Chapter 602 — Blood Sacrifice to Luofu

Lu Li knew things had turned bad. She turned to look at Varahi. His three faces were wooden. One of them tilted upward to face Luofu Heaven directly. After a moment, Varahi's incomparably resonant voice emerged: "Heavenly Master, I shall make a covenant with you—we cease hostilities for now! Let our two sides conclude peace. My demon race and the gods and devils of Taihuang Heaven shall divide the world in two. My demon race shall occupy half the territory of Taihuang Heaven, and the other half shall belong to you. You shall hold Luofu Heaven, and with a hold over my demon race, you too may rest easy."

"Agreed!"

The sky was torn open, and the Woodcutter's massive face appeared in the air—only the face, not even the ears showing. This face appeared so abruptly in the sky, looking down at Varahi below, its voice rolling like heavenly thunder: "Swear before Tubo?"

Varahi said solemnly, "I swear before Tubo!"

Zaifu, the Blind Elder, and the others, racing toward Li City, also saw this scene and heard the words exchanged between the Woodcutter Sage and Varahi. Granny Zhu shook her head and said, "Who is this foolish old man? So silly—he dares to swear before Tubo with the Demon Race's Exalted King? He'd better be careful, or Varahi will cheat him out of even his underclothes!"

The people of Hidden Remnant Village nodded repeatedly.

Shen Mu said cautiously, "Granny, look at that face in the sky—does it not resemble the Woodcutter Sage in the murals of our Sacred Mountain?"

Granny Zhu examined it, then gave a shudder. Was this face not the Woodcutter Sage?

"So it is the Sage."

Granny Zhu's expression brightened, quite charmingly, and she laughed, "Then he will not lose out in swearing before Tubo with Varahi. So many cunning, ghost-like figures in the Heavenly Sage Cult all learned their craft and slyness from the Great Nurturing Nether Demon Scripture—and when it comes to cunning, this Sage is the ancestor of them all."

Beneath her smile, everyone's minds went blank, and the matter of Granny Zhu having just called the Woodcutter Sage a foolish old man was involuntarily and selectively forgotten.

Lu Li's gaze flickered. She looked into the distance and was about to step forward to chase Shen Mu when Varahi suddenly said calmly, "This concerns the survival of my Luofu Heaven. Fellow Daoist Lu Li, it would be best not to act rashly."

Lu Li's graceful brows furrowed slightly. The opportunity was rare—she very much wanted to seize the chance to capture Shen Mu and the others—but she was also deeply wary of that face in the sky. If she forced a move, even Varahi, under coercion, might turn against her. She had no choice but to endure for now.

"Rest assured, I said I would hand this brat over to you, and I will never go back on my word," Varahi said.

Lu Li giggled and said, "If you dare break your word, then I might just help Taihuang Heaven wipe out your demon race."

Varahi shook his head. "You will not. The Heavenly Master comes from the Kaihuang Heavenly Court. His deep enmity with you surpasses even your hatred for the demon race—it cannot possibly be resolved."

Lu Li glanced toward the direction in which Shen Mu and the others had fled and restrained herself. She did not fear Varahi, nor did she fear the Woodcutter Sage—but if the Woodcutter Sage and Varahi struck at her simultaneously, she would not fare well either.

"Nevertheless, what I promised you, I will certainly accomplish."

Varahi's front face was in the midst of concluding the Covenant of Tubo with the face in the sky. His left face said to Lu Li, "He has already fallen under my divine ability. Whether he looks into a mirror or upon water, he will fall into my grasp."

Only then did Lu Li feel at ease. She laughed and said, "I truly admire your spatial arts."

Qi Jiuyi frowned slightly and said, "Then, Military Commissioner, the agreement between you and me…"

Lu Li gave him a sweet smile, utterly charming and alluring, cloyingly so, and said in a rough voice, "Whether I lend Shen Mu to you for a use depends on what you intend to do. Young Master Qi may be a noble of the Heavenly Court, but the sky is high and the emperor far away. Even His Majesty would find it hard to control a military commissioner who rules his own territory, no?"

Qi Jiuyi showed no change in expression and said, "I understand it all. Once Shen Mu is in hand, lend him to me, and I will give you benefits."

At last, Shen Mu and the others reached Li City and breathed a sigh of relief.

Li City was already packed with troops. Emperor Jingping's Imperial Preceptor, True God Pang Yu, and others were holding the formation. Seeing them arrive safely, they finally relaxed.

The Elixir Master took out a mirror and tidied her appearance, lest her image be marred.

Shen Mu leaned in for a look, and his expression changed drastically. His eyes fixed straight upon the mirror's surface. In the mirror, Varahi was walking toward him.

The Elixir Master happened to put the mirror away just then and laughed, "Shen'er, you carry no fewer mirrors than I do—why borrow mine?"

Shen Mu shook his head and cried out, "Granny, I've fallen for it again!"

He recounted what he had seen and the matter of his previous abduction by Varahi. The people of Hidden Remnant Village all wore expressions of disdain. The Lame Elder sneered, "Shen'er, to fall in the same place twice—you have failed our teachings!"

The Blind Elder nodded. "I said it all along—Shen'er is still young, still too naive!"

The Elixir Master sighed and said, "Indeed. That old ghost the Village Chief was always saying Shen'er is still naive and fears he will suffer for it—and now it has come true. The same loss suffered twice!"

Cold sweat rolled down Shen Mu's forehead. "Stop the sarcasm—what am I supposed to do?"