GD Ch. 52 Part 2

Chapter 52: The Time to Take It

Zhuyou let out a short laugh. He wasn’t wrong—anything from the Heavenly Realm was difficult to acquire. And now that Xuanjing was gone, the devils capable of taking action were few and far between.

She had no idea where Xuanjing had disappeared to, and even the two lords were clueless. The devil had simply vanished without a trace. A hundred years had passed, and he had yet to reappear.

Most likely… he had perished in that great battle a century ago.

What a pity. A sword of such caliber, gone without ever finding a new master, wiped away from existence.

“Do you have any other ideas, Your Grace?” Luo Qing asked, lowering his gaze to the open book in Zhuyou’s hands. He took a glance but quickly looked away, knowing his own limits.

Outside the private chamber, a few scholars passed by. They peeked in curiously, intrigued by the people inside.

But before they could see clearly, the flimsy bamboo door suddenly slammed shut, as if a sudden gust of wind had struck it.

Inside, Zhuyou set the ancient book down on the table and mocked, “You all want to awaken the Devil Lord, yet you’re unwilling to take risks. Do you even care about the Devil Lord?”

“But that Turbid Mirror…” Luo Qing hesitated, lowering his eyes toward the ancient text.

Upon closer inspection, his pupils suddenly contracted.

“The Turbid Mirror is one of the Three Sacred Artifacts. The Heavenly Realm will undoubtedly guard it heavily. How could we possibly steal it?” Luo Qing asked urgently.

The book described the Turbid Mirror as a bronze mirror, bearing the single character “Turbid.” It could peer into events from thousands of years past and even allow one to pass through the mirror to retrieve lost things from the past.

However, there was always a price for gain. The book did not record what consequences one would face upon entering the mirror.

“Your Grace…” Luo Qing frowned.

“This is the only way. Stop asking,” Zhuyou replied. Just saying those few words left her feeling parched. She lowered her gaze, lifted her teacup, and took a sip of tea that had long been cooled by the spring breeze.

The cold tea slipped down her throat, as if piercing through her chest. A drop of cold blood, hidden within her heart, seemed to stir and ripple through her veins.

“A hundred years have passed, and the Heavenly Realm has surely found new ways to suppress devils. The time left for us is running out. Second Lord, you should start making preparations soon,” Zhuyou advised with unusual patience.

Seeing that he couldn’t convince her, Luo Qing had no choice but to turn and leave.

Once he was gone, Zhuyou’s rigid posture slackened, and she leaned weakly against the window railing.

Hanzhu, who had been silently listening all along, finally dared to speak. “Mistress, is the Turbid Mirror truly the only way to find the Devil Lord’s missing hun soul?”

“There is no other method,” Zhuyou replied, crossing her arms and lowering her gaze to the crowd below, where people bustled about, listening to storytellers. “The Three Realms are vast—searching for that one soul is like fishing a needle from the ocean. We can’t exactly drain the sea to find it.”

“But how can we possibly get our hands on the Turbid Mirror?” Hanzhu asked anxiously. “If the Second Lord had the ability to do so, then…” She hesitated before forcing herself to continue, “Then he wouldn’t need to come begging Mistress for help.”

She didn’t want Zhuyou to take this risk. She had spent the past century hiding alongside Zhuyou, living like a rat scurrying through the streets—never sleeping peacefully, always fearing that heavenly immortals might suddenly descend to kill them.

The Mortal Realm’s spiritual energy was scarce, and she had not improved at all in the past hundred years. Yet somehow, Zhuyou had not only fully recovered from her old wounds but had even surpassed her previous cultivation, reaching an unfathomable new height.

Hanzhu had never seen the Devil Lord before, but she imagined that if he were still alive, her mistress might be able to match him in battle. Thinking about her own lack of progress, she felt deeply ashamed.

Her eyes flickered as she discreetly glanced at Zhuyou’s captivating eyes. Though Zhuyou had once again advanced in cultivation, Hanzhu could tell that the suppressed poisonous mist in her gaze was on the verge of surging out once more. At present, the mist no longer clouded her vision, but if this continued, she feared it would return to its previous state.

Considering this, she was even more unwilling to let her mistress take any risks.

Seated at the table, Zhuyou spread her fingers, and a mustard seed suddenly appeared in her palm. Inside it were the two hun souls of the Devil Lord.

At the moment, these hun souls wasn’t even stored in a proper box. Instead, it was lumped together with a pile of broken metal scraps inside the mustard seed, which was truly undignified.

Zhuyou rolled the mustard seed between her fingers and tilted her head slightly to gaze outside. The sky was a pure, unblemished blue.

After a moment of contemplation, she spoke leisurely, “Three days from now, the Heavenly Realm will host a grand banquet. The heavenly gates will be wide open, and all the immortals will gather. It will be the perfect opportunity to seize the Turbid Mirror amidst the chaos.”

“Mistress, how do you know about the banquet in the Heavenly Palace?” Hanzhu was momentarily stunned.

“The Queen Mother of the West’s birthday—how could they not hold a banquet?” Zhuyou’s eyes darkened, her expression unreadable, as if she were recalling something from the past.

Hanzhu’s heart leaped into her throat, making it difficult to breathe. “B-but… who will retrieve the Turbid Mirror?”

Zhuyou shot her a glance, as if looking at a fool, and lazily replied, “Naturally, I will.”

Hanzhu’s eyes widened in alarm. “Mistress must not take such a risk!”

