“Is this the mountain range?” The little rabbit stood atop a golden cypress tree, gazing at the majestic peaks.
“Exactly this place. Our tracking was flawless. Hmm? There are signs of battle in the mountains—we’ve arrived!” The Divine Striking Stone exclaimed in delight.
The towering mountains stood one after another, their grandeur undiminished despite the freezing cold. Purple divine pear trees, silver snow peaches, and golden cypresses shimmered brilliantly, breathing life into the desolate landscape.
The duo—one human, one stone—hurried forward, closing in on the ancient cave abode.
“Ah! Who’s that? Yue Chan or Qing Yi? She… looks so disheveled, fleeing like this. What happened?!” the little rabbit shrieked.
“Prepare an ambush!” the Divine Striking Stone whispered.
Yue Chan swiftly draped a white dress over her flawless, jade-like body, the fabric barely concealing her breathtaking curves.
But she had no mind for her appearance now. She could scarcely believe what had just transpired.
“Hmph, this is… outrageous!”
Suddenly, she staggered, nearly collapsing. Her skin flushed pink as she whirled around, teeth clenched, glaring back the way she’d come.
She and Qing Yi shared a master-subordinate bond—within a certain distance, their senses were intertwined. Whatever one experienced, the other felt it too.
Only after ascending to godhood had they learned to seal themselves off, severing that connection. But today, grievously wounded and with unstable soul power, the barrier had failed. Now, she could feel everything Qing Yi was enduring.
“Ah—!” Yue Chan screamed. To her, this was unbearable.
She swayed unsteadily but forced herself to stand firm. Her luminous arms, pale as snow, traced intricate patterns in the air, forming a supreme divine seal aimed at the distant mountains.
Even if she couldn’t kill him, she couldn’t let this stand!
“Whoosh!”
A streak of light shot through the air—the Divine Striking Stone had struck first, its legendary power capable of felling deities.
“Clang!”
Despite her grievous injuries, Yue Chan reacted swiftly, blocking the attack. Runes flared between them, the impact ringing like steel.
“Freeze!”
The little rabbit joined the assault, summoning a tide of Yin energy that surged forward like a black tsunami.
A soft crack echoed as Yue Chan found herself encased in dark ice, seemingly frozen solid.
But grievous wounds were grievous wounds. Whether physically or spiritually, Yue Chan was severely weakened. Ambushed, she had suffered a heavy blow.
“Crash!”
The black ice shattered as she broke free. Even in such dire straits, she lived up to her title as a banished immortal.
Without hesitation, Yue Chan turned to flee.
She activated a Void-breaking Talisman, the space around her distorting as she vanished into the rift.
But before disappearing, she staggered again—her connection to Qing Yi forcing her to endure everything her counterpart was experiencing. It was unbearable!
Her face flushed crimson, teeth sinking into her red lips. She was on the verge of losing her mind.
With a flash, she vanished from the frozen realm.
“You—!” Inside the cave, Qing Yi’s flawless ivory skin burned with a rosy hue, glowing like polished pink diamond.
She tried to rise, but a strand of immortal qi coiled around her, pulling her back down.
“What do you two take me for? You toy with me, then just walk away? What kind of behavior is this?” Shi Hao’s body remained mostly immobilized, but a single strand of immortal qi still obeyed his will, swirling around him.
Qing Yi, too, was severely wounded—body and soul alike. Distracted, she collapsed again, her entire body burning with unbearable heat.
“Let me go!” Now that the life-and-death crisis had passed, she finally understood Yue Chan’s fury. It was unimaginable!
“Release some of my seals first. Otherwise, if you run, I’ll be trapped here, frozen to death,” Shi Hao said.
Qing Yi struggled against the immortal qi. Even if Shi Hao was sealed, his immortal qi was formidable—but not enough to truly restrain her. She could escape.
“Bad news—Yue Chan’s coming back. She’s sealed her soul fluctuations, but my instincts don’t lie. She’s planning to ambush us!” Shi Hao’s expression turned grave.
Qing Yi paled. The recent events had shaken her to the core. Hearing this, she acted swiftly, helping him break the seals.
Sure enough, Shi Hao could move again.
“Which direction?” Qing Yi asked, readying herself for battle.
“Seems she left again,” Shi Hao said.
“You—!” Qing Yi was stunned.
“You two clearly don’t take me, the future Heavenly Emperor, seriously. To abandon me after such… recklessness—how dare you treat me like this?” Shi Hao’s tone made it clear he was taking action.
—
The little rabbit and the Divine Striking Stone cautiously approached, stopping just outside the cave.
“There’s a fight!” The rabbit’s eyes widened as she stared at the mountain.
