After Provoking the Mad Beautiful Deity - Chapter 39

The Clan Leader of the Barren Lands offered a warm invitation. Seeing Hong Chen and Xuan Ze both wearing those same dazed, foolish expressions, Yanlai truly felt like knocking on Hong Chen’s head to see what was inside.

There was a boundary between Immortals and Demons; didn’t she think about keeping her distance from the Immortal Clan?

Yanlai was forced to play the villain.

“Phoenix Mountain is currently selecting disciples, so I am unavailable at the moment. Once this matter is settled, I shall bring my disciple to visit you.”

It was a perfectly polite refusal. The Clan Leader of the Barren Lands had no choice but to lead his dazed son away.

The immortal cranes spread their wings and slowly flew off. Only after they were far out of sight did Yanlai look at Hong Chen. “Do you actually want to go to the Barren Lands?”

“I do,” Hong Chen replied without hesitation.

Yanlai frowned. “To do what?”

“To kill some demons and snatch their inner cores for you,” Hong Chen said, looking at her as if she were the foolish one.

Yanlai pursed her lips and summoned the Qilin to return to Phoenix Mountain.

As they flew through the air, they suddenly saw a vast radiance and seven-colored auspicious clouds in the distance. It was a beautiful sight. Hong Chen, knowing nothing of Immortal Clan customs, took a quick look. “What is that for?”

“In the Immortal Clan, one weds upon seven-colored clouds. Does your Demon Clan not have this?” Yanlai asked.

Hong Chen thought back. “No. We just drink and cause a ruckus in the bridal chamber.”

Yanlai: “…”

Hong Chen clearly had no interest in such romance. She took one look and then lay down on the Qilin’s back to take a leisurely nap. Yanlai sat cross-legged, smoothing her sleeves. “What do you plan to do next?”

“The Demon Clan never had a good reputation anyway. The Heavenly Emperor is cunning; let the Dark Night King play games with him. I won’t get involved,” Hong Chen said, lazy to the core.

Yanlai was uneasy. “Then what will you do?”

“Wait.”

“Wait for what?”

“Wait for the hundred-year treaty to end, then kill that dog of a Crown Prince and marry you.”

Yanlai wisely shut her mouth. More “outrageous words” were likely to come her way if she spoke further.

The two remained silent. Meanwhile, the barrier at Phoenix Mountain was breached. A swarm of demon soldiers flooded in to ambush the cultivators. The Moon Goddess rushed down the mountain to save them, leaving San Meng alone in the sleeping quarters.

The Moon Goddess sent a distress signal. San Meng initially didn’t want to respond; her injuries weren’t healed, and going out would only burden the Moon Goddess.

But as she lay back down, another message arrived: Come quickly, I’m going to die.

San Meng rolled over, slowly climbed up, and flew toward the mountainside.

The once peaceful foot of the mountain was now thick with demonic energy. It eroded the hearts of the cultivators, leaving most of them in a state of frenzy. The Moon Goddess was busy calming them while leading those who remained rational to resist the demon soldiers.

San Meng’s face was grim. She looked at the leading demon soldier with cold eyes. “You are not under the Demon Venerable’s command.”

The Moon Goddess leaned toward her in surprise. “How do you know they aren’t hers?”

San Meng didn’t answer. She flicked her sleeve and cast a spell to pull the frenzied cultivators into a dream state. In an instant, a large group collapsed at the foot of the mountain. The Moon Goddess immediately focused her primary strength on the demon soldiers.

The battle grew fierce. The Moon Goddess governed the Moon Palace; she was not a God of War. In terms of combat, she was far inferior to Yanlai and the others. The demon soldiers surrounded the two of them. Because San Meng could not use her magic freely, the cultivators were quickly defeated, leaving the two women surrounded.

The Moon Goddess shielded San Meng behind her, fighting desperately, but the demon soldiers only grew in number and arrogance.

The Moon Goddess grew more exhausted as the battle wore on. San Meng looked at her, her heart filled with pain. How could she let this woman, as cold and pure as the moon, suffer because of her?

