When Qi Yuan spoke, all eyes fell upon that sphere of blood.
"Palace Master of Heavenly Heart Palace, what explanation do you have now? How is he anything other than the Blood Demon?"
The seven Sovereigns looked at Qi Yuan, detecting no terrifying aura from him.
They also knew that the Blood Demon had not yet fully formed and was nothing to worry about.
Ning Tao turned around and looked at Qi Yuan behind her, a resentful expression appearing in her eyes. "You're finally willing to come see me."
Looking at the injuries covering Ning Tao, Qi Yuan felt a complicated wave of emotions.
"You could have just abandoned me."
In any case, this ball of blood was not Qi Yuan's true body.
Even if it were damaged, it wouldn't affect him in the slightest.
Ning Tao held her head high, her gaze stubborn. "I'm not like a certain someone who disappears for decades or even centuries at a time."
She turned back toward the seven surrounding Sovereigns.
"I said no one can harm you, and that means no one can!"
The aura of origin rippled off Ning Tao, making her seem to merge into one with the world.
Seeing this, the seven Sovereigns took on grim expressions and likewise merged into the world.
Qi Yuan watched this and said calmly, "You're going to... die. Why bother doing this? We only met by chance and barely exchanged more than a few words."
In truth, Qi Yuan couldn't quite understand what Ning Tao was thinking.
To him, Ning Tao was like an obsessive child.
"Hmph," Ning Tao snorted coldly.
She didn't bother explaining to Qi Yuan.
What did he understand of her thoughts, her heart?
Just a rotten man!
"To think the exalted Palace Master of Heavenly Heart Palace would actually be bewitched by the Blood Demon and fall into a romantic stupor!" one Sovereign laughed loudly.
"Haha... A demoness... in love..." Another female Sovereign wore an even more mocking sneer.
Everyone knew that demonesses were cursed by heaven and earth; anyone who laid eyes upon them felt revulsion and viewed them as the ugliest creatures in existence.
A demoness experiencing love—that was the greatest joke in the world.
How could anyone in this world ever fall in love with a demoness?
"Have you laughed enough?" Ning Tao's small face turned cold. "Either get lost, or... die!"
This was the first time Qi Yuan had ever seen such an icy demeanor from Ning Tao.
She was like a stray cat, deeply wary of everything in the world, facing everyone with her most aggressive side.
"It seems, Palace Master of Heavenly Heart Palace, that you will die here today alongside this Blood Demon." The female Sovereign showed no anger; instead, her smile bloomed like a flower.
At that moment, Ning Tao's voice transmission reached Qi Yuan's ears. "Let me tell you some good news. Once the battle begins, I'll release your bindings. Run as far as you can."
Hearing this, Qi Yuan said, "Actually, I've already left long ago."
This ball of blood was not Qi Yuan's body, merely flesh and blood he had inhabited.
Ning Tao fell silent for a brief moment before saying, "Actually... I know."
Qi Yuan smiled.
"Besieged by seven Sovereigns, even with my Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment, I'm no match for them."
Ning Tao was not surprised.
In her eyes, Qi Yuan was at most an ordinary Sovereign.
Moreover, coming from outside this realm and constrained by the world's rules, he couldn't unleash the true power of a Sovereign.
Otherwise, she wouldn't have trapped him so easily.
"You just need to leave and not drag me down," Ning Tao said, her tone filled with disdain.
"I can't leave," Qi Yuan said earnestly. "These seven framed me as the Blood Demon and want to kill me here. Even if my aunt could endure this, my uncle sure couldn't!"
"What do you mean?" Ning Tao asked, baffled.
"I want to borrow your hands to kill them."
"Tch. Someone from outside the realm thinks he understands origin better than Sovereigns of our Liufeng Realm?"
The origin of each world was different.
A Purple Mansion cultivator from the Canglan Realm also commanded origin, but upon arriving in the Liufeng Realm, they could only be considered half a Sovereign because the origins were distinct.
"You underestimate me too much!" Qi Yuan said proudly. "I'm more familiar with this realm's origin than anyone!"
Back in Dijue, Qi Yuan had fought nearly three thousand old men.
Every single one of those old men had unleashed the origin of the Liufeng Realm.
