Chapter 92

The Xianzun was fully aware of their predicament. Reinforcements wouldn't arrive in time, and even if the ropes were untied, it would be pointless. Lin Yu didn't know that his divine power was nearly depleted—he couldn't possibly carry her out of here.

The Xianzun raised his hand, covering Lin Yu's wrist and patting it gently twice before giving an almost imperceptible shake of his head, signaling her to stop.

The moment she saw him shake his head, confusion flickered in Lin Yu's eyes. But since the Xianzun couldn't explain himself right now, and since he'd refused, she wouldn't go against his wishes and forcibly untie him.

Lin Yu felt a twinge of regret. She'd been hoping to take advantage of his weakened state—untie his ropes, shove him out as a human shield, and let the ghost messengers finish him off.

What a perfect opportunity it was. If only she could land one blow and leave him barely clinging to life, it would save her so much trouble in the days to come.

Since the Xianzun wouldn't let her untie him, Lin Yu glanced at the ghost messengers around them and let out a soft sigh. "If you lot could just—"

Before she could finish, the Xianzun cut her off. "I can accept your terms. But you must release us now and return us to the Heaven's Mandate Tower."

"That won't do. If I let you go, would you even come back? Would your word still hold?" Di Ting said. "The Ghost Tribe may be lowly, but we're not stupid."

The Xianzun gritted his teeth. "Then what exactly do you want?"

"You'll come with me to the Nine Heavens to change the name register. As for her… she'll be detained in the Netherworld as a hostage, under watch of the ghost messengers."

"You!"

"Me?" Di Ting pointed at himself. "What about me? Once the deed is done, I'll release her. I keep my word."

The Xianzun pressed his lips together and said nothing. The Moon God wasn't here, and even if he agreed, he had no way to take Di Ting up to the celestial realm. He wasn't a god—the gates of heaven wouldn't recognize him, and he couldn't ascend to the Nine Heavens. He was merely a messenger of the gods in the mortal world.

The atmosphere fell into a tense stalemate. Once again, Lin Yu's voice transmission echoed in Di Ting's ear: "Grab a blade and strike me. Now."

Di Ting nearly stumbled at the words. "What did you say?! Are you out of your mind?"

Throughout the negotiation, everything had been Lin Yu dictating and Di Ting repeating—she said, he did. But now she was suddenly asking to be hurt? What was she playing at?

Was the transmission glitched? Or had he misheard? Or had the demonic energy swirling around them gotten into her head and made her start talking nonsense?

"No time for questions. Do it. Force him to agree," Lin Yu said coolly. "If I'm not mistaken, the Moon God will be on our trail any moment now. Once he arrives, things get complicated. With that silver tongue of his, we might not be able to talk our way past him."

"If he catches on to what we're doing, we're all finished. Can you beat him, or can I?"

Di Ting had already fought the Moon God once, and he knew full well he was outmatched. As for Lin Yu, there was no question—cultivation stolen from others could never rival the Moon God. If it weren't for her mastery of Crimson Fire, they'd have been defeated back on the Divine Mountain.

"It's your choice," Lin Yu's voice carried an inexplicable weight. "Negotiate with the Moon God, or force the Xianzun's hand."

Di Ting snatched a large blade from the ghost messenger beside him. With a vicious look, he aimed the edge straight at the Xianzun!

The Xianzun's entire body stiffened for an instant. The blade tip grazed so close to his eye, he could feel its cold kiss. His life had never felt so fragile—an ordinary blade could snuff it out in a heartbeat. A fear of death he'd never known before seized him, and he shut his eyes.

But Di Ting was only scaring him. The blade slid past the Xianzun's pale skin, then swung straight toward Lin Yu!

"I'll only say this once. The choice is yours." Di Ting brandished the blade. "Her life is in your hands now. I'll count to three. Whether she lives depends on you."

The Xianzun's breath hitched. The noise around him grated against his ears, splitting his head with pain.

"Three!"

The blade split the air with a hair-raising whoosh.

"Two!"

Countless shadows darted across the Buzhou River and wheeled through the sky above, releasing low, rasping laughter—real and unreal, stirring echoes in the night. The dead silence of the darkness suddenly pulsed with a strange life.

"One!"

The blade arced through the air, its cold gleam descending toward Lin Yu's fragile neck. One strike and she would be dead for certain.

"Fine! Fine…" The Xianzun was drenched in cold sweat, beads the size of beans rolling from his temples. He looked like he'd just been dredged up from a river.

