After Provoking the Mad Beautiful Deity - Chapter 54

Eternal and indestructible, she represented human desire. No matter the dream, it was always tied to longing.

Because she had lived for so long, her origin was vast and her vitality was exuberant. It was impossible to kill her unless humanity ceased to dream. Once a person falls asleep, nine times out of ten, they enter a dream.

The Heavenly Emperor glared at Sanmeng. Simultaneously, Sanmeng came to a halt. As the two locked eyes, Sanmeng’s gaze remained as calm as an ancient well, as if she were looking at a total stranger. The Heavenly Emperor, however, was seething with rage; his plans had been thwarted once again.

“Ten thousand years ago, We spared your life. You should have been content instead of emerging again to stir up trouble,” the Heavenly Emperor roared. His attacks were ruthless and pressing, yet Sanmeng countered them with composure. Her cultivation surged, leaping directly into the realm of a High God.

The Heavenly Emperor could not kill High Immortal Sanmeng. The gathered immortals watched from the sidelines, feeling a majestic spiritual pressure weighing down on them and threatening to tear them apart.

When High Gods exchange blows, it is a struggle for ordinary immortals even to remain as observers. Those with shallow cultivation fled early on, and those who remained were those who feared neither life nor death. The Moon Goddess, worried for Sanmeng, called out her name repeatedly, but Sanmeng never spared her a single glance from beginning to end.

The Heavenly Emperor’s moves were sinister. Sanmeng had no intention of a prolonged struggle. After a feint, she took flight to escape, with the Emperor in hot pursuit.

The Heavenly Soldiers dared not interfere. Two or three immortals stepped forward to intercept Sanmeng but were struck down. Fleeing all the way, Sanmeng escaped the Nine Heavens and headed openly toward the territory of the Demon Realm.

The immortals pursued her to the boundary of the Immortal and Demon realms. They watched helplessly as Sanmeng flew into the Demon Realm while the demon soldiers acted as if they had not seen a thing. When the Demon Lord had returned, she had issued a decree that High Immortal Sanmeng was free to enter and exit the Demon Realm at will. This decree left the immortals sighing in frustration.

In the sky, the Heavenly Emperor’s eyes were dark as an abyss, fixed intently on Sanmeng’s retreating back.

Unsure of what to do, the immortals began shouting for the Demon Realm to hand over High Immortal Sanmeng. The demon soldiers dared not respond, hurrying instead to report the news.

Soon, Yan Guang arrived, treading upon light. She bowed politely to the Heavenly Emperor while suspended in the air. Straightening her posture, she questioned him loudly, “I wonder what urgent matter brings the Heavenly Emperor to my Demon Realm?”

“Fifth Young Lord, please have the Demon Realm surrender High Immortal Sanmeng,” someone shouted.

Yan Guang sneered, “How could one of your immortals come to my Demon Realm? Only demons enter here. The Sanmeng you saw just now has already fallen into demonhood; how could she still be one of your immortals?”

“Fifth Young Lord, for the sake of peace between the two realms, please hand her over.”

Yan Guang looked toward the Heavenly Emperor. “Your Majesty, what do you say? The crime of destroying peace between the two realms is too heavy for me to bear. You saw it yourselves: she entered the Demon Realm of her own volition, and we did not capture her. Even if Your Majesty insists, the Demon Lord will not agree.”

“Indeed, how could I be willing?”

A clear, bright voice rang through the air. The Demon Lord sat atop her mount, her features radiating a sense of defiance.

The Heavenly Emperor looked at the girl, and a mocking smile appeared on his lips. The Demon Lord stood up and smiled back. “I am getting married tomorrow. If you are free, you are welcome to observe the ceremony. Your Majesty, will you be coming?”

She was too provocative, and her eyes were full of defiance.

The Heavenly Emperor frowned. He loathed her arrogance. The more arrogant she was, the more it proved his own impotence.

“Demon Lord, I hope you will surrender Sanmeng.”

Hongchen smiled faintly. “And if I do not? She entered my territory herself, and I am not holding her hostage. You saw it with your own eyes. What, are you bullying me because I am just a girl?”

