My Master Disconnected Yet Again Chapter 161-170

Chapter 161: Xuan Tong Enters

The shortie had been in Invincible Sect for nearly a month now. Apart from being unfortunate and getting injured exceptionally often, she was mostly fine. The only thing that could not be changed was the offerings she made to Shen Ying three times a day each day. Shen Ying could not figure out where she got them from, but she would find a small pastry, or a bag of snacks, or various fruits neatly arranged outside her window each morning.

No matter how hard Shen Ying tried to make clear that she did not want them, the shortie did not seem able to kick the habit.

One fine day, as she carried a bunch of wildflowers into the sect, she bumped into Radish. Radish got so angry that it looked like it was about to explode. Both of them were young, so they began to fight. Radish insisted that only she had the privilege of giving Shen Ying's flowers – it refused to let Shortie go anywhere near Shen Ying with the wildflowers. Radish tried to force the wildflowers out of Shortie's hands and exchange them for its own dandelions. It even said that if Shortie ever wanted to give Shen Ying flowers again, she would have to ask for Radish's. After that, not a single wildflower appeared outside of Shen Ying's window.

Shen Ying glanced at the three dandelions which were stuck outside her window. They stood straight up like three joss sticks. Each time the wind blew, they would lose a few of their flowers. She pursed her lips. Is this… the equivalent of the three joss sticks Shortie would offer at the tablet?

-_-|||

"Sect Master, Elder Lonemoon is here." Yu Hong  held Shortie's hand as they walked into the hall. She had not seen Shortie in a few days; it seemed that she had grown a couple of inches. She was now almost at Yu Hong's upper arm.

"Divine Immortal, please return…" Just as she entered the rear hall, Xuan Tong's eyes brightened up. She was just about to run to Shen Ying's side, but stopped herself, as if remembering something. She bowed to Shen Ying, just like Yu Hong  did. "Xuan Tong greets Sect Master and two Elders." "Xuan Tong, did you throw these things around the house?" Lonemoon asked.

Xuan Tong flushed and nodded. "Yes."

"Why?"

"They're offerings to Divine… Sect Master."

Lonemoon felt a headache coming on. "You're already a disciple of our sect. You don't have to make offerings." She's taking all of these things from their sect! She was lucky enough that Yi Qing hadn't beaten her up yet.

"But… but I promised Divine Immortal!" She exclaimed seriously. "Big Sister Hong says humans must keep their word, and immortals should do so all the more. I have to keep my promises!" Divine Immortal protected her and she promised to make offerings every single day. She could not go back on her word. Lonemoon: "…"

Yu Hong, who was implicated: "…"

"What's more…" She frowned and looked a little indignant. She turned to Shen Ying. "I have not seen Divine Immortal for a few days. I thought… thought…" thought that she didn't want me anymore. Her voice faded. Awhile later, she continued, "I knew Divine Immortal would come back, so… This time, I'm ready to only offer food with long shelf lives. They won't spoil." It was not easy for her to find the food. She spent a long time digging for them.

The true owner of the food with long shelf lives: "…" I really want to throw her down the mountain.

"Did I… do something wrong?" Xuan Tong looked around at everybody, confused.

"…" Lonemoon frowned. He could not say that she did anything wrong. He sighed, not knowing how to help the child, whose good intentions turned out so badly. She was still a child after all! He turned to Shen Ying and said, "Hey, she's your fan. You call the shots!" I'm washing my hands off this!

Shen Ying stopped chewing on her fruit. She turned to face the little girl, who was still staring at her, eyes twinkling. She hadn't even eaten, and now she was expected to educate the child… How troublesome!

She sighed and walked toward the child.

"Hey… Shortie!"

"Sect Master Divine Immortal," Xuan Tong greeted, straightening her back. She looked absolutely enchanted. Heh heh heh… Divine Immortal is finally speaking to me!

"Let me tell you a secret."

"Huh?" She stared expectantly at Shen Ying. "Actually, we don't normally offer food to Divine Immortals, so it's utterly… useless for you to offer these things!" Those are just vegetables that are used as garnishing!

