On Fangzhang Island in the Eastern Sea stood the Palace of Golden Jade and Glazed Glass, the dwelling place of the Elder of Nine Sources. Every day at the hour of the monkey, golden waves and jade billows would submerge the Glazed Palace, only receding at the end of the hour of the rooster to reveal the palace once more.
When Qing Di stepped onto Fangzhang Island, the brilliantly colored golden waves and jade billows had just retreated. The Palace of Golden Jade and Glazed Glass shimmered with flowing light and overflowing color under the not-yet-set sun—a sight that was naturally quite beautiful.
The Huaxu Clan’s peach wood divine sword at his waist was trembling slightly. He gently stroked it with his fingertips and spoke as if talking to himself: “This Elder of Nine Sources cultivated from mortal to immortal and is quite formidable. Unfortunately, he has never received investiture from the Upper Realm and cannot become part of the divine race. For this reason, he harbors considerable dissatisfaction toward the various gods. I wonder if we’ll be able to enter this Palace of Golden Jade and Glazed Glass.”
Qing Di walked slowly along the magnificent and resplendent enormous palace, appreciating the view. Within the semi-transparent golden palace walls, treasure light overflowed everywhere, and pavilions and towers were arranged in a spacious and orderly fashion—truly luxurious and magnificent.
The peach wood divine sword hummed delicately several times. Qing Di said with a smile, “You want to go in and see? Then I’ll give it a try.”
He transformed into a rainbow light and, after several rises and falls, alighted gracefully before the enormous gates of the Palace of Golden Jade and Glazed Glass. Almost simultaneously, the palace gates emitted a heavy creaking sound, and two immortal servants in silver short robes emerged from within. They bowed with cupped hands and said, “So it is the former Qing Di, Your Majesty. Our master has long admired your great name and respectfully invites Your Majesty to enter the hall for a chat.”
…That was surprisingly easy.
Qing Di deliberately slowed his pace, strolling through this Palace of Golden Jade and Glazed Glass. He had seen far too much of the extravagant magnificence of divine residences—nothing here was particularly rare. If he had to pick something special, it would be that all the pavilions and towers were constructed from this semi-transparent golden jade and glazed glass. Not exactly precious, but oddly beautiful, and the lady within the sword liked it very much.
Ascending a high platform, he found an immortal in black and white feathered robes standing at the platform’s edge, gazing out at the sparkling waves of the Eastern Sea. Sensing his arrival, the immortal turned around. His appearance was refined and elegant, though his expression was stern. This renowned Elder of Nine Sources looked unexpectedly young.
“Qing Di, Your Majesty.” He seemed somewhat distracted, though his courtesy was quite respectful.
Qing Di returned the gesture with gracious composure and said warmly, “Thank you for the Palace Master’s generous hospitality. I was passing through this area and, seeing the exquisite magnificence of the Palace of Golden Jade and Glazed Glass, could not resist wanting to enter and appreciate it. I hope I have not disturbed the Palace Master.”
The Elder of Nine Sources smiled shallowly and faintly: “Your Majesty has long been renowned for your礼courtesy, refinement, and elegance. There are some things I feel I can speak plainly about. I invited Your Majesty into the Palace of Golden Jade and Glazed Glass not because of the Huaxu Clan’s illustrious name, but simply because I have heard that Your Majesty remains devoted to your beloved without abandoning them. I greatly admire this, and so I was willing to open the gates of the Palace of Golden Jade and Glazed Glass for Your Majesty. Your Majesty may do as you please here.”
It seemed this Palace Master’s thoughts were elsewhere. After speaking, he turned around again to silently gaze at the Eastern Sea. Qing Di smiled and did not take offense at his breach of etiquette, instead turning to descend from the high platform.
Glazed palace, glazed trees, glazed grass—everything here was crystalline and dreamlike. Qing Di was guided by the immortal servants to an elegant guest chamber, where even all the furnishings within the room were made of golden jade and glazed glass.
After closing the door, this mature and steady former Qing Di actually rubbed his eyes, revealing a trace of ambiguous complaint: “So gaudy and ostentatious—it’s making my eyes blur. What’s so nice about this?”
From within the peach wood divine sword came a ethereal yet very clear female voice: “Is that so? I rather like it.”
Qing Di placed the peach wood divine sword on the glazed table and said with a laugh, “Our opinions have never once been the same, except regarding our daughter-in-law—that one time our opinions were rarely unified.”
The female voice said, “Then I’m going to disagree with you again, because now I quite like her.”
Qing Di gently tapped the peach wood divine sword: “Then we’re in agreement again, because I quite like her now too.”
The female voice seemed to laugh softly. After a moment, she said in a low voice, “In a few more months, Fucang will be getting married, won’t he? I originally thought time would pass extremely slowly and torturously, but unexpectedly it has gone by surprisingly quickly.”
