When Hongye saw what was happening, her face turned pale, then flushed with rage. She never imagined that Sikong Zhaixing would be so shameless. Not only had he lost the item, but now he had the audacity to steal the Suppressing Calamity Talisman right out of her hand. It was a public slap in the face.
The more she thought about it, the more convinced she was that he was the one who had stolen the Monkey Wine. Otherwise, why would her dimensional pouch be completely empty, with no trace of her spiritual imprint? That was clearly abnormal. She had seen with her own eyes how Yi Tianxing had made the wine disappear. Plus, Sikong Zhaixing had said earlier that Yi Tianxing only had one dimensional pouch. If he hadn't taken it, who else could it have been?
What did he take her for—a fool?
"You bastard, Sikong Zhaixing! Not only did you turn your back on me, now you're even stealing my Suppressing Calamity Talisman? Are you insane? Do you think I, Hongye, am so easily bullied? Take this—Exploding Thunder Bomb!"
Hongye was so furious she started laughing. Her gaze turned sharp as she pulled out a Exploding Thunder Bomb and hurled it at him without hesitation.
"Fellow Daoist Hongye, this is a misunderstanding—a complete accident! I don't know why, but my body isn't listening to me. My hand just moved on its own! Otherwise, I would never have done such a thing! Look, I'll give the talisman back to you."
As he spoke, Sikong Zhaixing casually and smoothly slipped the Suppressing Calamity Talisman around his own neck.
"You call this giving it back?! Go to hell!"
Seeing this, Hongye's fury skyrocketed. She hurled the bomb directly at him.
"It's out of my control! My hand isn't listening to me, I swear! Fellow Daoist, you have to believe me!" he cried, reaching toward the oncoming Exploding Thunder Bomb. An invisible hand suddenly formed, grabbing the bomb. The volatile energy inside instantly calmed down under the grip of the invisible hand, and in the blink of an eye, it was resting harmlessly in Sikong Zhaixing's palm.
"If I told you this was also a misunderstanding, would you believe me?" he asked, holding the bomb, a helpless smile on his face.
"Misunderstanding my ass!"
Hongye was beyond livid—was this showing off? Was this mockery?
Sikong Zhaixing really did feel wronged. He hadn't intended to use his Star-Picking Hand (Zhai Xing Shou), but his body had acted on its own. It was like his limbs were randomly spasming.
His Star-Picking Hand was a signature technique of his, already imbued with Martial Will. Once activated, it never missed. Silent and impossible to guard against, it was a supreme technique among all thieving arts.
But this time, he hadn't meant to use it. His hand had just... moved.
He truly felt out of control.
"It's that damn Dog of Misfortune, that Green Emperor! I got bitten by that mutt. It must be rabid—I think it infected me! That bite must've messed up my body!"
The image of the Green Emperor—that mangy, moldy-looking green dog—flashed in his mind. The thought alone made Sikong Zhaixing sick to his stomach.
But now wasn't the time to dwell. Seeing Hongye's face turning black with rage, he immediately activated his Flying Serpent, soaring forward. The Suppressing Calamity Talisman seemed to be working—the traps ahead weren't triggering.
"Running away? And you say you're innocent? Please. Even ghosts wouldn't believe that!"
Hongye, unwilling to let him escape, chased after him furiously.
Meanwhile, Yi Tianxing was flying in on his Golden Roc, arriving just in time to see the Green Emperor collapsed on the ground, its hind legs twitching as if it had been grievously wounded.
"Green Emperor, are you dead? If not, get up!"
Yi Tianxing frowned. He could tell the dog wasn't in any real danger—its life force was still strong.
"Master… I'd rather be dead..."
The Green Emperor trembled as it got up, vomiting everything it had eaten the day before, looking like it had completely given up on life.
"Too shameless! Too despicable! Too disgusting! I've never met a human so vile in my entire life!"
It jumped up, ranting furiously.
"He farted on me! Farted!! That was the most disgraceful thing ever! My nose—my poor nose! It was like being in hell!"
"My sense of smell has gotten too sharp lately—I can amplify even a whiff by thousands or tens of thousands of times. That stench… was apocalyptic."
The Green Emperor looked utterly traumatized.
Yi Tianxing couldn't help but chuckle. Who would've thought that the usually fearless Green Emperor would be taken out by a fart?
"Too bad I didn't get to see it with my own eyes. That would've been priceless."
He quickly shoved the thought aside and said, "Alright, get on. We're going after that old thief. Anyone who dares steal from me—especially successfully—is worth investigating."
"I won't let him off this time! I'm going to bite his damn head off!" the Green Emperor snarled as it jumped onto the roc's back.
"Not afraid he'll just spit on you again?" Yi Tianxing teased.
"Ugh..."
The Green Emperor shuddered violently, the thought clearly giving it PTSD.
The Golden Roc accelerated, reaching peak speed. In no time, Yi Tianxing spotted two figures ahead—one fleeing, one chasing. One was on a Flying Serpent, the other on a Raging Ape.
"That's Hongye and that damn thief who stole my dimensional pouch."
Yi Tianxing immediately recognized them. Clearly, the two had fallen out. Not only were they not working together, they were actively trying to kill each other.
Hongye's face was filled with rage—she looked ready to bite through her own teeth.
"Seems like my decoy dimensional pouch really stirred the pot. Those two weren't exactly allies to begin with, and now they've turned on each other. Interesting."
Rather than join the chase, he decided to watch the drama unfold.
"That's the bastard! The shameless thief!" the Green Emperor growled, its eyes glowing green with fury. He was now on Sikong Zhaixing's blacklist for life.
Ahead, Sikong Zhaixing's Flying Serpent slithered like a stream of light. In a flash, he pulled out a Swift Travel Talisman, slapping it onto the serpent and doubling its speed. He shot past a red-dressed woman riding a Wind God Wyvern.
"Fellow Daoist, move aside!"
The red-dressed woman turned slightly at the call, her eyes flashing when she saw Sikong Zhaixing streaking past.
But then—her face froze. She looked down.
Her waist belt... was gone.
She looked up again—Sikong Zhaixing was holding a bright red belt in his hand.
"You pervert! You dared to steal from me!?"
Her eyes glinted with killing intent. With a wave, a silver flash cut through the void.
"This is a misunderstanding! A total accident! My body moved on its own! I would never steal a woman's belt on purpose! I swear—I'm innocent! I'm a good guy!"
Sikong Zhaixing was nearly crying, but it was no use. The belt in his hand had already sealed his fate.
Instinctively, he activated Star-Picking Hand again. The silver light vanished, and when it reappeared, it was caught between his fingers—a silver needle, gleaming coldly.
"Silver needles? Hell no."
He didn't waste another word. His Flying Serpent bolted forward like a comet.
He had felt it—just that one silver needle had drawn blood.
"Beautiful women are dangerous. Angry beautiful women are even deadlier. Explaining is useless now."
Sikong Zhaixing smiled bitterly. He really hadn't meant to steal her belt. He really was out of control.
"You up front! Stop that guy with the rat eyes! His name is Sikong Zhaixing, he's a pervert! He just stole a female cultivator's belt—don't let him escape!"
Hongye's eyes lit up as she shouted toward the front.