As the fight raged, the Moon Goddess held her ground at Phoenix Mountain. San Meng was terrified by the scene. Demonic energy began to seep into her. She took a deep breath, and her expression grew increasingly dark.

Suddenly, demonic energy flooded into her body. It repaired her injuries and quickly took control of her reason.

In the midst of the slaughter, the Moon Goddess sensed something was wrong. She instinctively turned around, only to see San Meng shove her aside and charge at the demon soldiers.

“San Meng, what are you doing?”

The Moon Goddess fell to the ground, a trace of blood at the corner of her mouth. San Meng seemed possessed by a God of War, radiating a murderous aura that was unstoppable. The Moon Goddess was stunned, staring blankly at the person before her whose every move was ruthless. Was this still the gentle High Immortal San Meng she knew?

Reality struck her hard. San Meng quickly wiped out the demon soldiers and then turned her gaze toward the group of cultivators.

The Moon Goddess realized something was terribly wrong. She rushed forward to block San Meng. “No, no! These are mortals who haven’t ascended yet. You cannot kill them.”

San Meng’s eyes were vacant and cold. She looked at the Moon Goddess as if looking at a stranger. The Moon Goddess was horrified, desperately calling out San Meng’s name. San Meng was unmoved, even raising her hand against her. Looking at the figure shrouded in demonic energy, the Moon Goddess realized: San Meng had fallen into the demonic path.

She was being controlled by evil thoughts.

This was the first time the Moon Goddess had seen a crazed San Meng. The spiritual energy in San Meng’s body surged; she had become the representative of human malice. Evil is born from the heart, and these dark thoughts were feeding her power.

“San Meng, come back! You are the Dream Goddess, the dream of the Immortal Clan. You must not be controlled by evil.” The Moon Goddess didn’t dare look further. She used her magic to resist while shouting to the cultivators behind her, “Run! Get out of here, quickly!”

The cultivators woke from their dream and bolted, flying on swords or using magical artifacts.

On the mountainside, the two women remained locked in a confrontation. The Moon Goddess was heart-stricken, desperately trying to wake San Meng. But San Meng could hear nothing, attacking her with numbing precision.

The Moon Goddess was no match for San Meng. She fell time and again, only to crawl back up, her hands covered in blood. She refused to give up.

“San Meng, I am Zilan, the Moon Goddess. Wake up!”

The Moon Goddess crawled out of the dust, wiped the blood from her lip, and stood up shakily. “San Meng, you love Hong Yan, don’t you?”

San Meng suddenly stopped. A flicker of complex emotion appeared in her hollow eyes. The Moon Goddess shouted, “You are a god of the Immortal Clan. How can you turn demonic? San Meng, wake up!”

With those words, the light in San Meng’s eyes dimmed once more. The Moon Goddess’s eyes were filled with disappointment.

A gentle breeze blew through the misty mountains. The Moon Goddess let out a soft laugh. “I thought you had forgotten her. You should have forgotten her. But you have secretly remembered her for ten thousand years.”

San Meng said nothing, attacking the Moon Goddess again.

At the final moment, a hurricane swept the Moon Goddess away. San Meng’s attack hit nothing. She was enraged, but then she saw Hong Chen charging toward her.

Yanlai caught the Moon Goddess, deeply shocked. “What happened to her?”

“Evil thoughts. The demonic energy from the soldiers summoned the darkness in her heart. She is still thinking of Hong Yan, which allowed the evil to consume her.” The Moon Goddess was heart-broken, her tears flowing freely. “She still can’t forget. High Goddess, she still remembers a dead person.”

Yanlai fell silent, finding herself in a difficult position. Hong Chen used her magic to trap San Meng. Upon seeing Hong Chen’s face, San Meng suddenly grew quiet, her gaze becoming obsessive.

Hong Chen stood lazily in the wind. The mountains were lush and green, and her mood grew light. She circled San Meng twice. “Are you hurt? Your mind was weak and taken over by evil thoughts. Tsk tsk. How about I strip away her goodness and let her join my Demon Palace?”