The Heavenly Emperor’s face turned ashen with rage. Hongchen’s smile remained bright as a flower. “Do not go pinning the crime of ‘abducting immortals’ on me; I am perfectly innocent. Your Majesty, I heard Prince Qingfeng was seriously injured. I have many fine medicines I could gift you. However, I offer a word of advice: if he is broken, start over. The grand legacy of the Immortal Race should not be handed to a mortal.”

The Demon Lord was not a malevolent-looking person. On the contrary, she had a beautiful, pure face that made it difficult to hate her. This time, she wore no mask, showing her true face.

The immortals who followed felt she looked familiar, as if they had seen her somewhere before. They searched their memories but found nothing, yet that sense of familiarity lingered in their hearts and refused to dissipate.

Mocked by the Demon Lord, the Heavenly Emperor remained silent for a long while, while others began clamoring with questions.

Hongchen sat sideways on the Qilin’s back, chatting and laughing. She waved for Yan Guang to return and prepared to leave herself. The Heavenly Emperor said no more, flicking his sleeves as he departed, with the other immortals trailing behind him.

Hongchen returned happily to the Demon Palace.

Sanmeng’s whereabouts were unknown, and the demon soldiers following her had not returned. Yanlai tried to locate her using her divine sense, but after several attempts, there was no trace.

The Demon Realm was vast, filled with wolf dens and demon caves, and many resided there with sinister intentions. Yanlai could not rest easy and dispatched two more waves of people to search.

The Young Lords were huddled under the eaves talking. Xiao Ba asked her sisters, “Is Shiniang staying for good this time?”

“To think Shiniang is a Phoenix, the last Phoenix in existence.”

“Yes, she is a Phoenix. Do you think there will be a little Phoenix?”

“If there is, Master will have been cheated on.”

“Master cannot have children?” Xiao Shi asked, sounding utterly shocked.

The sisters all turned their heads at once, looking at their youngest sister as if she were a fool. Xiao Shi just squinted and smiled at them.

Yan Heng said, “Never mind that. What about the women in the Demon Palace? How do we deal with them?”

Xiao Qi replied, “Just leave them. The Dark Night King had so many women; why cannot Master have them as well?”

Xiao Shi chimed in, “She cannot. The High God is very petty; she cannot stand seeing Master with anyone else.”

Yan Heng fell silent. Xiao Qi patted her chest. “I will send them away. Do not let anything slip, lest Shiniang becomes unhappy.”

Xiao Qi hurried off. Inside the hall, Yanlai heard every word of her disciples’ conversation. She chuckled to herself, looking a bit dazed. It was a rare, cute sort of daze. It was unusual for her to be out-calculated by the Dark Night King.

The Dark Night King had six hundred schemes in his head; these six disciples combined did not even have six.

Yanlai remained silent for a moment. Hongchen strode in, her black robes fluttering with her brisk pace. She was tall and commanding, but as soon as she approached, she simply lay down.

She did not say a word.

Yanlai looked down at her, momentarily dazed. Soon, Yanlai smiled and stroked her cheek.

Hongchen had fallen asleep. Her injuries made her prone to lethargy. Even as Yanlai pinched her cheek and ears, she did not react.

Yanlai soon stopped, carefully carrying her to the bed. Before she could look at her further, Yan Guang arrived to report.

“Shiniang, the soldiers following High Immortal Sanmeng have returned. She is in a demon cave. I have sent people to guard her, and she is safe for now.”

Yanlai sat in Hongchen’s usual seat, listening to the report. She nodded and said, “Announce to the Demon Realm that the Demon Lord is getting married tomorrow. Have people decorate the area; make it festive.”

Hearing this, Yan Guang beamed. “Understood. I shall see to it immediately.”

“And find the Demon Physician.” Yanlai remembered the Empress’s spy. Although the Empress was Hongchen’s adoptive mother, the woman’s actions were erratic and crazed. Yanlai still did not trust her.

Even if this “nail” was not pulled out, it could not be left unmonitored.

The Demon Physician arrived in a hurry. Seeing that it was High God Yanlai who had summoned him, his heart skipped a beat. Yanlai’s eyes were deep and hollow as she looked at him.

She tilted her chin slightly. “I am in charge of the Demon Palace now, so I must handle matters for the Demon Lord. How long have you followed the Empress?”

