His soul connected to the Void Realm, and his consciousness descended upon Ruby Mountain.
Yaxiu slowly opened his eyes and set foot upon this eternal holy mountain forged of rubies. This was likely the region of the Void Realm he had explored the least. He had never experienced its bizarre legendary hunt mechanisms, the unique festivals and facilities of Ruby Mountain, or the fantastical creatures inhabiting this realm.
The first time he came here had been to reunite with the Sword Princess and the Witch, and he had even been forced to fight them just to soothe their tempers. The second time, he had been imprisoned in the Cage of All Stars until today. And his third visit was for a farewell.
He truly did not want to come. He was already exhausted and only wanted to find a bed to sleep soundly in—preferably holding the girl he loved in his arms... He had left this place mere hours ago, yet he was forced to return as if this were his true home. But such was the norm between sorcerers and the Void Realm: you could love it, loathe it, fear it, or run from it, but no matter what, you could never leave it.
"I knew it. No matter how far I run, I can't escape Master's demonic clutches."
Yaxiu turned his head to see Weixi wearing a short maid's skirt. Her hands were tucked behind her back, thrusting her plump bust forward so proudly that her attire was stretched to the limits of its elasticity. Tilting her head, she gazed at Yaxiu with silken, alluring eyes. Her words sounded less like a complaint and more like coquettish flirting. "It seems that even back in reality, I remain a plaything in Master's palm."
Aside from Weixi, Yaxiu saw Sonia holding her sword at the ready, Diya in her empress combat skirt, and Weise clad in plain silver, carrying her gleaming Silver Lantern. Including himself, the five of them were gathered together in the Void Realm for the very first time.
At that moment, the Sword Princess and the others glared at Weixi like hawks stalking prey. They could all see just how lethal Weixi's bone-deep coquetry was to men—the impeccably modulated gentleness, the plaintive tone pleading for pity, the voice that tugged at heartstrings. As an enchanting vixen, her rank was far above theirs.
If a Veela was a spider that did nothing while men blundered into its web to lose their very souls, then Weixi was a venomous serpent. She kissed her prey to inject venom, coiled around them to crush their bones, and cunningly, ruthlessly devoured any man she set her sights on.
Yet Yaxiu found it strange, because Weixi ought to know this routine didn't work on him. Moreover, the last time Weixi met the Sword Princess and the Witch, she had dutifully fulfilled her maid's role without daring to challenge the mistresses' authority. Why would she max out their vigilance right from the start this time?
But the moment Weixi spoke, Yaxiu understood her wicked scheme.
"Master!" Weixi clung to Yaxiu's arm, her voice bright and sweet. "We're heading to Hell together, right? I'm so thrilled! The mistresses are definitely coming along, aren't they? Otherwise, I might not be able to satisfy Master on my own. But if Master commands it, I won't be able to refuse any of your requests..."
So that was it.
After returning to reality, Weixi had undoubtedly tested the waters and discovered she still couldn't sever the Ruby Chains, yet she was bound to travel to Hell with Yaxiu next. She was utterly unwilling to remain under his control, but since Yaxiu would never sever the chains of his own accord, she chose the harem route—igniting the crisis instincts of the Sword Princess and the others!
The maid had likely harbored this thought all along; she simply hadn't done it previously because conditions weren't ripe. She knew how valuable she was, and Yaxiu would eventually return to reality, so the Sword Princess and the others would never spare her for that alone.
This time was different. God only knew how many years a journey through Hell would take to complete. As long as she flaunted her allure before Yaxiu, and as long as the Sword Princess and the others possessed even a shred of possessiveness, they would never allow Yaxiu to continue holding the chains that commanded her!
More importantly, she was certain Yaxiu would never let the Sword Princess and the Witch follow him to Hell!
The only woman beside him would be her, Weixi! Even if she did nothing, the Sword Princess and the Witch would surely suspect her!
With all these factors in play, how could Weixi pass up such an opportunity to break free of her chains?
"Weixi."
Weise's voice drifted over, faint and melancholic. "Do you still remember me?"
Weixi glanced at her, mildly surprised. "Of course. Your soul is still the same as before, like turbulent rapids crashing against a reef—manic yet calm... But were you always this quiet and gentle? You're quite different from how you used to be."
She arched a brow, flashing a dangerous smile. "Did you convince Yaxiu to kill me?"
"Weixi," Yaxiu suddenly spoke up, "I recall you reconstructed your body by sacrificing the Knowing and Guarding Fire god, being reborn through a spirit."
Weixi had died once in the Silent Spiral and had only been reborn with the aid of the Knowing and Guarding Fire god, which had consequently devolved into a four-winged sorcery spirit. By coincidence, Weise had now also been reborn through a god, bearing an uncanny similarity to Weixi's miracle.
