Ling Ji ground her teeth, forcing each word out between them, her eyes turning into the vertical pupils of a fierce beast. "You've got some nerve," she spat, astonished he had dared to contact her.

"Cough, cough," Jie Zhi moved the phone slightly away from his ear. "Ling Ji, control your strength. Don't break the phone; you'll miss important information," he advised, knowing her temper all too well.

"Heh," Ling Ji sneered, her disdain evident, but she did ease her grip, leaving shallow indentations on the phone. Zhou Cen, watching, finally exhaled in relief.

Thank goodness, the phone money is safe, he thought.

"Ling Ji, I know you're resentful about what happened back then. I can explain," Jie Zhi hurried on, seeing the thunder rumbling ominously through his long-range mirror. "But first, we need to deal with your current situation. Otherwise, how will you come to Peng City to settle accounts with me?"

"What do you mean?" Ling Ji's voice remained harsh, but her pupils gradually returned to their normal black, with a glimmer of unreadable depth.

"Do you know why the lightning is striking you?"

"No, and I don't care," Ling Ji glanced dismissively at the thundering sky, her tone arrogant. "Are you going to tell me that such petty lightning can trouble or harm me, preventing me from reaching Peng City?"

Before Jie Zhi could reply, Ling Ji scoffed. "Jie Zhi, I’m no longer that young dragon." Over the years, with her bloodline's awakening, she had grown exponentially stronger. If she faced that god again now, she'd ensure he was the one getting dragged through the mud.

Jie Zhi felt a wave of frustration at her defiant tone, taking a moment to compose himself before continuing. "Do you want to go back to prison?"

"What do you mean?" The mention of returning to Fengling Mountain's prison made Ling Ji bristle. "The seal is broken. How could I go back?"

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

"Do you remember the conditions for breaking the seal?" Jie Zhi noted the fear flickering in her eyes, feeling a rush of satisfaction. "You used the faith of others, so you must fulfill their requests," he said, his voice calm yet firm. "Or else you'll face divine retribution."

Ling Ji's face tightened, and Zhou Cen's new phone shattered in her grip, splintering into pieces.

"Are you angry? Want to hit someone?" Jie Zhi's voice remained infuriatingly calm. "It won’t help. To settle things with me, you must first fulfill your followers' wishes."

Before she could retort, Jie Zhi hung up abruptly.

"Isn't it risky not telling her the full truth?" A white-clad youth, watching Jie Zhi's satisfied expression, raised an eyebrow.

"She wouldn't listen now anyway, and the timing isn’t right," Jie Zhi replied.

"Oh?" The youth smirked. "Is it not because you fear she’ll seek answers about Shi Xi and, when you can’t provide them, she’ll beat you to a pulp?"

"..." Jie Zhi fell silent for a moment before bristling. "I used to beat her up, not the other way around."

"That was then," the youth reminded him. "She was a cub then, without her bloodline awakened. Now, she's different."

Jie Zhi: "..."

Please, stop. It's hard enough without you pointing out the obvious.

The youth laughed innocently, "Sorry for hitting a sore spot."

Jie Zhi: "..."

Is it too late to sever ties now?

The youth wasn't done. "By deceiving her like this, aren't you worried she’ll eventually learn the truth and come after you, settling old and new scores together?"

Jie Zhi: "..."

Friendship over. Severing ties immediately!

As Zhou Cen's phone shattered, his initial frustration was quickly overtaken by a realization—faith used must be repaid. Failure to do so would result in divine retribution.

Thunder was indeed a threat.

Zhou Cen looked up at the cloudy sky, piecing together fragmented information about Ling Ji, forming a clear conclusion.

To break free, she needed to gather a certain amount of faith. But using that faith required fulfilling her followers' wishes.

The moment Ling Ji emerged, this agreement was sanctioned by the heavens. Violation of this pact would invoke divine punishment.

The initial lightning strike had hit her directly, indicating a breach of this pact. Linking it to Ling Ji's earlier words, their followers' wish became apparent—mitigate the flood.

Everyone was quick to grasp this, their intelligent minds piecing together Jie Zhi's words and Ling Ji's circumstances.

The followers' wish...

Looking at the muddy ground and the water shimmering in the distance, they understood.

"Lady Ling Ji," Mu Bai, a devoted guardian of Fengling Mountain, stepped forward, unwilling to see her imprisoned again. "My task is flood relief. Can you help me?"

Ling Ji's cold, indifferent eyes bored into Mu Bai, her pupils dark as abysses, edged with gold, distant and unapproachable.

Yet, Mu Bai, having grown up under her care, was immune to her intimidating presence. He clasped his hands and took a step closer, looking pitiful. "If I succeed in this mission, I’ll get a raise."

With a raise, I can buy you more delicious food.

He blinked at Ling Ji, conveying a message only they understood. "Lady Ling Ji, our future meals depend on this."

The gold in her eyes receded, revealing pure black. Her vertical pupils softened into playful almond shapes. "What a disgrace."

She huffed, turning away to avoid his pitiful look.

After a moment, she asked, "How much will the raise be?"

Mu Bai was stunned.

---