"It seems I'll need to stay in your territory for quite some time, Guizhong."
"Huh? Snow Kui shouldn't be opposed to visiting your side anymore, right?"
"That's not the reason."
Morax lifted his gaze toward the sky.
"The frequency of newly born gods lately… hints at turbulent days ahead. If Snow Kui leaves your territory, then you'll be left alone—only one combat force."
Guizhong didn't argue.
Her land had just been attacked.
"Let me go back first. I have things to arrange."
"I'll come along," Morax added. "I'll give you a prototype of the Guizhong Machine while I'm at it. And, as you said—things aren't peaceful."
Morax hesitated—but nodded.
"Very well. With Snow Kui here, there shouldn't be any danger."
The three left.
Not long after, Snow Kui—head lowered all this time—slowly lifted his face.
He stretched out his senses into the air.
His eyes sharpened, killing intent flooding out.
The same "law," the same "logic" as a few days ago.
The same as that serpent.
Ice erupted around him—
then violently retracted when Snow Kui forced it down.
One hand pressed against his head, he whispered to himself.
"Calm down… calm down, Snow Kui…"
The killing intent was… wrong.
If he let it spread unchecked,
even mortals near him would be wounded by it.
If he was going to kill,
then he needed a reason.
His butterfly wings opened.
Snow Kui took off, heading toward the disturbance.
They were twin gods.
When one perished, the other would feel it.
In a cavern of burning heat, the crimson-haired woman screamed.
The flames reflected her agony.
She had sent her creatures to track where her brother went—
and the moment she learned of a land engulfed in ash, high heat and gray dust—
She knew.
The place of her brother's death.
And it was inside the Dust God's territory.
Then the culprit was obvious.
Guizhong.
She wanted revenge—but she also feared the one close to Guizhong:
The Geo Archon.
Gods fought as equals.
Their battles dragged on.
If Morax joined midway, she would definitely lose.
Just then, a small crimson serpent slithered into the cave, whispering news.
"What did you just say?"
Her eyes lit up.
"The Dust God and the Geo God… left together?"
A vicious glint flashed in her pupils.
If she couldn't kill Guizhong—
Then she would massacre every mortal under her rule.
Let Guizhong taste loss.
With a shrill cry, her beasts gathered behind her in a massive tide of red forms.
They surged toward Guizhong's territory like a living flood.
"Hmm?"
As she neared the city, her troops slowed.
In the open plains, a white–haired boy sat on a stone.
An ice spear leaned against his shoulder.
Alone.
Silent.
Yet his presence pressed on one's mind like a looming mountain.
The Ash Serpent Goddess felt… something wrong.
She couldn't pinpoint it.
Her kind relied on instinct, not intellect.
Unlike Guizhong or Morax, gods like her and her brother lived by pure primal power and urge.
She sensed he was not human—
but not a god either.
Odd.
Wrong.
But she dismissed him.
Normally, she would've killed a roadblock like this without a thought.
But she was racing time.
If Guizhong and Morax returned, she'd be facing a two–on–one.
Before she moved past him, the boy spoke.
"Cross that line—
and die."
She looked down.
A line had been carved into the ground.
She snorted.
"You? A mere yaksha? Who gave you the courage to issue threats?"
The boy—Snow Kui—lifted his eyes slightly.
"What is your relation to the red serpent?"
Her expression twisted with hatred.
"So… its death is related to you?"
"I killed it."
She laughed—sharp and disbelieving.
A yaksha? Killing a god? Absurd.
But she did feel that her brother's death was tied to this creature.
"In that case—die!"
Flames flared.
Red serpents grew from her hair, hissing.
Grey ash filled the air—the same corruption her brother wielded.
Snow Kui did not move.
"If you leave now, I won't kill you."
"You dare boast in front of me?"
Insulted, she unleashed her full force.
The ash rolled forward like a tidal wave.
Just as it was about to envelop him—
Ice exploded outward.
Crystals spread in all directions, freezing the ash mid-air.
Cold and ash collided, two "laws" clashing violently.
The serpent goddess stared wide-eyed.
That power—
that pressure.
It was a god's "Law."
And the boy was just a yaksha?
Impossible.
Her expression twisted with disbelief.
At that moment, Snow Kui finally raised his head.
Those blue eyes had gone cold and mad, like deep winter with no end.
"You crossed the line."
She froze.
One of her feet had stepped past the mark.
For the first time since her creation,
a chill crawled down her spine.
Fear.
He stood.
With a kick, his spear flipped into his hand.
"Now," Snow Kui said softly, gently, as if stating inevitability—
"I have a reason to kill you."
For one instant—
the goddess wanted to run.
Then rage swallowed it.
How could she—a god—fear a lesser being?
She thrust out her arm.
Her beasts surged forward.
Snow Kui lifted two fingers before him.
Ice manifested—
Tigers. Wolves. Panthers.
All carved of crystal.
Their eyes gleamed with feral instinct.
They bared their fangs.
And charged.
Advance Chapters available on P@treon
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