Commandery Princess Yinyao turned her head, aimed her small megaphone at Huang Taiji, and explained, "She is Yuanshi Tianzun's friend."
She did not need to activate Star Physiognomy to recognize Xiao Yuan's gu-form. When they had headed north to hunt down the traitor of the Thousand Cranes Group and seize the key to Takamagahara, the two had fought side by side.
Yet even the commandery princess had not expected to run into this confidante of Yuanshi Tianzun here in an instance. Well, "confidante" was the term from her era.
In modern parlance, she was someone he had flirtatious ambiguity with.
"A friend?" Huang Taiji frowned, not lowering his guard in the slightest despite the yin corpse's explanation.
The orthodox faction's hostility toward evil classes would not soften over a single remark. Besides, a yin corpse was not Yuanshi Tianzun himself; there was always the possibility she misjudged their relationship.
Seeing that Huang Taiji seemed skeptical, Commandery Princess Yinyao pondered for a moment. The megaphone's volume dropped abruptly as she whispered like a conspirator, "She's someone Yuanshi Tianzun flirts with."
Hearing this, Huang Taiji's guard truly lessened considerably. A flirtatious romantic entanglement was different from ordinary relationships, and from what he had gathered about this yin corpse along their journey, she was not one to spout nonsense.
With that thought, he looked again at the distant, soul-shattered Spirit Medium and believed it a few degrees more.
What is Yuanshi Tianzun thinking? Flirting with an evil class—does he not care about his future anymore? Huang Taiji frowned inwardly, but this was no time to fuss over such details. Looking at the stunningly gorgeous bee woman, he said in a deep voice, "I need to know your stance."
Xiao Yuan ignored him, silently staring at the earthen coffin. After a long while, she looked toward Commandery Princess Yinyao, her voice faintly hollow. "Is Yuanshi Tianzun really... really... dead?"
She was not someone good at expressing emotion, yet as she asked this, a sliver of pleading surfaced in her eyes—begging the other to give a denial.
Begging that this truth did not exist.
"He is dead," Commandery Princess Yinyao said.
The light in Xiao Yuan's eyes died out.
She lowered her head slightly. She had stayed at Wuhen Hotel for many years, welcoming many companions and seeing many off. Every time a companion returned to the Spirit Realm, her heart would ache.
Yet this time, the one who departed was Yuanshi Tianzun. The pain in her heart was extraordinary.
A pain so deep it turned numb.
"Yet he doesn't seem entirely dead, either," Commandery Princess Yinyao added.
Xiao Yuan whipped her head up. Hearing those words, she felt a rush of energy pour into her chest, triggering a powerful heartbeat.
Gale-force winds whipped up. Huang Taiji heard a buzz of vibrating wings, and the distant figure of the Spirit Medium popped like a bubble, reappearing right beside the coffin.
So fast, he thought with a touch of envy, while steadily turning his body to face the Spirit Medium at an unhurried pace.
He exuded the calm composure of: let him be strong as he will; the gentle breeze caresses the mountain.
The moment she dared touch the coffin, Huang Taiji would show her what terrestrial gravity meant.
Commandery Princess Yinyao deftly stepped between them. Facing Xiao Yuan, she held her small megaphone. "I cannot explain his exact condition. Since you tracked us down here, you must have learned what happened from that slut's mouth.
"The divine power of the sun, Life Source Fluid, the water-attributed entity, the Five Elements Set... several domineering forces used his body as a battlefield, utterly destroying his life force. Even Life Source Fluid couldn't save him. The reason his physical form didn't turn to ash was likely because the Pure Yang Body Cleansing Record preserved him.
"Yet he is truly dead. Fortunately, his spirit body did not disperse and remains fully intact within his physical form. Over the past few days, I have employed numerous secret arts trying to awaken him, but all failed.
"I have never encountered such a situation. The more pessimistic conjecture at present is that he died, but some powerful force locked his deceased soul inside his body, like amber—at first glance, it looks lifelike, but the insect inside is already long dead.
"The more optimistic conjecture is that perhaps peeling away the water-attributed entity from his body could awaken him, but that is already beyond my abilities."
Xiao Yuan finally understood why she had said: he seems dead, yet not completely dead.
"I want to see him," she said, looking toward Huang Taiji.
Huang Taiji's stern, unsmiling face showed a flicker of contemplation. After two seconds, he gave a slow nod. "Very well."
He set the coffin down. With a muffled thud, a faint yellow halo spread along the ground, bringing with it an immense gravitational pull.
The wounds on Xiao Yuan's body instantly tore open, making her knit her brows in pain.
Huang Taiji glanced at her, believing Commandery Princess Yinyao's words even more. For an evil class to voluntarily step into enemy territory just to catch a glimpse of Yuanshi Tianzun—aside from an ambiguous romantic bond, it was hard to imagine what else could drive her this far.