The physician froze, then quickly replied, “I do not understand the High God’s meaning.”

Yanlai chuckled. “The Empress has already told me. You have followed the Demon Lord for ten thousand years. I want to know: where did you find her back then?”

The physician hesitated for a moment before looking up at Yanlai. The High God possessed a celestial beauty with skin as white as snow, but most terrifying was the majesty in her eyes, which made his heart race.

“I found the Demon Lord on a mountain. At that time, her soul was fragmented, and her injuries from the great war were severe. I placed her in a cave dwelling on that mountain, and she slept for a long time. I knew she was a ‘Medicine Human,’ and that sleep was her way of self-repair. I checked her injuries; her soul was incomplete, but her life was not in danger. However, when she woke up, she no longer remembered her name.”

“Then, the Empress told me her name was Hongchen and ordered me to help her obtain the position of Demon Lord.”

“Later, the Demon Lord proved valiant, overthrowing the Dark Night King and reclaiming the Demon Palace. Gradually, she took control of the Demon Realm until no one dared bully her.”

Yanlai listened, her brow still furrowed. It was still the Empress.

The Empress controlled everything about Hongchen, toying with both of them.

She steadied herself and asked for details about the past when Hongchen was found. Hongchen had lied to her again; she had not woken up in a pile of corpses.

As she fell silent, the physician added, “Countless people died on that mountain. They were all leaders within the Demon Realm; it seems they were the ones who protected the Demon Lord.”

So, Hongchen had not lied after all.

Yanlai understood. “You may return to the Heavenly Palace.”

The physician shook his head. “I have not wronged the Demon Lord. The High God should not drive me away. I have cared for her diligently all these years.”

“Fine. You may stay.” Yanlai knew he meant no harm, but the feeling of being watched was unpleasant. “You must choose either the Empress or the Demon Lord. If, after choosing, you still try to please both sides, I will not tolerate you.”

The physician withdrew.

Yanlai sat alone in the hall for a long time before walking back to the bedside. Hongchen was still asleep. Yanlai lay down beside her, pinching Hongchen’s face and her slender waist.

After several pinches, Hongchen still did not wake.

The hall was silent. Deep in Yanlai’s heart, there was a sliver of fear, but touching Hongchen’s sleeping face made her smile. The smile in her eyes looked exceptionally tender in the quiet room.

Yanlai closed her eyes. Outside, the Young Lords began their busy preparations.

Xiao Shi held red silk, wanting to hang it on the lintel, but Xiao Jiu would not let her. The two sisters stood with hands on hips, glaring at each other, while the Qilin sat to one side gnawing on a chicken wing.

“I have seen people use red for weddings and cut out ‘Double Happiness’ characters. You are just stubborn!” Xiao Shi shouted.

Xiao Jiu huffed. “This is the Demon Realm. We follow Demon Realm rules; we use black.”

“Red!”

“Black!”

“Red!”

“Black!”

The Qilin finished the chicken and let out a satisfied burp. She patted Xiao Jiu’s shoulder. “Go ask the High God which color to use.”

Xiao Jiu pouted. “I do not dare.”

“Oh, so you do know fear? Then why use black? Do you think this is like the Dark Night King taking a concubine, where it does not matter if they die?” Xiao Shi yelled impatiently.

When the Dark Night King took concubines, they used black. But he did not care; if a concubine died, she died. The High God was different.

The Qilin chuckled. Xiao Jiu’s face turned bright red. Xiao Shi happily hugged the red silk and called people to hang it up. Xiao Jiu grumbled, “Red is too piercing. How is this different from the mortal realm? This is the Demon Palace; black looks more domineering.”

No one listened to her; everyone went about their business.

Yan Guang’s wine shops delivered invitations throughout the Demon Realm overnight. She wrote the letters and sent messengers while Yan Heng managed the palace.

The two were busy and happy. When they finally had a moment of rest, they sat back-to-back, holding wine jars.

Yan Guang smiled heartily. “When shall we get married?”

“Bah! Who is marrying you?” Yan Heng snapped.

Yan Guang took a sip of wine. “I will go ask Master; she will agree.”

Yan Heng leaned against her, wine jar in hand, and smiled. “Master will not agree. If the Senior Sisters were here, maybe she would. If we get married, who will do the work for her?”

