Bai Qingting took the flying boat directly back to Qingqiu. She had barely sat down for long when many visitors from her Qingqiu clan came calling.
Most were girls around Bai Qingting's own age. As they gathered together and asked questions, they found out that before the Heavenly Court had sent the marriage proposal to Qingqiu, they had sent them to all these girls first.
Upon hearing this, the entire Qingqiu clan, from top to bottom, was furious.
So, the only princess of their adult generation in Qingqiu was the Heavenly Court's second choice, their fallback option?
Bai Qingting deeply felt that her previous trip to the Heavenly Court's Lingxiao Palace to make a scene had still been too polite to the Heavenly Clan.
If it weren't for the fact that going back to the Heavenly Court again so soon would be too hasty, Bai Qingting felt like going up there to give that certain someone another beating.
"Aunt Qingting, I heard you hit that arrogant, self-important Heavenly Crown Prince?" The one speaking was the Ninth Princess of the Qingniao clan. She was also the only unmarried princess left in the entire Qingniao clan, deeply doted on by all her older brothers and sisters.
She was a treasured existence, the center of everyone's affection.
"I did. That scoundrel dared to say he wouldn't marry me even if it caused a scene at the Heavenly Court. Could I let him get away with that? I slapped him right then and there. That Crown Prince is exceptionally useless; he couldn't even block a single slap from me." Bai Qingting's words made the young masters and princesses who had come to gather information exchange glances, instantly gauging the current Heavenly Crown Prince's strength.
Their main purpose in coming was to probe the Heavenly Clan's true situation. Now that they had their answer, their objective was achieved.
For the rest of the time, their complaints were all about the Heavenly Crown Prince and that koi spirit of his who kept apologizing everywhere.
Bai Qingting found it amusing and recorded some short videos to send to the transmigrator group chat, also inviting the young girls to take photos and post them on their social circles.
Recording stones weren't scarce in the immortal realm, and for these young girls, they were nothing special. Everyone happily took keepsake photos and then happily left.
Lin Xi had already fallen asleep after watching the video of Bai Qingting returning to Qingqiu.
Having drunk wine, she slept especially soundly. The next day, she was awakened by the incessant sound of firecrackers. After getting up, she jumped out of bed and looked outside; the ground was already carpeted with the fiery red paper remnants of firecracker explosions.
Her phone's message notification kept chiming. Lin Xi picked it up and found many new messages.
Most were mass New Year's greetings from group chats, some from former colleagues, others from clients.
What surprised Lin Xi the most, however, were the ones in the chat group. They were actually sending each other red envelopes.
Lin Xi scrolled up through the messages and saw a system notification from 6 a.m.
[System Message: As all members of this group originate from the Earth plane, to celebrate the New Year, the group has activated a limited-time red envelope function. For 24 hours after this message is sent, group members can send material red envelopes within the group.]
After this message went out, the group became lively, with red envelopes flying everywhere. Lin Xi clicked on them one by one; they contained all sorts of things, a bewildering variety.
Lin Xi sent New Year's chat greetings to the group members, then left her room. Wang Peng and the other two were already up, lounging on the sofa. Wang Peng came out of the bathroom rubbing his head.
"The after-effects of that wine are too strong. I still feel dizzy even now after getting up." After saying this, Wang Peng rushed back to the bathroom, and soon the sound of dry heaving could be heard.
Seeing this, Lin Xi felt quite apologetic. She fetched a thermos of hot water and added a drop of gene repair fluid to it. Wang Peng came out, drank a few sips, and finally felt more comfortable inside.
Seeing it was so effective, Wang Peng and the other two also drank some. Then they stood up together: "Let's go, let's go, we need to get home quickly."
According to local custom, on the first morning of the Lunar New Year, one must eat tangyuan (sweet glutinous rice balls). Anyone who misses out would be severely scolded by the elders.
Sun Xianquan had also drunk quite a bit last night and had already called for a designated driver when he got up. The group walked out of the residential area. The first day of the New Year was bustling, with roadside stalls selling all sorts of delicious snacks and fun toys.
