Judging from Hua Cheng's expression, it seemed his right eye was throbbing with unbearable pain. Xie Lian rushed forward.
"Are you all right?!"
The corner of Hua Cheng's mouth twitched, but he forced back any words he wished to say. The silver eye engraved on Eming's hilt snapped open, and the eyeball started to spin wildly. Veins bulged under the skin of the hand that Hua Cheng had planted atop the altar. That hand seemed ready to flip the table at any second.
Xie Lian reached out, wanting to touch him, but Hua Cheng only growled, "Stay back!"
Seeing Xie Lian freeze, Hua Cheng gritted a plea through his teeth. "…Your Highness, please. Get away from me, hurry.
I might…" Xie Lian cut him off. "How can you tell me to leave when you're like this?!"
Hua Cheng sounded harried. "If you stay here any longer, I—" Just then, waves of hellish howls and cries sounded from outside Thousand Lights T emple. Ghosts were doubling over on the street, bawling their eyes out as they clutched their heads and wailed. They sounded like their skulls were splitting open, like they were on the verge of death.
Qi Rong, however, was still dashing ahead at incredible speed. Although the flesh vessel had stifled his powers, his possession of a human body also acted as a protective barrier, so any attacks aimed specifically at ghosts were weakened. This was the only reason Qi Rong was still able to be up and about, and he seized this chance to flee. The female ghosts who had been cradling Guzi had fallen to the ground, mewling in pain from their headaches, and were unable to continue singing their hypnotic melody. Guzi groggily woke up to see Qi Rong bolting away like a madman, and he stumbled upright to chase after him.
"Dad! Dad! Wait for me!" he yelled.
As he ran, Qi Rong turned his head, stuck out his tongue, and rolled his eyes. "PBBBBBBBHT! GOOD BOY, DADDY'S OFF! HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!"
Guzi chased after him relentlessly on his short little legs, but when he saw that the distance between them was only growing bigger, he burst into tears.
"Waaah! Dad! Please don't throw me away! Dad, take me with you!"
"GET LOST! GET LOST! Don't follow me, you nuisance!"
Qi Rong began spitting at the boy.
His spit flew so far that it hit Guzi on the forehead and knocked him onto his butt. He cried even harder, as if his heart were going to break and his lungs were going to burst.
Xie Lian couldn't bear it any longer, and he furiously stormed out of Thousand Lights T emple.
"Qi Rong!"
The moment Qi Rong saw Xie Lian blocking the path in front of him, he spun around in fear and ran back the way he came. Along the way, he scooped Guzi off the ground and yelled threats behind him.
"Don't come after me! Do it and I'll bite off this little deadweight's head to show you!! My good son; you're gonna become your ol' dad's meal, how filial! Dad'll cook you tomorrow. Braised or steamed, take your pick! HA HA HA HA HA HA!"
Xie Lian wasn't fazed by the threat in the slightest, but just as he was about to give chase, a loud crash sounded behind him. As if struck by a sudden fury, Hua Cheng had swept all the stationery off the table and flung it to the ground. Left with absolutely no choice and no time to deal with Qi Rong, Xie Lian rushed back inside.
"San Lang…" And then, Hua Cheng caught him in a tight embrace. His voice trembled.
"I lied. Don't leave me."
Xie Lian stood as still as an iron board, locked within those arms. "San Lang? Do you recognize me?"
It seemed like he had lost his senses and couldn't recognize the one in front of him. He clutched Xie Lian even tighter in his arms and muttered over and over, "…I lied, don't leave me…" Xie Lian's eyes widened. Outside the temple, Qi Rong broke out in smug laughter while Guzi wailed uncontrollably.
"BAH HA HA! Hua Cheng, you fucker! That'll teach you to look down on me all the time!" he cackled. "Look at you, so cocky all day! Down for the count, aren't you? That's karma!"
The ghosts howling on the streets were exhausted by their misery, but upon hearing this, they cursed back with vigor.
"Green Ghost! You useless piece of crap, ya dare mouth off to our Chengzhu?!"
The annoying ruckus going on around them seemed to further provoke Hua Cheng's fury. Driven to the edge of his tolerance, he raised his hand to blast them to pieces. Xie Lian hastily returned the hug to hold his arm down.
"Okay, okay," he soothed. "I won't leave. I won't leave you."
With a flick of Xie Lian's hand, Thousand Lights T emple's grand doors shut by themselves. T o prevent Qi Rong from busting into the temple under these circumstances, Xie Lian hurled threats to shoo him away.
"If you're gonna go, then go! I don't have time for you!
Careful—if you don't get lost, I just might…ah!"
T o his surprise, Hua Cheng was unsatisfied with a shallow embrace. He roughly pinned Xie Lian down on top of the jade table, scattering ink, paper, and brushes across the floor. Caught up in the struggle, Xie Lian's hand accidentally skimmed past the cinnabar dish stationed on the table, smearing crimson marks across the paper underneath him.
