Venerate Spirit Treasure sat on the ground with a stalk of grass in his mouth, but his body never actually touched the ground. He hovered in place, maintaining a consistent distance from the earth.
He then cocked his head to look at Ye Zichen, as well as his ever present companions, Yang Jian, the Great Sage, and Pu Jingwan.
After so much time together, they’d long since become inseparable.
“What’s he poking around with over there? I’m busy as can be!”
“Ol’ Bro, please behave. You won’t like it if he calls Big Sister Xiang out, will you?” Yang Jian said warningly.
When Xuan-Yuan Xiang came up, Venerate Spirit Treasure couldn’t help but quiver and rub his nose fearfully. “But what exactly is he doing over there? It’s already been an hour!”
“He might be contacting the Queen Mother.” The Great Sage’s gaze flitted over. “Before we got here, Ye-zi said she was looking for him. You might not know who she is, so I have no choice but to tell you the story of an incident that shook the Heavenly Court…”
“You’d best shut up. At the end of the day, you wound up trapped under Five Elements Mountain, didn’t you?” Yang Jian sneered.
“Looking for trouble?” Fire blazed in the Great Sage’s eyes.
“Can you two cool it for once? You fight day after day after day. Just watching you makes me tired.” Pu Jingwan seemed speechless.
Her words instantly turned the Great Sage and Yang Jian into allies.”
“Oh no, we have to be careful! If we displease Jingwan, she’ll go find Shen Yu. We couldn’t possibly beat him!”
“Right? He’s proficient in three great daos, how scary….!”
With Yang Jian and the Great Sage around, it was impossible to be all that lonely. Although they were always at each others’ throats, Ye Zichen acted as if he didn’t hear them. He was currently lost in thought and focused on his conversation with the Queen Mother.
They were currently on the Northern Divine Mountain.
When Xuan Ji asked him about his plans, he said he had far too many. This trip to the Northern Divine Mountain to meet with the former Demon Emperor was at the top of the list.
But en route, he’d gotten a message from the Queen Mother about his suggestion that they simply ship in administrators from the Upper Realms. In her message, the Queen Mother agreed to his plan.
Ye Zichen didn’t hesitate. He immediately got in touch with Wei Jie and had him arrange for Xuan Ji, or the other great emperors, to start transporting them down to the Lower Realms. When they arrived, the Queen Mother naturally sent people to meet them. However, shortly after they reached the Northern Divine Mountain, the Queen Mother contacted him again.
As such, he’d had no choice but to keep Venerate Spirit Treasure waiting. By now, a whole hour had passed.
Only Idealism: There’ve been large spiritual fluctuations near the Heavenly Palace lately?
Queen Mother: It started three days ago, but I only just noticed it. It was Wu Gang who first alerted me that the fluctuations started three days ago. He’s always off chopping trees near the Moon Palace, and he’s very sensitive to the movements of the tree bark.
Only Idealism: What kind of fluctuations are we talking about?
Queen Mother: It’s a little hard to describe, but if you look really closely, even with the naked eye, you can see faint ripples spreading one after another through the sky.
Queen Mother: I think it’s possible that these ripples have something to do with why so many people have been ascending lately.
Only Idealism: We can’t discount the possibility.
Really, under these circumstances, Ye Zichen ought to have rushed down to the Lower Realms to investigate, but he first had to settle the matter of the former Demon Emperor. Only then could he find enough time to head down to his former home.
In his plan, paying the Lower Realms a visit came after this meeting.
But the Queen Mother had messaged him out of the blue telling him about the bizarre fluctuations occurring down in the Lower Three Realms.
Only Idealism: Queen Mother, don’t worry. I’ll head down to investigate shortly. However, I need to attend to the matter at hand first. Once I settle this, I’ll go down there in person and get to the bottom of this.
Queen Mother: Then I’ll thank you in advance, Emperor Ye.
Only Idealism: It’s nothing! I’ve already sent in administrators, so go ahead and send people to greet them. All of them are members of my Upheaval Alliance, so ask them if they’re affiliated with us to confirm their identities.
Queen Mother: Alright. Since you have business, Emperor Ye, I shan’t disturb you any longer.
Queen Mother: But if you can find the Profound Lady of the Ninth Heaven, please ask her to contact me and confirm that she’s safe. She’s always lived by my side, and she’s like a daughter to me. She ascended all of a sudden, and I’m worried about her.
Only Idealism: No problem. So long as we locate her, I’ll be sure to have her contact you.
He ended his communication with her there. After closing the chat, he contacted Xiao Yumei and told her to send a ruler-level expert down to the Three Realms to investigate the fluctuations.
Afterward, he contacted Wei Jie again, telling him to look for ascenders from the Heavenly Court, Underworld, Immortal Region, and Endless Beast Region.
Once he’d communicated everything clearly, he slipped his phone back into his pocket. Only then did he realize that Pu Jingwan was chasing the Great Sage and Yang Jian in circles.
Ever since her confession, Yang Jian and the Great Sage had formed an alliance of sorts, a rare sight. They’d cast aside their usual rivalry in favor of teasing her whenever they had a spare moment.
“Alliance Head Ye, have you finished your business?” Earlier, Venerate Spirit Treasure had cursed Ye Zichen for wasting his time, but now, he showed no signs of impatience at all. He smiled like an obedient dog as he drew near.
“I apologize for wasting your time.” Ye Zichen cupped his fist in apology.
“No harm done. I’ve lived a long time; even a hundred years feels like a snap of the fingers. You have important matters to attend to, and a little waiting does me no harm at all.” His change in attitude was completely and utterly thorough. He smiled amiably, and Ye Zichen instinctively nodded at him.
Then, he turned to his friends and frowned. “Quit clowning around.”
“Big Sister Pu, don’t chase us anymore! Ye-zi’s looking for us!” Yang Jian and the Great Sage cried out and dashed behind Ye Zichen.
Pu Jingwan, still infuriated, chased after them, but when she raised her hand, Ye Zichen caught it in mid-air. “Enough, don’t sink to their level. It’s not like you don’t know their personality by now.”
Suddenly, Pu Jingwan’s face reddened. “Let go.”
Only then did Ye Zichen realize he’d grabbed Pu Jingwan’s hand. When he thought about it, he realized that this was likely his first time intentionally touching her.
When he recalled what she’d said that day, as well as the look in her eyes…
Ye Zichen hurriedly let go, coughed, then turned and cupped his fist at Venerate Spirit Treasure. “Venerate, we’re going in!”
“Have you thought this through?” Venerate Spirit Treasure asked, his gaze intent. They were now located just outside the Xue Family dungeons. Venerate Spirit Treasure had been here all this time keeping an eye on the third floor’s former Demon Emperor.
Before they got here, he checked, and the former Demon Emperor was still in an explosive mood. He’d clearly explained the situation to Ye Zichen, but Ye Zichen still stubbornly insisted on going down.
“I have.” Ye Zichen nodded.
“The old man’s as irritable and explosive as could be. Just now, beneath his spiritual pressure, even I found it a little hard to breathe. He’s even more temperamental than he was in the past. Are you sure you want to go down there now?” asked Venerate Spirit Treasure once more.
“I’m sure. I’m dead set on it!”
