Meanwhile, not far from the tar—
Bai Hu looked down at the top of Shen Ming’s head. His former equal, all the obstacles he had encountered over these countless eons, even the Heavenly Emperor himself—all had fallen so easily into his hands, subject to his whims. He was destined to stand at the summit, looking down upon everything. Nothing could stop him.
Yet at the same time, a faint sense of weariness rose in his heart. How boring. Well, time to get down to business.
Having vented the emotions he had suppressed for so long, he was satisfied. He reached out with the hand that had been resting on his belly—he could no longer contain his desire to absorb all of Shen Ming’s divine power.
The resistance was negligible. All of Shen Ming’s power involuntarily left him. The Xuan Wu power he had painstakingly recovered was stripped away bit by bit. Soon, Shen Ming’s divine power was completely drained.
When the divine power was gone, Bai Hu moved on to his life force.
Bai Hu had no intention of showing mercy. Shen Ming’s complexion grew visibly paler and more haggard. His very body began to turn translucent, as if he had no strength left. His remaining head slowly began to sink into the tar.
Down, down, until it was completely submerged…
Just as Bai Hu was about to withdraw his hand, he let out a surprised “Hmm?” It felt as though someone was pulling on him.
Suddenly, the hairs on his body stood on end. An immense sense of crisis shot up from the soles of his feet to the crown of his head.
He immediately spun around and retreated, a surge of powerful energy radiating from his fingertips—colliding directly with another tremendous force.
At the spot where he had just been standing, the tar receded, and pale blue currents of water transformed into high-speed bullets, hurtling straight toward him.
Ye Yang surfaced in the distance, dragging the still-recovering Lu Wu, and wiped his forehead. “Whew, that was close. Almost didn’t make it in time.”
Bai Hu finally sensed that something was wrong, but it was too late. Shen Ming, who had just vanished into the tar, suddenly reappeared behind him. Not only was there no trace of deathly energy about him, but his power seemed even more abundant.
The Xuan Wu power crashed down like a tidal wave. Bai Hu was caught off guard, but he hadn’t survived all these years for nothing. He quickly regained his composure.
A colossal force poured down from above, forcing Shen Ming back several steps.
The opposing forces intertwined, sparking a storm of spiritual energy. The incompletely transformed tar and the pale blue Xuan Wu divine power churned and trembled. By the time Ye Yang could see the two of them clearly again, they were locked in a deadly stalemate.
Bai Hu was exceptionally tall. Shen Ming faced him, one looking up, the other down. The sword energy Shen Ming had manifested pointed directly at Bai Hu’s abdomen. Bai Hu met it with his bare palm, gripping it tightly.
Lu Wu had woken up, but he was so terrified he didn’t dare make a sound.
A battle of this level—he wouldn’t have qualified to participate even before he was injured, let alone now.
The truth was pathetic. If Ye Yang weren’t holding onto him, he would have been blown away by the oscillating spiritual energy long ago.
The blatant contempt and casual indifference were gone from Bai Hu’s face. His grim expression made him look even more ferocious. The sleeves of his arms, tense with strain, were gone—whether torn apart by the spiritual energy or burst by his bulging muscles was unclear.
Finally, he looked directly at Ye Yang, who was approaching him. “What exactly are you? What have you done?”
Ye Yang couldn’t be bothered to respond. He had no habit of chatting during the most tense moment of a battle. Protecting Lu Wu behind him, he walked forward and upward slowly, each step difficult.
Because one of his hands was still in the tar, converting energy. And his other hand—
Bai Hu’s gaze sharpened as he saw it clearly. Ye Yang’s other hand was tightly clasped with Shen Ming’s, which had been hidden behind his back. A continuous stream of Xuan Wu power was flowing from this aquatic creature, whose original form was indistinguishable, into Shen Ming’s body, transforming into power to oppose Bai Hu himself.
And his own power—Bai Hu’s power—though he didn’t know exactly how it was happening, he wasn’t a fool. By now, he understood everything. His power was being stolen and was becoming his enemy’s support!
Seeing the look on Bai Hu’s face, Ye Yang felt a little smug. Who would have thought that in such a short time, the situation within the tar would completely reverse? Xuan Wu’s power had instead become Ye Yang’s ally, helping him free all the other spiritual energies and powers from Bai Hu’s control. And these chaotic powers, driven by their resentment toward Bai Hu, willingly aided him and Shen Ming.
If Bai Hu hadn’t knocked him down, no one would have discovered such a useful ability in a little sea hare.
Shen Ming hadn’t expected it either, but he wasn’t surprised. Some might not know or might have forgotten, but he never had: Ye Yang was a通透 spirit body. Nothing about him was truly strange.
Bai Hu’s expression grew darker and darker. He had felt vaguely uneasy earlier, but at this stage of the game, how could there still be a twist? Who could have imagined that an insignificant little aquatic demon, one he could crush with a single finger, would possess such abilities?
