AUOF - 141

Since Ji Hengyu was punished, the entire Guixu (Returning Ruins) had been in chaos.

The Guixu Palace staff were already weary of the Divine Realm’s governance. Now, several immortal officials were overtly dispatched, ostensibly to offer guidance, but in reality, they mostly made things difficult for them, leading to inevitable conflicts.

“We are disciples under Immortal Lord Tianheng; we only obey Guixu, not the Divine Realm. Why should we kowtow and salute you?”

“Audacious! Is this how Immortal Lord Tianheng teaches you?! Insolent in speech, ignorant of etiquette, today I shall properly educate you on behalf of Immortal Lord Tianheng!”

“Come on then! Who’s afraid of you!”

Amidst the arguments, spells flew first.

Immortal Master Wenshan took out his man-sized Purple Hair Rabbit Shoulder Brush, sweeping his sleeve to unleash an ink array. As the array was about to fall upon the disciples, Ji Hengyu formed a hand seal to meet it. A silver-white light, like a falling meteor, easily deflected the ink pearls.

In an instant, silence fell.

Numerous gazes converged. The surrounding crowd, sensing something, tacitly dispersed, clearing a path for them.

Ji Hengyu stood in the center.

He wore a dark bamboo cloak draped over his shoulders. His figure was slender but not frail. His expression was as indifferent as a spring in the night, his long eyes calm. His lowered gaze subtly exuded a sense of intimidation.

Silence immediately enveloped the area. The disciples, who had been loudly bickering moments before, lowered their heads, becoming exceptionally docile.

Sang Li observed from the side, and seeing Immortal Master Wenshan’s familiar face, a slight guess was enough to know what had happened.

She stood behind Ji Hengyu, remaining silent.

“No wonder Changlin Hall is so lively; it turns out Immortal Master Wenshan has paid a visit.” Ji Hengyu bowed respectfully to Immortal Master Wenshan. “This humble immortal apologizes for not welcoming you sooner.”

Immortal Master Wenshan’s brow twitched, seemingly surprised that Ji Hengyu was standing there, fully lucid.

The atmosphere was tense and oppressive until the few little disciples who had been provoked reacted. After a brief moment of astonishment, their expressions turned to joy. They rushed to Ji Hengyu’s side, forgetting to salute. “Lord, you’re awake!”

Ji Hengyu didn’t mind their impoliteness. He smiled and said, “It’s so noisy, even if I wanted to sleep, I couldn’t rest peacefully.”

His words carried an implicit meaning. The immortal elder next to Immortal Master Wenshan was also quick-tempered and immediately blurted out anxiously, “Impossible! You should be...”

“Yongning Immortal!”

Before he could finish his sentence, Immortal Master Wenshan hastily cut him off.

In the Divine Realm, it was no secret that Ji Hengyu had been dragged into a mental illusion by the Thousand Souls Charm. Now, after only one day and one night, he was able to stand here, lucid, which indicated that the mental illusion refinement had failed.

After all, the Thousand Souls Charm was a dirty, unspeakable trick. Regardless of success or failure, it shouldn’t expose the Divine Realm’s sordidness so blatantly, especially not in Guixu. Ji Hengyu had been punished and imprisoned in the Maze of Delusion for five hundred years, and then forcibly thrown into the mental illusion. He was surely full of suppressed anger right now. Given his nature, he was probably looking for an excuse to vent it on them.

Yongning Immortal awkwardly shut his mouth.

Immortal Master Wenshan immediately changed his demeanor. “It is truly best that Immortal Lord Tianheng is safe and sound. I certainly did not intend to offend, but Guixu made a mistake first, and Immortal Lord Tianheng was unwell, so the Celestial Venerable had no choice but to send the three of us here to take temporary charge and, incidentally, investigate the cause of the Abyss Prison’s breach.”

He spoke with conviction. The young disciple standing next to Ji Hengyu listened with a belly full of anger. “Bah!” he spat loudly, “What ‘temporary charge’? You’re just prejudiced against our Guixu Palace, using a feather as an arrow, making things difficult everywhere!”

Immortal Master Wenshan slightly raised his chin, his face darkening at the disciple’s shouting. He said, “I wonder how a disciple disrespecting an immortal official is handled in Guixu Palace.”