"Re… really?" She looked stumped. She slouched, looking like a deflated balloon. Her eyes began to well up, as if she would burst into tears at any time. "Well… well, what should I give as offerings then?"

"That's difficult. You won't be able to learn it in an hour and a half."

"I'm not afraid! Please teach me, Sect Master. I will do it!"

"Good! Then…" She turned around and pointed toward the inside of the house. Very seriously, she instructed, "Put all those things back where they came from first!"

"I'll do it right away!"

She grinned and bent over to pick up all the vegetables she had plucked.

Lonemoon: "…"

Is this negligence? This is definitely negligence. She just wanted someone to clear the house, didn't she? She wouldn't even let a child off! Are you not ashamed of yourself?

"Come, I have a storage bag. It might be more convenient for you to use it."

"Thank you Sect Master!"

"You're welcome. After you're done replanting them, just come back and clean the house. I'll be very impressed with you if you do well."

"Yes, Sect Master! No problem, Sect Master!"

Lonemoon: "…" F*cking retard. Wait, Yu Hong, what kind of look are you giving her! Don't learn from Shen Ying, and don't teach the other disciples this!

——————

The little child looked elated as she grabbed the storage back and ran toward the garden. Yu Hong seriously contemplated whether she should help Shen Ying re-plant the vegetables. Afterall, that was how Xuan Tong got complimented!

Oh, how she envied her…

"Sect Master, two Elders, about Junior Sister Xuan Tong… Your disciple has something to report." Yu Hong suddenly recalled the matter at hand and momentarily suppressed her urge to follow the child. Yes, I will wait until I report the matter before I follow the child to the garden!

"What's the matter?" Lonemoon looked up.

"It's about  her  cultivation  level,"  Yu  Hong  said  with  some difficulty. "She is naturally weak and is not fit for body cultivation, so the sect's way of training would not work with her. She would not be able to follow it. She's not going to be able to train her sword techniques either. Bitao was the one who taught her how to gather Qi into her body, but he is a Dan cultivator, with fire-elemental character. Junior Sister is the only one who has a water-elemental spirit root. She's not suited to continue learning from Bitao."

That was indeed a problem.

"She's the only one with water-elemental spirit root!" Qi Chengyu exclaimed and looked at the other three in shock. "Could she also be…"

Lonemoon stayed silent for a few seconds before he nodded. "That's right."

Qi Chengyu clenched her fists by her side. She knew full well the kind of fate that awaited someone with a pure Yin body- type. Although they were in the immortal realm, and she would not live as miserable a life as Qi Chengyu did. Shortie's body would still be ideal for training various immortal weapons and immortal pills. "Let me do it. I'll teach her." She also had a pure Yin body- type. Nobody understood the training methods better than she did.

Lonemoon shook her head. He suppressed his urge to talk about the plot. "She already knows how to take Qi into her body. Unless she restarts her entire training… Afterall,  you are… Eh? Your skills!"

It was only then that he realised there was immortal Qi surrounding Qi Chengyu, and not demonic or Yin Qi.

"I trained as a demon only to take revenge." Qi Chengyu smiled wryly, "Once I got to the Azure World, I got rid of all my skills and re-cultivated. Now, I am an immortal cultivator."

"That's quick!" Lonemoon could not believe his ears. It was a painful process for an ordinary mortal to get rid of all the skills and training that she learned. Qi Chengyu even had to re-train her Qi from the beginning. She actually managed to do all of this in a few short years! "It wasn't quick. I spent a full 500 years doing that." It was also because she restarted twice that she did not manage to go through the Lightning Tribulation and became a spirit.

"500 years!" Lonemoon exclaimed. "How can that be? Has it

not only been a few…" Wait! Could it be that there was a difference in the way time worked in the immortal realm and the mortal realm?

"How long after you restarted did you make your way to the upper world?"

Qi Chengyu counted in her head and answered, "200 years."

"…" Did she really spend 700 years looking for them in the lower realm? By the looks of it, a day in the upper realm was akin to a year in the lower realm.

