Under Tianye's manipulation, wisps of black qi began oozing from the center of Mu Nuo's brow. Swirling into a spiraling vortex, they swiftly condensed into an ink-black sphere in her palm.
As this black orb grew denser and larger, the drained Mu Nuo rapidly regressed from an adolescent of thirteen or fourteen back into a child of six or seven.
Watching the shift in the creature's form, Xu Yuan's brow furrowed slightly of its own accord.
He had always been curious about how this little demon had come to be in the first place, and in what form it existed in the world.
If the Insect Saint and the previous Desert Divine Maiden siring Mu Xingyi was an instance of reproductive isolation being broken through ten thousand years of scheming by ancient beasts, then Mu Nuo's very existence shattered the established rules of the current world.
Madame Wan was not a creature that had undergone ghost transformation due to ghost fog; her existence had originated as an ominous entity composed of pure soul power.
That meant Madame Wan lacked gender, possessed no reproductive organs, and certainly had no capacity to unite with another and bear offspring.
Xu Yuan had pondered this question more than once, but even racking his brains had never helped him understand how Mu Xingyi, a physical being, could have copulated with an incorporeal ghost to produce a child.
Yet judging from the scene before him, Mu Nuo's body was indeed peculiar. Though physical, it was not made of flesh and blood; its dissipation was grounded in age...
As he pondered this, Tianye's voice, tinged with astonishment, quietly drifted into his ears:
"Xu Yuan, I don't seem to be able to kill this little brat."
"What?" Xu Yuan snapped out of his thoughts instantly.
Her tone held a trace of oddity as she whispered, "Though your memories of the Meishen illusory realm are incomplete, you should still remember that Saint Tier yin ghosts can warp the laws of reality, right?"
"The Thousand-Thorns Ghost Willow's ability to create physical willow branches out of nothing?"
"Exactly."
For once, Tianye's voice lacked its usual flippancy. "Water techniques condense moisture in the air to release, fire techniques use Source Qi as fuel, and that physical Blood Marrow Drill of yours is also condensed directly from Source Qi. Once the arts are dispersed, all these techniques dissipate back into Source Qi. But the creations of yin ghosts remain in the world even after their very existence has been annihilated."
Looking at the solemn golden-eyed young woman before him, Xu Yuan asked softly, "What are you trying to say?"
"This little brat seems to possess that same ability of Saint Tier yin ghosts to warp the rules of reality—and it's stronger than that of ordinary yin ghosts."
"..."
After a moment of silence, Xu Yuan asked in a low voice, "So what is Mu Nuo's ability?"
Tianye slowly looked back, a touch of helplessness in her eyes.
"It has no concept of death."
"..." Xu Yuan.
"..." Tianyuan.
Xu Yuan's mind went blank for a second.
*What the hell?*
Mu Nuo was likely the first naturally born Saint in history. It was unique—so unique that not even Tianye and Feng Jiuxuan could detect its aura—but what did having no concept of death mean?
Tianye halted her extraction of Mu Nuo's origin source. Reverting to her usual flippant demeanor, she stared at Xu Yuan with a meaningful smile. "Don't look so tense. Saying it has no concept of death is merely a conjecture. It doesn't mean there is no way in this world to erase this little brat's existence."
Before Xu Yuan could respond, Tianye gave another faint smile. "Besides, I just discovered something interesting. If this little brat had completely refined the Thousand-Thorns Ghost Willow's yin origin and perfected its own existence, even I in my prime would probably have had to steer clear of its edge.
"Unfortunately for it, this little brat was saddled with a pair of ignorant parents."
Tianye did not send these words via voice transmission.
Her laughing voice rang clearly in the ears of Mu Xingyi and Madame Wan.
Those condescending golden eyes swept over the two of them, her mocking voice cutting like a blade to the heart:
"The Thousand-Thorns Ghost Willow was obviously forged into an artifact, yet this husband and wife dared to bring Mu Nuo, who swallowed its yin origin, right in front of me, its original owner... Heh."
As the words fell,
Xu Yuan's spiritual vision picked up an unfamiliar trace of Dao charm swirling around Tianye.
It felt entirely different from the previous time-stopping Dao charm. This Dao charm was dark, viscous, and frigid; with merely a fleeting glimpse, Xu Yuan felt as if he were about to be swallowed whole.
Seeing this, Xu Yuan hastily shut down his spiritual vision and scanned their surroundings with his ordinary sight. Spiraling ripples were already radiating outward with Tianye at the center, blooming like a radiant lotus that enveloped them and Mu Nuo, gradually closing into a sphere that spanned the sky.
