After Provoking the Mad Beautiful Deity - Chapter 8

Stay away from me.

“Why is it that every time we cultivate together, I end up falling asleep? Next time, remember to wake me up.” Hongchen sighed, then asked with devout curiosity, “When will we cultivate together again?”

The girl appeared dazed and foolish, her eyes shimmering with light, enchanting and breathtakingly beautiful. Her striking looks always stirred restless thoughts in others.

Yanlai sat cross-legged in meditation, too lazy to explain. There was simply no way to communicate with her when Yanlai said east, Hongchen would interpret it as west. In short, the more she explained, the more misunderstandings would arise. It was better not to explain at all.

After a moment of silence, Hongchen shifted closer, pressing herself against Yanlai. Yanlai had no choice but to remind her, “Stay away from me.”

Hongchen protested indignantly, “You can touch me whenever you want, so why can’t I do the same?”

With that, she reached out and stroked Yanlai’s cheek, her pinky finger gliding over the other’s soft, rounded lips. In an instant, Yanlai’s face flushed bright red.

“Hey, you practice the Path of Emotionlessness, so how can you still blush?” Hongchen noticed something odd. “How does one even cultivate together while following the Path of Emotionlessness?”

Yanlai had finally had enough. She raised her hand to cover Hongchen’s incessantly chattering mouth. Hongchen’s eyes widened in surprise, and she immediately bit down on Yanlai’s hand. Caught off guard by such a shameless act, Yanlai found herself in a dilemma neither pulling her hand back nor leaving it there felt appropriate. All she could do was meet Hongchen’s clear, bright gaze.

“Let go.”

Unable to speak, Hongchen resorted to sticking out her tongue and licking Yanlai’s palm. It tasted a little sweet, and she wanted to lick it again. But Yanlai withdrew her hand, casting a cold glance at her. “Go back to the Demon Realm.”

“We’ve cultivated together. We’re cultivation partners, we should be together.” Hongchen spoke with unwavering confidence, lying down stiffly and refusing to leave.

Yanlai massaged her temples in frustration. She was about to forcibly throw the girl out when suddenly, the barrier around her chamber trembled. Immediately, she formed a hand seal to conceal Hongchen’s demonic aura and cast a spell to render her unconscious.

The Moon Goddess arrived like a shadow.

“Is the Qilin your mount?”

“Moon Goddess, what brings you here?” Yanlai steadied her breath, her robes swaying gently. A breeze swept by, and the Moon Goddess was already before her. Yanlai lifted her head as the other landed in front of her. “I have a matter to discuss, it’s about Jiuhan. I wish to ask you to save him.”

“I cannot save him.” Yanlai refused once again.

The Moon Goddess clicked her tongue twice. “I know the Phoenix Clan possesses a magical artifact capable of bringing the dead back to life.”

“Indeed, there is such an artifact. However, it manipulates time and space, and I alone cannot wield it. The artifact recognizes its master, and since I am not its master, I cannot summon it.” Yanlai did not hide the truth. “If I had the ability to save others, would the Phoenix Clan have been reduced to only me?”

“That’s true.” The Moon Goddess murmured to herself, sighing regretfully. “Jiuhan was the only immortal in recent years to ascend to the rank of High God. He had great potential for further advancement, and now he’s been killed by the Demon Sovereign. What a pity.”

The Heavenly Emperor had gathered cultivators from across the heavens and earth, bestowing upon them spiritual pills and miraculous medicines to aid their ascension to the celestial realm. Yet the progress was still too slow. Many capable individuals from various clans had perished in the great war ten thousand years ago. Over the years, the clans had slowly recovered, but the Demon Realm had produced Hongchen, a being of profound spiritual power who slaughtered immortals on sight and possessed explosive strength.

Yanlai paid no attention to this. While the Moon Goddess was lost in her own thoughts, Yanlai’s gaze fell upon the girl. The girl slept peacefully, her expression serene. Yanlai’s eyes traveled from her brows to her jaw, lingering several times, until a white veil suddenly clouded her vision.

She focused her mind, and in an instant, the white veil vanished. She then turned her gaze elsewhere. It was at that moment the Moon Goddess noticed the girl on the jade bed and asked loudly, “When did you take on such a beautiful disciple?”

“Freshly accepted, with exceptional bone structure and sinews.” Yanlai stepped sideways to block Moon Goddess’s line of sight. “You’ve said what you needed to say.”