Ji Hengyu’s gaze swept over the surroundings, his voice flat: “Flogging, and banishment to Moon Forest for ten days.”

The disciple, disbelieving, widened his eyes, his expression indignant: “We were just passing by, and these three immortal masters said we didn’t know how to salute when we saw immortal officials. After we saluted, they still wouldn’t let up, demanding we kowtow ten times, or else they’d punish us with an immortal penalty. But what wrong did we commit?! He clearly did it on purpose, to humiliate us!!”

The disciple’s angry voice echoed around them.

Ji Hengyu’s face was cold. “If there is a mistake, there should be punishment. Guards, take him away.”

The disciple’s pupils flickered with shock and sorrow, disappointment filling his eyes.

Ji Hengyu paid no heed to how his followers viewed it. After punishing the disciple, he took two steps forward. “Did the Celestial Venerable send the three of you here?”

“Yes.”

“Have you been to the Abyss Prison?”

“Of course, we have.”

“Have you uncovered anything?”

Immortal Master Wenshan couldn’t grasp his intention and shook his head upon hearing the question. “The Abyss Prison is located in the deep sea; it might take some time to reach a conclusion.”

Ji Hengyu nodded and said, “Though my disciple is unruly, one thing he said was not wrong. Guixu Palace has guarded the Abyss Prison for a thousand years; it is a dangerous place. Guixu Palace is not subject to the Divine Realm, nor does it obey the Celestial Venerable. Once you enter Guixu, you must abide by the rules of this mountain gate.”

Immortal Master Wenshan narrowed his eyes, his expression immediately changing.

The curve of Ji Hengyu’s lips remained unchanged, but a coldness flowed in his eyes. “Without my order, no outsiders are allowed to step foot in the Abyss Prison.” His voice was thin and cool, “Immortal Master Wenshan, in Guixu, this is a capital offense.”

Immortal Master Wenshan instantly understood his intention.

A bone-chilling coldness shot up his spine, rushing straight to his Baihui acupoint.

“Ji Hengyu, you—” How dare you!

Before the last word could leave his mouth, Ji Hengyu flicked his finger.

In an instant, the world’s winds and clouds changed drastically. A damp, chilling aura enveloped them from all directions. This cool sensation clinging to her neck sent shivers down Sang Li’s spine, yet also felt strangely familiar.

“It’s the Juefa Division—!”

A shout of alarm rose from the crowd. Except for the few standing in the center, the other disciples immediately knelt down, not daring to look directly at its true form.

The last time she saw the Juefa Division was a long time ago. Sang Li was about to look up when her wrist was tightly grasped by a hand, and a voice whispered in her ear: “Come closer to me.”

Sang Li froze for a moment, then instantly pressed close to Ji Hengyu, lowering her head, no longer wanting to look.

Countless black ghostly figures enveloped them from all directions. Those slender, greenish hands clutched heavy chains. Immortal Master Wenshan had assumed Ji Hengyu wouldn’t dare to act, but the next second, the ghost immortals swarmed towards Immortal Master Wenshan like a net covering heaven and earth. The two accompanying immortal masters were terrified, fearing they would be implicated, and hastily fled from both sides.

The Juefa Division floated invisibly. Immortal Master Wenshan hadn’t even had time to feel fear before countless black shadows passed through his body. In a blink of an eye, they devoured his flesh and soul, leaving behind only a pile of golden embroidered immortal robes.

Everyone present felt a chill run down their spine.

Until the black clouds dispersed, Yongning Immortal was still trapped in his previous fear, unable to recover.

Ghost Immortals were inherently eerie immortals, transcending the mortal world, not bound by fate, nor belonging to the Six Realms.

Their abilities were extraordinary. In the past, the Divine Realm had exhausted all means but failed to enlist the Ghost Immortals. Yet, at some point, rumors spread that the Ghost Immortals obeyed Ji Hengyu. At that time, it was thought to be just a legend, and no one took it too seriously, as no one could access the Guixu Sea, thus unable to verify the truth.

Now, with the facts before their eyes, fear outweighed astonishment.

The clothes on the ground fluttered lonely in the wind. Silence surrounded them. Yongning Immortal only realized what had just happened after a moment.

Ji Hengyu truly did it...

He disregarded the Divine Realm and forcibly slew an immortal!!!

“Ji Hengyu, you you you... do you know what you’re doing?! Are you truly going to become an enemy of the Divine Realm?!”

