Silver light bathed the courtyard. The plants were spotless, and the sound of the zither floated in the air. The interplay of light and shadow seemed illusory yet real. Gan Ruoxu, Xu Feiling, and Wu Ju felt as though they had stepped into a legendary immortal realm.
If this was indeed the “immortal realm,” then the cold and elegant woman holding the ancient zither was undoubtedly Chang’e Immortal.
Since the Taiping Dao created the “Divine Communication Technique,” no matter which path sects like the Huguo Temple, the Five Pecks of Rice Sect, or the Yellow Turban Taoism followed, there had only been mentions of certain individuals borrowing the power of immortals and deities—never had a celestial immortal directly descended into the mortal world!
At this moment, Gan Ruoxu and Xu Feiling’s understanding seemed utterly overturned. They stood stunned, watching silently without any reaction. As the flickering light and shadow calmed, the Chang’e Immortal revealed her cold and refined beauty.
“Was it you who opened the passage?” The “Chang’e Immortal” spoke, her voice as melodious as the sound of a zither.
Xu Feiling shivered slightly, quickly regaining her senses. Her youthful timidity resurfaced instinctively, and she stammered nervously, “Yes, Your Immortality, it was I who opened the passage.”
The Chang’e Immortal was none other than Ruan Yushu, who had descended using the forbidden technique modified by Meng Qi’s core seal script. She responded indifferently, “Do not spread this matter.”
She lightly stepped forward, gracefully exiting the formation as though floating like a fairy, heading toward the courtyard’s edge.
“We shall obey the Immortal’s command.” Xu Feiling immediately agreed without hesitation, while Gan Ruoxu and Wu Ju, still dazed, also nodded.
Before the words faded, Xu Feiling noticed that Chang’e was nearly out of the courtyard, and anxiously asked, “Immortal, where are you headed?”
Ruan Yushu turned back, her gaze serious and puzzled at Xu Feiling’s question: “To your room, of course.”
“Alright, alright, I’ll guide the way for you, Immortal.” Xu Feiling’s heart suddenly surged with joy as she hurried to follow.
Watching the two figures disappear into the distance, Gan Ruoxu and Wu Ju slowly regained their senses, exchanging glances filled with shock.
“Never thought Chang’e Immortal would descend directly…” Gan Ruoxu sighed. “Combined with my receiving the favor of the Tianzun, and Lin Fengxiao resonating with the True Martial Emperor among the Five Emperors, it truly feels like a great upheaval is imminent.”
Wu Ju nodded slightly, then exhaled in admiration: “No wonder Chang’e is hailed as one of the most beautiful immortals in Heaven.”
Though Gan Ruoxu felt his sentiments were falling on deaf ears, he couldn’t help but nod in agreement—Chang’e’s reputation was well-deserved.
Shortly after, Wu Ju completely regained his composure, suddenly slapped his own face, and sighed: “Senior Brother, you received the Tianzun’s stone tablet, and you, Junior Sister, were graced by the Immortal’s descent. Yet after years of effort, I have gained nothing. Comparing oneself to others truly leads to despair!”
Hearing this, Gan Ruoxu suddenly remembered that when he received the stone tablet, the Tianzun seemed to have sent a thought into his mind. After pondering for a moment, he said, “Junior brother, during my earlier communion with the Tianzun, He issued a decree—not only granting the stone tablet but also offering a chance to restore a lost item. I noticed your broken spine is deteriorating further, so why not give you this opportunity? Even if it cannot fully restore the nine-toothed rake, it may still help it regain its former glory.”
It is often said that Heaven’s will is lofty and difficult to fathom. A Dao Patriarch like Yuanshi Tianzun, being equivalent to Heaven’s will itself, usually conceals His intentions in ways that are hard to comprehend. Yet today, the Tianzun had issued such a clear decree, which struck Gan Ruoxu as unusual. Still, he would never dare question the Tianzun’s will, and his fleeting sense of confusion quickly vanished.
