After breaking up with my girlfriend, I became a Great Sage of the Demon Clan.

The despair and fear on the faces of those around them lessened considerably. They had all been prepared to give up everything to save their lives, but now that Zhu Jiuyin had relented, they were able to keep everything they had.

This is understandable, though. Everyone present thought that Hong Zhitao was nothing special, just a pretty face clinging to Bai Ze's coattails. A great god like Bai Ze might be slightly infatuated with Hong Zhitao's looks for a while, but once his interest wore off, the pretty face would be useless.

Therefore, Hong Zhitao would never want to offend these high-ranking officials in Zhongzhou City; she would definitely back down if she could.

This was her way of leaving herself a way out. Zero

Those present naturally praised this win-win choice.

"I knew Chairman Hong was magnanimous."

"With someone like you in your company, the future looks very promising."

"Chairwoman Hong, don't worry, I've already arranged for someone to handle your matters. They absolutely won't affect your company's normal operations."

"Do you need our CIA to arrange a smuggling route for you? Don't worry, our agents will supervise the entire process, and we guarantee there will be no legal issues."

Zhu Jiuyin basked in the flattery, and as it subsided, he chuckled cruelly. A

"Gentlemen, are you familiar with the ultimate path of the Eastern Sea Kingdom?"

The surrounding members of Congress, as well as the directors of the CIA and FBI, all looked bewildered.

Why bring up foreign gangs at this time?

Zhu Jiuyin said to himself.

"The gangsters in Donghai Country are spies for the local government, specializing in doing illegal and criminal things for local government officials. Because of their connections with local government members of parliament, these activities have become integrated into the local social customs. I've been to Donghai Country before and borrowed money from the local underworld. Through this loan relationship, I learned a lot about the yakuza."

Zhu Jiuyin lifted one of His hands.

“Back then, a very young thug told me that their gang wasn’t those shameless criminals. They had a long history, and the reason for that was that they were very disciplined. If someone broke the rules and caused damage to their gang, not to mention how the law would punish them, their boss would come to them with a knife.”

Zhu Jiuyin retracted his little finger, leaving only four fingers on his outstretched hand.

“Cut off one of their fingers as a warning. This thug still has all ten fingers, but the one who borrowed money from me, his older brother, has already lost two little fingers.”

Here's a little-known fact: getting a broken bone, concussion, or a shattered nose is considered a minor injury, but having your thumb chopped off is a serious injury.

The thumb accounts for almost 80% of the function of a hand. Cutting off the thumb renders the hand useless by 80%. That's why when Zhu Jiuyin was observing local gang members making mistakes in the East Sea Kingdom, he always cut off their thumbs last.

The surrounding councilors, bureau chiefs, Wang Zitong, and others exchanged glances, and the most charismatic of them all, the CIA director, chuckled dryly and spoke.

“Indeed, it would be unreasonable not to punish someone who did something wrong. So, I will cut off one of my little fingers as an apology.”

A human hand with any finger other than the thumb doesn't significantly affect daily life, so although those around him understood Zhu Jiuyin's meaning, their expressions weren't too bad.

Cutting off a finger would get them out of their current predicament. Although it was worse than Zhu Jiuyin completely giving up on pursuing the matter, as they had imagined, it was still within an acceptable range.

Some people are even starting to think about delaying the removal of their severed fingers and having finger reattachment surgery at the best surgical hospitals.

Zhu Jiuyin tilted his head and asked.

"When did I ask you to cut off your own fingers?"

Zhu Jiuyin touched his side, and no one saw what he did with that touch, but when his hand came out, he was holding a revolver.

"Everyone..."

Zhu Jiuyin turned on the revolver and put a bullet into one of the six bullet holes.

“These hands, if you were missing a finger, it would look terrible. You are either members of parliament who are in the public eye, or high-ranking officials in functional departments, some of you are fathers of children and husbands of wives. If you lose a finger, the impact would be too great. How could I bear to let you become disabled?”

Zhu Jiuyin pushed out the revolver loaded with a bullet.

"So, when those petty thugs from the Eastern Five Seas Kingdom commit crimes, one of their five fingers is chopped off. But you guys, in groups of six, take turns holding this gun to your heads and firing. One of the six will die."

"Look, if only one of you dies, the other five won't have to become disabled. They can leave here unharmed and won't have to worry about me whispering in Bai Ze's ear anymore. Isn't that a great solution?"

Zhu Jiuyin smiled brightly, like sunshine.

"After all... I'm not some kind of demon."

Chapter Seven: The Candle Dragon Palace

Beihai, around Penglai Island.

