"Something was definitely strange about him," Angel Yan said thoughtfully, rubbing her chin. "The way he indulged Xiao Li was practically doting. Thinking back, he wasn't exactly polite to those hotheaded kids from Xiong Bing Lian, but apart from that sparring match, he'd never really gone hard on them. And..."
Her thoughts gradually fell into place. A notion surfaced that left her feeling strangely conflicted. "He seems... unusually tolerant of 'kids.'"
"Kids" didn't just mean young in age. It seemed more like a distinction based on their outlook and attitude.
People like Su Xiao Li, who was relatively innocent and felt nothing but genuine affection and reliance toward him, and the young people from Xiong Bing Lian, who were reckless but not bad at heart, all seemed to fall into some category he considered "tolerable."
So... what about her?
Angel Yan recalled how she'd tried to strike up a conversation with him several times, teasing him and even testing his boundaries with mildly provocative remarks. Si Yao had never reacted with thunderous anger. Instead, he'd seemed... a little helpless, as if dealing with a mischievous junior.
Could he... think I'm an immature little brat, too?!
The thought left the Holy Left Wing, who had lived for seven thousand years, feeling stifled. At the same time, it seemed utterly ridiculous.
She was Angel Yan, the Thunder War God who had fought across the universe for thousands of years and struck fear into the hearts of demons!
How had she ended up being someone he had to tolerate as a "kid"?
Watching the emotions flicker across Yan's face before settling into an expression caught somewhere between annoyance and helpless laughter, Angel Chase couldn't help chuckling. "Yan Jie, it looks like your charms aren't quite working on this Ancient Great God..."
"Get lost!" Angel Yan shot Zhui an irritated look, but that strange feeling wouldn't leave her.
If Si Yao really did regard these "young" angels as juniors who needed a measure of indulgence, then a lot of his seemingly incomprehensible behavior suddenly made sense.
Perhaps his detachment from the major powers of the Known Universe wasn't complete indifference. Maybe it was a kind of observation from a Higher Dimension, accompanied by a hint of scrutiny—like an elder watching a group of energetic youngsters making a fuss in front of him.
The idea brought Angel Yan a faint sense of relief. At least he wasn't simply chaotic evil. But it also stirred a fierce unwillingness to accept it.
She was Angel Yan. How could he treat her like a child?
The following afternoon, somewhere in a desolate wilderness in Europe that the world had forgotten.
The sun blazed overhead, and the heat warped the air. As far as the eye could see, the land was cracked, with only a few scattered, withered shrubs.
Su Xiao Li, however, was in high spirits. Wearing a sun hat, she bounced along ahead.
As far as she was concerned, anywhere with Si Yao was full of romantic adventure—even a godforsaken place like this.
She was already imagining strange scenarios about "surviving in the wilderness" and "a man and a woman alone together," and her cheeks flushed faintly.
Si Yao followed at an unhurried pace, his mind already locked onto the Energy Fluctuation behind a distant hill.
In his "field of vision," Morgana was leading a few surviving demon veterans as they tried to "awaken" a test subject Carl had casually dumped on Earth: a Second Generation Demonling carrying genes from the Giant Civilization of the Styx Galaxy, codenamed "Da Lun." It was nothing special in terms of strength. It was just big enough to look intimidating.
[Current True Points: 4,682,000]
Looking at the slowly increasing number on the panel, Si Yao shook his head to himself.
Lately, the various factions seemed to have entered a brief period of "silence." Nobody was coming to him to provide "business," and his True Point income had slowed considerably. His only remaining source was the few thousand points Su Xiao Li reliably provided each day.
After the Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox Super Gene had been fully manifested, Su Xiao Li's strength had risen to that of a true Third Generation God. She had also developed an almost unconditional trust in him, believing anything he said without question. The True Points she provided each day had climbed from less than a thousand at first to a steady total of over ten thousand.
This "pure income" was stable, but compared to the vast amounts of True Points needed to manifest the "Divine Power 2.0" plans he had in mind, it was little more than a drop in the bucket.
Angels, demons, Lieyang, Super Seminary... He had to "spread the rain evenly" if he wanted to build up his resources faster.
Just then, a muffled roar came from behind the distant hill.