Yanlai was clearly seeing her guest out, her attitude resolute. Unaware of the Flower Clan matter, Moon Goddess stood on her toes to peer at the little disciple. “Your disciple seems familiar have I seen her somewhere before?”

“Wherever you might have seen her doesn’t change the fact that she’s my disciple. Moon Goddess, what are you looking at?” Yanlai’s displeasure was evident.

“Look at you, so protective. Let’s talk business. The Heavenly Realm has issued a decree: whoever kills the Demon Sovereign will be enfeoffed as an Emperor.” Moon Goddess’s voice was muffled, as if speaking through a jar. “As you know, the Heavenly Realm originally had four Emperors, but Red Dust killed them all. The new Emperor’s status would be second only to the Celestial Emperor. This time, the commotion is huge. I’ve heard even the Barren Wastelands have sent people to the Demon Realm to gather intelligence.”

Yanlai glanced at the girl on the bed. How could such a young girl throw both heaven and earth into chaos? She let out a cold laugh. Seizing the opportunity, Moon Goddess looked at the girl and raised an eyebrow. “When choosing a disciple, do you prioritize looks?”

Over the years, the Celestial Emperor had selected many exceptionally talented female cultivators who ascended to the immortal realm and sent them to Phoenix Mountain. His intention was clear: he hoped Yanlai would choose a disciple and nurture a capable individual for the immortal realm.

Each time, Yanlai had refused.

Moon Goddess observed the girl’s appearance and sighed inwardly. In terms of looks, no one could compare to this girl, no wonder Yanlai had made an exception.

Yanlai waved her sleeve, and a brocade curtain appeared over the white jade bed, neatly blocking Moon Goddess’s view. Moon Goddess shot her a silent glance. “What’s the harm in looking? Since when have you become so petty? Enough of that. Why not send your little disciple to the Demon Realm to test her skills? Let her kill a few demon soldiers to gain experience.”

“Moon Goddess, if you’re done, you may leave.” Yanlai’s expression remained stern, her brows and eyes carrying a chill that matched her demeanor.

Moon Goddess didn’t leave. Her face grew more solemn. “Phoenix Mountain has only you. How long can you hold out alone? It’s futile. Wouldn’t it be better to pledge allegiance to the Celestial Emperor? Besides, you’ve already agreed to the marriage alliance. Why disregard the late Emperor’s decree?”

Yanlai remained silent, her eyes deep and intense. The laziness she had shown in front of Red Dust was gone, replaced by a rare, murderous aura.

Moon Goddess pressed on, “If you remain so unapproachable, who will save you if you ever find yourself in dire straits?”

“I will.”

The person on the bed suddenly sat up, cheerfully pulling aside the brocade curtain to reveal a flawless, jade-like face. She smiled at Moon Goddess, her expression innocent, her youthful features making her beauty appear even purer.

Moon Goddess was taken aback. Red Dust climbed down from the bed, twirled in front of Moon Goddess, and asked, “What do you do?”

“Moon Goddess, in charge of mortal marriages,” Yanlai explained briefly.

Red Dust seemed lost in thought. If immortals could observe the human world, why couldn’t demons? She looked at Moon Goddess with curiosity, her eyes darting around. Just as she was about to speak, Yanlai covered her mouth again. “Don’t speak.”

The master and disciple’s behavior was peculiar, inexplicably tinged with ambiguity especially the way Red Dust looked at Yanlai, her gaze filled with intense possessiveness.

Moon Goddess found it strange. Yanlai said, “My little disciple is still immature. Moon Goddess, you may leave.”

“Yanlai, I haven’t finished speaking.” Moon Goddess’s gaze remained fixed on Red Dust, her brow furrowed in thought. Suddenly, she realized why the girl looked so familiar. She blurted out, “Demon Sovereign Red Dust! You’re Demon Sovereign Red Dust!”

Red Dust blinked, pouting. “You can’t even recognize people correctly, and you’re making such a fuss.”

Before the Moon Goddess could react, Yanlai grabbed her little disciple by the collar and tossed her back onto the bed, then led the Moon Goddess out of the hall to speak privately.

“She’s not Hongchen. She’s only a hundred years old, you’ve mistaken her for someone else. I’ll consider what you’ve said, and in a few days, I’ll go see the Heavenly Emperor.” Yanlai smoothly ushered her out, flicked her sleeve to shut the hall doors with a loud bang. The Moon Goddess slowly turned back, only to find the doors already closed.

