Chapter 229

A grand calamity meant to destroy the mortal realm’s Xuanmen ended in a way that had… absolutely nothing to do with Xuanmen at all.

With casual efficiency, Ying Lun had flung the entire Southern Celestial Court into the Underworld’s cycle of reincarnation. Dusting off his hands, he turned around—and paused when he noticed the group of Daoist immortals still standing there.

“Hmm? A few still left?”

Yuanjiang and the others stiffened. An ominous chill ran down their spines.

Wait—what did he mean by that?!

Σ(°△°|||)︴

Without hesitation, Ying Lun raised his hand again.

King Jiqi, alarmed, quickly stepped forward.

“Wait, my lord! They’re not with the Southern Emperor!”

“All from the Celestial Realm—what’s the difference?” Ying Lun muttered, brows knitting slightly. He ignored the protest, his fingers already half-raised, the ghostly power gathering to sweep them all into the Gate of the Underworld.

Thankfully, Yun Jiao spoke up just in time.

“They’re the disciples of our ancestral master.”

“…”

Ying Lun froze mid-motion, his expression twitching awkwardly.

“Heh… just kidding.”

He immediately redirected his hand and waved in the opposite direction, sending Yuanjiang and his brothers’ souls neatly back into their bodies.

That was close—one more second and they’d have been reincarnated as chickens.

Yun Jiao: “…”

Satisfied, Ying Lun finally dispersed the suffocating darkness around them. The heavy black clouds and oppressive yin aura faded; the sky brightened once more. The grand illusions of immortal light, celestial song, and radiant halos—vanished.

The Heavenly Master Hall returned to normal. Even the protective formation above reopened, humming softly as though nothing had ever happened.

“You shouldn’t linger here any longer,” Ying Lun said, glancing toward the six kneeling Yama Kings. “Return to the Underworld.”

The six exchanged startled looks. King Xiuling hesitated before asking,

“My lord, won’t you return to the Palace of Judgment with us? The Underworld has waited thousands of years for your awakening.”

“I still have matters to attend to,” Ying Lun replied gravely. “My presence isn’t needed in the palace. Continue tending to the souls as usual. If something urgent arises, I will know.”

He didn’t wait for their response. Turning swiftly, he strode off the way he had come—his pace almost… hurried?

He was definitely in a hurry. He couldn’t wait to go home and brag to Ye Yuan.

“Farewell to our Lord!”

The six Yama Kings bowed deeply.

Yuanjiang and his brothers—finally back in their bodies—also saluted respectfully.

Soon after, the Yama Kings took their leave, exchanging brief farewells with Bai Yu before stepping through the black Gate. The great door closed behind them, fading from existence as if it had never been there at all.

Yuanjiang opened his mouth to speak, but someone behind him suddenly shot up into the sky.

“Thirteenth Junior Brother, wait!” he called instinctively. “The fall of the Southern Emperor is no small matter. We must return to the Eastern Court and report it to our Emperor.”

“What’s that to me?” Di Hai’s voice was sharp and cold. His brows furrowed deeply, anger flaring. “That’s your Emperor, not mine! Why should I report anything to him?”

Yuanjiang froze. The others’ expressions darkened, a complicated silence hanging in the air.

“I came to the mortal realm to protect Xuanmen. That’s done. I’m going to continue searching for our master. As for your affairs—don’t involve me.”

“Thirteenth Brother…” Wenqing started to speak, then fell silent, words dying in his throat.

Di Hai didn’t look back. He turned into a streak of light and vanished into the horizon.

Yuanjiang sighed heavily. He couldn’t blame him. Some rifts couldn’t be mended.

He turned his gaze toward the Xuanmen disciples, eyes finally settling on Yun Jiao. For a long moment he studied her, then smiled faintly.

“The Xuanmen of today… is thriving. Good.”

With her here, they truly had nothing to worry about.

After that, the Daoist immortals, too, rose into the sky, disappearing beyond the clouds.

Only then did Master Xu and the disciples recover from their daze. In unison, they bowed and called out,

“Respectfully sending off our Ancestors!”

The events of this day had been too many, too sudden. Even Master Xu felt his mind spinning.

Meanwhile, Yun Jiao tugged on the dazed Bai Yu and handed him the talisman that held the dragon soul.

“Old man, take Little Yellow back. And while you’re at it, deliver those two bags of seeds in the kitchen to Ying Lun.”

She had promised that as his “appearance fee.”

“Huh? Me?” Bai Yu blinked rapidly. “Uh… maybe you should go. I just found out that he’s the Lord of the Underworld. I’m not mentally ready for this!”

“I need to inspect the protective array. Want to switch jobs?”

“…”

No, thank you. He didn’t understand a single line of formation theory. Resigned, he shuffled off in defeat toward Qingyang.

Yun Jiao gave a few quick instructions to Master Xu, then descended the mountain path. Sure enough, before she reached the foot of the hill, a white figure appeared before her—it was Yuanjiang, waiting.

“Master Yuan.” She bowed respectfully.

“As expected of you, little niece,” Yuanjiang said with a smile. “I only gave you a look, and you understood. Clever girl.”

“Does Master have something to discuss?” she asked.

“Yes.” His expression grew solemn. “It’s about the Devouring Sky Beast. After I returned, I investigated Zhu Yan further and discovered that aside from the Southern Emperor, there may have been another court involved.”

“The Western Celestial Court?” Yun Jiao asked immediately.

Yuanjiang’s eyes widened. “How did you know?!”

“Little Yellow—the dragon soul—mentioned it. He said the Soul Origin Pearl bore the imprint of a Western Court immortal known as the ‘Scripture Keeper.’”

“I see.” Yuanjiang’s brow furrowed deeply. “If this involves the Western Court, then after the Southern Emperor’s fall, they’ll certainly make a move. Be careful.”

“Understood, thank you, Master.” She paused, then asked, “By the way, that Thirteenth Uncle… who is he exactly?”

Yuanjiang hesitated. A trace of melancholy crossed his face.

“Thirteenth Junior Brother holds deep resentment toward all Celestial Courts. He disapproved of us joining the Eastern Court at all. He’s been searching for our master for years now…”

“The ancestral master?” Yun Jiao blinked. “Didn’t you already know where he was?”

Yuanjiang’s face stiffened slightly.

“Our master forbade us—me and Little Junior—from revealing anything about his life in the mortal world. So the others only know he appeared once but not where. And he sealed our sense of Qingyang’s location… we can’t reach it anymore.”

Ah. That explained why they’d looked at her and the old man earlier without recognition. They weren’t pretending—they genuinely didn’t know. Even fellow disciples were kept in the dark. Their master clearly hated dealing with the Celestial Realm.

Seeing the sun sink toward the horizon, Yuanjiang finally said,

“It’s late. I must return. Chaos will soon sweep the upper realms, so contact will be difficult. Be cautious, you and Bai Yu both.”

“Understood, Master. Safe travels.”

Yuanjiang gave a few final reminders, then rose into the sky, vanishing into the distance.

(End of Chapter)