They looked up. On the nearby hill, a massive, crimson demon roared as it soared into the sky, then spat a stream of scorching fire at the figure on the ground!
It was Da Lun, the demon modified with genes from the Giant Civilization that Morgana had just awakened.
"Ah!" The sudden commotion startled Su Xiao Li, and she instinctively edged closer to Si Yao.
At almost the same moment, Morgana—who had been preparing to deliver a speech in the style of the Demon Queen and recruit this new underling—sensed the two unmistakable presences nearby.
Her gaze instantly locked onto Si Yao and Su Xiao Li as they strolled toward her. Her heart skipped a beat, and a dreadful premonition welled up inside her.
"Bitch! Why is this Lingering Ghost everywhere I go?!" Morgana cursed inwardly, certain that her plans were about to go awry again.
Just as expected!
The moment Su Xiao Li spotted the fire-breathing Da Lun in the sky, her eyes lit up. Without a moment's hesitation, she used the heavily encrypted Dark Communication Channel Angel Yan had given her to send a message:
"Yan Jie, Yan Jie! I found demons! There's a huge red one! And Morgana's here, too!"
Earlier, Angel Yan, Angel Chase, and Angel Mo Yi had taught Su Xiao Li a number of angelic tricks to build rapport—or, more accurately, to develop a reliable "informant." They had also given her plenty of interesting Little Gifts that didn't involve any core technology.
In return, Su Xiao Li had agreed to notify them right away if she found any demons or other unusual activity on Earth.
Si Yao knew all about it, but didn't interfere.
This was Su Xiao Li's personal social life. He wasn't so controlling as to meddle in it. Besides... it suited him just fine.
Before Morgana could order a retreat, a clear Spatial Fluctuation rippled through the sky above them.
Four wormholes opened almost simultaneously. Angel Yan, Angel Chase, Angel Mo Yi, and Angel Zhi Xin, wearing a grave expression, arrived in an instant with Computing Power Support from Heavenly Base Four on the far side of the moon!
The four angels hovered in the air, their white Wings gleaming in the sunlight as their cold gazes fixed on Morgana and her group below.
Si Yao and Su Xiao Li remained some distance away, looking every bit like uninvolved spectators content to watch the show.
For a moment, the scene was painfully awkward.
Morgana felt like cursing!
She wasn't sure she'd even need to take these four little angels seriously.
But she was truly worried about Si Yao. Would he get involved?
What if, like last time in Huang Village, he helped those little angels fight her?
Angel Yan and the others, however, had no idea what Morgana was thinking.
As the Heavenly Base King's student, the action-oriented Zhi Xin didn't hesitate to strike as soon as she arrived!
She didn't waste a word. Backed by the immense Computing Power of Heavenly Base Four, the Sword of Flames in her hand blazed with a brilliant, sunlike red light. She aimed straight at Da Lun, still floating in the sky in a daze and swaggering about, and unleashed a precise, scorching Flame Judgment!
"Roar?!"
Da Lun had only just been summoned into the world and hadn't even figured out what was happening. All it saw was a blinding golden light rushing toward it. A moment later, unbearable pain engulfed its massive body!
The Second Generation Demon had been "awakened" only minutes earlier. It couldn't even manage a proper scream before it was reduced to ash in the scorching heat, without a scrap left behind.
Instantly killed!
Zhi Xin sheathed her sword and turned a cold gaze on Morgana, brimming with Battle Intent.
If it were just the four of them against Morgana, they'd definitely be nervous. But her mentor was on the moon!
Morgana watched the "new recruit" she had only just acquired vanish before she'd even had a chance to enjoy having him. Trembling with fury, she pointed at the angels in the sky and finally erupted into a torrent of curses.
"Bitch!!! You bunch of—"
Before Morgana could finish, the space beside her rippled sharply!
A cold, wheel-shaped weapon glinting with deadly light—Star Fate—shot out like a silver bolt of lightning, appearing in the blink of an eye. It swept past Morgana's neck so closely that it almost touched her!
A wisp of black hair was silently severed and drifted through the scorching air.
Morgana's curse caught in her throat. A chill shot up her spine and straight to her scalp!
She whipped her head around and looked at the familiar silver figure who had somehow appeared behind Zhi Xin.
"Long time no see, Liang Bing... No, Morgana."
It was purely a joke.
Before you continue