The Divine Striking Stone frowned. “Be careful!”
“Something’s off… this feels strange,” the rabbit muttered, suspicion creeping into her voice.
“I’ll scout ahead. Wait here.” The stone vanished in a flash.
Moments later, it returned. “Fall back!”
“What’s wrong? Where are Shi Hao and Qing Yi?” the rabbit asked.
“They’re… dueling,” the stone said solemnly.
“What?! They’re fighting? We have to stop them!” The rabbit’s ruby-like eyes bulged as she prepared to charge in.
“Relax, it’s just an internal conflict. They won’t fight to the death. Outsiders shouldn’t interfere. Let’s just keep watch for Yue Chan,” the stone said sternly.
The rabbit hesitated but nodded, stepping back.
Still, she clenched her tiny fists. “Shi Hao’s gone too far! Even if they disagreed, he shouldn’t fight Qing Yi. He should yield!”
“True. Once they’ve cooled off, you can scold them properly,” the stone agreed gravely.
“But… Shi Hao entrusted all his divine herbs and sacred medicines to me. If I side with Qing Yi, will he take them back?”
“Don’t worry,” the stone said confidently. “If they hear your criticism, they’ll be too ashamed to retaliate.”
“Really?” The rabbit blinked in surprise. “Alright, I’ll mediate for them later!”
They waited half an hour, but the two still hadn’t emerged.
“This is taking too long. What if something’s wrong?” The rabbit grew anxious, fearing the fight had escalated.
“They know their limits,” the stone assured her.
Another hour passed. The rabbit panicked. Had they lost control? She couldn’t wait any longer—she had to intervene!
“Maybe… this isn’t a good idea?” the stone hedged.
“What’s not good? You useless rock! If anything happens to them, it’s your fault for not stopping them!” The rabbit glared.
“Fine. But I still think it’s unnecessary,” the stone grumbled.
As they neared the cave, their presence couldn’t possibly escape the two powerhouses’ senses.
“Boom!”
The mountain split apart, boulders hurtling skyward as the cave collapsed.
“Oh no! They’ve lost their temper—this is a full-blown battle! Even the ancient formations in that cave couldn’t withstand their attacks. How furious must they be?” The rabbit dashed forward.
“Ahem!” The stone coughed. “No need. They’ve probably resolved things peacefully.”
Sure enough, Qing Yi emerged from the rubble, clad in a snow-white robe.
“Qing Yi! Are you alright? How dare Shi Hao fight you like this? I’ll make him pay!” The rabbit rushed to her side.
Qing Yi stumbled, nearly falling.
“Outrageous! Shi Hao, how could you?!” The rabbit fumed, supporting Qing Yi.
“Ah! Qing Yi, you’re burning up! Your face is so red—what’s wrong?” The rabbit gasped. “Wait, why are you turning pinker the more I talk?”
Qing Yi couldn’t take it anymore. She pulled away and fled, her movements unmistakably frantic.
“Eh? Qing Yi, since when do you have a wisp of immortal qi? Did you succeed in cultivating it just now? That’s amazing!” The rabbit gaped. “Oh! So Shi Hao was helping you train, right? He aided your breakthrough! I misjudged him!”
“Nonsense!” Qing Yi hissed through gritted teeth.
“What’s wrong?” the rabbit asked.
“I want to kill him!” Qing Yi vanished into a spatial rift.
“How odd… I don’t get it.” The rabbit shook her head.
The stone coughed. “You should follow her, get the full story, then mediate properly.”
“Something’s fishy here. Are you scheming, you rotten rock?” The rabbit glared before turning to the ruins. “Shi Hao! Come out! Why did you drive Qing Yi away?”
“Boom!”
Shi Hao emerged from the rubble, clad in light-blue battle armor, his face pale with visible injuries.
“What happened?” The rabbit stormed over, berating him for fighting Qing Yi.
“Thunk!”
Shi Hao flicked her forehead. “What do you know, little brat?”
Then, scowling, he strode away without another word.
“Ow—!” The rabbit yelped.
“Tsk. Not the reaction I expected. You’re quite the actor,” the stone teased.
“Shut it,” Shi Hao snapped. “The future Heavenly Emperor, reduced to this—unacceptable!”
The stone smirked. “You? Passive?”
“I’m in a foul mood. I need to heal, then go slaughter some enemies,” Shi Hao growled.
—
Meanwhile, outside, Jun Dao plotted furiously. His humiliating defeat on the Three Thousand Blue Stone Road gnawed at him.
And in the Netherworld, the Heavenly Nation, and the Divine Temple, assassins gathered, mobilizing every resource to hunt down Shi Hao—for a bloody reckoning.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage