28: Chapter 28 Anchor Once Human and the Sea of ​​Red Spider Lilies

In his view, a god should be one who rises above the mundane, shrouded in mist and untouched by worldly affairs.

This kind of behavior, full of 'human flavor,' felt completely out of place on a supreme deity.

Pei Fei put down his chopsticks.

He raised his head, and his deep, abyss-like eyes pierced through the rising steam, gazing out at the never-ending, long night of the Underworld beyond the hall.

"Xu Mo, do you know what is the most terrifying thing about sitting in this position for too long?"

Pei Fei's voice was light. "It's not those barbarian Western gods trying to cause trouble, nor is it the endless official duties."

He held out his hand, looking at his own pale, slender fingers, as if scrutinizing the soul beneath the skin.

"It is oblivion."

"Divinity is tyrannical. It is like a tide, slowly devouring your humanity, smoothing away your joys and sorrows, until you become a machine of absolute reason and absolute ruthlessness."

"I do not fear death, but I fear the day when, seeing Duo Duo cry, all I calculate is the water content of her tears, instead of how to comfort her."

Pei Fei withdrew his gaze, picked up a piece of green vegetable with his chopsticks again, and slowly chewed it in his mouth, as if savoring some precious medicinal ingredient.

"So I must eat. I must taste the sour, sweet, bitter, and spicy. I must remember... I am not just the Great Emperor of Fengdu; I am also the son of the Pei family, and Pei Duo's older brother."

"This desire for food is the 'anchor' I leave for myself."

Xu Mo was deeply shaken.

He had originally thought His Majesty was merely indulging in power, but he never expected that he was actually battling his own divinity just to preserve that last shred of 'human flavor.'

This perspective was more convincing than mere strength.

"Alright, stop looking so tragic."

Seeing that the atmosphere had become heavy, Pei Fei waved his hand, returning to his previous casual demeanor. "Hurry up and eat. It'll be wasted if it gets cold. This is genuinely good stuff for you; you won't find it anywhere else."

Good stuff?

Lin Sa had long been unable to restrain herself. Hearing those words, she immediately picked up a piece of tofu named 'Five-Colored Cloud and Mist' and put it in her mouth.

It melted instantly upon entry.

Immediately following that, a warm current burst forth down her esophagus, instantly spreading through every limb and bone!

"Huh?!"

Lin Sa’s eyes widened abruptly.

She could clearly feel that the meridians damaged in the s-rank instance were healing at a terrifying speed.

Even her physique, which had been stuck at a bottleneck, showed signs of loosening after just this one piece of tofu!

Although she couldn't verify it yet, the feeling of power surging within her could not be faked.

Xu Mo also tasted a mouthful of the 'Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix' soup.

One sip was like giving his depleted brain a top-tier SPA; his mental power instantly soared, and his entire being felt enlightened!

The two exchanged glances, seeing horror and ecstasy in each other's eyes.

What was this? Eating?

This was clearly consuming 'All-Attribute Major Tonic Pills,' and the kind that could be refilled infinitely!

Their initial apprehension and fear vanished completely at that moment.

In the face of absolute deliciousness and tangible attribute points, things like the separation between Yin and Yang, or divine might like a prison, no longer mattered.

"Your Majesty! I want another bowl of rice!" Lin Sa raised her empty bowl, her eyes shining with the characteristic light of a true glutton.

"Granted." Pei Fei let out a soft laugh.

Red candles burned high, and fragrance filled the air.

In the depths of the Underworld, a place symbolizing death and finality, an unconventional family banquet was taking place.

Pei Duo, while gnawing on a chicken leg, vaguely recounted school gossip to her brother—which boy was the most annoying, which professor's toupee had fallen off.

Pei Fei propped his chin, listening with a smile, occasionally interjecting with a playful retort, which annoyed Pei Duo enough to tap his bowl with her chopsticks.

Xu Mo held his hot soup, watching the scene of the brother and sister bickering, and the last bit of anxiety in his heart finally settled.

He knew that as long as Pei Fei was willing to remain 'human,' they possessed the most indestructible backing in this insane world of horror.

When one person achieves greatness, their dependents benefit. The ancients did not deceive me—it truly smells wonderful!

...

The leftover dishes were cleared away, and the palace lamps shone brightly.

Pei Duo sprawled without any regard for appearance on the armchair upholstered with snow sable fur, letting out a satisfied burp.

"Full?"

Pei Fei set down the ancient book in his hands, the smile in his eyes not yet faded.

"Stuffed... I'm stuffed to death."

Pei Duo rubbed her stomach, completely lacking decorum.

Pei Fei shook his head helplessly and turned to look at the two people sitting formally below the dais.

Xu Mo and Lin Sa immediately straightened up as if they had received an electric shock, their backs rigid.

