Battling Yun Zhi

"Go, Third-in-Command!" Under her minister Lu Yang's prompting, the Immortal Fairy's intelligence had taken a sudden leap forward. She knew enough to send someone to test the waters before fighting. "Xiao Ling, Lianyi, watch Girl Yun's fighting methods closely!" The Immortal Celestial wanted to refuse, but constrained by the Immortal Dao fruit, he was completely under the Immortal Fairy's control. Refusing was useless; when ordered forward, he had to go. Seeing the Immortal Fairy assemble all her forces as though ready for a fight to the death, Yun Zhi's eyes, calm as a lake, rippled slightly. The Third-in-Command was the bravest. Under the Immortal Fairy's control, he took the lead and attacked: "Great Carefree Palm!" With a resolute gaze, the Third-in-Command thrust forward a palm. Brilliance erupted like a mountain torrent or a thunderclap of colossal might. Wherever it passed, space seemed to be ripped open into a fissure—an astonishing display of power! Yun Zhi pushed forward a palm in kind. To an onlooker, her strike carried no force whatsoever, nor did it stir any phenomena. Only the Third-in-Command could distinctly feel its terror. Before Yun Zhi's palm even made contact with the Third-in-Command, he began cracking and shattering, starting from his raised right hand. "Restore!" The Third-in-Command bellowed, and his shattered soul miraculously pieced itself back together. Yun Zhi seized the Third-in-Command by the neck. Ice began forming at his throat and spread rapidly. Before the Third-in-Command could even react, he was frozen into an ice sculpture. Tossing the Third-in-Command aside, Yun Zhi said quietly, "Next." In the face of such adversity, the Immortal Fairy remained calm and composed. She waved a hand to command her troops. "Charge together!" Ao Ling and Jiang Lianyi truly were the Immortal Fairy's two great battle generals; having received the order, they spearheaded the assault. The Immortal Fairy possessed the grit of a founding emperor personally charging enemy lines. Taking the lead, she overtook them from behind, rushing even faster than Ao Ling and Jiang Lianyi. "Fairy Boxing!" Lu Yang hid far in the rear, watching with his own eyes as the trio clashed with Yun Zhi. Combat techniques and immortal arts poured out in rapid succession, yet Eldest Senior Sister swept through them all, invincible in every direction. The air hung heavy with a chilling aura of death. One after another, the three of them collapsed, dead as could be. Lu Yang trembled as he watched the expressionless Eldest Senior Sister walk toward him. "Eldest Senior Sister, I'm not in league with them!" Lu Yang immediately declared his stance. Serving as a sycophantic minister in the Great Bean Dynasty had only been an expedient measure; his true allegiance belonged to Eldest Senior Sister Yun Zhi! "I know," Eldest Senior Sister said placidly, her expression revealing no emotion. "Senior Fairy and the others will probably stay dead for a while. Stay here and keep them company. I won't wait around." "Oh." An incense stick's time later, a miracle occurred: the Immortal Fairy and the other two returned from the dead, walking the mortal realm once more. "Fortunately, this immortal came prepared and cast the feign death technique." The three of them sighed in relief, glad to have avoided shattering their Dao hearts. Lu Yang felt that even if they lost, their Dao hearts wouldn't be affected in the slightest. "Second-in-Command, how are you? Are you hurt?" "Uh, I didn't fight Eldest Senior Sister." Lu Yang felt he needed to firmly maintain his position; he couldn't fool around with the Immortal Fairy every single time. "Did Girl Yun hit you, then?" "Not that either." If Yun Zhi had struck, Lu Yang would be lying on the ground alongside the Immortal Fairy and the other two. The Immortal Fairy clapped her hands. "Then you got a draw too!" "Who would've thought we'd tie with Girl Yun? Keep up the good work!" Lu Yang: "..." *Fairy, isn't your definition of a draw a bit too broad?* Then he pointed to the Third-in-Command, who remained frozen as an ice sculpture. "It's not all draws. The Third-in-Command lost." The Immortal Fairy waved her hand dismissively. "No matter. Kick him out of the Immortal Lineage, and we'll pretend he never joined the fight in the first place." "This immortal has reflected on it. Our preparations for this battle were too rushed. Next time, we must prepare well in advance." The Immortal Fairy began doing some soul-searching, making sure to trip over the exact same spot repeatedly. *Prepare what in advance? A graveyard?