The designated driver arrived, got into Sun Xianquan's car, and drove them home. Before even entering the village, Lin Xi received a call from Chi Xiangping.
When she entered the house, the tangyuan were already made and offered before the ancestral altar.
Chi Xiangping and Yao Yuran had gotten up early to make them. They scalded glutinous rice flour with hot water, shaped it into round balls, and boiled them in a pot. If you wanted them sweet, you could dip them in white sugar or eat them in sugar water. If you wanted them savory, you could dip them in a mixture of toasted soybean and sugar powder.
If you wanted a salty version, you could cook them with vegetables and meat, like rice noodles. Lin Xi liked the soybean powder version and served herself a big bowl before Chi Xiangping could get angry.
Seeing her like this, Chi Xiangping's anger, however great, dissipated. She just glared at Lin Xi: "If it weren't for the New Year, you'd be in for a scolding. Playing outside until morning without knowing to come back."
"We came back as soon as we got up." As Lin Xi ate, Fang and Yue came out. The two sisters were wearing red New Year dresses with black leggings, their hair styled beautifully. They looked like finely carved jade, utterly adorable.
Yao Yuran was so fond of them she shed tears. Before coming to live with Lin Xi, Fang and Yue had always worn other people's hand-me-down clothes. They had never worn such pretty little dresses before.
These two outfits were bought by Chi Xiangping when they went to the market before the New Year. The sisters had matching styles, made of velvety fabric with gold and silver glitter.
Chi Xiangping said: "They look truly beautiful. Xiao Yu, just focus on raising these two girls well. Your days of happiness are still ahead."
"Yes, yes." Yao Yuran agreed with particular cheerfulness.
The cast on her leg had been on for almost a month. In a few more days, she could go to the hospital to have it removed. Yao Yuran looked forward every day to when she could walk again.
After finishing the morning tangyuan, Lin Xi received a phone call from a refrigerated truck passing through Pingyuan City.
Hearing it was delivering frozen wontons, Lin Xi was stunned.
After hanging up, a message from Ye Bingbing's mother arrived.
"I originally calculated that this batch of wontons would arrive before the New Year. Who knew the truck would encounter heavy snow blocking the mountain road halfway, causing a delay of several days." Ye Bingbing's mother was extremely annoyed.
Hearing her say this, Lin Xi understood: "It's fine, it's fine. Arriving on the first day of the New Year is good too, it's a good omen."
Lin Xi remembered that last time when she went back to Ye Bingbing's home with her in the middle of the night, they had eaten a bowl of small wontons. Ye Bingbing's mother had said those were Ye Bingbing's favorite food.
This time, Ye Bingbing's mother sending wontons via refrigerated truck was surely for Lin Xi to pass on to Ye Bingbing.
After the meal, everyone had nothing else to do. Chi Xiangping, wearing the new clothes Lin Xi had bought before the New Year, pushed Yao Yuran in her wheelchair and led the two little girls to go play at Malu Gully.
Malu Gully was behind Linjiatang Village. There was a piece of wasteland that had been abandoned for many years. In recent years, during the New Year, people would spontaneously gather there.
Food and games went on non-stop from morning till night. Ever since Lin Xi gave Great-grandma a cup of water with gene repair fluid, Great-grandma felt her legs and feet were much better and had invited Chi Xiangping and the others to go play early in the morning.
Lin Xi was going to the city to pick up the refrigerated truck and decided to give them a ride along the way.
Yunnan Province has many ethnic minorities. Even before arriving at their destination, Lin Xi could hear the folk songs drifting from Malu Gully. Upon hearing the sound, Granny couldn't sit still anymore.
"Huh, these folk songs aren't sung as well as the ones from our youth," Granny said with a look of disdain.
Chi Xiangping nodded in agreement. "Then you should sing properly later and give them a lesson."
Granny Sun Caohua was the best female folk singer in all the surrounding villages when she was young. Back when Malu Gully was first established, she would come here to sing, surrounded entirely by her devoted audience.
In recent years, due to poor health, Granny hadn't been here for several years. She felt a stir of interest, but ultimately shook her head. "I'm old now, just an old vegetable. Who would want to listen?"