On Ache of Separation's line "Scattered from the peak of Mount Wu, there are no other clouds," the two characters of "the peak" were now stained with alluring streaks of vivid red. It was an endlessly bewitching sight.
"San…" Xie Lian started.
Before he could utter another word, Hua Cheng grabbed him by the shoulders and leaned down into a kiss.
Qi Rong had undoubtedly heard something that didn't sound right. He laughed uproariously. "Cousin Crown Prince, you'd better be careful! That damn Hua Cheng is probably rabid right now—he'll bite whoever he sees! I'll help you spread the news personally. There are plenty of monks and cultivators out there who are enemies with that damn Hua Cheng, so they should take this chance to hurry here and get even with him! HO HO HO, HA HA HA HA…" Xie Lian tensed as Qi Rong's laughter faded into the distance. If Qi Rong really did call forth a large band of cultivators who Hua Cheng had wronged, and they came to shoot a ghost while he was down, how could the ghosts of Ghost City escape harm in their current condition?
But Hua Cheng wasn't allowing him even a moment to think. He was clearly not a living person and should have no warmth in his body, yet at this moment he was searing hot, as if he had been stricken by a burning fever. With their lips pressed so tightly together, Xie Lian was forced to take in the waves of heat flowing into him. The hands that had intended to push Hua Cheng away instead dug into the folds of red fabric at his shoulders.
Maybe it was because Hua Cheng's spiritual power was too potent, but Xie Lian felt filled to bursting by the warmth flowing down his throat, through his chest, and all the way into his stomach—so much that it was unbearable. If he was forced to keep enduring this, he was going to burst from the sheer amount of power that Hua Cheng was pouring into him.
His jaw tightened, and he struck heavily with his palm.
Although the blow did land, he couldn't bring himself to hit Hua Cheng in earnest, so all he'd done was tap his shoulder with inconsequential strength. Unfazed, Hua Cheng seized his wrist, held it down, and continued to press his heat directly into Xie Lian's mouth.
If this continued, he really would be crushed. This time, Xie Lian used both his hands to push Hua Cheng away, then fled in panic to the other side of the altar, panting for breath.
With his eye bloodshot, Hua Cheng hounded him, followed him, and pinned him down against the altar.
"San Lang!" Xie Lian cried.
"..."
Perhaps his voice reached him, for Hua Cheng stared at his face for a long time before abruptly wrapping him in a crushing hug.
Seeing that Hua Cheng listened and stopped forcefully pumping spiritual power into him, Xie Lian sighed a breath of relief. However, as he stood in Hua Cheng's embrace, he could sense the energy inside Hua Cheng going berserk. No wonder Hua Cheng had kissed him the moment he caught him. With such wretched turbulence within him, he had to find an outlet to expel it. Bloodletting would be necessary for him to fully regain his senses. But Hua Cheng wasn't alive— how could he have any blood to let?
After much consideration, Xie Lian made a decision.
"…Forgive me."
He cupped Hua Cheng's cheeks and captured his lips with his own. Xie Lian then began to gently guide the turbulent flow of heat into his own body, helping ease Hua Cheng's pain and agitation. Hua Cheng looped his arm around Xie Lian's waist, eliciting a small shiver from him. In the next moment, the two tumbled down and sprawled atop the altar.
It really wasn't fair. Xie Lian didn't dare touch anywhere on Hua Cheng that was even slightly dangerous. But in his confused state of mind, Hua Cheng's hands roamed over every inch of his body without restraint, causing Xie Lian unspeakable torment. This altar was originally a place to worship the divine, but presented there this evening instead was a ghost and a god entangled in a fervent, inseparable embrace, their tongues entwined. It was absurd and strange, and yet a sight of breathtaking loveliness.
The first few times they had committed this sort of act, they had been more or less clearheaded. There was a proper justification every time and some measure of control— nothing beyond lips covering lips. But this time, one was confused and the other caught off guard, and these fevered kisses had crossed the line. Through the fog that clouded his mind, Xie Lian finally accepted something. Although every time this happened was out of his control and he never had a choice…the truth was, he couldn't resist his feelings. Every time.
He was tormented thus for half the night before the agitation within Hua Cheng finally began to calm. The arms that embraced Xie Lian gradually slackened, and Xie Lian flipped over and sat up. He gazed at Hua Cheng's slumbering face, then breathed a sigh.
Eming had been thrown to the side, and its eyeball was still frantically spinning. Xie Lian picked up the scimitar, and it was only after an extended petting session that Eming's eye finally relaxed into a smiling crescent, as if it was finally satisfied. Not long after, Hua Cheng shot upright from where he had been sleeping.
"...Your Highness?!"
Xie Lian quickly adjusted his expression into a beaming smile, then turned to Hua Cheng. "You're awake? Everything's fine now."
Hua Cheng scanned the room. Thousand Lights T emple was an enormous mess. His face was uncharacteristically distraught, as if he couldn't remember what had happened the night before. Xie Lian jumped at the chance to speak, sounding calm and easy.
"What happened last night? All your subordinates were suddenly struck with fevers and terrible headaches. Everyone was restless. You were too—you had quite the temper!"
