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--- Chapter 466 ---
"...and done."
Han Yuan's relieved voice echoed across the quiet field. Beside him, Ye Ziyun and her friends watched the slumbering Heavenly Snow Women, their expressions filled with deep emotion.
"How long will they sleep, Lord Han?" asked one of Ziyun's friends, her fingers tracing the empty air as if trying to caress the sleeping figure that bore an uncanny resemblance to her.
Han Yuan stared at the dormant spirits and replied calmly, "At the current rate the energy of heaven and earth is circulating, they will likely open their eyes in a few hundred years."
"By then, we will have long left Glory City, and all they will see is a desolate, snow-covered ruin."
"That sounds... lonely," another friend remarked weakly, looking down at the Heavenly Snow Women with a tinge of sorrow.
"Not necessarily. Don't forget that they have each other, just like Ziyun has all of you," Han Yuan praised them sincerely. "They are going to be fine."
Ye Ziyun's friends were astonished for a moment. Then, they cast deep, appreciative looks toward Han Yuan before smiling warmly. "You're right, Lord Han. We have each other to depend on."
"Sigh..." Ye Ziyun facepalmed. She knew exactly where this was heading, and she couldn't even blame Han Yuan for being so incredibly smooth, or her friends for being so easily charmed.
She shot Han Yuan a pointed look before letting out a helpless sigh. She should have known better from the start. Developing feelings for a man like him was bound to be a challenge, but it was a challenge she didn't regret for a second.
She, Ye Ziyun, was not one to back down from a challenge.
After answering their questions, Han Yuan returned his attention to the sealing barriers, wanting to ensure they were durable enough to withstand the test of time.
Thankfully, the several layers of powerful barriers he had established looked perfectly stable.
Even if Asura and the other gods descended from the Divine Realm and discovered this place, they would be in for a rude awakening if they tried to interfere.
After all, Han Yuan had learned quite a few mischievous tricks from the Misty Mountain Sage, Murong Yun.
After checking the array for a third time to ensure absolute certainty, Han Yuan rubbed his hands together and muttered to himself, "Now that Glory City's affairs are settled... I still have a few contingencies to leave behind for Alpha in the future. Man, what a hassle."
"But things must be done."
Turning around, he looked at Ziyun. "Ziyun, evacuate the residents of Glory City to the designated spot. Tell them to wait for me for a day or two, just in case my next move takes longer than expected."
"This... Can Ziyun follow you instead, Lord Han?" she asked, her voice carrying a clear reluctance to be left behind.
Ye Ziyun's friends exchanged knowing glances, playful smirks creeping onto their faces. 'Who would have thought our frosty, solemn City Lord had a side like this? We've never seen her act like this before.'
'She behaves exactly like a clingy wife.'
'And honestly... it's adorable.'
Unbeknownst to Ye Ziyun, her friends were already mentally preparing a plan to tease her to death the moment they were alone.
Han Yuan chuckled and patted her hand softly. "Be good, Ziyun. I am merely going to take a stroll around the Douluo Star for some brief observations."
"Besides, Glory City cannot be left entirely unprotected. We have Xu Deming, yes, but it would set my mind at ease if you were here as well, Ziyun."
"Alright... I understand," Ye Ziyun finally agreed. It was reluctant, yes, but logical.
While a divine-level powerhouse like Xu Deming was guarding the city, having extra security never hurt.
"See you soon." Han Yuan smiled, released her fair hand, and vanished, teleporting away from Glory City.
"...Lord Han." Ye Ziyun looked down at her fair palm, feeling the lingering warmth of his touch. She pressed her hand to her chest, her gaze drifting up to the brilliant, azure sky now filled with an auspicious glow.
"Pfft, Ziyun, you two are being way too lovey-dovey. We're suffocating as third wheels over here!" One of her friends teased instantly.
Ye Ziyun's face flushed a deep crimson as she glared at them. "W-Who is being lovey-dovey?!"
