Some time later, the Deity of Bliss and Desire left. By then, it was hard to tell who was the one bringing bliss to whom, but she was very satisfied with what she had gotten.

Zu An had already reaped a lot of rewards. He had previously felt like everything before him was obscured by a layer of fog due to a lack of information. The Deity of Bliss and Desire had shared information with him unreservedly, even protecting him from the backlash of the secret.

It felt like he had learned much more from her in a single night than what he had from all his encounters with the Deity of Memory and the Deity of Chaos and Enigma. The frustrations that had been bubbling inside him were let loose just like that.

But again, the Deity of Bliss and Desire had to resort to such a method to reveal secrets to me. There’s no way Mi Li and Meng would do the same as well...

He quickly reined his thoughts in. He was harboring blasphemous thoughts right now.

He turned to Daji, whose fair skin had been dyed with a tinge of redness. Her beautiful appearance now looked even more enrapturing. He wondered if Daji’s senses were linked to the Deity of Bliss and Desire.

Surely not. She’s just a shell without a soul now.

While he was glad to have learned Daji’s background, he was confused as to why the Deity of Bliss and Desire had prepared such a clone. And she didn’t take Daji away with her...

Zu An first stowed Daji away before opening the Abyss of Eternal Night’s spatial vortex. The formation outside had been significantly weakened after Pimosh’s death. It was still a difficult fight, but the Asuras, under Xihe and Princess Liuli’s leadership, had successfully destroyed the formation.

Xihe was glad to see Zu An returning safe and sound. She grabbed his hand and examined him, asking, “You aren’t hurt, are you?”

Zu An’s heart felt warmed. He replied, “I’m fine.”

He felt guilty that he had been enjoying himself while Xihe and the others were having a tough battle outside. I was sacrificing my body for precious intelligence though...

Xihe breathed a sigh of relief, but moments later, she frowned. “Why do you smell so fragrant? It’s a woman’s scent, too.”

Zu An was speechless. Why do women have such a sharp sixth sense? Though I have to admit that the Deity of Desire and Lust smelled pretty nice...

He quickly reined his thoughts in and explained, “Pimosh colluded with the Devils. I had a showdown with the Heavenly Devil Empress.” Yep, it was a difficult battle, and I won in the end.

Xihe was taken aback. “Those despicable Devils? You can’t lower your guard down around them! Devils can infiltrate a person’s heart and wreak havoc when the opportunity presents itself.”

The Celestials had clashed with the Devils on numerous occasions. She understood just how tricky dealing with the Devils was.

“I’m fine.” Zu An feared that he would give himself away at this rate, so he quickly turned to Princess Liuli and changed the topic. “Your Highness, the Asura King is in there. He is injured, but he is safe.”

While the Deity of Bliss and Desire had no idea which of his lovers were incarnations of the first-generation universal deities, she had provided him with an invaluable clue: Those people retained their appearances across lifetimes. Normal beings were incapable of that.

Xihe, who looked identical to the future Shang Hongyu, had to be one of the first-generation universal deities. Zu An wondered which element she represented.

The same was true for Princess Liuli. Zu An hadn’t expected Mo Xi to be one of the first-generation universal deities. But then again, considering that Daji was the Deity of Bliss and Desire’s clone, it shouldn't have been a huge surprise that Mo Xi was also related to a universal deity.

But why does the Asura race’s Princess Ni Huang resemble them as well? Now that I think about it, she bears some resemblance to Murong Qinghe.

Zu An was dazed for a moment.

Xihe followed his gaze and realized that he was staring at Princess Liuli. She snorted in annoyance, “You’re staring at her very hard. Are you thinking about telling her to betroth herself to you to repay the favor?”

Zu An replied, “I’m thinking about something else.”

“Of course you are.”

Zu An kept quiet.

Princess Liuli’s face reddened. “Which woman wouldn’t like a hero like that? I understand why big sister is keeping such a close eye on him.”

Xihe was speechless.

The peculiar atmosphere made Zu An feel awkward, so he broke the silence with a cough before bringing the other asuras in.

“Father!” Princess Liuli rushed over to free the unconscious Asura King from the altar.

“Don’t worry. Pimosh’s formation has siphoned away some of his life force, but fortunately, we terminated the ritual in time. He isn’t in any danger,” Zu An said.

In truth, the Deity of Bliss and Desire had merely knocked out everyone in here and blocked their divine senses, as the conversation between her and Zu An had to be kept private. Now that she had departed, the Asura King would recover in due time.

And speak of the devil, the Asura King began opening his eyes. He first saw his daughter and exclaimed in delight, “Liuli!”

Princess Liuli was extremely relieved. “Father, it’s all thanks to big brother’s help that we were able to rescue you.”

The Asura King quickly got up and thanked Zu An. He had witnessed how Zu An defeated not just Pimosh but the Asura Progenitor Demon God as well. Those sights had given him a huge shock.

Zu An traded pleasantries with the Asura King before revealing his intent here. He felt that after his conversation with the Deity of Bliss and Desire, time was tighter than ever, so he didn’t want to waste any more time.

“The Asura Path’s power insignia...” the Asura King trailed off.

Princess Liuli quickly spoke up for Zu An, fearing that her father would get angry and turn down Zu An’s request.

The Asura King laughed. “This young hero saved our Asura race. I’d willingly relinquish my position to him, not to mention that all he wants is to temporarily borrow the power insignia. I’m hesitating because the power insignia is not with me.”

After hearing the Asura King’s words and sensing his hesitation, Zu An quickly constructed a barrier around them so that they could talk in private. “Is there something you can’t say in front of others?”

The Asura King was impressed by how sharp Zu An was. “The Asura Path’s power insignia is sealed within Liuli’s body.”

“Ah?”

Princess Liuli wasn’t the only one taken aback. Even Zu An and Xihe were flabbergasted.

“I already had a premonition that this would happen many years ago, so when Liuli was first born, I sealed the power insignia inside her body as a precaution. If not for that, Pimosh and the others would have long succeeded,” the Asura King replied. “Liuli, you’ll have to make the trip to help them.”

Princess Liuli’s face glowed in excitement. “Alright!”

She had felt close to Zu An from their first meeting, and after witnessing how he saved the Asura race, she now admired him more than ever. Naturally, she wanted to spend as much time as she could with him.

Xihe was annoyed. What was the Asura King thinking, putting the power insignia in his daughter’s body. “Won’t this be dangerous to Her Highness?”

The Asura King replied, “It would be dangerous if you needed the entire power insignia, but Liuli will be fine if you only require a sliver of it.”

“Yes, I’ll be fine.” Princess Liuli beamed a radiant smile at Zu An, with her eyes curved like the crescent moon.

Xihe harrumphed. She turned to Zu An and asked, “Where should we head next?”

“We’ll look for Lady Houtu,” Zu An replied with a slight frown. Has she awakened her consciousness as the Deity of Love and Beauty yet? And what’s her motive for forging the Six Paths of Reincarnation?