He turned to look at Qi Chengyu admiringly. "You've restarted twice and managed to ascend to immortality in just 200 years. That's very impressive already." "That's right." Yi Qing nodded. She was indeed someone saved by Master. "Ordinary cultivators would need about that long to become a Soul Formation.

Qi Chengyu: "…"

Feng Ying: "…"

Why did it feel like Lonemoon and Yi Qing were mocking them?

Chapter 162: Balance in Character

"That's decided, then. We have no disciples in our sect, anyway. We will keep this girl as our disciple," Qi Chengyu said.

"No way!" Lonemoon surprisingly objected.

"Why not?"

"Not only because of cultivation technique." Lonemoon frowned. Things may not have been turning out according to the plot, but it did not mean that what was said in the plot would not still come true. He did not feel safe handing the female lead over to Qi Chengyu, who had no clue about the plot

- especially not when the little girl still seemed to be suffering from bad luck. "She… is quite special. You can train her, but you cannot take her as your disciple."

"Special?" Qi Chengyu paused. "What's special?"

Lonemoon kept quiet. He could not tell her that the little girl was the female lead who might cause Qi Chengyu to die. "She… she…"

"She has a demonic seed in her," Shen Ying said suddenly.

What?

Everyone was shocked. They all turned to look at her.

"What!" Lonemoon snatched the fruit from Shen Ying's hand. "What demonic seed? How do you know that?"

"I saw it!" Shen Ying tilted her head.

"Why didn't you say so earlier?"

"You didn't ask!"

"…" Where's my knife! "Isn't there a symbol of a lotus on her forehead?" Shen Ying took another fruit and bit it. "I thought you knew it."

"What has this got to do with the…" Lonemoon paused mid- sentence, recalling something important. Suddenly, his eyes widened. "She… She isn't the mental demon seed that  Ning Zi'an cut away, is she?" At that time, the female infant did indeed have an identical lotus mark on her forehead.

"That's right!"

Holy shit!

Right my ass! This was such an important matter, yet she did not bother to say anything about it. Lonemoon felt a sudden urge to beat her to death. Thinking back to the plot, he realised everything was turning out exactly the way it should.

The male lead in the plot trained himself in the ruthless sword technique, but he was different toward the female lead whom he had just met. Not only did he teach her his skills, he went the extra mile in protecting her and ultimately fell in love with her. Lonemoon initially thought that the female lead was just attractive, but thinking about it more carefully, it appeared possible that he treated her that way because they were of the same body. That was probably why they felt attracted to each other. What's more, at the time, the male lead did not even know he was Celestial Emperor Chen Ge.

"Wait!" Lonemoon exclaimed, remembering something. "Her looks… She doesn't look like a mental demon seed." He checked the child's spirit roots and meridians. She didn't even have a bit of demonic Qi in her, much less a demon seed. She looked like a completely average child. At the most, she had a better body- type. Of course, this could be attributed to her pure Yin body- type.

"Oh…" Shen Ying recalled something and added, "Your male lead made the lotus flower melt into her body."

"Lotus flower?" Lonemoon pondered over this and turned around, shocked. "It's not the… Heart-Cleansing Lotus, is it?"

"I think it is." As she spoke, everybody felt a weight in their chest.

Yu Hong grimaced. "No wonder… no wonder Junior Sister's luck… is this way."

"What's wrong?" Shen Ying, the illiterate immortal, turned to Chef and asked, "What's the problem?"

"Master…" Yi Qing fell silent, then began to answer, "It is said that the Heart-Cleansing Lotus is a treasured belonging of the immortal families. It cleanses the spirit and relaxes the consciousness, purging it of all evil thoughts and desires. It keeps one pure and clear. That's why it's called the Heart- Cleansing Lotus. There is a cause and effect to everything in this world, so the Heart-Cleansing Lotus usually only appears in places with rich Yin Qi. But…" Yi Qing paused. "The mental demon seed is, by nature, evil. Implanting it into her body is akin to poisoning her. The Heart-Cleansing Lotus thus controls this demonic Qi and ensures that she never becomes a demon again."

