But the beast was an ancient divine beast; who could hurt it? We don’t know how long we have to wait for the beast to weaken.
It seemed like they had come to a decision, and Xie Changzhou’s expression became somewhat solemn.
“Ah Bi, step back and guard the palace. Don’t let anyone in.”
A cold voice came through, and Sui Ning quickly pulled Xie Changzhou to the side.
“Jianzun, quickly use your invisibility technique.” Her soft voice was a bit anxious.
Xie Changzhou sighed helplessly and silently recited the spell. Their figures gradually disappeared.
Sui Ning huddled in front of him, and he bent his head to touch her furry head. Xie Changzhou suddenly felt soft inside.
“Ningning, everything’s okay,” he said, transmitting his voice to Sui Ning.
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Sui Ning and she stared at each other across the void, and her heartbeat suddenly accelerated, her back feeling numb.
This feeling… it was like looking in a mirror.
Yanheng’s gaze was calm, her jet-black pupils like a deep pool, calm and profound, without any ripples.
A clear and refreshing voice from Xie Changzhou came over: “Ningning, relax.”
He looked at Yan Heng calmly and coldly as they locked eyes for a moment. But in an instant, Yanheng turned her gaze back and walked towards the main hall on her own.
Sui Ning slowly let out a breath, as she almost thought Yan Heng had noticed them just now.
On the main hall, Yan Heng stood alone, her dress trailing on the steps, with embroidered phoenix patterns vividly alive. With a wave of her slender hand, the shiny white stone wall parted silently as a burst of powerful energy and light revealed a sword floating in mid-air.
The sword was pure white, gleaming with a cold radiance and an imposing aura, but somehow it seemed a bit dim, as if lacking something.
Then Sui Ning saw a scene that she would never forget in her life.
Yan Heng grabbed her five fingers into a claw and, without any hesitation, stabbed straight into her own chest. The movement was so fast that Suining hardly had time to react.
She was first stunned, then her phoenix eyes widened with shock.
Yan Heng… dug out her own heart?
Blood dripped from her delicate white hand, and the sweet fragrance in the hall became even stronger. Drops of blood fell on her white clothes, creating red plum blossoms. In her hand, a divine heart was still beating, and the majestic divine power emanated from it, gradually fading into the divine sword in front of her.
However, in a moment, her entire divine heart dissipated, transforming into pure and powerful divine energy, which hid in the long sword. The dim sword suddenly became radiant with bright light.
With a sword as sharp as frost and a killing intent that sends shivers down the spine, the divine energy flows like a rainbow. Sui Ning’s gaze falls on the sword, her heart skipping a beat.
A sense of familiarity rises within her, as if calling out to her soul.
The Demon-Slaying Sword Its name flashes in Sui Ning’s mind.
Her heart sinks, as she has never seen this sword before. How could she know its name?
Xie Changzhou takes hold of her hand, and with lowered eyes, he tells her, “Ningning, don’t worry about it. It has nothing to do with you.”
Sui Ning nods and shifts her gaze back to Yanheng on the dais.
Yanheng stands tall with a slightly bent back, her chest soaked with blood, and a pool of blood already formed on the white floor tile beneath her feet.
She lightly takes hold of the long sword, her slender fingers gently stroking the sparkling white blade.
Her cold voice rings out, “Both of you, come out.”
Yanheng turns slightly in their direction, her expression calm and her tone still indifferent.
Sui Ning’s heart sinks, realizing that Yanheng had already detected their presence.
But it’s not surprising, considering the beast’s ability to perceive time and space. And facing an ancient goddess, it’s also not surprising that she could detect them.
Xie Changzhou hides his cultivation and steps forward, bowing to Yanheng with a calm expression and saying, “Goddess Yanheng.”
Yanheng gently nodded, her gaze falling on him. In her tranquil eyes, akin to still water, a ripple of unrest silently emerged.
