Chapter 91

Through a veil of mist, the Xianzun coughed up a mouthful of foul blood. Supported by his disciples, he finally regained his senses. He could no longer sustain his youthful appearance—at any moment, the backlash could revert him to his true form.

In a daze, he looked toward Lin Yu in the shadows. Her silhouette grew increasingly blurry, as if she might merge with the darkness at any moment and vanish from his sight.

A strange feeling—fear—rose in the Xianzun. He felt as though the person before him was an illusion he couldn't grasp, impossible to see clearly. He glanced back at Di Ting, still locked in combat with the Moon God. Di Ting had been drawn farther and farther from the altar—now was the perfect chance to rescue Lin Yu.

But... what were those ropes on her? Lin Yu hadn't spoken a word or made a single move, presumably bound by the ropes. Yet he had never seen a magic tool like that before.

Regardless, saving her came first. The Xianzun's expression remained solemn, as though he hadn't noticed the person behind Lin Yu.

Steadying himself, he exhaled heavily. It took a long moment before he could speak again. He said to those around him, "Go... go save..."

Suddenly, his clouded eyes flashed with disbelief. Using the last of his strength, he nearly shouted, "Save her!"

The disciples surged forward, but the moment they neared Lin Yu, a formation blasted them back. The scattered sacrificial vessels, as if controlled by some unseen hand, rose into the air and attacked!

The vessels had long since shattered. With rumbling booms, their sharp edges tore through the disciples' robes, drawing blood. At the same time, a puff of black qi burst forth from around Lin Yu and spread instantly.

"Quick! They have another trick! Save the Divine Maiden! Hurry, hurry!" someone shouted in a hoarse voice.

Then came the endless clang of metal—dozens of broken swords hacked desperately at the formation oozing black qi, but it remained unscathed. The tremendous impact numbed their wrists, and their bonded swords shattered even further from the collision!

Taking advantage of the chaos, Lin Yu sent a telepathic message to the ghost messengers who had already fled far away, ordering them to leave the bodies of the possessed believers as soon as possible and return to the Buzhou River.

Having delivered the message, Lin Yu glanced at the moon-white figure. The spear in the Moon God's hand, cold as ice, lengthened with a whoosh, its tip stabbing mercilessly at Di Ting's chest. Di Ting rolled aside just in time, but before it could react further, another thrust came!

"Step back." Lin Yu's voice reached Di Ting's ears, calm and steady. But behind Di Ting lay the ruined long steps—one step back would send it tumbling into the woods below the mountain.

Lin Yu offered no explanation, only those two words. His body moved before his mind could react—Di Ting stepped backward. The instant it lifted its foot, a blaze of crimson fire erupted from the very ground it had just stood on!

The fire spread along the ground and climbed the Moon God's body. The spear exploded the moment it touched the flames. The Moon God released it immediately, hurling it away!

The flames grew at an inconceivable speed. Had Di Ting's reaction been even a fraction slower, the crimson fire would have caught its fur and reduced it to ash.

Then Di Ting fell into the void. The tremor of stepping into empty air didn't last long—almost instantly, an upward force caught it, steadying its footing.

Lin Yu's voice sounded again in its ear: "Plan's changed. Grab the Xianzun and leave immediately. I'll meet you at the Buzhou River."

Di Ting replied with a simple "Understood." The moment it emerged from the void, it wheeled around and charged the Xianzun. No one anticipated the move—the disciples surrounding the Xianzun were caught completely off guard, unable to fight back. Before they could even cry out, Di Ting had slit their throats.

The black qi thickened until it was nearly impossible to see. No one noticed the Xianzun's sudden disappearance. Lin Yu turned to Ting He. "We should go too."

Lin Yu's palm moved slightly, and crimson fire formed a ring around the Moon God, trapping him in the center. To the Moon God, this blaze was nothing—but if he believed the Crimson God had set it, it would hold him back for a while.

After all, he wouldn't—and didn't dare—extinguish the Crimson God's fire.

"Zhang Dian! Get out here!" The Moon God stood in the center of the flames, nearly at the peak of rage. He'd already been ambushed by crimson fire once—and now a second time?!

Lin Yu heard this and looked at the blaze with interest. The Moon God hadn't swallowed his anger—that surprised her. In her impression, the Moon God had always been a coward who bullied the weak and feared the strong.

"Hiding in the dark and playing thief—is that your game?" The Moon God sneered, unable to contain himself. "You're nothing but a thief! You stole my position as Crimson God and lord it over me at every turn. What are you? Just born better than me. Without me, you're nothing!"

The Crimson God was mocking him like this—that was a clear declaration. He wasn't going to pretend at brotherly affection anymore. There was no need for a mask. "If you dare burn me, why not show your face? Do you really think you're some god too great to be summoned?"

But no one answered. The area around the altar was too chaotic—shouts, roars, pleas, and curses tangled together. The Moon God's voice was just another noise, unanswered.

As the thick black qi surged out, Lin Yu was completely swallowed by it.

At the instant she vanished, the clamor fell silent for a moment. Someone cried out, "What... what is this thing?!"