Di Ting released his grip, and the blade—a mere inch from Lin Yu's neck—fell to the ground, its iron edge striking the earth with a resounding clang that made the very ground tremble.

The deafening crash consumed everyone's senses. In that moment, everything seemed to freeze. As the blade struck the ground, the Xianzun's heartbeat nearly drowned out the impact. He realized only belatedly that his body was shaking.

He looked up at Lin Yu. Blood specks were smeared across her face—when had those gotten there? And in a daze, he thought he saw her smile at him. Her lips curved up in the faintest arc, the smile gone in an instant. He nearly thought he'd imagined it.

But that wasn't a kind smile. It looked more like the grin of a predator whose trap had just snapped shut—a gloating smile of a hunter whose prey had taken the bait.

Countless vengeful spirits drifted over the Buzhou River, stirring cold gusts that brushed across the Xianzun's robes. The sweat from his earlier terror had gone icy, and the wind drove it deep into his bones—a chill that cut to the marrow.

Staring at Lin Yu's smile, a nameless dread crept into the Xianzun's mind. It was like falling into a snare with no escape, about to become someone's prisoner. But the feeling was fleeting; he shook it off, and it vanished beyond his grasp.

"That's more like it." Di Ting beamed as he helped the Xianzun up. "See? This didn't have to be so hard. Right?"

Lin Yu was also pulled up by a few ghost messengers—though "pulled up" was more like "dragged." Fear was written all over her face. Her legs had gone so weak from fright that she could barely stand, and it took several of them holding her up to keep her vertical.

The Xianzun began to doubt the suspicions he'd harbored just a moment ago. For the first time, he questioned himself. His Divine Maiden was, after all, nothing more than an ordinary, fragile woman. Though she often presented a calm and composed front, she still knew fear.

He shook his head, deciding that the demonic energy must have corrupted his mind, clouding his judgment to the point where he'd actually suspected Lin Yu of something.

Just then, a faint glimmer appeared at the edge of the sky. The moonlight was bright and clear. Lin Yu lowered her gaze, confirming that everything was proceeding according to plan without a hitch, and transmitted to the others: "He's here. Everyone, on guard."

This was the final battle of the day. As long as the Xianzun could convince the Moon God and bring Di Ting up to the celestial realm, everything could be put on pause for now.

As for whether they could obtain the Book of Life—that was Di Ting's problem.

"Beast. How I've had to search for you." The Moon God's cool voice came from above. His robes fluttered as he descended, sweeping in with menace.

When he saw Di Ting in human form, the Moon God was visibly taken aback for a moment. Then he shifted his tone, speaking with a lazy air. "You don't go scurrying back to your Ghost Realm, and instead you dare to charge up the Divine Mountain? Bold of you."

When they'd fought earlier, Di Ting had been in his beast form. Now he'd shifted to a human shape, and the Moon God had a distinct—and vivid—memory of that face.

It was the man who'd been trailing behind Lin Jiyue this morning.

The Moon God understood at once. So this was why Lin Jiyue had the ability to slay gods—she'd gotten help from the Ghost Realm. He'd wondered how a mortal woman, without dabbling in evil arts, could possibly have the power and nerve to commit deicide.

The Moon God stood still and began searching for Lin Jiyue once more. She'd vanished ever since the altar confrontation. Unfortunately, Lin Jiyue wasn't here. The only woman present was that girl who vexed him—Lin Yu.

When her eyes met the Moon God's, Lin Yu—supposedly a hostage—glared at him in annoyance before he could even wear a smug expression.

Fine. Excellent. She had nerve. The Moon God's composed facade was nearly cracking.

Seeing the Moon God arrive, the Xianzun hurriedly tried to speak up and beg for help. But the Moon God didn't even glance at him, sweeping the area with another searching gaze.

The rampant demonic energy settled somewhat at his presence, but it still prowled and drifted all around.

Demonic energy… The Moon God couldn't help but question Lin Jiyue's motives again. Her attendant was Di Ting, the beast of the Netherworld. The demon tribe had appeared alongside the Ghost Realm—and now that the Ghost King was dead, with Di Ting and the demons at her side, could Lin Jiyue's goal be to become the next Ghost King?

If both the Ghost Tribe and the Demon Tribe bent the knee to Lin Jiyue, how did a mortal woman manage all this?

Wait. The Moon God recalled what the Xianzun had said in his recent message: a fearsome beast from the Ghost Realm had kidnapped the Divine Maiden, killed disciples of the Heaven's Mandate Tower, and was trying to become the new Ghost King, demanding a change to the name register.