The child in his womb sensed Bai Hu’s agitation and moved restlessly. Ye Yang watched the shape of Bai Hu’s stomach shift dramatically, a chill running down his spine as his thoughts uncontrollably spiraled. He didn’t know if this child counted as a real life. If Bai Hu died, could the child still live? Or could they capture Bai Hu alive?
Then he shook his head. The latter was almost impossible.
There was no time to dwell on it. They had to defeat Bai Hu now!
The area covered by tar had shrunk considerably. Lu Wu had recovered somewhat and was pulling the unconscious figures trapped in the tar out one by one. The energy conversion was growing faster and faster. Ye Yang finally freed up his hands and joined the fray.
He didn’t know many spells, and it was difficult to mobilize spiritual energy here, so he simply pushed his physical advantages to the limit.
Punch after punch, heavy and fierce, landed unpredictably. Yet Ye Yang was still in his original form—a tiny, soft, slippery sea hare who couldn’t be caught. Even when caught within Bai Hu’s massive palm, he would slip out instantly through the gaps between his fingers.
Bai Hu was immensely powerful; he wasn’t even scratched. But being constantly nibbled at by a little insect was endlessly irritating. Finally, after getting his hair pulled for the eighth time, he reached his limit. With a furious roar, he pushed Shen Ming back and smacked his own head with his massive hand.
Ye Yang was ready. He compressed his body into a thin, flat sheet, and with a wet slap, he accelerated and landed on Bai Hu’s shoulder.
Bai Hu was truly enraged now. Attack after attack missed, and he unleashed a relentless barrage of spiritual energy spikes in pursuit.
Suddenly, his heart jolted with panic. From an oblique angle, a torrent of water-formed spikes shot toward his face, going against the very spikes he had just released!
Shen Ming had only pretended to retreat, working in tandem with Ye Yang to catch Bai Hu completely off guard!
…
Bai Hu simply couldn’t understand it. Everything had been progressing smoothly according to plan. How had things suddenly reached a point of no return?
When masters clashed, victory or defeat hinged on the slightest margin. A single mistake could be fatal.
Just like that, with one misstep, Bai Hu was immediately at a disadvantage. The powers he had once controlled suddenly turned against him, striking him down to a point from which he could never recover.
He could not win.
Bai Hu realized this deeply.
He could lose. He could die. But he could not let someone else win!
Having single-handedly orchestrated the destruction of the upper realm and the birth of the new realm, he could not stand by and watch his life’s work go to waste while his enemies reaped the rewards.
As Shen Ming’s attack came at him, Bai Hu did not dodge or evade. Instead, he suddenly spread his arms wide and, to Shen Ming’s astonishment, wrapped himself tightly around him. His eyes were resolute and filled with venom.
Shen Ming’s heart seized. Instinctively, he grabbed Ye Yang and hurled him far, far away. “Run! He’s going to self-destruct!”
Bai Hu was still connected to the power of the new realm and the remaining tar. His self-destruction would be infinitely more catastrophic than the explosion of Zhu Que’s power. When it happened, not only the new realm and the Underworld, but probably the human realm, the demon realm, and even the upper realm—already a land of the dead—would be annihilated along with him!
Ye Yang was thrown several hundred meters. His heart nearly stopped. What about Shen Ming? He was still trapped in Bai Hu’s grasp!
Shen Ming took only a moment to clear his thoughts. Instead of struggling, he grabbed Bai Hu in return. Xuan Wu’s power tightly bound both himself and Bai Hu. Even if he couldn’t stop the self-destruction, he would give his life to contain the spiritual energy explosion to the smallest possible area!
He felt a little guilty toward his little sea hare… but there was no other choice.
·
“Don’t be ridiculous. There’s no way I’d let something like that happen a second time.”
A teasing voice rang out from above.
It was Elder Li!
Ye Yang’s head snapped up. What he saw was an overwhelming expanse of green and a formation so vast its edges couldn’t be seen, pressing down from above.
The wood-element power, representing life and hope, was gentle yet mighty. Combined with Yan Yungui’s formation, which came from beyond the known realms, it appeared slow but in truth locked onto Bai Hu in an instant.
The immense power surging within Bai Hu finally found an outlet—but no explosion occurred.
Bai Hu suddenly realized he had lost control of himself. His power was being drained away, bit by bit, and he was powerless to stop it. He couldn’t even make a sound.
His eyes were wide open, the eyeballs nearly bulging from their sockets. But soon, his face was also covered by Elder Li’s vines. In coordination with Shen Ming, his entire body was wrapped into a cocoon.
Elder Li landed gracefully, circled the large green cocoon a few times, and clapped his hands in satisfaction. “Excellent, excellent. Works even better than I expected.”
Ye Yang had already rushed back. Forgetting everything else, he grabbed hold of Shen Ming and frantically patted and prodded him, checking him over to make sure he wasn’t hurt at all. Only then did his heart finally settle. And immediately afterward, a towering rage surged within him.
He didn’t lose his temper, didn’t shout or yell. He simply wanted nothing to do with Shen Ming.