As they spoke, Lin Xi had already parked the car by the roadside. There were many private cars parked along the road, stretching so far you couldn't see the end. Lin Xi took Yao Yuran's wheelchair down, then helped Yao Yuran into it. Chi Xiangping pushed the wheelchair, while Granny, holding a child in each hand, eagerly headed down.
Lin Xi glanced into the distance and saw someone on stilts several meters high, sliding down from a wooden pole in the air, then taking a few running steps to gain momentum and soar back into the sky.
Lin Xi got back in the car and headed for the city. Passing by the food stalls, she bought from the first to the last, purchasing over ten portions of each item. She then repackaged them and sent them out in the group chat.
The friends in the group had all crossed over when they were young. There wasn't a single Earth snack they didn't crave.
But they were all adults now, and the number of deliveries allowed in the group was limited. Everyone pretty much saved their chances for crucial moments.
Today was different. The red packets in the group could be sent unlimitedly, as many times as you wanted.
[Interstellar Wanderer Yao Xiran: Wow, potato wedges with loads of added coriander and extra chili! Love it, love it.]
Yao Xiran, who had traded meteorite with Lin Duxi, had now become a hidden wealthy woman. She no longer sold the high-risk, high-danger natural plants.
Occasionally, when she did sell, it was only slightly yellowed, nearly spoiled ones. Selling these to the wealthy elites of the interstellar world didn't trouble Yao Xiran's conscience in the slightest.
After all, she had been scavenging for years and living on nutrient fluid for years. In the eyes of those elites, she probably wasn't much different from garbage herself.
Her storage space was now piled high with natural plants, but delicacies like potato wedges were something Yao Xiran had never managed to make. She found that no matter how she tried, she couldn't recreate the flavors of Earth's cuisine.
[Post-Apocalyptic Wasteland Lin Duxi: There's actually stinky tofu! Stinky tofu with pickled radish is my favorite! Best with extra chopped chili!]
Lin Duxi's world remained as desolate as before, but with hope to strive for, the people at the base had many more smiles on their faces.
[Period Drama Stepmother Xu Huixin: I like these zongzi. Mung bean with pork belly, absolutely delicious.]
[Domineering CEO Villainess Ye Bingbing: I'm different. For zongzi, I prefer the sweet ones with honey dates and red bean paste. For tofu pudding, I like the savory kind.]
Ye Bingbing's single sentence instantly ignited a debate in the group. Everyone launched into a fierce argument over the sweet vs. savory preferences for both zongzi and tofu pudding.
The once close-knit group members, in that moment, turned into heretics who just wanted to strangle each other.
But even so, they didn't forget to claim the food red packets Lin Xi sent.
While buying things and paying, Lin Xi glanced at the group chat a few times and nearly died laughing.
She realized she was a gourmand. Whether it was savory zongzi, sweet zongzi, savory tofu pudding, or sweet tofu pudding, as long as it tasted good, she liked it all.
Buying things as she went, Lin Xi arrived at a cold storage facility in Pingyuan City just as the refrigerated truck delivering items commissioned by Ye Bingbing's mother had finished unloading their goods.
After confirming the recipient's name and phone number, the driver brought out two large bags of wontons from the cold storage. Each bag contained the same amount.
One bag had Lin Xi's name written on it, the other had no writing but was adorned with a pink sticker of Lotso the bear.
Lotso was the latest plush toy Ye Bingbing had fallen in love with before crossing over. Her room had been covered entirely in stickers of that character.
Lin Xi thanked the refrigerated truck driver, placed both bags of wontons in the trunk, and left.
Back home, Lin Xi continued her shopping spree. Whether it was food or fun items, as long as they didn't exist in the other worlds, she bought and sent them over.
Upon arriving home, the first thing she did after opening the trunk was to send the wontons to Ye Bingbing. As soon as Ye Bingbing received them, she immediately cooked a bowl.
The familiar taste brought tears to her eyes. She stored the rest away in her personal space, saving them for when she felt homesick and could take some out to cook.
At the same time, Lin Xi received a private message from Bai Qingting: [Immortal Cultivation World Bai Qingting: Xiao Xi, I'd like to ask for your help.]
