The Widowed Demonic Lord Remarried Again?! - Chapter 5

Shout?

Shout your head off!

The audience has already been dismissed by you! Who am I supposed to shout for?!

Just as Ruan Yibai wanted to turn around, Ye Tang caught him and pinned him immovably against the door.

He was forced flat against the door, a cascade of ink-black hair falling somewhat disheveled around him. Because his clothes had been loosened earlier, they hung loosely and lazily over his frame. The smooth, silken texture of the fabric slipped down from his shoulder, making his unprotected back look utterly enticing.

At this moment, with his back to Ye Tang, his entire body was imprisoned against the door with zero room for counteraction. While Ye Tang pressed one of his hands against the doorframe, his other hand directly locked around the waist that was twisting and trying to escape.

The heat radiating from the palm against his waist was abnormally scorching.

“Old Ye… l-let go of me!”

“Not planning to keep acting?”

Act! Why wouldn’t I act?!

In a situation like this, even if you lose the battle, you cannot lose your stance!

Offering a flattering, ingratiating smile, Ruan Yibai stammered, “What acting is the Celestial Lord talking about? I was mostly just worried you wouldn’t be used to this position.”

[System:] [Hiss, host, you really dare to say anything.]

Ye Tang remained silent behind him for a long, quiet stretch.

Just when Ruan Yibai felt he had seized the upper hand and was feeling smug about successfully annoying the fellow, the Yaoquang Celestial Lord spoke slowly, his tone clean, upright, and serious: “Very well.”

Ruan Yibai: ?

[System:] [?]

Ruan Yibai: What did he just say?

[System:] [He said ‘very well’.]

Ruan Yibai: Very well what very well? Does he mean he can let me go?

[System:] [If I didn’t misunderstand, it sounds like he meant he’s fine with doing it right here against the door.]

Ruan Yibai drew in a sharp breath: Has he lost his mind?!

[System:] [Wasn’t that your own request?]

Though… but…

I was just trying to annoy him! Why is it backfiring?!

What happened to the cold, aloof, and desireless Immortal Lord?!

“Though I do worry whether A-Ruan’s body can handle it.” Ye Tang’s voice was indeed cold and desireless, yet his hand was stroking inch by inch along Ruan Yibai’s spine. “I figured I should let you rest and recover for a few more days.”

Instantly recalling that sensation of life and death intermingling from a few days ago, Ruan Yibai’s legs involuntarily turned weak and hollow.

For some inexplicable reason, words completely failed him, and he could only feel the surrounding temperature rising steadily.

The atmosphere inside the room was simply too…

Help, is he about to touch the tailbone? He’s touching the tailbone!!

His heartbeat inexplicably began to accelerate.

Actually, to be honest… it’s not entirely unacceptable either…

Before Ye Tang could make his next move, however, an eerie, soul-chilling roar suddenly echoed from outside!

It was sharp enough to make one’s scalp tingle and ears ring relentlessly.

Whose voice was that…

Before he could process it further, a sensation like a blade slicing across his throat washed over him—stinging and reeking of blood. The sheer aggressiveness of the sound wave nearly forced someone completely devoid of spiritual power like him to cough up blood. Fortunately, Ye Tang pulled him into his embrace just in time, utilizing his own spiritual power to shield Ruan Yibai’s heart meridian.

“Stay inside the room and don’t come out.”

The moment those words dropped, Ye Tang flashed forward, his figure dissolving into ink-wash clouds and mist before vanishing completely.

Only Ruan Yibai remained inside the room. Finally stabilizing his breathing, the fellow rolled up his sleeves and cursed angrily: “That damned brat Bai Ruogu! The moment he arrives he almost gets me killed a second time!”

[System:] [..-Bai Ruogu? Host, are you saying the voice outside just now belonged to the Forest of Netherworld Skeletons, Myriad Bone Dharma Image—Bai Ruogu?]

Without answering, Ruan Yibai shoved the door open and stepped right outside.

The moment he crossed the threshold, the blazing white-jade and golden-roof brilliance of Lanquetian stabbed painfully into his eyes. The floating golden shadows of this luxurious palace were blinding enough to nearly sear one’s retinas; sure enough, the pitch-black obsidian gloom of the Nine Realms was far more comforting!

[System:] [Host, didn’t the Celestial Lord tell you not to go out?]

Fie on that! He tells me to stay, and I actually stay? Were these two legs of mine installed by him?

Normally, two doorship guards stood at attention, and the surroundings swarmed with Lanquetian’s bunch; now that everyone had finally been dispatched elsewhere and not even a ghost’s shadow remained, if he didn’t run right this second, when on earth would he?

