Chapter 103: The Return of the Sacred God

Mo Mei let out a long, slow breath; she had finally waited for this moment.

"So, what do I need to do now?"

Mo Shi held a formation-engraved stone in his hand. "Just activate the formation."

"This is..."

"The Ancient Great Killing Formation."

Hearing the name, Mo Mei smiled. "I never expected this thing to end up in your hands."

Mo Shi did not reply. He merely tapped the profound iron gate lightly. "But if this gate doesn't open, how am I supposed to get in?"

Mo Mei’s expression shifted. "If it opens, they will be able to come out."

"I’ll be quick; I guarantee they won't be able to escape." Mo Shi’s tone carried a hint of coaxing.

Mo Mei was skeptical, but she had no one else left to trust. Her father was dead, her mother had long since passed, and she was the only one left in this world. She decided to gamble one last time and trust Mo Shi.

"I really don't know what you stand to gain by helping me."

"I simply want to destroy the Mo family. That is my reward..." A bewitching smile appeared on Mo Shi’s handsome face. It was a relaxed smile; he had left the Mo family precisely because he refused to be associated with them. "The Eyes of God"—it sounded grand, but in reality, it was just slavery, a cold-blooded existence dedicated solely to the resurrection of that being.

Hearing Mo Shi’s words, Mo Mei hesitated. "Is this really okay?"

"Okay?" Mo Shi sighed, looking at Mo Mei as if she were a fool. "You’ve already come this far. Do you think you still have the right to ask if things are 'okay' or not?"

"I..."

"I know you have the key to the profound iron gate."

Mo Mei bit her lip, still wavering, but under Mo Shi’s piercing gaze, she eventually produced the key.

"This..."

Mo Shi took the key and inserted it into the gate. As the heavy doors began to groan open, he threw the formation stone into the passageway the moment a crack appeared, then swiftly withdrew the key.

"Clang!" A massive boom echoed from within.

Mo Shi watched the interior with a faint, mocking smile. Suddenly, a figure in red flew out from the darkness. As soon as Yun Feiyue landed, she saw Mo Shi and Mo Mei.

"Who said Little Mumu was..."

Mo Shi stretched lazily. "If I hadn't said that, you wouldn't have been the first to rush out. Those old fools and that so-called Divine Temple must have been destroyed by now. Beautiful sister, let’s go off together and fly away."

Mo Mei’s face darkened. "You... you lied to me! You clearly said you would help me kill Yun Feiyue!"

"Slap!" Mo Shi struck Mo Mei across the face. "I was just tricking you. If I didn't do that, how could I get you to trust me?" He wiped his hand as if it were dirty. "I hate working with stupid people, but for the sake of today, I endured it."

Deafening explosions thundered from the passageway. One by one, people began to escape: Mo Feiyuan, Riying and Yueying, Mo Yu, and the Great, Second, and Fifth Elders. The last to emerge was Luo Yunhuang.

The palace began to collapse, sinking into the ground, and like a row of falling dominoes, the structures crumbled one after another.

"What is happening!" The Great Elder cried out in agony as he watched the palace fall.

Yun Feiyue shook her head helplessly; Mo Shi’s methods were indeed simple and brutal. The Great Elder was covered in wounds, and Luo Yunhuang was in no better shape. Yun Feiyue felt a pang of sorrow just looking at them, let alone considering what Yun Hai might have felt. Fortunately, Yun Hai was not here.

Given their injuries, no one attempted to fight. The destruction of the temple was a devastating blow to the Great Elder. He glared fiercely at Mo Feiyuan. "You will regret doing this."

"Perhaps."

Mo Feiyuan replied curtly before turning to Yun Feiyue. "Are you alright?"

Yun Feiyue nodded. "I’m going back to check on Little Mumu first." Although Mo Shi had been lying, the fact that the little one was not by her side still made her uneasy. She had grown accustomed to his constant presence, and his absence now left her feeling unsettled.

Back at the palace, she found Little Mumu playing a game with Wei Ziyou.

"Little You, follow my lead! You must not move your pieces randomly." Little Mumu was earnestly teaching Wei Ziyou how to play Gomoku. Wei Ziyou was learning with intense focus. Seeing Yun Feiyue return, Little Mumu jumped up and threw himself into her arms.

"Mother, you're back!"

Yun Feiyue stroked his hair. "I am. What are you doing?"

Little Mumu explained with great seriousness, "I’m teaching Little You how to play properly! Little You is such a little dummy; he just can't seem to learn!" He stuck out his tongue in frustration before pointing toward the direction of the catastrophe. "Mother, what happened over there? I heard explosions! Are you hurt?"

Yun Feiyue shook her head. "I'm fine, I'm perfectly fine!" She smiled and pinched his cheek. Seeing that she was indeed unharmed, Little Mumu felt relieved and returned to his game.

However, due to the overlapping of her memories, images of Little Mumu’s death kept flashing through Yun Feiyue’s mind. It was a torture that pierced her heart—being devoured, the Nine Gods, the hatred, and the love. She felt disoriented, unable to tell which was the true reality—the past or the present. So many things were tangled together; events that should have had nothing to do with her were suddenly linked. This realization brought her no joy, only a sense of helplessness. Sometimes, knowing too much left one with no choices.

Should she take Little Mumu away? The Mo family, Mo Feiyuan, the Nine Gods... She rubbed her temples, feeling as if her mind were short-circuiting.

