They reunited with Azure Flame and the others on Heavenly Pool Mountain outside the Spirit Alliance.
Baxa was awake, and for now, surprisingly calm.
His eyes were bloodshot, and the corrosion on his face had worsened.
But his mind was still clear.
Nine Li was so anxious he’d developed a blister on his lip.
The moment he saw Lily Bai, he yanked her over and shouted, "Lily Bai! Why do you always make people worry?"
"No respect for your elders!" Lily Bai pretended to smack him. "How can you just call your Senior Sister by her name?"
"You clearly don’t know your own limits, daring to follow such a powerful fiend!" Nine Li scolded. "If it weren’t for Your Majesty the Demon Emperor, do you think you’d have made it back alive?"
"Hey! Shows what you know," Lily Bai replied, putting on a mysterious face. "It’s just the opposite—if not for me, Damian Black would still be stuck in that pocket realm!"
"Pocket realm?" Azure Flame looked over. "You mean the Sealed-God Pocket Realm?"
"Exactly! The Sealed-God Pocket Realm where you and Baxa got hit by that trap."
"How did you get out last time?" Azure Flame asked.
"How did you escape last time?" Lily Bai asked back.
"The ship," Azure Flame replied. "We boarded the spirit ship, but he caught us. We fought, barely managed to escape."
"We crawled out through an escape tunnel," Lily Bai raised her brows, grinning with pride. "No fighting, just slipped out easy as pie."
Azure Flame: "..."
"Crawling through an escape tunnel is hardly something to brag about," Damian Black said, expressionless.
"Escape tunnels are excellent," Baxa chimed in. "Anything’s better than the state I’m in now."
"Exactly!" Lily Bai shot Damian a sideways glance.
"Don’t take it to heart, he’s just like that—awkward," Baxa said with a faint smile.
"I’m not bothered at all," Lily Bai said, pointing at Damian Black’s forehead. "He didn’t listen to me and got a bump on his head. So now he’s feeling a little off-balance. I totally get it, haha!"
Azure Flame raised an eyebrow.
She realized Lily Bai was much more casual with Damian Black now.
She even dared to point and gesture at him.
And she was even making fun of him.
She exchanged a glance with Baxa, the corners of her mouth lifting. "Did you get anything useful in there?"
"Oh, we got a ton!" Lily Bai said excitedly, recounting Leo Li’s secret meeting with the rat demon. "And I recorded everything!"
"Let me see, let me see!" Nine Li clamored, eager to watch.
Lily Bai handed him the two Clarity Charms to watch.
He stared blankly for a long while, then asked, "So it was Leo Li behind it all? He’s been crying thief while being the thief? Why would he do that?"
"Now’s not the time for that," Azure Flame interrupted. "You two need to get to the Spirit Alliance, fast!"
Lily Bai nodded, looking at Damian Black and Baxa. "I’ll do my best."
Baxa nodded. "Thank you."
Lily Bai took Nine Li and flew toward the Spirit Alliance entrance.
But they hadn’t gone far before Nine Li suddenly stopped.
He turned back and asked, "If—just hypothetically—if neither of us can find a Fiendbloom, what will happen to you, Baxa?"
Damian Black and Azure Flame both stayed silent.
Baxa gave a faint smile. "Don’t worry about it. If you can’t get it, you can’t get it. I’ve already talked it over with Azure Flame—if I really lose control, she’ll kill me. I refuse to become a monster and drag everyone down, or bring disaster to the mortal world."
Nine Li was silent for a moment, glanced at Lily Bai, then suddenly flew back to stand beside Baxa.
Lily Bai looked at him, puzzled.
The others had no idea what he was up to.
"Baxa, can I draw a little of your blood?" Nine Li asked.