The days passed quickly, and soon, the outer god reached a critical stage in the refinement of his corpse—just as Han Ling had predicted.
"Master! Master! Master!"
Yu Yui's voice rang out anxiously, waking Han Ling from his sleep. His senses expanded outside the soul pearl as he spoke:
"The day has come?"
"I don't know, Master..." Yu Yui was a bit ashamed of her inability. "I just felt a great wave of energy coming from where the outer god is, so I assumed the corpse refinement has reached a critical stage."
"Good girl."
Han Ling was pleased. With the waves of energy emanating from that region, it was easy to deduce that the corpse refinement had indeed reached a critical stage. Which made this the perfect moment to use the flesh and blood lotus.
"Yu Yui, open a portal to that sealed dimension—a stable one, strong enough for the flesh and blood lotus to pass through."
Without hesitation, Yu Yui retrieved the flesh and blood lotus from her storage ring. It was a red lotus, each petal resembling living flesh brimming with immeasurable vitality.
So this is the legendary flesh and blood lotus... It's said that even a single petal can heal someone on the brink of death.
While silently pondering this, Han Ling noticed Yu Yui's hesitation in opening the portal. It seemed she hadn't fully accepted the idea of giving the lotus to the goddess.
"Come on, Yu Yui. This is the key to our survival."
Yu Yui gritted her teeth. Her hands trembled as she held the lotus, and her gaze seemed lost between the lotus's pulsating petals and the darkness of the space around them.
A silent struggle raged within her—between her blind submission to Han Ling and the corrosive jealousy bleeding inside her soul.
But he had said… "our survival." And that, as painful as it was, included her at his side.
Kneeling, eyes reddened with restrained tears, she nodded.
"Yes, Master… if it's for your sake… then that bit— that goddess… will have the chance to get a body."
The words tasted bitter on her tongue, like poison. She whispered softly to herself:
"This is for Master."
With a gentle motion, Yu Yui extended her hand, and rune formations began to glow around her. She summoned the purest spatial energy she had at her disposal, compressing it into a transmutation circle. The space before her began to tremble, as if the veil between dimensions was being torn apart.
"I'm… opening the portal..."
Her voice was low, but resolute. The runes began to spin, and a rift slowly opened—a fragile passage between this world and the sealed prison where Mara had lain for ages.
The spiritual pearl within Yu Yui's chest pulsed wildly. Han Ling watched everything with cold, focused eyes.
And then… the rift fully opened.
"Alright. Now send the lotus to the other dimension. Remember to keep the passage open while Mara sanctifies the flesh and blood lotus."
Yu Yui didn't respond immediately.
Her hands were still trembling. She looked at the flesh and blood lotus as if it were the last sacred relic connecting her to the body she adored. Her fingers slid slowly over the living flesh petals, as if caressing her own heart.
But then Han Ling's voice echoed again—sharp as steel:
"Now, Yu Yui."
Her body trembled. Then, as if every nerve was being torn from within her, she lifted the lotus—and cast it into the portal.
The living flower passed through the dimensional veil, enveloped by strands of spatial energy, until it vanished completely.
The process of sanctifying the flesh and blood lotus is crucial to creating a perfect vessel for the gods' immeasurable power. Which only makes it more intriguing how my body managed to contain an outer god without any problem. Perhaps the outer god is too weak... Or maybe there are other reasons I can't imagine right now.
Han Ling pondered the matter for a few moments, but soon dismissed it. There was no point in thinking about it now.
A few minutes passed, and the flesh and blood lotus was sent back through the portal. The entire lotus had changed—its once living flesh petals were now golden, dripping liquid light and radiating divine aura.
"Aaah!" Yu Yui tried to catch the lotus but burned her hands the moment she touched it.
"Be careful. Mortal hands cannot touch the divine," Han Ling's voice rang cold in Yu Yui's mind.
"Hm… Master, how will I activate the flesh and blood lotus like this?" Yu Yui asked, confused.
As if anticipating the question, the flesh and blood lotus activated on its own. The liquid light oozed from its petals, forming a golden cocoon that pulsed with nearly tangible energy. Each strand of light seemed to contain centuries of power, slightly distorting space with its presence alone.
Suddenly, the space within the dimension tore open. A creature full of eyes and mouths emerged from the spatial rupture.
"Impressive... I didn't think ants could accomplish so much." All the mouths spoke in unison, their voices layered over one another. "This could be dangerous... Luckily, I left an avatar watching."
The countless eyes of the avatar gleamed with greed as it gazed upon the cocoon made of golden light. It was clear that it wanted to absorb the divinity contained in that lotus.
Han Ling felt the killing intent leaking from the outer god's avatar like poison. Each gaze from that distorted creature seemed to peel fragments of reality, corroding space, time, and even sanity itself.
