"Jiu Ying, don’t be rude."
Chu Yi feigned anger. "This is a comrade I’ve fought alongside, and we need to heal her."
Jiu Ying snorted, suppressing her overwhelming murderous intent, her face assuming an obedient expression.
Her graceful silhouette flickered and split into nine, each a unique beauty in her own right.
The Moon Princess’s indifferent silver eyes narrowed slightly as she spoke slowly.
With permission granted, Chu Yi immediately began the healing.
Nine beautiful women surrounded the Moon Princess. Their small Jade Feet stepped on the stone-paved floor as they performed a strange dance. Their skirts flared, fluttering gracefully as they danced. Crimson threads twined around them like slithering snakes or creeping evil spirits, gradually flowing towards the Moon Princess.
This is... the rule of the Dancing Lady?
Chu Yi realized it, but it was different from what he remembered. The rule seemed to have changed; it wasn’t like at the feast.
The Moon Princess, her expression cold yet stunning, was ready to bestow a boon. But as the dance continued, her hostility, apprehension, and vigilance towards Chu Yi slightly diminished.
Above her head, threads coiled and crimson halos flickered, forming the silhouette of a Divine Tree. Its trunk stood tall and imposing, its canopy vast and shadowing. The branches flourished, vegetation thrived, and countless buds bloomed all at once, filling the air with fragrance.
Then, from the branches, densely packed eyeballs emerged one by one, with countless crimson threads hanging down like willow tendrils. The blooming buds also revealed their true forms: each was unexpectedly a writhing blood-filled tumor, from which dark red blood dripped. Countless severed limbs grew from the branches like new sprouts.
This is... the Desire Mother Tree!
Chu Yi was stunned. Strangely, this silhouette of the Desire Mother Tree conveyed a sense of familiarity. Derived from Jiu Ying, it was naturally under his control.
The movements of the nine dancers became increasingly frenzied, twisted, and bizarre. They performed astonishing actions at impossible angles, like the nurses from Silent Hill, unleashing a denser blood mist to nourish the Desire Mother Tree. The silhouette of the Desire Mother Tree solidified, becoming vast and majestic, overlooking the world.
The Moon Princess closed her bright eyes, her silver hair swirling, as a remaining trace of the Desire Mother Goddess’s will was drawn out from her. A wisp of black mist writhed, forming the face of a resentful woman. She stared at the Desire Mother Tree’s silhouette, incredulous.
"No! How is this possible?!"
She let out a sharp scream, her expression contorting as she morphed into strange creatures: a scorpion, a poisonous snake, a lion, and others. The shrill voice was piercing, echoing like the din of a marketplace, with countless whispers that could drive one to madness.
"You wretched being abandoned by time! How dare you steal my power?! This is blasphemy!"
"I will surely subject you to death by a thousand cuts!"
What greeted her was the Divine Hand, wreathed in brilliant white light like a glove woven from the Milky Way, an expression of greed upon it.
What are you barking about? Chu Yi cursed inwardly. You’re an Evil God, can’t you show some dignity?
The Desire Will quickly dodged. But before it could react, twisted shadows from the Desire Mother Tree’s canopy swooped down, rampaging wildly. They grasped it tightly, tearing it apart, biting, chewing... This already weakened fragment of the Evil God’s will was completely consumed, transforming into pure energy that melded into the Desire Mother Tree’s silhouette.
At that moment, the Desire Mother Tree swelled to its limit and burst open!
A pea-sized seed shot swiftly into the Moon Princess’s body!
The Seed of the Desire God!
Chu Yi’s star-bright eyes glazed over, a bit lost.
This was to implant the seed of the Desire Mother Tree within her... Ah, this... Was this how the outcome was supposed to be achieved? Never mind the details! The only question is, was the Evil God’s will dealt with?!
The Moon Princess sensed his distraction. A purple glow on her forehead bloomed like a delicate flower, but a strong intention surged from her. The purple flower closed, stopping the boon from being released.
She was momentarily dazed. Looking at the forbidden figure in the black robe, her indifferent silver eyes and snowy, trembling lashes, an inexplicably rebellious thought emerged within her.
She wished so much... to do something pleasurable with him...
"Master, I’m so tired..."
"Sob... I want to stay by your side, Master, but I’m so sleepy... I’m going to sleep now..."
The nine apparitions of Jiu Ying dispersed. The original Jiu Ying, clad in a crimson gown, emerged, her aura sharply diminished. All nine of her exquisite faces showed signs of fatigue.
"You’ve worked hard. Go and rest now."
Chu Yi sighed in relief, smiling as he patted Jiu Ying’s enigmatic head. A natural sense of affection arose in him, as if she were his daughter.
Jiu Ying reveled in the warmth of his hand, her nine faces showing distinct smiles. Her figure flickered and merged into the Chaotic Burial Mound, falling into a deep slumber.
"Princess, now that the hidden danger from the Evil God has been resolved, we..."
Chu Yi was about to propose their trade when a sweet fragrance assailed him. He snapped back to reality to find a pure and pristine face right in front of him. Her indifferent gaze, as bright as the moon, swirled with chaotic malice.
Chu Yi had anticipated this. He deployed a Prophecy of Time, and the vision it showed rendered him dumbfounded, his pupils quaking.
"You’ve worked hard, Your Excellency. Next, allow this Princess to entertain you properly."
As her words fell, a sweet, cloying fragrance spread. Countless moonbeams enveloped Chu Yi, and a soft, warm, and faintly fragrant body collided with his embrace.
「In a deep prison cell」
Whispers stirred within the deep prison cell. The darkness was viscous, licking every corner as if tangible.
A girl was suspended by ropes, her eyes bloodshot, her pupils filled with a terror that wouldn’t dissipate. She tried desperately to call for help, but her mouth was stuffed with burlap, allowing her only to emit whimpering sobs.
Then, a figure in a dark gown brushed past. The visitor possessed a celestial beauty and captivating grace. Her hand, like a snow lotus, picked up a scalpel from a table of tools. Its sharp edge reflected a pair of beautiful peach-blossom eyes, tinged with a faint, drunken blush.
Shards of light illuminated the woman’s beautiful face. The girl was momentarily stunned, her pupils contracting, her expression a complex mix of confusion, bewilderment, and terror. She trembled violently, her dark eyes filled with tears, showing a desperate plea.
"The quality is still a little lacking."
The woman pressed her lips together, her delicate brows furrowing slightly. This Shen Yun hasn’t broken down completely yet; she doesn’t feel utter despair. In that case, the texture of the resulting ’food’ wouldn’t be ideal.
So, she removed the burlap, observing the girl calmly as if admiring a work of art.
The suffocating sensation dissipated. Shen Yun gasped for air, her face pale.
"Chen Xi, don’t... please don’t joke , okay?"
She trembled. Ever since Chu Yi had shattered her breastbone, she had been recuperating in the medical room. She had only awakened to find herself in this dungeon, thinking it was all a dream.
Frightened and uneasy, had Chen Xi kidnapped her? What was the purpose? To demand a hefty ransom from the Shen Family?
As these thoughts flickered through her mind, Shen Yun inexplicably felt a surge of anger—the fury of being deceived and betrayed by her friend.
"Shen Yun, did you know?" Chen Xi said, ignoring her, a playful smirk on her lips as she twirled the scalpel. "From the very beginning, you’ve just been a toy to me."