Wu Ju’s face lit up briefly before he hastily waved his hands: “No, no, this cannot be!”
Gan Ruoxu smiled: “During the attack by the River Assassin, you saved my life. How could a mere opportunity compare to saving a life? Don’t argue—quickly place the broken spine into the formation, or you’re not treating me as a brother.”
With these words, Wu Ju could no longer refuse, especially since he was secretly pleased. So he half-protested, half-accepted: “Thank you, Senior Brother.”
He took out the sharp spike glowing faintly blue and approached the formation. Just as he was about to place it down, a sudden hesitation crossed his mind—this was a treasured artifact of his clan, and what if it were lost forever?
The moment the hesitation arose, he inwardly scoffed at himself. Yuanshi Tianzun was such a supreme figure, the oldest and mightiest Dao Patriarch, who would have any interest in a mere broken spine of Tianpeng Yuanshuai?
He loosened his grip, and the broken spine landed in the center of the formation.
Gan Ruoxu once again performed the rituals of incense offering and visualizing “Yuanshi Tianzun,” and as expected, pure white light emerged, transforming the formation into a starry sky.
He calmed his mind and silently recited the sacred name.
The Milky Way shifted like a spiral arm, enveloping the broken spine. Gan Ruoxu suddenly felt his vision deepen, as if piercing through layers of heaven and earth, revealing a spiritual and wondrous mountain peak, the Jade Void Immortal Palace, and Yuanshi Tianzun himself—an old Daoist in a green robe—reaching out from afar to grasp the broken spine. Within His eyes appeared an ancient, indescribable lamp of profound mystery, its black and white essence continuously transforming, exuding the utmost subtlety and profundity.
Thus, he lowered his head and continued reciting the honorific title:
“Yuqing Zixu Gaomiao Taishang Yuanhuang Da Daojun…”
Meng Qi held the broken spine of the nine-toothed rake, activating the “Cause of All Effects” technique, attempting to trace faint clues.
Brilliant starlines emerged, and the vast starry sky descended. The causal world faintly appeared, enveloping the broken spine as part of it—every cause inevitably leading to an effect, and every effect rooted in a cause.
Following the starlines, flashes of Wu Ju, one of his ancestors, and finally a gigantic, blazing fireball appeared in Meng Qi’s eyes. This fireball was countless times larger than the stars he had seen while wandering the Milky Way.
Blazing heat and radiant light filled his vision when suddenly a cry of terror and panic rang out:
“I know nothing…”
The voice abruptly ceased. Meng Qi’s “Cause of All Effects” rotated in his eyes, preparing to seize the connection for remote descent. However, the path ahead was unstable and distant, far beyond his current realm’s reach.
Indeed, it was the sun within the Milky Way of the immortal realm—the place where Old Pig perished… Meng Qi nodded slightly, understanding he was blocked by the Nine Heavens.
But what did “I know nothing” refer to?
Previously, Meng Qi had no suspicions about Old Pig’s death, as the Demon Buddha A-nan had personally admitted that Old Pig had been killed by the Thunder God of the Nine Heavens when he was still the Nine Heavens Thunder Deity, due to his betrayal of the Celestial Emperor being discovered prematurely while the situation had not yet reached a turning point, necessitating his elimination.
However, upon discovering that Wu Ju’s ancestor had received the blessing of the broken rake fragment after Old Pig’s demise, Meng Qi grew suspicious again. Revisiting the matter, he noticed some issues:
At that time, the Demon Buddha A-nan had not explicitly admitted to it!
Meng Qi had merely voiced his deduction, while A-nan silently listened without confirming or denying it, only responding when the topic of Zhenwu arose.
More importantly, with the might of the Nine Heavens Thunder Deity at that time, would he not have been able to destroy Old Pig’s body, which was merely at the Tianxian level?
