Fairy Qingbi examined the three lotus seeds in her hand. They floated above her palm, occasionally emitting brief cadences like the Dao resonance of the immortal path—strangely, devoid of any pollution.
The lotus seeds were crystal clear and translucent; it was impossible to tell whether they were genuine lotus seeds or something refined through alchemy.
"Are these three lotus seeds meant to be eaten, planted, or... refined?"
Though she had obtained the lotus seeds, she did not know their purpose. Senior Mingwan had said that the seeds were plucked from Great Luo Heaven, borne from a Dao fruit, so they were surely extraordinary. If she wasted them without understanding their use, it would be a reckless squandering of heaven's treasures.
After some thought, Qingbi placed one lotus seed into the Jade Pool of her Nine Great Realms, swallowed the second lotus seed, and attempted to refine the third with her magic power and divine consciousness.
The first lotus seed sank into the Jade Pool, instantly chiming with melodic splashes. Lotus leaves sprouted and lotus blossoms bloomed, their layered petals whirling into full flower, bearing beneath them a seven-tiered lotus pod like a precious throne.
Immortal light and immortal qi welled up from the lotus blossom, naturally transforming into her cultivation.
Astonished beyond words, Qingbi found that the vital energy filling her limbs and bones was no longer ordinary vital energy; under the influence of the Jade Pool's lotus throne, it had transformed into immortal spiritual qi.
Suddenly, she felt her mortal body become weightless, as though she were about to float into the sky. The second lotus seed had begun to take effect within her; the Dao power surging from it cleansed her marrow and shed her mortal form!
Meanwhile, the third lotus seed she was refining abruptly dissolved into streaks of spiritual light that bored into her Primordial Spirit, blending seamlessly into it.
Radiant immortal light shone from within Qingbi, misty immortal qi swirling around her as if she were about to ascend on the spot!
"But I haven't undergone a heavenly tribulation yet..."
She was utterly bewildered. Without facing a heavenly tribulation, how had she already become an immortal?
Just then, Zhu Chanchan's excited shout rang out: "This Great Luo Golden Flame works so well! In one blast, it burned the Immortal King's treasure into nothingness!!"
She rushed over covered in soot, shouting excitedly to Fairy Qingbi, "It also burned down half of Little Celestial Venerable's Hunyuan Palace! Run, I don't know how to put out fires!"
Fairy Qingbi waved her hand. A streak of immortal light flew out and cleaved Hunyuan Palace apart, cutting off the path of the flames.
This Hunyuan Palace was a relic of ancient eras, incomparably sturdy. In the past, when Xu Ying thrust a blast of Zhuxian sword qi into the palace to slay the avatars of the Five Wonders, the Ninth Immortal King, and the others, Hunyuan Palace had remained completely unscathed.
Yet now, Qingbi had split this immortal palace in two with a single divine ability. Even she startled herself: "How did I become this powerful?"
Beside her, Zhu Chanchan's eyes sparkled. "Fairy Qingbi, do you have any more of those monkeys?"
Qingbi hurried to say, "The Great Luo Golden Flame was harvested from Great Luo Heaven..."
"No, that's not what I mean. Where did you get that kind of monkey? Go get another one!" Zhu Chanchan exclaimed excitedly, gazing at the collapsed Hunyuan Palace.
***
Xu Jing arrived at the westernmost reaches of the Ancestral Court. After a moment of hesitation, he stepped onto Mount Kunlun.
When he first arrived in the Ancestral Court, he had encountered Penglai Immortal Mountain. Only after speaking with the Divine Mother did he learn that to evade the Immortal Realm's encirclement and suppression, the Queen Mother of the West had relocated Kunlun to the Ancestral Court.
He had never dared to come here before.
Kunlun's Yuxu Peak, Xujiaping, the Yellow Emperor's former palace—these were the places most familiar to him. Xu Ying had once rebuilt Xujiaping in Yingzhou, but even that could never replace the place Xujiaping held in his heart.
Yet Xujiaping was completely ruined. It had become an eternal pain in his heart, a wound that would never heal.