Lu Wu was almost dumbfounded. He tugged at Elder Li, firing off questions. Elder Li, patient as ever, explained, “Our YCG isn’t completely useless, you know. The moment we got Xiao Ye’s message, we sprang into action. The only trouble was getting down to the Underworld. As for what just happened—”
Elder Li, eager to show off, nudged Ye Yang with his shoulder. “Didn’t you notice that Yan Yungui disappeared after the last explosion? He went into seclusion to work on that formation. Pretty impressive, huh? He and I deciphered the incomplete scrolls together.”
Ye Yang nodded and didn’t hold back his praise. But before he could say much, Lu Wu pointed at the black fog, hesitating. “Now that the new realm has no external force driving it, shouldn’t it naturally separate from the Underworld? Why isn’t anything changing?”
That wasn’t entirely accurate—there were changes. The churning of the black fog had noticeably subsided, and the boundaries of the Underworld were becoming clearer. But the new realm showed no sign of detaching. It remained firmly connected to the Underworld.
“Could Bai Hu not be completely dead yet?”
“He’s definitely dead. The backlash from all that power—his very soul ceased to exist.” Elder Li was certain. “It’s just that the child is a bit difficult to deal with.”
Lu Wu realized with a start. So it was because the child was still here.
This wasn’t a major issue. Without Bai Hu, the new realm wasn’t really a threat. After much discussion and coordination, they unanimously agreed to send the child back to the new realm. After that, the new realm would separate from the Underworld, and the Underworld would return to normal.
The resurgence of spiritual energy was unstoppable. In a thousand years, the human realm would become the new upper realm. The Underworld would remain the Underworld. And the new realm born in between would become the new human realm. But Bai Hu’s dream of controlling an entire realm would never come true.
·
“I have come to a deep realization of my mistakes. Truly.” Shen Ming followed right behind Ye Yang, step for step.
Ye Yang didn’t even acknowledge him.
Shen Ming didn’t give up. He kept following—from home to the office, from the office to headquarters.
There were many people at headquarters, and even more curious glances. Ye Yang finally couldn’t take it anymore and pulled Shen Ming to a secluded spot.
“Finally willing to forgive me?” Shen Ming let Ye Yang pull him along. But once they were in the corner, he suddenly cornered Ye Yang against the wall, then crouched down to look up at him.
After the battle, Ye Yang had been so angry he wouldn’t speak to Shen Ming. Shen Ming panicked and confessed his feelings on the spot.
That paper-thin barrier had finally been broken. Ye Yang saw his own heart clearly and, in a daze, agreed.
After two sweet days, Ye Yang finally remembered to tell Shen Ming that he couldn’t put himself in danger alone anymore. But Shen Ming said he couldn’t promise that.
Ye Yang got so angry he stopped talking to him and moved out.
…
Ye Yang looked down. Shen Ming was still gazing up at him, his arms wrapped around Ye Yang’s waist. Who could withstand that?
Ye Yang took a deep breath but still held his ground. “Then tell me—can you really put yourself first? At the very least, don’t put yourself last.”
Shen Ming: “…” He didn’t want to upset Ye Yang, but he truly couldn’t say words he didn’t mean.
That was why Ye Yang was still angry.
Bai Hu was dead. The new realm was being born. The human realm was transforming. Even though Shen Ming was no longer one of the Four Directional Guardian Gods, he still couldn’t let go of responsibilities that were no longer his.
Ye Yang didn’t want to watch Shen Ming march off to die while he stood by helplessly. If he could help it, he never wanted to experience that even once.
Especially now, after understanding his own feelings.
Ye Yang said nothing. Shen Ming carefully stole glances at him, racking his brain for a way to change the subject. “You’ve worked hard lately. How about I make you some egg tarts when we get home? What flavor do you want?”
But Shen Ming had never been good with words. He used to have Ling She—articulate and emotionally intelligent—but now Ling She could only coil around Ye Yang’s wrist, staring blankly just like his master.
Ye Yang sighed. Fine.
He could actually understand Shen Ming. After working for so long himself, he had become much the same.
He knew Shen Ming felt the same way he did. They were both willing to sacrifice. They both couldn’t bear to see the one they loved get hurt.
But every time he saw that stubborn look on Shen Ming’s face, his anger flared up again. Even if he forgave him, it wouldn’t be that easy. Hmph!
He was really angry this time. It would take at least ten—no, twenty—butter, cheese, and molten egg yolk tarts to make it up to him!
“Twenty? Two hundred would be no problem!”
The moment Ye Yang relented, Shen Ming’s face lit up with joy. Still in the same crouched position, he simply lifted Ye Yang straight up.
“Ah… I didn’t see anything. Carry on, carry on…”
Sister Wu, who happened to be passing by, executed a major retreat.
Ye Yang: “Wait, hey, Sister Wu!” They hadn’t been doing anything!
But Sister Wu had already fled at lightning speed and vanished. Ye Yang glared at Shen Ming, who flashed a brief, mischievous smile before blinking back innocently. “Let’s go home and eat egg tarts.”
—The End of the Main Story—
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