Uneasy, Li Ye waved his hand and created a patch of thorns around the Upper Bing Palace. After glancing at it askance for a moment, he added a swamp as well.
A barrier floated above the swamp that even ghosts and gods would find difficult to cross.
Satisfied, he withdrew his hand and gave a soft snort.
He could have simply crushed her along with Kan Ze’s core element. It was his excessive kindness that made him choose to spare her life, unnecessarily creating so much trouble for himself.
But she had managed to suppress Kan Ze in such a short time, which had helped him considerably. As long as she never came to offend his eyes again, she could go cause trouble for whoever she wanted; it didn’t matter to him.
“Supreme God,” Zhu Yan stepped out from the darkness and said softly, “Everything has been prepared below.”
Collecting his thoughts, Li Ye asked, “Has anyone noticed?”
“Someone has,” Zhu Yan shrugged, “But it’s of no consequence. With his abilities, that door cannot be contained.”
With a derisive laugh, he asked no more, only looking toward the door, quietly waiting.
…
…
***
The Taihe Immortal Sect was located above the mortal realm and below the Nine Heavens, situated beside immortal mountains and spirit seas, where flowers bloomed in all seasons. Although the spiritual energy there was not as pure as in the Nine Heavens, it was sufficient for mortals to cultivate immortality.
Thus, mortals from this place often ascended to the Nine Heavens. Once they succeeded, their name plaques would be hung on Wangtian Peak beside the immortal sect, for later generations to admire.
Yan Cha was leading a group of young disciples at Wangtian Peak, pointing at the newest name plaque: “This is our sect’s recently ascended junior sister. She’s clever and intelligent, with excellent immortal potential.”
The young disciples looked up and, upon seeing the name, they all laughed.
Yan Cha was slightly annoyed: “What are you laughing at? Someone whose name hangs here is not for the likes of you to mock.”
“We mean no disrespect, Senior Sister Yan,” someone covered their mouth and said, “The other ascended seniors are one thing, but everyone knows this junior sister was famously lazy, gluttonous, and never accomplished anything. If not for the Immortal Master’s favoritism, how could she have ascended before you?”
“Indeed, when she left, she didn’t even have a traveling cloud. She simply took a donkey from the backyard to heaven, making people laugh at our immortal sect.”
Cultivators mostly admire the strong. If someone ascended before them using unorthodox methods, they would speak ill of them. Yan Cha could understand their thoughts, but she still couldn’t help getting angry.
“If the Immortal Master could simply send anyone to the Nine Heavens, why are you all still cultivating? Why not just go beg the Immortal Master?” Her chest heaving, she said coldly, “Instead of reflecting on yourselves, you maliciously speculate about others. With such character, you won’t have your names on Wangtian Peak even after a hundred years.”
There were still discontented disciples among the young ones: “If her cultivation were convincing, why would people speculate?”
Yan Cha raised her hand in anger, but the disciple tilted his head back and said: “I’m only speaking my mind, which is no mistake. If Senior Sister wants to shield her faults, show favoritism, and take revenge, then go ahead.”
Those words implied that if she took action, it would be shielding faults and showing favoritism. Yan Cha trembled with anger, wishing she could summon heavenly lightning to strike this wretched boy.
No sooner had the thought formed than a bolt of lightning descended from the sky, crashing toward the speaker with a boom.
Thunder exploded out of nowhere, and suddenly a blinding light erupted from the center of the crowd. Piercing screams came from within the dazzling white light, forcing everyone to raise their sleeves to shield their eyes and back away.
Yan Cha looked at her hand in astonishment.
She hadn’t formed any hand signs, so why had lightning struck? Had she unknowingly cultivated to the level of being able to activate immortal techniques with just her divine consciousness?
As the light gradually weakened, everyone cautiously squinted at that spot—
A young woman sat on the ground with a bewildered expression, staring back at them.
The previously chattering disciple beside her was unharmed but had fainted from shock, his eyes rolled back. The ground within half a zhang around her had cracked, with faint flames floating around.
“Senior Sister Yan,” she called out softly, extending her hand pitifully.
Yan Cha was stunned for quite a while before reacting, hurriedly pushing through the crowd to help her up: “Why have you come back?”
Clinging to her arm and nuzzling it, Er’er muttered, “I came back for something. I originally wanted to enter majestically through the main gate, but my stomach was too empty, I had no strength, and I just fell here.”
Yan Cha: “…”
Touching her head with mixed feelings of amusement and exasperation, she spoke very gently: “Come back with Senior Sister, I’ll make you some snacks.”
Completely different from her fierce manner earlier, Yan Cha was always patient and caring whenever she saw Er’er.
So those present who had never seen this young woman all turned in unison to look at the newest name plaque on Wangtian Peak.
Had this legendary least accomplished junior sister finally been sent down from the Nine Heavens?
Ignoring them, Yan Cha led Er’er straight back to the immortal sect, examining her as they walked: “Why have you gotten so thin? Your complexion doesn’t look good either.”
Er’er hadn’t cried even when Supreme God Li Ye treated her so cruelly. Life always has setbacks, after all. She hadn’t gone to heaven for enjoyment, and Supreme God Li Ye was an outsider with no obligation to pamper her, so she didn’t feel there was anything to be sad about.
But just from Senior Sister Yan’s simple words of concern, Er’er suddenly felt a sting in her nose.
“It’s nothing,” she said in a muffled voice. “Slender beauty is fashionable in the Nine Heavens, so I’ve been eating less.”
Yan Cha frowned: “Did someone bully you?”
