Chapter 471: Darkness Acknowledges Its Master

"All hail Nine Lives!"

The Dark Origin burst into cheers!

Lu Ye sighed...

"Alright, time to get serious!"

Lu Ye knew the principle that the longer the night, the more the dreams. Just a few extra words earlier made him feel he'd been careless.

Keep cool.

Stay focused!

Even if Providence, the system, and the Dark Origin were all on his side, he shouldn’t get this arrogant.

"System, Little Providence, conceal the cosmic workings!"

"Ding, received!"

"Ding, received!"

"Little Providence, strike a massive thunderclap!"

"Ding, received!"

"Boom!"

An earth-shaking boom once again shook the Nine Heavens, but this time, no one appeared—pure theatrics.

Lu Ye activated the Unity of Heaven and Man technique once more and plunged directly into the Dark Origin!

Imprint after imprint rapidly emerged.

The Dark Origin realized that if it tried to resist, these imprints would shatter instantly. But if it didn’t, these seemingly weak imprints would bind irrevocably to every part of it, making escape impossible.

Now, if it had second thoughts, there was still time!

At this moment, memories of everything that had happened since meeting Lu Ye raced through the Dark Origin’s mind. It thought:

Image after image.

Setback after setback.

Frustration after frustration.

Blow after blow.

Nothing but pain, helplessness, and rage.

If it hadn’t surrendered, the Innate Demon Infant’s schemes this time would've ruined it completely.

But now, it had surrendered!

The Innate Demon Infant’s failure wasn't a disaster—it was downright good news!

Ah!

So satisfying... it sighed.

Ever since meeting Lu Ye, Darkness had never felt this relaxed before.

The sigils flickered rapidly, merging into the Dark Origin, as Lu Ye's control over it steadily strengthened.

With only half of Dark Origin's power this time, the acknowledgment was near-instantaneous.

Dark Origin could feel Lu Ye becoming its master—the sensation of being controlled was crystal clear. It felt an overwhelming wave of relief.

Safety!

True safety!

A feeling of safety, something Dark Origin had never experienced before, surged through its entire being. In all its long existence, Dark Origin had never known such a sensation.

Even though Lu Ye’s current strength was weak—not even a fraction of the power of the mightiest beings it contained—this sense of security was something none of those powerful entities combined had ever provided.

No!

Those ancient fossils never made it feel safe!

"Alright, you can go back into hiding now. Just ping me if anything happens," Lu Ye said.

"Yes!"

Dark Origin was about to leave but hesitated.

"So, moving forward, should I call you 'Master' or continue addressing you as Nine Lives?" Dark Origin asked.

Tch!

Classic Darkness.

"Just keep calling me Nine Lives."

"Got it!"

"Oh, one more thing. Check out these designs—what do you think? Do you like them?"

The black mist suddenly churned, and as the dark fog dissipated, a striking black-haired, violet-eyed girl in a dark pleated skirt appeared.

The vibe was pure gothic, with a taboo edge.

"Huh?"

"What?"

Lu Ye...

"Didn’t I say no female forms?" Lu Ye frowned slightly.

"Now that you’re my master, I’ll eventually have to stay by your side. Gotta have a human form, right?"

Honestly, Dark Origin was on the fence about whether it should take a female form, especially since Lu Ye had already expressed his dislike for women twice.

Maybe a dude would work better?

Just then, a prismatic shimmer flared, and the first thing visible was a flawless, porcelain-pale leg. Catching Providence’s aura, Dark Origin went on alert.

As the glow expanded, Shen Xitong materialized next to Lu Ye.

The Dark Origin was dumbfounded.

Of course, she knew Lu Ye had a Shen Xitong by his side, but she had never actually met her face to face.

This was the first time she had come face to face with Shen Xitong.

The Dark Origin's first impression was sheer horror.

Genuine terror—so intense that all the black mist around her began to tremble.

Providence… Providence…

She knew Lu Ye had a good relationship with Providence, but who in the nine hells would’ve guessed Shen Xitong was Providence?

Shen Xitong was Lu Ye’s woman. Shen Xitong was Providence. Did that mean… Providence was Lu Ye’s woman?

Providence! Was! Lu Ye’s! Woman!

Bloody hell!

Others dared to defy the heavens, but Lu Ye, you actually bedded Providence!!!

Shen Xitong was quite satisfied with the horrified expression on the Dark Origin’s face.

Tch!

Just after swearing fealty to the *host*, she was already thinking of seducing him? Absolutely unacceptable. She had to step in and establish authority to prevent history from repeating itself.

"Since you’ve acknowledged Lu Ye as your master, it’s only right we get acquainted. Darkness, you know who I am, don’t you?" Shen Xitong asked with a honeyed smile.

The Dark Origin, still in the form of a dark-haired, purple-eyed girl, couldn’t help but swallow hard.

For a moment, she was at a complete loss for words, her mind utterly blank.

Shen Xitong grew even more pleased.

This shadow’s nerve really isn’t up to par!

"Fine, I’ll introduce myself. My name is Shen Xitong. Since you’ve become Lu Ye’s subordinate, from now on, I can be considered your co-master as well. Do you understand?" Shen Xitong declared.

Lu Ye had no reaction to her words. He and the system were one and the same—it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say Shen Xitong was the Dark Origin’s full master, let alone half.

The Dark Origin was a turncoat who came crawling in. Compared to the system, she was simply not even in the same league.

The Dark Origin nodded like a simpleton.

"So, until you’ve purged those parasites within you, there’s no need to rush into taking human form. As long as you prove your worth, you’ll naturally carve out your place in Lu Ye’s regard. Focus on doing your job properly—that’s what matters, not scheming up nonsense."

Lu Ye was surprised by her tone.

Why did it sound so much like when she had lectured Chu Ling back then?

The Dark Origin…

Her mind was in a whirlwind. Instinctively, she replied again, "Okay…"

"Good. Now, return to your mist form and make yourself useful!"

The Dark Origin was coming to its senses. Hold up... that can't be right?

So what if you're Providence? I was originally going to overthrow Providence anyway. I’ve pledged allegiance to Nine Lives now, not you. Why you gotta be so high and mighty?

"Psst, Dark, do you still want to become me?" Little Providence suddenly popped up, jumping into the fray.

The Dark Origin, which had just started to clear its mind, short-circuited again the moment it saw Little Providence.

No way...

Holy shit?

Sisters?

Nope!

Mother and daughter?

Not even close!

What the fucking hell???

At this moment, the Dark Origin was having a full existential crisis.

Tell me I'm fucking dreaming.