As night descended upon the summit of the Huiyin Mountains.

Although ravenous with hunger, the soldiers on the mountain had not the slightest thought or desire to eat. Enemy troops surrounded them at the foot of the mountain, and under the cover of darkness, the threat of death loomed large, ensuring they dared not relax for a moment.

Niu Tou and Ma Mian told the soldiers that if they could endure for just a while longer, reinforcements would arrive soon. Although the last ray of sunlight had already set on the western horizon of the Endless Sea, in the east, it seemed as though the dawn of victory was rising together with the moon.

The soldiers gazed towards the east where a bright moon hung, hoping for the silhouettes of the reinforcements to be outlined in the brilliant moonlight.

Outside Chen Hao's tent, Niu Tou and Ma Mian stood in silence. Chen Hao was still unconscious, showing no signs of awakening.

In their hearts, Niu Tou and Ma Mian felt guilty, for they had deceived Chen Hao, betraying Ye Yuqiao's Yang Soul. If it weren't for Chen Hao that day, they feared that they and the over ten thousand soldiers on the mountain might have already been slaughtered.

"Niu Tou, did Chen Hao see the firebird that was the incarnation of the Nether King today?" Ma Mian suddenly asked.

Niu Tou let out a sigh, shaking his head as he replied, "I don't know!"

"I always feel that we have wronged him," Ma Mian continued, "from initially hiding from him and bringing his grandfather to the Netherworld to now deceiving him and betraying that Nether King. He has done so much for us, yet we keep deceiving him."

Niu Tou's sighs grew heavier as he said helplessly, "How can I not feel the same!"

At that moment, a series of hurried footsteps approached from a distance. Niu Tou and Ma Mian looked towards the sound and saw a soldier running hastily under the pale moonlight.

"What has happened?" Before the soldier could reach them, Niu Tou couldn't help but urgently ask.

"Lord Niu Tou, Lord Ma Mian, the Ghost King Battalion has withdrawn their troops!"

"Ah! They've withdrawn!" Both Niu Tou and Ma Mian first expressed shock, then their expressions turned joyful.

Then, the two strode towards the cliff edge and saw the Ghost King's army of sixty thousand, like a straight river, flowing through the collapsed mountains and forests below, heading southeast.

"It seems they know our reinforcements are on their way, so they've withdrawn their troops," Ma Mian said.

"Of course!" Niu Tou scoffed with disdain, "If our reinforcements had arrived, we would have surpassed them both in morale and strength."

"All thanks to Chen Hao!" Ma Mian sighed.

Hearing Ma Mian's words, Niu Tou's eyes dimmed, and his guilt towards Chen Hao deepened.

...

...

The night was deep.

Ye Yuqiao and Zhao Chong returned to the main peak of the Huiyin Mountains. As soon as they reached the summit, Ye Yuqiao released Zhao Chong and rushed to the tent to see Chen Hao.

Watching Ye Yuqiao's retreating figure, Zhao Chong felt very lost and alone.

"Nether King!" Niu Tou and Ma Mian greeted Ye Yuqiao respectfully.

"Has Chen Hao woken up?" Ye Yuqiao asked anxiously.

Niu Tou and Ma Mian shook their heads.

"Although he's still unconscious, he should be all right," Niu Tou said.

Ye Yuqiao uttered a sound of acknowledgment, then dashed into the tent like the wind. Niu Tou gave Ma Mian a meaningful look before leaving.

Upon entering the tent and seeing Chen Hao lying peacefully on the bed, Ye Yuqiao became extremely anxious.

She took Chen Hao's hand, leaned down, and lay in his arms, worried that he might have seen her transform into that firebird just before he fell unconscious.

"Chen Hao, you must not hate me!" she thought, preparing for the worst.

...

...

Two hours later.

Finally, the fifty thousand reinforcements led by the clan leaders of the Zhou, Wu, Zheng, and Wang families arrived. Seeing the eastern side of the Huiyin Mountains reduced to flat land, the four clan leaders were extremely astonished, unable to fathom what had transpired on this land not long before.

