Chapter 116.1: I Will Wait For You

Having struck in haste, the Violet Heaven Maiden had only managed to grievously wound the man. "

Hmph

! Remnants of the Blood Palace hiding within my Violet Heaven Alliance?! Truly despicable!"

A Supreme asked, his eyes filled with solemnity, "That crimson light just now... was it the work of the Blood Master?"

The Foolish Daoist had been able to break free from their encirclement because of that drop of blood-colored light.

"I once obtained such a drop and consulted the Slate of Fate." The Violet Heaven Maiden raised her chin proudly, her eyes brimming with killing intent. "The Slate of Fate's answer was: this belongs to the Great Demon!"

Everyone grew tense, though a flicker of greed also rose in their hearts. That supreme treasure was said to have been born alongside the Buddha himself, allowing one to glimpse into the past and future.

The Violet Heaven Maiden's achievements were inseparable from the Slate of Fate. With that artifact in her possession, her combat power could be said to be among the strongest. Moreover, it had become her instrument of authority.

Whether the Blood Master was truly a Great Demon,

that

was irrelevant. What mattered was what the Violet Heaven Maiden had proclaimed. The Slate of Fate had decreed the Blood Master to be the Great Demon. Therefore, he was and all the world should rise against him.

***

At the Ends of the Earth, within the Blood Palace.

Dawn arrived, not with sunlight, but with a faint glow.

The Ends of the Earth lay in the southernmost point of the world, where the sky brightened first.

Inside a boudoir, a young woman resided, her cheeks pale as snow. Dark tresses brushed past her delicate face as she gazed into the mirror, carefully painting her fine, curved brows. Her faint complexion transformed into lovely elegance. Her reflection and the flowers in the pearwood vase mirrored one another.

The girl rose, her silk embroidered gown and gauze glimmered with intricate paired partridges, and her eyes grew brighter.

Every morning, the canary would rise early to carefully draw her brows. Even after three hundred years, she seemed unchanged from her days at Nine Plate Mountain—still as fond of beauty, still attentive to her appearance.

"Big Sister Canary, I heard the Foolish Daoist has returned!" Came an urgent, crisp voice from outside. "But when he came back, he was gravely injured. He fell unconscious without being able to say anything. Should we go see him?"

"

Ah

?" Canary's sleek eyes flashed with anxiety. "What happened?"

"I heard Sister Yanran say that the Foolish Daoist had been undercover in the Violet Heaven Alliance all this time. His sudden return must mean he brought important news. It's likely the Violet Heaven Alliance will soon attack our Blood Palace!" The girl's voice trembled with worry. "Big Sister Canary, should we go to the main hall and see him?"

"Alright—"

The girl looked on in puzzlement. "

Huh

? Big Sister Canary?"

Canary had already rushed out of her room barefoot, not even pausing to put on shoes. Her pale feet, akin to tender lotus roots, peeked from beneath her lifted skirt.

Why such haste? It was as if she were racing reincarnation itself.

Outside the Blood Palace, the sea churned endlessly. A man in a blood-red robe stood above the waves, a faint smile at the corners of his eyes. When he saw the figure rushing toward him, he too turned into a streak of light to meet her.

"Blood Drop!!!"

Filled with excitement, her tears glimmered as she lifted her skirt and dashed forward. Like a koala, she clung tightly to him, her long legs wrapping firmly around his waist. Her usual composure forgotten, she clung to him desperately.

Canary's voice trembled, nearly breaking. "I knew it! I

knew

you'd come back for me!"

"Sorry I'm late," Qi Yuan said softly, one hand supporting her thigh, the other stroking her back.

Seeing her face, still as beautiful as before, he smiled brightly.

Resting in his arms, Canary refused to let go. Her cheeks flushed a rosy pink as she whispered shyly, "You've gotten even more handsome... Luckily I put on makeup this morning, or you'd outshine me completely!"

𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

"I knew it, you've always appreciated my looks," Qi Yuan teased with a grin. "Everyone I met on the way looked terrified of me."

