Chapter 18

Zhang Dian's hand still clutched tight at Zhou Yuan's clothes. She trembled violently as she sobbed, grinding her teeth to swallow the sounds.

"He... he lost the battle. He said I was his jinx, that it was because of me he ended up like this..." Zhou Yuan choked out between cries. "So... so that's why I killed him..."

Lin Yu helped Zhou Yuan to her feet. But no sooner had she stood than Zhang Dian's stiff fingers yanked at her skirt again, pulling her back down. Zhou Yuan screamed in terror.

Lin Yu's gaze lowered. Without hesitation, she drew Qingxian and sliced cleanly through the hem of Zhou Yuan's skirt. Zhang Dian's arm dropped, falling across the candle flame.

After handing Zhou Yuan to Zhang Yulin, Lin Yu walked a full circle around the ancestral hall. She lit every candle and arranged them all around Zhang Dian's corpse. The flames quickly caught, spreading to his body.

So what if this entire illusion had been crafted for Zhang Dian? She would tear his beautiful dream to shreds.

Lin Yu watched his face with a cold, detached expression. Hadn't he loved fire? Fire could burn others—but it could also reduce him to ashes.

"How dare you! You damned mortals, what are you doing!" The Crimson God sensed something had happened to him inside the illusion and appeared in the courtyard in a furious rush. He didn't even bother to conceal his form—a translucent, bodiless figure materializing openly before them.

Behind him, as ever, came the ever-present Moon God.

The Moon God leaned against the doorframe with his arms crossed, his expression unreadable—neither pleased nor grieved. He was always like this, appearing as the Crimson God's shadow, just as the mortal Xiao Wen had always trailed silently behind Zhang Dian.

The Crimson God's appearance here was exactly as Lin Yu had predicted. Zhang Dian was the protagonist of the illusion, and of course, once the protagonist died, the two behind-the-scenes masters would show themselves.

Lin Yu looked the Crimson God up and down. His features were far sharper than Zhang Dian's mortal face, radiating hostility. She spoke slowly: "Zhang Dian—ah, no, Lord Crimson God. Your illusion isn't all that impressive, is it? Two illusions, and you died at the hands of us mortals in both."

The first illusion, in the Li Kingdom, Zhang Dian—as the demon consort—had been executed by lingering death on Lin Yu's orders. The second, in Liangcheng, he'd been killed by Zhou Yuan through sheer misfortune.

Enraged, the Crimson God hurled a fireball at Lin Yu. She dodged it easily.

Having been chased by the Crimson God's fireballs several times by now, Lin Yu had essentially figured out his attack patterns. Dodging came naturally.

The Crimson God gathered more power in his palm, about to strike Lin Yu again. Seeing him fuming, Lin Yu pressed on with her taunts: "Did you build this illusion just to watch yourself get humiliated over and over?"

She let out a light scoff at Zhang Dian's corpse on the ground. "Died so miserably..."

"You!" The Crimson God's hair stood on end with fury. In an instant, his body erupted in roaring flames, nearly turning him into a human torch. This was the form he only took when he was truly furious and unleashing his full power!

Flames gathered in his hands as he moved to strike. "You lowly mortal! I'll kill you!"

Just as the flames erupted, a torrential downpour poured from the sky. Raindrops pelted the Crimson God, drenching the fire he'd conjured. His power was suppressed—he couldn't unleash anything of great force. The Crimson God stared in utter disbelief.

Water conquers fire. The Crimson God was drowned beneath the cascading rain.

Lin Yu gathered the rain from the air and condensed it into a sword of water. Swift and precise, she severed the flames that came at her one after another!

The firelight lost ground beneath the ceaseless rainfall. They had created this illusion, but since they were inside it, they too were bound by its rules.

Lin Yu smiled. She widened her eyes, feigning surprise. "Oh? How could this be? Oh, right—Lord Crimson God, did you forget? The identity you chose for me was A Si, the Yu Kingdom's Divine Maiden, who would later become the Rain Goddess. Remember now?"

The Crimson God grew even angrier, his hair practically scorching. Then, abruptly, as if something had just occurred to him, he said: "That liege of yours—he gave you his life-bound divine weapon, the sword Qingxian. He cares for you so deeply. But here? I could kill him with ease."

"If he dies because of you, and you only care about escaping the illusion yourself—when you leave this place and return to the mortal world, you'll no longer be the Rain Goddess. Guess what? How do you think the people of the Yu Kingdom will deal with a mortal who killed their sovereign?"

He sneered. "Even if you get out, so what? With a single divine decree from me, you'll bear the crime of regicide."

Lin Yu listened, then wore a bewildered expression. "Sovereign? Who? I don't work for anyone. Don't talk nonsense."

A moment later, as if she'd finally remembered such a person, she said dismissively, "Oh, right. Then kill him, I guess."

Everyone present turned to stare at Lin Yu in shock.

Only Zhang Yulin wore a gratified look. She'd had it with Fu Ming for ages!