Yanlai pressed a hand to her forehead. “Do you want to destroy the Three Thousand Dreamscapes?”

“How is it me destroying them? Look at her.” Hong Chen stopped in front of San Meng, her mood suddenly improving. “Do you like me?”

Yanlai grew annoyed. “What are you doing?”

“Demon Venerable, I like you. I am willing to submit to you and serve you,” San Meng said, her expression gradually softening and her tone becoming gentle as usual.

Before the Moon Goddess could process her shock, she saw San Meng’s brow relax and a smile appear on her face. She cried out indignantly, “Demon Venerable? Demon Venerable? Hong Yan died long ago!”

After shouting, she curled up in pain. Yanlai reached out to support her. “You’re already injured, yet you still have such a temper.”

“Your disciple is stealing my girl! How can I not be angry?” The Moon Goddess pushed Yanlai away in a rage, pointing at her. “Your disciples are all a bane!”

Yanlai felt quite innocent; it was San Meng’s own unrequited feelings, nothing to do with Hong Chen. Still, she kindly supported the wavering Moon Goddess. Meanwhile, Hong Chen was teasing San Meng like a child with a new toy.

Hong Chen asked San Meng, “How much do you like me?”

San Meng replied, “More than Yanlai.”

Yanlai felt offended by the implication. The Moon Goddess was momentarily amused, but her face quickly returned to a look of fury. “Shameless!”

Hong Chen signaled the two to be quiet and continued her questioning. “You like me that much? Let me ask you: who killed Yanlai’s clan?”

San Meng didn’t answer immediately. Instead, she looked at Yanlai with a cold gaze that made the Moon Goddess’s heart tremble.

“Don’t look at her, I’m asking you.” Hong Chen reached out and straightened San Meng’s face. “Look at me. I’m the one you like. Pay attention.”

San Meng immediately lowered her head, looking perfectly obedient. Hong Chen urged, “Why did you stop talking?”

“I’m sorry, I cannot say,” San Meng said with deep guilt.

Now it was Hong Chen’s turn to be stunned. “Why can’t you say it? If you don’t tell me, I won’t like you anymore.”

“I’ll tell you!” San Meng grew anxious. A rare look of desperation appeared on her moon-like face as she blurted out, “The Empress, and you!”

The two of them had joined forces to attack Phoenix Mountain!

Hong Chen wasn’t surprised; she carried too many accusations already. She might as well take credit for one she actually did. She nodded and looked at Yanlai. “How can she return to her good side?”

Yanlai shook her head. “I don’t know either.”

The Moon Goddess frowned. “Are you the Demon Venerable Hong Yan?”

Hong Chen said nothing. The Moon Goddess took it as a confirmation and said maliciously, “Die once more. She will be heartbroken and then she will recover.”

Hong Chen was straightforward but not stupid. She immediately exposed the lie. “I think if you died once, she would recover much faster.”

“You!” The Moon Goddess was enraged and used her magic to charge the “demon.” Yanlai patted her shoulder. “Even I can’t beat her. Don’t go throwing your life away for nothing.”

Hong Chen’s cultivation was higher than Yanlai’s. The new wave surpassed the old; even Yanlai had admitted defeat. What business did the Moon Goddess have joining the fray?

The Moon Goddess withdrew her hand resentfully. She watched as Hong Chen waved a hand in front of San Meng. San Meng immediately collapsed, and the Moon Goddess hurried forward to catch the unconscious woman.

Hong Chen said, “I’ll try to remove the demonic energy from her heart. If it doesn’t work, we’ll talk when we get back.”

The Moon Goddess silently held the unconscious woman, her face full of sorrow. However, she didn’t forget to ask Yanlai, “You stayed in the mountains for ten thousand years just to resurrect a demon?”

Yanlai said nothing. Hong Chen couldn’t stand it and said sarcastically, “Could you stop giving her credit? I came back to life on my own.”

The girl smiled, but the smile was particularly sinister. The Moon Goddess realized the girl before her was not someone to be trifled with and stopped speaking, struggling to carry San Meng back up the mountain.

