Chapter Twenty-One: Not His Fault, Feeling Proud

Hell, Nineteenth Layer

A black figure, taking shape, suddenly appeared within the dungeon. The surrounding demons had not yet made out his features when he seemed to stride with an uncanny rhythm—five steps turning into three, then three into one—phasing through the prison holding the sinful immortal.

“Your Majesty the King of Hell?” Without looking up, Bai Yan could already guess the imposing presence behind him belonged to the powerful and formidable King of Hell.

“Bang!” With those words, Yan Yi sharply raised his hand, unleashing a swift and ruthless golden light that cut toward him.

“Smack!” Bai Yan narrowly dodged, and the golden beam struck the dungeon wall, leaving a deep, jagged scar—shocking to behold.

Bai Yan withdrew his gaze in astonishment and turned to look at Yan Yi behind him, shouting, “Your Majesty, what are you doing? Are you afraid that the hundred lashes in Hell weren’t enough to kill me, so you want to punish me with another hundred?”

“To punish you, there is indeed reason,” Yan Yi’s eyes darkened with a chilling coldness as he sneered, “Do you expect me to tell you what crime you have committed?”

“Father!” Suddenly, Xiao Tuanzi appeared in the dungeon.

Fearing that her father might anger the Jade Balance Immortal Lord in Heaven again over this sinful immortal’s matter, she had guessed that her father would come to the nineteenth layer of Hell. So, she pleaded with Sister Bai Chang to bring her down.

Rushing into the cell, Xiao Tuanzi urgently said, “It’s not his fault, it’s mine.”

“What did you say?” Yan Yi glared at her, his face darkening, “You want to plead for him?”

“If it weren’t for him, would you have been trapped here for over six hours?”

“If it weren’t for that Blood Spirit Pearl Flower, would you have ventured into the territory of the demon clan?”

“What?!” Bai Yan stared at Yan Yi in disbelief, shocked that the King of Hell already knew. Then… the Blood Spirit Pearl Flower? Had it been given to that Han Mo fellow?

Without that flower, that boy wouldn’t have survived this harsh winter.

Xiao Tuanzi stood before Bai Yan and explained to her father, “But I too have selfish reasons. Under Snow Fate Mountain of the demon clan grows the Snow Lotus Pearl Flower, which can heal the damage to my heart origin root meridian! I just don’t want Father to tire himself with constant errands because of me. I want to ease your burden.”

Yan Yi frowned deeply, scrutinizing her words, and asked, “Who told you that your cultivation cannot advance because of damage to your heart origin root meridian?”

Caught off guard! Xiao Tuanzi’s heart skipped; how did she let that slip?

“I—I didn’t…” she nervously shook her head. “No one told me. I guessed it myself.”

Yan Yi gave a light snort. No wonder she wanted that Snow Lotus Pearl Flower—it was because she knew about the damage to her heart origin root meridian.

It seemed that this Han Mo of the Snake Clan deserved a second look.

“You went to obtain the Snow Lotus Pearl Flower?” Bai Yan pieced things together and guessed that the young princess’s heart origin root meridian was injured, requiring that flower for healing.

But the Snow Lotus Pearl Flower grows beneath the freezing Snow Fate Mountain and only blooms at midnight. Unless one is accustomed to the cold, it would be unbearable to endure the mountain’s chill.

For a young princess with an injured heart origin root meridian, her cultivation and spells would hardly withstand the bitter cold of Snow Fate Mountain.

So how did she acquire the flower?

Xiao Tuanzi turned around, playfully blinking at him and whispered, “Han Mo gave it to me.”

“Han Mo?!” Bai Yan was astonished. That boy was cold, selfish, and impervious to persuasion—the King of the Snake Clan. How could he have given the young princess a Snow Lotus Pearl Flower?

Moreover, the princess was from Hell, a ghost clan member, completely unrelated to the demon or snake clans.

“Thanks to you, actually,” Xiao Tuanzi continued quietly.

“Thanks to me?” Bai Yan was stunned. What could that mean?

