Chapter 113 – The Little Snow Ferret No Longer Ran Away (14)
Ever since the Heavenly Soldier incident was exposed, Hanyue Immortal Lord, backed by his lackeys, had become even more unrestrained in his purges within the Divine Realm, using increasingly ruthless methods. His followers, emboldened by his lead, also began eliminating dissenters. The neutral faction remained on the sidelines, while the voices of opposition gradually faded.
Ascending to immortality was no easy feat, and now, with Hanyue Immortal Lord taking full advantage of his position as the realm’s overseer—using it as an excuse to openly and secretly strip immortals of their celestial bones—who could endure such tyranny?
Though the opposition dared not confront him openly, that did not mean they approved of his actions. In secret, they sent letters to North Emperor Immortal Lord. Yet, for some reason, every single message vanished without a trace.
Finally, when a high-ranking deity, unable to bear the situation any longer, set out personally for the Northern Forest to file a complaint, he was intercepted midway by a mysterious figure in black robes and killed. The extinguishing of his divine lamp sent shockwaves through the celestial realm.
What happened? Why was a divine lamp extinguished? Who had killed him?
Unlike those captured by Hanyue Immortal Lord—who, at least, remained alive—this was true death.
By comparison, Hanyuè’s actions seemed almost tolerable. The real terror was the hidden figure lurking in the shadows, taking lives without warning.
“We must notify North Emperor Immortal Lord,” Moon God declared.
“What’s the point? He’s just a hands-off ruler. We’d be better off informing Hanyue Immortal Lord—he’s already investigating the demonic energy infiltration. If you ask me, this incident is connected to that.”
“The North Emperor is on good terms with the Demon Realm’s Sovereign. Even if it was a demon who committed these acts, he’d probably cover for them in the name of ‘maintaining peace between the two realms.’”
“Everyone knows that to secure the peace treaty with the Demon Realm, they even locked up the Misfortune God in the Celestial Prison. Covering for demons? Not impossible at all…”
Hanyue Immortal Lord’s lackeys grew more and more outrageous in their claims.
Once, they had fervently supported the revered Old Lord, yet when he failed to instigate a divine-demonic war, they turned on him. Now, they were twisting the imprisonment of the Misfortune God and the war between the East and West to frame North Emperor Immortal Lord.
They had clearly forgotten their past promises to him, their pledges to never again stir up trouble.
The Northern Forest was, after all, far removed from the Divine Realm, and with Hanyuè holding the upper hand, he merely made a token effort to pacify the gods, urging them not to be too radical. He claimed that favoritism toward the Demon Realm was only natural, given the North Emperor’s friendship with the Demon Sovereign.
Yet, beneath his seemingly neutral words lay an implicit accusation, subtly condemning the North Emperor, enraging the opposition enough that they stormed out.
“Those who walk different paths cannot work together.”
If even a high-ranking deity could be ambushed and slain mid-journey, then those unanswered messages had surely never reached the North Emperor.
They had to find a way to inform him.
Whether it was the mysterious figure scheming in the shadows or Hanyuè Immortal Lord’s unchecked rule over the Divine Realm, neither could be allowed to continue.
To reach the Northern Forest without alerting the gods—to move like a ghost, unseen and undetected—there was only one person they could turn to.
Night God.
They headed to the Night God’s palace in a group, only to find it empty. The young gatekeeper informed them that the Night God had not returned for several days and that they had no idea where he had gone.
Judging by the time of his departure, it must have been on the day of the grand assembly. Apart from the Northern Forest, they could think of no other place the Night God would have gone.
The path to the Northern Forest was fraught with danger, with black-robed figures ambushing and killing deities along the way. Fearful for his safety, they hurried to check the Night God’s divine lamp. It was still brightly lit—he was alive. As long as the Night God remained, they could contact him, and he could pass the message on to the North Emperor Immortal Lord.
The young attendants of the Night God’s palace had a unique way of communicating with him. No matter where he was, they could always deliver messages, which was a great relief to the high deities who could not venture to the Northern Forest themselves.
“North Emperor, when are you coming over? The Divine Realm has been thrown into chaos by Hanyue Immortal Lord.”