“Shh, Shiniang is here. Did you not see how majestic she was while handling things? If Shiniang stays, she will be the Demon Queen. There will be no room for us Young Lords to make decisions.” Yan Guang laughed softly.

“What if Shiniang wants to leave?”

“Then Master is useless. If she cannot even keep her wife after a wedding, what can we do?”

“True. Let us hope Master shows some spine and does not act like a weakling.”

Their “weakling” Master had finally woken up. She scrambled into a sitting position as soon as she opened her eyes. Yanlai looked at her. “You are awake.”

“Where is Sanmeng?” Hongchen rubbed her aching head. As she sat up, her body tilted outward. Yanlai reached out to support her. “She is in a demon cave. I have people watching her. How are you feeling?”

“I am much better. See, I am awake.” Hongchen took the opportunity to lean heavily against Yanlai.

Yanlai took a deep breath, helped Hongchen lie back down, and said, “The matters of the Demon Realm have been handled. You just need to rest.”

Yanlai was very calm, and her expression grew cold. Hongchen tilted her head to look at her. “You are unhappy.”

“I am. You are hurt, so I am unhappy.”

“Is that so? What will make you happy?”

“When your injuries are healed, I will be happy.”

Hongchen blinked, feeling that Yanlai had changed. This subtle change surprised her. After all, in all their time together, Yanlai never said sweet, lingering words; at most, she would say the Demon Lord was “cute.” Heaven only knew if that was meant as a slight.

But the Yanlai before her was weaving those tender words into everyday conversation. Hongchen found it hard to believe. She reached out to touch Yanlai’s cheek and then looked at her ears.

Yanlai smiled. “What are you looking at?”

“I was wondering if you were the Heavenly Emperor in disguise,” Hongchen said tentatively.

Yanlai laughed and patted away the hand tugging at her ear. “If the Heavenly Emperor were here, he would drown you. Would he stay and talk to you for this long?”

“True. But why have you changed?” Hongchen asked.

Yanlai asked back, “How have I changed?”

Hongchen said, “You just have. You just said something romantic. You never did that before.”

“Maybe it is because you are about to die, so I am humoring you,” Yanlai said teasingly.

Hongchen frowned. “How could I die? Do not curse me. Do you… do you like me?”

Yanlai shook her head. “I do not.”

Hongchen did not believe her. “You definitely do.”

“Since you are so confident, why ask me?” Yanlai felt she was being insecure. She was so arrogant and bold before the Heavenly Emperor, yet so hesitant over these small things.

She told Hongchen, “If you feel it is love, then it is love. Why bother asking me?”

“Have you recovered your memories?” Hongchen blinked, finally blurting out the question.

Yanlai patted her head. “You were the one who cast the ‘Forgetting Dust’ spell; why ask me? Have you broken the seal?”

“Not yet. I am afraid of the backlash.” It was a rare moment of defeat for Hongchen. Her spiritual power was currently depleted, far from its peak. She could not even break her own seal, let alone the one cast by the Dark Night King.

Yanlai glanced at her and pulled her back down to lie beside her. “Break it after the wedding.”

Whether she remembered or not did not make much difference now; it would just be more memories of Qingxu Peak.

The two lay side-by-side. Time seemed to stand still. Yanlai leaned against Hongchen’s shoulder, and Hongchen’s head rested on hers.

Hongchen touched her chest, feeling immensely content. She asked Yanlai, “Do you still want to go back to Phoenix Mountain?”

“Of course. Such a large mountain; why let it go to someone else?” Yanlai closed her eyes, her shoulders relaxing.

Hongchen nodded. “I will go back with you. We will pack everything and move it to the Demon Palace.”

Yanlai nodded as well. “Do you have a betrothal gift?”

“What betrothal gift?” Hongchen was stunned.

Yanlai explained, “When one takes a wife, one must give a gift called a betrothal gift. Of course, the one getting married also provides a dowry. I am using Phoenix Mountain as my dowry. What is your betrothal gift?”

A whole Phoenix Mountain should be enough. Hongchen’s eyes widened; she had suddenly become very wealthy.

“I… I offer myself as the betrothal gift.”

Yanlai frowned. “I do not want it.”