Lin Yu didn't take the Crimson God's words seriously. Fu Ming was the emperor of the Yu Kingdom. At most, the Crimson God would trap him for a few days before letting him out—there was no way he'd actually harm him.

Lin Yu didn't believe that someone like Fu Ming, who had secured his throne through ruthlessness, would enter such a void-like illusion without any safeguards. He must have left a contingency.

If the Crimson God truly dared to kill Fu Ming, he'd destroy all his worshipers in the Yu Kingdom. That would be the real trouble.

He wasn't stupid.

"Forget it. Go talk to my Yi Shen Bow instead." With that, Lin Yu summoned the bow and drew it, aiming straight at the Crimson God!

"After all, I have to thank Lord Crimson God for granting me this bow. I know that you transformed the Yi Shen Bow into the Dark Iron Bow and gave it to me outright—you must have had such good intentions for me."

The Crimson God was startled. "How do you know?!"

Lin Yu chuckled lightly. "Because you're too foolish. The Dark Iron Bow was crafted by the Li Kingdom's Xianzun with the effort of half a lifetime. There's no way he'd casually give it to a dying stranger he'd met only once. Would you be that generous?"

Lin Yu continued: "As for me, I've been unlucky for so long that I never believe things will go smoothly. When things go too smoothly, I start to get suspicious."

"So let's see whether just anyone deserves to wield a divine weapon, Lord Crimson God."

Lin Yu drew the bow and fired an arrow straight at the Crimson God!

Restrained greatly by the downpour, and facing Lin Yu—who was now a fellow god and naturally his counter—the situation would only grow worse for him the longer it dragged on.

A moment's thought was all it took. In a flash, the Crimson God masked his form and vanished from the illusion as a wisp of smoke!

The arrow left the bowstring, flew through the drifting smoke, and struck nothing—now aimed directly at the Moon God, who had been leaning nearby all along!

The Moon God had assumed the arrow was meant for him all along, so he wasn't surprised. With the Crimson God gone, of course Lin Yu would turn on him. Having watched the show for a while, he finally straightened up lazily to meet the attack.

Just as the arrow was inches from the Moon God, Lin Yu's lips curled upward. She manipulated the arrow, forcing it to turn mid-flight and shoot toward the sky!

The arrow pierced the heavens, cracking open a corner! The edge of the illusion was broken!

The Moon God looked up at the torn sky. He merely glanced at it, expression indifferent, seemingly unconcerned that the illusion had a gap.

Lin Yu had never considered the Crimson God a significant enemy. He wore his emotions too plainly, making him easy to handle. The true threat lurking behind the scenes was the Moon God.

This man's schemes ran deep, and Lin Yu couldn't guess what he truly wanted. Why would someone capable enough to serve as a general of the mounted guard swear to follow a waste like Zhang Dian to the death?

The Moon God's expression remained gentle and unruffled. He stepped forward slowly, smiling. "It seems today I can't let you leave."

A blade of water-blue energy rose into the air!

The moon overhead had long been hidden behind dark clouds. No moonlight shone from the sky—only the patter of rain and the sound of a blade cleaving through the endless drizzle.

In a flash, Lin Yu threw everything she had into deflecting two of the Moon God's attacks. What she needed to do now was stall him, buying Fu Ming and Yu Jia the time to set up their formation.

But the Moon God's cultivation was formidable, and he wasn't affected by Lin Yu's interference. Moonlight was invincible in the dark of night. Lin Yu stood no chance.

After a few exchanges, the Moon God had her moves figured out. She knew some swordplay, but she excelled at close combat, not ranged attacks.

Spotting her weakness, the Moon God's eyes lit up. He slashed a sword at Lin Yu. She was just about to block the sword energy when, at the instant the two blades were about to meet, his sword dissolved into the rain—then reformed into a long whip!

This was the Moon God's second divine weapon. Before Lin Yu could react, the whip lashed tightly around her sword several times. With a yank, he tore her water blade away! The water sword shattered effortlessly, melting into the rain and vanishing. Then the whip curved and came down at Lin Yu!

It all happened too fast—she was caught completely off guard. The whip struck her shoulder hard! A bone-chilling pain shot through her body. The whip was laced with poison! Lin Yu gasped, clutching her wounded shoulder.

The Moon God smirked, having confirmed her weakness. He squinted, sizing her up, and decided on a killing blow. Seizing the moment while she was injured, he aimed another whip strike at her head!

In that instant, Lin Yu hurled an object into the air. The whip, once launched, was hard to recall. By the time the Moon God saw what she'd thrown, it was already too late!

"Ting—" A water-blue object shattered against the whip!

The Moon God's eyes went wide. It was the Feixian Ling! It shattered! She'd thrown it out to block his whip again?!

The moment the Feixian Ling broke, the entire illusion rippled—but it didn't immediately dissolve. Unlike the first time, when the illusion had collapsed the instant the token broke, Lin Yu realized at once that the Moon God was sustaining the illusion with his own power!

She grabbed Zhang Yulin and Zhou Yuan and ran!