All kinds of origins from the Liufeng Realm had wounded him before; he remembered them clearer than anything.
"Kill!" The seven Sovereigns launched their assault.
The moment they struck, they unleashed legendary origin divine abilities.
Seven origin divine abilities converged on Ning Tao simultaneously.
Even as powerful as Ning Tao was, facing seven origin divine abilities left her looking frail and helpless.
She couldn't possibly withstand all seven at once; she would have to take one or two head-on.
Right then, Qi Yuan's voice sounded: "Gather human-demon power into the dantian, disperse qi into the palms, drift through the void..."
Qi Yuan spoke with extreme speed, sending his words straight into Ning Tao's ears.
Ning Tao was slightly bewildered, yet she reflexively followed Qi Yuan's instructions.
Like a carp leaping in the ocean, she rolled aside and cleanly evaded the origin divine abilities striking from different directions and tiers.
All seven origin divine abilities were completely dodged!
A look of shock crossed Ning Tao's small face. "How did you do that?"
The seven Sovereigns were even more stunned than Ning Tao.
The way Ning Tao had just avoided all seven origin divine abilities demonstrated an ultimate understanding of their techniques.
It was as if each of them were facing their own origin divine ability.
That was utterly impossible!
Why would they ever reveal their trump cards to outsiders?
"What sort of trick is this? How did you do it?"
"Hmph. How I know is none of your business! Why should I tell you?"
Qi Yuan's guidance filled Ning Tao with delight, but the danger had not yet passed, and she could not afford to drop her guard.
Concealing herself within the canopy of heaven, she brandished her long whip, unleashing what sounded like thunder across the sky and earth.
The seven Sovereigns looked grim. "She must be killed!"
The flaws in their origin divine abilities had been seen through. If word got out, the seven of them would instantly become the weakest among peers of their rank.
"Take advantage of her severe injuries to keep her here!" the female Sovereign said gravely.
The seven Sovereigns held nothing back, launching another barrage of origin divine abilities.
Standing behind her, Qi Yuan spoke at high speed, constantly sending transmissions to Ning Tao.
It was precisely Qi Yuan's transmissions that allowed Ning Tao to truly contend with seven Sovereigns simultaneously.
Otherwise, severely wounded as she was, how could she possibly be a match for seven Sovereigns?
Half a day later, in a desolate desert.
Ning Tao fell from the sky like a broken kite, her small face deathly pale, her black dress soaked crimson with blood.
"Cough... We escaped..."
Free from danger, Ning Tao's temperament seemed to turn carefree once more.
"Husband truly does care about this servant after all. To think Husband understood their origin divine abilities so thoroughly."
Ning Tao's voice was low, sounding weak and drained of energy.
"What happened? Why did they say I'm the Blood Demon?" Qi Yuan asked.
He had only been gone for a little over ten years.
Ning Tao had imprisoned the blood sphere in an underground palace. In theory, no one aside from Ning Tao should have known of its existence.
A cold expression appeared on Ning Tao's stunning face. "Nine years ago, for some reason, word suddenly spread across the Northern Lands that the Blood Demon was at my Heavenly Heart Palace.
"Later, several Sovereigns came as guests to Heavenly Heart Palace and ambushed me without warning.
"After that... you were exposed.
"I've been hunted continuously by more than a dozen Sovereigns, on the run ever since."
Ning Tao spoke with helplessness.
She was certain she had never leaked Qi Yuan's existence.
Even the other Sovereigns of Heavenly Heart Palace knew nothing of him.
Yet the news that the Blood Demon was in Heavenly Heart Palace had somehow surfaced out of nowhere.
It was as though someone had specifically targeted Ning Tao by fabricating a rumor, only to suddenly discover that the rumor was true.
"You should have left me behind," Qi Yuan said.
Because of the Blood Demon, Ning Tao had been hunted by over a dozen Sovereigns for nearly a decade and had suffered grave injuries.
Had she cast Qi Yuan aside, none of this would have happened.
"Husband, are you feeling bad for this servant?" Ning Tao looked at Qi Yuan, a smug smile showing in her eyes. "This servant said I wouldn't abandon Husband."