Mo Feiyuan returned. He had changed from his blood-stained clothes into clean, white robes.

"Iceberg Father, why are you back later than Mother?"

Mo Feiyuan signaled for silence, walked over to Yun Feiyue, and gently caressed her face. "What is it? Are you unwell? Did you remember something that caused you pain?"

"Yes," Yun Feiyue whispered, bowing her head. She rarely felt this vulnerable, so overwhelmed that she didn't want to speak. She rubbed her head, tears streaming down her cheeks.

Mo Feiyuan wiped them away tenderly. "Don't be afraid. I am here."

Yun Feiyue buried herself in his arms like a child, her body trembling. Mo Feiyuan had never seen her like this; he hadn't known she possessed such a side. He held her tightly. "I will always be by your side."

"I know. Feiyuan..."

Feiyuan. Yun Feiyue had never called him that before; she usually called him "Husband" or "Iceberg." This name felt like something from a long, long time ago.

"When did you regain your memories? When did you know I was her?"

Mo Feiyuan’s eyes deepened. "I knew... from the beginning. From the moment the soul returned, the moment that soul lamp in the Mo family lit up."

Yun Feiyue looked up. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because you wouldn't have believed me. And regardless of whether you remembered or not, you are my wife. I would never leave you." He gently brushed her cheek, trying to clear away the tears, but they continued to fall uncontrollably.

She remembered. She remembered him dying before her. If this was reincarnation, was the same tragedy destined to repeat? Was Mo Feiyuan going to leave? Was Little Mumu going to be taken away? Was it true that even with all their efforts, they could not seal the Nine Gods again? How could that wretched creature have survived?

"Stop crying, we are all still here."

Little Mumu, confused by his mother’s sudden tears, walked over with a helpless look. "Sigh, women love to cry. Mother, I’m still here! Your smart and adorable Little Mumu is still here!" He blinked, trying to make her smile. "Ahem, look at me! As your most handsome son, please pay attention. Little Mumu is going to sing! It’s that folk song you taught me: 'In all the world, there is no one like Mother!'"

Yun Feiyue couldn't help but laugh, pinching his cheeks. "You little rascal, stop putting on a show!"

Little Mumu sighed. "Mother, I’m not! A son as handsome as me makes the heavens jealous! If you don't love me more and smile more, I’ll cry for you to see."

Yun Feiyue finally smiled properly. That was right—she had a handsome, adorable son and a husband who loved her. Perhaps this was enough. She didn't need to overthink it. Yet, her nature compelled her to ask, "And the Nine Gods?"

Mo Feiyuan pressed his lips together. "He couldn't have died that easily. I will go and handle the ruins."

He was right; he couldn't have died. If he could be killed so easily, he wouldn't have only been sealed away.

A sudden, violent rain began to lash down upon the Mo family estate, as if trying to wash away everything that had transpired. It was a torrential storm that raged for days.

Deep within the rain-drenched ruins, something moved. A naked man slowly stood up from the debris, his eyes bewitching, his expression one of arrogant, wicked madness. The rain washed over his body as he stepped out of the ruins, his long hair covering his vital parts, a sword clutched in his hand.

"He has appeared! He has appeared!" The Great Elder roared in excitement, ignoring the wind, the rain, and his own wounds as he rushed out of the hall. Luo Yunhuang followed anxiously, "Father! No!" But nothing could stop the Great Elder; he walked toward the figure in the rain—the god he had served.

"He has appeared?" The pen in Mo Feiyuan’s hand snapped in two.

In the Murong Palace, a crane landed, dropping a leaf from its beak as it nodded to Murong Chiandai. Murong Chiandai looked up and chuckled. "He has appeared."

At the Zhan Yun Sect, Zhan Yun, who had been in "seclusion," stood up, no longer interested in the beautiful maids by his side. He stroked his white beard and sighed. "He has appeared."

Far away in the Ghost Wasteland, the Ghost Lord Xiamu looked at the black rain falling from the sky and let out a cold laugh. "He has appeared." Beneath him, Gui Ming struggled violently, his body wracked with pain, his soul feeling as if it were being torn away.

"Does it hurt?" Xiamu asked, smiling down at him.

Gui Ming’s face was twisted in agony. "Pain..."

"It’s supposed to hurt. Otherwise, all the effort I put into that Red Lotus Contract would have been for nothing."

"You..." Gui Ming didn't fully understand what was happening, but visions began to flood his mind—scenes from a thousand years ago. They washed over his memory, drowning out everything else. He knew someone was summoning him back. His soul had no choice but to return. As another fragment of the Nine Gods, Gui Ming had to face his fate, even as Xiamu chained him to the wall. "Wait for him to come and find you."

"Seeking your own death," the man in the rain roared, his face full of disdain. For a moment, it seemed as if he were the only one left in the world.

Yun Feiyue’s fingers trembled; her chest ached.

"He has appeared."

Yes, almost simultaneously, the masters of the Golden Spear Continent felt his presence. The Nine Gods had returned, and now, what would he do?

Murong Chiandai leaped onto his crane and flew toward the Mo estate. The Great Elder knelt in the mud, and the members of the Mo family followed suit, prostrating themselves before the god they served.

The Nine Gods looked coldly at the figures bowing before him and chuckled. "I have returned."