The Moon Goddess was heavily injured and was shaking even as she walked alone. Carrying San Meng up the mountain was proving to be extremely difficult. Hong Chen crossed her arms and watched the spectacle with wide eyes.

Yanlai felt bad and pulled the Moon Goddess along as she spread her wings. In an instant, the golden wings blurred Hong Chen’s vision. Hong Chen was indignant. “You’re spreading your wings again! Pull them back! I’m angry!”

Yanlai ignored her and flew toward San Meng’s residence. Hong Chen rose into the air, flowers blooming beneath her feet as she easily caught up.

Once they landed at the hall, Hong Chen snatched San Meng from the Moon Goddess’s arms. The Moon Goddess was already unhappy, and she wouldn’t allow this. “How dare you touch her!”

“Believe it or not, crushing you is easier than crushing a chicken,” Hong Chen sneered. “Who gave you the nerve to speak to me like that?”

The Moon Goddess faintly sensed the domineering spiritual energy leaking from the Demon Venerable. It felt like a cold arrow shot from the dark, chilling her to the bone. She looked silently at Yanlai, hoping Yanlai could control the Demon Venerable.

Yanlai had no intention of getting involved in the drama between the Moon Goddess and San Meng. Seeing that Hong Chen was displeased, she felt a bit intimidated herself and silently shook her head at the Moon Goddess.

Don’t provoke her for now!

Hong Chen tossed San Meng onto the bed. Instead of removing the demonic energy first, she actually woke the person controlled by evil thoughts.

She tilted her head and looked at San Meng. San Meng’s eyes held only Hong Chen’s reflection. The Moon Goddess was so angry she tried to step forward, but Hong Chen flicked her sleeve and sent her flying.

Yanlai finally realized that Hong Chen’s anger was a truly terrifying thing. She turned helplessly to the Moon Goddess. “She’s angry. How do I coax her?”

On the bed, San Meng stared intently at Hong Chen, her expression filled with extreme tension and eyes swirling with hidden emotions. Hong Chen, however, let out a smirk. “So, you like me.”

The Moon Goddess was incensed, but Yanlai quickly held her back, speaking to Hong Chen herself. “First, remove the demonic energy from San Meng.”

“And why should I listen to you?” Hong Chen asked, a thousand times defiant.

Yanlai thought for a moment. “I could go find Imperial Princess Cheng’an. I’d love to hear her call me ‘Sister-in-law’.”

Caught by her weak spot, Hong Chen glared fiercely at Yanlai, then sent a palm strike toward San Meng. Yanlai breathed a sigh of relief and whispered to the Moon Goddess, “Do not provoke her. If she’s in a certain mood, she’s capable of destroying Phoenix Mountain all over again.”

Hong Chen might not be the brightest, but her destructive power was immense; she was not to be trifled with.

While the two goddesses exchanged looks, Hong Chen finished cleansing the demonic energy. She didn’t leave, however, but stayed to observe San Meng. San Meng’s true essence was a “Dream”; even without demonic intrusion, if her evil thoughts outweighed her good ones, she would revert to this state.

She asked the Moon Goddess, “Ten thousand years ago, did she choose to fall into the demonic path herself, or was she controlled by evil thoughts?”

The Moon Goddess shook her head. “I don’t know. After she turned, it was as if she didn’t recognize me. She refused to say anything to me, and once she recovered, she forgot everything completely.”

Hong Chen rolled her eyes. “You like her, yet you know absolutely nothing about her. My, my… this ‘love’ of yours is truly impressive.”

The Moon Goddess didn’t get angry at the criticism; instead, she looked at Yanlai. Yanlai hypothesized, “If she fell willingly, it would make sense for her to distance herself from the Moon Goddess. But since she forgot everything upon recovery, it’s more likely she was controlled by evil thoughts.”

Hong Chen, ever lazy, sat on the edge of the bed after standing for a moment. This made the Moon Goddess uncomfortable again, so Yanlai stepped forward to pull her up. “Let’s go back and look through some ancient texts.”

