The Enemy Emerging from the Water (6k)

A northerly wind swept across the observatory, swirling up a blanket of snow.

Just as You Su's fingertips touched the dragon-patterned jade belt at the waist of the Ganlong Venerable, the bronze bells on the eaves suddenly rang out—

"Master!"

Long Chiyu stood on the steps, holding a glass palace lantern, her almond-shaped eyes wide open. In the swaying lantern light, she could clearly see the two people standing very close, their scene incredibly romantic.

But in the next instant, Long Chiyu felt a blur before his eyes. When he looked again, his master was already sitting upright on the cloud-patterned stone bench, You Su was leaning against the railing wiping the Ink Pine Sword. It was as if what he had just seen was all an illusion.

She frowned, sensing something was amiss. After being tempted by the Ganlong Venerable during the day, she was unwilling to believe that her master would be on a date with a young man in the dead of night.

She took a few steps back suspiciously, only to realize that the scene of the man and woman embracing she had seen earlier was actually a perspective illusion. The two people were standing one in front of the other, and from the side, it looked as if they were embracing.

Long Chiyu breathed a sigh of relief, but then she wondered why her master had only mentioned going up the mountain to observe the stars and told her to wait at the observatory. Why hadn't he mentioned that Young Master You would also be coming?

Wait a minute... I've been waiting for so long and no one has come. Doesn't that mean Young Master You has been waiting for me here for a long time?

"Chi Yu has arrived just in time." The female immortal smoothed out the wrinkles in her skirt, her icy crystal earrings shimmering in the moonlight. "I was just discussing the Dao with Young Master You, and we were talking about you."

"Me?" Long Chiyu gripped the handle of the palace lantern tightly with her fingertips.

"Do you know what Young Master You praised you for?" Ganlong Venerable lightly tapped the stone table with his jade fingers, and frost flowers bloomed like winter plum blossoms on the surface. "He said that you remained calm in the face of danger, truly deserving of the name of Dragon Girl, and should be a role model for the youth of Bei'ao."

You Su slightly, raising his eyes to meet the woman's meaningful gaze. He immediately understood. "The Dragon Girl's command in this battle is skillful; she truly possesses the demeanor of a great general."

Long Chiyu was stunned by the sudden praise, her ears turning slightly red. "Young Master You flatters me, this disciple... this disciple was merely doing my duty..."

"Beiao is in dire need of rebuilding, and it needs capable young people like you." Ganlong Venerable flicked his wide sleeves, and an Ice Soul Pearl fell into the girl's palm. "Be prepared, your master will soon entrust you with important responsibilities."

"Master!" Long Chiyu hurriedly bowed, feeling deeply moved as she looked at the Ice Soul Pill that had returned to her hand. Her master must have found her another one. "This disciple will certainly not fail Master's expectations!"

The fairy chuckled softly, and a frosty silk ribbon wrapped around the girl's wrist, lifting her up. "Come here and talk. Why are you in such a hurry?"

You Su looked at the master and disciple pair and suddenly found it amusing. When the female immortal glanced at them out of the corner of her eye, he added fuel to the fire, "Dragon Girl, were you just saying that someone came from the Central Yuan Continent?"

Long Chiyu then remembered his business and hurriedly reported, "Tao Yaoyao, the head of Hua Jing, First Seat's Evil Warding Department Division in the Central Yuan Continent, requests an audience and is currently waiting in the Chilong Hall."

"The Hua Jing, First Seat?"

"Sister Yaoyao?"

The two spoke in different voices, but their expressions were similarly astonished.

Long Chiyu looked up at the two of them, unsure whether they were in sync or not.

"Did she come alone?" the fairy asked again, frowning.

Long Chiyu nodded and replied, "Moreover, she was quite mysterious, saying that she came here secretly and asking me not to reveal her whereabouts."

Ganlong Venerable subconsciously exchanged a glance with You Su, and the playfulness in the boy's eyes disappeared.

"It's late, and my senior sister hasn't woken up yet, You Su take my leave now."

You Su was, after all, a villain wanted by the Five Continents, and although Tao Yaoyao knew him, she was under the command of the head of the Evil Warding Department Division, so it was not convenient for her to travel with the female immortal. It was reasonable for her to avoid him for the time being.

Just as the female immortal was about to agree, Long Chiyu spoke first:

"Young Master You, there's no need! She came here specifically to see you!"

As soon as he finished speaking, both of them were taken aback:

"Looking for him?"

"Looking for me?"

The girl in the pink dress sat at the table, gulping down a cup of warm tea in one hand, while stuffing a special pastry from the Northern Ao Continent into her cherry-like mouth with the other. Frosting fell onto her bulging chest, which even her large cotton-padded coat couldn't cover, making her look as if she had traveled thousands of miles to get here.