"

Hmph

, blind fools!" Canary pouted happily. "This young lady is the number one beauty of the Eighteen Mountains, and you, Blood Drop, are the number one handsome man!"

Qi Yuan laughed softly and held her tighter. They sat together, gazing at the sea before them, where the Myriad Phenomena Gate loomed.

Upon noticing the gate, Canary’s eyes grew distant.

Qi Yuan took her small foot in his hand and brushed off the dust. "It's dirty. Let me clean it."

Warmth spread through her as she flushed a shade deeper. "I just got up and I didn't put my shoes on properly... Don't touch my feet, they're ticklish!"

Qi Yuan placed her upon a boulder by the sea. They sat side by side, gazing at the Myriad Phenomena Gate, just like the first time he came to the Nine Plate Mountain.

[You have comprehended the Origin. Mutant Ability +1000.]

[You have comprehended the Origin. Water Control +10.]

Thus, Qi Yuan once again meditated on the gate.

Canary said unhappily, "Blood Drop, I think you lied to me!"

"Lied to you about what?"

Her voice trembled with worry, "You said if I meditated on the Myriad Phenomena Gate, I'll become prettier! That's false! I've been meditating for years and nothing's changed! Besides, everyone says that gate is

ominous

—that the Great Demon's inner demon is sealed behind it. If we keep meditating, we might be possessed by it!"

Qi Yuan narrowed his eyes at the gate.

[Myriad Phenomena Gate: the Unknown Gate, the Gate of All Gates. It can become any gate.]

According to Shang Yanran and Bai Ze's research, this gate was a replica of the one in Flowing Wind World, formed from endless inner demons. Yet what Qi Yuan saw told him otherwise.

He caressed Canary's head gently. "Rumors are just rumors. We've never seen it ourselves, how can we know what's true or false? Even stories about Buddhas, demons, and enchantresses might not be real. Maybe they were fabricated. Maybe the truth is nothing like what's been told."

Qi Yuan had always believed only one-third of what he heard. What he trusted most were his own eyes.

"Canary," he said softly, "don't trust anyone. Trust only yourself. Understand?"

The sea breeze rippled across the waves.

Canary tilted her head and smiled. "I shall reluctantly trust you, then!"

Qi Yuan chuckled. "Alright, let's head back to the Blood Palace. There are things we need to take care of."

"Oh no, I forgot!" Canary gasped. "The Foolish Daoist brought back urgent news, but he's unconscious from his injuries!"

She told Qi Yuan everything she'd heard about the Foolish Daoist's infiltration.

Qi Yuan nodded. "Let's go see him."

Back when Qi Yuan preached the Human-Demon Path, twenty-seven people had followed him, with the Foolish Daoist as their eldest brother.

***

In the Blood Palace, the Foolish Daoist lay pale and unconscious. He was gravely injured, his bed was stained red.

Shang Yanran's charming face was grave. "The Violet Heaven Maiden grows stronger by the day. Just one strike, and Senior Brother is reduced to such a devastating state!"

The twenty-seven of them had sworn brotherhood. The Foolish Daoist, as the eldest, commanded deep respect.

Bai Ze stood beside her, worried. "As long as she has the Slate of Fate, her power is terrifying. I fear our Blood Palace may not survive this crisis."

Shang Yanran said stubbornly, "My husband, why fret? We'll only know the outcome once we fight."

They had been husband and wife even before they heard the Blood Master's teachings, yet their temperaments were vastly different.

Bai Ze sighed, "The world is truly cruel. That fraud deceives the world and still becomes its leader? To slander our master as the Great Demon is intolerable!"

"She does have the Slate of Fate," Shang Yanran said. Then, she frowned. "If war breaks out, we must send Master's wife away first."

Just then, a calm, magnetic voice drifted through the great hall. "Master's... wife?”

A handsome man in a blood-red robe entered, holding the hand of a girl in a bright yellow dress.

The girl's face flushed deep red as she glanced shyly at Qi Yuan. "Don't talk nonsense!"

The moment that voice and figure appeared, everyone in the hall froze in disbelief, then erupted in joy.