"Besides that?" Hua Cheng demanded.
Xie Lian blinked. "Besides what? Nothing else happened."
Hua Cheng stared at him hard. "There really was nothing? Then how did I calm down?"
Xie Lian cleared his throat softly, as if he was slightly embarrassed. "San Lang, please don't be mad at me. T o tell you the truth, other than this…" He briefly raised the hand that was currently petting Eming, "I also, ahem, fought with you."
"..." Hua Cheng eyed him doubtfully. "We…had a fight?"
Xie Lian met his gaze earnestly, face carefully neutral.
"We did. Look, our fight made quite a mess of the hall."
"..."
There was a pause, then Hua Cheng puffed a sigh of relief and rested his head on his hand.
Now that Hua Cheng was no longer hounding him for answers, Xie Lian finally released the breath he'd been holding and let himself relax.
"It opened," Hua Cheng muttered.
"What did?" Xie Lian asked.
Hua Cheng lifted his head and clarified with a somber voice. "Mount T onglu reopened."
Both were entirely aware of what that meant. Xie Lian's eyes widened.
"A new ghost king...is about to be born?"
***
When Xie Lian returned to the Heavenly Capital to report in, thunder was rumbling loud enough to match the news of Mount T onglu. As he stepped into the Palace of Divine Might, Xie Lian subconsciously looked to a particular spot to inquire about this.
"What's the matter with Lord Thunder Master?"
He only realized after he voiced his question that the spot where the Wind Master once stood was now empty. The Water Master in the front-most row and the Earth Master in the farthest corner—they, too, were gone. He blinked, before sighing softly to himself.
When he cocked his head to the side, he saw Lang Qianqiu enter the hall. Xie Lian had not seen him for some time, and his entire person was one size thinner and much, much gloomier. His eyes met Xie Lian's, then he turned away without a word.
As he scanned the room, Xie Lian realized he couldn't find anyone he could casually converse with.
"It's nothing. A Ghost King is about to be born; ghosts cry and gods sound, and the thunder won't stop," a voice answered his question.
Surprisingly, the one who responded was Feng Xin. For some reason, Xie Lian found the sight of him instantly comforting. However, one of Feng Xin's eyes was blackened.
Xie Lian couldn't help but turn to glance at Mu Qing, who was standing on the far side of the hall. One side of Mu Qing's face was swollen. After years of nursing their grudge, their recent brawl must've been quite brutal.
Jun Wu called everyone to attention. "I am certain you are all aware of the reason I summoned you here."
The heavenly officials all responded in the affirmative.
Jun Wu continued, his speech unhurried. "The universe is a crucible, and living creatures are the copper. Infinite adversities abide within the abyss of suffering.
"Mount T onglu is a naturally ominous realm with a landscape most perilous; it is a live volcano that can erupt at any time.
"Every few centuries, the City of Gu within the mountain opens its gates, and its call shakes the Ghost Realm; its tremors especially affect its previous champions, the ghost kings. Every nefarious creature that desires to reach the level of supreme will make their way to Mount T onglu. Once they have assembled, Mount T onglu will seal itself once more, and the slaughter will officially begin.
"When only one remains, a new ghost king is born.
"Crimson Rain Sought Flower and Ship-Sinking Black Water are both Supreme Ghost Kings born by this method.
The two became supremes when they emerged from the mountain. It took Black Water twelve years. It took Hua Cheng ten."
"It's already difficult enough to deal with one Black Water and one Hua Cheng; just look at what they've done," Mu Qing commented coldly. "If another one comes along, we won't sleep a wink."
"General Xuan Zhen, I won't comment on Black Water.
But I don't think Hua Cheng has done anything truly out of line," Xie Lian responded temperately.
Mu Qing, his cheek puffy and swollen, shot him a look.
"They are quite difficult to deal with," Pei Ming noted.
"So we must stop the millions of ghosts from gathering, am I right?"
"Correct," Jun Wu said. "The process will take a few months. We need to put a stop to it while we are still able."
"What if we don't stop them in time?" Xie Lian asked. "Is there any way to rally after that?"
"There is," Jun Wu assured, "but hopefully we will not reach that point. The primary focus at this juncture is that the agitation of the ghosts has created a wave of chaos. Many nefarious creatures that were once sealed away have escaped, and among them are some that are extremely dangerous—such as that female ghost Xuan Ji, the fetus spirit, and the Brocade Immortal. They are likely hurrying to Mount T onglu as we speak. They must be immediately apprehended once more."
"They've all escaped?" Xie Lian remarked. "This is quite the disturbance indeed."
"Which is why I'm afraid every martial god must expend some effort and thoroughly investigate the domains over which they preside," Jun Wu stated.
"Then…what about me?" Xie Lian asked.
While Xie Lian was a Scrap God at the moment, he had ascended as a martial god the first two times. He was basically being used as a martial god right now too; the only difference was that he didn't have a domain.
After deliberating for a moment, Jun Wu said, "Xianle, why don't you go with Qi Ying?"