In the current God Realm, the Hermit Emperor was one of the oldest rulers still alive.
The countless years had given him not just a shocking, nigh-unattainable mastery of medicine, but also some understanding of the Grand Dao of Space.
As they shot through space under the Hermit Emperor’s lead, a trip that would have taken even the Great Sage a full day took less than an hour. They were already back in god race territory.
When they left the spatial rift, they were already back in the Sea of Innocence.
En route, Ye Zichen had asked a few questions about what was going on, but all he got in response was the Hermit Emperor’s solemn expression. He received no answers of any kind.
Now, in the blink of an eye, they were already back at the Xue Family’s estate.
“You’re back!” As soon as they stepped inside, they saw Xue Yang and Zhao Qianling of the Jade Pool seated beneath a gazebo atop a mountain peak. “Nothing unexpected happened?”
“He’s naturally perfectly fine. He personally intervened. What could possibly go wrong?” the Hermit Emperor said calmly, then scanned the Xue Family estate with his divine sense. “They all went?”
“That’s for the best. Xuan Ji has mastered divinations, and the Lord of the Big Dipper and Chao Feng have dabbled in fortune-telling as well. They might very well be able to find some clues.”
Xue Yang and Zhao Qianling nodded. Ye Zichen listened in on their conversation, but he was at a loss.
Something major must have happened while he was in the Yao Realm. Otherwise, there was no way all the other great emperors would have left.
“Did something happen?” asked Ye Zichen.
“It’s hard to say,” said Xue Yang after a moment’s hesitation. “We don’t quite know either, but you only just got back from the Yao Realm, so don’t worry about it. If there’s news, and if you need to know it, we’ll naturally share it with you.”
Ye Zichen couldn’t help but furrow his brows. They’ll tell me if they think I need to know? Doesn’t that mean they might very well not tell anything?
This residence was naturally intended to house the Zi Family. They were currently all safe inside the Yao-Sealing Pagoda. Now that they were back in god race territory, whether it was to keep his promise to Zi Yun or just out of respect for the Great Sage, Ye Zichen had to find them a new place to settle down.
“We’ve already prepared housing for them.”
As Xue Yang spoke, Ye Zichen sensed a streak of divine sense spread outward. Before long, a voice emanated from overhead. “Emperor.”
“Bring our Young Friend Ye to the estate we recently had built at the foot of the mountain,” said Xue Yang.
The new arrival nodded, then gestured for Ye Zichen and the Great Sage to follow him. They cuppe their fists and thanked Xue Yang before following his subordinates from the mountaintop gazebo.
The Hermit Emperor watched Ye Zichen’s departure, then turned to Xue Yang and asked, “When did you get word of this?”
“I let you know as soon as I received the message,” said Xue Yang.”
“What happened specifically?” asked the Hermit Emperor.
“We’re still not sure,” said Xue Yang. “Bi’an led the others away, but they’ve sent no word since. If you want to know what specifically happened, we’ll have to wait until they get back.”
Meanwhile, at the foot of the Xue Family’s mountain.
Those dwelling at the foot of the mountain mostly belonged to the Xue Family’s various branch clans. Unlike most other family clans, they didn’t send their branch families to live on other Divine Mountains.
“This is the residence the emperor had prepared for you.” The Xue clansmen chosen to guide them stopped before a pleasant residence. There was a mountain range behind it, and it faced the ocean. Ye Zichen had been here before, but last time, it had been an empty field.
It seemed Xue Yang really had ordered his clansmen to build a brand-new mansion, and they’d set it up so nicely in just a few days. He’d clearly spared no expense.
“If you have no other orders, I’ll be on my way.”
“Alright, go on ahead.” Ye Zichen nodded. “But please, thank Great Emperor Xue Yang on my behalf.”
The Xue clansmen nodded and left. Ye Zichen then activated the Yao-Sealing Pagoda and summoned every member of the Zi Family inside.
The pagoda contained an ample supply of recovery medicine, so after the Zi Clan hid inside, Ye Zichen undid the seals on the storage rooms and let them use the medicines to treat their injuries. Although the injured Zi clansmen had yet to make a full recovery, their condition was far better than it had been in Jadewave City.
“It’s beautiful!” The Fairy Zi Xia looked around after leaving the pagoda and smiled at the beautiful scenery.
“This is the God Realm, the Northern Divine Mountain’s Sea of Innocence,” said Ye Zichen. “The mountain range behind you is home to the Sea of Innocence’s Xue Family. You can no longer stay in Jadewave City, and I agreed to help settle you into the God Realm. I’m on good terms with the Sea of Innocence, so you can rest at ease and take up residence here.”
Zi Yun’s expression grew solemn. He’d ȧssumed that, at most, Ye Zichen would arrange a home for them. He hadn’t expected him to go so far as to build a beautiful, verdant estate in territory rich with spiritual energy.
It seemed Zi Yun really had found the right backer. Had he chosen to work with the demons instead….
It was hard to say what would have happened to his family.
Before he could respond, the crowd parted. A wounded middle-aged man limped over, supported by two of his clansmen. He tottered over to Ye Zichen, then directly knelt down on the ground and kowtowed. “Benefactor, thank you for saving my Zi Family in our moment of peril.”
“Dad!” Zi Yun knit his brows.
Zi Xia’s father!
Ye Zichen instinctively glanced at the Great Sage, then hurriedly helped the middle-aged man to his feet. “Please, sir, this junior can’t bear such a display of respect.”
“If you hadn’t intervened and saved us, our Zi Xia….” the man started, then stopped.
“A deal?” The middle-aged man didn’t quite understand.
“Dad, we promised him the wooden box you entrusted to Zi Xia,” said Zi Yun.
“Ah, so that’s how it is!” Their father showed no signs of shock or anger. Rather, he seemed to visibly relax. “That’s probably for the best. If you leave it with us, it will only invite further disasters. So long as it doesn’t fall into the demon’s hands, I’m happy! But my young friend, I still must thank you. I sincerely thank you, from the bottom of my heart!”
At that moment, Ye Zichen suddenly broke into a crafty smile. He grabbed the Great Sage and pulled him over. “If you want to thank someone, how about you thank him instead? Let me give you a formal introduction: this is your Zi Family’s son-in-law, the Imperial Sovereign-level, unparalleled expert, the Great Sage, Sun Wukong!”