You Su's brows furrowed slightly. He had never seen Tao Yaoyao's face, but they were acquaintances. The image he had in mind wasn't too different from reality: playful, fond of food, with a carefree personality, exquisitely beautiful features, and a youthful face with a large belly...

Noticing the female fairy's teasing gaze behind him, You Su quickly looked away and gave her a sheepish smile, but his tongue mischievously licked the corner of his lips, as if savoring something.

Seeing that You Su still had the mind to flirt with her, the female immortal frowned even more deeply. Fortunately, she had arranged for Chi Yu to sit below You Su, so she wouldn't see You Su's overstepping his bounds. It was just a pity that Long Chiyu thought that her master's cold gaze was directed at her, so she could only look at Tao Yaoyao, who was eating and drinking non-stop, with resentment.

Hua Jing, First Seat, and Ganlong Venerable, were both chiefs of the Evil Warding Department, and both were women, so they naturally had some dealings with each other. Long Chiyu not only knew Tao Yaoyao, but could even be considered a friend she could talk to. Seeing her sister's rude behavior in front of her master, she felt as if she had lost the face she had just gained.

"Beiao is not like Zhongyuan. Are you enjoying these simple teas and snacks, Miss Tao?" Ganlong Venerable asked softly.

"I'm used to it! It's so delicious!" Tao Yaoyao seemed to realize she had been eating for too long, so she took out a handkerchief and wiped her lips.

Upon seeing the real You Su sitting opposite her, her eyes lit up like stars, and she leaped up excitedly, bounding towards You Su. The peach blossom hairpin in her hair trembled slightly with the movement, and her thick coat barely concealed the surging waves of snow beneath.

She rushed to You Su's side and examined him closely, even reaching out to touch You Su newly grown beard on his chin as if in disbelief. "You Su! You're really not dead!"

Seeing this, Long Chiyu couldn't stand it any longer. "Yaoyao, show some respect to Bei Ao's distinguished guests!"

Tao Yaoyao stuck out her tongue and withdrew her hand, then said to You Su, "Why are you so unkempt? I almost didn't recognize you at first glance."

You Su chuckled, "I'm sorry to have troubled you, Sister Yaoyao. I've been traveling a long and arduous journey; I haven't had time to tidy myself up."

"It's alright, it's alright. You look better with a beard than before."

Tao Yaoyao laughed carefree, You Su reminded her:

"Why did Sister Yaoyao come to Bei'ao?"

Tao Yaoyao then remembered her business and hurriedly turned around to bow to Ganlong Venerable on the high seat. "Yaoyao greets Venerable Ganlong."

As a member of the Evil Warding Department, she naturally addressed Ganlong Venerable as her head.

"Well, how has Hua Jing, First Seat been lately?" Ganlong Venerable asked with a kind smile.

"My master... this is bad."

The warmth of the reunion suddenly froze.

"Oh? It's been quite a while since we've heard any news from the Mid-Autumn Festival. Is there something wrong, Hua Jing, First Seat?"

Tao Yaoyao swallowed hard and wiped her greasy fingers on her skirt.

"The Central Yuan Continent Evil Warding Department has received a message from Chief Ganlong. The reason why the reinforcements have not arrived is not because the Central Yuan Continent Evil Warding Department is unwilling to help, but because the Central Yuan Continent Evil Warding Department is also in dire straits."

Ganlong Venerable frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Currently, within the Evil Warding Department of the Central Yuan Continent, my family's head and Heng Lian First Seat are the leaders. At first, without the checks and balances of the Heavenly Arts First Seat, things were peaceful. However, as the problems after the Heavenly Arts First Seat's passing gradually surfaced, the differences between my family's head and Heng Lian First Seat have grown increasingly larger."

Of the five major Evil Warding Department, only the Evil Warding Department of the vast and resource-rich Central Yuan Continent is composed of three chiefs, while the others each have only one.

What are the disagreements?

"The Heng Lian First Seat advocates abandoning the Heavenly Arts First Seat's previous research on evil spirits and dividing the resulting power vacancy equally, while my Chief advocates retaining it until a suitable successor to the Heavenly Arts First Seat is found..."

"I've heard a bit about the factional infighting within the Evil Warding Department of the Central Yuan Continent. Hua Jing, First Seat is not a power-hungry person. Based on that alone, how could things have escalated to such an irreconcilable point?"

