After Provoking the Mad Beautiful Deity - Chapter 7

Favoritism.

The phrase “dual cultivation” sparked endless imagination. Yet, Yanlai remained indifferent and detached. She glanced at the red qilin beneath her and asked, “You gave it to me, but what will you use?”

“I don’t need a mount.” Hongchen waved her hand dismissively. When she flew, she did so on her own, with a hundred flowers rising into the air.

Yanlai didn’t stand on ceremony. She called the qilin and headed toward the cave abode of the Three Dreams Immortal.

The Three Dreams Immortal resided in the celestial realm, embodying dreams ethereal and illusory. They soared toward the Ninth Heaven and landed at the entrance of the Clear Void Hall.

Upon landing, the hall was eerily quiet inside and out. A young immortal boy dozed off at the door, yet everything remained orderly. Sensing something amiss, Yanlai immediately left the celestial realm.

The qilin flew swiftly, returning to the spot where they had parted. Hongchen was nowhere to be seen.

Amid the swirling clouds and mist, not a single immortal not even a bird was in sight. She tried using the qilin to summon Hongchen. As the master, Hongchen shared a connection with her qilin mount.

The qilin attempted the summoning spell, but it yielded no results. Yanlai took out the earlier flying message and examined it carefully. Something felt off someone had impersonated the Three Dreams Immortal to send her a distress call.

She immediately returned to Hundred Flowers Mountain, landing atop the palace. The qilin transformed into a human form, a little girl of seven or eight and clung closely to her heels.

The Flower Clan leader was absent. An elder of the mountain came forward to greet her, but Yanlai remained silent. As she moved, her sleeves billowed in the wind, and she unsheathed a sword, thrusting it directly at the elder. The elder was a ten-thousand-year-old tree immortal, having cultivated for millennia. Yanlai’s gaze was sharp and unyielding.

“Where is your clan leader?”

As she spoke, she scanned the hall. Unable to locate the clan leader, she resorted to setting the palace ablaze. Flames roared upward, soaring into the sky.

The elder was terrified out of his wits. He feared fire more than anything as did the entire Flower Clan. Yanlai’s phoenix fire was devastatingly powerful, engulfing the main hall in an instant, then spreading to the side chambers.

“Great Deity, Great Deity, let’s talk this through! Our clan leader has gone to seek the Heavenly Empress. Why not go to the heavens to find her? Setting fire without a word, oh dear, please extinguish the flames quickly!” The elder trembled with fear.

Yanlai showed no trace of pity. She stood coldly, hands behind her back, watching the raging fire with an imposing demeanor.

The qilin was stunned. Setting the Flower Clan ablaze was she trampling on the Heavenly Empress’s dignity? Even the Demon Lord wouldn’t dare burn a mountain without a second thought.

“Your Flower Clan has captured my disciple. If you don’t return her, I will annihilate your entire clan today.” Yanlai’s aura was overwhelming, flames flickering in her eyes.

The qilin was baffled. Since when had the Demon Lord become her disciple?

The Flower Clan elder, terrified, immediately summoned the clan leader. Just then, a gust of wind arrived, and Qingfeng descended gracefully. Seeing the mountain engulfed in flames, he hurriedly summoned water to extinguish the fire.

Water extinguishing fire was the natural order of the world. But when Qingfeng’s water fell upon the mountain, it had no effect. Realizing something was wrong, he quickly apologized to Yanlai. “Great Deity, please do not be angry. No matter how at fault the Flower Clan may be, they are my maternal family. I beg you to show leniency. If the Flower Clan has been disrespectful to you, I offer my sincerest apologies.”

“Whether our marriage will proceed is still uncertain. If I do not see Hongchen today, I will destroy your Flower Clan.” Yanlai’s tone was icy, showing no regard for the Crown Prince’s status. Her majestic presence intimidated all the Flower Clan immortals, who dared not approach.

Moments later, a group of celestial soldiers descended from the sky. Their commander, seeing the Flower Clan in distress, rushed to their aid, but upon noticing the deity Yanlai, he dared not intervene further. Qingfeng felt deeply humiliated but maintained his composure as he explained to Yanlai, “There must be some misunderstanding. How could the Flower Clan possibly oppose Phoenix Mountain? Please, return to Phoenix Mountain for now. Leave the matter of finding the person to me. I will locate them within three days.”