"Uh-huh." She already knew this. "And then?" "And then…" Yi Qing frowned more deeply and answered in an even tone, "The next time she reincarnates, she will be able to get rid of the demonic Qi. If I'm not wrong, this is the third time she has been reborn. That's why the demonic Qi is more or less gone. But as in all things, you win some and you lose some. She made use of the reincarnation process to get rid of the demonic Qi, so she must pay the price. Obviously, the price she's paid is… her luck!"

"Huh?" What does that mean?

"Master, her luck is bad for a reason." She's paying the price for having the Heart-Cleansing Lotus and for the loss of her demonic Qi. "What's more, luck cannot be changed. Even if she becomes an independent soul in future, she will still… live an entire life of misfortune."

"…" So she's going to be extremely unlucky?

He was afraid the Lotus in Xuan Tong would cause trouble again. What's more, the Heart-Cleansing Lotus had already become one with Xuan Tong's body – nobody could remove it. "If that's the case, we won't keep her!" Feng Ying suddenly said. "Little Yu, you can just guide her training."

Although Feng Ying did not quite understand what he was hearing, he did understand that the child was not suitable to be taken in as a disciple. They went through so much trouble just to get to where they were. Little Yu had not even agreed to become his Dao partner! It would definitely do more harm than good to take in a disciple at this time. They should not – not even one!

"But…" Roasted Chicken Gal hesitated.

"The more unpredictable thing in this world is luck. We can't help her…"

Before he could finish, they all heard a familiar sound.

[Ding! Success in obtaining the item. Attribute Balancer: If you carry this item around, you can balance multiple attributes in your body (including luck)!] With another ding, a blue necklace made of crystal appeared out of nowhere and dropped onto the ground.

Feng Ying: "…"

Shen Ying: "…"

Those who heard Shen Ying, who had been repeating after the system word-for-word: "…"

Flips table! Why couldn't he even woo a girl in peace!

——————

The system was of high technology indeed. After Shortie put the necklace on, her situation changed for the better. She no longer had a bad fall every three days, nor did she knock into the various furniture every five days. She even tripped far less while walking. She could ascend the mountain without getting hurt. It was just that the balance was too thorough. While her luck increased, the other aspects of her character decreased. She had a pretty good spirit root and body-type to begin with. It could have allowed her to become stronger really quickly. Yet, after she put on the necklace, she became as average as other three- or four-spirit-root cultivators.

Roasted Chicken Gal explained the various choices to Xuan Tong so that she could make her own decision, but Xuan Tong ultimately decided to keep the necklace on. Although she took much longer to train, she still reaped the benefits of being born in the immortal world. Compared to cultivators in the mortal realm, she was already improving very quickly.

Qi Chengyu did not formally take her in as her disciple, but their relationship was hardly different from a master-disciple relationship. Perhaps it was because they suffered the same fate. Each day, after they finished training, Roasted Chicken Gal would spend the rest of her time offering advice to Xuan Tong. Feng Ying was understandably very dissatisfied with this situation. In an odd display of power, he would go into the training ground just to make his presence known. However Qi Chengyu would throw him out again.

Therefore, each day, the disciples saw a black figure being thrown out of the practice grounds.

The panic this caused in Invincible Sect slowly turned from an urge to remedy the situation to finally becoming used to it.

Perhaps because of what she went through as a child, Xuan Tong trained hard each day. Although the stabilisation was limiting her training, she took it very seriously and continued to train hard day and night. In a mere four years, she reached the advanced Golden Core stage. She looked very close to becoming a Nascent Soul. While her cultivation level was the lowest among all the disciples, she was already showing signs of growing immortal bones. They expected that in a few more years, she would become a true immortal. By this time, she had also grown from a Shortie to a beautiful teenage girl- even taller than Yu Hong.

The only thing that did not change was her offerings to Sect Master.

Shen Ying looked around the peak of the mountain and saw the greenery that did not seem to have an end. Sighing deeply, she wondered when she would ever finish all of the vegetables. Would she have to become a vegetarian? Suddenly, the future seemed bleak. What about… catching a rabbit for Shortie to keep?

