"Come to think of it, Vichy, where did you operate after advancing to demigod in your past life?" Yaxiu asked suddenly. "After all, you weren't willing to become an angel under a divine lord."
Vichy pondered for a moment. "I mostly operated in public kingdoms of heaven like the Whispering Kingdom of Heaven, the Secret Kingdom of Heaven, and the Mourning Kingdom of Heaven."
Yaxiu paused, startled. "Public kingdoms of heaven?"
"Ownerless kingdoms of heaven left behind after divine lords fall. They're hidden throughout the mortal realm and jointly held by multiple demigods, and their locations shift frequently," Vichy explained. "Law fragments form inside them, and they can even generate wild sorcery spirits. I relied on snatching law fragments and devouring sorcery spirits to condense my Wings of the Thief.
"Unfortunately, with the world divided into the Six Nations, the geography is completely different from my era, so I don't know where those public kingdoms of heaven are anymore." Vichy gave a faint smile. "In the Whispering Kingdom of Heaven, there was a dish where sorcery spirits and Lalafell were stewed together. I have a feeling you'd love it, Yaxiu. If you give me some time, maybe I could recreate it."
Inside Yaxiu's soul kingdom of heaven, the sorcery spirits trembled violently, praying that Yaxiu would steer far clear of this archdemon who ate sorcery spirits.
Public kingdoms of heaven were most likely real, and Vichy had probably entered them before, which was why she could project her experiences in Hell onto them. Yaxiu hadn't expected Vichy to notice any anomalies simply by recalling her past anyway; if what Dead Frenzy said was true, then aside from him, everyone else in this world had already had their memories and pasts altered by Ouroboros.
"Did the me in the dream look like me?"
"Huh?" For a moment, Vichy didn't follow.
"The future me you saw in your dream," Yaxiu said softly. "Did he seem like me?"
Vichy wondered what kind of bullshit question this was. But when she looked up and caught the lost, unsettled look in Yaxiu's eyes, he looked just like a kid stranded at kindergarten whom nobody had come to pick up, desperately hoping a passing older sister would take him home.
He had grown weak.
Even though he was a demigod sorcerer who possessed a soul kingdom of heaven and supreme tail feathers, at this very moment, he was more fragile than a Lalafell.
He probably hadn't even realized what a perilous thing it was to ask a soul demigod for a subjective answer regarding the future.
Though she had no idea why a single night had reduced him to this state, there was no doubt Yaxiu had inadvertently bared his most vulnerable side before Vichy. The fissure in his psyche was so wide that she could almost reach out and tear out his heart, seizing absolute dominion over his soul.
So he was actually such a soft-hearted, fragile sorcerer?
Why hadn't I brought him to heel back in the Country of All Stars?
Yaxiu's subconscious impulse to seek reliance was definitely a habit formed over time. Normal sorcerers were long accustomed to processing their emotions alone and would never lay bare their weaknesses before others. During their six months in the Country of All Stars, Yaxiu ought to have revealed this kind of vulnerability, yet Vichy had never noticed... Just then, she suddenly remembered that mind sorcerer named Igola.
There could be no better opportunity than right now, the Spectre Prophet thought.
The Ruby Chains, the soul kingdom of heaven, the supreme tail feathers—Yaxiu offered far too many reasons for Vichy to strike. It was as if fate had finally taken pity on all the trials Vichy had endured since her rebirth, smearing a dab of honey across her lips, requiring only a gentle flick of her tongue to claim the sweet prize.
"I don't know."
Yaxiu blinked in surprise.
"Maybe you think it's easy for me to see right through a person's nature." Vichy poured a cup of water for Yaxiu and continued, "But humans are exceedingly complex creatures. Just like how I could never fathom why you'd fall for shadows like Feili and the others, or even risk your neck trying to save the Stars for their sake."
Knowing it was wrong, yet loving them all the same. Knowing there was no hope, yet gambling his life regardless.
She shrugged. "I find it hard to comprehend the logic of fools."
"Aren't you the same?" Yaxiu took a sip, set the cup down, and remarked offhandedly, "Didn't you also gamble everything for power?"
Vichy shook her head. "For power, it's worth it. For love, it's worthless."
Yaxiu smiled. "'The brave die for honor, the greedy die for wealth.' Each views themselves as wise and the other as a fool."
"In any case, I can't be sure whether the person I dreamed of was really you." Vichy drained her cup in one gulp and said, "He may be different from the you of today, but who's to say you wouldn't reveal a ruthless side for someone's sake, or wear such a terrifying expression for someone?"
"As for prophecies, you believe the good ones and throw out the bad. If I can't prophesy a vision of myself becoming a divine lord, am I supposed to resign myself to remaining a demigod?"
"Yaxiu, I don't know what intelligence you've uncovered, but if you want to consult me about the future, my answer will always be the 'Heavenly Sovereign Doctrine.'"
Vichy grabbed Yaxiu by the collar, her eyes brimming with unruly arrogance. "And that is: I will become the supreme sovereign of sorcery, and all living beings will be my slaves—including you!"
Yaxiu stared blankly at the maid. Suddenly, he let out an involuntary laugh and sighed in resignation. "When I die, I'll definitely have to find a way to take you down with me as a burial sacrifice."
Diya abruptly threw back the door curtain, puffed up with indignation like someone barging in to catch a shameless master and servant doing squats first thing in the morning. Yet what met her eyes was the sight of Vichy clutching Yaxiu by the collar.
The Witch froze, then spun around and bolted outside, screaming at the top of her lungs, "The maid is turning on her master! Someone come quick and help!"
***
Once the Four Pillar Cult's convoy had packed up camp and readied themselves to set off, Yaxiu assembled all the core personnel, including Daedalose and Felix.
Vichy silently crept up behind Weise and whispered, "Was eavesdropping fun?"
"You knew?" Although Weise asked, she wasn't particularly surprised that Vichy had noticed.
Vichy's smile didn't waver. "Your silver light was seeping straight into the tent. It was rather difficult for me to pretend I didn't know. When Yaxiu came to inspect my memories last night, you must have heard everything crystal clear too, didn't you?"
"I was merely worried that a certain maid harbored malicious intent and might overcome her superior to dominate her master," Weise remarked languidly. "Now it seems I was worrying over nothing."
Unaware of their chatter, Yaxiu spoke up first: "Next, we are heading back to Jialesi."
Daedalose cautioned, "Right now, most of us are... 'unwelcome' people."
Though with the combined strength of Yaxiu and the four other demigods, there was likely no power in the mortal realm capable of preventing them from doing as they pleased, what they feared were not mortals, but the Divine Lord of Stars.
Before entering the seventh layer of the Void Realm, the Divine Lord of Stars had declared that wherever the stars shone was under her supreme protection. If she could not bring evildoers to justice and punish sinners, who would ever believe in the majesty of the sorcery supreme again?
"I know, but I have a reason I must return." Yaxiu looked toward Felix. "I need to go back to Felix's villa to look for traces left behind by Igola and Harvey."
The others exchanged glances, but compared to the previous night, their faces showed little surprise or worry. They waited in silence for Yaxiu to continue.
"Before I explain, there's one thing I must tell everyone."
Yaxiu looked around at the circle and said, "Last night, I successfully logged into Hell, and inside, I met the future Dead Frenzy Sword Princess."
Chapter 1032