At this moment, Lu Yang dearly wished he possessed a memory-wiping art so he could forget everything he had just seen.
Although he had already learned plenty of dark, embarrassing secrets about the Four Ancient Celestials, that knowledge had only come from witness testimonies; there was still room for excuses and denial.
Now, that was no longer the case. Physical evidence was right before him. If he wasn't careful, the Four Ancient Celestials might destroy him along with the Quotations of Immortals to silence him.
"I totally forgot that I put the Quotations of Immortals here," said the Immortal Fairy, bold as ever thanks to her immense skill. She took the book down from the shelf once more, looking rather nostalgic.
"This is truly good stuff. Back when Immortal Ying Tian and the others were delivering lectures and preaching the Dao, I sat in and listened, jotting down everything they said."
After entering the secret realm, Eldest Senior Sister hadn't restricted the movements of the two ancient Supremes. They had also followed along to the study. Hearing the Fairy's words, their eyes shone with fervent heat as they stared at the Quotations of Immortals, their hearts pounding wildly against their ribs.
Good heavens, this book actually recorded the teachings preached by immortals! The insights of an immortal were precious beyond measure—a priceless treasure!
However, having already been reduced to prisoners, they could only drool in envy, not daring to reach out and touch it.
Wait, judging by what this fairy said, she wasn't Immortal Ying Tian?
Then who was she... Hold on, could she be Dou Tianzun, the Lord of the Heavenly Court?!
The two half-immortals finally guessed the Immortal Fairy's identity, their legs trembling uncontrollably.
"Is this a study?"
Eldest Senior Sister had also noticed the fairy cave abode. Stepping inside, she saw an overwhelming array of ancient books. Ancient tomes were exceedingly rare and precious; any single volume pulled at random would spark a mad bidding frenzy at an auction.
"Yes, this is where this fairy used to read and study."
Lu Yang looked at the vast majority of the books, which were still brand-new. He felt that the Immortal Fairy must truly love books—so much that she couldn't bear to read them.
Eldest Senior Sister noticed this as well, but said nothing.
The study held a complete variety of books, ranging from ancient local customs to cultivation manuals. There was everything one could think of, and cultivation insights from half-immortals were by no means scarce—even the insights of Zhu Tian, Jiang Lianyi, and others were present.
Those cultivation insights had all been voluntarily contributed by ancient half-immortals, mainly placed in the study to pad the numbers; the Immortal Fairy hadn't bothered to read them.
As the supreme First Immortal of antiquity who walked a path none before her had ever trodden, why would she need to borrow from others' cultivation experiences?
There was even a copy of Complete Culinary Arts here—authored, naturally, by Immortal Ying Tian.
"So you were all here!" Meng Jingzhou had been exploring the secret realm when he turned around and found everyone gone. Frightened into a cold sweat, he breathed a sigh of relief upon spotting them in the study.
"How is it? Find anything good in here?" Meng Jingzhou nudged Lu Yang with his elbow.
"Yes."
Lu Yang solemnly placed the Quotations of Immortals into Meng Jingzhou's hands and said earnestly, "This immortal book records the words and deeds of the Four Ancient Celestials. It holds immense profundity and aligns with the Great Dao. Back then, ancient half-immortals and Tribulation Transcendence cultivators lined up to study it. Read it carefully."
"There's something this incredible?!" Meng Jingzhou was astonished. Lu Yang truly was his good brother, never forgetting him whenever there was a benefit to be shared.
Meng Jingzhou flipped through two pages, then handed it back to Lu Yang.
"Why did you stop?"
"It's all written in the ancient language. I can't read a word of it."
"...When I get a chance, I'll teach you the ancient script."
"Strange, where did this fairy's diary go?"
The Immortal Fairy took a lap around the study, unable to find her diary.
"Fairy, you even kept a diary?" Lu Yang asked curiously.
"Of course! With so many fun things happening, how could this fairy not record them in a diary?"
"What did you write in it?"
The Immortal Fairy gave Lu Yang a wary look. "How could something like a diary be shown to others just like that?"