“Um, yes. If not for your Blood Spirit Pearl Flower, he wouldn’t have given me the Snow Lotus Pearl Flower. He said it was a reward for my hard work along the way, and that I deserved it.”

“Is that so?” came a voice tinged with suppressed fury and coldness.

Without hesitation, Xiao Tuanzi replied, “Of course.”

Afterwards, she was surprised to realize that Bai Yan had not uttered a word but was instead snarling and pointing behind her.

The one speaking a moment ago was—

Yan Yi coldly glared at his daughter, curling his lips into a grim smile. “And you think you’re proud of yourself?”

He had searched for four or five hours. All the ghost soldiers in Hell scoured heaven and earth for her. She still had the audacity to feel proud?

Spending over four hours with demons, sneaking out of Hell without his knowledge, even delivering a Blood Spirit Pearl Flower—she actually felt proud of that?

“Father?!” Xiao Tuanzi stiffened, sensing his anger, terrified, and hurriedly began to apologize.

“Father! Please don’t be angry. It’s my fault. I won’t do it again. Please forgive me!”

Yan Yi’s face darkened like iron, his voice cold and oppressive. “You want to plead for him? Then you’ll stay with him in this dungeon and reflect thoroughly on your own mistakes.”

“Father?!” Xiao Tuanzi looked up at him anxiously, pleading, “I was wrong, really wrong. Please don’t imprison me.”

“Guards!” Yan Yi turned and shouted sternly outside the cell.

“G-ghost servants reporting!” Several trembling little ghosts ran in, instantly kneeling before him.

“Watch the young princess. She’s not allowed to leave this cell.”

The ghost servants were shocked, unable to believe such an order came directly from the King of Hell.

Xiao Tuanzi shook her head. “Father?!”

“Your Majesty?!” Bai Yan felt this was going too far.

“What? Can’t you hear me?” Yan Yi demanded loudly, his tone oppressive.

The ghost servants quickly bowed their heads. “No, no, we heard you, Your Majesty. We dare not disobey.”

“If any escape, I will hold you responsible.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Father!” Xiao Tuanzi’s eyes reddened as she ran to his side, desperately shaking her head. “I was truly wrong. Please don’t lock me up! Father, I don’t want to stay here… Father…”

Yan Yi did not even glance at her, turning away and vanishing from the dungeon. Clearly, she had angered him deeply, and he intended to punish her.

“Father—!” Xiao Tuanzi stretched out her hand but could not grasp even a corner of his robe, helplessly watching him leave, leaving her alone.

“Waaah… Father…” She burst into tears, her beautiful purple eyes reddened as she sobbed, “I was wrong, Father. I won’t do it again.”

She didn’t want to be alone.

This place was dark, nowhere near as free and bright as her palace chamber; she disliked it here.

She hated all dark, suffocating places, and disliked unfamiliar surroundings that bred weariness.

“Your Highness?!” Bai Yan hurried over, though the pain from his whip wounds made him stagger.

A few little ghosts stood beside Xiao Tuanzi, cautiously looking at her. “Your Highness…”

“Waaah, get lost! All of you, get lost!” Xiao Tuanzi shouted fiercely. Though crying pitifully, her face flushed, she still had the strength to scold and command the little ghosts.

The ghost servants dared not linger, fearing the princess’s wrath. They hurriedly saluted and withdrew.

Then, the heavy door of the dungeon was locked.

It was said the lock was forged from pure gold and copper, reinforced with the King of Hell’s sealed magic. No ordinary cultivator could open it.

Seeing this, Xiao Tuanzi tearfully accused, “If you want to lock me up, fine! Father doesn’t like me anymore! Then I’ll never leave this place my whole life!”

“Your Highness…” Bai Yan limped closer, amused. “What a gloomy thing to say.”

Xiao Tuanzi wiped her tears and sighed deeply. “They are all hateful ghosts. I don’t like them.”

Bai Yan laughed. “If they are hateful ghosts, then what are you, Your Highness?”

A hateful ghost too?

Or just a naughty little ghost?

Understanding his implication, Xiao Tuanzi indignantly lifted her small head, glaring fiercely, teeth clenched. “I am the biggest evil ghost. So you—watch out for me!”