Chapter 22

Tanyin instinctively took a few steps forward. Suddenly, she felt a slight tug, as if a hand had gently pulled her from behind. Startled, she turned around, but there was no one there. Yuan Zhong stood nearby, looking at her with a puzzled expression.

Was it an illusion?

She turned back, her eyes growing brighter with determination. Reaching into her Qiankun bag, she tightly grasped a talisman. She wasn’t sure if this talisman could deal with the demon before her, but she couldn’t just watch it escape.

The demon was so gluttonous that its body had become heavy, and it was unable to fly. It could only crawl deeper into the apricot blossom forest. Tanyin followed closely. However, her skirt was lightly tugged again, as if something was preventing her from chasing the demon. Startled, she looked down, but again, there was no one there.

“Hehe…”

A voice as ethereal as clouds echoed behind her, and her long hair fluttered as if gently blown by someone—a chilling breath.

A layer of cold sweat seeped out of Tanyin’s back. The situation was too bizarre—something she had never encountered before. Was it the work of the unformed demon? She looked intently at the demon, which was still awkwardly crawling on the ground, unable to fly. It couldn’t possibly have such power.

Tanyin took out the talisman from her Qiankun bag, vigilantly looking around.

Suddenly, the fleeing demon stopped rolling. Its entire body seemed to be grabbed by an invisible hand, unable to struggle free. It trembled violently, its semi-transparent, mist-like body writhing and letting out sharp screams. Then, its enormous body was suddenly lifted and violently pulled westward.

The sudden change left Tanyin dumbfounded. An icy breath lightly blew on the back of her neck again, sending chills down her spine.

“A little goddess who has yet to pass the human tribulation.”

The ethereal voice suddenly echoed in her ear. Tanyin mercilessly slapped the talisman towards the sound, but it hit nothing. Immediately, she felt as if she were bound by countless ropes, unable to move. She froze in shock.

“Come… come over here… let me see you…”

The voice was soft and ethereal, yet devoid of any emotion.

Tanyin felt countless cold hands entering her body from her head, gripping her divine consciousness. Her eyes shone brightly for a moment, but then her divine power was completely suppressed. She let out a short, fearful cry as her consciousness was pulled out by those countless cold hands, unable to resist being dragged in the direction the demon had been taken.

As her consciousness left her body, she watched helplessly as her borrowed human body collapsed to the ground, caught by a bewildered Yuan Zhong. After that, she could see no more. Surrounded by countless cold hands, she felt dizzy and unable to move.

The wind howled in her ears, like the wails of vengeful spirits. She was dragged at breakneck speed through layers of clouds. Suddenly, she plummeted, the scenery around her changing abruptly, as if she were being pulled into a vast lake.

She looked up with difficulty and saw a completely crimson palace on the lake. The palace walls were painted with cinnabar, with flame patterns carved below, also painted with cinnabar. At a glance, it seemed as if the palace were on fire.

This was an ancient and powerful curse!

Tanyin only had time to glimpse these details before her consciousness was thrown high into the air. The fiery palace gates roared open, and she was dragged into the palace, which was pitch black inside. As she was pulled in, the ancient oil lamps on the walls lit up one by one, then were extinguished.

Finally, a black wooden door slowly opened. Tanyin felt her consciousness being pulled inside. Her vision went black as her consciousness was violently shaken, and she fainted. In her daze, she heard the wooden door creak shut, leaving only silence.

She didn’t know how much time had passed when she suddenly woke up with a start. She found herself staring at an ornate and ancient-carved ceiling. The ceiling was very high, with a ridge shaped like an evil dragon, made of peach wood.

Peach wood wards off evil spirits, but how could it be used for a roof ridge? Tanyin’s head throbbed. She felt as if she were burning from the inside; the heat was unbearable. She was a goddess with strong divine consciousness, yet the invisible flames caused her immense pain.