He had never dared to face it before, but knowing the pain and torment Xu Ying had endured over these forty-odd thousand years, he finally summoned the courage to revisit his homeland.
On the snowy mountains at the periphery of Mount Kunlun, the Snow Mountain Goddess stared blankly at him after so many years apart. Xu Jing nodded and smiled at her. "Is the Goddess well?"
"I am well..."
The Snow Mountain Goddess watched in a daze as he walked away into the distance.
She had seen this scholar more than once in the past. Back then, he had been handsome and spirited, but now he bore far more traces of life's vicissitudes.
Xu Jing passed Mount Lu Wu. Lu Wu leapt down from the mountain—tiger-headed with nine tails. Just as he was about to laughingly question the visitor, the forgetful god suddenly recalled many past events and blurted out, "You are the clan patriarch of Xujiaping! I remember you! Hahaha, I remember so much now! I finally remember!"
He cheered and bounded about, while Xu Jing smiled and walked on. He passed Mount Yingzhao, where the mountain's deity had been beaten senseless, dazed and muddled as he watched him pass before the peak.
He arrived at Mount Kaiming. The god of Mount Kaiming jogged up to his side, keeping pace to see him on his way, speaking in gentle, quiet tones: "The master of Kunlun's Yuxu Peak has returned; the Queen Mother of the West will surely be overjoyed. Has Patriarch Xu seen your esteemed son? He has grown so much and is remarkably charming..."
Anxious to reach his home, Xu Jing responded with polite smiles.
Kaiming escorted him all the way to Yuxu Peak, then departed quietly without disturbing him further.
Xu Jing climbed upward, his pace growing slower and slower; the closer he drew to Xujiaping, the slower he became.
When he finally arrived before the ruins of Xujiaping, he collapsed limply to the ground, tears streaming down like rain as he looked upon the rubble.
He had finally returned.
After nearly fifty thousand years, he was back in the land that had birthed and raised him.
Yet the place was changed, and the people were gone.
After a long while, Xu Jing stood and stumbled forward until he reached the ruins of the Yellow Emperor's former palace. In those days, he had received the Yellow Emperor here, inviting him to step onto the Divine Bridge and enter Yujing to pay respects to the ancestors, watching as the Yellow Emperor underwent his tribulation and ascended.
Revisiting the site now, all that met his eyes was a sea of ruins; even the Divine Bridge had been severed. Before his mind's eye rose the figures of the immortals and gods who had slaughtered their way into this place all those years ago.
Just then, a deep, resonant voice spoke behind him: "Is that Patriarch Xu?"
Xu Jing's heart trembled slightly as he turned around. Walking toward him was a tall man, surrounded by clouds like dragons and winds like phoenixes that trailed him in majestic splendour.
The man had four eyes with double pupils and bore an extraordinary bearing. Perched on his shoulder was a restless purple immortal plant.
Upon seeing Xu Jing, the purple immortal plant moved to leap toward him, seemingly wishing to return to Xu Jing's side, yet dared not, terrified of offending the double-pupiled man.
"Emperor Chonghua of Mount Jiuyi!"
Surprised, Xu Jing bowed in greeting and said, "Did Your Majesty not ascend long ago? Why do I see Your Majesty here?"
The double-pupiled man was indeed Emperor Chonghua, who had ascended forty-eight thousand years ago among the very last batch of ascenders.
Back then, because his strength was too overwhelming, the heavenly tribulation he triggered expanded to several hundred li across, causing much controversy. Emperor Chonghua said, "I raised an army of righteousness in the Immortal Realm to resist the tyranny of the Immortal Court, only to be captured by your esteemed son leading the Dou Department, after which the Imperial Monarch suppressed me beneath Five Colors Mountain."
Xu Jing blurted out in shock, "How could that be? Are you certain it was Ah Ying who captured you?"
Emperor Chonghua replied, "Of course it was him. Back then, when I ascended, you carried him before me in your arms; you and your wife were so happy. The lightning mark between his brows was placed there by me..." Xu Jing's expression turned stormy, utterly unaware that Xu Ying had committed such deeds.