Seeing Ruan Yibai genuinely preparing to bolt, the system started howling in sheer panic.

[System:] [Ahhhh, host! You don’t have any spiritual power right now, and with so many enemies around, running wild like this is asking for trouble! If you ask me, you should at least hoard some spiritual power with the Celestial Lord first, and then…]

Halfway through its frantic shouting, the system realized something was amiss and slammed on the emergency brakes, glancing left and right. Where’d the host go?

Looking back, Ruan Yibai was trailing behind, puffing, wheezing, and panting heavily for air!

[System:] [Uh…]

It almost forgot that the host had no spiritual power and couldn’t run fast.

Wiping the sweat beading across his forehead, Ruan Yibai gasped, “Why did they build this place so damn huge? A single corridor is practically the length of a marathon racecourse! Isn’t this sheer bullying against honest folks without spiritual power?!”

[System:] [Your own Hall of Supreme Joy isn’t any smaller, alright? By the way, where exactly are you planning to run off to? You can’t even leave Lanquetian without spiritual power.]

Casting a glance back at the god-tower pavilions dominated by white-gold tones, Ruan Yibai could still hear the earth-shattering roars reverberating against his eardrums, though the sound no longer posed a threat to him thanks to the protective barrier Ye Tang had cast around his heart.

Then, past the soaring eaves, he finally caught sight of that long-overdue, colossal skeleton!

The Forest of Netherworld Skeletons, Myriad Bone Dharma Image!

Interlocking layer upon layer, towering majestically behind thousands of white-gold palaces, stood a breathtaking, colossal white skeleton. It appeared as a half-human upper body, utilizing its arms as legs; though lacking lower limbs, its magnificent grandeur was indescribable. Even the resplendent golden towers of Lanquetian looked like mere toys before it, as if a casual wave of its hand could shatter them to pieces!

Countless immortal artifacts orbited the giant skeleton, yet merely through its continuous roaring, it firmly and terrifically deterred all those divine tools attempting to close in and ambush it!

Following Ruan Yibai’s line of sight, the system spotted that the Myriad Bone Dharma Image had also instantly caught sight of Ruan Yibai—who appeared no larger than an ant to it—hundreds of miles away!

[System:] [Holy crap, the Myriad Bone Dharma Image is coming straight for you, host! Are you trying to use him to escape Lanquetian?!]

That mountain-range-like giant white skeleton belonged to Bai Ruogu, the backbone and heavy minister of the Nine Realms, as well as the bone throne of Demonic Lord Ruan Yibai from the past, which had accompanied him across the Three Realms and struck fear into the hearts of all immortals!

To think that two hundred and fifty years later today, he would brazenly charge into Lanquetian all by himself!

Wasn’t this a blatant move to demand his master back from the Yaoquang Celestial Lord?!

[System:] [Slurp… talk about thrilling.]

Scanning his surroundings, Ruan Yibai muttered, “I need to get to somewhere conspicuous so that brat’s Jialan Bone Mirror can pull me away.”

…

Hundreds of miles away, upon locking eyes with Ruan Yibai, the giant white skeleton let out a heaven-shaking roar, slammed its hands against the ground, and began crawling forward at breakneck speed toward Ruan Yibai’s direction!

The momentum of the Myriad Bone Dharma Image was overwhelmingly destructive; numerous structures along its path collapsed into ruins. Though multiple immortal cultivators leading flying swords attempted to halt its advance, before the crushing, heaven-shaping might of the Myriad Bone Dharma Image, they appeared utterly insignificant and fragile!

The leading immortal cultivator flying on his sword realized the situation had turned critical, and shouted in disheveled panic: “The Myriad Bone Dharma Image has staged a comeback! This situation cannot be underestimated hurry, go invite the Yaoquang Celestial Lord!”

Yet his voice was instantly swallowed up by the dust kicked up by the charging Myriad Bone Dharma Image, while the cultivators’ magical treasures proved no sharper than toothpicks against the giant skeleton, failing to inflict even a scratch!

Just as everyone found themselves completely out of options, a streak of silver moon brilliance erupted from the void, viciously slicing across the path of the Myriad Bone Dharma Image and gouging a deep, chasm-like trench into the earth with a deafening clang!

With earth-shattering momentum, the Yaoquang Celestial Lord manifested right before the Myriad Bone Dharma Image, the radiant gleam of Moon Shadow orbiting continuously around his flanks!

The immortal cultivators burst into jubilant cheers, as if they had just laid eyes upon a merciful savior!

Forced to halt its advance, the Myriad Bone Dharma Image raised its fleshless skull with a harsh clack-clack-clack, its hollow eye sockets unable to display any expression as it gazed distantly at the floating, deity-like man.