Was this...
Tianye's second Dao domain?
Noticing the scrutiny in Xu Yuan's eyes, Tianye—her long hair dancing in the air—casually explained in a hushed tone, "Back then, to deal with the Meishen cherry tree, I prepared a great deal of fine things. This Dao charm was one of them. It has many uses, but what I love most is its ability to compress and seal."
Saying so, Tianye gave the pensive Xu Yuan a mischievous wink. "You guessed right: the willow ghost blade was forged using this Dao charm~ Otherwise, with ordinary refinement methods, how could it ever achieve such seamless resonance with the mind?"
Xu Yuan stared at the enchanting golden-eyed woman and said gravely, "So this is the method you mentioned—sealing Mu Nuo away the same way you dealt with the Thousand-Thorns Ghost Willow?"
Within the massive radiant lotus, Tianye playfully tossed the black sphere extracted from Mu Nuo's body in her hand, her eyes fixed on Xu Yuan. "Pretty much, but right now I'm missing a vessel."
*A vessel...*
*Isn't that basically saying it outright?*
Xu Yuan griped internally, but instead of answering immediately, he asked in a low voice, "Is Tianyuan not going to stop you?"
Against the backdrop of blinding white light, Tianye's azure-gold eyes appeared exceptionally bewitching. "She's busy with her own business. Why would she stop me?"
A faint smile curled Xu Yuan's lips.
Real enemies did not give you breathing room to achieve your goals the way they did in plays and dramas, yet an exception seemed to be unfolding right now.
Aside from her initial "Seal" true words, Tianyuan had remained quietly off to the side the entire time.
Well, no, not quite quiet.
After all, in the few breaths Tianye had spent dealing with Mu Nuo, Tianyuan had accomplished plenty of other things.
While deflecting the Zhenxi prefectural yamen's attacks aimed at Mu Xingyi and Madame Wan, she had also stepped in to destroy several crucial formation-mark nodes. The collapse of these nodes rendered the grand formation incapable of maintaining a canopy-level defense over the city.
The city defense canopy, which had previously only had a few ruptures, had now become a sieve. Swarms of insects outside the city poured through these breaches in single file, sweeping through everything within the walls by sheer numbers.
Yet given Tianyuan's true strength, doing merely this was unquestionably an act of throwing the fight in coordination with Tianye.
From the intelligence available, Tianyuan was assisting Tianye because she had picked up on certain clues about her; however, until she could fully confirm Tianye's stance, such assistance was unlikely to be boundless.
Because even though the one destined to face the tribulation was Tianyan, Tianyuan, as the current Pavilion Master, had duties she had to fulfill.
If Mu Nuo died (or was sealed), the purpose for Mu Xingyi and Madame Wan to remain in the fight would vanish. Driven into a corner like cornered dogs, they might even lash out against them. If matters escalated to that point, their plans for the Western Border would most likely end in failure.
Thus,
Tianyuan's bottom line was almost certainly Mu Nuo's life.
Realizing this, Xu Yuan asked, feigning ignorance, "Is that so? Then if I serve as the vessel, can you seal Mu Nuo away completely?"
Hearing this, Tianye immediately shook her head and said softly, "Given little sister Tianyan's current cultivation, she would probably die instantly before this little brat could be fully sealed."
Xu Yuan stared at the black sphere in Tianye's hand, which had been drawn out almost in a single breath, and asked noncommittally, "Truly?"
Tianye smiled brilliantly. "Why would I lie to you? Xu Yuan, brother, make up your mind quickly. Little Tianyan doesn't have much time left, you know~"
Xu Yuan simply rolled his eyes in response.
In that split second of eye contact,
Both Xu Yuan and Tianye smiled.
He could tell she had designs on him.
And she could tell that he knew she had designs on him.
But what did it matter?
There was no such thing as unprompted goodwill in this world. To Xu Yuan, Tianye stepping into the game with an agenda felt far safer than her earlier display of having no desires or attachments.
Though he was still unsure what she was plotting, since this "Tianyan" who had faced the tribulation alone twenty thousand years ago wished to use him as a pawn, he, Xu Changtian, would simply enter the board and take up the challenge.
Who would ultimately come out on top remained to be seen.
Within that dazzling sphere of light,
He extended his hand to her and smiled.
"Fine. Bring it on."
Chapter 668