Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Lonemoon and the others’ bodies were trapped while Lan Hua forcefully tried to activate the array. Both sides were pulling hard, causing their primordial spirits to be pulled back into the rear garden, and scattered into the various immortal herbs. Only Radish remained in its true form.
The array that was trapping Lonemoon pulled the others along as well – all of their auras were connected. One pulled the other so that even though Lan Hua only meant to pull two of them back, he got all seven back.
“Sect Master Shen, we haven’t saved one more person,” Chen Ge shouted anxiously. Xuan Tong! Xuan Tong’s still there!”
Lonemoon did a headcount. Indeed, Xuan Tong could not be found among the radishes.
“Wasn’t she in the same array as all of you?” Lan Hua asked.
“She’s at the center of the array. She wasn’t trapped in the array like we were!” Chen Ge answered. “Besides, Xin Han used her to set up the array. It’s way too dangerous over there now!”
“Her aura is not connected to all of yours – she could not come over.” Lan Hua frowned. “What’s more, her circumstances are quite special. That’s not her own body. Unless we find something connected to her soul or her primordial spirit and try to activate the array again, we can’t do anything about it.”
Chen Ge’s radish whitened.
Yi Qing and Shen Ying exchanged a meaningful look. Something connected to her soul… “There’s something!”
“What?”
Yi Qing and Shen Ying both stuffed Chen Ge’s radish into the pit at the same time.
“Boss Lan, activate the array!”
“…”
A minute later, there was one more radish in the ground!
——————
Five minutes later.
The group of people (or radishes) finally understood their situations. They did not know what to feel. Although they had escaped from the Emperor Ascension Stage, only their primordial spirits were free and not their bodies. That proved that the array was still effective even though it was so old. They could not help but feel worried. Yet, they were Celestial Emperors afterall, and began to discuss possible solutions.
“Our primordial spirits are back, but our bodies are still trapped in that array. We have to rush to the Emperor Ascension Stage.”
“But the array is extremely powerful. It could absorb all of our cultivation levels. Are we confident of getting rid of an array like that?”
“Zi Chen planned for this to happen all along. He has been planning to use us to open the heavenly realm gates ever since he was born a few thousand years ago.”
“Mm, he was probably the one who planned for his daughter and Xin Han to get thrown into the lower realm. How could things be so coincidental – she fell into the lower realm at the same time as Bai Ti’s daughter.”
“That’s right. I think he had been eyeing Bai Qiao, the Nine-Tail Immortal Fox for a long time, He had planned to sacrifice her for the array the entire time.”
“But what should we do now? Even if we rush over, our current bodies would not be able to withstand a fight against Zi Chen and his disciple.”
“We don’t have to worry about our physical strength now. We were transported here by the Heart Entrapping Array. The Emperor Ascension Stage is about ten thousand miles from here – there’s no way we’re going to make it there so quickly. What’s more…” Lonemoon lowered his voice and turned to shout at the person next to him, “Shen Ying! Can you stop freaking pouring water over my head!”
“Huh?” Shen Ying, who was holding a watering can, tilted her head. “Didn’t you say you were thirsty?”
“Radish was the one who said it was thirsty. I’m Lonemoon!” Lonemoon was trembling with anger by then. “Can you make sure you identify the right radish before you water it?” If you pour any more water over my head I’ll become a soaked vegetable!
“Oh.” Say so earlier. Shen Ying scratched her head. “Ah, why do all of you look the same?”
“How do we look the same!” We’re of different colours! “What’s more, isn’t this all your fault?” They would not have been radishes if not for her.
“We were just trying to find you. Father Niu, stop focusing on all these little details.”
“Details my ass!” This isn’t even a little detail – they’re not even human anymore!
“…” Sure, blame it all on me.
Shen Ying retracted her hand and turned around to water another radish instead.
“Er… Exalted Goddess, I’m Little Birdie.”
Shen Ying: “…”
She watered yet another.
“Exalted Goddess, I’m Chicken!”
Another…
“Exalted Goddess, I’m Ji Zhe.”
Shen Ying: “…”
Yi Qing: “…”
Lan Hua: “…”
All the radishes: “…”
Radish: “Little Big Sister, I’m Radish! I am!”
“Radish, shut up!” Lonemoon’s head was starting to hurt. What time was it why was Radish still making a big fuss out of being watered?
“Pui!” Radish glared at him. It took over the watering can from Shen Ying using its leaves and watered itself.
