Chapter 30: The Power of the Heart Source, Indiscriminate Slaughter of the Innocent

Hell, 19th Level — Dungeon

The little bun lay on a soft, thick quilt, happily swinging her short little legs in the air. On the bright yellow phoenix-shaped pillow beside her, three carrots of identical length but different colors were arranged with meticulous care. She was currently chewing on the brightest orange one, her small brows furrowed in thought: when would Father finally return?

"Little Highness—!!"
"Little Highness, His Highness the Yama has returned."

Outside, a malevolent ghost gripped the iron bars of the cell and shouted the news inside. Hearing this, little Miaoyuan jumped up from her small cot and scrambled over in great excitement. "Is it true? Has my father returned?"

The ghost nodded repeatedly. "Yes, the servant speaks only the truth; I would never dare to deceive you."

"Who has returned?" Bai Yan, lying on another cot, heard their conversation and scrambled up, looking toward them with a start.

"His Highness the Yama has returned," the ghost servant replied respectfully.

Oh, no. His good days were coming to an end. Bai Yan stepped down from the cot, his face filled with sorrow. Now that the Yama was back, he wouldn't be able to sleep peacefully through the day or night anymore.

"Where is Father? Did he say when he would come to see me?"

The ghost servant turned to the little bun and shook her head honestly. "He did not..."

The little bun hummed, clearly unhappy. "Then when will he come to see me?"

"His Highness the Yama is likely finishing up matters regarding that human girl before he comes to find you, Little Highness."

"Human matters?" The little bun’s eyes widened. She grabbed the long iron bars and peered out. "What matters? Is there something happening outside that I don't know about?"

The ghost servant recounted the events one by one, concluding with: "That human princess is currently within our Hell, preparing to undergo the trial of the tenth level's Ghost Flame Fire."

"Ghost Fire?" The little bun paused, resting her chin in her small hand, puzzled. "That was specifically established by Father to punish those disobedient humans. How could a human princess possibly endure it?"

"Why should you care about her, Little Highness? If she desires immortality, eternal youth, and seeks to betray the origin of the human race, she is offending the Heavenly Dao and violating nature. She must be punished!"

"Offending... the Heavenly Dao?"

"Our Lord is merely acting on behalf of Heaven to properly punish those wicked people who slaughter the innocent."

"Slaughter the innocent?" Bai Yan, who had been listening closely, sensed something amiss. He narrowed his eyes and pressed, "What slaughter of the innocent? Who did she kill?"

The ghost’s expression froze, and she realized what a dangerous secret had slipped out. It was over. The Yama had specifically warned her not to spout nonsense in front of the Little Highness or this disgraced immortal. And now, she had just blurted it out?

"I, this servant does not know, this servant has other duties to attend to..." She hurriedly lowered her head, turned around, and prepared to flee.

"Miaoyuan!" Bai Yan’s face darkened as he called out the little bun’s name. His intuition told him he needed to know this.

"Hmph—" The moment he spoke, the little bun knew exactly what he wanted. Miaoyuan channeled her spiritual power, and a strange, deep red light shot from her hand, racing toward the fleeing ghost.

"Ugh!! Little Highness!!" The ghost looked at the green vines that had suddenly bound her, her already pale face turning even more terrified. "Little Highness, please release this servant."

She struggled with all her might, but no amount of effort could overcome the strength of the vines, fueled by the powerful source-heart spiritual energy behind the spell.

"Don't struggle," the little bun said, lowering the small arm she had used to attack. Her gaze held a touch of triumphant delight. "This is a spell cast from my own heart-source energy; you cannot break free."

In fact, the more she struggled, the tighter they would coil. The little bun was right. The ghost knew that even with all her strength, she could not break the restriction. After all, their Little Highness was the reincarnation of the Mandara Flower's heart-source, and her mother was Man Wuyao—the one who could resurrect the deceased Yama. She had been a War God who once unified the Demon Realm and made all the world tremble; surely, her daughter, Little Princess Miaoyuan, was not to be trifled with.

"Tsk, the Little Highness is truly impressive!" Bai Yan curled his lips into a smile. He hadn't expected the little bun to be so sharp. His own abilities were restricted by the dungeon, and his injuries had not yet fully healed, so he couldn't stop the ghost himself. That was why he had called out to the child. As expected, she had lived up to expectations and subdued the ghost instantly.

The little bun gave an arrogant huff and accepted the compliment without false humility. "That goes without saying."

"Turn around." The little bun addressed the ghost. The ghost turned slowly, no longer daring to struggle. She was on the verge of tears, sensing that what followed would be a matter of life and death.

"L-Little Highness..."

"You have other things you haven't told us, right?" The little bun looked her straight in the eyes, questioning her calmly. There was no pressure or aggression, merely a friendly inquiry, yet the ghost felt as if she had no right to say "no."

She nodded slowly, avoiding the Little Highness's gaze. "Yes, there are some things this servant did not say."

"However, it has nothing to do with that human princess."

Bai Yan frowned and asked, "Then who is it related to? The Third Dragon Prince who was with her?"

The ghost was stunned, never expecting the disgraced immortal to guess it so quickly.

"So it really is related to him," Bai Yan noted, seeing her reaction.

"Then who is this Third Dragon Prince? Is he the one you spoke of who snatched the Longevity Pearl Flower for her?" The little bun cut straight to the heart of the matter, connecting the dots with the story of the human princess.

"Where did the Longevity Pearl Flower come from? If I am not mistaken, the Dragon Clan does not possess such a thing." Bai Yan followed up, voicing his own confusion.

The little bun pondered. "Our Ghost Clan doesn't seem to have it either. Three thousand years ago, Mother Meng said she would bring one back for me, but it was snatched away by someone else first."

"Snatched... by someone else first?" Bai Yan bowed his head in thought. He felt as if he had heard the name of that medicinal flower before. Longevity Pearl Flower... immortality...

Han Mo!!

Bai Yan suddenly looked up, his voice rising. "The Snake Clan?! It's the Snake Clan, isn't it?"

The ghost’s face turned deathly pale. Each word the Little Highness and the disgraced immortal spoke made her feel closer to her end. She had never expected them to actually guess the truth.

"Is it really the Snake Clan?" Seeing the ghost's expression, the little bun knew the disgraced immortal was right. "Does that big snake really have a Longevity Pearl Flower at home?"

The little bun scratched her head, feeling a bit strange, as if the big snake were currently hiding in a corner, crying over having his precious treasure stolen.

"Han Mo, what has happened to Han Mo? Did the Third Dragon Prince hurt him when he stole the Longevity Pearl Flower?!" Suddenly, Bai Yan seemed to go mad, smashing things in the cell and roaring in anger. He was the one meant to consume the Blood Spirit Pearl Flower; if anything happened to it during the process, not even ten herbal masters or ten Longevity Pearl Flowers could save him! How dare Long Kong! How dare he snatch Han Mo's things?!

"Y-you, what's wrong with you?" The little bun was startled, taking a long moment to recover. She asked him cautiously. Although she felt sad and sympathetic that the big snake's treasure had been stolen, surely that didn't warrant such a violent reaction?

"I... I am fine." Bai Yan lowered his head, calming himself down.

"T-that's good." You scared me to death. The little bun turned away, no longer looking at him.