The Little Peacock Raises a Snake (GL) Chapter 54

Yun Su had guessed correctly. The heavenly realm had indeed sent someone to search for her in secret.
Mengzhang had hidden his aura very well. A divine beast with his cultivation, if he deliberately hid his identity, ordinary demons and devils could not see through him at all.
He must have snuck into the earth realm long ago and had been wandering near Soul-Wounding Valley, searching for her aura. Only because she had stayed hidden inside the barrier around the bamboo forest and had never stepped out had she not been discovered.
Now that she had stepped out of that barrier, with Mengzhang’s cultivation, finding her was naturally as easy as turning over his hand.
She was an upper god of the heavenly realm. She had never been on the same path as demons and devils. Mengzhang had come to bring her back. She should put down that unrealistic fantasy in her heart and obediently return to the heavenly realm.
But even after remembering the part of the past where she had been sacrificed, even after remembering the deepest despair in her heart back then, even after remembering that Qu Linyan had indeed wronged her first, at this moment, when she looked at the miserable slaughtered state of the flood dragon clan before her, she still could not put aside Qu Linyan’s safety no matter what.
Only… if the person before her were Zhiming, there might still be a little room to discuss things. But Mengzhang had no friendship with her at all. Since he had come by order and had been delayed here for so long, he would never give her extra time to save a demon the heavenly realm already wanted to remove.
Seeing Yun Su hesitate, Mengzhang stepped forward and asked coldly, “Blue Luan Upper God, if you will not immediately set out with me, what exactly are you hesitating over?”
“…” For a moment, Yun Su did not know how to answer. She stammered for a long while before quietly saying, “I am only curious about what happened here.”
“The affairs of demons and devils have nothing to do with our heavenly realm. Why should Upper God trouble herself over this?” Mengzhang’s gaze sharpened. “Unless Upper God has once again been bewitched by that black flood dragon and cannot bear to leave?”
Yun Su instinctively backed up half a step and said guiltily, “Divine Lord Mengzhang, it is not that I am unwilling to return. It is only that I still have some doubts in my heart. I want… I want to find the black flood dragon and ask clearly.”
Mengzhang frowned. His tone had clearly lost patience. “Immortals and demons are not on the same path. Even if Upper God had a mortal bond with the black flood dragon during your tribulation, after going to Dustfall Platform, you should have forgotten it completely. The black flood dragon took Upper God down to the lower realm because she herself was unwilling to accept things. Upper God finally escaped. Why create more trouble?”
“But…” She absolutely could not go back like this.
Mengzhang cut off Yun Su’s hesitation. “I will ask once more. Does Upper God truly refuse to leave?”
“I… I need a little time. I hope Divine Lord Mengzhang will be flexible!” Yun Su’s eyes were full of determination.
In the next second, she felt killing intent suddenly rise from Mengzhang and sweep over her whole body. It was cold to the bone. Startled, she could not help twitching between her brows. She flew back several body lengths, shook her right arm, and the Qingchen Sword was already in her hand.
Yun Su said, “Divine Lord, what is the meaning of this?”
“Upper God, this is the Heavenly Emperor’s meaning.” Mengzhang spoke indifferently. “If the Blue Luan once again clings to error and refuses to wake, then let her ‘remain forever’ in the lower realm.”
Mengzhang bit down heavily on the words remain forever. As soon as he finished, lightning gathered in his palm, and he flew toward Yun Su.
Yun Su raised her sword to resist, but she could not match his speed. In only three moves, she had already fallen into disadvantage.
Mengzhang wanted to kill her. It was the Heavenly Emperor’s will.
He had just said “once again clings to error and refuses to wake.” So three hundred years ago, had she already disobeyed heaven’s command for Qu Linyan?
No wonder. No wonder that for these three hundred years, no one in the heavenly realm had ever mentioned the black flood dragon in front of her. Perhaps that shameful matter back then had long since become a joke everyone in the heavenly realm knew but could never mention.
