Chapter 104 – The Little Snow Ferret No Longer Ran Away (05)
It is a virtue to have self-awareness. Clearly, Immortal Lord Hanyue lacked such a thing.
With a wretched howl, Hanyue tumbled into a desolate wasteland. By the time he managed to haul himself up, bracing against a mound of dirt, his robes were wrinkled and covered in layer upon layer of dust, making him look as if he had just crawled out of a mud pit. He hastily cast a cleansing spell on himself, but before he could even take two breaths, his body was once again shrouded in grime, turning him into a living dust statue.
Hanyue: “……”
What the hell is this place?
He cursed inwardly but dared not open his mouth, fearing that if he did, he would choke on a mouthful of sand.
The violent wind had hurled him all the way to the Southern Edge of the Sky, a barren land where endless yellow sands stretched in every direction. More importantly, this place was where the previous Northern Emperor had sealed the weapons of the Four Great Ancient Demons, allowing time and the elements to erode their lingering powers.
Hanyue had always thought of ancient history as irrelevant, something long buried in the past. Ever since his ascension, he had never bothered to learn about it. So naturally, he had no idea where he was. He simply kept casting spells to rid himself of the clinging sand, utterly oblivious to the unique properties of this place.
This area had been specifically chosen as a Sealed Blade Ground for a reason. The more one struggled, the more frequently they used magic, the faster their energy would deplete—and the slower it would recover. The drain far outpaced any chance of replenishment.
The Southern Edge of the Sky wasn’t a restricted area per se, but no deity, demon, spirit, or ghost in their right mind would willingly come here. It wasn’t just because of the desolation—those who sought the legendary demonic swords buried beneath the sands often failed to return. Even those fortunate enough to survive left with grievous losses, taking centuries to recover.
By the time Hanyue realized his spiritual power was nearly drained, it was already too late. He had no choice but to stop casting his cleansing spell and attempt to divine the correct direction to escape.
First attempt—no reaction.
Second attempt—flung off-course.
Third attempt—plummeting straight down.
His disrupted sense of orientation sent him crashing from midair, with no buffer to soften the fall. Fortunately, the thick dunes below cushioned his landing, sparing him from any serious injuries.
If he had been a little smarter, if he had taken the time to assess the situation before acting recklessly, he might not have known what Southern Edge of the Sky was—but at the very least, he would have realized that something was wrong. Then, he could have searched for an alternative way out.
There was a method to leave safely.
But it all depended on whether the person trapped had the composure to think things through.
Once again, the same truth remained: A brain is a valuable thing.
Too bad Immortal Lord Hanyue didn’t have one.
The brainless Immortal Lord Hanyue wandered aimlessly through the Southern Edge of the Sky—and by sheer dumb luck, he actually stumbled upon something. This only served to confirm Bai Mo’s previous sarcastic remark about him: He has little real ability and relies entirely on luck to get by.
The more wretched Hanyue became, the more he seethed at the unfairness of fate. As he cursed the Northern Emperor and the World Tree, the darkness in his heart grew unchecked. Unlike others who, when faced with despair, simply wanted to survive and escape, Hanyue’s overwhelming thirst for vengeance unknowingly drew the attention of a long-forgotten demonic sword, whose last lingering trace of dark energy was still barely clinging to existence.
In this vast, disorienting wasteland—where countless others had lost their way—Hanyue had somehow stumbled upon the ancient Sealed Blade Ground.
There, half-buried in a pit of sand, was a rusted iron sword. It was bound tightly in dozens of chains, wreathed in faint wisps of black mist that the wind carried away bit by bit. Upon closer inspection, the blade was riddled with small notches and cracks—testaments to its once-glorious battles.
Even if he had never wielded a sword before, Hanyue could recognize one when he saw it. He might not have understood why this sword was here, but he knew one thing for certain: This was a demonic blade.
A powerful one.
If he could refine it, forge it into his own weapon, and control its dark energy—then wouldn’t he…?
At this thought, a burning desire flared in Hanyue’s heart. The sword, sensing his greed, unleashed its full power to tempt him forward.
The moment his palm touched the hilt, tendrils of dark energy slithered up his arm, coiling around his body before burrowing deep into his heart. Reality shattered in a haze of pain as he let out a strangled scream, his mind twisting under the sword’s influence. In mere moments, the black mist completely engulfed him, seeping into his spiritual veins and claiming his body as its own.
