A woman tore through time and space at incredible speed.
Reality itself parted before her as she moved.
Then she suddenly stopped.
Her head turned slowly.
"To think that you dare show yourself in front of me."
The empty void twisted and rippled.
Yu Tian and Xueling were revealed, frozen mid-step as if caught sneaking around.
The woman's eyes were cold.
"Last time, you merely heard my voice and ran without looking back."
Yu Tian scratched his head awkwardly.
"Umm... I was just passing by."
He offered a sheepish smile.
"How about you pretend this never happened?"
She raised her fist.
"And why would I do that?"
Her voice carried absolute authority.
"Hand it over."
"Hand over what?"
"My husband's fragment."
Her expression didn't change.
"Husband belongs to me. So do all his belongings."
Yu Tian sighed.
"I'm afraid I can't do that. The fragments are all tied to the hosts' lives. You can't take it without…"
She looked at him as if he had said the dumbest thing she had ever heard.
"And?"
"..."
Yu Tian sighed again.
"You had a purpose for coming here, right? Why don't you go deal with that first? You can deal with me later."
She laughed.
It wasn't a pleasant sound.
"Do you think it will take me that long to kill you?"
"I'm sure it won't," he agreed readily. "But isn't it inconvenient for you?"
Her laughter stopped.
"What do you mean?"
"How long has it been since you left your husband?"
Her eyes narrowed. "About a day."
"How long can you endure being away from him?"
Yu Tian's voice was casual, but his words cut deep.
"Your body is probably already itching."
The Lady's expression shifted.
How does he know?
He was right.
She couldn't stay away for too long. She really, really, really, really, really loved her husband.
If she stayed away too long, she might go crazy again.
Yu Tian shrugged.
"You came here for a reason. Having to deal with me will just waste your time."
Silence stretched between them.
Then she scoffed.
"Hmph. You're lucky."
She turned and tore back through reality, vanishing in an instant.
Yu Tian watched her go.
Then he exhaled heavily, his entire body sagging.
"This is not good for my heart."
Xueling patted his arm comfortingly.
He grabbed her hand.
"We need to move to another chaos."
With that, they disappeared.
…
The Round Table
Yu Tian had just left.
The void was quiet.
Zhao Long stroked his chin thoughtfully. "So the young girl is…"
"The Lady's..." Zhu Que began, her voice trembling.
"...daughter?" Zhao Long finished.
Their expressions shifted to absolute shock.
They exchanged glances.
The table shattered.
Both of them dropped to their knees before Lyra, heads bowed low.
"We greet the Young Lady!" they spoke in perfect unison.
Lyra blinked, clearly uncomfortable.
Maya clicked her tongue in annoyance.
These two...
One moment Zhu Que was her mortal enemy. The next she was groveling before someone else.
How shameless.
At that moment…
The void split open.
A woman stepped through.
She had long white hair and her features were impossibly beautiful - and impossibly cold. Her mere presence made the void itself seem to shrink away.
She surveyed the gathered group with disinterest.
Maya tensed.
Cipher remained still.
Lyra's face went pale.
The woman's gaze swept across them all before settling.
"Which one of you idiots is Cipher?"
…
Zhao Long and Zhu Que instantly spun around, still on their knees.
"We greet the Lady!"
The woman ignored them.
"I asked, who is Cipher?"
They didn't hesitate.
Both of them pointed directly at him.
Cipher stared at them in disbelief.
These two...
The Lady's gaze settled on Cipher. She examined him for a moment, her expression unreadable.
Then she smashed her fists together.
The void trembled.
Cipher felt genuinely uneasy for the first time since reaching the Creation Realm.
"Not only did you steal from me once," she spoke, her voice cold, "you did it twice."
She began floating toward him.
"Stealing my daughter. And also my husband's property."
Lyra moved instantly.
She positioned herself between them, arms spread wide, standing protectively before Cipher.
"Stop!"
The Lady paused.
She looked at her daughter.
Then she shook her head slowly, almost sadly.
"It seems it was a mistake to let you leave. You've become so disobedient."
Her expression softened, but not in a comforting way.
"But Mom understands. You're just in that phase."
She grabbed Lyra by the collar.
And threw her aside like an insignificant item.
Lyra tumbled through the void, completely unable to resist.
"Take her away," the Lady said dismissively. "I'll discipline her properly later."
Zhao Long didn't wait.
He grabbed Lyra mid-air and bolted. Zhu Que followed immediately, transforming into her phoenix form and carrying them both at maximum speed.
…
"Let me go! LET ME GO!"
Lyra thrashed in Zhao Long's grip, kicking and struggling.
"We apologize to the Young Lady," Zhao Long said, his voice strained, "but there really isn't anything we can do."
"Release me this instant!"
"We truly cannot!"
Zhu Que's phoenix form screeched in agreement.
Lyra was furious. Frustrated. Helpless.
The Heavenly Demon - the peak of cultivation in the heavenly demonic sect - reduced to being carried away like a misbehaving child.
She forced herself to calm down.
Then an idea struck her.
"If you don't let me go..."
Her voice dropped.
"I'll tell Dad."
They paused mid-flight.
Lyra's face flushed red.
How embarrassing.
The Heavenly Demon was supposed to represent the peak of power. Now she was reduced to making threats like a child running to her parents.
The two beings exchanged glances.
Then they looked back at the Lady's distant figure.
"We can't," they said in unison.
They continued running.
"What?" Lyra was shocked. "Isn't Dad stronger? Why are you more afraid of her?"
Zhao Long sighed as he ran.
"You don't understand, Young Lady. While the Lord is immensely stronger than the Lady, he is still a reasonable person."
Zhu Que's phoenix form nodded.
"As long as we give a reasonable explanation, he will definitely listen."
"But the Lady is different."
They spoke together:
"She won't even bother to listen."
Lyra was stunned.
Her mother really was that unreasonable.
Even so...
"Then I'll lie to Dad," she said coldly.
They kept running.
"I'll cry and say you two bullied me."
They slowed slightly.
"Will he listen to his cute crying daughter? Or you two?"
They came to an instant halt.
"Umm..." Zhao Long mumbled.
"Err..." Zhu Que transformed back to human form, scratching her cheek.
"Let me down."
"Yes, ma'am."
They released her immediately.
Lyra stretched, rolling her shoulders.
She turned to face them, her expression serious.
"How do I defeat her?"