Furious, the Moon Goddess shouted, “Yanlai, you have no honor!”

On the bed, Hongchen laughed so hard she couldn’t straighten up. Yanlai turned to look at her, the girl’s eyes sparkled with laughter, radiant and lively, nothing like the demons of the demon realm.

Yanlai asked, “Is your mother Hongyan?”

“Mother? I don’t have a mother,” Hongchen replied, wiping tears of laughter from the corners of her eyes. She spoke the same words again, “Since we’ve already cultivated together, I won’t hide it from you. When I woke up, I already had spiritual power, and the bracelet was by my side. They told me my name was Hongchen. Back then, I wasn’t the Demon Lord yet. I killed a few demons, and naturally, they acknowledged me as the Demon Lord of the demon realm.”

“Your soul was it gone when you woke up?” Yanlai was shocked, narrowing her eyes slightly.

Hongchen smiled. “What use do I have for it?”

Yanlai averted her gaze, looking elsewhere. “Take me to see your demon realm?”

“Of course! Let our disciples meet their master’s wife that sounds perfect.” Hongchen agreed without a second thought, standing up immediately. Red flowers swirled around her feet as she flew to Yanlai’s side, her eyes shining brightly.

Her eyes were incredibly clear, like a pure spring or untouched snow, untainted by even a speck of dust.

How could eyes so clean exist, like those of an infant? Yanlai recalled a verse from the mortal world: “Humans are inherently good at birth.”

In that moment, she began to doubt the rumors she had heard. Though Hongchen was the leader of the demon realm, her heart seemed purer than that of any immortal in the celestial realm.

However, her doubts were soon overshadowed by other matters celestial troops were gathering outside Phoenix Mountain.

The bodhi bracelet on Hongchen’s wrist trembled violently. Hongchen wanted to go out and see, but Yanlai stopped her: “Let’s go to the demon realm. Let your disciples meet you.”

The Demon Lord had ten great disciples, each in charge of one of the ten halls. Four had been killed by Jiuhan, leaving only six. After losing track of their master that day, the six had anxiously ordered their subordinates to search for her.

They scoured the entire demon realm but found no trace of her not even a hint of her aura. Gathering together, they discussed at length and decided to venture into the celestial realm to search. Having suffered greatly at Jiuhan’s hands before, they knew they had to be cautious and avoid exposing their whereabouts.

After their discussion, they sought out the demon physician for pills to conceal their demonic aura and filled their storage pouches with various magical tools. Once prepared, they were about to set off.

Before they could leave, the Demon Lord returned to the demon realm, accompanied by a woman in blue robes.

The six disciples stared in astonishment, exchanging glances before wisely calling out in unison, “Master’s wife.”

Hongchen was quite pleased and rewarded each of her little disciples with a celestial artifact flute or zither, each gleaming with radiant light. Yanlai frowned. This little thief was boldly giving away the items she had stolen from Phoenix Mountain right in front of her, as if she thought Yanlai was blind.

The disciples were overjoyed. Hongchen nodded in satisfaction, pulling Yanlai forward to introduce her: “This is, this is…”

“I am a mortal realm cultivator, named Hongyan, the ‘yan’ meaning speech,” Yanlai answered gently on her behalf, offering a soft laugh. “Since it’s our first meeting, I wasn’t sure what you might like, so I brought some small trinkets. Feel free to pick whatever catches your eye.”

The master’s wife was beautiful in appearance, gentle in speech, and elegant in demeanor. Every smile and glance carried a woman’s charm, subtle like fine jade and tender as a spring breeze.

As she finished speaking, a gleam of light appeared in Yanlai’s palm, settling in the center of the hall and slowly transforming into a chest.

Hongchen widened her eyes in surprise. “You came prepared! Quick, thank your master’s wife.”

Hearing this, the six disciples promptly knelt before Yanlai, bowing respectfully as they chorused, “Thank you, Master’s Wife.”

With everyone kneeling and prostrating themselves in utmost reverence, Yanlai stepped aside to avoid the gesture. Hongchen tugged at her, urging, “Let’s go see the demon physician. He said once we brought you back, he’d tell me how to dual cultivate.”

Yanlai halted abruptly, avoiding her as if she’d seen a ghost. Gazing into Hongchen’s clear, innocent eyes, she couldn’t help but advise, “Please refrain from such bold words.”

Despite understanding nothing, Hongchen chanted about dual cultivation every day, putting on the airs of a seductress.