Chapter 184: Sheng Heng’s Mastermind

Yun Jiao carefully finished reading the letter from the Spirit-Repairing King, and her expression immediately darkened. Her fingers subconsciously tapped against the table, and she stayed silent for a long while.

“Girl, what exactly did the Spirit-Repairing King say?” the old man asked, seeing how serious she looked. “Did that Sheng Heng finally confess?”

“He confessed…” Yun Jiao replied faintly.

“How was it?” Yuan Jiang quickly followed up. “Where did he get the Devouring Beast from?”

Yun Jiao finally set the letter down and looked up at Yuan Jiang. Her gaze deepened as she asked instead, “Uncle Yuan, do you know an immortal named Zhu Yan?”

“Immortal Lord Zhu Yan?!” Yuan Jiang blurted out, confusion flashing across his face, not understanding why she’d suddenly bring that name up.

“You know him?” Yun Jiao asked.

“I’ve only heard of him,” Yuan Jiang said, frowning as he tried to recall what he knew. After a moment, he said in a grave tone, “Immortal Lord Zhu Yan is the War Commander of the Southern Heavenly Court. He’s known for his… fiery temper. I’m from the Eastern Court, so I don’t know much beyond that.”

“There are divisions in the Heavenly Realm?” the old man asked, puzzled.

“Of course!” Yuan Jiang nodded. “The Celestial Realm is divided into four courts—East, South, West, and North—each ruled by an Emperor. Immortal Lord Zhu Yan serves under the Southern Heavenly Emperor.” He turned back to Yun Jiao. “But, little niece, why are you suddenly asking about him?”

Yun Jiao lowered her gaze and handed the letter over. “Take a look, Uncle.”

Yuan Jiang took it suspiciously and began to read. The further he read, the darker his expression became. The genial look on his face twisted into fury, and by the time he finished, the letter was crumpled into a ball in his fist. He slammed it down and growled, “Outrageous! People of the Southern Court, stooping to such vile acts!”

“We can’t take Sheng Heng’s words at face value,” Yun Jiao said steadily. “It still needs to be verified. We don’t yet know their real motive.”

Yuan Jiang froze for a moment, then his expression turned even gloomier as if he’d realized something worse.

“What’s going on?” the old man asked, glancing between them, thoroughly confused.

Yun Jiao met his gaze and finally explained, “Sheng Heng said the egg of the Devouring Beast was stolen from someone in the Upper Realm. That person claimed to be an envoy under Immortal Lord Zhu Yan. He was traveling through the demon realm to deliver a ‘revival treasure.’”

“That treasure was the Devouring Beast?” The old man blinked, still not following.

“Yes,” Yun Jiao nodded. “Sheng Heng said after he snatched the treasure, he discovered it was actually the egg of the Devouring Beast. He also happened to find an ancient art that could resurrect souls. That’s what gave him the idea to target the Underworld.”

“That’s way too convenient,” the old man muttered, still baffled.

“Exactly.” Yun Jiao’s tone turned sharp. “At that time, Sheng Heng had just massacred the demon realm to avenge Zi Chen. With his revenge complete and his will to live fading, he met that so-called celestial envoy—just like that, by pure coincidence. Doesn’t that sound too coincidental?”

“Holy crap!” the old man exclaimed as the realization hit him. “That envoy deliberately handed the Devouring Beast to him!”

“Mm. Clearly.” Yun Jiao nodded grimly. “An envoy loses a priceless ancient beast egg—and for over a thousand years, no complaint, no punishment, no attempt to reclaim it? He even let Sheng Heng run wild in the Underworld unchecked. That silence speaks volumes—it was tacit approval.”

“In other words…” The old man’s eyes widened as he looked toward Yuan Jiang, disbelief creeping in. “This whole thing, from start to finish, was actually—”

“A scheme from the Celestial Realm,” Yun Jiao finished firmly.

If Sheng Heng was the executioner, then that immortal Zhu Yan was the mastermind behind it all. He had guided Sheng Heng step by step into nurturing the Devouring Beast.

What Yun Jiao couldn’t understand was why. Why would the Celestial Realm deliberately stir trouble with the Underworld? Wen Qing had mentioned before that the two realms had a standing treaty and got along fairly well.

“Little niece,” Yuan Jiang said, his face now dark as ink. His hand clenched and unclenched several times before he spoke again. “I have urgent business. I must return to the Upper Realm immediately. I’ve troubled you long enough. Please help me apologize to our master. And when Junior Brother Wen Qing returns, tell him to go back to the Heavenly Court at once.”

“Understood,” Yun Jiao nodded, then after a moment’s thought, she pulled out a bottle of pills. “These are the same restorative elixirs I made for your golden body. I had leftover materials, so I refined another batch. Your body’s already healed, but taking a few more will still benefit your strength.”

“Thank you, little niece.” Yuan Jiang’s face softened a little, and he accepted the bottle without protest. “Then I’ll take my leave. Take care.”

“Mm.” Yun Jiao added casually, “Oh, and don’t worry—I’ve already recorded your tab.”

Yuan Jiang’s step faltered midair; he almost tripped.

“……”

This little niece’s obsession with collecting debts—just who did she learn that from?!

Yun Jiao watched his departing figure and sighed softly. Her brows knit ever so slightly.

She had originally thought the incident in the Underworld was merely a case of poor management—understandable, given that they had a “vegetable-farming” king. But she hadn’t expected the Celestial Realm to be involved at all. Things had just become a lot more complicated.

The Asura King had sent the letter to her—not to the old man, another Yama—likely because he disapproved of the Celestial Realm’s actions. Yuan Jiang, being a Celestial himself, would know about the rumors surrounding the Youling Domain. The King must have assumed that the old man and Yuan Jiang were close, so he’d passed the message through her, hoping she’d subtly alert the old man.

What he didn’t know was that the real person running Qingyang wasn’t the old man or Yuan Jiang—it was her.

Still, Yun Jiao felt it was fine that Yuan Jiang knew. After all, he and Wen Qing were victims too. With the Asura King’s temperament, if they’d actually been behind this, their legs would’ve been broken long ago.

So she’d simply shown him the letter—let the Celestials handle their own mess. As for her? She still had more important matters to attend to—like improving education standards for the entire sect!

“Old man,” she said suddenly, “for the teacher qualification exam the day after tomorrow, do you think two sets of papers are enough? Should I make a backup set just in case?”

The old man: “……”

Are you the devil?!

(￣△￣；)

Bai Yu’s mouth twitched before he sighed. “Two should be plenty. Didn’t you say the test only lasts an hour and a half? Two sets are enough to kill—uh, I mean, keep them busy.”

“Fine,” Yun Jiao said, reluctantly giving up. There was still one day before the exam, and without new papers to draft, she felt strangely empty. “By the way, isn’t the final selection for the Ghost Judges in your Youling Domain starting soon? Are your test papers ready? Need my help?”

The old man’s eyes brightened instantly, and he said excitedly, “All done! I even had Brother Xi help me review them yesterday. Just as you suggested, the questions cover cultivation methods, history of the ghost realm, local customs, and more—everything a proper Ghost Judge should know!”

“Oh?” Yun Jiao asked, raising a brow. “And how many sets did you make?”

“Not many, not many—just four.”

Yun Jiao: “……”

You’re the devil!

(End of Chapter)