Everyone in the group knew that Lin Xi could help transmigrators with tasks, but so far, besides Lu Shen who joined the group with Bai Qingting, only Bai Qingting and Xu Huixin had never asked for her help with a task.
That Bai Qingting was reaching out to her now was a bit surprising.
On Bai Qingting's side, it was already late at night. Sitting in her cave abode, she slowly typed out a message onto her jade slip.
[Immortal Cultivation World Bai Qingting: When I was eight years old, my parents died in a car accident. Relatives from both sides gathered to discuss it, and my parents' accident compensation and the family's remaining assets were split in two.]
[My maternal grandparents took me in to raise me, while my older brother was taken in and raised by my paternal uncle and aunt. Because we were separated so young, by the time we grew up and could contact each other independently, we had already grown quite distant.]
[In my previous life, I died of stomach cancer. During the final period of my life, it was my brother who stayed by my side. I'd like to see how he's living now.]
Bai Qingting's maternal grandparents' family was well-off. Although they took her share of the compensation, they promptly used it to buy her several properties.
By the time she grew up, thanks to those properties, she had become a young landlady. When she got stomach cancer, her maternal grandparents had already passed away. Her uncle and aunt had long since emigrated abroad.
Compared to her, her brother had a much harder life. Her paternal uncle and aunt, after taking the money, didn't treat her brother well. Once he became an adult, they gave him a run-down, old, small apartment and washed their hands of him.
Her brother opened a repair shop, got married not long after graduation, and was the complete opposite of Bai Qingting, who floated through life playing the field.
During the time Bai Qingting was ill, her brother stayed with her at the hospital. Having family by her side—though she never said it out loud, looking back now, she still felt a sense of fulfillment.
Before connecting to the chat group, Bai Qingting would only think of him briefly during breaks in her cultivation or moments of sobriety.
Now that she could make contact, she wanted to ask Lin Xi to go take a look for her. Whether he was living well or poorly, she just wanted to know.
Lin Xi had returned from Meng City when Bai Qingting joined the group. Meng City wasn't far: [Earth Girl Lin Xi: Okay, I'll go today. It's a good time to go now and come back tonight.]
Based on Lin Xi's experience, with her great-grandmother there, they wouldn't return from the fun place that was Malu Gully until well after dark.
Lin Xi backed the car out of the yard and, once past the gate, set her navigation for Meng City.
Over there, Bai Qingting couldn't sleep anymore either. Taking a bottle of wine, she walked towards the magnolia forest. She had just sat down when her guard, Qingzhu, arrived.
Names for monsters aren't given much thought. Before they take human form, they don't have names of their own.
When Bai Qingting took human form, she chose the name Qingting. Her guards, too lazy to think of their own names, simply chose names following hers.
Qingzhu shared the closest bond with Bai Qingting. Since childhood, whenever Bai Qingting wanted to get up to some mischief, Qingzhu was always the first to join in.
Among all her guards, Bai Qingting trusted Qingzhu the most.
Qingzhu also held a flask of wine: "Princess, what kind of magic does this 'love tribulation' have? Why do the immortals from the Heavenly Court seem obsessed with undergoing it?"
Bai Qingting didn't know either: "Maybe the endless years in the Heavenly Court are too boring, so they need to find some excitement for themselves?"
"I really don't understand why they have to go to the mortal realm to experience their love tribulations. I heard about the Weiyu God and his Lianyou Grass undergoing a tribulation that spanned three lives and three generations. In the mortal realm, parents died, kingdoms fell two or three times. Even in their final lifetime, their love was fulfilled by the lives of an entire nation's people."
"I simply cannot comprehend it." As a monster, Qingzhu had also thought about having little fox cubs, but that kind of thing was about finding someone you fancied and spending a lifetime together having them.
She couldn't fathom the Heavenly Court's version, where the love between two people required the entire world to fulfill it. She also couldn't make sense of things like the Heavenly Prince and the Koi Spirit causing havoc all over the immortal realm.
