As soon as Puhua saw the nine-headed serpent, he became anxious, reaching out to strike the transparent bell cover directly. But the Celestial Emperor paid him no heed, only raising his hand to extract the nine-headed serpent’s memories.
This was how convenient and direct immortal case investigations were – no need for questioning, the facts were right there in the mind to be seen.
Ruyi also glanced at those fleeting images, thinking this great serpent truly believed wholeheartedly that it was the Demon King’s messenger. Though its memories contained no image of Puhua’s face, they did hold the Demon King’s appearance.
After the gods finished viewing the nine-headed serpent’s memories, Ruyi once again released her final bit of recollection.
The Demon King’s face emerged from the black mist, clearly and distinctly revealing Puhua’s features.
The gods were in uproar, but some still questioned: “Though memories cannot be tampered with, they’re not necessarily the complete truth. What if someone was impersonating Puhua at the time?”
“Very simple.” Shen Qiyuan cupped his hands and said, “Divine Lord Puhua is right here beside us. Your Majesty need only look to know.”
The Celestial Emperor fell silent.
Extracting memories from demons was one thing, but having a Divine Lord’s memories extracted – wouldn’t that be slapping the divine race’s face?
He changed the subject: “I shall naturally question Puhua about his crimes, but Azure God, you have yet to explain clearly why you would develop feelings for demon spawn?”
“Demon spawn?” He laughed once, though there was no mirth in his eyes. “Was Liu Ruyi born to be demon spawn?”
The Celestial Emperor was slightly stunned, and the shadows shrouded in divine light around them began whispering among themselves.
If the person wasn’t demon spawn when she and Shen Qiyuan first fell in love, how could they be blamed for later changes? The divine race had always been devoted to love. Shen Qiyuan’s faithful remembrance of old affections was precisely a manifestation of his upright divine character.
The Supreme Lord hurriedly arrived following the divine light, stepped forward to pay respects to the Celestial Emperor, then tugged at his sleeve and whispered: “Don’t speak so harshly. As long as you can explain clearly, the Celestial Emperor doesn’t necessarily have to condemn you.”
With such a grand display, if it wasn’t for condemnation, what else could it be for?
Shen Qiyuan brushed him away, stubbornly standing beside Liu Ruyi: “Today I’ll accept even thunder and lightning strikes, but before my soul and spirit are destroyed, I must see Puhua receive his due punishment. Otherwise, your Heavenly Way can hardly claim to be fair.”
“Insolence!”
The heavy voice echoed all around, making people’s eardrums swell from the sound.
Shen Qiyuan waved his sleeve to establish a protective formation around Liu Ruyi, not retreating half a step. His white light showed no signs of dissipating within this golden shroud – it even grew increasingly solid.
Seeing the situation turning bad, the Supreme Lord quickly stepped forward and knelt: “This subject has words to report.”
The Celestial Emperor glanced at him and took the opportunity to step down, establishing a barrier before summoning the True Lord forward. The two spoke of unknown matters, and when the Celestial Emperor reappeared, his attitude had softened considerably.
“My coming today is simply about your private establishment of the dome to shelter demon spawn.” He said, “Since there are doubts, you shall return with me to the Nine Heavens for further judgment.”
Shen Qiyuan frowned, about to speak, when the Supreme Lord tugged at his sleeve again.
“I’ll guide you there.” He whispered, “Go. It’s good for both you and Liu Ruyi.”
With these words, both Shen Qiyuan and Ruyi behind him realized.
He could return to the Nine Heavens?
Calculating his recently accumulated merits, it was indeed enough. But the Celestial Emperor had come to condemn him today – how could he not only refrain from punishing him but also allow his ascension?
“Could you grant me two more days?” Shen Qiyuan lowered his eyes. “Mortal affairs are numerous and chaotic. Leaving before handling them properly would be inappropriate.”
Two days were merely a flick of the fingers for immortals. The Celestial Emperor said nothing, and the surrounding gods began gradually dispersing.
A great wind blew past, and the rain in Lin’an City suddenly stopped.
Ruyi looked up to see the Supreme Lord’s old face smiling at her like a blooming flower: “Rest assured, His Majesty couldn’t examine Puhua’s memories in your presence, but when we return to heaven this time, we will certainly investigate this matter thoroughly.”
She frowned: “You didn’t investigate last time – why the change of heart now?”
The Supreme Lord smiled as he stroked his beard: “As Zhao Shu said well, ‘In terms of imperial favor, who can compare to the Crown Prince?'”
The Celestial Emperor did indeed trust Puhua greatly, even personally descending to the mortal realm to condemn based on his single accusation. But if the offender weren’t Shen Qiyuan, the Celestial Emperor wouldn’t have brought so many gods along.
The Nine Heavens established merit over kinship. Shen Qiyuan’s talent, displayed in just three thousand years of cultivation, was already enough to draw attention. Though the Celestial Emperor was angry about his deception of heaven, being able to construct a dome covering the vast mortal realm without detection by heaven, the Celestial Emperor was probably quite pleased to have such a person become a god.
Just now, in the barrier, he had told the Celestial Emperor that worldly injustice had unsettled Shen Qiyuan’s dao heart. This wasn’t the victim’s fault – naturally, the Nine Heavens should restore righteousness to turn the tide. Though Divine Lord Puhua had schemed his way to his current position, compared to Shen Qiyuan, his weight was still too light.
Moreover, Puhua was guilty to begin with.
“I tried to stop you repeatedly earlier, but you ignored me.” Seeing Shen Qiyuan approach, the Supreme Lord couldn’t help but blame him. “The Celestial Emperor must maintain dignity. How could you embarrass him before so many people? Couldn’t you have said whatever you needed back in the Nine Heavens?”
Shen Qiyuan lowered his head, lost in thought.
Ruyi only glanced at him once before saying, “Don’t overthink it. Only by returning can you personally witness Puhua receiving his retribution.”
“But.” He pressed his lips together, looking up at the Supreme Lord. “If I go up with you, when can I come back down?”
The Supreme Lord found this incredible: “I’ve never heard of anyone who ascended to the Nine Heavens wanting to come back down. Once you’re up there, naturally, you’ll hold office in heaven. Though look at Puhua – if he occasionally wants to descend, it’s just a moment’s matter.”
“How often is ‘occasionally’? Can one abandon their post in heaven at will?”
The Supreme Lord fell silent, then his expression grew complex: “Azure God, do you know why you two were played in Puhua’s palm?”
Since over two thousand years, Puhua had laid his scheme, using the two to constrain each other, seizing Liu Ruyi’s divine bones while keeping Shen Qiyuan in the mortal realm, thus achieving his own path to success.
One could say Puhua was good at scheming, but if Shen and Liu hadn’t been so emotional, his plot couldn’t have succeeded at all.
For immortals, placing too much importance on romantic feelings wasn’t a good thing.
Ruyi lowered her eyes and laughed lightly: “Getting lectured by him too. Alright, let’s go back.”
Two days – she wondered if he could manage to settle and arrange everything.
She strode ahead, appearing as carefree as before, as if completely unconcerned about his departure.
Shen Qiyuan’s face darkened as he followed behind without another word.
Prospects were extremely important things, far more solid and reliable than feelings. After all, feelings might fade, but prospects earned would not change. So Liu Ruyi often advised young demons that, rather than abandoning cultivation for someone, it was better to first become powerful, great demons, then choose whoever they wanted.
For Shen Qiyuan, she should give the same advice.
Only under the night sky with a bright moon and sparse stars, she looked at her own long shadow on the ground, her lips moving several times without being able to speak these words.