Fearsome beast? The Moon God's gaze settled on Di Ting's face, and in an instant, he pieced it all together. Lin Jiyue wanted to prop Di Ting up as her puppet king.

Lin Jiyue's goal was to seize control of the entire Ghost Realm.

The Moon God allowed a rare smile to surface. Very interesting. This was far too interesting. The Ghost Realm had been trampled underfoot by the heavens and the mortal world for countless years, but it couldn't be denied that the Ghost Realm was a critical territory. Gods would never interact with ghosts, yet the human realm and the Ghost Realm were inextricably linked.

Since Lin Jiyue harbored ambitions to swallow the Ghost Realm, what would her next step be?

She could tame a divine beast, command demonic energy, and slay gods as easily as breathing. Such means—the Moon God didn't believe she would stop here. So, would her next target be the mortal realm?

If she could prop up a puppet Ghost King, surely she could install a puppet ruler on a mortal throne. At that point, she would be the true sovereign of both the human and ghost realms.

The Moon God liked partners with clear goals and vast ambition. Whether she succeeded or not didn't matter, as long as she charged ahead on the front lines, he could reap the benefits from behind.

The Ten Thousand Spirits Sword would only choose someone worthy of universal acclaim. As it stood now, Lin Jiyue would surely achieve it. She would be the next master of the Ten Thousand Spirits Sword.

Lin Yu observed the Moon God's expression without making it obvious. She knew exactly what he was thinking. She'd deliberately told Di Ting not to hide his face—let the Moon God see it clearly, so he would recognize him.

The Moon God wouldn't help her, but he would help Lin Jiyue.

While Lin Yu studied the Moon God, he turned his gaze back to her. A flicker of killing intent surfaced in his eyes. The only uncertain variable was Lin Yu herself. Kill her, and Lin Jiyue could take her place, accelerating their plan.

An ally like Lin Jiyue—he was more than willing to do her a favor and lend a hand.

Lin Yu narrowed her eyes. She understood the Moon God all too well—or perhaps his intentions were too easy to read. Either way, she knew he wanted her dead right now.

As expected, in the blink of an eye, a water-blue spear materialized in the Moon God's hand. Lin Yu gave a soft laugh and stayed right where she was, not even bothering to dodge. She even raised an eyebrow at him, continuing her provocation.

The spear radiated biting cold. Three or four ghost messengers stepped in front of Lin Yu to shield her. The Moon God sneered. "Little ghost messengers, daring to block my way?"

Just as the spear was about to strike, the Xianzun's frantic voice rang out from behind: "Divine Lord! You have the wrong person! This is the Divine Maiden of my tower—my disciple!"

The Moon God didn't even blink. He only belatedly remembered that insufferable old Xianzun was still here. The Divine Maiden's fate was tied to his lifespan—no way he'd let her die without a fight.

He had to maintain the relationship with the Xianzun, at least for now. Though the Moon God would dearly love to kill him, he'd have to wait at least a year or so until he found someone to replace him. Otherwise, who would handle the divine decrees and sacrifices in the future?

People with value had to be kept alive—until someone better came along.

Besides, once Lin Yu died, the Xianzun wouldn't last more than a year or two even without the Moon God's intervention. Killing Lin Yu was the most urgent matter.

He couldn't kill the Divine Maiden in front of the Xianzun. He needed a reason—even a flimsy, unconvincing one would do. No matter what, a killing had to have an excuse.

The Moon God's eyes darted around for a moment, and he soon came up with a pretext.

He feigned doubt. "Oh? Are you certain you're not mistaken, Xianzun? This person here is riddled with demonic energy, running with ghost messengers—who would keep such close company with the dead? Could it be that some spirit has taken on the Divine Maiden's form to fool us both?"

"Specters and demons are masters of disguise." The Moon God's voice turned icy. "Let me see what this creature really is, daring to pass itself off as the Divine Maiden."

"You—" Seeing that the Moon God wasn't joking, the Xianzun tried to step forward and stop him, but he found himself frozen in place by the Moon God's power.

The Moon God wore a smile as he stared straight at Lin Yu, watching with satisfaction as fear gradually crept across her face.

"Since you're a spirit in disguise, then crawl back to your underworld," he said. "And never come out to plague this world again, for all eternity."

Cold light flared. The heavy spear pointed straight at the woman in the midst of the specters—and stabbed without mercy!