Bai Qingting couldn't really explain this matter to her either. Mainly because the thoughts of scoundrels are generally beyond the understanding of normal people.
Qingzhu fell silent. The two of them drank their wine, watching the moon hanging high in the Moon Palace.
"If only those Heavenly Court immortals would just perish sooner. They've made a complete mess of the entire mortal world. It's utterly infuriating."
As soon as Qingzhu's words fell, the unique information token of their White Fox clan began to flash. Both of them instantly set down their wine cups and flew towards the mountain cave.
The identity information tokens of their White Clan would not flash unless a matter of life and death, of survival or extinction, was at stake.
When they arrived at the cave, the entire clan was there, including the still-nursing, un-transformed fox cubs.
The Ancestor, holding the scepter symbolizing status and authority, sat upon the throne she rarely occupied.
"My clansmen. I have just received word. The Demon Clan has attacked the Heavenly Court. The combat prowess of the Heavenly Court, I believe you all have some idea. If the Heavenly Clan is defeated and the Demon Clan occupies the Heavenly Court, it would be nothing less than a catastrophe for our Monster Clan."
The Heavenly Clan is arrogant and conceited. Although they look down on the Monster Clan, they at least pay some lip service to reason. The Demon Clan is different.
The Demon Clan is inherently cruel and violent, and most of their races consider monsters as food. If they are victorious, I'm afraid all monsters under heaven will be at their mercy, like fish on a chopping block.
"For survival, for life itself. Children, follow me to the Heavenly Court." The Ancestor looked around at her clanspeople.
The White Fox clan understood self-preservation best. Helping the Heavenly Court resist the Demon Clan was out of the question. After all, they stood to gain no benefit, and just days ago the Heavenly Clan had insulted them.
But they couldn't just stand by and watch either. They only needed to intervene against the similarly exhausted Demon Clan when the Heavenly Clan was worn out.
One phrase summed it up perfectly: when the snipe and the clam grapple, the fisherman profits.
"For survival, for life itself! Kill!" The rallying cry within the cave nearly shook the mountain apart.
The elders specifically responsible for educating the young were left behind to care for the cubs.
This was an immensely arduous task. When the Monster Clan went to war, nine out of ten might not return. At such times, the young cubs became critically important.
Bai Qingting had been among those left behind in her youth. That time, during the joint defense against the Demon Clan by the Heavenly and Monster races, her parents, elder brother, and sister-in-law held the highest status within the White Fox clan. They charged at the forefront during the battle. The Demon Clan was pushed back.
But her parents, brother, and sister-in-law remained forever on the Endless Shore.
Bai Qingting's gaze fell upon the unusually quiet cubs. She walked up to Bai Manman, crouched down, and with a wave of her hand, produced a large handful of brightly colored candies.
These were mostly from the red packets she had grabbed in the group today, sent by Lin Xi and Ye Bingbing.
She placed the candies in Bai Manman's hands: "Manman, your aunt and the Ancestor are going out this time, and we'll be back very soon. After we leave, you will be the one with the highest status in our fox clan. You must take good care of the younger fox cubs, okay?"
"Okay, Aunt." Bai Manman had grown up with Bai Qingting. She had never seen such a solemn gathering before. Though frightened, she nodded obediently.
Bai Qingting placed the candies in Bai Manman's hands: "Sweetheart, these are delicious treats your aunt made for you. Take one out to eat when you miss your aunt or the Ancestor. Share them with your little friends too, okay?"
Tears rolled down Bai Manman's cheeks. Bai Qingting leaned in and gently kissed her cheek, just as she had when Bai Manman was little.
Bai Qingting looked around. All around, others were making their final farewells to their children. Bai Qingting took out her phone and @'ed Lin Duxi in the group chat.
She needed large-scale, high-casualty weapons, preferably nuclear ones.
After all, the world of immortals and magic was different from others. Even if attacked by nuclear weapons, it possessed a powerful capacity for regeneration.
And even if it didn't, there were plenty of rare treasures and materials to restore places blasted by nuclear weapons.
Having traversed a hundred million years, Bai Qingting found the love-obsessed Heavenly Court tiresome, but what she hated most were the inhumane Demon Clan.
