Chapter 174: The Past of Zi Chen

“Girl, are we really not going to help your uncle?” the old man couldn’t help but remind her, “Uncle Yuan’s golden body hasn’t even fully healed yet!”

“Nope,” Yun Jiao refused flatly. “I’m on cooldown.”

“What?” The old man blinked. “You’re… washing something?”

Yun Jiao gave him a complicated look. “I’m out of charge,” she said solemnly. She’d already used up her “five-minute call time” earlier—and that was a premium recharge. Now, she was out of power.

“…” The old man was utterly confused, but he could tell she really had no intention of fighting. “So we’re just… watching?” he asked weakly, his conscience twinging.

“Of course not,” she replied righteously. “You’re watching.”

“Huh?”

Yun Jiao suddenly looked at him with solemn encouragement. “Consider it a mini-exam. Do your best!”

“What—”

Before he could finish, Yun Jiao gave him a solid kick and sent him tumbling off the flying artifact.

“…”

What the—?!

The old man felt the ground vanish beneath him. He didn’t even have time to curse before he was about to smash face-first into the forest floor. Years of being beaten by the grandmaster had trained his reflexes well—he instinctively channeled spiritual energy to steady himself midair and land safely.

“Girl, that’s heartless—” He barely started to complain when his surroundings darkened. In the next instant, an enormous net of tangled vines came whipping toward him—each vine as thick as a water barrel. Startled, he hurled a defensive talisman to block the strike and bolted. “Crap crap crap—HELP! AHHHH!”

No matter where he dodged, there was nowhere to run. The attacks came from all directions, raining down like a storm. Gritting his teeth, Bai Yu pulled out a magic artifact and unleashed a Storm Talisman.

With a deafening boom, the massive vines before him were torn apart, shredded into pieces that rained down to the ground. The old man stared wide-eyed, completely stunned. Wait—was the Storm Talisman always this powerful?!

(⊙ o ⊙)

After years of training under Yun Jiao’s high-pressure “education system,” he’d never once managed to land a clean hit—let alone fight back. But now, suddenly, everything worked.

For the first time in forever, his long-crushed confidence began to reassemble itself—just a little. A rush of pride swelled in his chest, and he grinned wildly. Clutching his artifact, he began firing off one spell after another.

Storm Talisman!Brahma Chant!Flame Slash!

He flung them into the forest like they cost nothing at all.

To his shock, every spell landed perfectly. The terrifying tree-spirits that had seemed unstoppable now fell like grass before a scythe. Within moments, he’d cleared a huge swath of the forest. His confidence exploded.

“Hahahaha—! Not to brag, but when this old man gets going, even I’m scared of myself!”

︿(￣︶￣)︿

With Bai Yu’s sudden rampage on the ground, the pressure on the two men in the air eased dramatically. It was far easier to attack from below—the tree-spirits’ roots anchored them to the earth, and all aerial strikes had been blocked before. Now, with the old man tearing open a path, the group finally had an opening.

Working together, the three of them charged toward the center of the Eternal Forest, where the green light pulsed brighter and brighter.

But just as they neared it, a glowing formation flared to life—a shimmering barrier surrounded the light pillar, sealing off a hundred-meter radius and trapping them outside.

They could now see clearly: in the center of the green light stood a high altar. Two figures lay upon it—one was Ji Li, and the other was a woman dressed in pale green robes.

“Li’er!” the demon king called out anxiously.

A dark green silhouette suddenly appeared on the altar. “You arrived quickly,” Sheng Heng said coldly.

“Sheng Heng!” The demon king’s voice trembled. “What are you trying to do? Don’t you realize that Li’er is actually—”

“She is not!” Sheng Heng’s voice cut him off sharply, each word laced with fury. “Even if she is a reincarnation, she is not my king. Missing even one memory, one breath—she is not the same! My king is irreplaceable!”

“Sheng Heng!” the demon king pleaded, “The king is gone. You already avenged her—you slaughtered every clan that betrayed her. It’s over. Let it go.”

“Over?” Sheng Heng laughed darkly, his black eyes bleeding into crimson. “Our king sacrificed everything for the demon realm—she nearly died stopping the Mystic Gate from annihilating us! She sealed the demonic miasma with her life, just to save these fools!” His voice rose, trembling with fury and grief. “And how did they repay her?!”

The demon king lowered his gaze, sorrow clouding his face.

“They betrayed her!” Sheng Heng roared, voice cracking with hatred. “When she was drained of all power, they dug out her inner core and watched her die atop the sealing array—all because she forbade them from throwing their lives away in a pointless war against mortals! I can’t forget that! You can’t! None of us should! Over? My king is gone! Until she returns, this will never be over!”

The demon king’s eyes widened as he realized the truth. “You… you’re trying to resurrect her!”

Sheng Heng suddenly smiled—this time, not bitterly, but with genuine joy. “That’s right. My king will return. The Sky-Swallowing Beast was an ancient creature—its inner core can call the soul back to the body. And this seal still carries her lingering power. This time, she will definitely come back.”

“But Li’er—” The demon king glanced at the altar again. Now that he looked closely, he realized the other figure was none other than Zi Chen herself. Sheng Heng had restored her body—and Ji Li’s soul was being drawn toward it. His heart clenched in horror. “Sheng Heng! Don’t you see? If you reclaim the power within this seal, the barrier holding back the Crimson Abyss will collapse! The demonic miasma will consume the entire demon realm!”

“So what?!” Sheng Heng’s eyes blazed with madness. “This realm isn’t worth saving! Our king gave her life for it, and what did she earn? Betrayal! Hatred! Even now, the clans curse her name as a traitor! Such an ungrateful world—let it burn!”

“Sheng Heng…” The demon king tried again, desperate.

But Yuan Jiang’s sharp voice cut through the air: “He’s stalling! Look—the beast’s inner core!”

The demon king looked down. The once-golden core of the Sky-Swallowing Beast had nearly turned transparent.

“Hehehe…” Sheng Heng laughed quietly. “Noticed at last? Too late. The seal will break any moment now. You won’t reach me in time.”

“Don’t count on it!” Yuan Jiang’s expression hardened. He shouted, “Little niece!”

“All set!” Yun Jiao called back, placing the final array base.

In the next instant, the barrier shrouding the altar flickered and vanished. The translucent dome dissolved like smoke.

Sheng Heng’s face darkened—but before he could react, Yuan Jiang and the demon king shot forward like lightning, charging straight at him.

You’re not the only one who can stall for time!

(End of chapter)