“Heh, well…” Chen Ge cleared his throat and veered the topic back. “Young Emperor Lonemoon is right, Invincible Sect is way too far from the Emperor Ascension Stage. By the time we arrive back there, Zi Chen would have almost completely set up his array.” Then, they could forget about stopping him. They did not even know yet what he was up to next.
“We could go to the Heavens beyond Heaven first. There are transportation arrays at all the heavenly gates that would take us straight to the Emperor Ascension Stage. That would speed things up a lot,” Ji Zhe suggested.
“No way! That’ll take too much time as well. It’ll take us at least two days to get to the Heavens beyond Heaven from here.” Chen Ge shook his head.
“Then what can we do?” Chu Xuan was getting anxious. “The longer our primordial spirits are away from our bodies, the more difficult it would be for us to return to our bodies later. What’s more, the array that Zi Chen set up at the Emperor Ascension Stage could possible suck our cultivation levels away. Then…”
He did not complete his sentence. All the radishes (people) understood what he was trying to say. If they waited until then, they would have no idea how far their cultivation levels would have deteriorated. There was a palpable silence in the air.
“I have a solution!” Lan Hua, who had been helping Radish water itself, suddenly spoke up. He scanned the group and then said sarcastically, “It’s just about… whether you believe in yourselves.”
“The Bite of Ten Thousand Voids!” Lonemoon’s radish jumped out of the pit excitedly. How did he forget that technique? Had he not heard that Xin Han himself escaped using the Bite of Ten Thousand Voids? Lan Hua was a demon, he could help them set it up as well.
“That’s right.” Lan Hua nodded. He looked around at all the radishes once more, raising his voice a pitch higher. ” This array could take you all straight to the Emperor Ascension Stage. I could use it to take you there, and it would be my accommodation fees. But I’m not taking anyone else there!”
“Why?”
“Hmph!” Lan Hua snorted. “When this bunch of Celestial Emperors ganged up against me, each one was after my life. Why should I help them? What’s more… This is an array that belongs to my demon race. Would they dare to enter it?”
He was clearly mocking them. The radishes all reddened. Lan Hua absolutely detested the ten Celestial Emperors. Of the seven here, every single one of them had joined forces to attack him before. They never thought that what they did before would come back to haunt them today.
The atmosphere was incredibly tense. The green radish, Lan Yu, rolled his eyes. You freaking asked for it!
“Lan…” Chen Ge started.
Shen Ying suddenly tugged at Lan Hua. “Don’t be petty – set up the array!”
“Alright!”
Lan Hua raised his hands and conjured the spell.
Lonemoon: “…”
Yi Qing: “…”
All the radishes “…” Didn’t he say he wouldn’t send them over?
Lan Hua: “…” Motherf*cker!
He set up the array very quickly. There was already some demonic Qi lingering in the air from the Heart Entrapping Array. In a few seconds, the black Qi in Lan Hua’s hands stirred. He pushed it forward, causing a shift in the air. A huge crack appeared. Inside, there was a great amount of demonic Qi flowing continuously.
“It’s done!” Lan Hua announced unwillingly, turning to glare at all the radishes.
Lonemoon instructed, “Yu Hong, look after the disciples in the sect. Send a letter to Celestial Emperor Bai Ti and tell him that Xin Han wanted to sacrifice his daughter’s previous body for the array.”
“Yes!”
“Celestial Emperor Biao Ting, please look after everybody’s primordial spirits later.”
“Alright, no problem!” Biao Ting nodded.
“Lan Hua, look after Xuan Tong.”
“I got it.”
“Shen Ying, Yi Qing, let’s go!”
Yi Qing drew his flying sword and helped Shen Ying up onto it. Then, he picked Father Niu up from the pit and flew into the crack.
All the radishes jumped out of the pit and followed Yi Qing in. When they walked past Lan Hua, they could not help but bow the leaves on top of their heads. “Thank you, Celestial Emperor Lan Hua. We never thought that you would put aside what we did to you and set up the array in our time of need. We apologise for what we did to you before.”
The corners of Lan Hua’s mouth twitched. I did not want to help you. If not for Good Heart…
“Hurry, the array is not going to last for very long.” Lan Hua impatiently rushed the bunch of radishes on the ground. He could not tell who was who, but grabbed the last green radish and threw it into the array. Then, he picked Xuan Tong up and jumped in after them.”
Lan Yu, the green radish that was thrown in: “…” He really should have killed him!