The flames grew fiercer, dyeing half the sky crimson, yet the Flower Clan’s leader remained nowhere in sight. Yanlai’s gaze remained calm and unfathomable, like an ancient well, paying no heed to the prince’s persuasion as if she hadn’t even heard it.

The celestial soldiers ceased their attacks and began fighting the fire, but no amount of water could extinguish the inferno raging across the mountainside.

By the time the palace halls had burned to ashes and half the mountain was scorched, the Flower Clan leader, Xuanjing, finally stumbled down from the clouds. He was a pitiful sight disheveled, his robes in tatters, blood trickling from his lips. Qingfeng cried out, “Uncle!” and rushed toward him, but Yanlai formed a hand seal, summoning a whirlwind that swept Xuanjing directly before her.

She seized the clan leader by the throat, her eyes blazing with murderous intent. “Where is Yanchen?”

“What Yanchen? I know nothing of her.”

Xuanjing’s spiritual energy was depleted, his body frail and weak. After probing his condition, Yanlai let out a cold, sharp laugh. “Did you ever consider the consequences of laying hands on a disciple of Phoenix Mountain?”

“Yanlai, how dare you act so recklessly! When have I ever harmed anyone from Phoenix Mountain? Show me proof! Without evidence, you burn my Hundred Flowers Mountain, I will report this to the Heavenly Emperor and have you punished!” Xuanjing shouted hoarsely, turning to Prince Qingfeng. “Your Highness, will you stand by and let her wreak havoc on my mountain?”

The Qilin chuckled darkly. “He’d like to intervene, but does he have the power?”

None present, even combined, were a match for the deity Yanlai. How could they possibly restrain her? Disdainful, Yanlai tightened her grip on the clan leader’s neck, her eyes icy. “Shall I summon the Dreamweaver Immortal to delve into your dreams?”

“It wasn’t us! The Flower Clan has nothing to do with this!” Xuanjing roared. Qingfeng could no longer stand by and stepped forward to pull Xuanjing back, addressing Yanlai, “Deity, there may truly be a misunderstanding. I will dispatch celestial soldiers at once to search for her.”

“If she’s already gone, how will you find her? Xuanjing, you impersonated the Dreamweaver Immortal to send me a message, luring me away from Yanchen so you could strike. Such despicable tactics.” Yanlai’s eyes smoldered with inner fury. “A clan leader resorting to such underhanded methods, targeting a mere hundred-year-old child, do you not feel ashamed?”

“I’m ashamed? You, who burns my mountain and acts with such tyranny are you any more righteous? If I killed your disciple, you burned my mountain. We’re even.” Xuanjing felt a twisted sense of relief. Let her rage all she wanted the person was gone. Where would she even begin to search?

“Shameless!” Enraged, Yanlai formed another hand seal, and a ball of fire shot from her palm like lightning, aimed directly at Xuanjing.

Badly wounded, Xuanjing had no means to evade. Qingfeng moved to block the attack, and the celestial soldiers surged forward, creating a tense standoff.

The Qilin grew anxious and urged Yanlai, “Let’s go find the Demon Lord first. We can settle scores another day. For now, let’s burn their lairs and be done with it.”

Revenge could wait; finding Yanchen was the priority. Suppressing her rage, Yanlai nodded. The Qilin transformed into its beast form, and Yanlai leaped onto its back. In an instant, the two vanished from sight.

Xuanjing suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood. Crown Prince Qingfeng anxiously called out “Uncle” twice, but Xuanjing, filled with bitter resentment, said, “Yan Chen’s spiritual power runs deep, far surpassing mine. It was only by joining forces that we barely managed to gain an advantage. Crown Prince, remember this, this matter has nothing to do with you. It was Yan Chen who attacked me first, and I had no choice but to retaliate.”

With those words, his eyes rolled back, and he lost consciousness.

When Yanlai returned to Phoenix Mountain, she found an extra person lying stiffly on her bed pale-faced, with blood staining the corners of her lips. It was none other than Hongchen.

How had Hongchen entered the mountain and made her way onto Yanlai’s bed?