She had finally had parents in this lifetime, only for the Demon Clan to kill them.
The reason she had become so strong was precisely because she dreamed of one day wiping out every last one of those Demon Clan scoundrels.
Now the opportunity had come. She was determined to have her revenge.
The guards behind her shared the same sentiment. Most of their parents had also perished in that battle thousands of years ago.
Once the farewells were done, everyone walked out of the cave. The Ancestor, Bai Yi, waved a hand towards the sky, and a massive ship appeared overhead. Bai Yi flew up onto the great ship.
As the highest-ranking among the younger generation, Bai Qingting followed closely behind. Then the rest of the clanspeople flew up after them.
The spirit ship activated, the wind whipping their robes, making them snap and flutter.
Lin Xi received Bai Qingting's message, pulled over to the side of the road, and after Lin Duxi transmitted the weapons, directly relayed them to Bai Qingting.
In this apocalyptic world, nuclear weapons had also undergone many upgrades. Their destructive power remained unchanged, but their portability had improved greatly. Like the several weapons Lin Duxi transmitted over, they were all about the size of rocket launchers from Lin Xi's world.
It was a rare sight—a grand battle between immortals and demons. Bai Qingting started a live stream.
Lin Xi sped up towards Meng City.
It was the familiar Southern Heavenly Gate, but at this moment, celestial soldiers and generals lay dead all over the ground. Many demon tribes stood around the Southern Heavenly Gate. They kept to their own clans, not interacting with each other, but Bai Qingting and the others knew.
Their clan leaders were undoubtedly communicating via secret voice transmission at that very moment.
A group of people dressed in black clothes, with bizarre and strange appearances, stood before the Southern Heavenly Gate. The leader, a man with bull horns, sat on a chair, tilting his head as he waited for the Heavenly Emperor and Heavenly Empress to arrive.
That chair emanated a dark aura, but everyone present knew it was sewn together from the skin and immortal bones of celestial beings.
The Heavenly Emperor and Heavenly Empress finally appeared, leading the host of deities. The Demon Lord extended his left hand and waved it forward. The demons behind him surged forward, giving the celestial tribe no chance to speak.
The Heavenly Emperor and Heavenly Empress resisted desperately, but most deities had descended to the mortal world for their tribulations, leaving the remaining ones pitifully weak in combat power.
The demonic energy of the demon tribe and the immortal energy of the celestial tribe were opposing forces, born to counteract each other. The more one inhaled, the more it suppressed one's own condition.
The demons employed a swarm tactic, throwing themselves recklessly at the celestial beings. Before long, more than half of the celestial deities had fallen.
The Demon Lord raised his hand, and the attacking demons immediately retreated behind him. Looking at the utterly disheveled Heavenly Emperor and Heavenly Empress, the Demon Lord laughed.
"My dear elder brother and sister-in-law, you never imagined that the one leading the demons to attack the celestial realm today would be me, did you?" As soon as the Demon Lord spoke these words, everyone realized he was the Blazing Flame War God who had sacrificed himself at the Endless Sea Shore tens of millions of years ago.
The Blazing Flame War God was also the Heavenly Emperor's younger brother. Back then, because the Heavenly Emperor was the elder brother, he got to sit on the throne.
The expressions of everyone present, whether from the celestial or demon tribes, changed completely.
The faces of the Heavenly Emperor and Heavenly Empress were especially grim. The Demon Lord's tone remained unchanged.
"Back then, I was just a little bit away from leading the alliance of two tribes to defeat the demons. At the critical moment, the person I trusted most, my most loyal subordinate, actually betrayed me."
"The reason was incredibly simple. It was because you, as the Heavenly Emperor, felt my illustrious military achievements threatened your position." As Blazing Flame said this, his eyes instantly turned crimson red.
From the day he was born, Blazing Flame had lived to protect the celestial tribe. He had never imagined he would be betrayed by the one he trusted most. And certainly not for such an absurd reason.
"Back then, when you decided to eliminate me, you held a meeting in the Hall of Lingxiao, and half of you agreed." Blazing Flame's gaze fell upon the few deities protecting the Heavenly Emperor and Heavenly Empress.
