The Queen Mother of the West held a banquet to do a favor for a certain High God, allowing him to formally recognize his daughter who had been living in the mortal realm for many years.

Li Ye normally wouldn’t attend such banquets, but coincidentally, this High God was Chu Yuan, and the daughter he wanted to recognize was Yan Cha.

Recognizing an illegitimate daughter from the mortal realm meant admitting to the assembly of immortals that one had once indulged in worldly pleasures—hardly an elegant matter for a High God. Yet strangely, Chu Yuan, who typically cared greatly about appearances, seemed quite pleased.

Li Ye took his seat at the high table beside the Queen Mother of the West. With a glance, he spotted Chu Yuan seated at the first position to the left below.

After their confrontation several hundred years ago, Chu Yuan still appeared somewhat intimidated upon seeing him. But after a moment of silence, he smiled and said, “It’s been years since we met. The High God has progressed considerably in his cultivation.”

Li Ye nodded, looking past him toward Yan Cha.

Yan Cha had reached a cultivation level sufficient for ascension, but appearing before so many deities and Buddhas on her first visit to the Ninth Heaven made her appear nervous. When she caught sight of him, she froze momentarily, her gaze immediately falling to his hand.

The lustrous Eastern Pearl—still just a pearl after several hundred years.

A trace of disappointment flashed in her eyes. Yan Cha pressed her lips together and cupped her hands in greeting to him.

…

…

Li Ye pressed his lips together, staring at her steadily for a moment before suddenly raising his hand.

“High God?” Chu Yuan stood up in alarm, watching his movements warily.

The Queen Mother smiled gently and waved her sleeve, saying, “High God Chu Yuan need not be alarmed. High God Li Ye merely wishes to show the Eastern Pearl to your daughter.”

Eastern Pearl? Chu Yuan was not at all reassured—in fact, he grew more anxious. Everyone knew that for hundreds of years, High God Li Ye never let the Eastern Pearl leave his person, and anyone who showed the slightest intention of touching it would suffer soul disintegration. Why would he give the pearl to Yan Cha?

Seeing his reaction, Li Ye let out a cold snort, not bothering to explain. He directly encased the Eastern Pearl in his hand with a protective barrier and pushed it toward Yan Cha.

The pearl, wrapped in primordial soul energy, appeared unchanged. The surrounding immortals all withdrew their divine auras, fearing to offend. Countless eyes stared at it as if it were some precious and fragile ancient divine artifact.

However, when the pearl reached her, Yan Cha took it without hesitation, unhesitatingly stroking it before sighing softly: “You still haven’t improved at all.”

The little junior sister had always been lazy in her cultivation, often running away from the Immortal Master’s lessons to ask her for preserved fruits. She was so adorable and likable that when she hugged her waist and acted coquettishly, it was impossible to refuse her.

Remembering the past, Yan Cha felt a tightness in her nose. She quickly searched her person and took out sun-dried peach preserves she had prepared at the immortal sect, placing them together with the pearl in her palm.

“Cultivate diligently,” she said softly. “Otherwise, you won’t even be able to eat preserved fruits.”

The Eastern Pearl rolled in her palm, coming to rest next to the peach preserves.

Then, in the next instant, the peach preserves disappeared right before her eyes.

Yan Cha was startled, thinking her eyes were playing tricks on her. She quickly moved the pearl aside.

The preserves were truly gone.

How could a pearl containing only soul energy eat preserved fruits? Her eyes widened as she drew in a sharp breath.

This reaction was too dramatic, and Li Ye immediately stood up: “What’s wrong?”

Startled, Yan Cha clutched the pearl and looked at him, afraid that her good intentions had caused trouble. She dared not speak directly and only said, “This pearl… its soul is forming quite rapidly.”

Suspicious, Li Ye extended his hand and took the pearl back from her.