After a brief moment, she averted her gaze and looked towards Sui Ning behind him.
Identical features met her gaze, but the expressions were distinctly different. Yanheng appeared… devoid of emotion, almost like a lifeless figure. She softly spoke, her voice hollow: “You’ve come.”
Sui Ning’s eyebrows slightly furrowed as her dark eyes locked onto Yanheng’s. “Goddess… do you know me?”
Yanheng walked towards her, and with each step, drops of blood fell onto the white tiles, staining her luxurious robe red.
Xie Changzhou stepped aside, his gaze lowering toward Yanheng. “Goddess, what brings you here?”
Yanheng raised her eyes to him, her clear gaze serene and deep.
Exhaling lightly, she said, “I have no intention of harming her.”
Sui Ning stepped forward, tugging Xie Changzhou’s sleeve, and shook her head slightly. “Jianzun, it’s alright. The goddess has something to say to me.”
She looked at Yanheng, seeing her up close. Only now did she realize that Yanheng’s features were almost identical to her own. The face beneath the veil seemed vaguely familiar. Sui Ning had no doubt that if she unveiled it, she would see a face exactly like her own.
But she wasn’t from this world, and she didn’t have any siblings here. Could there really be someone so similar in two different worlds?
Sui Ning could only find it absurd.
Xie Changzhou stood by Sui Ning’s side, his warm and distant gaze resting on Yanheng.
She held Xie Changzhou’s hand and said, “It’s okay.”
But it was only a moment, and she regained her calm, as if everything just now was an illusion.
Yan Heng said softly, “I have a request.”
Sui Ning slowly straightened up and looked at her. “Please speak, Goddess.”
Yan Heng looked down at her chest, where the flesh and blood were blurred. The fresh blood that had been flowing out just now had stopped, and her white clothes had been dyed red.
“I used my divine power to refine the Demon-Slaying Sword, and my vitality was greatly damaged. I am afraid I will fall into a deep sleep.”
Yan Heng looked up at Sui Ning and said in a gentle voice, “Now that the war with the demons is imminent, the news of my sleep cannot be spread. The immortal world needs me to control the situation.”
“Miss, I need your help.”
Sui Ning pursed her lips, and her eyes sparkled.
“Miss, I need your help,” Yan Heng repeated.
Sui Ning’s gaze fell on Yan Heng’s veil, and her eyes were complicated. “So, Goddess, you want me to pretend to be you for a while.”
“Yes.” Yan Heng’s tone was calm, and her cold gaze traced down from Sui Ning’s eyebrows.
“You and I look very similar.”
“Heh.” Sui Ning laughed lightly, but there was no humor in her eyes.
“Isn’t it identical, Goddess?”
Yan Heng was startled, and the fingertips of her hands folded in front of her trembled slightly. But in an instant, she regained her goddess-like appearance.
She spoke slowly, “Yes.”
Sui Ning held the Demon-slaying Sword, her grip tight and her throat strangely parched, as if something was choking her. A surge of warmth welled up in her chest.
She felt… uncomfortable.
“Miss, please help me.” Yanheng’s expression remained cold and indifferent, her eyebrows and eyes devoid of emotional fluctuations.
Sui Ning’s voice trembled as she hesitated to speak. “What if I don’t?”
“You will,” Yanheng softly replied. “You will help me.”
Sui Ning remained silent, holding the Demon-slaying Sword and looking at Yanheng. A profound sense of sorrow surged within her, overwhelming her as if it could engulf her completely.
Yanheng’s gaze softened slightly, her phoenix-like eyes curving as her voice grew gentler. “Miss, I’m very happy to see you.”
As her words fell, her long and dark eyelashes slowly drooped, concealing the radiance in her eyes. The flowing ribbons from her phoenix crown swayed, and her slender figure suddenly leaned backward like a butterfly with broken wings.
