196. A Transaction

Everyone's eyes widened—even Zhen Li Si.

Even she hadn't known the Goddess was present in this chamber.

A new question burned in her mind.

Why had the Goddess not protected her from the Nine-Tailed Fox Demon?

For a moment, silence stretched across the room.

Doubt flickered in the eyes of Wu Ziki and Ming Hao. Had Demon Lord Li Wen been mistaken?

But then—

A golden light pulsed from within Zhen Li Si.

The radiance gathered and shifted, forming into the ethereal figure of a woman.

Her face was partially veiled, concealing all but her piercing blue eyes. Her sky-blue hair cascaded down her back like flowing water, and beneath her translucent skin, golden blood coursed through her veins, glowing faintly.

The moment she appeared, Wu Ziki and Ming Hao instinctively stepped back and bowed.

But the Goddess of the Lake—Shén Hú—did not even spare them a glance.

For them, this was a blessing.

They prayed the Goddess would forget their existence entirely.

A soft golden aura radiated outward from her, wrapping around Zhen Li Si.

Before their eyes, her wounds vanished, her body restored as if she had never been harmed.

Zhen Li Si rose to her feet, her gaze sharp as she faced Li Wen.

"Li Wen, did you not flee to the Ancient Mountain Range?"

But Li Wen did not even blink at her.

Li Wen's attention was locked solely on Shén Hú.

Their eyes met, yet no words were spoken.

They spoke in silence—through their spirits.

Zhen Li Si, noticing the strange stillness between them, frowned.

For a brief moment, it was as if the entire room had fallen away, leaving only the Demon Lord and the Goddess in an unspoken exchange.

A sense of unease crept into Zhen Li Si's heart.

Hesitantly, she reached out and whispered, "Goddess?"

She extended a hand toward Shén Hú's arm—

"Idiot!" Pian Ran's sharp voice snapped through the chamber.

Seated regally upon her throne, she scowled.

"Do you not see? The Goddess and the Demon Lord are speaking with their minds!"

The revelation stunned Zhen Li Si and the two demon hunters.

They exchanged bewildered glances.

Mind communication?

Impossible.

Ming Hao murmured to Wu Ziki, "Why is this so different from what I imagined? I thought gods and demons fought the moment they saw each other."

Wu Ziki nodded in agreement.

Even Zhen Li Si couldn't deny the doubt creeping into her mind.

As a Divine Warrior, she had been taught from childhood that gods and demons were eternal enemies. Every encounter between them was a battle of life and death—

But what she was seeing now… was entirely different.

A peal of laughter rang through the chamber.

Pian Ran, lounging on her throne, was laughing.

Zhen Li Si's brows furrowed. "What's so funny?"

Pian Ran smirked. "You three are so ignorant—blindly believing the lies of the Divine Realm."

Zhen Li Si's voice turned sharp. "Are you saying the Divine Realm is wrong? I fought in the last war between demons and gods!"

I only fought for two days before being gravely injured… But I was there.

Wu Ziki added, "I've heard of the war as well."

Pian Ran arched an elegant brow. "Then tell me—did any Great Demon or High Divine Creature kill each other?"

Zhen Li Si hesitated.

Her mind raced, recalling the battlefields of the Divine-Demon War.

She had seen Great Demons and High Divine Beings clash—

But now that she thought about it…

They had exchanged only two or three moves before shifting their focus to the lower-ranked demons and divine creatures instead.

They never truly injured each other.

They were not fighting for their lives.

They were playing a game.

Her eyes widened in realization.

Pian Ran smirked, watching the shock settle over Zhen Li Si's face.

"Now, you understand."

Her voice was low, almost mocking.

"Gods and demons are merely two sides of the same coin."

She leaned forward slightly, her silver eyes glinting.

"Gods control the 'positive' laws—what humans perceive as good. Demons control the opposite."

Before Pian Ran could reveal more,

Shén Hú finally spoke.

Her voice was soft, yet absolute.

"Li Si, let's go."

A golden light surrounded them both, consuming their figures.

And in the next instant—

They vanished.

Wu Ziki and Ming Hao exchanged uneasy glances.

Then Wu Ziki muttered, "We should go."

Without waiting for a reply, they took a cautious step backward, inching toward the exit.

They wanted nothing more than to slip away quietly—away from Li Wen.

But just as they were about to leave—

"Did you two forget why you came to see me?"

Pian Ran's voice rang through the chamber, stopping them in their tracks.

Ming Hao swallowed hard before turning back. "Lady Pian Ran… can I have some of your hair?"

She raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

Ming Hao hesitated for a moment, then explained, "Three Divine Warriors are in the guard team of the Seventh Prince and Sixteen Princess. Your hair can help hide our energy."

Pian Ran studied them, then asked, "Do you know why they've come?"

Wu Ziki spoke this time. "They're after the Bitter White Lotus from the Ancient Mountain Range."

Her silver eyes narrowed. "And why do they need it?"

Wu Ziki shook his head. "I don't know their exact reason. But the Bitter White Lotus is rare—it purifies the miasma around it and is used as an antidote for many poisons."

