Chapter 416 - You're Sweeter Than Tea

In the heart of the Nine Hells, deep within the Immortal Asylum, in a prison split by the first layer of cracks, a hum filled the air.

Beyond the crevice, butterflies in gold, silver, and black crawled over the walls, their eyes flickering with a cold light.

In a dark corner, the Nian with no skin slowly lifted its head, its dull yellow eyes peering out.

Outside the crack stood three figures—one in gold with an air of refinement, one in silver exuding mystery, and one in black, the embodiment of cold indifference. They stood motionless, like statues, their gaze fixed on the Nian.

"Scram!" The Nian growled, and the Immortal Asylum trembled once more, though less violently than before, showing it had grown weaker.

"To think, in the old days, you wouldn't even qualify as a flea on my back," the Nian sneered at the trio, who resembled nothing more than gnats to it.

"Times change, as the saying goes. Thirty years on this bank of the river, thirty years on the other," the man in gold replied, his voice polite, his smile unwavering.

"Screw off!" The Nian slammed the ground, sending a storm towards the crack, which furiously swept over the three figures. Yet, they remained unmoved.

"Boring!" The Nian spat in disgust. It was trapped; the trio wouldn't dare enter. A standoff ensued. Who would falter first? Clearly, the Nian, hunger gnawing at its belly, was at a disadvantage. Starved, vision blurring, it could only muster its will to endure.

The Nian's scheme, over a thousand years in the making, had been foiled by these three pesky gnats right at the doorsteps, infuriating it to no end!

Eventually, half a day rolled by.

"It's on its last legs," the man in black remarked suddenly.

The man in gold nodded. "Let's introduce some Desolation Gu. Test the waters."

With a smile, the man in silver stepped forward. A grin spread across his face, and as he opened his mouth, a stream of silvery-gray bugs crawled out, forming a silver rivulet that snaked into the crack.

BUZZ!

Tiny, nearly invisible bugs blended into a liquid mass. As their numbers grew, a silver pool began to form within the prison, quickly enveloping the beast.

"ANNOYING PESTS!" The Nian howled, its face contorting in agony, rampaging around as if its head would split open from the pain.

Driven by instinct, it went berserk at the slightest bit of pain, smearing more of the silver liquid on itself with every collision. With no fur to protect its bloodied skin, the silver bugs easily burrowed into its flesh, organs, brain, and marrow.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Inside, the Nian raged, while outside, the three figures stood with hands behind their backs, smiling.

"The Desolation Gu will tame it." The man in silver chuckled.

"Keep it up, until it can't take no more," the man in gold instructed.

"No problem." The man in silver stood at the crack, his abdomen a gaping maw drooling silver liquid, a ghastly sight.

To them, the Nian's struggle was just a spectacle.

"Still clinging to past glories, huh?"

"Time to accept your fate. You're no longer the calamity beast of old."

"Just a dying relic, flickering out... that's all."

And they laughed.

BOOM!

The Nian battered itself bloody, howling in despair, but inside, it too was laughing.

"Fox! How long do you want me to keep pretending?" Inside its body, where silver veins sprawled across every inch of flesh, the Nian muttered under its breath.

"Keep acting until I say stop," came a voice, ethereal as a whisper in the wind.

"Why can you devour these bugs?" the Nian growled, its tone laced with a chilling dread.

"Because I'm the forefather of desolation," the voice replied.

Stunned by the revelation, the Nian paused, then, while howling in agony, it cursed, "Idiot! Get lost! Stinking idiot! All idiots!"

Outside the Immortal Asylum, under a jade tree, the War Princess lounged on a stone, her long, shapely legs swinging leisurely. She watched the trembling Immortal Asylum, bored out of her wits after becoming accustomed to the spectacle.

Suddenly, a voice inside her heart spoke!

She was in the midst of bad-mouthing someone, so the voice startled her, causing her to tumble off the stone.

"What's up?" she complained.

"I need you to arrange something. Have Pale Revenant handle it," the voice from her heart instructed.

"Speak up," the War Princess pouted. Though he had been gone for just two days, she was already bored to tears.

Yun Xiao quickly shared his plans with her.

"Good to know you still remember someone's stuck here!" she remarked before going to find Pale Revenant.

Pale Revenant was sitting in a corner, hugging her knees, her bare feet tucked under her, and her eyes vacant as if she were a living corpse.

"Yun Xiao needs a favor. Take some folks to the Heavenly Realm for a tour," the War Princess said.

"Okay." Pale Revenant stood up.

"Here's the list. I've prepared it for you," the War Princess handed over a paper.

Pale Revenant glanced at the list, which named over thirty demons, devils, and cultivators, including the Sword Warden, members of the Mu Family, the Phoenix Empress, and the Netherworld Emperor.

"Is he in trouble in the Primordial Ruins, worried about retaliation?" Pale Revenant furrowed her brows.

"Seems like it. Make it quick," the War Princess whispered, a hint of worry in her eyes.

"I'll go now." Pale Revenant got up, ready to depart.

"Right," the War Princess said, eyeing the

little girl

who didn't even reach her chest, "Don't tell them about Yun Xiao's troubles. Just say he wants them to head to the Heavenly Realm and Divine Continent to spread the way of the sword. That'll keep them from worrying. Especially those Sword Ruins folks; Yun Xiao's counting on them to help propagate the art of swordsmanship in the Divine Continent."