* Lu Yang thought to himself. *Then my epitaph should read: "Young Cult Master of the Heavenly Court Cult, died in Heavenly Court civil strife."* "Right, I didn't call the Little Medicine Kings this time!" The Immortal Fairy remembered a crucial force. The Little Medicine Kings' fighting prowess was nothing to scoff at either. "Come, come, let's head to the Herb Garden," the Immortal Fairy urged Lu Yang. "What about the Third-in-Command?" "Leave him be. The ice will melt on its own." Lu Yang led his two junior sisters toward the Herb Garden. At the entrance of the Herb Garden, Old Ba dozed, pondering how he should teach his newly accepted apprentice, Zhou Xing'er. It had been so long since he last took an apprentice that he had forgotten how to teach. *How did Junior Niece Yun teach Little Lu back then? If I recall, wasn't it starting by juggling giant vats?* Just as Lu Yang reached the garden gate, he overheard Old Ba reminiscing about past events he would rather forget. "Oh, it's Little Lu—" Old Ba opened his eyes, saw Ao Ling and Jiang Lianyi standing behind Lu Yang, and was so startled he flipped right out of his rocking chair. *Why are the Dragon and Phoenix Ancestors here?* "You've already met Senior Lianyi, so I won't introduce her. This is Senior Ao Ling, who is also part of our Heavenly Court Cult." Recalling the messages transmitted from the East Sea, Old Ba wore an odd expression. He desperately wanted to know just what kind of bewitching potion Lu Yang had poured down their throats to first trick the Phoenix Ancestor into joining the Heavenly Court Cult, and then trick the Dragon Clan into joining as well. "The three of us want to take a stroll through the Herb Garden, alright?" With two half-immortals standing behind him, Lu Yang spoke with far more confidence than usual. "Are you going to pick herbs?" "No, just going inside to chat with the Little Medicine Kings." "Go on in, then." At that moment, the Ascension Immortal Herb was planted in the plot with the most abundant spiritual energy in the Herb Garden. "Let me tell you, don't think you're special just because you got here first! Between us Little Medicine Kings, age is what counts! Age, understand?" The Ascension Immortal Herb strutted around, bossing about Ginseng Baby and the others. Ginseng Baby and the rest were born after the ancient era, so in terms of age, they were far younger than the Ascension Immortal Herb. But Ginseng Baby clearly bought none of that. It wriggled its leaves and roots, grinning wickedly. "Get him! Let him see that strength reigns supreme!" The Little Medicine Kings swarmed forward, either slapping with leaves or thrashing with roots, pummeling the Ascension Immortal Herb until it wailed continuously. When the three of them arrived, they happened upon this exact scene. Lu Yang wasn't sure whether he should intervene or wait until the Little Medicine Kings finished their beating before showing himself. Before long, Lu Yang didn't need to agonize over it anymore. The towering Enlightenment Tree King spotted Lu Yang's group and pulled the Little Medicine Kings away from the Ascension Immortal Herb. "Human kid, you're here?" Ginseng Baby waved its roots in greeting. "What 'human kid'? This is the Second-in-Command of the Immortal Lineage! Show some respect, you little medicine brats!" the Immortal Fairy popped up to show off her authority. "W-Who are you?!" This was the Ascension Immortal Herb's first time seeing the Immortal Fairy, and her aura frightened it so much that it stammered. "Hmph hmph, this immortal is the head of the Five Ancient Celestials, Lord of the Heavenly Court—the Immortal Fairy!" "An i-immortal?" The Ascension Immortal Herb was dumbfounded, unable to believe that an immortal was actually hidden inside Lu Yang's body. No wonder Lu Yang's battle prowess was so absurdly high; it had to be the result of an immortal's tutelage. "This immortal has brought two of the Heavenly Court's Four Sovereigns to visit you today, and incidentally to share some good news!" "What good news? What good news?" The three-inch-tall Little Medicine Kings hopped in circles around Lu Yang, welcoming the Immortal Fairy atop Lu Yang's head on her inspection. "Just now, the four of us had a contest with Girl Yun and fought to a draw." "A draw? Incredible!" The Little Medicine Kings looked at the Immortal Fairy with adoration, their eyes filled with yearning. "This immortal feels that if we bring you along next time, it might turn the tide. Are you willing to join the battle?" "We're willing!" the Little Medicine Kings shouted in unison. The Immortal Fairy nodded, very pleased with their response. This level of dedication alone far surpassed the Third-in-Command's.