Chapter 357

Chapter 357: Past Events

The Demon God was about to ask more when the person on the bed stirred. Though still unconscious, her Presence briefly turned chaotic. Her brows furrowed as if trapped in a nightmare, sweat beading on her forehead while faint whimpers escaped her lips.

“Ling… Sister Ling.”

Sister Ling? The Nether King froze.

Yuan Qi turned first, channeling energy toward her while responding urgently, “You You, don’t fear. I’m here—Sister Ling is here!”

Whether she heard him or not, You You’s chaotic Presence gradually steadied.

“Ling? You’re little Xuan Ling?!” The Nether King’s eyes widened. After a moment, he muttered, “No wonder Xuan Ling possessed such power… She was your clone, bearing half your strength!”

He’d met both Yuan Qi and Xuan Ling long ago, never suspecting they were the same.

“Half?!” The Demon God snorted. “He poured ninety percent of his power into that clone!” That’s why he’d lost their battle—he’d assumed the clone held only half of Yuan Qi’s might.

The Nether King felt bitter realization. “You hid this even from me? I aided Xuan Ling countless times! What truly happened back then?”

Yuan Qi dabbed You You’s forehead with a silk cloth before answering. “During the Divine Clan’s calamity, chaos consumed the Three Realms. Bound by Heavenly Dao’s laws, I couldn’t intervene directly. But foreseeing the Realm Master’s descent, I split off ninety percent of my power to create Xuan Ling, sending her to the lower realm to find the Realm Master.”

His divinations never erred. While others remained oblivious, he’d located You You—the destined Realm Master.

The world then had seemed beyond saving. Yuan Qi believed the Calamity of the World would run its course: destruction followed by Reincarnation. A natural cycle.

“But she refused.” Yuan Qi’s gaze softened as he watched You You. “She declared, ‘The women of this realm have suffered enough. As Realm Master, if I abandon them, who will protect them?’”

So she founded a sect, sheltering women while battling corrupt sects. She sought to awaken her power and drag the world back from ruin.

“Yet this realm proved unworthy!” Yuan Qi’s voice turned razor-edged, crimson hues bleeding into his Pure white light. “While she struggled to save them, they destroyed her sect during Xuan Ling’s absence—slaughtering her followers and wounding her.”

“Yuan Qi…” The Nether King recoiled at his fury, shocked to learn the sect had been You You’s doing.

After steadying himself, Yuan Qi asked coldly, “Know why celestial maidens exist?”

“…Why?”

“They’re You You’s final gift—bestowed as she fled this realm, gravely injured. Having failed to protect women, she granted them power to protect themselves. The Realm Master willed it, thus they came to be.”

Understanding dawned. This explained Xuan Ling’s later purge of the Divine Realm—preempting a doomed world’s self-destruction.

“The Long Clan betrayed all realms!” Yuan Qi’s glare pierced the Demon God. “Yet you harbored them in the Demon Realm, hindering my hunt!”

The Demon God flinched. “How was I to know? You never explained!”

“Would you have believed me?”

Silence answered. No—he wouldn’t have.

Yuan Qi turned back to You You. Placing a hand over his chest, he summoned a radiant white light. A translucent crystal emerged—smaller than the one You You once retrieved, but pulsing with similar power.

“What’re you doing?!” the Demon God demanded as Yuan Qi moved the crystal toward You You.

“Awakening her fully.” Yuan Qi placed it on her chest. “She needs half the power from each of us. Yours and the Nether King’s Yin volume energy are already within her. Now, mine joins them.”

He’d initially left ninety percent of his power in that earlier crystal—too much for her to merge with. Before he could adjust, the Demon God’s untimely awakening forced his hand.

White light streamed into You You. Her breathing eased, golden light glowing beneath her skin. Within moments, her eyes flew open. She bolted upright, shouting:

“No fighting!”

Yuan Qi: “…”

Demon God: “…”

Nether King: “…”