Within the dense mist of The Peaceful Realms, Chou Yuyan’s shadow laughed maniacally, her laughter piercingly sharp.
She eagerly anticipated seeing Li Muyang writhing in torment, consumed by regret.
Yet atop the Green Saber Mantis, Li Muyang merely stared at her coldly and said, “Zhi Wei choosing a mad dog like you as her disciple—what a blindness of judgment.”
“If Zhi Wei were resurrected and saw her disciple turned into this disgraceful state, she’d probably purge her own household on the spot.”
A thousand years of struggling to survive and forsaking all that was alive to become a grotesque dead thing—it had evidently taken a toll on Chou Yuyan as well.
She had become so twisted, so malevolent.
Li Muyang couldn’t believe the Chou Yuyan of the past was like this. If she had truly been of this nature, Little Wild Grass would never have taken her as a disciple.
This Chou Yuyan was less a disciple of Little Wild Grass and more a dead, corrupted thing wrapped in her skin.
She was no different than the monsters of the Outer Heaven Temple who discarded everything to possess another’s body and cling to life—after abandoning all that was alive, they appeared to have survived but were all warped by the void of calamity, becoming sinister and corrupt.
So far, the only one to survive intact without being affected, remaining unchanged in temperament, was Miao Fengjun of the Tianyuan Continent.
But Miao Fengjun had truly died once before being revived.
He was utterly distinct from these monsters who refused to die and relied on all manner of ghostly tricks to sustain themselves.
Li Muyang stared coldly at Chou Yuyan’s shadow within the mist and said, “Since you’re so obsessed with Zhi Wei, let me tell you: Zhi Wei doesn’t want to see you.”
“Did I not tell you before? I’ve already found Zhi Wei’s remains. She didn’t hide herself; she simply doesn’t want to see you.”
“So even if you were to kill the Ghost Moon Fox and take its corpse to The Peaceful Realms, you still wouldn’t find Zhi Wei.”
“In your grotesque and corrupted state, how do you even have the audacity to see Zhi Wei? Zhi Wei certainly does not wish to see you.”
“Moreover, I will resurrect Zhi Wei. Once she’s alive again, I will bring her to you—let her, as your master, personally purge her household and destroy the vile, reeking creature you’ve become!”
“You are no longer Chou Yuyan. The true disciple of Zhi Wei died the day you abandoned all that was alive!”
“What’s left now is merely a monster draped in Chou Yuyan’s skin, clinging to her memories and fixations!”
Li Muyang, rather than being provoked by Chou Yuyan’s demented laughter, let out a cold laugh in return, mocking and threatening without mercy.
When it came to verbal sparring, Li Muyang rarely lost.
Playing the game of heart annihilation? Who couldn’t do that?
Li Muyang’s cold sarcasm and mockery struck right at the sensitive heart of this deranged woman before him.
Sure enough, upon hearing Li Muyang’s mockery, the shadow within the mist stopped laughing.
The shadow lowered its head, emanating a rising rage of ominous hostility.
Even through the mist, her frenzied hatred could be felt.
“Damn you, Jiang Xiaoyu!”
After a few moments of silence, Chou Yuyan’s furious roar resounded from the mist.
The monster had finally broken down.
She screamed in rage, “I will tear you apart! You’re spouting nonsense! Master would never avoid me!”
“I’ve always been searching for her! I’ve never abandoned her! I’m nothing like a selfish scum like you!”
“I am my master’s only disciple! I am her pride! Master would never hide from me!”
“You selfish scum, you’ll never erase everything I’ve fought for!”
“You selfishly abandoned Master and ran away, but I didn’t!”
“I’ve never forsaken my master! For ten thousand years! I’ve searched for her for ten thousand years!”
The deranged Chou Yuyan howled in madness.
Her sheer frenzy was so potent that if her entity had been present in The Peaceful Realms, she would have long since charged at Li Muyang to fight to the death.
But faced with Chou Yuyan’s crazed screams, Li Muyang this time gave no reply.
All he offered was a simple cold laugh, followed by a dismissive shake of his head, utterly disdainful.
That contemptuous chuckle, in this moment, was more piercing and cruel than ten thousand cutting words.
The shadow within the mist finally snapped, roaring in fury as it charged out.
“I’ll kill you!”
As the shadow emerged from the mist, Li Muyang broke into a cold laugh and immediately unleashed the Destruction Wheel in a sweeping motion.
In an instant, Chou Yuyan’s shadow was obliterated, its shrieks of agony echoing as it vanished.
As long as the madwoman’s true soul had not descended and her shadow was merely an illusionary fragment, Li Muyang didn’t even need to use the Red Evil Bell—the Destruction Wheel designed specifically to annihilate undead could easily dispatch her.
After slaying the deranged woman in both words and spirit, Li Muyang’s consciousness returned to his mortal body.
He opened his eyes to see Li Yuechan staring at him with deep concern.
“Brother? Did something happen?” Li Yuechan’s gaze brimmed with worry.
The sudden departure of her brother left her convinced he had encountered danger near his true body.
Faced with Li Yuechan’s concern, Li Muyang let out a sigh and motioned with his hand, summoning the talisman Chou Yuyan had given him.
“This talisman can be used to find Yan Xiaoru. That madwoman Chou Yuyan said Yan Xiaoru’s time is running out—she might not even hold on long enough for us to reach her.”
Li Muyang slowly laid out the current situation: “But over in Jiuyuan City, Chou Yuyan intends to kill the Ghost Moon Fox. We must go to save it.”
Li Muyang had already been on a taxing journey for some time now, but it appeared he still couldn’t rest.
He explained the matter in detail.
Upon hearing his account, Li Yuechan’s expression shifted slightly.
But before Li Yuechan could speak, Li Muyang resolutely stated, “We’re heading straight to Jiuyuan City—we must stop that madwoman Chou Yuyan and save your mother.”
The Ghost Moon Fox was a crucial source of power. While it had remained neutral until now, confined to the outskirts of Jiuyuan City and refusing to step beyond its self-imposed boundaries, rescuing a True Immortal-level spirit from the Netherworld could offer immense advantages—at least as a reliable foothold.
But as Li Muyang finished speaking, Li Yuechan grew visibly uneasy: “But Brother, if we go to Jiuyuan City, Elder Yan will…”
A choice between two lives—how impossibly difficult!
Li Yuechan knew her brother well. Though he acted cold toward everyone, he was deeply sentimental inside. If he abandoned Yan Xiaoru today, her brother would regret it for the rest of his life!
Not to mention that Elder Yan’s current plight largely stemmed from her brother’s disappearance—her despair and loss of direction had ultimately driven her to such extremes.
Li Yuechan wanted to persuade her brother to go to Elder Yan, to at least see her one last time.
But Li Muyang calmly shook his head, saying, “It’s pointless. Even if I go to her, I cannot save her—I can only meet her, which will change nothing.”
“But going to Jiuyuan City, we can save your mother. Her presence is crucial to us, a vital support for you!”