"However, while he captured me, he also freed me—even if he left me imprisoned beneath Five Colors Mountain for over forty thousand years," Emperor Chonghua said. "Forty-thousand-odd years later, he came to Five Colors Mountain and released me. When I saw him again, he no longer remembered me."
Xu Jing muttered, "I didn't know he had done such things... I had no idea..."
Emperor Chonghua continued, "I went to Penglai and met the Divine Mother. She told me to look for you here, saying you had a way for me to return to the Immortal Realm."
The purple immortal plant on his shoulder was none other than the weed that had grown on his grave. When the Imperial Monarch suppressed him back then, he had used this weed to seal all of his senses, absorb his cultivation, and seize his attainment in the Dao.
When Chonghua arrived at Penglai Immortal Mountain to see the Divine Mother, it happened that this weed was cultivating at Mituo Temple, so he took it along with him.
Xu Jing's expression shifted erratically. In a low voice, he said, "I too want very much to make a trip to the Immortal Realm. I want to find someone..."
Emperor Chonghua raised his brows. "Then let us go together!"
Xu Jing hesitated a moment, then said, "That unfilial son of mine has a disciple named Xi Yue who possesses an immortal raft capable of traveling between here and the Immortal Realm."
Emperor Chonghua's eyes lit up. "Are you coming along?"
Xu Jing hesitated, then gave a firm nod. "Let's go! We'll go find that unfilial son's disciple!"
***
In the east of the Ancestral Court lay the Azure Dragon Ruins.
Colossal dragon bones sprawled across hundreds of thousands of li, winding on and on. In some places, the dragon bones had become steep mountain ranges; in others, where fractures had occurred, the skeletal structure of the dragon could still be seen.
These were the bones of an Azure Dragon that had died here in some forgotten age. The mountains they formed had petrified, precipitous and formidable. Their stones were extraordinarily hard, and people frequently entered the mountains in search of immortal metals formed, according to legend, from dragon essence—superlative materials for refining treasures.
Yet it was easy to enter these mountains and difficult to leave. They teemed with fierce beasts and monsters, and the terrain was perilous and vast; those who ventured within often vanished without a trace, leaving not even bones behind.
Low-hanging celestial bodies dotted the sky, appearing not far from the ground. Colossal beasts often spread their wings, soaring from the mountains toward the stars above.
Xu Ying looked up to see stars seemingly within reach, inhabited by herds of primeval behemoths grazing like sheep.
He and Ling Siyi arrived here to find countless giant monsters dwelling in the mountains. Having lived for who knew how many tens of thousands of years, they possessed immense strength and rich monster qi.
Their exhales formed clouds, and their inhales created wind.
Other primeval behemoths breathed and respired with even more astonishing momentum, directly drawing the fire of the sun down into their chests with every breath.
Such qi-refining methods were truly staggering!
"The monster race is indeed a grand race. No wonder they ruled the world in the ancient era and established the Demon Immortal Court."
Xu Ying looked around, unable to suppress his marvel.
Suddenly, a streak of golden light pierced the void, shooting straight toward the mountain range formed by the Azure Dragon's skull. Exotic beasts like dragons, phoenixes, and qilin throughout the mountains were startled and looked up, only to see the golden light plunge into the dragon's jaws and vanish.
The great sages of the monster race stationed here were stirred, rising into the air one after another to investigate.
Yet the golden light was far too swift; by the time they arrived, it had already entered the Demon Ancestral Court.
Xu Ying was equally astonished. "What speed! Miss Siyi, did you catch what just passed by?"
Ling Siyi shook her head, the shock still lingering on her face.
The golden light had moved so quickly that it vanished in the blink of an eye.
***
"Daoist Wukong, you have been gone for so long that I thought you had turned to dry bones. Who would have thought you still walk this world, the sole surviving fruit of our monster race?"
Within the Demon Ancestral Court, an imposing tree towered between heaven and earth. The old tree's roots spread in every direction, extending for countless myriads of li, its crown propping up the sky.