Qing Di’s usually refined face rarely showed a trace of tender affection as he said softly, “We are still together. How could it be torturous?”
The female voice still laughed softly: “Perhaps it’s because we’re getting old, but these past years I keep thinking about things from the past. Back when Fucang was just born, he didn’t like being close to anyone. I thought that if he stayed that way, he would surely be able to smoothly pass through the Hundred Lifetimes Reincarnation Tribulation in the future and achieve an indestructible true nature. I never imagined he would ultimately be pulled down from his high horse by that wicked little princess.”
Qing Di said warmly, “He’s just like you in character.”
The female voice said, “I think he’s quite similar to you too—that air of not wanting to be close to anyone, that lazy detachment. He’s exactly like you were back then.”
Qing Di laughed several times. Yes, back then…
Back then, the Upper and Lower Realms were already not very peaceful. Fierce beasts often caused trouble in the Lower Realm. Although they couldn’t compare to Dijiang from back in the day, each one was difficult to deal with.
Back then, he was not yet Qing Di, but rather the only son of Qing Di—Divine Lord Jiran.
Back then, she was not yet a wisp of divine soul confined day after day within the peach wood divine sword, but rather the eldest daughter of Supreme Unity Imperial Lord in the Thirty-Three Heavens—Princess Yaoying.
Just as Yaoying had said, in his youth he didn’t like being close to anyone. He didn’t care much about anyone, nor did he care much about himself. He took everything as it came. Fucang was indeed quite similar to him in this regard. But he was ultimately much more amiable and approachable than Fucang. The Huaxu Clan’s style was thoroughly embodied in him. His father had praised him back then as a true member of the Huaxu Clan—cold and proud in his bones, but what showed on the outside should be that of a refined gentleman of jade-like quality.
Those years as Divine Lord Jiran passed like flowing water and flying light, seeming to go by in the blink of an eye. He naturally awakened to the Huaxu Clan’s sword dao, naturally received divine position after studying with teachers. Because of his elegant appearance and refined bearing, along with the Huaxu Clan name, there were often dissolute and enchanting goddesses who came to flirt with him. When the mood struck, he would occasionally play along. When he had no interest, he would decline with a smile.
This probably didn’t sit well with his father, who said: The Huaxu Clan has absolutely no romantic libertines. One life, one pair, protected by the sword—only this way can we live up to the name of transforming sword energy into divinity.
But he didn’t even care about his own affairs, much less protecting that “one life, one pair.”
When Divine Lord Jiran was less than two years away from assuming the position of Qing Di at the age of two hundred fifty thousand, fierce beasts began causing trouble in the Lower Realm again. At that time, creatures like Jiuying, the Black Water Serpent, and Huodou emerged one after another. He was reassigned under the command of the former Gouchen Great Emperor. While exterminating the Black Water Serpent, he encountered Princess Yaoying.
Embarrassingly, he could no longer remember what color the sky was that day, nor could he remember whether it was day or night, raining or clear skies for ten thousand miles. At that time, the Black Water Serpent was extremely difficult to deal with. He had already used his Sword Energy Transforms Heaven and Earth five times and was nearing his limit, yet still fell just short of being able to completely exterminate it.
The former Gouchen Great Emperor also had quite a temper and roared so loudly it shook the heavens: “That Huaxu Clan member over there! You’ve exhausted your divine power this quickly?! What kind of Huaxu Clan member are you?!”
No, he actually still had some divine power left. He could probably use Sword Energy Transforms Heaven and Earth two more times. But he never liked fighting desperately like this. If exhausting all his divine power still couldn’t defeat it, what would he do then?
The lazy Divine Lord Jiran put away his sword. Not only did he put it away, he even found a clean spot on the ground, sat down to catch his breath, and pretended not to hear Gouchen Great Emperor’s furious cursing.
Then, a sharp stream of flowing light shot out from beside him, followed by a black figure as swift as the flowing light. Even he couldn’t clearly see how this figure moved at first. He only saw the flowing light flash at the serpent’s vital seventh inch and pierce deeply into it. Only then did he see clearly that it was a long halberd, entirely silver-white. After the halberd pinned into the serpent’s seventh inch, that black figure was like a gracefully falling leaf, alighting gently upon it. The long halberd instantly pierced through the vital point, severely wounding the Black Water Serpent.
Gouchen Great Emperor’s shouts of approval nearly deafened his ears too. Probably because everything happened so quickly—with the divine weapon piercing the vital point—everyone thought the Black Water Serpent was certainly doomed. In that instant everyone relaxed, even that black figure relaxed their stance and prepared to turn around.
The fierce beast’s dying struggle came in the next moment. Torrential black water came sweeping down overwhelmingly, but in a split second was blocked by brilliant golden light. Divine Lord Jiran’s sixth use of Sword Energy Transforms Heaven and Earth thoroughly ground this fierce beast into fragments.