When the dark energy finally dispersed, Hanyue lay unconscious in the sand, his figure slowly being buried beneath the endless, drifting dunes.
…
After discussing their next course of action, the Northern Emperor and Jianmu had barely finished when the restless little snow ferret tugged at Jianmu’s sleeve, eager to go out and play. Watching the lively youth, the Northern Emperor was reminded of the two equally energetic little squirrels back home. With a smile, he warmly invited the pair to Northern Forest.
“Come, come! There are plenty of spirit flowers and herbs in the Northern Forest, along with many small creatures. I can also introduce you to the Primordial Deity,” he said.
The Primordial Deity, known as Qiu’er, had been given sentience by the Northern Emperor himself. Long ago, before the emperor descended to the mortal realm to undergo his tribulations, he had left Qiu’er to protect a certain small squirrel named Bai Tang. Time had passed, and the once-single little squirrel had long since been carried back home by the emperor to become his Consort.
Now, the two even had a child—Little Squirrel Lili, the adorable result of their love.
“Really?! That sounds great!” Bai Mo’s eyes sparkled with excitement.
Upon hearing that Bai Tang was not only married but also had a child, all lingering traces of rivalry in Bai Mo’s heart vanished instantly. He gave a satisfied nod and beamed.
“Northern Emperor, you have excellent taste. Your Consort made the right choice.”
As long as someone wasn’t a romantic rival, Bai Mo had no hesitation in showering them with praise.
“Of course! Tang Tang has always had excellent taste. And my own judgment isn’t bad either—once I set my mind to something, returning to the Upper Realm is just a matter of time.”
Xiao Bobao was quite proud that its chosen host was the Young Lord of the Netherworld. Among the many capable systems in the networking channels, no matter how outstanding their hosts were, they were at most just powerful mortals. In comparison, Xiao Bobao clearly had the superior host.
For Jianmu, anything Bai Mo wanted to do was never a problem.
Seeing the little snow ferret brimming with joy, Jianmu immediately accepted the Northern Emperor’s invitation. He planned to visit another day, bearing gifts, and at the same time, check on the situation beneath the great rift in the Northern Region.
“Brother Jianmu, you’re the best~”
After the Northern Emperor left, Bai Mo transformed back into his little snow mink form and leaped onto Jianmu’s shoulder.
“Hurry, hurry! I found an amazing place—I’ll take you to see it!”
Due to Bai Mo’s unique situation, cultivation held little meaning for him until he regained his true form. Thus, Jianmu never forced him to train excessively and simply let him roam as he pleased. To ensure the little ferret wouldn’t get lost, he had placed a tracking spell on him, so no matter where Bai Mo went, Jianmu could always find him.
“You don’t need to worry! I have an all-knowing map, so I’ll always bring Mo Mo back safely!” Xiao Bobao waved a bamboo stick triumphantly.
Although she was merely a panda spirit, and her power wasn’t anything extraordinary, her background was nothing to scoff at—after all, she came from Northern Forest. The reputation of that place was well-known across all six realms, and few would dare to cause trouble for her. Besides, if she ever needed help, she could always contact Qiu’er. And if Qiu’er knew something, then the Consort would certainly hear about it. Once the Consort was informed, it wouldn’t be long before the Northern Emperor found out as well.
She, too, had powerful backing—she was no ordinary little panda spirit.
“With you by Mo Mo’s side, I feel even more at ease,” Jianmu said with a smile.
After all, she had endured hardships alongside the little snow ferret, never abandoning or betraying him in times of peril. Thanks to her, Bai Mo had made it through safely. Jianmu was truly grateful to her.
…
The weather was perfect—clear skies and a gentle breeze, an ideal day for an outing.
Bai Mo and Jianmu set off hand in hand to visit Northern Forest.
True to its reputation as a haven for spiritual creatures, the forest was teeming with life. As the little snow ferret padded along the winding paths, small animals frequently darted out from the underbrush. Some spirit creatures, sensing the arrival of guests, even came out to observe them.
Since the Consort of the Northern Emperor didn’t impose many restrictions on them, the creatures of Northern Forest were far bolder than most. This explained why Xiao Bobao had the audacity to charge recklessly into the Three Thousand Lower Worlds in the first place.