"So, the frequent descents of celestial deities to the mortal world for tribulations... that was all your doing?" The Heavenly Emperor, having ruled for so many years, was no fool.
Over the years when deities descended for tribulations, he had investigated extensively, but no matter how he searched, he couldn't find the reason for the collective descents.
The Heavenly Emperor had never thought Blazing Flame was still alive, and had never connected these two events.
"Yes. Deities cannot harbor romantic love. This is a law established since the separation of heaven and earth, since the founding of the Heavenly Court. To quickly bring down the celestial tribe, this was the only move I could use against you." The smile on Blazing Flame's face faded.
At that moment, another group of people strode out from within the Southern Heavenly Gate. Leading them were Yu Xiao and Tang Jin.
Blazing Flame saw her and beckoned. Tang Jin smiled and ran swiftly towards him.
Yu Xiao's expression changed drastically: "Jin'er, where are you going? It's dangerous over there!" Yu Xiao stepped forward and grabbed Tang Jin's hand.
Tang Jin turned to look at him, her smile no longer as delicate and lovely as before. She shook off Yu Xiao's hand and, under his stunned gaze, walked step by step towards Blazing Flame.
Then she turned and sat in Blazing Flame's lap.
Blazing Flame extended an arm to wrap around Tang Jin's slender waist, laughing until he coughed: "My dear nephew, can't that pig brain of yours think a little? Tang Jin is the koi fish from the pond in my courtyard. How could she possibly abandon me and choose you?"
Yu Xiao stared in shock at Blazing Flame, then at Tang Jin, before letting out a roar: "I don't believe it! Jin'er, tell me, did he force you?"
Tang Jin nuzzled against Blazing Flame's cheek: "You jest, Crown Prince. My master has never forced me. All the days I spent with you, I never once liked you."
Tang Jin's words shattered Yu Xiao's hopes. He cried out, muttering "I don't believe it," covered his ears, and ran off.
His actions left not only the celestial and demon tribes, but even Blazing Flame, in stunned silence.
The faces of the Heavenly Emperor and Heavenly Empress were exceptionally ugly. While they had accepted their son was incompetent, being humiliated like this before the three tribes still greatly embarrassed them.
Blazing Flame laughed until tears welled in his eyes: "And this is the next War God you discarded me to promote?"
The lifespan of celestial beings is as long as the heavens, but many positions are fixed, one per slot. The War God position is especially so.
The status of the celestial War God is extraordinary, wielding authority second only to the Heavenly Emperor.
Before the Heavenly Emperor had his own child, Blazing Flame sat very securely in the War God position. After the Heavenly Emperor had a son, he had to step down to make way for this mere toddler.
The Heavenly Empress's eyes reddened. She refused to acknowledge any issues with Yu Xiao's genes or his innate talent. Like the Heavenly Emperor, she blamed all responsibility on Tang Jin.
A surge of immortal power shot from the Heavenly Empress's hand. Using her greatest strength, she wanted that koi spirit who led her son astray dead!
However, before her power could reach Tang Jin, it was effortlessly dissolved.
Simultaneously, a man dressed in white landed before Blazing Flame and Tang Jin.
The Heavenly Emperor's face, which had already changed color several times today, shifted again: "Weiyu God, do you also intend to oppose the celestial tribe?"
Weiyu God clicked his tongue, straightening his clothes: "Your Majesty jests. Was it not you who first arranged a marriage fate for me back then, to prevent me from blocking your son's path?"
As soon as these words were spoken, the deities surrounding the Heavenly Emperor instantly retreated from the side of the Heavenly Emperor and Empress.
Who was Weiyu God? Alongside Blazing Flame, he was one of the two great gods of the celestial tribe, one for strategy, one for war. Back during the alliance of two tribes to resist the demons, Blazing Flame was the general, and Weiyu God was the strategist.
That battle of theirs didn't need to have claimed so many lives. But because of the selfish motives of the Heavenly Emperor and Empress, nearly eighty percent of the two-tribe alliance army perished.