“Though I still possess the Heaven-Observing Mirror, it has become no different from an ordinary mortal mirror. Most likely, Huacheng Sect has already informed the Heavenly Realm, and they have severed the connection with this mirror.” Zhuyou’s gaze turned solemn. “This means I can no longer use it to infiltrate the Heavenly Realm. That banquet is an opportunity too rare to pass up.”

“If not… allow me to retrieve the Turbid Mirror instead!” Hanzhu’s eyes darted around in quick succession, and in her urgency, she hastily volunteered.

“You?” Zhuyou chuckled. “You wouldn’t even be enough to stain their blades.”

Hanzhu’s face instantly flushed red with shame.

Zhuyou pulled her robes tighter around herself, suddenly feeling that even the early spring of the Mortal Realm carried a slight chill.

She wasn’t joking with Luo Qing. At this point, there was truly no other way besides obtaining the Turbid Mirror. But she had no intention of sending Luo Qing to the Heavenly Realm—given his cultivation level, sneaking in would only alert the enemy.

“Mistress, please reconsider!” Hanzhu bit her lower lip.

Zhuyou’s voice was indifferent. “Reconsider what? I’ve had a hundred years to think about this. A century… I can’t wait any longer.”

Hanzhu remained deeply troubled, her brows furrowed tightly. Seeing her mistress lost in thought, seemingly wandering through distant memories, she wondered what exactly was on her mind.

Outside, the wind carried a fine drizzle, dampening the window paper.

“Mistress, when do you plan to depart?” Realizing that she couldn’t dissuade her mistress, Hanzhu could only ask cautiously.

“When the banquet begins,” Zhuyou replied, still toying with the mustard seed while inspecting the Crystal of Law within it.

More fine cracks had appeared on the Crystal of Law—small, faint lines that were barely noticeable without close inspection. These cracks had formed a hundred years ago when she had been forced to withdraw a portion of her phoenix spiritual power due to a lack of energy. Later, she had tried to repair the Crystal of Law, but it was already beyond restoration.

If the Crystal of Law shattered, she had no other vessel to contain the two hun souls. If that happened, those already fragile remnants of the hun souls might dissipate completely.

There was truly little time left.

Zhuyou put away the mustard seed, stood up unhurriedly, and pushed open the bamboo door. With a calm and collected demeanor, she remarked, “After spending so long in the Mortal Realm, my body has grown weary. I almost forgot that I am a devil. I suppose it’s time to stretch my legs.”

Hanzhu hurriedly followed, her heart pounding anxiously as she realized her mistress was about to ascend to the heavens again. In that moment, she wondered if waking the Devil Lord even mattered anymore.

After all…

Things were fine as they were now. Traveling through the human world alongside her mistress, wandering and resting at will—it had its own charm. There was no urgent need to return to the devil’s domain.

“Has Wu Buzhi sent any news?” Zhuyou asked, descending the stairs while resting a hand on the railing.

Hanzhu shook her head. “He still hasn’t found any trace of the Cold Eye. A thousand years ago, it seemed to be under the Dragon Clan’s control. But this place has long since vanished from public knowledge. We don’t even know if it still exists…” She hesitated, then carefully added, “If it even exists at all.”

Zhuyou frowned.

Hanzhu grew nervous. “Mistress, are your eyes failing you again?”

“This poisonous mist is like a thorn lodged in my heart—it must be removed,” Zhuyou replied.

Hanzhu bit her lower lip. She, too, wanted to find the Cold Eye as soon as possible, but she had no leads whatsoever.

Zhuyou never consulted with the other devils, still finding them unreliable. Waiting for them to take action would be futile—it was better to go herself.

***

Three days later, the grand banquet unfolded in the Heavenly Palace. The skies of the Nine Heavens were adorned with vibrant clouds, and divine radiance shimmered everywhere.

Immortals from all directions arrived at the celestial gates, bearing gifts. Though many were unfamiliar with one another, they still exchanged courteous smiles and respectful bows, maintaining an air of harmony.

The number of heavenly soldiers guarding the gates had significantly increased, each one standing with rigid posture and solemn expressions.

The Xuanhui Divine Sun in the Nine Heavens shone brilliantly, its intense heat ensuring that, despite the palace’s location in the clouds, there was no hint of coldness.

(T/N: Xuanhui Divine Sun refers to a celestial sun or divine source of light in the Heavenly Realm.)

Suddenly, a wisp of gray smoke slithered up from below the clouds. It no longer feared divine light. Like a stain, it clung to the hem of an immortal’s robe, creeping upward until it latched onto the gift he carried.

Once inside the celestial gates, the immortal walked straight toward the Jade Pool, his lowered gaze flickering subtly as he stole a glance at the Heavenly Emperor’s seat.

Seated beside the Heavenly Emperor was the Queen Mother of the West, Kunyi. On his other side, however, was a dragon woman with an expression as cold as ice.

This Divine Venerable held a status equal to that of the Heavenly Emperor and the Queen Mother. Her complexion was pale as white silk, yet she did not appear frail. The aura surrounding her was as terrifying as a raging tidal wave.

It was said that when she returned a hundred years ago, she had already possessed unmatched cultivation. Now, her strength was even more unfathomable.

The young immortal dared not even get a clear look at the Divine Venerable’s face before hastily lowering his head, his entire body trembling uncontrollably.

Seated on the honored platform, Changying turned slightly and cast him a cold, piercing gaze.