“They look beautiful.”
“Of course! I heard that’s the legendary World Tree who just returned.”
“Wow, that’s amazing! Last time the Western Fallen Angels came to Northern Forest, I was so scared I hid underground!”
“If not for Lord World Tree, that war wouldn’t have ended so quickly…”
The little spirit creatures weren’t familiar with the Netherworld, but they still remembered the Fallen Angel War vividly. Their admiration for the World Tree, who had sacrificed itself to sever the Western Demon Army’s path of attack, was immense. If it had been them, they wouldn’t have had the courage to do the same.
Bai Mo had been listening to their praises about Jianmu the entire way, and the more he heard, the prouder he became. His small, snow-white face beamed with delight, and his tiny chest puffed up with pride. Of course! His Brother Jianmu was the strongest and the best.
The little snow ferret’s eyes twinkled mischievously as he formed a plan. Once Jianmu started exchanging pleasantries with the Northern Emperor, he would transform back into his snow ferret form and sneak into the group of little spirit creatures. That way, he could hear even more stories about Brother Jianmu.
Bai Mo knew about the Fallen Angel War—after all, he had experienced it firsthand. However, he still didn’t understand what had triggered it in the first place. That meant it was time to call in their all-knowing commentator, Xiao Bobao!
“This is a very, very, very long story…”
After a moment of thought, Xiao Bobao decided to start from the beginning.
Everything had begun when the Netherworld, once sealed away, suddenly fell into chaos. The Four Great Demon Beasts attempted to escape, launching a surprise attack on the Northern Emperor Immortal Lord, who had come to reinforce the seal.
At that moment, a little squirrel sacrificed itself to take a fatal blow for the Northern Emperor. Its three souls and seven spirits were shattered. In its final moments, the Northern Emperor, desperate to save the little squirrel, sent it to the Lower Realm, awakening the spirit of Qiu’er—the Xiao Bobao’s divine master—and placing her by the squirrel’s side to protect him.
However, the cost of reinforcing the seal was the Northern Emperor’s own fall. He, too, descended to the Lower Realm to undergo reincarnation.
Fate led the Northern Emperor and the little squirrel to meet once again. Meanwhile, certain corrupt forces within the Divine Realm saw an opportunity in the Emperor’s absence and sought to unite the Six Realms under their rule. Their first target? The Demon Realm.
Thus, war broke out.
Even the Demon Realm’s Demon Lord was forced to descend to the Lower Realm.
At the same time, the last surviving Cat Fox of the Beast Clan, deeply in love with the Demon Lord, stole the Mortal Dust Mirror and fled to the mortal world. After enduring countless hardships, she finally brought the Demon Lord back.
“So, what does this have to do with the Fallen Angels?” Bai Mo asked.
Xiao Bobao had explained everything very clearly, yet Bai Mo still couldn’t grasp the main point.
Feeling parched from all the talking, Xiao Bobao took a sip of water before continuing:
“Of course, it’s related! When the Demon Lord returned, he wanted to settle accounts with the Divine Realm. But that rotten tumor in the Divine Realm pushed all the blame onto Little Misfortune God, forcing him to suffer in his place. They thought Little Misfortune God would never return, but the Empress found a way to bring him back.”
“While Little Misfortune God was away, he found his true love—one of the Western Fallen Angels. Now imagine this—his wife comes back home only to face the same old bullying. Who would tolerate that? Of course, they started a war!”
Xiao Bobao spread her hands. “And guess what? That rotten tumor—Old Lord—is now being crushed under the Netherworld by the Northern Emperor, suffering every single day. Serves him right!”
This entire incident teaches a valuable lesson: “What goes around, comes around. Never bully others for no reason—you’ll get your karma sooner or later.”
Xiao Bobao thought Bai Mo would join her in cursing Old Lord with righteous indignation.
But to her surprise, after hearing the entire sequence of events, the little snow mink suddenly fell silent.
Going back in time…
The sudden chaos in the Netherworld had been caused not only by the Four Great Demon Beasts trying to break free but also by something else—the Elders had briefly opened the barrier to send him out.
And once the barrier had a crack, how could the Four Great Demon Beasts not seize the opportunity?
So, in the end, it all started… because of him.
Bai Mo fell into silence, lost in thought.