You Just Lie There

The train continued roaring forward, but the world behind them had been left in ruins.

Wu Hen had witnessed the true power of the Black Miracle Death Sword.

Back then, it had swept across who knew how many realms. This time, it had merely crushed a tiny patch of Evil Soil. Compared to its first descent, it had shown remarkable restraint.

For some reason, as Wu Hen gazed at the Black Miracle material that boldly covered his right hand, Su Li's earlier conversation with Wu Zai echoed in his mind.

"Truly powerful beings in the Desolate Dust all hide behind the scenes!"

In other words, the reason he hadn't been able to summon Xiao Yi earlier was that it had been waiting—waiting for the true ruler of this Evil Soil to reveal itself!

Wu Zai had thought he could show off before mere mortals. Little did he know that behind the ants he'd dismissed, there was a divine miracle. This great being was the real one waiting to swoop in at the end!

"Xiao Hen..." Su Li hardly recognized Wu Hen anymore.

She even wondered whether some supreme being had possessed her little nephew.

And yet, looking at the Wu Hen before her, Su Li could still feel the familiar warmth and sincerity.

Soon, the joy of surviving disaster swept away everything else in Su Li's heart, leaving only heartfelt, uncomplicated emotion. She threw her arms around Wu Hen, tears of joy spilling from her eyes and streaking down her cheeks!

Feeling that tight embrace, the soft, warm body against him, Wu Hen finally came back from that distant, dreamlike state. He couldn't help wrapping his arms tightly around the woman who had shared life and death with him...

Suddenly, the train entered a tunnel through the mountains.

Darkness fell around them, so thick they couldn't see their hands before their faces.

But neither of them felt the slightest fear. They held each other tightly, feeling each other's breath and warmth, sharing their sincere joy.

So what if the Desolate Dust was vast? So what if the road ahead was long? This faith between them was enough to keep them going.

The mountain tunnel stretched on and on. The train took far longer to pass through it than they'd expected.

The Holy Father had fallen asleep.

Yang Qin was young, after all, and had slept for a long time. It was hard to say whether she'd wake up.

Exhausted yet content, Wu Hen and Su Li leaned against each other.

"Won't you rest? That power of yours must have drained you completely. Your soul and your vessel are both under immense strain. You should get some proper rest." Su Li was worried about Wu Hen's health.

She could tell that the mysterious power inside him was far too strong for him to control on his own.

They still had a long way to go before they could work in harmony.

"I just don't feel like sleeping yet..." Wu Hen was caught between exhaustion and excitement.

"Want me to reward you for your efforts?" Su Li was a mature woman, after all. She understood the young man's little hint.

"I don't have much strength left in me," Wu Hen said.

"You just lie there."

"Yikes..." Wu Hen couldn't help drawing in a sharp breath.

Wu Hen had often heard experienced men say that a woman was more alluring after she'd gained some years. Back in school, he'd disagreed, convinced that sweet, innocent girls were the most captivating...

Now, Wu Hen wholeheartedly agreed!

Pitch-black darkness.

Yang Qin opened her eyes, but the terrifying Evil Soil was gone.

Instead, she felt inexplicably excited. Could it be that she'd had one utterly absurd dream?

She was still in a comfortable room. She usually slept with the lights off, too.

"Mmm... Oh..."

Gradually, she heard breathing rise and fall beside her, along with some pleasant, melodious moans. The woman's voice in particular made even Yang Qin, another girl, feel herself growing hot all over...

Yang Qin had no idea what the people beside her were doing...

Still dazed, she didn't dare make a sound.

As she drifted in and out of consciousness, she fell asleep again.

The train passed through the mountains.

Ahead lay a lush, green forest, and farther off, layer upon layer of mountain peaks.

Su Li stood atop the train's engine, her amber eyes gazing out over the land.

After a long while, Su Li finally let out a deep breath.

This seemed to be an unclaimed wilderness. If they traveled through it, they shouldn't lose their way too quickly.

"Clang~~~~"

The train had finally run out of energy. Although the tracks continued ahead, Su Li knew they'd have to travel the rest of the way on foot.

"Su, is Wu Hen still asleep? Could he have returned to the homeland already?" Yang Qin couldn't help asking.

Wu Hen had been asleep for a long time.

And no matter how much they tried, he wouldn't wake up.

"He's still here. He's just exhausted," Su Li said calmly.

"Oh, well, I suppose..." Yang Qin nodded, but couldn't help thinking of the long night and those strange sounds that kept coming from nearby.

The train slowly came to a stop on the tracks, but Su Li made no move to get off. She simply sat there and waited in silence.

Yang Qin had no say in the matter, so she could only keep asking about the Desolate Dust.

She also wanted to learn how to protect herself.

"Go gather our companions' belongings. They'll be useful to you," Su Li said.

At that, Yang Qin imagined that all that might be left in the safe house were severed limbs and parts of corpses. Her face turned pale!

"I... I'm scared," Yang Qin said.

"You'll get used to it." Su Li didn't say anything more. Whether Yang Qin wanted to survive was up to her.