Qi Yuan looked at the exposed half of Ning Tao's stunning face and suddenly asked, "I'm very curious about demons. Can I take a look at the other half of your face?"
Back at Mount Jiupan, he had never heard that having the word 'demon' carved onto one's face made someone a demoness.
And the demoness loved by the great demon—who was also the Buddha—didn't have any word carved onto her face either.
What did 'demon' really mean?
Why was it reviled by heaven and hated by mankind?
He wanted to see the truth for himself.
"No!" Ning Tao's reaction was intense. She stared fixatedly at Qi Yuan. "I will never let Husband see it."
Hearing this, Qi Yuan didn't press the matter.
"Heal your wounds first." Qi Yuan fell silent, his feelings toward Ning Tao complicated.
In ancient times, Zhao Zilong charged in and out seven times carrying Liu Shan and rode alone for a thousand li.
Today, Ning Tao carried him across the Northern Lands in a grand battle royale.
Ning Tao said nothing more and began focusing on healing her wounds.
As night fell, Qi Yuan did not leave the blood sphere to return to the City of No Return.
He remained guarding by Ning Tao's side.
By this point, Ning Tao had closed her eyes. Severely injured, she had slipped into unconsciousness, though her healing technique continued to operate, slowly mending her delicate frame.
Her brow was furrowed as she slept on her side. Beneath the hem of her skirt peeked slender feet as fair as jade bamboo shoots, her five delicate toes curled inward. Even as a supreme Sovereign, she clearly lacked a sense of security.
Qi Yuan looked at Ning Tao's face, his expression unreadable, wondering what was going through her mind.
After an unknown amount of time, a tearful voice sounded.
"Am I very ugly right now? Why haven't you come to see me yet?"
The one speaking was Ning Tao. Her eyes were brimming with moisture, tears ready to spill over like tiny pearls at any moment.
Her body curled up just like her toes, a helpless expression on her face.
Her eyes opened just as the words left her lips. Staring at Qi Yuan, she asked in surprise, "You haven't left?"
"You were talking in your sleep again." This was the third time Qi Yuan had heard Ning Tao talk in her sleep. "To think a Sovereign talks in her sleep too."
The words were identical to the previous two times.
"I did not!" Realizing something, a blush spread across the visible half of Ning Tao's face, making her peach-blossom features even more enchanting. "Even if I did, it has nothing to do with you!"
"I never said it had anything to do with me," Qi Yuan replied calmly.
"Hmph!" Ning Tao turned her head away, unwilling to look at Qi Yuan any longer.
However, her grip on the chain binding Qi Yuan remained exceptionally tight.
"Are you truly the Blood Demon? Otherwise, how could you see the flaws in their origin divine abilities?" After a long silence, Ning Tao's somewhat cool voice drifted over. "Is that why everyone insists on slaying the Blood Demon?"
Ning Tao had her own suspicions.
She had never believed the talk about the Blood Demon bringing calamity upon all living beings.
After all, 'demoness' was also said to represent disaster.
"I'm not whatever damn Blood Demon they say I am!" Qi Yuan certainly didn't think of himself as a Blood Demon.
Even at Mount Jiupan, he was called the Blood Lord.
Canary had only called him a blood pearl. How did that have anything to do with a Blood Demon?
"Yet everyone under heaven believes you are the Blood Demon, so you can only be the Blood Demon," Ning Tao said. A glint of worry flashed through her eyes before she smiled. "A demoness paired with a Blood Demon—Husband and this servant truly share a fated bond decreed by heaven."
"If I say I'm not the Blood Demon, do you believe me?"
Ning Tao fell silent, answering slowly only after a few breaths: "This servant believes you."
She left the second half unsaid: her belief was useless; it was the people of the world who had to believe it.
"That dogshit Venerable insists on calling me a Blood Demon. If I ever run into him, I'm definitely giving him a good beating."
"This servant will beat him together with Husband," Ning Tao said with an artful smile.
"With that frail little body of yours, you'd better focus on recuperating. If we get hunted down again, even with my help, surviving will be tough." Qi Yuan spoke the truth.
He could help Ning Tao immensely, but he couldn't change her current predicament.
There were so many Sovereigns in the Northern Lands, and they were in peak condition, not withered old men like those in Dijue.
