Chapter 428: Beep Beep Beep

"What a dazzling fireworks display!"

Lu Ye couldn't help but marvel as he watched the clash of Daoist powers.

Shen Xitong appeared by Lu Ye's side.

In truth, Shen Xitong rarely manifested in human form; she only appeared when confronting Lu Ye's ex-wife.

The reason she appeared now was naturally because they were inside Lu Ye's mindscape.

The Thief Demon Lord was still locked in frenzied combat.

"Chime! I've figured out how to use the Sage's heart," Shen Xitong spoke up.

"How?"

"Chime! Didn’t a proto-world form on your Nascent Soul? Perhaps feeding the Sage’s heart to that nascent realm would greatly accelerate its birth."

"Drip..."

Little Providence also manifested in human form and appeared on the other side of Lu Ye.

Little Providence could never materialize physically—at least not yet.

The reason she could appear was also because they were within Lu Ye's mindscape.

"Fusing the Sage’s heart into the nascent realm..." Lu Ye pondered the possibility.

"If the heart’s owner has truly perished, it might work. But if not, then it won’t," Lu Ye said.

If the heart’s owner hadn’t died, doing this would be like embedding a live grenade in his most secretive place—far too dangerous.

"Chime! Even if they haven’t perished, it might still be possible. We just need a Providence to suppress it. Over time, it will eventually be completely refined."

"Find a Providence to suppress it?"

"Chime! Get Her!"

Shen Xitong pointed at Little Providence.

"Drip?"

Little Providence tilted her head, her face—looking 60-70% similar to Shen Xitong—etched with confusion.

"Chime! A world can ultimately only accommodate one Providence. Right now, she’s still simple-minded, but her intelligence is constantly growing. Sooner or later, her wisdom will reach that of a normal person. By then, we’re destined to conflict. One Providence, two consciousnesses—it will inevitably lead to a great catastrophe," Shen Xitong analyzed.

Lu Ye understood Shen Xitong’s meaning.

Little Providence was never meant to exist—she only appeared due to the system’s meddling.

As the saying goes, there cannot be two suns in the sky, nor two masters over men. Little Providence’s present docility didn’t mean she would always remain docile.

Her obedience now was because her intelligence was about on par with Shangguan Huanling’s—and Shangguan Huanling had already unleashed such chaos...

Moreover, Little Providence’s intelligence was indeed growing rapidly.

She couldn’t even speak before, but now she was nearly conversant.

"In that case, it might actually work." If they could employ Providence’s power to suppress it, then even if that Sage returned alive, they’d never reclaim their heart.

At this moment, Thief Demon Lord was still in a frenzy of combat.

"Peep, sister, don't you want me anymore?" Little Providence's eyes suddenly welled up with tears, her small face full of grievance, enough to melt anyone's heart at a glance.

"Ding, that's right, sister doesn't want you anymore," Shen Xitong said coldly and mercilessly.

"Peep peep peep..."

Little Providence actually burst into tears.

Lu Ye...

"Ding, stop crying!"

Shen Xitong shouted.

Little Providence's crying paused, her eyes brimming with tears, looking at Shen Xitong.

"Peep... then does sister still want me?"

"No!"

"Peep peep peep..."

"Ding, I don't want you anymore, I'm giving you to the Dog Host."

"Peep?"

The crying stopped abruptly. Little Providence looked at Shen Xitong, then at Lu Ye, her lip quivered, and she began to ponder seriously.

"I don't want her either!"

Lu Ye suddenly spoke up.

"Peep peep peep..."

Immediately, Little Providence burst into fresh tears.

"Give you back to your sister."

"Peep?"

At this moment, Thief Demon Lord was still in a frenzy of combat!

Lu Ye and Shen Xitong took turns winding up Little Providence, making her worked into a frenzy, bouncing excitedly.

She was quite the greedy one, wanting to follow both Shen Xitong and Lu Ye, and was perfectly content with the current setup.

Having her follow either one alone wouldn't work.

But for the moment, it was just playful banter. If they really needed Providence to intervene, Little Providence would likely find herself hauled over by a scolding Shen Xitong.

Of course, it was also possible that Shen Xitong would come herself... "Come" wasn't quite the right word—"return" seemed more appropriate.

The system had originally been Lu Ye's.

Entering Lu Ye's mental world to become Providence—wasn't that simply returning home?

ROAR!

The rat formed from the Thief Demon Lord's Great Dao let loose an angry screech.

"What's going on with you guys?"

"This is a possession, damn it! Shouldn't you be serious? Why are you playing with a child instead?"

"Do you really think these Great Daos can stop him? He's a Celestial Lord—his Dao is the Celestial Lord's Great Dao!"

The Thief Demon Lord erupted with full force, instantly blasting away countless Great Daos as he charged toward Lu Ye with unstoppable force.

Lu Ye glanced at him, then a glowing emerald light burst forth—he had been waiting impatiently for this moment.

The Dao Enlightenment Tree grew with the wind, thrilled like never before.

"Yours truly, here I go!"

After holding the Guardian Dao for so long without a chance to act, it could finally protect its master now.

It would give its all—its absolute best!

"This old tree is coming!"

The Dao Enlightenment Tree uprooted itself, its colossal form charging straight at the Thief Demon Lord. Though the Guardian Dao had been wounded, it erupted with power at the Celestial Lord level at this moment—because the Dao Enlightenment Tree's actions were all for the sake of protection.

"Boom!"

A massive branch sent the rat flying.

Myriad leaves cut through the air, their edges deadly sharp.

The Thief Demon Lord... The moment the Guardian Dao appeared, he knew the battle was already over.

Just the Dao Enlightenment Tree wielding the Guardian Dao against him, combined with so many Emperor-level Great Daos, left him no chance of survival at all.

And seeing how composed Lu Ye was, who knew what other tricks he still had?

Not to mention those two stunning women—he had no idea what they were. The unknown terrified him most.

This was truly the end.

The black rat suddenly transformed into a streak of light, disappearing from Lu Ye's mind.

"Give me a moment."

Lu Ye said to Shen Xitong and Little Providence before opening his eyes.

The first thing he saw was the Thief Demon Lord's wry smile.

"Fellow Daoist, you are truly formidable. So many Great Daos comparable to Emperors—unprecedented in all of history." The Thief Demon Lord raised his wine and took a long drink.

He was about to meet his end.

Lu Ye also picked up his wine and sipped his wine.

"This is a Sage's heart. All these years, I still couldn't comprehend anything from it. The more impatient I was, the less I understood. So it goes."

A still, crimson heart was handed over by the Thief Demon Lord.

Lu Ye accepted it without hesitation—it was warm in his hand, like a red gemstone.

"These are all the treasures I stole over the years. I've always been alone since childhood, with nothing to my name. I leave them to you, Fellow Daoist." A black ring was passed over by the Thief Demon Lord.

Lu Ye took it once more.

"As for my broken body and fading soul, I won't trouble you with them. They're already depleted of all energy, worthless things. Please forgive me."