The woman was unconscious, her spiritual power severely depleted. As Yanlai approached, she noticed Hongchen’s bodhi bracelet resting on the pillow.

The bracelet again. Yanlai picked it up. It no longer pulsed with energy, as if it, too, had fallen unconscious like its owner. It was strange this bracelet seemed to have a habit of bringing the injured straight to her.

Since the person was already here, she couldn’t very well turn her away. The mountain was rich in medicinal herbs, and saving a life was well within her capabilities.

As Yanlai worked to heal her, placing her on the jade bed and transferring spiritual energy, she was surprised to discover that a trace of her own spiritual power had also seeped into the bracelet.

The person and the bracelet had merged into one; the bracelet carried Hongchen’s consciousness. This meant it was Hongchen who despised mortal men and those who practiced immortal cultivation.

There were too many peculiarities about the Demon Lord, and for the moment, Yanlai couldn’t make sense of them. Settling comfortably by the bedside, she took the opportunity to meditate while Hongchen remained unconscious.

Soon, envoys from the celestial realm arrived, demanding an audience with the exalted Yanlai. Their demeanor was imposing as they insisted that Hongchen, who had injured the Flower Clan’s leader, Immortal Xuanjing be handed over.

The celestial attendants were at a loss. The Green Bird went out to meet the visitors, but after a brief exchange, the two sides came to blows.

The Qilin crouched nearby, watching the commotion while testing the strength of the celestial soldiers and generals. The Thunder God’s voice boomed loudly, but his attacks were feeble even after a long fight, he failed to gain the upper hand.

The dispute dragged on, with the Green Bird holding the advantage. In the end, the Thunder God had to retreat empty-handed. Not long after, the Moon God arrived, clad in ethereal purple robes, descending upon the mountain like a breeze. She had not come to fight but to mediate, bringing along a crystal coffin as a “thoughtful” gift for the exalted one’s disciple.

Infuriated, the Qilin shattered the coffin with a single slap. The Moon God eyed the small, mischievous child and, with a light sweep of her awareness, discerned her true form. “Well now, what an adorable Qilin. Lend her to me for a few days.”

Hearing this, the Qilin immediately turned and fled, she was no match for the Moon God.

The Moon God gave chase without hesitation, and the two began a game of hide-and-seek across Phoenix Mountain. Meanwhile, the figure on the bed opened her eyes, which were tinged with a bloody red. Yanlai immediately opened her own eyes. “You woke up rather quickly.”

Pulled back from the brink of death, she had regained consciousness in just a few hours.

Hongchen sat up, feeling her chest, her head, and then her feet. Finally, she settled into a cross-legged position, ignoring Yanlai entirely as she closed her eyes to meditate.

Accustomed to Hongchen’s usual lazy, carefree demeanor, Yanlai found her current cold and solemn attitude rather intriguing. She watched her for a moment, the girl’s eyes were closed, her eyelashes long and slightly upturned, her neck slender with veins pulsing gently.

Yanlai’s gaze traveled from top to bottom. Hongchen’s shoulders and back were straight, and her eyes eventually fell upon her ankles, where the flame mark had faded significantly.

The crimson mark on her pale ankles was strikingly vivid, its allure seeping deep into the bone. The flame emblem made her skin appear fragile, as if it might shutter at the slightest touch. Yanlai stared at the ankles and a faint white veil suddenly clouded her vision. Frowning, she dispelled it.

The hall was silent. On the white jade bed, the two sat in meditation, surrounded by a faint mist that carried a subtle, unspoken ambiguity.

After an unknown length of time, Hongchen opened her eyes, feeling much more comfortable in her chest. She glanced at Yanlai and said, “Master, you’re back.”

The white jade bed emanated spiritual energy, and within moments, Hongchen’s cheeks flushed like peach blossoms in March, while the translucent skin on her neck appeared as delicate and exquisite as white jade.

Yanlai sat upright and cast a light glance at her: “How did you end up in my bed?”

“End up in your bed? Didn’t you bring me to your bed?” Hongchen asked in confusion, patting her own collar. “Did you take off my clothes again?”

Yanlai immediately denied it: “No.”

After saying this, she felt something was amiss and added, “Don’t use the word ‘again.’ I have never taken off your clothes before.”