Sang Li looked at him worriedly.

Ji Hengyu’s expression was mostly indifferent. He lowered his gaze disdainfully at the clothes, pinching them into dust. “Please trouble Yongning Immortal to report back to the Celestial Venerable that I acted according to the law and committed no wrongdoing.” He smiled good-naturedly, “Oh, and please also convey that Ziheng is perfectly well, and I thank the Celestial Venerable for his concern.”

Yongning Immortal’s face instantly turned white.

The two immortal masters, filled with dread, scurried back to the Divine Realm from Guixu.

Both Yue Zhuqing and Sang Li were very worried about his actions. Immortal Master Wenshan, after all, was sent by the Supreme Dao Venerable, holding a significant position. Ji Hengyu killing Immortal Master Wenshan without explanation was undoubtedly a slap in the face to the Divine Realm.

“Lord, I’m worried...” Yue Zhuqing lowered his head in thought, hesitating to speak.

Ji Hengyu shook his head: “In the mental illusion, I killed a wisp of the Supreme Dao Venerable’s divine soul to escape. Since the Divine Realm doesn’t trust me, I can’t just sit back and wait for death.”

Yue Zhuqing and Qi exchanged glances.

No one knew the plight of Guixu better than them. But with countless demon gods guarding the Abyss Prison and the Divine Realm pressing closer step by step, Ji Hengyu, in his position, was caught between two fires. To escape unscathed was mere wishful thinking.

Yue Zhuqing pursed his lips. After a moment of hesitation, he said, “No matter what choice you make, Lord, your disciple will be loyal to you.”

Qi and Li Ningxi also stepped forward: “Me too.”

Ji Hengyu chuckled, his gaze slowly falling on Sang Li.

He extended his hand: “Come here.”

Sang Li originally didn’t want to disturb their camaraderie, but hearing him say that, she walked over and took his hand.

Ji Hengyu led her, step by step, towards Shuoguang Hall.

Perhaps because the demonic obstacles were increasingly difficult to suppress day and night, the Guixu Sea appeared more ostentatious. Even in broad daylight, thick clouds still shrouded the sky.

The two walked hand in hand, slowly, like on a leisurely stroll.

They had many such moments in the mental illusion. No matter how late Sang Li returned, Ji Hengyu would wait for her at the village entrance, then hold her hand and walk home together.

Thinking of that time, Sang Li couldn’t help but feel a sense of nostalgia.

She instinctively took Ji Hengyu’s hand and stopped.

“There will definitely be a way to solve all of this.”

Ji Hengyu hadn’t expected her to say that. Surprised for a moment, his brows softened with tenderness. “Mmm.”

Sang Li said earnestly, “When that time comes, you don’t have to be Immortal Lord Tianheng anymore. We’ll find a place like Zhuxi Village to live.” She paused, her ears reddening, but she still tried to maintain a serious expression, “I’ll bear you snake eggs!”

Well, the fact that they didn’t conceive in the mental illusion was a matter of time.

With Ji Hengyu’s extraordinary talent, hatching a few snake eggs would certainly be no problem.

Ji Hengyu saw her speaking so seriously and couldn’t help but chuckle, his voice tinged with amusement: “Hard to say.”

“Huh?” Sang Li looked up, her eyes puzzled. “Why is it hard to say?”

Ji Hengyu gently rubbed her ear. “Perhaps it’ll be fox kits.”

Fox kits...

She froze, her mind exploding with a burst of white light.

Not just her ears, but her neck also turned red.

Ji Hengyu’s gaze towards her suddenly deepened, hiding emotions that Sang Li found hard to perceive.

His fingertips moved down, his thumb gently caressing her fair and tender cheek.

“Sang Sang.” Ji Hengyu called her name.

“Hmm?”

“If I fall, don’t abandon me easily.”

He said—

“You are the only one in this world who can save me.”

Ji Hengyu stood beneath the interplay of light and shadow.

The four Heavenly Prison Dragon Pillars perfectly encircled him, casting square, dark shadows that seemed to perfectly outline him as if within a cage.

Sang Li suddenly froze, abruptly realizing that the Heaven-Opening Pillars bound not only his father’s clan but also Ji Hengyu himself.

She leaned in, saying nothing, and stood on tiptoe, tenderly kissing his cold lips.