"More water, more water." Radish was waving its leaves and catching the water that was dripping from Shen Ying's scoop. It said excitedly, "Little Big Sister, if you water me every day, I promise that all the vegetables here would double."

"…" Double?

Shen Ying's expression darkened. She kept her scoop and turned to leave. She did not want more vegetables!

"Eh?" Radish stared blankly at her bank and immediately ran forward, using its leaves to catch the corner of her robe. Half of its body was out of the ground. "Little Big Sister, don't go. Radish has not seen you in a long time." Hmph! If its enemy had not sealed it here to take care of the vegetables, it would not be here! All it wanted was to remain in Little Big Sister's backyard and sprout flowers for her.

It thought that Shen Ying would kick it aside as she always did, but she suddenly stopped where she was and looked deep in thought.

"Little Big Sister… What's wrong?" Radish climbed onto her thigh.

Shen Ying tilted her head and answered, "Do you think… the black fog seems to be dissipating?

Huh? What fog?

Chapter 163: Weeding

Shen Ying walked a few steps closer and looked in the direction of the demonic Qi. It seemed as if there was a figure inside the demonic Qi that resembled a deadwood. She did not know if she was mistaken, but the demonic Qi really did seem thinner. Could it be that they're growing too many plants in the sect, so that the black fog is being affected?

This was not good. Afterall, the demonic Qi was Father Niu's business tool. It was akin to losing piles and piles of immortal stones.

Just as Shen Ying was thinking about whether to keep all the plants, the demonic Qi in front of her surged and began to condense toward the bottom.

"Little Big Sister, the demonic Qi… is disappearing!" Radish, which was still holding on to Shen Ying's thigh, started to panic. "Why is this happening?"

Huh? Shen Ying looked toward whether the demonic Qi was condensing and then jumped down toward it, as if discovering something.

Sitting at the bottom of the hill with his legs folded was a man in a black robe. He conjured a spell with his hand and was muttering something. At once, a huge amount of demonic Qi surged toward him, as if they were being summoned. His body absorbed all the demonic Qi. As the demonic Qi began to bloat, demonic scars appeared on the man's face. His clear eyes slowly turned red.

Lan Hua tried to contain his excitement and focused his energy on absorbing the demonic Qi. He did all he could to cleanse his body of the remnant immortal bones. He had already quashed his cultivation and began training as a demon a long time ago, yet he could not get rid of that last bit of good- heartedness within him. That was stopping him from becoming a true Skyfiend. Who would have thought that he would find so much demonic Qi hidden away in such a deserted area of the immortal realm. Heaven was really helping him. With this demonic Qi, he would finally be able to rid himself of the immortal bones and become a true Skyfiend.

The more he tried to absorb the demonic Qi around him, the more he could feel his energy increasing. The crazed excitement began to overwhelm him. His spirit stage became darker and darker, until the last shred of light disappeared.

If he absorbed every single bit of the demonic Qi, he would be able to. He would be able to…

"Hey, Big Brother!" He felt a weight on his shoulder.

Lan Hua, who had been concentrating on absorbing the demonic Qi, started. His absorption process came to a halt. Before he could respond, a huge face filled his vision.

A strange woman was squatting in front of him. Her head was resting on one of her hands as she stared at him. "You're here… to absorb the fog?"

"Huh?" He could not think of a response. He stared blankly at her and nodded.

"You're not an air purifier." She looked at the demonic Qi around her, which had become significantly thinner. There was so little demonic Qi left. Father Niu would definitely  be hounded by the next batch of clients he lets in to this place. "Absorbing too much fog is bad for you."

"Huh?" Subconsciously, Lan Hua relaxed his hands. Two seconds later, he regained his senses and his eyes widened. Wait, why am I listening to her? "Who are you?" How could I not have sensed that there was an outsider nearby!

"My name is Shen Ying. I live here," she said as she pointed behind her.

Live here?