They saw Lin Yu wrapped in a gust of black qi, flying into the long night. A wild wind swept up the ashes scattered on the ground, threatening to engulf the moonlight itself! The dark clouds above the sky were drawn by this aura, drifting in. Layer upon layer of black clouds blocked half the full moon in an instant.

"This is demonic qi! A demon has broken the seal!" At such a sight, even the most foolish, even the most impossible, it was clear.

"Demons?!" The disciple who spoke nearly fell over in fright, instinctively looking for the Xianzun.

"Xianzun! Xianzun! Xianzun...?"

"Oh no! The Xianzun is gone! Xianzun!"

"Men! Follow me! Chase that black qi!"

The garbled word "demons" reached the Moon God's ears. He snapped back to reality, frowning at the anomaly in the sky. After once again failing to pinpoint the Crimson God's location, he gave up searching for him.

If the Crimson God truly wanted to hide his tracks, the Moon God could never find him. He glanced at the crimson fire, bright red like a tongue, suppressing his disgust. Then he raised a hand and extinguished the blazing flames, flying off in the direction the black qi had scattered.

...

The Buzhou River.

Countless dark figures crossed the endless river, running rampant over its surface. A blurry reflection of the moon shimmered in the void-like water, quickly broken apart by the darting black qi. Moonlight rippled across the river, swaying, precarious.

The Xianzun was roughly thrown to the ground by Di Ting, who grasped his collar. He nearly tumbled into the river. Bracing one hand on the damp mud to steady himself, he looked up to meet a face as ferocious as a demon's!

Startled, the Xianzun nearly struck out, but someone grabbed his hand. Before he could figure out where he was, two ghost messengers bound his hands behind his back, leaving him unable to move.

A cold-shimmering robe appeared before the Xianzun's eyes—made of a material like snake skin, still bearing strange scale patterns. He followed the hem of the robe upward with his gaze.

Usually, others looked up to him. For the first time, he had to look up at another—the awkward angle made him deeply uncomfortable.

Finally, the Xianzun saw the man's face. His eyes were sharp, filled with an unshakeable murderous intent—clearly someone who killed without blinking. Against his dark skin, his features grew even more menacing in the night, like a vengeful ghost come to claim a life.

"Who are you?" The Xianzun's tone was calm, his voice faint. Maintaining his appearance had already consumed most of his magical power; he had no strength left for words.

"What about the terms we discussed earlier?" Di Ting spoke leisurely. "Can you do it?"

He referred to the second condition they'd discussed—adding the name of the new Ghost King, Di Ting himself, to the registry of the Nine Heavens.

"So it was you." The Xianzun sneered. "You're not the Ghost King's loyal subordinate at all—you're a rebel scheming to usurp the throne. Claiming revenge, but the truth is you've had your eye on the Ghost King's position all along. Am I right?"

Di Ting was unbothered by the Xianzun's mockery. "So what if I am? Whatever my intentions, the Heaven's Mandate Tower killed our Ghost King—that's an established fact. You can't wash that away."

"Men, bring him up!" Di Ting waved a hand behind him. Two ghost messengers dragged another person forward. When the Xianzun saw who it was, his expression cracked for an instant.

Lin Yu was thrown down without mercy, landing on the ground just as roughly. Two tightly bound figures stood surrounded by a crowd of ghost messengers, looking utterly helpless.

Lin Yu struggled to rise but was pinned down by a ghost messenger. She demanded, "What exactly are you trying to do?! You've kept me tied up all day, and you killed so many of my senior brothers and sisters—aren't you afraid of retribution?!"

She looked furious, cursing the ghost messengers, then turned her wrath on Di Ting: "Do you even know who gets on that registry? Only wise and virtuous rulers who've accomplished great deeds over ten thousand years! Who do you think you are? How dare you even mention it?!"

Lin Yu had always been a calm, composed person. Most of the time, her face showed no emotion—let alone anger like this. The Xianzun had never seen her behave this way, and he was stunned.

He turned to look. Red marks circled her neck and wrists, clearly from long binding. Her clothes were streaked with bloodstains—a single glance made it obvious she'd been tortured.

When people experience extreme fear or a major upheaval, it's easy for their temperament to change drastically. Seeing this, the Xianzun felt his sense of defeat deepen.

When had the Divine Maiden of the Heaven's Mandate Tower ever suffered such humiliation? A Divine Maiden should live a smooth life, receiving the devout worship of the people, and then ascend smoothly to become a lofty god. A Si had been that way, and Lin Yu should have been too.

This wasn't how things were supposed to go. The Divine Maiden and the Xianzun shouldn't have been so disgraced, forced to this point by a pack of lowly ghost messengers and a divine beast, their lives hanging in the balance with no one to save them.

The Xianzun unconsciously clenched his fists. A humiliation he had never known weighed on his heart. What was he, and what were these Ghost Tribe members?

Suddenly, his wrist was touched lightly by Lin Yu. The sensation of the rope knot transferred clearly to his wrist. He immediately realized—Lin Yu was untying the knot on his hands!