“Books again? Have mercy on me!” Hong Chen got a headache at the mere mention of “ancient texts.”

Yanlai said, “Go find the Qilin and learn the ‘Oblivion’ technique. The sooner you master it, the sooner I can recover my memories.”

“If you want to get rid of me, just say so. There’s no need to make up excuses,” Hong Chen said bluntly. She turned a displeased gaze toward the Moon Goddess. “San Meng likes me, but I didn’t force her to. Don’t look at me like an enemy. I rule the Demon Realm; I have no interest in your Immortal fairies.”

The Moon Goddess flushed a deep crimson from shame. Yanlai let out a soft cough, and Hong Chen blinked. “Don’t cough. I’m telling the truth. Don’t act all high and mighty; I could crush the two of you quite easily.”

It was a pointed remark, and Yanlai turned away, pretending she hadn’t heard a word.

Having finished her scolding, Hong Chen felt much better and strode out grandly. The Moon Goddess caught Yanlai’s deep, inscrutable look and wisely kept her mouth shut.

Leaving San Meng’s room, Hong Chen flew straight to the battlefield at the foot of the mountain, where the Qilin was inspecting the corpses of the demon soldiers.

They were the Dark Night King’s men!

The Dark Night King and Hong Chen had never gotten along, but he usually wouldn’t act so recklessly in the conflict against the Immortal Clan. Hong Chen didn’t feel like guessing his motives; she left the Qilin to dispose of the bodies and flew toward the Dark Night King’s mansion in the Demon Realm.

Inside the Dark Night King’s mansion, music and dancing filled the air. Beauties with graceful figures moved through the brightly lit halls, their skin appearing snowy and radiant under the lamps.

Hong Chen entered directly. At the sight of the huddle of beauties, she nearly stumbled, a white veil of desire momentarily clouding her vision.

Did I actually feel lust? Hong Chen was shocked. What a sin.

The Dark Night King noticed the Demon Venerable immediately. He led one of the beauties toward her, greeting her with a wide grin. “Demon Venerable! Do you want to play? Take your pick; they’re all yours.”

Hong Chen covered her eyes, and the white veil vanished. “Tell them to leave. The Demon Queen won’t be happy if she finds out.”

“Look at you! You’re the Demon Venerable, what is there to fear? She’s just one woman. If she doesn’t listen, get another. There are so many women in the world; why fixate on one?” The Dark Night King pushed the woman in his arms toward her.

“Let’s talk business. Did you send people to kill the cultivators?” Hong Chen retreated two steps in fright, waving her hand to dismiss the room full of women. Too terrifying…

The romantic atmosphere instantly turned solemn. The Dark Night King felt his mood spoiled, but suppressed his annoyance out of respect for her rank. “No. Is there some misunderstanding?”

“I saw your demon soldiers besieging cultivators with my own eyes. Are you lying to me, or have your subordinates betrayed you?” Hong Chen went straight to the point, refusing to beat around the bush.

Neither scenario was a good thing for the Demon Realm.

The excited Dark Night King suddenly went quiet, the flush on his face fading. “Someone must have betrayed me. Rest assured, I will give you a satisfactory answer.”

“Dark Night King, you had better investigate this thoroughly. If you don’t, I will have the Young Lords conduct a complete audit. When that happens, don’t say I didn’t show you respect as a King.” Hong Chen’s voice was low and menacing, leaving him no room for excuses.

The Dark Night King’s cheeks twitched and his face shifted as he hurriedly accepted the order. “How could you say that? I’ve followed you for ten thousand years; you know my temperament. It must be someone below acting out. Don’t worry, I will punish them without mercy.”

Hong Chen couldn’t be bothered to linger. His temperament?

Pah. He probably just hoped she’d die soon so he could become the new Demon Venerable.

She left the mansion without another word and returned to the Demon Palace to summon her Young Lords.

Meetings had been frequent lately. Yan Guang felt it was rare for her teacher to be so diligent. But when she brought out the documents to be processed, her teacher spoke slowly. “Go and investigate if any demon soldiers have attacked cultivators lately. If you find any, execute them on the spot.”