Weixi froze, studying Weise intently before her eyes lit up. "Fascinating. So your true body is a god. You actually found a loophole in the Senluo Azure Lord's sorcerer refinement grand method, birthing humanity from divinity and gathering your soul back from the spirit realm... Wait, you seem to have had other assistance. Judging by the traces, could it be... the Illusion Mirror Dragon?"
"Yaxiu, are you suggesting that if I hand over the method for divine rebirth, my crimes will be forgiven?" Weixi chuckled softly. "Unfortunately, I have no interest in being pardoned, nor can I help her.
"That miracle of mine doesn't just require many precious soul sorcery spirits; more importantly, it relies on my soul faction attainment at the demigod realm. Even if I were willing to help..."
Weixi looked at Yaxiu with a beaming smile. "Would you dare let me personally shape her soul?"
A bone-chilling dread crept into Yaxiu's heart.
His relationship with Weixi was complicated. To say he didn't trust her—well, if push came to shove and he truly had to rely on her, Yaxiu would likely still wager his trust. But to say he trusted her—if he truly allowed Weixi to reshape Weise's soul, he had no doubt she would install a backdoor in it!
Even if Weixi had no plans to use Weise, she would still do it anyway! That was simply the kind of person she was. She never cared about good and evil, only her own interests; if she did wrong, she never repented, believing only that her fault lay in getting caught! If most people in the world were ordinary folk who could be shaped through guidance, Weixi was a born extremist who never doubted her own righteousness. Her disposition was as unyielding as a monolith; in this lifetime, she could only ever be a saint or a sinner, with no middle ground!
"Look how tense you are, Master." Weixi giggled. "We'll be heading to Hell shortly anyway, so there wouldn't be time for surgery even if we wanted to. Besides, Master, you're worrying over nothing."
She cast a sidelong glance at Weise. "She already has a much better method of resurrection."
Yaxiu froze, then turned to Weise in delight. Weise nodded. "I indeed already have a method that guarantees complete resurrection; I just don't know how long it will take.
"To put it simply, I obtained the remnants of the Senluo Azure Lord's heaven."
Yaxiu's thoughts raced, and understanding dawned on him. "The Senluo Wasteland is His Wanxiang Heaven!?"
"More precisely, a connection. The Silent Spiral didn't lead underground, but rather to His heaven," Weise explained. "After the Senluo Azure Lord fell, His heaven collapsed as well. But because I was the sole remaining god, I became the administrator of Wanxiang Heaven.
"I wonder if you noticed something." Weise raised her hand, and a plump golden cicada materialized in her palm. "The Square-Round Cicada has returned to me.
"It followed you to the Country of All Stars originally, but it quickly withered and returned straight to Dark Senluo through the Void Realm. For a sorcery spirit, its effect is already close to that of a god. It can only survive under Senluo's framework; anywhere else, it would be banned by the Void Realm for being too 'ahead of its time.'"
Yaxiu nodded. Though the Square-Round Cicada could only rewind time by three seconds or leap forward three seconds, if a legendary sorcerer truly got hold of it, they would be virtually invincible so long as their sorcery power didn't run out. "Three-Second Cicada Concealment" allowed a legendary sorcerer to evade all harm, while "Three-Second Cicada Cry" could unleash three seconds' worth of full offensive output directly inside an enemy's body in an instant!
Flawless, integrating offense and defense, and belonging to the most bizarre Time faction—other sorcerers stood no chance against it. If the other nations and the Void Realm were the official release, Senluo was essentially running a private server. An absurd sorcery spirit like the Square-Round Cicada could exist on a private server, but on the public server, it would be wiped out.
"It can only survive in Dark Senluo, and the same goes for me." Weise looked at Yaxiu apologetically. "Though I can appear beside you through the portable mirror, my true body must remain in Dark Senluo. The moment I leave, I'll melt away like spring snow."
"It doesn't matter," Yaxiu smiled. "I'm very strong now, too."
"The portable mirror on you is a fragment of the Illusion Mirror Dragon, so it won't necessarily be cut off by Hell. I might still be able to fight alongside you there," Weise said. "And if I can illuminate Senluo and silver-coat Wanxiang Heaven, I will gain all the authorities of heaven, unlocking every restriction upon myself!
"When that time comes, not only will I be able to switch freely between god and mortal, but I can also attain demigod as a sorcerer!"
Weise continued with quiet confidence, "The reason I was able to awaken my self-awareness now is because I silver-coated the Silent Spiral and obtained a portion of unlimited authority, allowing me to retrieve my memories from the Sorcerer Handbook you gave me.
"Even without the Spectre Prophet, I can still be perfectly resurrected!"
