“What are you in such a hurry for?” Ye Zichen couldn’t help but ask. She’d practically dragged him away without so much as a discussion.
Xue Mo said nothing. She simply looked at Ye Zichen. He could see the urgency in her eyes.
“Alright, let’s go now.” In the face of her desperation, he sighed and nodded.
After leaving the academy, they went straight to Skyspan City. With their flying ship, it only took four hours. Then, once they’d entered a barren landscape without so much as a village in sight, Xue Mo landed the vessel.
“You’re certain you can take me to see Emperor Hades?” As soon as the boat landed, Xue Mo looked at him intently.
“I can definitely take you to his palace, but I can’t promise that you’ll get an audience.” Based on his relationship with Su Yiyun, getting to the palace wouldn’t be difficult at all. However, he had no particular relationship with Emperor Hades himself. Even with Su Yiyun’s help, he dared not promise Xue Mo a direct audience with the emperor.
“If you can take me to his residence, that’ll be enough,” said Xue Mo earnestly.
They set off into the wilderness, and before long, Ye Zichen saw a woman standing up ahead.
Zhao Qianhe.
“Big Sister Qianhe.” Xiao Mo dashed up to her.
“You’re descending to the Lower Lands with him?” When she saw Ye Zichen, Zhao Qianhe’s expression shifted somewhat.
Ye Zichen didn’t quite know how he’d offended this mighty ruler.
Even though she didn’t seem to like him, as a junior, he still greeted her politely. “Senior.”
Zhao Qianhe sent a searching gaze his way.
Those sharp, bright eyes seemed intent on staring right through him and into his heart.
After a few breaths of time, she looked away, and a cold voice transmitted directly into Ye Zichen’s sea of consciousness. “Young man, you should know that I wanted to kill you, it would be as easy as crushing an ant.”
As the transmission entered his mind, Ye Zichen felt a stabbing pain.
His eyes blazed with fury as he turned and glared at Zhao Qianhe, then said directly, “Senior, what do you mean by this?”
“Ye Zichen, Big Sister Qianhe, you two…”
There was no way for Xue Mo to know what was going on between them, so she looked at them in befuddlement. Zhao Qianhe hadn’t anticipated Ye Zichen talking to her like that.
She arched her brows, then, without hiding her words at all, said, “I already warned you. Now you want to take Little Mo off the Divine Mountain? Just what are you planning?”
“Senior, you must have some kind of persecution complex. Or perhaps, you think too highly of yourself?” Ye Zichen laughed inexplicably, then continued, “Xue Mo wants to resurrect a member of our student society, so I offered to take her to Emperor Hades’ secondary palace. What’s so inappropriate about that?”
“Big Sister Qianhe, I’m the one who asked Ye Zichen to accompany me,” added Xue Mo.
“Emperor Hades’ secondary palace? Do you know what type of place that is? You think you alone…. Are enough to gain admission?” Zhao Qianhe narrowed her eyes. “Even if you were a ruler, you couldn’t get in so easily. You say you’re taking Little Mo to his palace? The way I see it, you must be using that as a ruse to lure her away for some wicked scheme!”
Ye Zichen clenched his fists. He hated this type of self-righteous person more than anything.
“Do you have nothing to say for yourself?” Zhao Qianhe snorted.
“Fine, you’re right! I’m up to no good!” Ye Zichen couldn’t be bothered to argue with her, so he decided to just admit it. He nodded, then chuckled. “Xue Mo, since your big sister doesn’t seem to trust me, let’s just call this whole thing off. I’d just as soon save myself the trouble of dealing with her suspicion. Ta ta for now.”
“Don’t go!” Xue Mo felt trapped between a rock and a hard place. She had to prevent Ye Zichen from leaving, but she also had to explain the situation to Zhao Qianhe.
Surprisingly, Ye Zichen’s response actually reduced Zhao Qianhe’s suspicion somewhat.
She glanced meaningfully at him, waved her hand, and summoned a pitch-black wormhole. “This is your path to the Lower Lands.”
Ye Zichen glanced at her. Just now, she’d acted like she didn’t trust him, and now she was setting up the wormhole?
As expected, there was no way for an ordinary man to understand a woman’s way of thinking.
Next, Zhao Qianhe took out a jade slip and placed it into Xue Mo’s hands. Then, right to Ye Zichen’s face, she said, “Take this jade slip. If you run into any unexpected danger at all, crush it, and I’ll arrive immediately.” As she spoke, she glanced meaningfully at Ye Zichen. Obviously, she thought he would be the source of said “unexpected danger.”
Ye Zichen simply ignored her. He had nothing to be ashamed of; why defend himself?
“Big Sister Qianhe, Ye Zichen isn’t that kind of guy.” Xue Mo decided to stick up for him.
“You have no idea if he is or isn’t. Little Mo, you’re still young. Don’t think everyone is as kind as they look.” Zhao Qianhe patted her on the shoulder, then gestured at the wormhole. “Alright, head on down. But don’t stay down there for too long. Your dad says the God Realm isn’t particularly peaceful of late, and the Lower Lands are even more chaotic. Whatever you do, be careful.”
“I know.” Xue Mo smiled sweetly.
“You… Hurry up and lead Little Mo to Emperor Hades’ seasonal palace.” Zhao Qianhe’s attitude did a complete one-eighty in a matter of seconds. “Don’t even consider any funny business. Remember, I’m a ruler….” With that, her awe-inspiring aura flew right towards Ye Zichen.
He smirked. There was no point even arguing with someone like this.
He bitterly stepped forth and walked into the Wormhole. After another warning from Zhao Qianhe, Xue Mo followed him inside.
Once they’d both disappeared from view, Zhao Qianhe furrowed her brows in thought.
“Why does that kid look so much like the new Lord of Seven Stars….?” As soon as the thought popped into her head, she sneered. “I’m overthinking things.”
Perhaps out of consideration for Xue Mo, this wormhole’s construction was more stable than usual, with no signs of damage inside.
When they stepped out of the wormhole, they’d arrived right by the banks of the River Styx.
“So these are the Lower Lands!” Xue Mo looked around curiously. She was born on the Divine Mountains, and this was her first time descending.
Her gaze landed on the river, and she couldn’t help but say, “Then this must be the River Styx.”
“That’s right.” Ye Zichen smiled and nodded. Then, suddenly, he froze.
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