi . Whether it was the white robes drifting elegantly in the breeze, or hair flowing in an arc, they were all that she could see .

“I heard King tried to flee the marriage before . ” Xing Zhi suddenly opened his mouth to ask, “Might King inform me why you opposed the marriage?”

Mentioning this topic, Chen Li immediately frowned . Her voice was cold as she snorted, “With him plucking an apricot tree til bare, dare I ask if Sir God would fancy him too? Moreover, as the Cetestial Emperor’s 33rd grandson, he is a man who has lived for more than 1000 years . Yet despite living for so long, he has not one contribution to the military, nor participated in politics, instead choosing to focus on learning how to defile a maiden and her talents! If he was the son of Chen Li, he definitely would’ve been chopped in fear of bringing harm to the Demonic Realm!

TL Note: The Apricot Tree idiom means that he got laid a lot .

Listening to her righteous words spoken so passionately, Xing Zhi couldn’t help but cover his mouth and smile, “Gentleman Fu Rong isn’t so unbearable, he isn’t only good at defiling maidens……” His words only fueled Chen Li’s anger even more, not waiting for him to finish before she interrupted him, “Whatever guy he is, I haven’t even met him, nevermind marry him! If it wasn’t for Sir God’s moment of confusion to try and tie a pair of mismatched mandarin ducks together, this King never would’ve fallen to this point! This King also hasn’t asked you, why you would assign such a marriage to me?!”

TL Note: Mandarin Ducks mean a pair of lovers, and well you can guess what mismatched will mean

“Because…” Xing Zhi raised his head, not sure where to look as he avoided her gaze, “I felt you two would make a good match, ah . ”

“Ah……… . Ah… Achoo!” Inside the Temple in Heaven, Fu Rong sneezed as he laid in a large tub, flower petals scattering gently on the rippled water . By his side, the attendant quickly handed him a handkerchief, asking, “Sir Immortal, is your water cold?”

Fu Rong shook his head and waved, “Get me something to eat . ” The attendant complied and headed to the door when it was a wave of minions suddenly burst through from outside, practically stumbling on one another, “Lord Immortal, Lord Immortal!!”

Fu Rong quickly shouted, “Stop!! Head to toe, covered in dirt! You are not allowed to dirty this lord’s sacred bathing area!”