"Oh my, it seems I'm quite useless then." Weixi blinked innocently. "What should I do, Master? It looks like my only way to escape punishment is to bear your child. Although conceiving between demigods is exceedingly difficult, I will do my absolute best—"
"Miss Weixi."
Sonia spoke in a flat, indifferent tone. "If you think we are foolish enough in love to persuade Yaxiu to spare a soul demigod like you, I suggest you stop wasting your breath."
Yaxiu had already told them long ago that he was using the Ruby Chains to control Weixi. Though the Sword Princess and the others had been furious, they quickly caught on to Weixi's true motive.
What truly kept them clear-headed, however, was the way Yaxiu looked at Weixi.
"Do the mistresses really not mind?" Weixi pressed a finger to her lips, speaking with sultry charm. "Hell is so perilous. When the time comes, in order to relieve his stress, Master will dress me and undress me. My fingers will wander across his skin, and we'll blend together in exquisite intimacy, and then—"
*Smack!*
"They might not mind, but I'm starting to mind." Yaxiu chopped the top of her head with the edge of his hand. "You and I share a purely professional master-slave relationship. I made that crystal clear to them."
"Yet a slave will flatter and fawn upon her master without limits." Weixi rubbed her head with a smile. "You claim our relationship is pure, but do they believe it?"
"We do," Diya said. "You've been in All Stars with Yaxiu for nearly half a year, yet you still haven't landed him, have you? Your track record is even worse than mine."
Weixi's expression froze.
"Haven't you realized? Yaxiu hates you." Sonia rested her hand on her sword hilt, speaking calmly. "When he asked you just now how to resurrect Weise, it meant that until Weise is truly restored, he will never forgive you."
"Before I can truly kiss him," Weise added, "even if you crawl into his bed, you'll just be kicked right out. I'm not worried in the slightest."
Weixi looked toward Yaxiu, who turned his gaze elsewhere, his expression bland.
"...I didn't expect you to have such faith in 'your man.'" Weixi stressed the words heavily. "Then how about this? As long as you have him release the chains, I will—"
*Boom!*
A blazing halberd instantly clashed against a torrential sword waterfall. The terrifying shockwaves began crumbling the ruby mountain rock around them; an offhand exchange between the two possessed power bordering on the absolute limits of the legendary realm!
"You are forbidden from uttering a single detail about the Hell secret poison." Holding twin swords, Yaxiu actually suppressed Weixi's great halberd, his voice icy. "Weixi, you've crossed the line!"
"Can you blame me? Freedom always lies beyond the boundary!" Weixi sneered viciously. "I actually quite like teaming up with you, but only on the premise that we are equals! No one commands me, the Spectre Prophet—not even the future Sorcery Supreme!
"If you want to forbid me from leaking intelligence, you'd better prepare an incantation over a thousand words long. I have plenty of ways to let them know the details of the secret poison!"
"Whether you tell us or not, I will never let Yaxiu release your chains," Sonia said. "We are prepared to die with him, and we are just as willing to await his triumphant return."
Diya nodded in agreement. Perhaps they didn't entirely feel that way inside, but before Weixi, they had to present a united front with Yaxiu.
Weixi paused, then dispelled her flaming halberd in resignation. Though she could still threaten Yaxiu with revealing the Hell secret poison to the Sword Princess and the Witch, she knew full well that the true target of her threat was not Yaxiu, but them.
Her threat only carried weight when the Sword Princess and Yaxiu were at odds. If master and mistresses trusted one another, a little maid couldn't stir up any waves.
Even so, Weixi made one last attempt: "Release the chains, and I will establish a ten-year sovereign-subject contract with Yaxiu. I guarantee that in Hell, not a single female creature will come within three paces of him. If you require it, no males either."
"Seeing how shameless you are puts my mind at ease," Sonia remarked languidly. "Even without us there, you definitely won't let Yaxiu suffer any grievance."
"Sigh." The Spectre Prophet let out a long breath. "I suppose there's no helping it. Who told me to run into such a match made in heaven... of shameless lovers."
"Shouldn't that count as forbidden verbal abuse?" Yaxiu asked, slightly perplexed.
"I was offering a heartfelt compliment just now." Weixi lifted Yaxiu's hand. "Though I seem to recall Master wasn't wearing these two rings on his fingers earlier. In other words... gifting rings to two lovers at the same time—truly worthy of my beloved Master."
The faces of the Sword Princess and the Witch darkened instantly, their eyes turning upon Yaxiu with deep resentment. Caught up in the rush of love earlier, they hadn't dwelled on it, but now that Weixi had laid it bare, their moods soured. Even Diya felt it; she thought she had prepared herself to share with the Sword Princess, but when it came to actually sharing, she still felt as though something of hers had been snatched away.