Struggling to sit up, she looked around. It seemed to be a large hall, dimly lit. The walls were covered with various symbols, and the pillars were carved with lifelike statues of god, exuding a faint divine power.

She heard the faint sound of water lapping against the walls, recalling being dragged into a crimson, cursed palace. She quickly jumped up from the scorching floor. At that moment, the ethereal voice spoke again.

“Little goddess who has yet to pass the human tribulation, come here.”

Tanyin turned quickly, seeing a small wooden window open in the west corner of the hall. The sound of water lapping against the walls came from there. This palace was built on a lake, and at night, the rising water almost reached the window. Below the window was a large bed with draped curtains, inside which a figure was faintly visible. Near the bed was a small, dark blue pond, about the size of a well, with a few semi-transparent red-headed carp swimming inside. Occasionally, they leaped silently, their bodies transforming into a dark blue mist before falling back into the water and becoming carp again.

Where was this place? Who was the person on the bed? Tanyin extended her divine consciousness to its limit, but she couldn’t discern the figure’s appearance, whether god or demon, something she had never experienced since becoming a goddess.

“Come here,” the voice called again.

Tanyin couldn’t help but slowly walk towards the large bed. The closer she got, the more she felt an overwhelming sense of eeriness. Everything was too strange, and not sensing any demonic energy made her uneasy.

As she approached the bed, her eyes widened. The demon that had devoured the vengeful ghost was coiled beside the bed! Instinctively, Tanyin reached for a talisman in her Qiankun bag, but her waist was empty. She realized her divine consciousness had been dragged here, leaving the pouch with her mortal body.

Why? She stared in shock at the semi-transparent demon. Why couldn’t she sense its presence?

“I haven’t seen a demon in a long time,” the person on the bed said softly. “Don’t kill her; she’s interesting.”

Tan Yin couldn’t speak. The drapes on the bed were suddenly pulled open by an invisible hand. The person on the bed seemed to communicate silently with the demon.

After a while, the drapes fell back, and the ethereal voice said, “I understand. Let me help you.”

The demon began to roar silently, its massive body lifted by several invisible hands. Two more hands tore at its body, pulling off chunks of semi-transparent mist, which turned into pure white mist before rejoining its body.

Tanyin was almost dumbfounded. In just a few moments, the shapeless demon had been torn into the shape of a person by the invisible hands. It seemed to be in great pain, shivering on the ground.

“Go,” the voice said softly.

“I wonder if I will see you again.”

The demon rose, seemingly bowing to the person on the bed. Though its body was still a mass of semi-transparent mist, it now had a human shape. It turned its head, and Tanyin felt as if it glanced at her before it floated lightly out of the wooden window.

“Wait a moment!” She hurriedly took two steps forward but was suddenly pulled back by an invisible hand, almost losing her balance.

“You…” Tanyin stared in shock at the person on the bed.

“You helped it take human form and let it go…”

“Are you angry?” the voice asked calmly.

Tanyin took several deep breaths. “Who are you?”

The bed’s curtains were slowly lifted by an invisible hand. A completely white, large cat lazily leaped out, its emerald green eyes looking at her as if it could speak. It slowly walked to the edge of the pond and played with the koi fish in the water.

“You haven’t passed the human tribulation yet, so you’re not truly a true god, just a little goddess. You can’t see my true form.”

The person on the bed extended a thin, pale hand and beckoned her.

“Thousands of years have passed. Now, whether gods or demons, they all feel familiar to me. Come closer.”

Tanyin slowly walked to the bedside. Suddenly, the curtains were quickly drawn open by invisible hands, and jade hooks silently secured them. The person on the bed was a small, thin girl who looked only eleven or twelve years old. Her thick, silky black hair spread out on the pale purple bedspread. She wore a white single-layered garment and appeared so frail that she seemed about to break.