Back then, due to his limited experience, seeing that even a star’s fire couldn’t burn away Old Pig’s body, Meng Qi assumed the Thunder Deity couldn’t destroy it immediately. With the urgency of the situation and the impending heavenly war, he had no time to waste, so he killed Gao Cuilan and fabricated a culprit. But now, considering the might of the Nine Heavens Thunder Deity, a single movement could have reduced Old Pig to ashes, leaving no trace at all!
Combined with the broken rake fragment and the cry of “I know nothing,” perhaps the truth was not as he had imagined—it might involve hidden secrets.
Of course, this couldn’t confirm that Old Pig was still alive. After all, the Divine Communication Technique in this universe connected to imprints or corresponding authorities left by powerful beings within the laws of heaven and earth. For instance, when resonating with Tianpeng Yuanshuai, if Old Pig were still alive, the granted technique might have been the Thirty-Six Heavenly Transformations. But if Old Pig had perished, one could only resonate with the authority associated with the title “Tianpeng Yuanshuai”—commanding the Ten Thousand Water Troops of the Milky Way.
Indeed, Wu Ju’s technique, “Milky Way True Method,” hardly supported the idea that Old Pig was still alive. Regarding the broken rake fragment, Meng Qi suspected that Old Pig’s body had not completely disintegrated, and with no new Tianpeng Yuanshuai succeeding him, the connection to his authority remained. Thus, when Wu Ju’s ancestor prayed for blessings, they used this lingering connection to open a path to that stellar region of the Milky Way, retrieving the easily movable part of the rake near Old Pig’s body.
“This universe is indeed peculiar, maintaining such a close connection with the immortal realm,” Meng Qi mused, gently stroking the broken spine.
He had tried the formation for connecting with immortals and deities in the Jade Void Palace before, but it had barely worked, as the Nine Heavens had already perished, and the barrier between this world and the immortal realm was extremely solid, nearly impenetrable. However, in the universe where Gan Ruoxu and others resided, this barrier was fragile, even riddled with cracks, hence the effectiveness of the “Divine Communication Technique.”
Unfortunately, Meng Qi couldn’t descend into that universe and would need alternative means to enter the “Milky Way” and retrieve Old Pig’s remains for clues.
Nowadays, that once terrifying, colossal star that he could only watch from afar no longer posed a threat to him!
As yin and yang flowed and life and death reversed, the broken spine in Meng Qi’s hand regained vitality, its blue glow deepening, its sharpness rivaling divine weapons.
Then, with a gentle toss, he threw the broken spine out of the True Realm, returning it to the center of the formation.
Zhao Lao Wu, having cleverly stepped back to become a high-ranking prince of the Great Zhou, not only retained but even increased his connection to the collective consciousness of beings. Having shed his burdens, he now advanced with clarity and purity of mind, his cultivation seemingly improved. He had begun retreating into seclusion, attempting to breakthrough to the Fashen stage, making him unreachable—no need for a decade-long retreat.
…
Light faded, and brilliant blue brilliance bloomed, making the courtyard seem submerged in rippling, dreamlike water.
“It’s really more powerful now!” Wu Ju’s eyes widened with joy.
Gan Ruoxu quietly exhaled in relief, savoring Wu Ju’s admiration.
As the two prepared to tidy up and return to their rooms, they saw Xu Feiling hurrying by.
“Senior Sister, where is the Immortal?” Wu Ju reached out to stop her and asked.
Gan Ruoxu continued, “Junior Sister, didn’t the Immortal visit your room? Why are you outside?”
Xu Feiling smiled: “The Immortal is cold and distant, hard to approach. After much thought, I’ve finally come up with a good idea.”
“What idea?” Gan Ruoxu and Wu Ju asked in unison.
Xu Feiling grinned: “Since the Immortal had the Jade Rabbit for company in the Moon Palace, I plan to sneak into the kitchen and steal a live rabbit. She’ll surely smile at the sight.”
“Brilliant idea.” Gan Ruoxu praised.
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