As the evening approached, the sun dipped low in the sky.
Li Mo returned to the blacksmith shop, bearing the hopes of the entire village, along with a wild deer that had been scared to d*ath by demons.
In the humble little courtyard, smoke danced gently in the breeze.
“Fairy Sister, do you want something to eat?”
While he handled the deer meat, threading it onto bamboo skewers, he secretly thought.
Maybe after it’s done roasting, he’d send a little over to her. His barbecue skills were legendary! He figured that both blacksmithing and cooking required a good feel for fire. Both were an art in their own right.
If she didn’t like it, then maybe Celestials just didn’t need to eat….
Just as he was lost in thought, Little Li the blacksmith suddenly froze at the mud threshold.
Out of nowhere, Ying Bing had strolled out of the house and settled down on the same threshold beside him.
Her hair rippled in the breeze as she hugged her knees, her clear and bright eyes studying him and smiling, as if she could never get enough of the sight.
Li Mo felt his face heat up, his soul floating away to who-knows-where.
“Shouldn’t you flip that over?”
“Oh, right! Sorry, you’re just too good-looking.” Li Mo hurriedly turned over the deer meat.
“You’re still as silly and immature as ever.”
“Huh?”
Little Li the blacksmith couldn’t quite grasp it, and suddenly felt an arrow pierce his heart.
Before crossing over, he thought he was tough as nails, but now he realized, facing a real beauty, he was a total wuss.
Wait, what was he thinking? The Fairy Sister was probably just having a fleeting interest…
“Would you like to eat?”
“No, I don’t want that,” Ying Bing shook her head.
“You don’t like barbecued meat?” Li Mo felt a bit let down, thinking she didn’t eat mortal food.
“Because you haven’t finished preparing it.”
Ying Bing pulled out some chili peppers, crushed them into powder, and mixed in some other spices.
“Give it a taste.”
“You’re also good at cooking, Fairy Sister? This is delicious!”
Li Mo tentatively tasted a bit, and his eyes lit up—wasn’t this just the flavor from a barbecue joint from his last life?
He had thought of recreating the taste here, but the ingredients were a mess.
Flattered by his praise, Ying Bing instinctively reached for Li Mo’s hand but then bit her lip to hold back and instead grabbed a skewer of roasted meat.
Oily juices glistened on her lips:
“Don’t stare at me like that.”
“Then what should I do?”
“Um… call me sister instead.”
Ying Bing rested her chin on her hand, her gaze shimmering with a bright smile, and she blinked gently, nearly blinding Little Li.
Fairy Sister and the village elder seemed to say different things.
Saving the world a few times, and he gets to marry a lady like this?
“So… Fairy Sister, will you stay in Great King Village forever?”
“As long as you’re here, I will be too.”
Li Mo couldn’t understand why Fairy Sister would say such a thing, but he realized something.
Fate and safety—one couldn’t place their hopes on the fickleness of the Celestials or anything else for that matter.
People had to save themselves; one had to be their own savior.
If Fairy Sister stayed in Great King Village, it would give him a chance to save himself…
“The martial arts technique I used today feels a bit strange. I can use it, but I can’t express it verbally… I wanted to teach it to the other villagers.”
“I can modify it, then it should be fine.”
…..
“I just love this.”
Shang Qin Qing’s eyes sparkled, making odd huffing noises.
A friendly reminder: The top right corner has functions like ‘Switch between Simplified and Traditional’, ‘Adjust font size,’ and ‘Reading background color.’
Qin Yuzhi had also been transformed completely into a fan girl by her; she could hardly wait to use their old tricks to connect their dreams like last time.
Not only do I want to ship, I want to ship ahead of time!
Unfortunately, she couldn’t access the Jiangshan Yizhi Map, so she had to shelve her plans.
In the Imperial Capital, chaos ensued, and countless people looked like dogs that had just been kicked on the street.
“d*mn, I came to see the tense, exciting Celestial Trials, and what is this all about?”
“You lured us in just to k*ll us? I’d rather you just ‘call the sister good’ and get it over with!”
“This is not right! Isn’t the Jiangshan Yizhi Map supposed to make us forget the past? What the hell have we forgotten?!”
“d*mn it, change the channel!”
The scene was utter pandemonium.
But really, the focus had lingered on Li Mo and Ying Bing for far too long; everyone almost forgot.
The trials were for three people, and it seemed one had dropped out from the very beginning…
Jiang Yu was particularly crucial; he was now the only trial participant in the City of Heaven, and without a hitch, he would be the future wielder of the Divine Sword of the Celestials.
Emperor Jingtai also felt it was about time to check what Jiang Yu was up to in the Imperial Capital.
Thus, the light shifted, and the screen returned to the City of Heaven.
At that moment, in the City of Heaven, a meeting was underway.
“Jiang Yu is currently the strongest among the Celestials in our City of Heaven, and he is now faintly sensing the Divine Sword; surely he will succeed in becoming its master.”
A member of the Celestial Race spoke slowly.
Though the Celestials appeared young in their looks and lifespan, they had a timelessness about them and no sense of hierarchy.
The only threats to them in the City of Divine Beings were the dangers outside the walls and the natural disasters of this world.
They only recognized the strong because only the strong could lead them against that which loomed.
With Ying Bing gone, Jiang Yu was their strongest.
“Then from now on, let’s all listen to Jiang Yu and follow his lead!”
The vast majority of the Celestial Race acknowledged Jiang Yu’s status.
A rare few still hoped Ying Bing would return, but for now, they couldn’t really talk about it, so naturally, they wouldn’t oppose Jiang Yu.
“Thank you all for your support; I’ll graciously accept it.”
Jiang Yu sat in the main seat and then asked, “How should we respond to the natural disasters in fifty years?”
The first elder who had responded to him was also incredibly powerful, having been born with a purple auspicious light as the last leader of the Celestial Race.
He stroked his beard and said,
“During the first natural disaster, the demons will be catalyzed by a strange force, as if they’ve become favored children of heaven and earth, greatly enhancing their powers, leading to a surge in their desire to k*ll.”
“They will swarm in hordes, crashing towards the City of Divine Beings.”
“At such times, we’ll go down to the Human City to ambush them, clearing them out and then repairing the outer walls of the Human City.”
“Leader Jiang Yu, during that time, please have the Divine Sword acknowledge you as its master, then we can better control the situation and lose fewer kin in the City of Heaven during the disasters.”
“You should also go through some trials; it would be best to go to the Human City to understand how to combat the demons. By the way, during your training, it’ll also be easier to master the Divine Sword.”
The previous leader of the Celestial Race was practically the perfect NPC.
All the main and side quests had been laid out, ready to be followed.
Jiang Yu heeded his advice.
So, taking the Divine Sword of the Celestials, he set out from the City of Heaven with several powerful Celestials, starting his journey.
In battle after battle, he was worshiped and regarded as a deity by the people of the Human City.
Jiang Yu’s expressions grew shallower, and his smiles became more distant.
After defeating the demons once more, once he and his companions soared into the azure sky, his smile vanished in an instant, and he murmured,
“The Divine Sword seems to absorb the reverence of others, growing stronger…”
“With the Celestials this powerful, the people of the Underground City are merely stronger ants—why not make ourselves the true masters of the City of Divine Beings, winning over the hearts of the other two cities, and establishing a strict order?”
“Then the Celestials will rise even higher, and the natural disasters will pose no threat.”
He turned to the Celestials by his side and asked,
“Can you use the morning light from early dawn to dye me a golden robe?”