An upper god of the heavenly realm willingly falling twice for a demon truly was laughable. No wonder the Heavenly Emperor would secretly order Mengzhang to execute her… No wonder the one who came here today was not Zhiming.
As two powerful currents of spiritual power crossed, shattered stone flew everywhere. The entire underwater spiritual cave began to shake violently, as if it might collapse at any moment.
In fewer than ten moves, Yun Su already felt her arm go numb, nearly losing sensation.
But she was, after all, one of the five phoenix birds and carried the power of an upper god. How could her body and spirit be destroyed so easily?
If one wanted to kill a god, even Mengzhang had to set up a full array with all his strength.
“Blue Luan, if Zhiming had not knowingly defied heaven to save you, you would have died here three hundred years ago. Since you are once again clinging to error and refusing to wake, then let your soul scatter here and forever accompany that black flood dragon!”
After Mengzhang spoke, he transformed into an Azure Dragon. Lightning coiled around his huge dragon body. He rose into the air and summoned shocking thunder as a prison, trapping Yun Su layer upon layer inside.
The full might of the divine beast Azure Dragon, enough to destroy a god, pressed down on Yun Su in only an instant until she could no longer breathe. The pain was as if her five organs and six bowels were all being burned by heavenly fire.
Was she truly going to die here?
Yun Su gritted her teeth and held on, but the protective spiritual power around her had already begun cracking inch by inch.
Just as she neared despair, a blaze of light rushed toward the Azure Dragon like a wave.
Realizing someone had launched a sneak attack, the Azure Dragon gathered spiritual power to defend almost instantly, yet he was still completely swallowed by that sea of fire. The Azure Dragon belonged to wood, and fire restrained wood. For a time, fierce flames wrapped around countless bolts of lightning that seemed ready to burst out, forming a huge, burning spiritual sphere that scattered a terrifying power.
The thunder array around her dispersed. Yun Su forced down the pain and gathered herself. Lifting her eyes, she saw an enormous peacock in midair unfurling a bright red tail screen. The red feathers spread like a crimson folding fan, burning with dazzling flames. Every eyespot on every tail feather seemed able to bewitch the heartstrings. It was so beautiful it shook the soul.
The next second, the huge peacock closed its tail screen, flew down from the air, transformed into a human, and grabbed her arm.
“I cannot trap him for long. Go!”
That voice was strange yet familiar. Yun Su did not think too much. Trust already lived in her heart, and she fled with him.
Fu Zhuochen took Yun Su away from the underwater spiritual cave. Unexpectedly, before they had gone far and before her heart could settle, his steps halted. He clutched his chest and spat out a mouthful of fresh blood.
Yun Su was startled. She instinctively turned to support him and wanted to gather spiritual power to heal him, but he frowned and shook his head. “It is nothing.”
“You… you seem badly injured…”
“I was never the Azure Dragon’s opponent. Being able to delay him for even a while is already difficult.” Fu Zhuochen wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, lowered his eyes, and took the snow-white spiritual flower from his waist, placing it in Yun Su’s hand.
The spiritual aura on the flower was very familiar. Yun Su could not help feeling blank. “This is…”
While she was confused, the spiritual flower suddenly formed a human shape before her eyes. That familiar face, if it was not Ciyin, who else could it be?
“A-Yin!”
Ciyin reached out and held Yun Su’s hands, frowning. “Susu, since Divine Lord Mengzhang has already attacked you, it seems your heart is decided. You want to stay here?”
“I…”
“No need to explain. Divine Lord Zhiming already guessed your wishes. Although I cannot understand, I respect your decision…” As Ciyin spoke, she lifted her hand and formed a scale, then solemnly stuffed it into Yun Su’s palm. “That day, when the black flood dragon kidnapped you, Divine Lord did not stop her. He has spared the black flood dragon again and again, so he has completely lost the Heavenly Emperor’s trust. That is why he could not come this time. Do not blame him…”
“I understand…” Yun Su lowered her head and studied the object in her hand. Her gaze changed from blank to shocked. “A-Yin, this, this is…”
Fu Zhuochen said, “A cracked Black Tortoise shell. It is already the strongest shield in the world. If you refine it into your inner core and make it your own, it will be enough to hide your aura.”