Yang Qin wrestled with herself for a long time.

In the end, she still headed toward the safe house.

She wanted to live. She wanted to go home.

Su Li had also told her that even if this place appeared untouched, that didn't mean there were no dangerous creatures here.

"They kept records. Read through the notes. If you encounter any species they wrote down, at least you'll know how to deal with them," Su Li said.

"All right." Yang Qin nodded.

After Yang Qin left,

Wu Hen, still fast asleep, suddenly rolled over and laid his head on Su Li's lap.

Su Li almost thought he'd come around again. Seeing that he was only asleep and instinctively searching for something familiar, she reached out and gently stroked his face...

For some reason, a trace of reluctance filled Su Li's tender eyes, as if she were saying goodbye to Wu Hen. She slowly bent down and kissed his forehead.

Carefully placing Wu Hen's head on a soft bundle, Su Li stood and walked out of the train toward the forest.

The trees in the forest were ancient and towering. Pure sunlight filtered through the slender leaves, dappling Su Li's graceful, slender figure...

Though her clothes were old and dirty, her figure was still exquisite. Her bearing was like that of a fallen elf wandering the wilderness, less heroic than before but more noble and graceful.

"You've lost your way." A voice rang out above the forest.

Su Li didn't look up. She simply stood there, as if awaiting judgment.

"I haven't lost my way," she replied calmly.

"You have become no more than a mortal, lost in your feelings for lowborn humans. You nearly shattered your soul-true for the sake of one such human. Your journey has been an utter failure, and your spirit has fallen into depravity. As a citizen of the God Realm, you have lost your way completely. We will take you back and purify you anew." The voice above the forest spoke with a tone of judgment.

"I'll accept the purification, but I have one request," Su Li said.

"Speak."

"Please bestow some rain upon the Nuwa Divine Tree, so that it doesn't wither too soon."

"Their survival has nothing to do with us." As the voice spoke, it swiftly descended from above the forest.

It was a man, his entire body covered in gleaming golden scale armor. The scales fit his skin almost perfectly. He had the nobility and handsome appearance of a mythical golden dragon in human form, along with the otherworldly mystique of a being from the distant future.

A pair of Mystic Martial Wings rose from his back, shaped like toothed feathers.

As he drew them in gracefully behind him, they only made his imposing presence more striking!

"Have I... really lost my way?" Seeing the man's radiant divine light, Su Li murmured to herself.

"Yes. You've lost your way. You should be grateful you're a citizen of the God Realm. If you were one of those lowborn humans pitied by the Nuwa Divine Tree, you'd already be dead," the golden-scaled man said.

Su Li glanced back toward the forest's edge.

Whatever the case, she had brought him near the Nuwa Divine Tree.

And after witnessing the Black Miracle, Su Li no longer had to worry that he, still as insignificant as a mayfly, would be snuffed out by some overwhelmingly powerful being in the Desolate Dust...

It was time to leave.

Her abilities were growing weaker and weaker.

Even if she willingly fell and lost her way, staying by his side would only make her a burden.

"We'll meet again." Su Li took a deep breath and finally let herself relax.

Sunlight fell across Su Li's graceful figure.

Her body slowly dissolved in the shafts of light, transforming into countless dappled butterflies.

The butterflies were beautiful. The outline of a woman danced apart, becoming wisps of petal-filled mist.

As petals fell and butterflies scattered, her lovely figure vanished with them...

After an unknown length of time,

someone in the train carriage finally woke.

Wu Hen instinctively felt over his body. When he felt a wave of deep satisfaction wash over him, he rose with a contented sigh.

"Eh, why is it still you?" Wu Hen spotted Yang Qin at once, a strange look crossing his face.

What rotten luck. He'd opened his eyes after waking up, only to find that it wasn't his beautiful Aunt.

"I... I saw a man like a heavenly god take your aunt away!" Yang Qin stood dazed between the tracks and the forest, her face filled with shock.

"What???" Wu Hen was stunned.

"It's true!" Yang Qin said.

Wu Hen immediately ran toward the forest.

But it was empty. Su Li was nowhere to be seen.

Aunt...

Could she have been a celestial maiden after all??

Aaaaaah!!

My immortal aunt, don't go back to the heavens!!

The road ahead is still so long. How's your precious Hen supposed to go on without you???

"Bzzzt~~"

A tingling, electric sensation ran through Wu Hen's right arm, as if someone were trying to remind him of something.

Come on, Big Daddy Xiao Yi. I'm already miserable enough. Don't mess with me now.

You and Aunt offer very different kinds of emotional support!

"Did you get a good look at that thing's face?" Wu Hen asked Yang Qin.

"No. I only saw its wings. They were like..." Yang Qin described what she'd seen.

Wu Hen's expression changed as soon as he heard her.

The shape of those wings...

It looked a lot like the thing that had blotted out the sun!

There were even more powerful beings out there??

Even if there were, that didn't stop Wu Hen from cursing, "Son of a bitch!"

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