Dozens of private yachts floated on the sea, each separated by tens of kilometers. But in this vast and endless sea, anyone who came out of the cabin and onto the deck could see all the surrounding ships.

Penglai Island will open in three days.

Then it will be another feast where awakened beings plunder and loot everywhere.

The awakened individuals, who had arrived early in search of a meal, went to the decks. Some set up barbecue grills, some held girls at the bow and did the classic Titanic pose, and others held cameras and looked around.

Those who can come to Penglai Island in advance are professional expedition teams that have been to Penglai Island dozens of times. What is a mysterious place for many people is just an ordinary place for these people.

But this routine was torn apart for the second time since Zhou Yan entered Penglai Island last time.

Just after the awakened ones around the Jiupenglai Island area finished lunch, at the largest time in Tai San Yang, an awakened one on a ship exclaimed in surprise.

"Wait, Penglai Island... it's open?"

The different ships were more than ten kilometers apart, so normally they wouldn't be able to hear each other. But those who were here were basically competitors, and since the awakened ones often had extraordinary abilities, at least five nearby ships heard this sentence.

Upon hearing this, the awakened beings on the five ships instinctively peered towards the Penglai Island area.

As the shouters said, some tree canopies have appeared in the sea area where Penglai Island is located, which is a sign that Penglai Island has turned from disappearing into reality.

However, time was limited, leading many experienced Awakened to believe that it might be a mirage, with light refraction causing some of the scenery from other continents to be projected onto the Penglai Island area.

This guess was confirmed to be unreliable ten minutes later.

As the tree canopy appeared, the beaches of Penglai Island gradually filled in with color and lines, starting from the edges.

Penglai Island defied the natural order for the second time, appearing at an inopportune time.

The surrounding yachts began to back away.

Many of the awakened individuals on the cruise ship looked bewildered and fearful.

The previous premature disappearance of Penglai Island had already scared away half of the dedicated Awakened Ones of Penglai Island. Now that Penglai Island has reappeared ahead of schedule, doesn't this indicate that the pattern of Penglai Island's appearance and disappearance, which has been observed countless times in the past, is beginning to change?

Once this idea is confirmed, the remaining half of the awakened ones will inevitably need to spend more than ten years observing and confirming the new patterns of Penglai Island. Otherwise, who would dare to approach an island whose disappearance and reappearance are unknown?

"Roar!"

As the dense forest of Penglai Island gradually emerged, a thick fog suddenly rose from the ground, shooting straight into the sky, accompanied by an overwhelming, deafening roar of dragons.

The awakened ones lurking around were initially confused, but by the time they realized what was happening, someone was already shouting.

"A dragon, a real dragon!"

The white mist that flew up from the depths of the dense forest circled in mid-air, and a long dragon tail and a white-haired dragon with forked horns appeared in mid-air.

The awakened ones present were not the type to enjoy watching a spectacle. Upon seeing a dragon fly out, they immediately flew back to their cabins and together steered their ships away from the edge of Penglai Island.

Judging from its appearance, this dragon is at least a demigod; it wouldn't be surprising if it were a true god.

The presence of a true god on Penglai Island suggests that something extremely terrible must have happened there. After realizing this, the awakened ones who left decided that they would not return to Penglai Island for at least ten years.

Although I am not familiar with the other places such as the Hundred Thousand Miao Mountains, the Abyss Underworld, and the Kunlun Immortal Palace, they are still places where I can settle down.

Above Penglai Island, the white-haired dragon, which had circled in the air a few times, began to descend.

After skimming over several woodlands, the white-haired dragon flew to a low hilltop.

At the highest point of the mountain, a white-haired, red-eyed girl with a transparency of about 50% stood.

The white-haired dragon's eyes, as bright as a galaxy, reflected the girl's image.

"you……"

The white-haired dragon opened its mouth, its soft, girlish voice filled with confusion.

The white-haired girl opened her arms.

"I am you..."

"Come here quickly..."

The white-haired dragon brought its head close to the white-haired girl, who then transformed into a wisp of white smoke and entered the white-haired dragon's body. The white-haired dragon's mind exploded like a galaxy, with countless pieces of information and memories flooding in.

In the end, it all boils down to one sentence.

"Go find Baymax quickly!"

……

The outer ring of Zhangwei Mountain.

Zhou Yan, who was walking on a path, covered his nose and sneezed.

Both the Bodhisattva of Joy and the Jade Maiden of the Azure Clouds turned around in surprise.

How could a dignified Bai Ze get sick?

Zhou Yan removed his hand from his mouth and smiled wryly.