Although they had just feasted on 'Imperial Cuisine' until their mouths were slick with oil, the reverence ingrained in their bones before a 'god' would not disappear so quickly.

"Let's end it here for today."

Pei Fei casually summoned two eunuchs, his tone flat: "Escort the two to the side hall to rest. Also, have two boxes of 'Calming Incense' brought from the treasury as a gift for them."

This was not just a reward; it was concrete proof of his earlier statement about 'letting bygones be bygones and rewarding merit.'

"Thank you for Your Majesty's immense grace!" Xu Mo pulled the still-dazed Lin Sa and kowtowed deeply. This bow was entirely sincere.

As a smart person, he understood what 'having perception' meant.

The siblings clearly had private matters to discuss; if the two outsiders lingered, it would show a lack of understanding.

After the two withdrew, the vast Imperial Dining Hall instantly became empty and quiet.

Pei Fei stood up, his dark, plain robes flowing like water with the movement.

He did not use any divine abilities, merely extending his hand to Pei Duo like an ordinary person.

"Come on, big brother will take you for a walk to aid digestion."

...

Outside the Imperial Dining Hall was a winding path extending toward the back mountains.

The surface of the path was not paved with mortal cobblestones, but with black jade polished smooth and round, feeling cool and moist with every step.

Without outsiders present, Pei Fei completely shed his regal, composed demeanor.

He walked ahead with his hands behind his back, his pace deliberately slow to match Pei Duo's speed.

Patrols of Yin soldiers encountered along the way immediately knelt on one knee upon seeing the figure in dark robes from afar. The sound of their armor rubbing together was perfectly synchronized, and they only dared to rise after the pair had walked far away.

Initially, Pei Duo was somewhat nervous, tightly clutching Pei Fei's sleeve.

But after walking for a while, seeing that the fierce-looking ghost soldiers showed no fangs toward her, a mere mortal, but instead were so respectful they seemed to want to bury their heads in the ground, her courage grew again.

"Brother, what is that fire? It's a faint blue, like a firefly."

Pei Duo pointed to a cluster of ghost fire floating by the roadside.

"That is 'Nether Phosphor Fire,' born from ten-thousand-year-old skeletons," Pei Fei explained casually. Seeing Pei Duo flinch and pull her hand back, he added, "But here, it's just a street lamp. Don't be afraid."

The two chatted intermittently, and before they knew it, the view ahead opened up suddenly.

A breeze carrying a strange floral fragrance blew toward them.

Pei Duo subconsciously looked up, and then her entire body froze in place as if under a binding spell.

In her understanding, the Underworld should be dim, oppressive, and filled with blood and decay.

But the scene before her violently shattered her meager imagination.

It was a sea.

An endless sea of fiery red flowers stretching to the horizon!

This was the legendary red spider lily.

But they were not sinister and dripping with blood like in horror movies.

Illuminated by the huge blood moon in the pale sky of the Netherworld, billions of red spider lilies emitted a dreamlike, faint red luminescence.

Flowers bloom without leaves; leaves grow without flowers.

They swayed gently in the Netherworld's breeze, and every undulation seemed like countless red stars flowing, forming a red galaxy.

The light was not dazzling, yet it possessed a breathtaking, enchanting beauty, as if every flower held an ancient and mysterious soul, whispering stories spanning millennia.

"This... this is the red spider lily?"

Pei Duo murmured to herself, her voice trembling.

"Is it beautiful?"

Pei Fei walked to a piece of bluestone at the edge of the cliff and sat down, patting the spot beside him. "Sit."

Pei Duo sat down in a daze, her eyes still glued to the sea of flowers, unable to look away: "It's too beautiful... Brother, do you get to see scenery this beautiful every day?"

Pei Fei smiled but said nothing.

When you look at scenery for too long, it eventually becomes just that.

Especially when you sit alone in this lofty, cold position for two years, the loneliness sinks deeper than the beauty.

The two sat side by side, watching the sea of flowers undulate.

The atmosphere was rare in its quiet warmth.

Pei Duo hugged her knees, hesitating for a long time, but finally couldn't hold back.

She turned her head to look at Pei Fei's profile, which had lost its youthful softness over these two years and become sharply defined.

"Brother."

Pei Duo's voice was very light, carrying a hint of cautious probing. "Mom and Dad... they miss you a lot. Mom often stares blankly at your old photos, sitting for an entire afternoon without even turning on the lights."

The fingers Pei Fei used to rub his jade thumb ring paused slightly.

"Now that you're so powerful, even the First Emperor of Qin listens to you, and Black and White Impermanence are your subordinates... So, can you go home anytime now?"

Hope flickered in Pei Duo's eyes: "Even if you can't live there permanently, even just occasionally... occasionally coming back for a meal would be fine."