Yun Su’s eyes were full of shock. “What is going on? What happened to Zhiming…”
For the Black Tortoise, losing shell was like losing life. Where had this cracked shell come from?
Ciyin bit her lip and said, “After the black flood dragon took you away, the Heavenly Emperor heavily punished Divine Lord. This is a piece that cracked during the heavenly punishment. Divine Lord took it down and asked us to bring it to you… Once you refine it, the heavenly realm will never be able to find you again.”
“It is because of me…” Learning that Zhiming had been punished and had his shell cracked because of her left Yun Su unsettled.
Ciyin quickly waved both hands. “Divine Lord Zhiming said it is no trouble. It will grow back…”
Fu Zhuochen said, “Zhiming originally wanted to ask the Heavenly Emperor to let him make up for his faults with merit, using this chance to help you one last time and create the illusion that you had died. But the Heavenly Emperor no longer trusts him. That is why you saw Mengzhang today.”
“Mengzhang will not let me go. I do not have time to refine this… Even if someone can delay him, if he cannot find me again, he will certainly implicate all of you…” As Yun Su spoke, she lifted her eyes toward Fu Zhuochen and shook her head. “I cannot harm you.”
Seeing that the way Yun Su looked at Fu Zhuochen was no longer as strange as on that day in the heavenly realm, Ciyin could not help asking, “Susu, how much of the past have you remembered?”
“I…”
“There is no time to chatter.” Fu Zhuochen cut off their conversation. He formed seals with both hands, and a red light flowed from his fingertips into Yun Su’s brows, temporarily hiding the Blue Luan aura.
He stretched his hand toward Yun Su and said coldly, “Qingchen.”
“What do you want it for?” Although Yun Su did not understand, she trusted him deep in her heart and handed the Qingchen Sword to him.
Fu Zhuochen took Qingchen, lifted his hand, and cut Yun Su’s arm with it.
Yun Su gritted her teeth and endured the sting. She lifted her eyes and looked in surprise at the two before her. Fu Zhuochen used some spell she did not know and actually fused the blood stained on Qingchen Sword into Ciyin’s body.
The next second, Ciyin transformed into Yun Su’s appearance and took the sword into her hand.
Yun Su instantly understood what they wanted to do.
“No!” She reached out and held Ciyin’s wrist tightly, shaking her head again and again. “A-Yin! Mengzhang will kill you!”
“It is all right, Susu!” Ciyin turned her hand and held the back of Yun Su’s hand. She lifted her eyes and smiled. “I am not a fool. I am not going to trade my life for yours! I did not come down to the lower realm with my true body this time. This is only a shell Brother Fu made for me. My true body is in the heavenly realm under Divine Lord Zhiming’s protection. Even if the Azure Dragon destroys this body, he cannot destroy my primordial spirit.”
“But your three souls and seven spirits will be heavily injured because of this. What if… what if something happens? I…” Yun Su was unwilling to let Ciyin take this risk for her no matter what.
Fu Zhuochen said, “I will protect her from the side. Fairy Ciyin will not be in danger of losing her life.”
Ciyin nodded and coaxed, “Susu! If you do not trust me, do you not trust Zhiming and Brother Fu?”
“Mengzhang will find us soon!” Fu Zhuochen said. Seeing that Yun Su still would not let go, he frowned. “Yun Su, internal chaos has risen again in the devil clan. Qu Linyan helped the wrong person back then, and now the entire flood dragon clan is gone. The devil realm is searching everywhere for her.”
Yun Su froze.
Fu Zhuochen said, “If you still want to see her, stop dragging this out. Once Mengzhang catches up, none of us will leave!”