Pian Ran nodded in understanding.

Without another word, she reached up, grasped a few strands of her long, silver hair, and broke them off. The shimmering strands pulsed with faint energy as she handed them over.

As Wu Ziki and Ming Hao took the hair, Pian Ran turned toward Li Wen—

Only to find him gone.

A Silent Retreat

Far from the city, Li Wen reappeared at the bank of the Ancient Mountain Range.

The air was thick with miasma, curling around him in tendrils.

This place was perfect.

A place where no one would disturb him.

He had come here to retreat—to be alone.

Yet, even as he stood there, staring into the endless expanse of mist and shadow, his connection to Pian Ran remained.

He had left a mark on her.

If she were in danger—he would know.

As Li Wen wandered deeper into the Ancient Mountain Range, his sharp eyes scanned the mist-covered landscape, searching for a place to retreat.

Yet, his mind lingered on the silent conversation he had shared with Shén Hú.

Something about their encounter unsettled him.

His arrival in Moon City had felt orchestrated, as if unseen hands had guided his every step.

At first, his suspicions had centered on Shén hú.

It was she who had arranged the wedding venue—a seemingly perfect choice: the White Rose Garden Palace in Taigong City.

Yet, upon closer thought, the choice was… too perfect.

The palace was reserved for the royal family when they visited Taigong City. Aside from the royals, only the gods themselves had the authority to use it.

And its location?

Suspicious.

To the east, the Temple of the Goddess of the Lake.

To the west, the inner region of the Wei Dynasty, crawling with imperial guards.

That left only one escape route—south.

And where did that path ultimately lead?

Here.

To the Ancient Mountain Range.

Li Wen's eyes darkened.

Had someone planned this from the start?

His footsteps slowed as the realization settled within him.

If this was all a scheme, then the true mastermind…

Was still waiting for him.

Li Wen's suspicions had been confirmed the moment he confronted Shén Hú.

"Was it your hand behind my identity being exposed—just hours before the wedding ceremony was complete?"

Her answer? Yes.

The revelation sent a cold wave through him, but at the same time, it made everything fall into place.

Their plan had been simple:

Once he was forced into hiding in the Ancient Mountain Range, months would pass, and then—Pian Ran would be attacked by a high-level Divine Creature.

A trap.

One designed not for her—but for him.

Since Pian Ran was a demon, they expected him to step in and aid her.

And by doing so, he would be helping their cause.

The Goddess of the Lake and her allies did not want a high-level Divine Creature to advance to the Realm of the God Lord.

They did not want the Sun God King lineage to grow even stronger.

But they had made one miscalculation.

Before they had the chance to persuade him—he had already joined forces with Pian Ran.

Now, knowing that Shén Hú was the reason behind his exposure and that he was unintentionally aiding her faction, he decided to flip the game in his favor.

"Since you've used me, you owe me."

He threatened her.

If she did not compensate him, he would inform the Sun God lineage of why their plan had failed and how he got involved—and that she was responsible.

She had no choice.

A deal was struck.

In exchange for his silence, she agreed to pay him 1,000 kg of Blood Iron—a neutral spiritual metal of immense value.

A small price to keep her secrets buried.

Li Wen accepted the compensation without hesitation—not for wealth, but because he needed a weapon.

His Law of Plague was a deadly force, but against opponents of the same realm, its effects took time to fully manifest.

Time he didn't always have. Because in that time he may be defeated.

A sword would allow him to unleash his true strength in direct combat.

Ideally, he would forge it from Demon Iron, a material vastly superior to his needs. But that required returning to the Demon Realm—something he was not willing to do.

For now, Blood Iron would suffice.

As a neutral spiritual metal, it would serve as a temporary vessel, one he could later reforge with Demon Iron—making the weapon even stronger.

The Path of Plague and Fire

His thoughts broke as he suddenly came across a small hill, its peak marked by a solitary stone slab.

Without hesitation, he leaped up and seated himself upon it.

The first light of dawn crept over the horizon.

He closed his eyes.

And began to comprehend the Law of Plague once more.

This time, however, he wasn't trying to deepen his understanding—he was focusing on its application.

He was creating spells.

As the Demon Lord of Plague, most of his attack methods were elemental—useful for crushing weaker opponents but insufficient against foes of equal power.

If he wanted to stand at the apex, he needed spells that directly wielded the Law of Plague.

He started with fire.

A fusion of Plague and Flame—a spell born of destruction and decay.

But there was a problem.

He did not understand the Law of Fire in this world—and he might never be able to.

Before he fully mastered the Law of Plague, comprehending other laws was impossible.

Even more so for conflicting laws like Fire.

This was a fundamental disadvantage of being a Source Demon—born directly attuned to one law.

Until a Source Demon fully grasped their innate law, they were forbidden from comprehending any other.

But that didn't mean he couldn't use fire.

He could form flames with Demon Energy.

All he needed to do was infuse them with the Law of Plague—increasing their lethality tenfold.

And so, as the morning sun bathed the land in its golden light, Li Wen began to weave the law of plague and fire into something…