The Moon God's mask of gentleness finally cracked. He ground his molars. "You dare destroy two Feixian Lings in a row! I'll kill you and forge another!"

Lin Yu's shoulder, struck earlier by the whip, began to bleed from the strain. She ignored it completely, heading straight for the water's edge, until a firefly appeared before her. Seeing the firefly's signal, Lin Yu's heart leapt. She knew Fu Ming and Yu Jia had succeeded!

Lin Yu led Zhou Yuan and Zhang Yulin into the mansion's rear courtyard. She pushed the two women onto the wooden bridge by the river, then shot Zhang Yulin a glance and hurried off.

She was just looking for a place to hide when the Moon God caught up!

His target wasn't Zhou Yuan or Zhang Yulin—he only wanted Lin Yu. So he charged straight at her.

By now, the Moon God's whip had grown rows of barbed thorns. The sight of those sharp hooks made one's heart race. If she took another hit from that whip, Lin Yu figured she wouldn't survive!

Amid the dense undergrowth, Lin Yu had nowhere to hide. She'd ascended not long ago and hadn't received the Tian Zun's approval. After personally conjuring a great rain to restrain the Crimson God, her power was at its limit.

The barbed whip, laden with immense power, swung toward her once more. Lin Yu couldn't dodge. It struck her across the back, and she collapsed into the brush!

He'd struck with killing intent. That blow was meant to end her life. Lin Yu spent almost the last of her power to form a barrier around herself. The whip shattered her energy, and she fell, spitting out a mouthful of blood!

The Moon God walked toward her step by step!

Blood droplets landed on the weeds. Suddenly, from the dense grass burst forth a swarm of fireflies!

The fireflies were initially drawn to Lin Yu's blood. But the moment they saw the Moon God radiating his water-blue moonlight, they swarmed him in unison, surrounding him completely. Countless fireflies landed on his robes and clung there.

Fireflies fed on sunlight and moonlight, then converted it all into moonlight to release at night. Fireflies and the moon shared a common origin—the Moon God couldn't kill them.

Lin Yu looked back. Thousands of fireflies were greedily devouring the intense moonlight radiating from the Moon God. She fixed her gaze on the scene. Everything in the world had its counterpart—rain suppressed the Crimson God, and the Moon God had his counter as well.

Fu Ming's figure appeared in the darkness. "Devour-Moon Array, rise!"

As Fu Ming formed his seals, the firefly dust in the grass flew up with the raging wind. The glowing particles shimmered like moonlight, like countless stars swirling around the courtyard, surrounding the Moon God as he struggled against the fireflies.

If they could weaken the Moon God's power just a little more, his strength would no longer be able to sustain the illusion, and they could seize the chance to tear it all apart and escape! Lin Yu saw her moment. "Yulin!"

Zhang Yulin instantly summoned her white-browed tiger!

Zhang Yulin had excelled at controlling divine beasts since childhood—beasts were put to their greatest use in her hands. At her command, the beast stepped into the Devour-Moon Array. A tiger as tall as a city wall was about to crush the Moon God underfoot!

The Moon God broke free of the fireflies and formed a barrier to defend against the beast's attack. He'd never imagined he'd find himself in such a pincer—the Devour-Moon Array at his feet, fireflies flying everywhere, and the colossal beast above, all draining his divine power at terrifying speed.

And the source of his power was the same as the Mountain God's.

Or rather, all gods derived their power the same way—not through proper cultivation, but piled up from flesh-and-blood sacrifices.

Take the Mountain God, for instance. He'd devoured living people and gained massive power, but in the end, his path was crooked, so he never truly mastered that power. Moreover, it drained quickly, requiring an endless stream of human sacrifices to replenish.

The veins bulged on the Moon God's neck and arms, his hair coming loose. He knew he couldn't hold out much longer.

The Moon God took a deep breath, gathered his strength, and quickly made his decision—deal with the divine beast first.

He glared at the beast with vicious intent. Just as he raised his hand, the beast yanked him back down. It roared, constraining the Moon God in place, pinning him so thoroughly he could barely move.

Lin Yu swept her sleeve toward the sky, channeling her power. The clouds parted in an instant, and the moonlight emerged, dancing across the river's surface.

Lin Yu struggled to her feet. She tossed Qingxian to Fu Ming. He caught it, drew the blade, and leapt onto the wooden bridge. One slash split the moon's reflection in the water!

Lin Yu saw the air around them twist. Everything suddenly dimmed, losing its original color.

All of it—like the moon under the water—rippled away.

When Lin Yu had broken the sky, the Moon God's expression hadn't changed. That was when she realized the illusion's exit wasn't the sky, so breaking the heavens did no good. The moon above was fake, and even the vault of heaven overhead was a lie.

The nature of this illusion was the moon in the water, the flower in the mirror.

Since the moon in the sky was false, then the one in the water was real.

Fu Ming slashed at the water's moon once more! The surface froze solid. At last, the illusion shattered completely!

Fu Ming grabbed Lin Yu's hand, and together they dove into the broken water's surface!