How could it be! People of the immortal realm have always been so afraid of demonic Qi that they could not get far enough away from it. How could there be people who live in…

Subconsciously, he turned to look in the direction that Shen Ying was pointing in. Indeed, there was an immortal hill there, and he could sense the aura of immortals. There were so many of them. There were really people living inside the demonic Qi!

He was too excited when he spotted the demonic Qi earlier. In addition to the richness of the demonic Qi, it was no wonder that he failed to notice that there was an entire immortal hill hidden inside the demonic Qi. Are these immortals crazy? How could they live here?

His heart sank and he was suddenly filled with the urge to kill. He had not completed his demonic training  and  he  had  not gotten rid of the last bit of good-heartedness in his body yet. He absolutely could not give away his whereabouts now. "Since you've discovered me, I cannot leave…"

He waved his hand and it became a claw, which shot straight toward Shen Ying's chest, aiming to go right through to her heart.

"You want to eat this?" From out of nowhere, Shen Ying retrieved a fruit and handed it over, placing it in his claw.

Lan Hua halted and looked at the fruit in his claw. He seemed to have been stunned by this.

"… For me?"

"Yes," Shen Ying replied, nodding. She gave him a fruit on account of the fact that he was Father Niu's client. "You don't like it? I have no other fruit – this is my last one." She retrieved an identical fruit and bit down on it.

"…"

"You're so hungry that you're even eating the fog. That's really pitiful," Shen Ying sighed.

Lan Hua looked again at the fruit in his hand. It was an Immortal Retention Fruit. Although not fully ripe it still had good healing effects. It could not be that she did not realise he was a demon. Why was she treating a demon immortal…

He just managed to suppress the desire to kill her. A silence fell between them and the fading light on the spirit stage suddenly intensified. The demonic Qi mixed together with his blood, breaking his meridians. He spat out a mouthful of blood.

Oh no! He was still holding on to that last shred of good- heartedness…

"Hey, hey, hey… What are you doing? Shen Ying  was obviously shocked. She held him up by his robe and tried to clean up the blood. "Don't scare me by throwing up so much blood."

"Don't touch me!" He panicked and pushed her hand aside. The blood in his heart was now in more of a mess than ever. No way, he could not control it anymore.

"…"

"You…" He looked up fiercely and glared at her with his red eyes, looking like he wanted to swallow her up. "Why did you do that?" He had spent tens of thousands of years and worked so hard… so hard to suppress that last shred of  good-heartedness  left within him. Yet, that bit of good-heartedness awoke inside him just because of one fruit that she gave him.

"Huh?" Shen Ying was so confused. "What did I do?"

"You… You did it on purpose, didn't you?" He was so angry that his features were being twisted with rage. He continued to glare at her. "So what if you managed to awaken my good- heartedness? Today, you shall die here!"

As he finished speaking, the demonic Qi suddenly exploded and a black sword appeared in front of them. The sword shot down toward Shen Ying.

"Hey, hey, hey…" Shen Ying looked even more confused than before. Why was he acting this way all of a sudden? She reached out to defend herself.

He stopped two steps in front of her, bent over and spat out another mouthful of blood. The demonic Qi around his body dissipated, along with the black sword. He fell down onto the ground and began retching and coughing, throwing up more blood.

Lan Hua was so angry that he even  wanted  to  curse  Shen Ying's parents. Damn it! He could not do  anything  to  her anymore. The good-heartedness inside him sprouted because of her. She was his good-heartedness. His body fought itself when he tried to hurt her – it turned on itself instead.

No way! I must kill her, or I will never become a Skyfiend!

He ran the risk of breaking all the meridians in his body, and charged at her again with a new black sword.

"No matter what, you need to…" The word "die" hadn't even left his lips when he fell onto the floor. The sword in his hands stopped in mid-air and his tone changed against his will. "Go… to the rock over there and rest. The demonic Qi here is really strong; you might get sick!"

"…" Huh? He kept his sword and used his sleeve to sweep the dust off the rock.

Wait! What was he doing?

Lan Hua pulled himself together and once again looked furious. He drew his sword the third time and charged toward her.