Even giving different gifts would have been fine, but he just had to give rings to both of them. Had Yaxiu not been about to descend into Hell immediately, they would have gladly shown him what true hell looked like.
The corner of Yaxiu's mouth twitched, but he couldn't accuse Weixi of driving a wedge between them. After all, she had merely stated what he had done.
Fortunately, at that very moment—Yaxiu never imagined he would describe it as such—his fourth void wing was on the verge of complete formation.
"You should leave now. You cannot stay until the very end," Yaxiu said. "You promised me."
Sonia suddenly asked, "Can Weise help? She's a god."
Weixi immediately shook her head. "She is currently in a superposition between god and sorcerer; it's hard to say how the Void Realm will judge her. If she aids Yaxiu, it might increase the difficulty of the ascension. When multiple sorcerers ascend simultaneously, the trial's difficulty increases exponentially.
"Yaxiu's ascension to demigod is already very easy. Even without a god, he'll be fine; there's no need to take unnecessary risks."
Yaxiu nodded. The greatest hurdle in bearing the five layers of Hell was the final layer, but with both his soul heaven and the Supreme Tail Feather, he could easily bear the final layer even without a god. The real difficulty lay in the first four layers and balancing the four wings.
"She, however, can stay until the end," Weixi noted. "She doesn't count as a true sorcerer, so even if she's infected with the Hell secret poison, she'll just forget."
All parting words had already been spoken in the car, and all tears of farewell had already run dry there. Yaxiu embraced Sonia one last time, kissed Diya's forehead, clasped fingers tightly with Weise, and waved goodbye to them before turning around to unfurl his void wings.
Silver wings, gold wings, rainbow wings, sword-colored wings, and—the Supreme Tail Feather!
With all four wings complete and the tail feather blazing like a prairie fire, he tilted his head toward the heavens above. In this moment, he looked less like a sorcerer ascending to demigod and more like a god who slays gods, a monarch who slaughters kings!
"Was Ruby Mountain's sky always like this?" Yaxiu gazed up at the turbid, multicolored starry sky, feeling somewhat bewildered.
"Of course not," Weixi replied. "Those are the remnants of divine miracles. You may have disrupted the Divine Lords' plans once, but don't forget they didn't even unleash a hundredth of their true power. You've never witnessed their true might. Their divine miracles permanently alter the world; even the Void Realm finds it extraordinarily difficult to digest them. This starry sky is the result of their divine miracles intermingling."
"I've been meaning to ask," she glanced toward the Sword Princess and the others, "why did you only bring women along? Where are your men?"
"They left on their own the moment they returned to reality," Yaxiu said calmly. "By the time I realized, I could no longer catch up with them."
Weixi fell silent for a moment. "Yaxiu, what did you ever do to deserve such companions?"
"Niya..." Yaxiu asked suddenly, "was she with you at the end?"
"She was in my arms at the very end," Weixi said. "She said she was very envious of the Sword Princess."
Yaxiu lowered his gaze. "Thank you."
"It's fine. I quite liked the little hedgehog too. What about the little lamb?"
"She became the Stars and ascended to Supreme."
Weixi was momentarily stunned, her tone turning intricate. "Feili is a Supreme, Rose is a Prime Angel, and Niya became the person she envied most. Everyone has a bright future.
"But why didn't the Star Supreme kill you?" she asked. "Don't tell me she fell in love with you."
*If I told you she wanted me to be her man, would you think I was lying...?* Yaxiu said, "She couldn't kill me back then, and she had no way to seize my Supreme Authority. It served her better for me to stay alive; after all, if I died, there's no telling where the Supreme Authority would scatter."
Weixi suddenly stared at him. "If you die, the Supreme Authority will scatter?"
"Yes. If you wish to become the Sorcery Supreme, you'll have to kill either me or the Stars," Yaxiu chuckled.
Weixi's thoughts raced. "Wait, if that's the case—"
*Boom!*
Yaxiu's position transformed into the pinnacle of Ruby Mountain. A darkness heavier than mountain ranges, vaster than oceans, and more distant than primordial origins came crashing down from above. It was the end of all things, the grave of gods, an unavoidable calamity, and an unavoidable fortune that had to be borne!
Hell!
Yet at that moment, Yaxiu sensed something amiss.
The turbid starry sky blanketing Ruby Mountain did not vanish with Hell's descent. Instead, it seemed to blend into the darkness, and then—
Four chains extended outward!
Though Yaxiu instantly deployed his Sanctuary, the chains bound his void wings without the slightest hesitation—just as overbearing as they had been in the Country of All Stars, as if he were still trapped within that cage.
Before Yaxiu's very eyes, his four freshly condensed void wings...
Were once again crushed into countless fragments by the chains!
Right at this moment, the Sword Princess, who was on the verge of returning to reality, took a step forward.
Chapter 1004