"Ah, the Ice Queen is angry! Run for your lives!" They laughed hysterically, scattering to escape her impending wrath.
But how could Ye Ziyun let them off so easily?
"Get back here!" she shouted, chasing after them with a radiant, genuine smile gracing her cold, beautiful face.
Meanwhile, Han Yuan hovered high in the stratosphere, overlooking the vast expanse of the Douluo Star.
Aside from confirming the presence of the time traveler and the Ice God, Alpha had left behind a laundry list of side tasks for him to complete.
One of them was a contingency plan to safeguard the planet by planting several Mysterious Demon Puppets across the globe that could be activated in the future.
To ensure their sudden appearance wouldn't change the timeline, Han Yuan had to seal them inside specialized pocket dimensions, hidden coordinates that only Alpha could locate and trigger.
Of course, if leaving behind a few puppets was all it took, fighting the Asura God wouldn't have been such a headache for Alpha in the first place.
Therefore, they had devised a far more sinister plan, and that is refining the Slaughter God into a Mysterious Demon Puppet as well.
The scheming god would serve as a decoy, broadcasting a fake status signal to the Divine Realm as long as Han Yuan kept his original divine connection intact.
As for whether the Asura God would eventually realize that his loyal dog had been completely hollowed out and turned into a traitorous tool, well, that was a problem for the future.
"Oh, I can't wait to see the look on his face when that happens. I bet it'll be uglier than a crying toddler..." Han Yuan laughed wickedly before summoning the White Emperor Gourd.
He didn't even need to extract the Slaughter God from the martial soul to begin the process. The small world inside the gourd was a self-contained space, completely capable of refining anything trapped within its walls into absolute submission, and well, wine.
Right on cue, several powerful Heavenly Flames burst within the gourd's internal world. They converged violently upon the Slaughter God, melting away his divine essence and reforging his core into a puppet while he shrieked in absolute agony.
Oh, yeah, Slaughter God is technically still alive.
Who said Han Yuan was going to give the Slaughter God a swift, painless death?
No, no, no, that would be an entirely too merciful end!
As a man who considered himself a part-time hero of justice, how could Han Yuan allow such an unfair conclusion?
This man, Slaughter God, needed to suffer. Han Yuan was going to ensure that he regretted every single second of his poor existence, considering it a mandatory repayment for the horrific suffering he had inflicted upon the innocent people of Glory City.
A few moments later, the agonizing screams and begging finally ceased within the inner world.
Yet, through their soul connection, Han Yuan could still hear the faint, pathetic whimpering of the Slaughter God's shattered soul begging for mercy. It was a useless effort.
"Even gods cry when you burn them enough," He chuckled, flipping his wrist to manifest a small, silver gem.
Inside the crystal lay the compressed form of the Slaughter God, now transformed into a Mysterious Demon Puppet. The highest quality one Han Yuan ever made. The raw, divine materials are just too good.
Ignoring the lingering pleas echoing from the gem, Han Yuan ruthlessly seared a master soul-brand onto the puppet's core, all while meticulously maintaining the puny god's spiritual connection to the Asura God.
With a flick of his finger, he programmed three absolute commands into the puppet: return to the Slaughter City, maintain standby mode, and if the Asura God ever issued an order, execute it poorly while fabricating seamless excuses for the failure based on the scenario.
Tossing the puppet, which was now shrouded in a deceptive, purple-gold and crimson mist, back into the void, Han Yuan huffed. "He still got off too easy."
"And then, there's this..." He glanced down at the copy of the Asura Divine Sword, which he had sheared completely in half during their prior battle.
"Hmm, what should I do with a broken divine artifact...?"
"Ah, I've got it!"
"Let's leave a few more explosive surprises for Asura. Hehehe, Alpha is going to love this." Han Yuan chuckled darkly, already anticipating the glorious chaos that would unfold far down the line.