Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Compared to the ordinary immortal cities in the immortal realm, the Heavens beyond Heaven was obviously much bigger. Although there weren’t extravagant pavements, there were a lot of immortal palaces on mountain peaks. To prevent conflict from arising between the various countries, the Immortal Rainbow Palace provided each participating team with an immortal palace on a mountain peak. Shen Ying and the group were already allocated to an independent immortal abode. Since there were so few of them, it seemed like the palace was relatively empty.
They had not rested for long before the immortal in charge of their team arrived. He said the Celestial Emperor was inviting the various countries to gather and be briefed on the competition that was to take place the next day. Lonemoon left Yu Hong with some instructions before heading to the gathering with Shen Ying and Yi Qing.
It was only then that they saw the so-called Immortal Rainbow Palace. It really befitted a Celestial Emperor’s abode. It was different from the other immortal abodes – this palace’s hall looked like it was built out of huge crystals. The ceilings were so high that they seemed to mix with the sky. A shred of sunlight split into seven colours of the rainbow. From time to time, something would flow through the room. Lonemoon walked nearer to find out that it was an immortal meridian! There were several immortal meridians circling the immortal palace – even the crystal-like walls seemed to be formed by the condensation of immortal Qi.
Lonemoon’s heart jumped. It was difficult to find an immortal meridian. A whole and complete immortal meridian could allow an ordinary Earth Immortal to rise up to become an Exalted Immortal. Back when the Abode Master of Qing Tong Immortal Abode destroyed the Azure World again and again, was he not just trying his best to nurture his immortal meridian? Lonemoon did not expect that immortal meridians would be so worthless in the Heavens beyond Heaven – so useless that they were used as decorations on the walls.
The usher brought the few of them to the entrance of the palace, then pointed in the direction of the great hall in front of them before coming to a stop. The few of them walked forward slightly and could already hear the discussions going on inside the hall. They could also sense a familiar aura.
The three of them thanked the usher and entered the great hall. At that exact moment, all discussions in the great hall ceased. It was as if someone had hit the stop button on a remote control. Inside the hall, the gazes of over ten people were fixed on the entrance, where the three of them stood. The eight men seated right on the inside of the great hall became exceptionally pale. It was utterly entertaining. They met Yi Qing’s eyes and immediately looked away.
The hall was now strangely quiet.
“You’re finally here! This way, this way!” From the right hand side came a familiar voice. Xun Shu, who had been silent this entire time, suddenly looked joyful. He immediately waved toward the three people at the entrance and pointed to the space beside him.
The three of them walked over and realised that Chen Ge had not yet arrived. This was probably normal – he was a Celestial Emperor afterall. Understandably, he would be the last to arrive. They were considered late already – there were already a lot of people in the hall. They recognised all those who were seated. Apart from Xun Shu, the other emperors were the ones that Yi Qing had beaten up before. All of them looked exceptionally uncomfortable and each one of them had several immortals standing around them. They were probably their disciples.
As the emperors of the various countries looked at Yi Qing, they felt a strange pain in their bodies. They were unsure if they were imagining it. They thought back to the day that they got beaten up and their expressions changed. On the one hand, they felt an unexplainable anger that made them want to explode, yet they did not dare to.
They were beaten to a pulp the last time – of course they would want revenge. Yet, for the sake of their reputation, they had to control themselves. What’s more, his cultivation level… made it difficult for them to take him on alone. That was why they reported the matter to the Celestial Emperor in the first place. Who knew that the Celestial Emperor would not do anything about it until he heard that Yi Qing had become a Young Emperor. Now, Yi Qing was invited to join the meeting as a representative of Invincible Sect.
The various emperors understood very well all the undercurrents. The fact that Yi Qing was invited to the Mystic Spirits and Immortals Meeting signified that the Celestial Emperor was acknowledging his status as being equal to the various other emperors. Even if he was allowed to establish his own country later on, they could not do anything about it. They had already been beaten up so badly the last time.
They watched as the group of three walked through the hall toward Xun Shu. Yi Qing was walking right in front, and the two followed closely behind. The various emperors scanned them: One was an Exalted Immortal and the other was an Earth Immortal. Neither of them looked familiar.
The only empty seat remaining in the hall was the one next to Xun Shu. They thought that Yi Qing would take it, but he unexpectedly stepped aside and let the woman behind him take the seat. She sat down without any question or hesitation. The Exalted Immortal and Yi Qing stood on either side of the seat.
Everybody who was watching was caught by surprise. They began to guess who the woman was and why the Young Emperor Yi Qing showed her such great respect. Yet, no matter how they studied her, she still seemed like a mere Earth Immortal. None of them dared to walk over and clarify her identity.
Even Xun Shu, beside them, was unsurprised at what happened. He turned to face the group and said, “You are finally here. I couldn’t find one person in this entire hall whom I could talk to. I was about to be bored to death. Oh yes, how many of you are here this time?”
“Young Emperor Xun, it looks like you’re well-prepared.” Lonemoon did not answer Xun Shu’s question. Instead, he glanced at the four or five people behind Xun Shu. Their cultivation levels were not high, but they had sword Qi surrounding each of their bodies. It was obvious they were all sword immortals. They were probably newly recruited.
“I wouldn’t say well-prepared,” Xun Shu answered, smiling. He glanced behind him and said, “I’ve only brought the few of them. It’s their first time participating in this competition, so I thought I would grant them some experience.” Of course, if they manage to win something, that would be good.
“I see,” Lonemoon answered. His eyes flashed. “I wonder how Young Emperor Xun’s search for people has been coming along?”
“Progress is alright.” Xun Shu grinned. His sheepish face instantly looked more annoying. With a tinge of pride, he said, “I’ve already found over ten people.”
“I should congratulate you then, Young Emperor,” Lonemoon said genuinely. He nodded and continued, “Then I guess… Young Emperor will be able to hand over the weapons earlier the next time.” Afterall, they did have more manpower now.
“…”
Xun Shu’s smile disappeared immediately, and he felt like he was going to vomit blood. He had been so excited to meet these familiar faces at first, but all that warmth was gone by now. Hey, do you have any sense of shame at all? What do you take me for? He had already refined immortal weapons for them for several years. Were they ever going to let him off?
“Don’t rush, Young Emperor. You can hand them in about ten to fifteen days earlier too. We can wait.”
“Did you not only give me a total of one month!”
“Did we? Then what do you think about making it… a week next time? How about handing in a batch every seven days?”
“Get lost!”
“Young Emperor, do you know any friends who can refine pills? Or people who can create talismans?”
“That’s enough!”
“Young Emperor, please do not be angry. We can talk things out slowly; we’re very reasonable…”
Lonemoon was already completely in his business zone. He tugged Xun Shu and brought him aside to discuss matters in private. Xun Shu was obviously furious in the beginning, but his fury slowly turned into confusion, and he finally engaged Lonemoon in a conversation about which family was the best at doing business in the immortal realm.
The two people beside Lonemoon were already used to this. They did not even bat an eyelid throughout the entire process. One was too pre-occupied with munching an immortal fruit, while the other was too pre-occupied serving fruits. From time to time, Yi Qing would even take more fruits out of a storage bag hanging by his side.
The various emperors realised that the group had no intention of pursuing matters with them any further, so they slowly relaxed. While waiting for the Celestial Emperor to arrive, they began to have their own conversations, albeit in hushed tones.
At that moment, a fifteen- to sixteen-year-old girl landed at the entrance. She was wearing a pink robe with floral patterns that were unique to the Immortal Rainbow Palace. Her cultivation level was only that of an Earth Immortal.