The demonic beings present could no longer remain seated. Led by Bai Yi, they walked toward the Demon Lord Chiyan.
"Chiyan, is everything you said true?" The White Fox clan was small in number. Bai Yi was the ancestral elder of this clan, having witnessed countless cycles of life and death.
But tens of millions of years ago, Bai Qingting's parents led their sons and the clan's able-bodied youth into battle. Over a hundred went out, and only two returned.
Those two were already physically broken and didn't live more than a couple of years before they too passed away.
Since then, the White Fox clan's power had drastically declined. Yet, countless other races had suffered similar fates.
They had always believed it was an accident back then. Now they were being told that their deaths were not because of the demon race, but because of their allies?
"I, Chiyan, and Weiyu swear to the Primordial God. If there is a single falsehood in our words today, may heavenly thunder strike us, reducing our souls to ashes."
As everyone knew, oaths sworn to the heavens in this world of immortals held power. Under the watchful eyes of all, two beams of light descended upon Chiyan and Weiyu. After a long moment, nothing happened.
The Primordial God was a deity jointly worshipped by the celestial, demonic, and heavenly races. Everyone present believed in the binding power of an oath sworn to Him.
The gazes of Bai Yi and the others fell upon the Heavenly Emperor and Heavenly Empress. Under the hostile stares of the crowd, the imperial couple unconsciously took two steps back.
The Tiger Clan leader, known for his fiery temper, acted before anyone could react. He rushed before the Heavenly Emperor and Empress and swatted them flying with a single paw strike.
"Give me back my son! Give me back my grandson!" The words roared out with the tiger's fury as he swatted the pair flying once more.
The two offered no resistance.
A deathly silence fell over the hall. No one had expected the Heavenly Emperor and Empress to be so utterly useless.
Chiyan let out a scornful laugh. "Perhaps you've all forgotten, but my elder brother and his wife once had a love story that shook the heavens and the earth."
"My dear brother and sister-in-law... love can destroy a god's divine nature. You knew this all along, so why didn't you stop other gods from falling in love with mortals?"
"Was it because you were too incompetent, and your son inherited your incompetence, so you went with the flow, determined to drag others down with you?"
"Right up until now, when most of the gods in the Heavenly Court have descended to the mortal realm to undergo love tribulations, and you see them all about to be ruined, then you panic? That's why you want the Heavenly race to ally with the Demonic race through marriage, to jointly resist the Demon race?"
Chiyan stroked Tang Jin's face and gave her a rewarding kiss. "You are truly pitiful. All you think about day in and day out is not improving yourselves, but dragging those more excellent than you down from their divine pedestals."
"Hahahahaha!" Amidst Chiyan's arrogant laughter, the Heavenly Emperor and Empress were bound and tied up.
Chiyan rose from his celestial-skin chair. "Brothers and sisters of the Demonic race, I, Chiyan, attacked the Heavenly Court today solely to seek justice for myself. After capturing the Heavenly Emperor's family, I will lead my followers away from the Heavenly realm and proceed to the Demon Domain. From now on, we will live in seclusion there."
"The ruler of the Heavenly Court shall be the one most capable." As soon as these words were spoken, the Heavenly Emperor, Heavenly Empress, Weiyu God, and Demon Lord all vanished from the spot.
Bai Yi exchanged a look with her trusted clansmen and led her people in a retreat.
Those who had long coveted the Heavenly throne instantly shifted from their alliance stance to eyeing each other with hostility. Then, with a shared purpose, they first slaughtered all the gods remaining within the Heavenly Court.
Seeing the impending outbreak of war, Bai Yi urgently sent a message to the elders of Qingqiu, ordering them to hide the young ones.
Then she looked at Bai Qingting. "A'Ting, there will be no peaceful end to this battle for us. Chiyan and Weiyu have joined the Demon race. They won't let go of the Heavenly realm, this piece of fat meat, so easily."
"We wanted to play the fisherman, but now we've become the clam and the snipe. Are you afraid?"
Bai Qingting took out rocket launchers and distributed them to her guards. She smiled at Bai Yi. "Ancestor, let's just do it! What's there to be afraid of? I'm not afraid!"
