Gungun: I won't let him have an easy time!

"Brother Gungun, you..." Hou Yi came over as well. He glanced at the mass of Pure Yang Qi in Xingtian's hand, then looked at Gungun's fat back, his mouth twitching. This fellow had actually defiled the Eastern King's...

"Great Shaman, what happened today taught me something. Supreme-Grade Innate Spirit Treasures aren't so easy to come across, and some things shouldn't be eaten indiscriminately." Hearing Hou Yi speak to it, Gungun paused in rubbing its big belly. After a moment's hesitation, it said those words.

Then it continued forward, plopped down on the Litter, and opened its bear paw to take a spiritual fruit from the world it carried with it, munching away in big bites.

"..." At the sight, not only Hou Yi's mouth but even his face began to twitch.

Had this bear meant what it had just said?

"Hou Yi, Brother Gungun contaminated the Eastern King's essence a little. That won't matter, will it?" Xingtian asked Hou Yi quietly.

"How could it not matter? His pure yang is no longer pure. From now on, I'm afraid the Eastern King will..."

Hou Yi suddenly stopped there. He closed his eyes, drew a deep breath, then continued, "Still, that won't affect us. We'll count it as his repayment of the karmic debt he owes our Witch Race for rushing to Penglai's aid."

With that, Hou Yi turned and gazed toward Penglai Immortal Island. By now, they could already make out some of Penglai's contours in the distance.

[Ding! The host has seen Penglai Immortal Island, home to countless treasures, yet remains utterly uninterested, sitting on the Litter without even bothering to get up. This is a tremendous display of the lazy fish spirit. Lazy Fish Points +200, bloodline +1, Primordial Spirit Strength +1.]

The system's voice rang out in Gungun's mind, but since it had long since been muted, Gungun's consciousness never received it.

But!

The system was right. It really had little interest in Penglai at the moment.

How could a bear that had just suffered an upset stomach, and was even a little unsteady on its feet, possibly be interested in anything?

Penglai... sigh, forget it. Whatever. This mighty god can't be bothered to fight the Demon Race over it now anyway.

Gungun thought this to itself. Then, after finishing the fruit, it took a cup of Taicang Milk from its Minor World and began replenishing its fluids.

Meanwhile, on Penglai Immortal Island.

Ao Yue had told Houtu to return to Mount Buzhou, but after thinking it over, Houtu still decided to stay.

Penglai Immortal Island was one of the finest blessed lands in the Primordial World. Now that the Eastern King was dead, at the very least, she could not let this blessed land fall into the Demon Race's hands as well. Thus, the two sides began fighting again.

Boom! Boom! Boom! ...

As they fought, the sound of war drums suddenly came from the distant sky.

Ao Yue paused in swinging the Dragon God Heaven-Slaying Halberd and glanced back, his brow furrowing. They're here?

Then he looked at Houtu before him and said, "Ancestral Witch Houtu, Penglai lies in the East Sea, and the East Sea is the territory of our Dragon Race. Even if your Witch Race takes it, you won't be able to hold it. I, Ao Yue, shall take my leave today. I hope you will consider my words, Ancestral Witch. We shall meet again someday, if fate allows."

With that, Ao Yue raised the Dragon God Heaven-Slaying Halberd high and ordered, "Withdraw!"

"Yes!" the demons answered in unison, then flew into the sky with the spoils they had plundered during this time.

"Hmph, think you can leave?!" Houtu snorted coldly at the sight and immediately moved to intercept them, but...

"Roar!" Around Penglai, tens of thousands of soldiers of the East Sea Dragon Army roared in unison, raising terrifying waves that surged toward the immortal island. Seeing this, Houtu had no choice but to cast a spell to block the tsunami. By the time she had stopped it, Ao Yue and Meng Zhang had already flown far away with the demons, and the Demon Race's army had reformed its ranks in the sky.

Then the East Sea Dragon Army began diving beneath the sea as well.

Houtu lowered her arm, her delicate brows tightly knitted, her mood thoroughly foul.

The Eastern King was dead, and although Penglai Immortal Island had not yet been occupied by the Demon Race,

most of the Immortal Court's accumulated wealth had been plundered by them. This battle could be called a resounding victory for the Demon Race, while their Witch Race... As she thought about this, Houtu raised her head and looked toward the white cloud descending toward them. It carried the warriors of her Houtu Tribe, led by Hou Yi and Xingtian.

They had arrived too late!

"Ancestral Witch!" Once the cloud touched down, Hou Yi and Xingtian vanished from where they stood and appeared before Houtu, bowing to her with their hands clasped.

"Mm. Why were you late?" Houtu nodded and asked Hou Yi.

"Ancestral Witch, we encountered Bai Ze on the way, which delayed us," Hou Yi answered.

"Bai Ze? Hmph, I'll certainly deal with him someday!" Houtu said angrily. Then she noticed the mass of no-longer-quite-pure Pure Yang Qi in Xingtian's hand. Her expression changed. "This is..."

"Ancestral Witch, Brother Gungun found this. It's the Eastern King's Primordial Spirit!" Xingtian answered, then respectfully handed the Pure Yang Qi to Houtu.

"Gungun found it?" Houtu blinked at those words. She reached out to take the Pure Yang Qi and examined it with her senses. It was indeed the Eastern King. His Primordial Spirit was actually still intact; he had not been annihilated in body and spirit within the Lesser Stellar Formation!

But...

"Why is it no longer completely pure?" Houtu asked the two Great Shamans before her.

"Uh..." Hearing this question, Hou Yi and Xingtian both looked embarrassed. Neither found it easy to answer.

Seeing this, Houtu waved her sleeve. In an instant, Gungun vanished from the Litter and landed on the ground beside her with a thump.

"Gungun, did you find the Eastern King's Primordial... what happened to you?" Houtu was about to question Gungun when she suddenly noticed that its complexion was off. It seemed a little weak. She hurriedly crouched down and stroked its head as she asked.

"Lady Ancestral Witch, I ate the wrong thing," Gungun answered pitifully.

"What wrong thing did you eat this time? The Ice Crystal Dragon Fruit Ao Yue gave you?"

"No, not that. It was the mass of Pure Yang Qi you're holding."

Houtu: "..."

"Lady Ancestral Witch, this fellow first pretended to be a Supreme-Grade Innate Spirit Treasure to trick me, then blasted me away, making me wrench my back. After that, he gave me an upset stomach. He really isn't a good immortal! You must stand up for me!" As it spoke, Gungun reached out, caught Houtu's clothes, and gave them a gentle tug.

"Oh, is that so?" After hearing Gungun's words, Houtu examined it with her senses and found that nothing serious was wrong. Her concern gradually faded, and she raised an eyebrow as she asked. Why did she feel that this was not the Eastern King's fault?

[That's exactly what happened, every word of it! This fellow is awful. He actually deceived my heartfelt feelings. I've decided: if he becomes Donghua, I'll steal Bai Fengjiu; if he becomes Lu Dongbin, I'll steal Peony Fairy. In short, I won't let him have an easy time!]

Houtu: "???"