Chapter 13: The Evil God and the White Lion

Closing the Void Gate—could it truly stop the villains of the Stardust Army?

Lily had no idea.

All she knew was that the Stardust Army had taken just three days to conquer a fortress and a major city in the Dongsong Nanjing Commandery.

And none of those who could wield shield flight were to be trifled with.

Yet here she was, forced to confront these formidable foes, traversing the entire Dongsong region ravaged by Stardust, just to close a gate whose exact location even the old True God didn’t clearly know.

Unreliable! Utterly unreliable!

She had to find a way to escape—this thought crept into Lily’s mind once more.

But then—

“Ahem, don’t even think about running away, young lady,” a voice warned.

As soon as the words left his mouth, an electric current surged from the jade lion pendant Lily wore.

Not lethal, but enough to make her let out a sharp gasp.

“You old man!”

“This is a reminder—don’t entertain any thoughts of escape.”

“Otherwise, I’ve infused your jade lion with void energy; I can control it however I like.”

“Old man! I’ll just throw it away—”

“Hey, don’t be hasty. If the lion gets more than a meter away from you, I’ll fry your brain with a hundred thousand volts on the spot!”

The wretched old man! The despicable old man! Lily cursed silently.

The shock was unpleasant.

Though she didn’t understand terms like “volts,” Lily guessed it was some powerful immortal magic.

The clever treasure hunter girl had no intention of further angering the old man before her.

Besides, she couldn’t truly discard the lion pendant.

It was her father’s sole heirloom—an indelible mark reminding her of revenge.

“I won’t run, old man… I won’t run anymore.”

“But you owe me an explanation—where exactly are we going to close this so-called gate?”

“It’s not a new gate but an old one, hidden away. Once closed, the power of the Stardust Army will be greatly diminished.”

“And you don’t know its exact location?”

“After being set up, the Void Gate usually remains closed. Even beings like me, a god, find it hard to sense.”

“Even if it’s been opened, you can only detect it within a radius of five hundred miles.”

“What kind of troublesome gate is this, closing it is such a pain!”

The old man didn’t answer Lily’s pout.

Hmph.

Lily sighed deeply.

What a wretched fate—to be stuck with this.

She moved quietly, hiding among the reeds by the moat.

Observing the area outside the north gate, all seemed eerily silent.

The frenzied howls and slaughter of the White Lion Riders had subsided.

Except for piles of Half-burned Catfolk corpses, charred by the void fire, there was no sign of the White Lions’ presence.

Ever cautious, Lily avoided stepping onto the main road.

Instead, she skirted eastward along the reed beds by the moat.

She recalled that to the east, the reeds connected to a birch forest spreading northward.

Perhaps from there she could evade the White Lion Riders or Stardust scouts and quickly leave this place.

Along the way, the talkative True God remained silent.

“Old man, why aren’t you saying anything now?”

…

“Old man? True God? Hello?”

…

“Answer me!”

“At Huining Fortress!”

“What?”

Lily knew Huining Fortress well.

It was a towering stronghold on the northern edge of Dongsong’s Beibing Commandery, positioned beside the rushing Luma River.

It was the strongest fortress in the Dongsong Kingdom.

According to the boastful Catfolk of Dongsong, this fortress was dozens of times stronger than the Xuanshan Fortress.

She hadn’t expected that the Void Gate, which he said could only be detected within five hundred miles, would be located so soon.

Though the old man claimed to be a True God, he still seemed untrustworthy.

“Hey, old man, didn’t you say the gate was so well hidden you didn’t even know where it was?”

“Heh, I’m your jade people’s True God! Of course, I have my ways to detect the Void Gate~”

“Fine, fine, I won’t argue. Let’s just hurry there.”

Though uncertain of what divine powers this self-proclaimed True God possessed, Lily had no choice but to trust his judgment.

The True God then began explaining the roads through Dongsong’s southern commanderies.

As if foreseeing the Stardust Army’s next moves, he advised Lily to avoid towns.

Instead, she should take the hidden trails through the tundra and rocky wilds, and quickly head north.

“Not a single town? I can’t exactly eat moss for a meal.”

“Silly girl, do you understand warfare? The Stardust Army advances at an incredible pace.”

“Even though the void energy in the jade realm is thin, their legionnaires can’t wield shields and must march on foot.”

“But their speed is still astonishing.”