Everyone could sense the momentum of the Myriad Bone Dharma Image weakening right at the instant it was intercepted by the divine artifact Moon Shadow!

Fixing an unkind gaze upon the Myriad Bone Dharma Image, Ye Tang spoke with freezing, icy coldness: “Get back.”

The Myriad Bone Dharma Image retreated a step, looking as though it were intimidated—or perhaps gathering its strength for something…

The next instant, the giant skeleton vanished from plain sight before everyone’s eyes!

A wave of astonishment rippled through the crowd: To think the previously ferocious and world-destroying Myriad Bone Dharma Image had just vanished like that?

However, Ye Tang pivoted sharply on his heel. Moon Shadow glided gracefully through the air, detached itself from his flank, and delivered a devastating, crushing strike toward a specific spot in the distance!

Clang!

With a sound resembling a mirror shattering into pieces, the noise echoed across the firmament!

Following that cracking sound, the massive body of the Myriad Bone Dharma Image reappeared once more, only this time, Moon Shadow had clamped ruthlessly around its skeletal throat, dragging it down and slamming it violently against the earth!

Dust billowed thickly across the ground.

Gazing down at the Myriad Bone Dharma Image, which was desperately struggling and writhing on the ground, Ye Tang wore an expression of absolute indifference: “Did you not understand what I said?”

Having witnessed the entire sequence of events from start to finish, the system sheepishly crept back to Ruan Yibai’s side, staring at the fellow who was currently climbing the high tower in a breathless state of exhaustion, feeling deeply moved.

[System:] [Host, um… I just saw the Jialan Bone Mirror get smashed to pieces by the Celestial Lord’s Moon Shadow.]

Ruan Yibai, who had finally scrambled up to the observation deck of the tall tower and was just about to take a breather, suddenly felt his elbow bound tightly by a white ribbon-like immortal artifact!

The moment the white ribbon wrapped around his arm, it behaved like a white serpent, coiling tighter and tighter around him with zero intention of letting go. If it had wrapped around his neck instead, breathing would have immediately become an impossible luxury.

Damn it, talk about bad luck! Ye Tang’s super toxic fan girl, Su Wanxing, has arrived!

[System:] [Su Wanxing? You mean Qingci Heavenly Monarch Su Wanxing from the Five Peaks of God Mountain? …Wait, she hasn’t even shown her face yet, how do you know it’s her? Aren’t you lacking spiritual power?]

Ruan Yibai raised an arm: “If you ask me to recognize a person, I might not always get it right, but weapons…”

The moment those words left his mouth, Sanskrit golden seals slowly began materializing across the white ribbon. If it had been any other demonic cultivator, they would have been scorched and incinerated by these Sanskrit seals; yet because Ruan Yibai currently possessed zero spiritual power, the golden seals failed to produce any effect on him whatsoever.

The system realized: wasn’t this precisely the natal immortal artifact of Qingci Heavenly Monarch Su Wanxing—Xiangsi (Yearning)!

The legendary ribbon-like immortal artifact capable of plucking stars and catching the moon—Xiangsi!

Glancing at the increasingly tightening Xiangsi ribbon, which had already turned his forearm swollen and purplish-blue, Ruan Yibai exhaled a breath: “Why are you and your senior brother cut from the exact same cloth? You both love leaving marks all over my body, don’t you?”

Ye Tang used Chijiang, while Su Wanxing used Xiangsi—they both loved tying people up tightly!

“Ruan Yibai, you shameless wretch!”

Grabbing the Xiangsi ribbon with one hand, Ruan Yibai smiled toward the source of the voice: “I didn’t say anything wrong. Would you like me to show you the marks your senior brother left on my body?”

Another strip of Xiangsi coiled around Ruan Yibai’s waist, followed instantly by the sudden materialization of a furious, apricot-eyed, gorgeous female cultivator right in front of him. Gripping Xiangsi tightly, she yanked Ruan Yibai right up to her face, frowning deeply as she snapped: “Impure, shameless evildoer, I’m going to personally execute you today to prevent you from ever bewitching my senior brother again! And stop him from neglecting his sacred mission of saving the world and protecting all living beings!”

[System (surprised):] [Ah this… turned out to be a career-oriented toxic fan!]

Yanked upward by the Xiangsi ribbon, Ruan Yibai wore a pained expression: “…Is that so?”

[System:] [Emmm, well, true. In pure-love novels, chasing men is definitely inferior to chasing a career.]