“Hanyue is using the demonic invasion as an excuse to manipulate the celestial soldiers and generals. He leads his followers in slandering you everywhere. Those who refuse to submit have been either subdued or eliminated.”
“Immortal Lord Wenhao has been ambushed and killed…”
On the other end of the voice-transmitting stone, the North Emperor and the Night God listened in silence. When the reports were finished, the North Emperor simply said, “Understood. Remain calm. Do not engage with him unless absolutely necessary.”
The formation was already in place; he could not go to the Divine Realm now and risk alerting Hanyuè. “This matter will be resolved soon.”
Once the Hun Yin Demon Sword was sealed or destroyed, all these problems would subside.
…
Netherworld Realm.
Jianmu received word from the North Emperor instructing him to assist in dispelling the mutated Netherworld Frost from within, while they would break through the barrier from the outside.
Jianmu readily agreed. However, when he turned to relay the message to the three elders, he discovered that Bai Mo was missing. Not only was he nowhere to be found, but they could not contact him at all—not even Xiao Bobao could pick up his whereabouts.
There was no need to guess—that little snow ferret had snuck off again, and this time, he had gotten himself trapped.
Jianmu had assigned Xiao Bobao to track the attendants, but Bai Mo, with his restless nature and concern for the Netherworld Realm, must have secretly followed him. In fact, the overly indulgent Xiao Bobao was likely in on it, conspiring with Bai Mo.
The three elders were not truly reckless. Jianmu instructed them to gather at the city gates in one hour to dispel the mutated frost, as the barrier would be opened at that time. Meanwhile, he would go search for Bai Mo.
For now, Bai Mo was safe—at least, Jianmu sensed no immediate danger. However, they could not reach him either.
There was an indistinct yet fragile connection between them, threatening to snap at any moment. Fortunately, Bai Mo had been leaving marker symbols along his path. These symbols were unique—each one different from the last—and only Jianmu could decipher them. He was not worried about anyone else discovering them.
Jianmu followed the trail of markers all the way to a small cottage. The interior was pitch black, but the sound of several steady breaths indicated that people were inside.
Since this house was inhabited, trespassing would be considered theft. Under normal circumstances, Jianmu would never stoop to such petty behavior. However, when it came to the safety of the little snow mink, certain principles could be momentarily set aside.
With that thought, Jianmu cast an invisibility spell and silently moved in the direction the markers pointed…
…
Meanwhile, Bai Mo, the very one occupying Jianmu’s thoughts, entered a passageway. Relying on his sharp animal instincts, he successfully navigated the long, winding tunnel. As he stepped out, his vision suddenly broadened—before him stretched a vast plaza, glowing faintly in shades of blue and green.
The ground was etched with strange patterns, and sixteen stone pillars encircled the area. Each pillar had a person bound to it. More precisely, these were the corpses of the direct descendants of the Bai clan from the Netherworld—people who should have long been laid to rest, yet now hung eerily from the pillars.
At the center of the plaza stood a smiling attendant, arms outstretched as he greeted Bai Mo. “You’re finally here. I’ve been waiting for you for a long time—your ancestors have been waiting for you too. Look, that spot over there, I saved it just for you.”
Bai Mo followed the direction of the attendant’s gesture. Among the sixteen pillars, only one remained empty. At its base, his name had already been engraved.
“Bast*rd.” Bai Mo’s face darkened with fury. Not only had this man disturbed his ancestors’ rest, but he was also using their corpses. He was trying to activate an ancient evil formation.
The attendant, possessed by the Hun Yin Demon Sword, maintained his unsettling smile. In his eyes, Bai Mo was already as good as dead.
“Haven’t you always wanted to go home?” the demon sword said, voice laced with amusement. “I’m simply helping you reunite with your ancestors forever. Isn’t that a good thing?”
Though phrased as a question, his tone allowed for no doubt—it was a declaration of certainty.
Xiao Bobao comforted the trembling little snow ferret, who was shaking with rage. “I’ll notify the Divine Tree right away, Mo Mo, don’t be afraid,” she reassured.
However, the moment she sent out the signal, she realized that a barrier had been set up outside, blocking all transmissions. This meant that Jianmu wouldn’t be able to receive their message or locate their position. Their strongest and most reliable ally was now cut off.
