# 1147
Chapter 1147
At the moment the snap rang out, Lin Qiye, An Qingyu, and Jiang Er within the pillar of light vanished on the spot as the surrounding space twisted violently.
Beneath this crimson-red sky, only the endless angels and demons remained, along with Shen Qingzhu in the center of the blood pool, his back bearing pitch-black wings, hands clutching his head, writhing in agony.
After Lin Qiye vanished, Shen Qingzhu no longer needed to control his expression. His fists hammered relentlessly against the ice, and bloodshot threads crept into those eyes that had once glowed with divine grace.
BANG—!!
Shen Qingzhu's body exploded once more, scattering into a rain of blood that vanished into nothing.
A moment later, black Dao Lines swirled and reconstituted his body. This time, beneath the漆黑双翼 on his back, the faint outline of another pair of wings had begun to emerge.
It might have been an illusion, but those once ink-black feathers seemed to have been bleached, now showing traces of grey.
The angels and demons circling around lowered their gazes to observe this madman clutching his head and screaming on the ice. Their writhing crimson worm-eyes shifted continuously, as if communicating with each other, or perhaps deliberating.
At this point, Shen Qingzhu had merged entirely with the source of Hell. If they were to kill him, this Cthulhu Faction divine kingdom would be destroyed along with him.
In their understanding, this ant-like human trying to control the source of Hell was nothing short of seeking death. Even if they left him alone, he would soon self-destruct anyway. At that point, the source of Hell would reassert itself, and everything would return to normal.
In the end, they chose not to strike him down. Instead, they scattered in all directions, transforming into stone statues that stood in silence across the corners of Heaven and Hell.
After Shen Qingzhu reconstituted, the voices in his ears grew clearer still. He clutched his head, his screams echoing through the empty sky:
"STOP IT!! Shut up!!"
"..."
"You're just trying to escape the Cthulhu Faction god's corruption in this blood pool, so you chose me, right?! Your situation is the same as mine! Don't you dare try to control me!!"
"..."
"I'm not dead weight! I'm NOT dead weight!! Seven Ye said it! I'm NOT dead weight!"
"..."
"I don't need your power!! And I don't need you to fulfill my wishes!! Whatever I want to do, I can do it myself!"
"..."
"I don't need shortcuts! I don't need to rise to power overnight!! I will always be Shen Qingzhu!!"
"..."
"Get lost! GET LOST!! I don't need you!!"
"..."
In the silent world, only Shen Qingzhu with his four wings remained, screaming frantically at the empty air around him.
...
Great Xia.
Heavenly Court.
Baili Pangpang carried a bowl of medicinal soup into the octagonal pavilion on the lake.
"Old Cao, time for your medicine." He set the bowl on the table and addressed Cao Yuan, who sat cross-legged on the prayer mat with closed eyes.
Cao Yuan slowly opened his eyes. The cloudiness in them had mostly dissipated, and no flames were erupting from his body anymore. The maid who had been fanning him inside the pavilion had long since taken her leave.
"Have Seven Ye and the others come back yet?" Cao Yuan rose from the prayer mat, picked up the medicinal soup, and sat at the table, asking with evident concern.
"Not yet." Baili Pangpang noticed his worry and patted Cao Yuan's shoulder, smiling,
"I say, Old Cao, how come the moment you wake up you're thinking about Seven Ye and the others? If it weren't for Little Lord me staying by your side day and night, talking to you all these days, would you have woken up so quickly? I've worn my tongue out chattering away—why don't you show a little more concern for me?"
"You? You're just fine."
Cao Yuan glanced at Baili Pangpang's round figure and radiant complexion, rolling his eyes.
"Relax, will you? They just went to fetch something, and Michael is with them. What could possibly go wrong?" Baili Pangpang collected the empty bowl after Cao Yuan finished, consoling him,
"Maybe they just got delayed on the road. You're not fully recovered yet—don't overthink it. It'll destabilize your mind... Rest here, Little Lord will be right back after I return the bowl."
With that, Baili Pangpang picked up the empty bowl and turned to leave along the corridor.
Cao Yuan sat back down on the prayer mat, gazing at the shimmering lake before him, and let out a long sigh.
The moment Baili Pangpang's feet touched the shore, he spotted a Taoist priest sitting on a stone bench beneath the distant willow trees, who gave him a faint smile.
Baili Pangpang raised an eyebrow.
"What brings you here?" He looked around to ensure no one was watching, then sat on the stone bench opposite the priest.
"I heard you plan to descend to the mortal realm, so I came to take a look." Yuanshi Tianzun glanced toward the pavilion in the lake's center where Cao Yuan sat. "He's recovering well. It seems this time, the Black King still couldn't escape."
"The last time, you mean." Baili Pangpang sighed. "Four of the seven Fate Locks are already broken. If Old Cao's will hadn't been so firm, the Black King would have run wild this time... If there's one more episode, when all the Fate Locks shatter, he really won't be able to come back."
"Have you warned him about this?"
"Yeah, I told him he absolutely can never kill himself again to release the Black King."
Yuanshi Tianzun gave a slight nod, as if something had occurred to him. "I hear you've been going to the Office of Celestial Observation frequently these past two days?"
Baili Pangpang was taken aback. "How do you know about that?"
"This is Heavenly Court. I know things—wouldn't that be normal?" Yuanshi Tianzun smiled. "You visit the Office so often—whose life and death are you trying to check on?"
"...Shen Qingzhu."
"I thought you gave him the [Origin Dao Jade]? Still worried?"
Baili Pangpang fell silent for a moment, then sighed. "During all these days they've been gone, I've had a bad feeling in my heart... Although I gave Shen Qingzhu nine chances to revive, what I'm truly worried about isn't his life—it's his demon heart."
"His demon heart is too deep. If Seven Ye and the others can't sense his emotional changes in time and guide him, I'm afraid he might eventually be infiltrated by something sinister and go astray."
"Everything in the world follows its destined course. Some things, if they're meant to happen, will happen. No amount of worry will change that."
Yuanshi Tianzun patted the dust from his Taoist robe and rose from the stone bench.
"Go on, then. If you ever need anything, come find me in Heavenly Court."
He took a few steps, then turned back, gazing deeply at Baili Pangpang before continuing,
"Our time is running out. I will say it again... Heavenly Court cannot be without Lingbao Tianzun."
With that, he waved his hand, stepped forward in his flowing Taoist robe, and vanished among the palaces.
Baili Pangpang stood frozen in place, holding the empty bowl. After a long while, he closed his eyes, sighed, and walked toward the palace gates.