“No, no,” Er’er waved her hand and smiled widely. “Everyone in the Nine Heavens is very nice. I’ve met many impressive Supreme Gods. No one bullied me.”
Afraid of worrying her, Er’er’s little mouth started chattering about how handsome Supreme God Qian Tian was, how majestic Zhen Huan Gong’s spirit beasts were, along with the tongue spirit bird that could speak one’s thoughts, and the kind Chu Yuan.
Regarding Li Ye, Er’er didn’t mention a single word.
As she listened, Yan Cha finally relaxed her brow: “It’s good that you weren’t hurt. How long can you stay this time?”
“Depends on when the Immortal Master emerges from seclusion.” At the mention of this, Er’er’s expression grew more serious. “Senior Sister, may I guard the Immortal Master’s seclusion?”
Leading her into the immortal residence and sitting down, Yan Cha showed some difficulty: “The disciples guarding his seclusion were selected long ago.”
“There must be replacements and substitutes, right?” Er’er tugged at her sleeve. “Senior Sister, I’ve improved considerably in the Nine Heavens, enough to guard the Immortal Master’s seclusion.”
She might say so, but as her senior sister, she naturally knew best about her junior sister’s abilities. Even if she were willing to let her go, other fellow disciples would certainly come forward to prevent it.
After pondering with difficulty for a while, Yan Cha said, “Since you’ve returned, practice with the other disciples for a few days first. If you can gain Senior Brother’s approval, you might have a chance.”
At the mention of Senior Brother, Er’er’s face fell.
Senior Brother Meng Huan doted on her a lot, willing to shield her from heavenly tribulations and buy her delicious food, but specifically regarding cultivation matters, Senior Brother never falsely praised her. If she was stupid, he called her stupid; if she didn’t know something, he acknowledged that. During annual assessments, no matter how much she pleaded, he would never cover for her.
To gain Senior Brother’s recognition would truly require some effort.
Er’er fingered the jade ring in her sleeve and heaved a long sigh.
Yan Cha patted her back: “Don’t worry, the Immortal Master’s cultivation is very high. Even without anyone guarding his seclusion, no major mishap will occur. You should rest easy.”
“…” Looking silently at the ground, Er’er felt somewhat dejected.
Why would heaven give a useless person like her the ability to foresee fate? Was it to teach her that destiny is difficult to defy? If Senior Brother or Senior Sister Yan had such an ability, the Immortal Master would certainly be safe, unlike her, who couldn’t even manage to guard his seclusion.
Senior Sister Yan happily went to make snacks, and Er’er looked around this familiar little room, casually picking up a scroll on Dao techniques from the table.
Before ascending to the Nine Heavens, this was what she had been studying. Back then, the Immortal Master had pinned her against the corner to memorize incantations, putting her through a lot of hardship, but she had only grasped the basics.
Now, as she casually flipped through a few pages, Er’er suddenly felt that what was written here was quite simple. Compared to the heart-burning, lung-scorching fire path immortal techniques, these basic spells were incredibly easy and relaxed.
She instinctively practiced again following the instructions.
The circulation was smooth, with excess energy during inhalation and exhalation. After completing a full cycle, Er’er herself was surprised.
Had the Dao techniques of the immortal sect been simplified?
She picked up another book and examined it with confusion.
They had become simpler.
After comparing and practicing a bit more, Er’er threw down the scrolls in frustration. Why was it that when she was in the immortal sect, the cultivation techniques were so difficult that she couldn’t understand a single volume even after several months, but after she left, the new scrolls became so simple and easy to understand? She could now master two volumes at a glance.
It was so unfair.
Angrily forming hand signs and sitting in meditation, Er’er entered a trance state, absorbing the familiar spiritual energy of the immortal sect that she hadn’t experienced for a long time.
In an instant, the entire immortal sect seemed to be beneath her feet. She could hear the sound of ox hooves splashing in the fields, see the tips of the branches of the welcoming pine on Wangtian Peak, and sense the killing intent released by Senior Brother’s sword dance in the main mountain.
Er’er was somewhat surprised. After a moment of bewilderment, she instinctively looked toward the cave where the Immortal Master was in seclusion.
Dozens of barriers sealed it, with eighteen senior brothers guarding various positions.
From the outside, it seemed nothing could go wrong. After all, if anyone tried to break in, the guarding disciples would certainly give warning, and the Immortal Master would wake from his meditative state in advance, avoiding the danger of cultivation deviation.
But Taihe Xianshi was very unsettled. Immortal energy mingled with mountain mist and clouds gathered above the cave, seeming to hover in hesitation.
Er’er was startled back to her senses by this desperate and anxious aura.
Senior Sister Yan returned just then, holding two plates of Cloud Mist shortbread, smiling as she placed them before her: “Try these. Even Senior Brother says they’re delicious.”
Her eyelashes fluttered as Er’er lowered her gaze to hide her panic, picking up a shortbread and taking a bite: “Mmm, so delicious!”
“I’m glad you like them,” Senior Sister Yan said happily, looking at her face. “Why are you sweating?”
Hastily wiping the cold sweat from her forehead with her sleeve, Er’er vaguely said: “I rushed here too quickly, I’m a bit hot.”
“Then rest well, and we’ll inform Senior Brother tomorrow.” With a smile, she took a handkerchief and wiped Er’er’s face, sighing: “Er’er is already a young lady now. When you first came to the immortal sect, you only reached my waist.”
The young girl before her had grown tall and graceful, with a small face that was charming from every angle.
“Did you meet any divine lord you fancy in the Nine Heavens?” she couldn’t help asking.
A piece of shortbread lodged in her throat, and Er’er began to cough violently.