If Ning Tao wanted to change the situation, the only way was to discard Qi Yuan.
"This servant is already used to being hunted." Ning Tao's smile was as radiant as spring hills. "In the past, whenever I was hunted, I was all alone. Now... with Husband by my side, what is there to fear?"
...
Decades passed in the blink of an eye.
Over these decades, Ning Tao carried Qi Yuan through endless sieges and pursuits. In terms of Sovereigns alone, Qi Yuan had seen over a hundred distinct individuals.
With Qi Yuan's guidance and assistance, Ning Tao narrowly escaped danger time and again.
Even so, the injuries across her body inevitably grew worse.
Qi Yuan didn't stay beside Ning Tao constantly either; he frequently returned to the City of No Return to slay demonic monstrosities, steadily raising his strength.
Qi Yuan's level had surged to level 109, not far from level 120—the equivalent of this world's Sovereign.
In a clear pool devoid of any living creatures, Ning Tao, dressed in her black gown, stepped into the water with bare feet as tender and fair as lotus roots.
The pool's water was stained crimson in an instant, only for the red to fade away a moment later.
"Back then, it was beside this very pool that I first heard your voice." A reminiscent look surfaced on Ning Tao's face.
Back then, in her youth, she had been hunted by many people.
It was right here that she had heard Qi Yuan's voice.
Only then did her bleak life undergo a change.
As the cool water enveloped her skin, what she felt instead was exhaustion.
Decades of running this desperate battle royale had ultimately damaged her origin.
Her life force flickered like a candle in the wind, threatening to perish at any moment.
Ning Tao looked at Qi Yuan with an unreadable expression. "Husband, may I see what you look like? This servant is truly curious."
"I'm also curious what the other half of your face looks like. If you let me see, I'll let you see my real appearance." Naturally, Qi Yuan wouldn't allow his true body to appear beside Ning Tao. "If you won't even send a photo, don't dream of tricking me into a video call."
With Ning Tao's obsessive nature, she might just lock his true body here.
"Forget it then." Submerging half her head into the water, Ning Tao gently blew across the surface, rippling the pool. "It's better if this servant doesn't let Husband see. Otherwise, Husband might end up just like the rest of them, shouting for my death."
That half of her face—she would never let Qi Yuan see it.
She didn't want the only person left in this world whom she cared about to despise her as well.
Even so, Ning Tao didn't seem ready to give up: "Why must Husband be so obsessed with that half of my face? In the dead of night, Husband can simply pretend this servant is someone else. This servant can even put on the black stockings Husband likes and let my lord ride as he pleases."
"I'm very pure, don't tempt me!" Qi Yuan refused.
Although the lust of Monstrosity Origin had influenced him before, he refused to become a slave ruled entirely by desire.
When feelings ran deep, things would fall into place naturally.
Neither spoke, and Ning Tao soaked quietly in the water.
After about fifteen minutes, Qi Yuan suddenly asked, "Do you know the strength of the Venerable and the White Emperor?"
He was already level 109, yet in the North-South Accord, he was still an insignificant nobody.
He wanted to understand the strength of the Venerable and the White Emperor to gauge the visible power ceiling of this world.
"The Venerable and the White Emperor..." A solemn look appeared in Ning Tao's eyes. "If they wished to, they could slay me with a single finger."
"That strong?" Qi Yuan was somewhat surprised.
Ning Tao was hardly weak among Sovereigns.
To slay her with a single finger—converting that to the Canglan Realm, could it mean a Yin God?
Considering how terrifying a Yin God was, Qi Yuan felt immense pressure.
Even the flawed Yin God of Great Sun had taken so much effort to handle, to say nothing of the fact that this world possessed two complete Yin Gods.
*It seems I really must keep a low profile and not expose myself to the big boss's gaze too early,* Qi Yuan thought to himself.
Not long ago, a handsome man had arrived in the City of No Return, claiming to be a disciple of the White Emperor.
That handsome man had even invited Qi Yuan to visit the White Emperor Palace.
Visit my ass!
Qi Yuan wouldn't feel confident meeting the White Emperor until he leveled up to at least level 99,999.