He pressed his palm against the coffin's surface. The hardened earthen lid split open and dispersed into earthen spirits.
Xiao Yuan could clearly see Yuanshi Tianzun inside the coffin, but it was merely a carbonized corpse. His face was burned beyond recognition; that handsome, sunny face seemed to have become nothing more than a memory forever.
The divine power of the sun had ravaged his body. Even the skull was exposed, and the flesh on his limbs was completely carbonized. There was no longer any semblance of flesh and blood; he looked more like a lump of meat scorched black in a pot, reduced to nothing but charcoal.
No wonder Commandery Princess Yinyao said he was dead.
Xiao Yuan reached out, her trembling fingertips touching his cheek. The hope that had surged in her heart was extinguished bit by bit by the sight before her.
Sizzle, sizzle...
Wisps of smoke abruptly rose from her fair, lustrous fingertip. Xiao Yuan jerked her hand back as if jolted by electricity and looked down: her finger was bright red, the skin blistering and ulcerated, scalded by intense heat.
"If you touch his waist, your hand will be drained of moisture. Those powers are still present, but they have reached a state of balance." Commandery Princess Yinyao brought her small megaphone close to Xiao Yuan's ear.
"I can hear you just fine, I'm not deaf," Xiao Yuan replied coldly, brushing it aside with a wave of her hand. Taking a deep breath, she retrieved a clay jar from her inventory, reached into its mouth, and pulled out two wriggling brown pupae.
She popped one into her mouth, chewed, and swallowed it. Then she pried open Yuanshi Tianzun's mouth, crushed the other pupa, and let the bursting fluid flow into his mouth.
These pupae were gu insects she had painstakingly nurtured, known as Rebirth Gu.
They could nourish both soul and flesh, heal internal and external injuries, and if consumed in sufficient quantities, even regrow severed limbs.
Their effects were slightly inferior to Life Source Fluid, and their cultivation cost was even higher than Life Source Fluid.
Usually, she avoided using them whenever possible, as each pupa was extraordinarily precious. But now, she continuously pulled out pupae, popping one after another and feeding the juice into Yuanshi Tianzun's mouth time and time again.
"No need to keep trying. Even Life Source Fluid couldn't save him." Commandery Princess Yinyao looked toward Huang Taiji, raising her small megaphone slightly. "Now this is being frantic."
Huang Taiji nodded in agreement, then assumed a solemn expression and offered comfort with utmost sincerity: "Don't be frantic. Life and death are in the hands of fate."
Though she was of an evil class, he was never one to withhold his solace.
Hearing those words, Xiao Yuan trembled with rage.
Just then, Huang Taiji seemed to sense something. Looking not far away, he said in a heavy voice, "Come out! I sensed your footsteps."
Xiao Yuan and Commandery Princess Yinyao were startled. Looking sideways, a figure materialized over ten meters away—none other than the unruly, hot-tempered red-haired young man.
He had a lithe, athletic build, though not burly, and wore fingerless combat gloves, looking every bit like a delinquent brawling in the streets.
"What's going on? Huang Taiji, why are you chatting with this Spirit Medium?" Jiang Ju shouted.
"She is Yuanshi Tianzun's friend," Huang Taiji said after a moment's thought. "She can be trusted to an appropriate degree!"
He was now utterly convinced of this woman's relationship with Yuanshi Tianzun. After she swallowed a pupa, her injuries slowly began to heal. To shove such precious gu insects into Yuanshi Tianzun's mouth as if they cost nothing—
This went far beyond flirtatious ambiguity; they had practically pledged their lives to one another until death.
However, her unyielding devotion to Yuanshi Tianzun had nothing to do with him and Jiang Ju. Just because she wouldn't harm Yuanshi Tianzun didn't mean she wouldn't harm them, which was why she could only be trusted to an appropriate degree.
Before Jiang Ju could respond, a stream of clear water seeped from the soil near his feet, seemingly trying to condense into a humanoid form, but under the immense gravity, it failed to take shape.
Huang Taiji promptly withdrew the gravitational pull.
The clear water condensed into a human shape and let out a muffled sneer, like someone speaking from underwater: "Can be trusted? Huang Taiji, do you even know what the orthodox faction's main quest is? Ah, you haven't arrived at the manor yet. Jiang Ju, you tell him."
"The main quest is to protect the demon's remains and eliminate the evil faction." Having spoken, Jiang Ju slapped the water clone into splashes with a swing of his hand, cursing, "Cai Longshen, watch your tone. Do I look like your underling?"
Cai Longshen's body recongealed. Paying no mind to the Fire Specialist's roughness, he stared at Xiao Yuan. "Setting aside Yuanshi Tianzun consorting with an evil class for now, she is our irreconcilable enemy. If we kill her now, that's one fewer person in the evil faction. Huang Taiji, Jiang Ju, if not strike now, then when?"