Xiangsi had already tightened around Ruan Yibai’s throat, hoisting more than half of his body out over the high balcony. The piercing, bitter gale whipped his garments into a frenzy, while Xiangsi glowed with blinding brilliance. Stretching out a hand with immense difficulty, he croaked: “…You, cough… shouldn’t you, perhaps, care about something else first…”

Just as Xiangsi tightened to the point of cutting off Ruan Yibai’s breath, the sound of a shattering mirror rang out. Following that, Su Wanxing and her natal artifact Xiangsi were simultaneously sucked into a mirrored domain!

Instantly drained of all support, Ruan Yibai fell in a freefall. Expecting a harsh and painful landing, he was instead caught tightly and anxiously by a pair of arms, and then he heard the newcomer wailing in an agonizingly ugly, tear-choked cry: “Beloved Master, you’ve finally returned! I’ve missed you so much!!”

Finally landing safely on his feet, Ruan Yibai hadn’t even regained his footing when the person threw themselves into his arms and burst into loud, bitter tears.

Ignoring the fact that the stranger was smearing snot and tears all over his clothes, Ruan Yibai pressed one hand against his recently throttled throat while patting the other person’s back with his free hand: “Cough, cough, cough, good disciple, stop crying. You know what your constitution is like…”

Yet the person paid zero attention to whatever Ruan Yibai was saying, continuing to clutch him tightly and howl without stopping.

Ruan Yibai finally reached his limit: “Alright, enough already, Bai Ruogu! If you keep crying like this, your eyeballs are literally going to pop out!”

Then, a truly astonishing sight unfolded: the person’s eyeballs genuinely slid right out amidst his crying! The pitch-black, glassy spheres slipped loose, trailing glistening beads of clear fluid, scaring the system so badly it nearly crashed its own operating system!

[System:] [Ahhhhhhh, they actually fell out, save my life!!!]

To everyone’s shock, the youth casually reached out, caught the slipping eyeballs, shoved them right back into his eye sockets with zero hesitation, and then looked back up at Ruan Yibai with trembling lips: “Master, I missed you so much, wuwuwu, I thought I was going to die of missing you!”

Only then did the system finally get a clear look: the newcomer turned out to be a fresh, clean-looking, dark-clad young boy, sporting a high-ponytail hairstyle. Judging by his features, he looked like a modern teenager around eighteen or nineteen years of age, brimming with youthful vigor. However, considering how familiar he was with the host, his true age was bound to be at least over a century… Yet his stubborn expression as he gazed up at Ruan Yibai with round, tear-filled eyes and a trembling lower lip made him look precisely like an aggrieved little milk-dog enduring in silence. Utterly, explosively adorable!

[System:] [Wait, host… did you just call him Bai Ruogu? And called him ‘good disciple’?]

Ruan Yibai: Yeah, what’s wrong?

[System:] [You’re telling me that Forest of Netherworld Skeletons, Myriad Bone Dharma Image… the terrifying bone king of the Nine Realms who was slaughtering everything outside just a moment ago is your disciple?!]

Ruan Yibai helped the dark-clad young boy straighten his collar, then gently patted his head like a pet dog. The boy instantly beamed with joy, looking as though he had a tail wagging behind him so fast it blurred out of sight.

[System:] [This, this, this… the contrast between his true form and his avatar is way too massive! That terrifying skeletal dharma image outside should logically have looked like Sha Wujing from Journey to the West—a rough brute wearing a necklace of human skulls! How on earth did he turn into such an adorable little puppy dog cultivator?! Unbelievable!]

[System:] [Crucially, didn’t I clearly see the Jialan Bone Mirror get smashed to smithereens by the Celestial Lord just now? How did he…]

Prompted by the system, Ruan Yibai narrowed his eyes at Bai Ruogu and asked, “Did you use mirror illusions to trick Ye Tang just now?”

The dark-clad young boy nodded obediently with an innocent expression. “Beloved Master, why does it look like you don’t have any spiritual power? Or is it that Master’s spiritual power has grown so vast I can’t even perceive it anymore?”

Ruan Yibai massaged his temples: “This is a long story, but mirror illusions won’t fool Ye Tang for long. We need to leave immediately!”

Bai Ruogu declared, “Alright, I’ll take Master back to the Nine Realms right now! From now on I’ll protect Master and we’ll never separate again!”

Ruan Yibai shook his head. “Before returning to the Nine Realms, I need to go somewhere else first…”

Before Bai Ruogu could even voice his question about where they were heading, a pristine, silver-shimmering white figure materialized right before their eyes.

[System:] [Wuhuu.]

With a sudden chill settling down his spine, Bai Ruogu instinctively cowered and hid straight behind Ruan Yibai’s back.

Ruan Yibai’s heart skipped a beat, silently cursing himself for having the mouth of a crow.

“Don’t even think about leaving.”