Remembering that in the real world, the Palace of Light he faced also possessed combat power suspected to be at the Yin God level, Qi Yuan frowned deeply. "Ning Tao, do you think a powerful Hegemon would have a chance of hacking the Venerable to death?"
A Hegemon was equivalent to Foundation Establishment in the Canglan Realm.
Hearing this, Ning Tao couldn't help but smile. "Husband's imagination is running a bit too wild."
"If a Hegemon can't do it, what about a powerful Nation Protector?" Qi Yuan asked again.
In the real world, his cultivation realm hadn't even reached that of a Nation Protector, which corresponded to the Origin Core.
Ning Tao kept smiling. "No matter how powerful a Nation Protector is, it's impossible."
At the Nation Protector level, Ning Tao could kill one with a breath.
"What if that Nation Protector were as big as Ultraman?" Ning Tao was currently the strongest person Qi Yuan could converse with normally—a late-stage Sovereign—so naturally, he wanted to ask more.
If it gave him some inspiration, he could use it against the Palace of Light.
To deal with the Palace of Light, Qi Yuan needed Yin God-level combat power before he could sleep soundly at night.
Otherwise, he couldn't rest easy.
"I don't know how big Ultraman is, but... if Ultraman were as large as the Liufeng Realm, then perhaps such a Nation Protector really could slay the Venerable."
"A Nation Protector as large as the Liufeng Realm?"
Qi Yuan froze, a flash of inspiration bursting in his mind.
Ning Tao had made a lot of sense.
If... he formed a Golden Core as massive as the Liufeng Realm, wouldn't throwing the Golden Core instantly crush the Palace of Light to rubble?
Wouldn't such a Golden Core be overwhelmingly domineering?
Whoever refused to submit could just be smashed with the Golden Core.
This was infinitely more powerful than his previous fantasy of forming a Golden Core out of Monstrosity Origin.
The more Qi Yuan thought about it, the more excited he became. "Ning Tao, you truly are clever, just a sliver smarter than my wisdom-filled brain."
Yet on second thought, Qi Yuan felt helpless.
A Golden Core that big... where was he supposed to get it?
Even if someone gave him an excavator and free rein over the Liufeng Realm, he couldn't hollow out the Liufeng Realm before the seas dried and rocks crumbled just to forge it into his Golden Core.
At this thought, Qi Yuan felt conflicted.
He stopped dwelling on Immortal-grade Golden Cores. How could an Immortal-grade Golden Core compare to the thrill of refining an entire world into a Golden Core?
Only such a Golden Core was worthy of Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment!
Ning Tao said nothing more and continued soaking in the water.
Qi Yuan, meanwhile, put his brilliant brain to work, pondering the feasibility of refining the Liufeng Realm or another world into his Golden Core.
Great Sun truly was a genius!
Qi Yuan felt the Daytime Fantasy Art suited him better and better.
After an unknown amount of time.
"Husband..." Ning Tao's voice turned soft and sweet, just like the first time Qi Yuan had ever heard it.
Qi Yuan halted his thoughts and looked over. The water's surface rippled with light, and an expectant look filled Ning Tao's eyes.
"If I'm gone, may I see what Husband looks like?"
"Don't raise death flags for yourself," Qi Yuan said, his tone tinged with regret. "If you had abandoned me earlier, everything would have been fine. Now you've offended everyone in the Northern Lands; even if you throw me away now, it won't help."
Ning Tao was formidable.
Over the decades, she had slain six Sovereigns.
It could be said that currently in the Northern Lands, the number one most-wanted criminal was the Blood Demon, and the second was Ning Tao.
"This servant said I wouldn't abandon Husband, so I won't.
"I'm not heartless like Husband, casting me aside at the drop of a hat, leaving me all alone to suffer in misery." Ning Tao's voice was soft and sweet, carrying a faint sob.
Qi Yuan didn't take her entirely seriously.
Who knew how much truth lay in Ning Tao's words?
Still, her words stirred him deeply.
He had to level up quickly, reach level 120, and raise his strength.
He wanted to visit Mount Jiupan again.
Every time, he had essentially departed without saying goodbye.
He looked at Ning Tao. "Did I ever abandon you?"
They had never even properly met back then, so how could that count as abandoning her?
Chapter 111