Huang Taiji frowned. He was of a steady and honest nature, and knowing that she was Yuanshi Tianzun's confidante, he was reluctant to ruthlessly strike down such a beauty.
Jiang Ju didn't overthink things; by instinct, he ignited flames over his gloves and entered combat mode.
As an outstanding Fire Specialist, he adhered to the creed of never use your brain when you can use your fists. Besides, what Cai Longshen said made a lot of sense.
"Why don't you strike yourself?" Commandery Princess Yinyao's face, exquisite and gorgeous like a doll's yet devoid of expression, turned toward the water clone. "Striking right now will inevitably draw the evil classes from the manor. If Xiao Yuan joins forces with them, our side is guaranteed to lose. Where is your true body hiding? Flapping your gums just to put Huang Taiji and this crude Fire Specialist in danger—you've certainly got quite the neat little scheme."
Jiang Ju furrowed his brows, and the flames on his hands instantly went out.
Makes sense.
The water clone turned its gaze to Commandery Princess Yinyao, its muffled voice chilly. "And who are you?"
"Someone Yuanshi Tianzun flirts with, and also his yin corpse," Huang Taiji said with a solemn expression, speaking bluntly.
Commandery Princess Yinyao's neck stiffly swiveled around inch by inch, staring at him, her doll face entirely blank.
Huang Taiji gave a calm, steady nod, as if to say: I understand everything.
Then, in his honest and steadfast nature, he pondered with a frown for a moment before looking at Xiao Yuan, speaking slowly: "There may still be a chance to bring Yuanshi Tianzun back to life. But if he falls into the hands of the evil classes, he will surely die. If you want to save Yuanshi Tianzun, put aside the factional strife for now until after he is revived."
He then looked to Jiang Ju and Cai Longshen. "We are short on hands. Only with her joining us can we contend with the evil faction."
Among the Level 6s on the orthodox side, aside from the exceptionally gifted red-haired Jiang Ju who could clash head-on against Greed Divine General, both he and Cai Longshen would find it somewhat strenuous when facing evil classes of the same level.
Of course, Huang Taiji's "strenuous" meant he couldn't kill them, whereas Cai Longshen was a standard orthodox class, inherently half a notch weaker than an evil class.
In terms of overall strength, they were still at a disadvantage.
Jiang Ju nodded repeatedly. "Great idea!"
"Heh!" Cai Longshen sneered. "Indeed a great idea."
That fellow Huang Taiji is using Yuanshi Tianzun to coerce this Spirit Medium, forcing her to serve the orthodox faction. Once she's no longer useful, we can burn the bridge behind us—not a bad move.
With those thoughts, water surged beneath Cai Longshen's feet as he moved beside the earthen coffin, scrutinizing Yuanshi Tianzun inside.
"He is already dead," Cai Longshen gave a concise and definitive verdict. Immediately, his eyes fell upon the Yin-Yang Robe.
—The set function of the Heaven Sacrificing Set could only last for five minutes. Once the duration expired, it reverted to its original form.
"Huh, this is an item he used in the tournament ring. Houtu Boots, a wood-attributed belt... Is this the Five Elements Set?"
With that, the water clone reached directly for the Yin-Yang Robe.
A broad, thick hand clamped down on the hand formed of clear water. Huang Taiji frowned. "What are you doing?"
"Since Yuanshi Tianzun is dead, we naturally split his items," the water clone replied in its muffled voice, asking back with complete self-righteousness, "Or do you plan to leave them for the evil faction?"
Xiao Yuan and Commandery Princess Yinyao glared at Cai Longshen with undisguised hostility.
Huang Taiji shook his head. "These belong to Yuanshi Tianzun. Even if he dies, his items should be handed over to headquarters."
Cai Longshen pondered briefly and said, "Fine! The priority now is to get him to the manor and enter the Sword Pavilion. We will make the Sword Pavilion our battlefield and fight to the death against the evil classes."
The Sword Pavilion was his home ground; once there, Huang Taiji wouldn't be the one calling the shots.
Huang Taiji nodded. Just as he was about to speak, an ear-splitting burst of wild laughter rang out from high above: "Will you even make it there?!"
Against the blue sky, a dark figure plummeted from above, raising a blood-colored long saber high and slashing heavily toward the earthen coffin.
Greed Divine General!
Because a traitor like Xiao Yuan had emerged, to prevent their plans from leaking, the evil faction had altered their strategy. Rather than waiting idly in ambush, they had taken the initiative to leave the manor and intercept Huang Taiji.
Launching the decisive battle early, granting the orthodox faction not a single moment to breathe!
Chapter 478