Lu Yang curled his lips. She was surprisingly guarded about this.
"It's probably vanished," he remarked. "After all, a diary carries too strong of your personal imprint. It wouldn't be easy to pin it onto Immortal Ying Tian just by swapping the name. Since the mastermind behind the scenes wanted to erase your existence, the diary that proves your existence naturally had to be erased as well."
The Immortal Fairy was furious. "Outrageous! This fairy will definitely avenge this grievance!"
Hearing this, the two Supremes shivered in sheer terror. They felt as though the conversation between the two harbored earth-shattering ancient secrets. Would they be silenced to keep it a secret?
"My cultivation insights are gone too?"
The Immortal Fairy couldn't find her cultivation notes either.
"It seems that was erased by the mastermind as well. After all, this fairy's talent is peerless. If they credited my cultivation insights to Immortal Ying Tian, it would look far too fake—Immortal Ying Tian doesn't have that kind of ability!"
Lu Yang looked at the Immortal Fairy with a peculiar expression. "Fairy, you actually had insights on cultivation?"
"Why wouldn't I? This fairy wrote a thick volume of insights, meticulously detailing everything from how to play joyfully to how to sleep comfortably! Not only did it cite ancient classics, but it also drew directly from this fairy's personal experiences!"
Lu Yang felt that losing those cultivation insights was probably for the best. Between losing a book and losing face, she really had to pick one.
Eldest Senior Sister, however, strongly agreed with the Immortal Fairy's viewpoint: "Senior possesses the pure heart of a child, which is truly rare. It is even more extraordinary that after becoming an immortal, you still remain like a child. These cultivation insights were surely meant to teach the world how to preserve the pure heart of a child. Senior's noble righteousness is admirable."
As if having found a kindred spirit, the Immortal Fairy beamed so broadly that she could hardly close her mouth. "Girl Yun, you really get it!"
Then the Immortal Fairy turned around and said fiercely to Lu Yang, "Did you hear that? This fairy possesses the pure heart of a child! Learn from this fairy more often in the future!"
Lu Yang: "..."
The Immortal Fairy waved her hand. "Girl Yun, tidy up and move this secret realm back to our sect."
Once it was relocated back home, she could saunter around the secret realm whenever she pleased.
From the Twin River to the study, everything in this secret realm belonged to her. Transporting it straight back would leave even Great Xia unable to find any fault.
"Alright."
Everyone exited the secret realm. Night had already fallen, shrouding the mountain forest in pitch darkness.
Eldest Senior Sister reached out her right hand and pressed it against the giant boulder. A soft, shimmering glow emanated from her palm, and when she withdrew her hand, a winding little stream appeared in her palm.
This was the true Universe in the Palm.
"Let's go."
With business concluded, everyone returned to the Dao Seeking Sect.
Only as they drew near their destination did the two Supremes realize where they were being taken: the Dao Seeking Sect.
Was the ancient Heavenly Court hidden within the Dao Seeking Sect?
Or had the Dao Seeking Sect been founded by the ancient Heavenly Court in the first place?
Whichever it was, it spoke volumes about the ancient Heavenly Court's brilliant, unfathomable methods.
Eldest Senior Sister first set the Twin River secret realm down beside the Fairy's Kitchen on Tianmen Peak, then brought the two Supremes toward Prison Peak.
If she hadn't arrived in the nick of time, these two might very well have carried out their plan to destroy Chunjiang City. They could not be spared.
Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou returned to their respective peaks.
"Xiaoyun is here? Who did you catch this time?" the child grandmaster asked with a chuckle. He had come around to thinking that as an elder and a Tribulation Transcendence cultivator, he couldn't lose his composure just because a few ancient prisoners were brought in.
Eldest Senior Sister set the two on the ground and introduced the haul from this trip: "I captured two half-immortals. One goes by Nightmare Supreme, and the other by Void Supreme."
Clutching his chest, the child grandmaster nearly choked on his breath.
Chapter 681