Yet half of this tree lay fallen upon the earth, snapped at the trunk. Countless roots had been ripped from beneath the ground—some severed, some charred—with only the remaining half still gripping the earth.
The ridges formed by the protruding roots shaped the mountain ranges upon the ground.
This was the most ancient Fusang tree. In the past, the Demon Immortal Court had been established atop it. Sadly, the immortal court had been reduced to ruins, collapsing to the ground to become the remnants of the Demon Ancestral Court. Though this tree had died, it was not wholly lifeless; some of its roots still retained their vitality.
Flames swirled and shone from within the tree. A golden ape in yellow robes, his long sleeves fluttering and exuding the air of a transcendent Daoist, walked toward the light within the tree. Saluting with one hand, he said, "Greetings."
"Daoist Wukong is too polite. No need for such formality," a Daoist welcomed from within the tree with a laugh. "The monster race is in decline now, and you are the sole surviving elder of our people. Please, come in quickly."
The golden ape stepped into the light to find a vast, separate world inside the tree.
The Daoist leading him smiled. "I heard that before Daoist Wukong disappeared, you wandered everywhere seeking immortals and inquiring into the Dao, striving to attain the Great Luo Realm, after which all trace of you was lost. I never expected that after all these years, when our old acquaintances have vanished, you would be the one to survive. It is truly remarkable."
A misty Dao air enveloped the golden ape. Refined and courteous in his bearing, he replied, "A rustic wanderer like me merely survived by sheer luck. I entered the Supreme Cave Abyss and was entranced by the Supreme Dao, entering deep meditation. Unawares, countless years slipped by."
The Daoist inquired, "Did you attain the Great Luo Realm?"
The golden ape shook his head. "Half my body is in. Being trapped in the Supreme Realm took too much out of me. Once I recover for a while and push a little further, I should be able to step all the way through. Old... Demon Ancestor, my visit today has two purposes: first, to pay my respects to you, and second, to wait for someone here."
That Daoist was the Demon Ancestor, born from the essence of the Fusang tree. Knowing the ape had almost called him an old monster, he took no offense and smiled. "You are a Great Luo Golden Immortal. Though you have not fully reached the Great Luo Realm, you are still an esteemed master of our monster race. Now that you are here, why not mount the altar to expound the Law and impart the Dao to our people?"
The golden ape's eyes brightened, though he hesitated. "I used to be an untamed monster. Can someone like me really expound the Dao in the Ancestral Court?"
The Demon Ancestor chuckled. "In the Demon Ancestral Court, the Great Dao of heaven and earth is shattered, its Dao methods lost, and even I have suffered the dissolution of my body and Dao. In the past, if you hadn't attained the Great Luo Realm, it would never have been your turn to lecture here. But now, those stronger than you are dead, gone, or vanished without a trace. Today, you stand as the highest peak. Naturally, you have the right."
The golden ape beamed. "I have unlocked the wonders of the Supreme Dao; I can teach that to them."
The Demon Ancestor's expression shifted slightly.
That Supreme Dao was extraordinarily uncanny. Back when the monster race was in its prime, countless cultivators had practiced this art. Innumerable Dao arts and sects under heaven had taken 'Supreme' in their names, a tradition stretching back through antiquity.
Yet when one cultivated the Supreme Dao to advanced stages, one would be drawn toward the Supreme Dao, entering the Supreme Realm in hopes of taking another step forward—only to be assimilated by the Dao.
Countless experts from the Demon Ancestor's side had perished within the Supreme Realm, becoming part of what mended that sky.
'This monkey was an obstinate stone to begin with, and he almost ended up mending the sky of the Supreme Realm. If he mounts the altar to lecture our monster race, who knows how many of our young talents he'll bury?'
Thinking this, the Demon Ancestor dropped the topic of preaching the Dao and laughed. "Let's set aside the matter of preaching for now; selecting the Demon Emperor is the urgent priority. Daoist Wukong, who are you here for?"
"Xu Ying!"
Chapter 474