Chapter 6: Survival Comes First

The wicked spirit, unwilling to give up, said resentfully, “This ancient desolate forest is filled with my half-alive poisonous fiends. I’ll be sure to give you two a proper welcome.”

Countless poisonous fiends, veiled in creeping black mist, closed in on Little Hua Yan and Beiming Yanhuo. All around, the heavy stench of blood saturated the ancient forest. In an instant, tens of thousands of fiends with hollow eyes surged forth, their throats rasping with hoarse screams. Blood poured from their gaping mouths, their heads battered and bleeding—a terrifying sight that left Little Hua Yan too frightened even to make a sound.

“Hmph!” Beiming Yanhuo snorted coldly, his gaze wild and unrestrained. With a flicker of Netherworld Fire, he tore through the countless fiends, reducing them to ashes. The Netherworld Fire, forged from the endless Karma Fire, was a union of water and flame—eternal and indomitable. It could incinerate all living things or, with the chill of the netherworld, freeze mountains and rivers for thousands of miles.

In a heartbeat, the wicked spirit stood aghast, unable to comprehend what had just happened—his tens of thousands of fiends, gone in a blink. Indeed, the difference in power between the wicked spirit and Beiming Yanhuo was like heaven and earth; he wasn’t even worthy of comparison.

Terrorstricken, the wicked spirit turned to flee. But Beiming Yanhuo had little patience to waste on such a creature. With a snap of his fingers, a ball of Netherworld Fire incinerated the spirit into nothingness.

Witnessing the immortal lord’s ruthlessness, Little Hua Yan took the chance while Beiming Yanhuo was distracted to quietly sneak away. But her legs betrayed her; she had barely gone two steps before Beiming Yanhuo dragged her back.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

Little Hua Yan forced an awkward smile, but in her heart she worried: If she refused to submit, would she end up like that wicked spirit, reduced to ashes in an instant?

So, she knelt obediently, her face full of sincerity and awe.

“Great Immortal Lord, your divine might is boundless. Little Hua Yan is utterly convinced and will never forget the grace that saved my life. I vow to repay your kindness with all that I have. I beg you, please let me go.”

As the saying goes, it’s wise to shelter beneath a great tree. Clinging tightly to this thigh—no, this pillar of strength—would surely keep her safe, a true talisman for survival!

Clinging to a thigh—how shameless! Beiming Yanhuo drew a sharp breath as he watched the little creature chatter on, so perceptive and quick-witted. He decided to bestow upon her a special gift.

Indeed, Little Hua Yan had succeeded in catching Beiming Yanhuo’s attention.

“Let’s go,” he said.

Delighted, Little Hua Yan rose, believing the immortal lord was finally letting her go. But before she could react, a vine wrapped swiftly around her, dragging her to a withered tree and binding her tightly so she couldn’t break free.

“Let me go!” Little Hua Yan shouted.

Beiming Yanhuo appeared before her in an instant, his clothes fluttering as he moved. He gripped her chin with an arrogant hand.

“Little thing, this is just punishment for clinging to me so shamelessly!”

Then, he cast a Soul-Severing Spell upon her, leaving her every movement infused with an aura of pride and enchantment that could not be ignored.

“Take your filthy hands off me! I am a Flower Sprite, not some mere thing.”

Little Hua Yan tried desperately to evade Beiming Yanhuo, unaware of when he had cast the spell on her.

“So, you’re just a little Flower Sprite,” Beiming Yanhuo sneered, his gaze full of disdain as he looked down at her.

Little Hua Yan dared not protest further, but her wide eyes watched Beiming Yanhuo, aggrieved by his contempt.

“I am a Flower Sprite from the Endless Dream of Water and Sky. Though I failed to ascend, I am still a spirit who tends the Hall of Blossoms. Immortal Lord, we both serve in the Divine Realm. Have mercy and let me go!”

“Endless Dream of Water and Sky…” Beiming Yanhuo’s face darkened with rage, and he nearly tore the little Flower Sprite apart right then and there.

“Yes! Thirty thousand years ago, in the great war between gods and demons, my soul was nearly destroyed. A thousand-year-old peach tree was reduced to a single blossom—all because of that accursed Demon Lord.”

“Beiming Yanhuo?” he asked, feigning ignorance, eager to hear what the little Flower Sprite had to say about him.

“That name is taboo in the Divine Realm—Endless Dream of Water and Sky! It’s considered inauspicious,” she replied.

“Say it again,” Beiming Yanhuo’s eyes blazed, scrutinizing the rambling Flower Sprite.

“He destroyed our Divine Realm—Endless Dream of Water and Sky, slaughtered the creatures of Shanhai Yiguang. He’s nothing but a demon, worse than a beast!”

Having revealed her identity and cursed Beiming Yanhuo, Little Hua Yan’s fate seemed grim.

Beiming Yanhuo was left speechless with rage. He vowed to destroy the Divine Realm, to slay Jiu Xian Yue, and to enslave every spirit of the Endless Dream of Water and Sky.

“Immortal Lord? Immortal Lord, what’s wrong?” Little Hua Yan asked, bewildered.

Beiming Yanhuo clenched his teeth, his brows arched, and a cold smile played at his lips.

“I’ll send you home.”

With that, he kicked Little Hua Yan, sending her hurtling back to the Divine Realm—Endless Dream of Water and Sky.

Little Hua Yan’s desperate cries echoed through the air as she flew. Beiming Yanhuo, from afar, could still hear her wails. The corners of his lips, usually as cold as a blade, curled into a satisfied smile.

“Ah…”

Little Hua Yan was sent straight back to the Endless Dream of Water and Sky by Beiming Yanhuo’s kick. Terrified and shaken, her heart refused to calm. She struggled desperately against the vines, her tattered clothes in disarray, collapsing weakly to the ground as she cursed the immortal lord who had “saved” her, stumbling back to the Hall of Blossoms one step at a time.