"It's... it's because someone in the department reported that the Heavenly Arts First Seat is colluding with evil spirits, and the number of people involved is increasing. The Heavenly Arts First Seat's research is specifically aimed at enslaving evil spirits, and it's not appropriate to expose it in public. My chief originally wanted to suppress these rumors, but Heng Lian First Seat produced the Heavenly Arts First Seat's remains..."

"What happened to the remains of the Heavenly Arts First Seat?!" You Su slammed his fist on the table, his brows furrowed deeply.

"His remains were extremely malevolent; the moment they appeared, they corrupted three of his colleagues from the Evil Warding Department into Evil Puppet." Tao Yaoyao spoke of this with a heavy heart. "In an instant, rumors spread like wildfire that the Heavenly Arts First Seat was colluding with evil spirits, and the Heavenly Arts First Seat's former subordinates were unable to defend themselves. The Heng Lian First Seat used this opportunity to purge his old subordinates, and his influence extended beyond the Heavenly Prison. My chief also completely broke with the Heng Lian First Seat because of this, and now the factional strife has even transcended the Evil Warding Department and spread throughout the entire Divine Mountain."

"Does he even know that it was the Heavenly Arts First Seat who saved everyone in Zhongyuan!" You Su's throat veins bulged, filled with indignation. "Anyone with a brain should know that it was the evil spirits that corrupted the Heavenly Arts First Seat's remains—that was a deliberate attempt to smear him! He has always been the one who enslaved evil spirits, never the other way around!"

"We... we thought so too, but... he has the support of the Immortal Ancestor Temple..." Tao Yaoyao had never seen You Su so angry before, and she looked at the boy timidly.

"Support from the Immortal Ancestor Temple?" You Su frowned, and subconsciously exchanged a glance with Ganlong Venerable expression was equally solemn.

"What is the attitude of Immortal Ancestor Henggao?" Ganlong Venerable asked.

"They support Heng Lian First Seat to purge the Evil Warding Department Division and thoroughly investigate the entire Divine Mountain..." Tao Yaoyao answered softly, cautiously observing You Su's expression.

You Su staggered back a step, her fists clenched so tightly that her knuckles bulged.

"The so-called Immortal Ancestor probably didn't take his sacrifice seriously at all."

The boy smiled bitterly, feeling only sorrow.

The old man sacrificed his life to shield the people of the continent from the Evil God, but the immortal ancestor who was supposed to protect the people of the continent was not grateful to him, and could not even earn a shred of respect from him.

On the contrary, even after death, this heroic figure is not only corrupted by evil spirits, but also exploited by those with ulterior motives, becoming an excuse for them to carry out their wolfish ambitions.

Tao Yaoyao, her face also showing shared indignation, clenched her fist and said, "Investigating evil spirits was originally the responsibility of our chief, but he took it upon himself under the pretext of destiny. His investigation was very large-scale, making the Divine Mountain a mess. He said that anyone who colluded with evil spirits would have traces of evil spirits found on them. He is in charge of the Heavenly Prison, so it's hard to guarantee that he isn't using his position for personal revenge. The people of the Divine Mountain had no choice but to submit to him, but some felt that his actions were going too far and joined our chief in negotiating with him."

Upon hearing this, everyone fell silent for a long while. The Ganlong Venerable, who held a high position, rubbed his temples and sighed:

"The Evil God has merely appeared in the world, yet chaos has already engulfed it."

You Su recalled his conversation with the disfigured man on the South China Sea Immortal Island. There was no doubt that the mysterious old man had lit the fire that ignited this chaotic world. At first, he couldn't figure out the old man's purpose, but now he realized something deeper—he wanted to tear away the hypocrisy of this peaceful and prosperous world, so that the true good and bad people would all be exposed by this great fire!

If it's somewhat understandable that a celestial ancestor who transcends the mortal world would disregard all living beings, then this Heng Lian First Seat is nothing more than a schemer who has surfaced.

"According to Chi Yu, Miss Tao has come to find You Su?" Ganlong Venerable asked again.

Tao Yaoyao nodded emphatically upon hearing this, "I'm here to remind You Su to leave Bei Ao as soon as possible!"

"Leave? Why is he in such a hurry to leave?" the female fairy immediately asked, showing great concern.

"It's the Heng Lian First Seat who's here to arrest him!" Tao Yaoyao's words were astonishing.

The female immortal's expression changed. "I haven't even announced it to the world yet, how could he know that You Su is in Bei Ao?"

Tao Yaoyao shook her head repeatedly, "I don't know either. Originally, the Heng Lian First Seat wasn't planning to send reinforcements to Bei'ao, but then suddenly changed his mind and gathered forces to head to Bei'ao. My chief probed and found out that they might have received news that You Su is at Kong Yuan Divine Mountain!"

