Je Xi felt conflicted. She couldn't choose, even though she didn't want Ha Han to take Lan Ming away. She also couldn't let innocent people be sacrificed.
"How dare you threaten like this!" Lan Ming shouted. He wanted to fight back, but considering his strength had been drained by Ha Han, he was powerless.
Je Xi, feeling torn, didn't know what to do. She looked at Lan Ming with a worried expression, and Lan Ming returned her gaze.
"Save the innocent people, Je Xi. Just let Ha Han take me. It will be difficult if we obey his wishes," Lan Ming said resignedly.
Je Xi was shocked, refusing to hear Lan Ming's words. "I can't, Lan Ming. I can't just let you go like this. Don't you want to prevent this?" she refused, still trying to defend Lan Ming's wishes.
"It's useless for us to fight."
"There must be another way."
Ha Han cleared his throat, then interrupted the conversation between Lan Ming and Je Xi. "Je Xi, I won't go easy on you. If you still can't let Lan Ming go with me, then I will eliminate those weak humans." Ha Han conjured a white ball of energy from his hand, capable of destroying anything nearby. He then threw it towards the neighboring dome.
Seeing Ha Han's merciless act, Lan Ming shouted with all his might, trying to stop him, albeit in vain.
Je Xi, already scared, didn't hesitate and immediately created a barrier with her voice to protect the people turned into stone from Ha Han's attack.
After creating the barrier, Je Xi coughed violently. Blood flowed from her mouth, and she could barely speak.
Ha Han, noticing Je Xi's actions, realized that the Sound Goddess had performed a dangerous technique, sacrificing something precious.
"You've done something foolish, Je Xi. Should I drag you away like I did with Lan Ming?" Ha Han's threat instilled immense fear in Je Xi.
Pit Hong, witnessing all these unexpected events, was utterly perplexed and didn't know what to do. He wanted to defend Lan Ming, but he was sure that acting rashly would only make the situation more complicated.
Lan Ming could only growl in frustration; he couldn't do anything. With his energy drained by Ha Han, he was rendered powerless.
Ha Han stared sharply at Lan Ming, while Lan Ming remained cautious.
"What do you want now?" Lan Ming tried to remain as calm as possible, despite his overwhelming anxiety.
Ha Han didn't answer. He simply turned away without saying a word, leaving Lan Ming bewildered. Ha Han distanced himself from Lan Ming and approached the injured Je Xi. The Sound Goddess held her throat, and fresh blood continued to flow from her mouth.
"Je Xi, when did you become so foolish?" Although he had acted like an antagonist before, there was something about his current behavior that seemed genuinely concerned for Je Xi.
Je Xi looked at Ha Han fearfully, unable to speak. She had used a dangerous technique earlier, which had caused her to lose her beautiful voice.
"You've done something pointless," Ha Han sighed heavily. The increasingly difficult situation made him unable to act as an antagonist for too long.
Ha Han conjured a blue ball of energy and threw it towards the neighboring dome. Now, the people turned into stone had returned to their original state.
Lan Ming, witnessing Ha Han's actions, was thoroughly confused. Why did the Thunder God suddenly change the people back to normal after turning them into stone?
"Je Xi... I can't help you. But I'll give you two choices: whether to return to the Celestial Realm or stay by Lan Ming's side." Ha Han looked at Je Xi intently, waiting for her decision.
Je Xi, unable to speak, turned her face away from Ha Han and looked at Lan Ming. Through her gestures, it was clear that she chose to remain with Lan Ming.
And Ha Han, realizing Je Xi's desired choice, could only resign himself to it. He knew that Je Xi herself had a stubborn streak similar to her brother's.
"Alright, Je Xi, I won't force you. The only advice I can give you is to remain faithfully by Lan Ming's side. You've made your choice, and I won't force you otherwise. Follow your heart wholeheartedly. Don't regret what you've chosen," Ha Han said firmly.
Je Xi, hearing Ha Han's words, still refused to meet Lan Ming's eyes. Ha Han's words sounded intimidating to Je Xi.
Ha Han, realizing the increasingly chaotic situation, didn't want to linger. He threw something towards Lan Ming.
Lan Ming caught what Ha Han had thrown at him. He still hadn't looked at the object and kept his eyes on Ha Han.
"Keep it! Since you still don't want to return to the Celestial Realm, you must fulfill your responsibility. You still have three chances. After this, go to the Village of Fēng Zhú Cūn. Fulfill your ambition," Ha Han said firmly.
Before disappearing from Lan Ming and his friends' sight, Ha Han's departure only fueled Lan Ming's hatred towards his brother. Ha Han was willing to commit heinous acts just to bring him back to the Celestial Realm.
The people he almost vanished just because he opposed earlier. And what was especially painful was when Ying seemed to be manipulated by Ha Han. For Lan Ming, Ying's death was a cruelty of Ha Han. The hatred that had previously resided in Lan Ming's heart now made him even more eager to eliminate Ha Han.
"Ha Han, I will kill you!" Lan Ming yelled furiously. Ying's death and all the chaos caused by Ha Han dealt Lan Ming a severe blow. It was so painful to witness all this heaviness, causing Lan Ming to experience stress. Lan Ming's hair turned white. Whenever a god's hair changed to white, it indicated that the god was under emotional pressure, also signifying mourning for the loss of a beloved figure.