"Trouble has come knocking again."

Zhou Yan's omniscience told him the reason for his sneezing: Arona's soul had merged with his body and was waiting for his body to recover before coming to find him.

Zhou Yan had absolutely no idea how to appease this white six-haired dragon raised by the previous generation of Bai Ze. ~〖〉柒￥8≌△≤

Of course, with the threats from both Tianzhu and Bojun hanging over his head, Zhou Yan didn't need to worry about Aruna, whose recovery would take an unknown number of months.

The Bodhisattva of Joy comforted her.

"If you encounter any difficulties in the future, please come to this humble nun."

Bixia Yuanjun echoed her without expression.

"Same."

Zhou Yan sighed inwardly.

I am in a bit of trouble, but Bixia Yuanjun is still weak at the moment, and Huanxi Bodhisattva is not strong either. I can't defeat either Jiufeng or Luwu, and I can't suppress Luwu and Jiufeng, so it's impossible for me to ask them for help.

So where can one find a goddess who is both powerful and willing to help suppress Jiufeng and Luwu?

Considering his less-than-positive reputation among gods and immortals, Zhou Yan figured that even if there were a bunch of goddesses who could surpass Lu Wu and Jiu Feng, no more than three would be willing to marry him.

So, should I be like Huang Mao, using coercion and bribery, and employing every means to force someone to marry me?

No, no, no, that's terrible.

A black mist called Yin-Yang Loss drifted towards Zhou Yan. Zhou Yan steadied himself and focused his attention back on what was in front of him.

At this moment, the black mist had already adhered to Zhou Yan's face, stealing less than one millionth of Zhou Yan's weight.

Loss of Yin and Yang...

After Gonggong broke Buzhou Mountain, the heavens and earth tilted, causing strange phenomena.

At that time, Nuwa mended the sky, and Zhujiuyin, as the ancestor of the fire dragon, used the Candle Dragon Lamp to dispel the seven Yin and Yang imbalances, thus becoming the ruler of this tilted world.

Subsequently, including the various Heavenly Emperors, everyone acknowledged Zhujiuyin's dominant position.

Zhu Jiuyin was a top-tier god in the world. Even Bai Ze in his prime couldn't defeat Zhu Jiuyin and could only turn his back and run away when they met.

Bixia Yuanjun took out Zhujiuyin's Candle Dragon Lamp from her bosom.

The candle dragon lamp is shaped like an oil lamp, but it has no oil; only a small, reddish flame burns quietly.

The thick, peanut butter-like black mist, devoid of yin and yang, paused after Bixia Yuanjun took out the Candle Dragon Lamp, and then quickly retreated.

The region, which had been shrouded in the loss of Yin and Yang for thousands of years, was once again exposed to sunlight. Under the sunlight, large swaths of the region that had been shrouded in the loss of Yin and Yang reappeared.

Zhou Yan saw rows of collapsed houses, barren land stretching for miles, and a grotesque mass of flesh, more than a dozen living people fused together, twisted and grotesque, with human faces but no longer human form.

These are all humans who were plundered by the Yin-Yang Imbalance. Under the eerie effects of the Yin-Yang Imbalance, these mortals' bodies were wantonly twisted, and their minds were plunged into boundless madness.

"Amitabha……"

The Bodhisattva of Joy, who was standing beside Bixia Yuanjun, clasped his hands together. A faint Buddhist light emanated from the mutated humans around him who were illuminated by the light. These people, who were already in a frenzy and despair and had lost all positive emotions, slowly showed a relieved smile on their faces before dying.

The further they went, the more bizarre and twisted humans they encountered, and the wider the area illuminated by Bixia Yuanjun's Candle Dragon Lamp became.

From the initial 100-meter radius, it expanded to a kilometer radius, then to a 5-kilometer radius, and finally to a 10-kilometer radius.

The essence of the fire dragon seemed to be very effective against the Yin-Yang imbalance. Wherever the Candle Dragon Lamp was, the Yin-Yang imbalance had no chance to fight back. It shed its eerie veil and restored the world to its clear and bright state.

The Bodhisattva of Joy, with a compassionate expression, would use his Buddha light to guide and transform the souls of any mortals whose bodies had been distorted and devoid of yin and yang, sending them to the underworld.

Zhou Yan scanned the mutated human bodies around him and occasionally glanced at the collapsed houses.

From the arrangement of the houses and the paving of the ground, Zhou Yan could tell that this place should have originally been a small town with thousands of people. Further ahead, he encountered a city surrounded by a 30-meter-high city wall—Dayong City.