"I don't believe I can't kill- You can't stand here. The demonic Qi is too strong. Come, maybe if you hold this top-grade weapon, you would feel better."

Shen Ying: "…"

Why was he saying this?

He tried the fourth time.

"Nobody can stop me from becoming a true demon. You… why don't you have a single immortal weapon on you? Here, hold this. I used this when I was still an immortal cultivator."

He tried the fifth time.

"I will not be controlled by my good-heartedness. You… do you want a fruit? This Immortal Retention Fruit is too ordinary. I have a Treasure Spirit Fruit. It's one in a million, and it can increase your cultivation. Do you want it? "

He tried the sixth time.

"I also have an immortal talisman here, and a dharma treasure…"

The two people who were watching this entire process: "…"

"Radish." "Yes."

"Have you seen someone as crazy as this?"

"Never before, but now I have."

Shen Ying: "…"

Radish: "…"

Chapter 164: Good-Hearted Bankrupt

The man continued in his own reverie, looking exasperatedly at Shen Ying. One second, he wanted to kill her; the next, he was unable to resist offering items to her, insisting that she accepted them. All this time, his black sword did not come within a metre of Shen Ying. Instead, a whole mountain of objects lay in front of her: immortal weapons, treasures, immortal talismans, immortal pills and even a couple of immortal fruits and plants.

Shen Ying confirmed that this man… was mental!

Until…

He ran out of things to offer and finally stopped his insane behaviour. Looking absolutely helpless, he sat down next to a tree. A few dried leaves fell and landed on him, but he did not even bother to sweep them away. He looked vastly different from the way he did a moment ago.

Out of nowhere, Shen Ying felt a sense of guilt. "About this…"

"Grand-aunt.. I'm begging you not to come any closer." Lan Hua looked like he was about to burst into tears. "I have even given you the clothes that I was wearing. What else can I offer?" If she took one more step toward him, he might have had to take his pants off.

He had not known that the good-heartedness in him was such a wastrel! He was already well on his way to becoming an immortal demon. The demonic Qi was supposed to turn him into a Skyfiend. Yet, this accident had to occur.

He must have been the only one in the entire realm who ended up like that while on the path to becoming a demon. How his heart hurt…

"Er…" Shen Ying frowned and glanced at the mountain of treasures in front of her. Then, she surveyed what was left of the demonic Qi. She felt another overwhelming rush of guilt. Sighing, she said, "Do you have immortal stones?" Lan Hua: "…"

Who was the demon here?

The corners of Lan Hua's mouth twitched. He surrendered. He reached out and conjured a seal. Suddenly, a full storage back appeared in his hands. He threw it at Shen Ying. "Take it, take it! Take it all!" He has nothing left anyway.

"Thank you, Boss!" Shen Ying glanced at the bag and sniggered. "You might not know, but this fog was part of Father Niu's business. You can't take it all at will. You took in so much of it at that. Of course you'd have to pay for it."

Thankfully, she was the one who found him. If it had been Father Niu…

She looked at the man who was sitting there in just his pants.

Hmm, I'm rather kind! At least he still has his pants.

"…" Did he underpay her? Shen Ying reached out for the robe he took off earlier and tossed it over.

"I don't need this. You can put it on, otherwise you might catch a cold."

Lan Hua caught it. Suddenly, he  felt  a  warmth  in  his  chest. This was a familiar feeling. He felt a strange  urge  to  take  his pants off and toss it to Shen Ying, but he gritted his teeth and suppressed the embarrassing urge.

This darned good-heartedness!

He sucked in a deep breath and successfully put his robes on. Keeping his eyes on the woman seated opposite  him,  he cautiously took a step back to ensure that there was a  safe distance between them. He did not want to be affected by his good-heartedness anymore.

"Hey, who exactly…" He wanted to take the chance to clarify her identity, but he suddenly felt strong immortal forces charging toward him. Among the forces, he sensed a particularly strong one which belonged to… a Young Emperor!

His expression changed. He did not think that there would be a Young Emperor not far away from him. He was too careless indeed. Given the situation he was in now, he could not afford to get into a fight with them.