“If you go to those towns, you’ll get trapped inside…”

Lily stuck her tongue out and rolled her eyes.

“Alright, alright~ But at this rate, before we even close that gate, all of Dongsong will already be doomed.”

“If we don’t do this, Dongsong’s destruction is certain. But if we succeed, the cats still have a glimmer of hope.”

The True God said with conviction.

Suddenly, Lily recalled the cries of the Catfolk child she’d heard atop the city gate.

That child’s fate—she could only imagine it was tragic beyond words.

These innocent civilians of Dongsong truly did not deserve such calamity.

“Whether Dongsong survives or not is beyond me, but you promised to help me…”

“To help me reach the official in Liaodong!”

Mentioning Liaodong and the official, a certain man came to mind.

The one who had saved her in a desperate situation in Jiulian City.

His broad, upright back and resolute face remained unforgettable to Lily.

He should be an officer in the Liaodong army—maybe she’d see him again someday.

“Rest assured, girl, I am indeed a True God—the supreme deity of the Tianyu Kingdom. What I promise, I deliver.”

The old man noticed the faint blush on Lily’s face as she recalled someone.

Though unseen, a gentle smile appeared on his face.

Suddenly, just as Lily was about to leave Donglai, a violent headache struck her.

A man appeared in her mind.

“Little girl, where do you think you’re going? Huh? Escaping for so long, yet you came to me willingly, hahahaha!”

Before her stood a man clad in a blue robe, with golden hair and eyes as blue as stardust.

His ears were pointed, but his handsome, almost feminine face was without a beard, carrying a hint of wicked charm.

Lily felt nothing but deep terror.

For whenever the White Lion Riders who had been hunting her appeared, this sinister pointy-eared man would also invade her mind.

Unshakable, unavoidable.

Instinctively, Lily tried to banish him from her thoughts.

But he merely raised a finger.

Frozen in place, she could not move.

“Every time I see you, you’re quite beautiful, but…”

In the illusion, Lily’s clothes shattered into dust.

Her pale skin and perfect curves were laid bare under his admiring gaze.

“Tsk tsk tsk, I really dislike the looks of you Eastern women~”

His voice echoed in her ears, filling her with disgust and revulsion.

A madman! A lunatic!

“What… what kind of evil god are you?”

Perhaps emboldened by traveling with the True God, Lily shouted at the apparition for the first time.

“Evil god? Hahahaha, you could say that. I am the so-called evil god you speak of.”

The man stepped closer, his handsome, sinister face nearing Lily.

She wanted to draw her sword and strike this pervert down.

But this was a realm controlled by his evil power.

“Hmph, a single key, no matter how beautiful, what use is it~”

He eyed her body and licked his lips uncontrollably.

“Our Supreme Heaven values you as well. Seems you’re not only beautiful, but more than just the key to opening the gate~”

“Well, it doesn’t matter.”

“Once I capture you, all will be settled~”

Suddenly, dozens of spectral arrows, swift as hawks, came flying from all directions.

“Damn Fenrir brat!”

“Run, Lily! I’ll hold him off!”

Lily, having regained her senses, reacted swiftly.

Years of tomb-raiding and a decade of practicing void energy had honed her combat instincts.

She leapt from the reeds.

At that moment, she saw over a dozen White Lion Riders surrounding her hiding spot.

“Just as the commander said, she’s here.”

“Shoot her legs! Remember, the Star God wants her alive!”

“Head north, use… the houses for cover… girl… girl…”

The clear voice of the Void God in her mind began to falter.

“Even void energy communication can be disrupted…”

This ‘Fenrir’ Star God possessed strength rivaling the mighty True God.

Troublesome indeed.

But now, there was no time to ponder.

A furious, crazed White Lion Rider charged like a rabid lioness.

She fired multiple spectral blue arrows that screamed like blue eagles.

“Damn it!”

Lily dodged several swift shots.

But one arrow grazed her delicate cheek.

The terrifying void fire ignited her flesh and blood instantly.

She quickly summoned her energy to suppress the burning.

Though only one Void Gate had been opened, the ordinary White Lion Riders’ combat power rivaled her own.

What if she faced a monster like Freyra?

In that moment, a sharp pain shot through Lily’s head.

Freyra’s image, wielding a blood sword, overlapped with that of the crazed lioness before her.

“Damn it, if I fall here, it’s truly over.”