The pearl gleamed brilliantly. The Eastern Pearl, which had previously contained only soul energy, suddenly formed its first strand of soul essence. That soul essence developed facial features and limbs, curled up on the pearl as if in deep sleep.

His fingertips trembled slightly as Li Ye’s pupils contracted.

The atmosphere at the banquet suddenly became tense. Chu Yuan observed his expression and anxiously shielded Yan Cha: “The child is still young and inexperienced. If she has done something wrong, I beg the High God not to blame her.”

He had only just recognized his daughter.

When his soul had left his body, his former immortal partner had parted ways with him. It was Yan Cha who had brought him back to the immortal sect and used her blood to nourish his soul and body. When their bloodlines merged, Chu Yuan instantly knew who she was.

At first, he had been wary—after all, human hearts are complex, and who knew what this suddenly appeared daughter intended? But even after his divine form was reborn, Yan Cha never made a single request; she merely sent him back to the Ninth Heaven and then disappeared without a trace.

Chu Yuan thought of her mother, that quiet and gentle mortal girl. It was a karmic entanglement he had left behind while passing through the mortal realm, and he indeed owed Yan Cha. Yet Yan Cha had never cried or made a fuss; she hadn’t even acknowledged him as her father.

If she had recognized him, she could have bypassed many years of cultivation and directly ascended to the Ninth Heaven.

Taihe Xianshi had once casually mentioned to him: “There’s a young lady in my sect who possesses innate immortal bones. I originally thought to ask for your assistance, but she refused, insisting she must ascend through her efforts to count as an achievement.”

Chu Yuan hadn’t paid attention then—after all, there were many cultivators with immortal bones—not realizing that Taihe had been hinting at this matter, which he had forgotten.

By the time he finally decided to find Yan Cha, she had already suffered soul disintegration in the chaos of war. Chu Yuan searched for her soul for a very long time, until his once graying hair turned pure white, and he nearly fell into despair.

So when he learned she had emerged from the Gate of Life and Death, Chu Yuan immediately went to intercept her.

Standing at the edge of the Ten Directions Cloud Sea, Chu Yuan asked her just one question: “If I treat you well for thousands or tens of thousands of years, can I make up for my previous debt to you?”

Yan Cha was momentarily confused but then smiled: “The High God owes me nothing.”

Just this one sentence caused Chu Yuan to spend three hundred years trying to mend their relationship.

Now that father and daughter were formally recognized, Chu Yuan watched the displeased Li Ye and had already made up his mind. If Li Ye truly made a move, he would protect Yan Cha even at the cost of his own life.

The banquet fell into dead silence as Li Ye rose and slowly walked to Yan Cha.

Chu Yuan had already formed a hand seal, ready with defensive barriers, but Li Ye merely looked past him at Yan Cha, his face pale as he said: “Try caring for her for a few days.”

Yan Cha was stunned, somewhat flustered: “This, I, what if…”

“The Upper Bing Palace is vacant, with spiritual energy and treasures you can use for cultivation. Take it there.”

The Eastern Pearl returned to Yan Cha’s hand. Li Ye lowered his gaze and looked away, his hand tightening slightly within his sleeve: “I will come to see her every day, so don’t worry.”

Holding the Eastern Pearl, Yan Cha was quite bewildered, but seeing that Li Ye seemed particularly distressed, she didn’t refuse and nodded earnestly: “Very well.”

A female immortal who had just ascended to the Ninth Heaven was now to reside in the Upper Bing Palace and care for Li Ye’s Eastern Pearl.

The immortals who had previously looked down on her suddenly became respectful, coming one after another to congratulate Chu Yuan and presenting numerous treasures.

Li Ye didn’t stay any longer, rising to leave the banquet. The Queen Mother of the West wanted to detain him, but after one glance at his departing figure, she couldn’t bring herself to speak.

Light shone in through the entrance, quickly engulfing his silhouette. The Queen Mother withdrew her gaze and gently shook her head: “Still too solitary.”