Perhaps because she had said too much, the girl casually picked up the teacup next to You Su and drank it all in one gulp. Even though You Su had never tasted the tea in that cup before, it still drew sidelong glances from the master and disciple, who were secretly annoyed that the girl had no sense of boundaries.

Fortunately, in this critical moment, they had no time to worry about trivial matters. After quenching her thirst, Tao Yaoyao said:

"But in fact, my chief already knew that You Su was in Beiao, so he sent me to Beiao before the Heng Lian First Seat, while he himself stayed in Zhongyuan to delay the Heng Lian First Seat. I traveled a long way without daring to stop for a moment, and encountered many evil spirits before I finally arrived here to inform him of the news."

"How did Sister Yaoyao and Hua Jing, First Seat know that I was in Bei'ao?" You Su was very curious.

"Yes..." Tao Yaoyao glanced at Chief Ganlong, lowering her voice to a whisper, "It was Yiyi who said it."

"Sister Yiyi say that?" You Su was even more astonished. "She's not... how could she know my whereabouts?"

"She's now hanging out with that female Evil Cultivator you met in Moxie City, like a completely different person... I almost caught her once during a mission, but she came back and told me about it."

Are you hanging out with Cai Ling?

You Su never expected that the two who were enemies back then would become companions, but he also didn't understand how Cai Ling knew that he was in Bei Ao.

As far as he knew, this Cai Ling was the one who initially stopped his senior sister and Mistress Chuyun City, and later caused trouble in Moxie City. She seemed to have been involved in his experiences all along; just who was she?

Was he under the command of the man who blinded me?

You Su quickly dismissed this guess. If that were true, it would mean that person could easily know her location, and she wouldn't need to reveal the information to others.

Suddenly, a thought flashed through You Su's mind—it wasn't just that person who had been watching him, but also the disfigured person on the immortal island who had helped him sever that person's sight!

Yes, that disfigured man also appeared in Chuyun City at the beginning!

If Cai Ling is related to him, then it makes sense. The disfigured man said that he would randomly appear somewhere, but in reality, he had already planned to send himself to Bei Ao. Therefore, it is only natural that Cai Ling would know this news.

"You Su is by no means Evil Demon. He just helped my Bei Ao through a calamity and is a meritorious person. Even if the Heng Lian First Seat comes here, I will not allow the meritorious person of Bei Ao to be taken away by others." Ganlong Venerable's tone was cold and revealed an unquestionable determination.

You Su turned to look at the female fairy, feeling moved as well.

"No!" Tao Yaoyao stepped forward again, her face full of worry. "My master sent me here specifically for this matter! According to his deductions, the person who is exaggerating You Su's crimes behind the scenes is most likely that Heng Lian First Seat! He clearly has ulterior motives! How could he believe your defense of You Su? Everyone in Shenshan who has had contact with You Su has been reprimanded by him, and now even the Xuanxiao Sect is wary of his power. If you want to protect You Su, you will inevitably have to become his sworn enemy. With his current prestige, this may be detrimental to Bei Ao, who is already severely weakened!"

"Ridiculous! No matter how prestigious the Heng Lian First Seat is, he's still an official from the Central Yuan Continent! He can't possibly come to my Northern Ao Continent to arrest people!"

The glass palace lantern crashed to the ground with a "crack." The female immortal's face was extremely gloomy. She flicked her sleeve and rose, and nine Mysterious Ice Chi Dragons materialized from the void:

"You Su is a meritorious official of my Northern Ao, I will protect him!"

"Young Master You has done a great service by saving Bei Ao! If you want to capture him, you must first get over my corpse!" Long Chiyu also raised his arms in response.

Upon hearing this, Tao Yaoyao didn't know how to persuade her anymore, and her anxious little hands clenched together.

You Su picked up the palace lantern and put it back in its place; the warm yellow light illuminated his sharply defined profile.

"If he is the one who amplified my bad reputation, then his purpose in arresting me cannot be simply to apprehend a criminal. He must have some ulterior motive towards me, so he wants to first plunge me into an abyss of no return."

You Su recalled the powerful Evil Puppet that had escaped from the Heavenly Prison on the day he was elected as the Divine Child. It was probably the work of this Heng Lian First Seat. And from that moment on, he was likely already being targeted by him. If it weren't for the Third Elder and the First Elder protecting him at that time, he probably would have become an experimental subject in the hands of that group of people long ago.

What he wants is the secret about me and the evil spirit?

You Su felt it was highly likely, yet also sensed it was more than that...