The Demon-slaying Sword fell to the ground, and Sui Ning almost lunged forward to catch her shattered body. A familiar sweetness filled the air, and the ribbons brushed against Sui Ning’s face as her heart seemed to skip a beat.
Her gaze focused on Yanheng’s pale face, and a glistening tear suddenly fell, landing on Yanheng’s veil before disappearing.
Xie Changzhou furrowed his eyebrows and quickly crouched down to check Sui Ning’s condition, asking, “Ningning, what’s wrong with you?”
Sui Ning wiped away the tears in confusion, her grip on Yanheng’s hand trembling slightly. “I… I’m fine.”
Her words were somewhat disjointed, and the overwhelming grief in her heart was etched into her soul.
But why, she wondered, did she feel such intense sorrow when she saw Yanheng? What was the reason for this overwhelming pain?
Xie Changzhou’s gentle spiritual energy probed into Yanheng’s body, and after a while, he withdrew his hand and whispered, “Ningning, she’s fine. She just needs to sleep for a while.”
“Yanheng has a natural divine body, and she is currently the only deity in the world. Losing her divine heart won’t lead to her downfall; it will only weaken her cultivation.”
Sui Ning nodded slightly and looked down at the Yanheng in her arms. The coldness that covered her eyes now was just like the peaceful sleeping Yanheng, and it seemed like she was looking at herself sleeping.
“Sui Ning, what are you thinking?” Xie Changzhou asked with a cold expression and a frigid gaze.
She felt confused and didn’t know how to respond to him. Her emotions were in turmoil, and the agitation deep in her soul made her breathing irregular. She could only hear the voice in her heart.
I need to help her.
But why was she feeling so strange?
“Jianzun, I…”
His cool and soft hand covered her trembling one, and he lowered his gaze to look quietly and calmly at her. “Sui Ning, don’t think about it. Just do what you want to do.”
Xie Changzhou then wiped away the tears on her cheek as he gazed at her reddened eyes. “Sui Ning, we can’t leave now. This is the palace, and there are immortal soldiers guarding it outside. We won’t be able to leave without the help of the goddess. As for the beast, it should be in the demon realm since it’s the war between gods and demons now. It will appear when the time comes.”
As Xie Changzhou finished speaking, there was a light knocking sound from outside the hall.
“Goddess, Ji Hu War God requests an audience.”
Sui Ning’s phoenix eyes shrank in horror as she looked towards the entrance of the hall.
Ji Hu?
The first war god who had accompanied Yanheng for tens of thousands of years?
Sui Ning was shocked. Although others might not be able to recognize her, it would be too easy for Ji Hu, who had been with Yanheng for thousands of years, to recognize that she was fake.
“Sui Ning, don’t panic. Let him leave first,” Xie Changzhou said, holding her hand and maintaining a calm expression.
“Sui Ning nodded her head, and her voice sounded similar to Yan Heng’s, easily disguising herself.
She cleared her throat, and her soft voice suddenly turned cold. She said, “You go down first.”
She didn’t know how Yan Heng introduced herself or what her attitude was toward Ji Hu, so she adopted a “less talk, less mistake” attitude.
The people outside the hall were silent and did not respond. Sui Ning held Xie Changzhou’s hand tightly and stared intently at the entrance to the hall.
Xie Changzhou looked serious and silently gazed at the entrance to the hall.
As time passed, it became so long that Sui Ning began to feel uneasy, and a cold voice came from outside the hall.
“Okay, Ji Hu will withdraw first.”
The footsteps gradually faded away, and Sui Ning slowly breathed a sigh of relief.
She looked at Yan Heng, who had closed her eyes tightly in her arms, her gaze complex and unclear.
She muttered to herself in a low voice, “You’ve given me a good job.”
Pretending to be a goddess, not explaining anything to her, and letting a complete stranger take charge of the situation.
“Ningning.” Xie Changzhou’s eyes were deep, and his eyebrows were slightly furrowed. “The beast is the descendant of the time and space beast, and its consciousness is unique in this world.”