But more shocking than her appearance were the three iron rings locked around her ankles and neck. Tanyin’s face changed immediately upon seeing them. She recognized them as one of her own creations, the Demon-Subduing Rings. During the war between gods and demons, these rings could suppress demonic power, making it impossible for demons to resist and allowing the gods to capture them alive.

“You recognize them.”

The girl turned her head, revealing a delicate jawline.

Her lips were pale blue-white, devoid of any blood.

“You are the unparalleled craftsman who made these.”

Tanyin silently nodded. “Yes… I made them.”

A faint smile appeared on the girl’s face.

“But you are still a goddess who hasn’t passed the human tribulation.”

She mentioned “human tribulation” again.

Tanyin hesitated but did not ask further. The current situation and this person were too strange, beyond her comprehension. She dared not act rashly.

“I will tell you what the human tribulation is, in exchange—” The girl lightly moved her foot, causing the iron chains to clink coldly. Her legs had withered to the point of being extremely thin, ready to break at any moment.

“In exchange, you will remove the Demon-Subduing Rings.”

Tanyin’s expression remained unchanged as she firmly refused, “I won’t do that. You can choose not to tell me.”

Even though she couldn’t discern the girl’s identity, the fact that the Demon-Subduing Rings could bind her indicated that she was extremely dangerous. Tanyin would not free such a perilous being.

The girl spoke softly, “Aren’t you afraid I’ll shatter your divine consciousness?”

Tanyin felt countless invisible, soft ropes tightening around her, causing her divine consciousness intense pain as if it were about to be crushed. She shut her eyes tightly, gritted her teeth, and said nothing, refusing to plead.

After an indeterminate period of tension, the binding suddenly vanished. The girl’s soft, ethereal voice sounded again: “What’s your name?”

Tanyin fought to endure the excruciating pain in her divine consciousness and whispered, “…Ji Tanyin.”

“Tanyin,” the girl called.

Her long hair was carefully lifted and combed by many invisible hands, finally tied into a bun.

“To become a primordial god, you must endure three tribulations: Heaven, Earth, and Human. The heavenly tribulation was when you, as a mortal, created a god-defying artifact, leading to your grave illness and the extermination of your clan. The earthly tribulation was your wandering soul trapped in the mortal realm for hundreds of years, unable to find release.”

Tanyin was stunned. Since becoming a goddess, no one has ever told her these things. She was skeptical, but she listened intently.

“You are merely a goddess granted divine status, not possessing the power to bestow it upon others, because you haven’t passed the human tribulation.”

Tanyin couldn’t help but interrupt, “Do all gods undergo three tribulations?”

The girl nodded slowly. “Yes.”

“But… no god has ever told me…”

“The three tribulations of Heaven, Earth, and Human are endured unknowingly. If you are prepared, it doesn’t count as passing the tribulation.”

Everything seemed mysterious and unprecedented to Tanyin. However, she also knew the girl was right. The gods and goddesses were fundamentally different from the primordial gods. They were granted divine status and assigned duties, but lacked the ability to bestow divinity upon others. Was it because they hadn’t passed the human tribulation?

“You… who are you… how do you know so much…” Tanyin stammered, staring at her.

The girl lowered her head, and the lifted curtains instantly dropped, blocking Tanyin’s view.

“Leave. Meeting a god and a demon today brings me joy. When you pass the human tribulation, you’ll naturally know who I am. For now, you may call me the Lake Princess.”

Tanyin wanted to speak further but felt a tremendous force pushing her away. Just like before, she couldn’t resist and was thrown out. The wind howled in her ears like vengeful spirits wailing. In a blink, she felt her divine consciousness being forcefully slammed to the ground. The impact was intense, causing her to moan briefly. Immediately after, a warm hand tightly grasped hers, and Yuan Zhong’s pale, anxious face appeared in her sight.

“You’re awake?!” he exclaimed, visibly excited, his hand trembling slightly as he held hers.

Tanyin stared at him in amazement, then looked down at herself. She had somehow been pushed back into her mortal body.