"These five continents don't belong to him alone. So what if he has ulterior motives? Even if he is acting on the mandate of the Immortal Ancestor Henggao, he can't possibly come under the Immortal Ancestor Kong Yuan ..." Long Chiyu was originally indignant, but at the end of his sentence he suddenly lost his confidence.

She then remembered that the reason why the celestial officials of the Five Continents could not travel across continents was precisely because each continent had its own celestial ancestor. The reason why large-scale battles did not break out between the continents of the human race was also because they were wary of the celestial ancestors of each continent.

But the Northern Ao Continent already disowned this immortal ancestor the day before yesterday...

He wouldn't even bother to save His abandoned people from the rampage of evil spirits, so would He really intervene when faced with invading Zhongyuan cultivators?

She suddenly felt a chill run down her spine, as if these bad things were happening one after another, like an invisible giant net covering them layer upon layer.

"Before the evil spirits cause chaos, humanity must not descend into chaos." You Su tightened his grip on the hilt of the Ink Pine Sword at his waist, then turned to look at the imposing and noble female immortal, smiling gently, "Heng Lian has made it clear that he won't rest until he captures me. It's not advisable to provoke a conflict with him because of me. Since he wants me, he cannot involve the people of Bei Ao. Letting Bei Ao recuperate is the most important thing."

"Do you think I can't protect you?" The female immortal cast a glance at her, her eyes already burning with anger.

"It is You Su who does not wish to implicate the Sovereign Lord." The young man strode up to her and bowed, this was the first time he had ever bowed to this Sovereign Lord One of Northern Ao, "Nor does he wish to implicate Northern Ao."

"I don't think this is a burden," the female immortal sneered.

"Your Sovereign Lord, have you forgotten that You Su was about to leave?" You Su remained bowed, "He is ordained by Heaven and adept at manipulating people's hearts. Bei Ao says I am a good person, but the other four continents may not believe it. He can certainly lead the other four continents to insist that I am a bad person. It is not a wise move to pit Bei Ao against the other four continents for my sake alone."

"According to you, doesn't that mean your title of 'Evil Demon' is a done deal?"

"A gentleman takes his revenge, even after ten years."

You Su looked up, and to the woman's surprise, there was no fear in the young man's eyes; on the contrary, there was a resoluteness that astonished her as well.

Did he not realize the perilous situation he was facing?

"If he wants to arrest me, I'll just run away. Even if he doesn't, I'll still consider him my enemy just for his disrespect towards the Heavenly Arts First Seat. When I'm able to take revenge someday, I 'You Su be eternally grateful if the Sovereign Lord can lend me a hand."

"He has been hiding in Henggao Heavenly Prison all year round, and no one knows his true strength. Do you want to seek revenge on him?"

You Su straightened up, the Ink Pine Sword humming like a dragon's roar in his hand, "My Sovereign Lord, do not think this is a bad thing for me. On the contrary, I think it is a good thing. As I grow older, I feel more and more that someone is spying on my life. Until the battle on the Immortal Island, I chose to break away from the destiny that had been predetermined for me. And now that spy is finally going to be exposed. I feel no fear, only excitement."

Only then did You Su understand why the disfigured man had made the world misunderstand him; it was because he wanted to help her find her true enemy.

Ganlong Venerable was somewhat dazed. She recognized that look in his eyes, like a lost soul wandering in a snowy plain who suddenly knew who his mortal enemy was. From then on, the wind and snow could not take his life; they would only become an aid for him to climb toward his enemy.

She knew the boy's mind was made up, just as he hadn't tried to dissuade her on the snowy plains. A person who had decided to risk their life shouldn't be persuaded. She wouldn't try to dissuade him, but she could help him, as the boy had said, when he needed her. She would wait for the right opportunity and use a stronger Bei Ao to help him.

She shifted her gaze to the delicate girl with her face scrunched up. "Hua Jing, First Seat sent you here to deliver a message, but how can she be sure that I will help You Su instead of handing him over to Heng Lian First Seat?"

Tao Yaoyao smoothed out her skirt, her smile seeming somewhat awkward:

"Because my master said..."

"Since it was your head who said it, I can't blame you. Speak freely."

She said, "Hehe... I think you'll definitely like this little guy..."

As soon as he finished speaking, the expressions of the three people in the room changed drastically.

Fortunately, the female immortal had a strong mentality and said in a clear voice, "Young Master You cares deeply for the common people and has lofty aspirations. I certainly admire him greatly."

Upon hearing this, Long Chiyu breathed a sigh of relief. So it was appreciation after all...

At this very moment, it is the only port in the Northern Ao Continent.

The exquisitely beautiful little girl was clinging to her mother's leg, vowing solemnly:

"Mother, don't worry, Father will be here to find us soon!"