He paused and held Sui Ning’s hand tightly. “This is different from the illusion created by Mo Huai’an. In the beast’s consciousness, including ours, we are all living, breathing people with flesh and blood. Our souls are also here.”
“Although this is the past, we cannot change the past, nor can we change it, but…
Xie Changzhou’s eyes were pitch black, his expression was solemn and cold, and his voice was clear and low.
“We cannot change the future here.”
His words were circuitous, but Sui Ning still understood.
Her voice was dry. “So, I can’t change the goddess’s death, but if I die here, it’s really death.”
Xie Changzhou nodded slightly. “You can’t stop the goddess from dying because the goddess has already died in reality. The one who is alive now is just the goddess created by the beast. But our soul is here, and if we die in the beast’s consciousness,
He continued, word for word. “Then we really die.”
Therefore, they could not be discovered by the people in the palace, nor could they be discovered by the beast, nor could they die here.
“If Yan Heng doesn’t wake up soon, it’s only a matter of time before Ningning is discovered,” said Xie Changzhou as he looked down at Yan Heng in her arms with a sigh.
“Jianzun, let’s take care of the goddess first.”
They had no way out at the moment and could only wait for Yan Heng to wake up.
Sui Ning lifted Yan Heng up, and now that she was in the Nascent Soul stage, she had become stronger, allowing him to easily carry her to the bed in the inner hall.
Yan Heng’s chest was covered in blood, and her magnificent clothes were torn and soaked in blood.
Sui Ning cleaned her up with magic but could only remove the blood stains on her clothes. Without the stains to cover it up, the blood hole in Yan Heng’s chest looked even more horrifying.
Xie Changzhou had already turned around and said, “Ningning, please change the goddess’s clothes. I’ll leave first.”
He walked slowly out of the inner hall, leaving only Sui Ning and Yan Heng behind.
Sui Ning looked at Yan Heng, lying on the bed, with a calm gaze. Her face was covered by a veil, hiding her beauty.
Her lips were slightly pursed, and her eyes were dim. After a long time, Sui Ning gave up trying to understand the relationship between Yan Heng and herself. She would know when Yan Heng woke up.
There was a room at the corner of the inner hall where clothes were placed. Sui Ning walked over to it.
The pure white marble door of the room was tall and imposing. As she slowly opened it and entered, the fragrance on Yan Heng’s body filled her nose.
Following the fragrance…
There was also a strong killing intent.
Sui Ning’s pupils contracted, and her back tingled. She quickly dodged aside and summoned her sword, slashing at the attacker.
The bright white sword light clashed with the faint blue sword light, and it dissipated in an instant without any counterattack.
Sui Ning was hit by the resolute sword intent and flew, hitting the stone wall heavily. Her spiritual energy and blood churned in her chest, and the taste of rust filled her mouth. She spat out a mouthful of blood.
Even more intense killing intent came at her, but she had no strength to stand up. It felt like all of her bones had been crushed.
When the sword light was about to slash at her, a figure firmly stood in front of her. The white clothes were fluttering with spiritual energy, and the fragrance of cold pine permeated her breath.
Du Wang collided with the incoming person’s sword, and the barrier firmly blocked the killing intent that was directed towards them. A clear and melodious voice came.
“Ji Hu, God of War, we have no ill intentions and have never harmed the goddess.”
Xie Changzhou’s voice echoed in the empty hall, and the pressure that almost crushed Sui Ning suddenly dissipated. She breathed heavily and looked weakly at the person not far away.
He wore a luxurious and exquisite black robe, with black hair tied high by a jade crown. He had a straight nose and tightly pursed lips, sharp facial features, and a rigid temperament. His glassy eyes stared closely at them, exuding a majestic killing intent.
He is Ji Hu.
Ohhh I caught uppp, can’t wait for the next chapter🥺
Does Ji Hu look like our Jianzun now??? 😅