Zhao Chong, along with Niu Tou and Ma Mian, greeted the four clan leaders and ushered them into a tent equipped with a stove and fine wines and delicacies.

Knowing that the Ghost King Battalion had withdrawn, the clan leaders were all very relaxed, and the atmosphere in the tent was also very pleasant.

After taking a sip of warm wine to warm up, Zheng family clan leader Zheng Yang eagerly asked about the day's events.

Zhao Chong found two of his most articulate generals to vividly describe what happened on the battlefield during the day.

After listening, all four clan leaders were greatly shocked.

"Chen Hao always brings unexpected surprises!" Zheng Yang exclaimed with admiration, "I finally get to meet this miraculous young man."

"Indeed!" Wu family clan leader Wu Kun and Wang family's Wang Yun both looked forward to it.

"By the way, family leader Zhao, where is the Nether King?" Zheng Yang suddenly asked.

Zhao Chong's expression darkened and he hesitated before saying, "She should be taking care of Chen Hao."

"What did you say!" Hearing this, Zheng Yang, Wu Kun, and Wang Yun, all three clan leaders, were startled.

"The Nether King, with such a noble status, is personally taking care of a young man from the mortal world!" As a clan leader from a great family in the Netherworld, Zheng Yang found this unacceptable, a treatment not even their great families received.

Zhou family clan leader Zhou Ke, who had been sitting silently on the side, let out a disdainful snort. He had already noticed that Ye Yuqiao's relationship with Chen Hao was different and had been nearly bursting with impatience because of it.

"Exactly!" Wang Yun fully agreed with Zheng Yang's words. "What a breach of etiquette!"

Zhao Chong picked up his wine cup, took a few unhurried sips, and remained silent.

Suddenly, the previously merry and relaxed atmosphere became silent and eerie.

A moment later, Zheng Yang could not sit still any longer. He got up abruptly and said, "No, I must speak with the Nether King to clarify this matter; she cannot be allowed to behave so recklessly."

Wang Yun and Wu Kun also stood up with him.

The three of them had barely taken a few steps away from the table when they stopped in their tracks, for Ye Yuqiao had arrived.

"Nether King!" Though they were angered, the three clan leaders did not neglect the courtesies due to a sovereign and greeted Ye Yuqiao with the utmost respect.

"Hmm! You have finally arrived!" Ye Yuqiao's voice was very cold, and she looked somewhat tired.

After taking her seat, Ye Yuqiao looked up at the three clan leaders from the Wu, Zheng, and Wang families and asked, "I heard on my way in that you were looking for me?"

After exchanging glances with one another, it was ultimately Zheng Yang who stepped forward and said, "Nether King, we heard that you were personally taking care of Chen Hao earlier, which seemed improper, so we wished to..."

"What's improper about it?" Ye Yuqiao coldly interrupted Zheng Yang.

"You are a being of noble stature, and Chen Hao is just an ordinary Onmyoji from the mortal world."

"He is not ordinary," Ye Yuqiao interrupted Zheng Yang once again, "why don't you go to the mortal world and ask if there is an Onmyoji more outstanding than him? Moreover, don't forget that he is our great hero! If not for him, do you think we would be able to gather here and discuss at all?"

"It's true that he has accomplished notable feats, but for you to be dwelling in the same room as him is really improper, and if word of this were to spread, I fear it would damage your reputation as the Nether King."

"What if we shared the same room?" Ye Yuqiao suddenly stood up, "After all, sooner or later I am to marry Chen Hao, and I will not wed another!"

Upon hearing this, everyone was stunned into silence.

"Absurd!" Wu Kun, advanced in years, was so furious his hair seemed to stand on end, "Ever since the Great Ancestor took the throne, it's been the rule that the Nether Kings can only marry into one of the Eight Great Clans."

Ye Yuqiao's eyes flashed fiercely, and her voice filled with intimidation, "Rules can be changed, and today, I am the rule!"

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.