“Mo Mo, this is bad—we’ve been tricked!” Xiao Bobao gritted her teeth. She was certain now: this attendant was nothing more than a cunning wolf in sheep’s clothing. He had carefully studied Mo Mo’s personality and lured them here on purpose.
She inwardly cursed the ruthless Hun Yin, but to her surprise, he heard every word. Instead of getting angry, he simply admitted it outright.
“That’s right. I did it on purpose.” Hun Yin said casually. “At this point, isn’t it a little rude for the little one hiding in the shadows to keep avoiding me?”
Xiao Bobao had been concealed within Bai Mo, just like back when she operated as a system. She was extremely confident—if she didn’t want to be found, even the Supreme Gods of the Divine Realm would struggle to detect her. This was a privilege granted to her by the Northern Emperor. How did this man manage to discover her?
Xiao Bobao remained silent, suspecting that Hun Yin was bluffing, trying to lure her out and confirm if Mo Mo had other allies.
But in the next instant, she realized she was wrong.
She was forcibly yanked out of Bai Mo’s body and thrown harshly to the ground.
The chubby little panda landed flat like a pancake, limbs splayed helplessly in the air, unable to roll back over.
“Xiao Bobao—!” Bai Mo’s figure flickered as he lunged at Hun Yin, his sheer speed leaving afterimages in his wake.
Yet before he could strike, four ropes shot down from above, coiling tightly around his limbs. With a sharp swoosh, he was yanked upward and slammed against the cold stone pillar. His frail back pressed against the icy surface, his body bound—only his head remained free to move.
“Let go of Mo Mo! Do you even know who my master is? If I told you, you’d be scared to death!”Xiao Bobao roared in fury, her plump body wriggling from side to side but failing to flip herself over.
She had been captured—d*mn it!
“Pfft~ Are you talking about Jiang Liangwu?” Hun Yin sneered. “Back in my prime, that kid was still drinking milk.”
He didn’t take Xiao Bobao’s so-called greatest backer seriously at all. Jiang Liangwu? Please. Even if his father were here, Hun Yin still wouldn’t be afraid.
“Keep bluffing all you want! The Northern Emperor is incredibly powerful. Even if he can’t reach this place from outside the Netherworld, there’s still someone out there who you’d have to call ‘Ancestor.’ The moment he comes looking for you, it’ll be your doom.” Xiao Bobao tried to intimidate Hun Yin while stalling for time, secretly attempting various methods to send Jianmu their location.
“By the time he gets here, you’ll all be well acquainted.” Hun Yin flicked his wrist, and in an instant, a ring of eerie blue flames surged up around the formation’s perimeter.
Bai Mo had seen these flames before—last time, they reduced a demonic realm physician to ashes. Though they appeared cold, they could obliterate a person’s divine soul in seconds.
“This little one talks too much—so noisy. Let’s start with you, then.” With that, Hun Yin grabbed the little panda by the arm and dragged her toward the flames.
He even set up a roasting rack over the blue fire—he was actually planning to roast Xiao Bobao alive.
“You bast*rd! Let her go! If you have any guts, fight me one-on-one! What kind of man are you if you bully girls?!” Bai Mo roared, tears streaming down his face.
The more he struggled, the tighter the ropes bound him. As his rage flared, the ropes dug deep into his flesh, greedily absorbing his spiritual energy and bloodline power.
“Mo Mo—hic—Mo Mo, stop struggling! I… I’ll go first… Waaaah…” Xiao Bobao sobbed.
She wasn’t a traditional demon cultivator—she was a system-born entity. She had only chosen to cultivate with panda blood because she loved how cute pandas were. However, her divine soul lamp was stored with Qiu’er. As long as Qiu’er was alive, the lamp wouldn’t be extinguished, and she wouldn’t truly die.
She had only learned this after completing her missions, and it was also the reason Qiu’er felt comfortable letting her descend to the mortal world.
But knowing she wouldn’t really die was one thing—facing death head-on was another.
The roasting rack was getting closer and closer to the fire. Tears streamed down Xiao Bobao’s face.
Not actually dying is one thing, but being roasted alive? Just thinking about it hurts! Waaaah!
Lord Divine Tree, please hurry!
If he finishes roasting the panda, he’ll start on the snow ferret next!