But he didn't move.
The silence within Yu Yui's mind was broken by a single word, firm and filled with command:
"Attack."
Yu Yui froze. Her eyes widened, unable to comprehend what her master had just ordered. "Attack… that?"
"But Master, I—"
"Now, Yu Yui."
His voice thundered through her soul, reverberating through every part of her body. It wasn't a request. It was the absolute will of the man she had sworn to serve. The man she longed to love.
Her heart pounded so fiercely it felt like it would tear through her chest.
She looked at the golden cocoon behind her, where the goddess's body was taking form. Han Ling had planned everything up to this point. He trusted her to hold off the avatar. That was why he was calm. He expected her to be useful.
"I won't let him down."
Even if it meant throwing herself into the jaws of an abyss.
Yu Yui clenched her fists. Her cultivation in the Void Refinement realm surged to the surface. Crimson fire and crystalline ice formations enveloped her body as she activated both her bloodlines simultaneously: the Celestial Blood Dragon and the Moon's Ice Spirit.
Unbothered by this, Han Ling's thoughts stalled slightly.
Wait… Those are two legendary bloodlines? How did I not notice this before?
As Han Ling silently wondered, Yu Yui charged at the outer god's avatar.
The air around her froze in an instant, while the ground split with crimson flames like living lava. Even space itself seemed to warp—one half frozen solid, the other melting into formlessness.
The roar of two opposing forces clashing echoed through the sealed dimension. The power Yu Yui released at that moment was terrifying—far beyond the strength of a typical Void Refinement cultivator.
The avatar of the outer god watched her with countless eyes—some twisting with disdain, others widening with interest.
"Two bloodlines…? Even incomplete, your luck is absurd." The distorted voices intertwined—some mocking, others intrigued. "You're a better vessel than that walking corpse."
Yu Yui's aura exploded in fury.
Her red eyes blazed like live embers, reflecting the spatial rift where the grotesque avatar floated.
Every word from the creature's mouths was a blasphemy—a direct insult to the one she adored, the man whose existence gave her life meaning.
"You dare… call my master's body a corpse?!" she shouted, her voice trembling with rage and indignation. "You… disgusting freak… have no idea what you're talking about!"
The formations on her body shimmered even more intensely. The temperature around her fluctuated wildly between extremes—heat so intense it made the air vibrate, and cold so sharp it silenced sound itself.
The outer god's avatar seemed amused by her reaction.
It trembled slightly, its mouths contorting into what resembled a smile. "Ah… struck a nerve, did we? The corpse's little bitch is upset."
Before it could say another word, Yu Yui vanished.
She tore through space like an arrow of destruction, her fist wrapped in a fusion of fire and ice, crashing into one of the avatar's mouths.
The impact was immediate—the blow powerful enough to collapse space at the point of contact, ripping open a tear in reality akin to a black hole. Shockwaves rippled outward, destabilizing the very dimension around them.
Incredible… She made the entire dimension tremble… This is way beyond a normal Void Refinement cultivator. I could probably do that—but I had the Law of Space. She did all this with raw power alone.
Han Ling was utterly shocked and speechless. He had never taken Yu Yui's physique seriously, but now he realized just how absurd it was. It was frightening to think her luck was so potent even while incomplete—how ridiculous would it be if she were whole?
Unfortunately, such a destructive blow did no damage to the outer god's avatar. On the contrary, it only seemed more entertained.
"Seriously? You thought that could hurt me? That felt like a bug bite. No, even a bug bite hurts more." Every mouth smiled—some filled with scorn, others with disdain at Yu Yui's futile attempt to harm a god.
Yu Yui said nothing, but inside, she trembled.
Impossible! That attack had the burning power of two bloodlines… It should've at least injured him!
She bit her lip, fear creeping into her heart. The difference between a god and a mortal was becoming all too clear.
Damn it… The bloodline burn has already started… I wanted to defeat him and prove to my master that I can be useful… But at this rate, I won't even be able to buy enough time for the golden cocoon to hatch.
Yu Yui wanted to cry in that moment. She wanted to impress her master—but now it seemed like that would be the cause of both their deaths.
Sensing Yu Yui's emotional instability becoming a burden in the battle, Han Ling decided to motivate her.
"Don't retreat, Yu Yui. If we're going to die, let's die trying… Let's die together."
Strangely enough, not only did Yu Yui's heart race at those words—Han Ling's heart stirred too.
What the hell! I don't even have a body! How is this happening?!
Han Ling thought about it for a moment. He didn't have a physical body—he was just a soul—so physical sensations should be impossible. Forcing his thoughts into order, he refocused on the battle against the outer god—the fight that would decide their survival… or death.
***
End of chapter.