"Okay."

"And after you've made the arrangements, come back here soon," she added.

"Why's that?" Pale Revenant looked up, puzzled.

"Didn't you always dream of leaving the Nine Hells for a broader world? He's found you a place, called the Oblivion Demon Sea," the War Princess explained.

A spark of life flashed in Pale Revenant's eyes, reviving her spirit. "How do we get there?"

"He should be coming to fetch us, then hand us a map, I guess?" The War Princess smirked.

"A map will do," Pale Revenant paused. "Are you going to the Oblivion Demon Sea too?"

"No," the War Princess replied.

"He probably wants you at the Primordial Ruins, at his beck and call," Pale Revenant said softly.

"Cough!" The War Princess choked, then protested, "What are you talking about? It's not like that between him and me."

Pale Revenant gave her a once-over, her gaze lingering on the War Princess' unparalleled figure, then shook her head. "I don't believe it. Yun Xiao is a man of passion; how could he resist?"

The War Princess was left speechless for a moment before she urged Pale Revenant, "Hurry along with your task. I'm afraid if you're late, my father will be dragged into the Primordial Ruins."

"Goodbye." With those words, Pale Revenant turned and dove into a river, disappearing from the War Princess' sight.

After she was gone, the War Princess sighed and sat down, grumbling, "Damned fool, always sending people off to far places alone, as if I'm some pig left to free-range!"

"Nonsense, haven't I always been with you?" a voice from her heart responded.

The War Princess shuddered. She had forgotten; he was always there, like a shadow.

▬ι══🪦✧⚰️✧🪦══ι▬

At the Divine Dawn Pavilion, in the dead of night...

HUM!

After devouring the resources from Dharma Crown Qin, Yun Xiao spent a solid two hours in seclusion. Through rigorous cultivation, his Genesis Spirit broke through two stages.

"Perfect Genesis Spirit Realm," Yun Xiao exclaimed. His Worldly Dao Heart might be paving a brand new path, but his comprehension abilities and enlightenment were at an unprecedented level. It was just like with the Polar Yin Yang Art and the Primordial Triforce Sword Art. He could even understand the essence of lost and incomplete techniques with just a glance.

"Now that the Nine Hells are open, though the Three Immortals have barred cultivators from the Primordial Ruins from descending, they've set no checkpoints in the skies above. For those unafraid of death, freedom comes easily."

With the current host of situations, Yun Xiao decided it was time for the War Princess to

march

ahead. With Moon Fairy trapped within the Nian and the War Princess as his most crucial pawn, he requested two maps from Lian Xi.

These maps vaguely indicated the directions to the Blood Devil Ruins and the Oblivion Demon Sea A combination of traveling and asking for directions should lead them there.

Of course, Yun Xiao wouldn't be at peace until he personally escorted them out of the Nine Hells.

"Chilli Pepper, huh?" Yun Xiao mused, recalling the War Princess' nickname and her spirited, fiery nature.

"I must say, she and Lil Xi are two extremes," he reflected, consolidating his insights in the Perfect Genesis Spirit Realm before standing up.

The training room shook like a wild beast was at work, dusting half of the Divine Dawn Pavilion with its tremors.

As the door creaked open, there stood Lian Xi, drenched in sweat but smiling shyly at Yun Xiao, her voice sweet as honey, "Are you done with your cultivation? You must be tired. Come rest, and let me pour you some tea."

"No need," Yun Xiao replied, sitting down and pulling her onto his lap, looking into her eyes, "Tea isn't as sweet as you."

"Ah, you're making me blush," Lian Xi giggled, playfully punching Yun Xiao's chest, which echoed with the sound of thunder, reminiscent of the roar of tigers and leopards.

"Stop!" Yun Xiao gasped for air, his newly attained cultivation nearly undone by the flurry of playful punches.

Once Lian Xi paused, Yun Xiao asked, "What were those folks talking about when they came in during my cultivation?"

"Just now... Oh, the selection for a new Crown of the Mystic Zenith Temple," Lian Xi replied.

"Crown selection? Tell me more," Yun Xiao urged.

"It's really the Mystic Zenith Temple's business, not much to do with us. The elders just mentioned it to keep me informed. They've decided not to let disciples from the Academy Faction to participate, to avoid any negative impact before Three Immortals Day," Lian Xi explained.

"Is that so? So, the Mystic Zenith Temple has someone in mind already?" Yun Xiao probed.

"Not exactly," Lian Xi began, detailing the selection process to Yun Xiao and concluding, "The uncles said the Mystic Zenith Temple is using the passing of Dharma Crown Qin as an opportunity to hold the selection. The main goal is to elevate someone influential from the Three Immortals' descendants within the Primordial Academy. Tian Zhixiu, being the president of the Pathseeker Society, is good but not as good as me. They plan to gild him with the Crown title to boost his status."

"Are the rules fair?" Yun Xiao asked.

"The rules are fair, but first, it's hard for our Primordial Academy faction to win. Second, my master doesn't want to cause a stir before Three Immortals Day. So, we're all stepping back." Lian Xi bit her lip. "It's a shame I'm just a few days away from turning 15 years old, or Tian Zhixiu wouldn't stand a chance."

Yun Xiao chuckled at her words. "Well, I'm over 15. I think I'll go stir up some trouble in our place then."