It’s about the ‘Teacher’s Wife’ again! Yan Guang’s hopes were dashed as she and her juniors accepted the orders.

Their teacher patted her sleeves and prepared to leave again. Yan Guang chased after her. “Teacher, are you planning to marry into her family?”

“What do you mean?” Hong Chen stopped.

Yan Guang gave a well-meaning reminder. “Since you’ve taken a ‘Teacher’s Wife,’ you should bring her back to the Demon Realm. You can’t just live at her place forever. People will laugh and say you’re living off a woman.”

“What’s wrong with living off a woman? As long as the food is good, I’ll eat it regardless of how it’s served.” Hong Chen waved her off, completely unbothered.

She took a few steps, then stopped and asked Yan Guang, “Do you know of any magical artifact that can reveal a person’s past?”

“You’re the Demon Venerable and even you don’t know? You’re asking your disciple?” Yan Guang said indignantly. “You should ask yourself.”

Hong Chen expressed great remorse. “I want to know too, but I don’t use artifacts. You guys use them all the time; you should know more than I do.”

“There is one, but why do you want it?” Yan Guang asked.

“There really is? Let me try it! I want to see if your ‘Teacher’s Wife’ liked any women in the past.” Hong Chen was suddenly filled with hope.

Yan Guang slowly took it out, gave a brief introduction on how to use it, and warned her not to use it recklessly as it could damage her spiritual power.

It was unclear if Hong Chen even heard her; she grabbed the artifact and flew off.

Yan Guang sighed. Truly, I worry too much. Teacher is great at everything except her memory—she doesn’t take anything to heart, leaving us to slave away at governing the Demon Realm.

When she returned to Phoenix Mountain, Yanlai had set up another barrier at the foot of the mountain. They met amidst the clouds. Hong Chen’s gaze was particularly unfriendly, while Yanlai smiled and waved.

“What did you find?” Yanlai asked. She suspected it wasn’t Hong Chen’s doing; Hong Chen would have definitely gone back to investigate.

Hong Chen told her the truth, sighing. “I carry too many accusations. You’re the only one who believes I’m innocent.”

Yanlai said nothing but took her hand and led her back to San Meng’s quarters.

The sun was bright, and a faint fragrance of flowers drifted through the hall. The reflections in the architecture created a poetic atmosphere.

Hong Chen was lazy; once inside, she found a couch to lounge on, looking quite comfortable. Yanlai glanced at her. “Don’t you want to know San Meng’s past?”

“Eh?” Hong Chen was confused.

“The current San Meng is a manifestation of evil thoughts after falling to the demonic path. Her past definitely contains traces of Hong Yan.”

Hong Chen finally caught on and clapped her hands in delight. “You’re so smart! I got an artifact from my disciple. You should try it… actually, I’ll do it. You don’t know how.”

The lazy one was forced to be active as she took the artifact toward the Moon Goddess. She was blocked after only a few steps. Hong Chen laughed ominously. “Do you think you can stop me?”

“Why should you be allowed to see her painful past?”

“I don’t particularly want to, but I am the Demon Venerable Hong Yan. I enjoy doing things others don’t want. You’re trying to talk reason to a Demon Venerable—how many lives do you have?” Hong Chen was impatient.

The Moon Goddess was speechless. Hong Chen continued her arrogance. “I just love how you Immortal people want to kill me but can’t, leaving you with nothing but your own silent rage.”

The Moon Goddess was furious, her fists clenched and her face pale. She was already injured and couldn’t stand against Hong Chen now.

Yanlai suddenly spoke up, taking the artifact from Hong Chen’s hand. “In that case, rest well. We’ll speak another day.”

She pulled Hong Chen away.

A strange silence fell over the hall.

Outside San Meng’s quarters, Yanlai walked ahead with a light step. Hong Chen followed closely. “Why did you back down again?”

“I’m finding a way to get the Moon Goddess out of the way,” Yanlai said. “I want to drink. Do you?”