He turned around to glare at the woman who was now buried in the mountain of immortal weapons. Lowering his voice, he warned, "Hey! If you don't want to die, don't tell anyone you saw me here." He could not stop himself before he added, "Of course, I would never hurt you."

Damn!

After he said this, his expression immediately became one of regret. Yet, he did not stick around to take back his words. In a flash, he disappeared from the field.

Shen Ying: "…" Shen Ying looked at the mountain of items he left behind. Would it make a difference even if he did not leave, given that there was so much evidence of his presence?

Lonemoon and Yi Qing flew over at that moment.

"Master, I sensed some demonic Qi here. Did you…" Yi Qing's trailed off when he realised the mountain of immortal treasures in front of him. "Master, this…"

"Holy shit!" Lonemoon's expression was one of utter shock. "You've only been gone for 15 minutes. Whose treasure did you steal?"

"The mental hospital's. Do you believe me?"

"…"

"Cut the crap. Quick, Chef, help… help me out." She reached out from inside the mountain of items. "I'm buried in here and I can't come out. Radish is on my thigh. Quick, we're getting squashed."

Yi Qing: "…"

Lonemoon: "…"

——————

As a trustworthy person, Shen Ying… did not utter a word to Father Niu about what happened at the bottom of the hill!

What a joke. They had suffered such substantial losses – she did not want it to be known that she had a part to play in it. Afterall, she did not know the stranger very well.

Lonemoon heard her explanation, sighed, and then retrieved the items on the floor. He did not seem affected. He just responded with a dull "Oh". Shen Ying stared blankly at him. She could not help but ask, "The demonic Qi is mostly gone. That's alright?" She thought Father Niu had said that the demonic Qi was the sect's special assets, and its selling point? Father Niu's reaction was not quite right.

"I was thinking of a way to get rid of the demonic Qi one of these days." This saved him a great deal of trouble.

When he said that, even Yi Qing turned to look at him with his mouth ajar.

"Why?"

"This method of selling demonic Qi using spirit transmission talismans was not meant to last long," Lonemoon answered matter-of-factly. "From the beginning, the sense of mystery got our business going. But one of these days, someone was bound to discover our secret."

He auctioned the talismans in order to keep the sense of mystery. As long as people were not able to guess that it was demonic Qi, the talismans would sell. But people weren't silly. The more talismans sold, the greater the chances that people would discuss this mysterious place. It was only a matter of time before they discovered that it was filled with demonic Qi. That was why he had stopped working with Shu Jiang since six months ago.

What's more, all of the sect's disciples had already become Earth Immortals, apart from Xuan Tong. With Yi Qing, the Young Emperor, around, they did not need to fear anything unless the ten Celestial Emperors came knocking on their door. Of course, that was not even taking into account the fact that they had the cheat, Shen Ying.

I have already discussed with Celestial Emperors Blackbird and Biao Ting about the immortal herbs. Before long, the first batch of immortal herb seeds will arrive," Lonemoon continued. "Oh yes, please clear the vegetables you have in the rear mountain. Stop wasting space and growing those useless plants. In future, get Radish to plant the immortal herbs from the Heavens beyond Heaven. We have already discussed our avenues of sales."

Yi Qing: "…" Shen Ying: "…"

When did he discuss all of this? Why don't we know anything about it?

Shen Ying immediately regretted handing all the immortal stones over to him. She should have kept some for her own benefit!

——————

Lonemoon had not thought that Bao Feiping would appear at his doorstep before the two Celestial Emperors even arrived. His cultivation level had increased by a fair bit – he was now a Stygian Immortal. When he saw Lonemoon's and Yi Qing's cultivation level, he was not at all surprised. It was as if he had known all along.

He bowed at them and smiled a little too broadly. For some reason, there seemed to be something missing from the innocent City Lord Bao who was only worried about his son. There was a certain arrogance about him. He reached out and handed a golden card over to Lonemoon. "The Mystic Spirits and Immortals Meeting?" Lonemoon frowned and set down the card in his hand. He looked at Bao Feiping and asked, "This is…"

"This is an invitation extended by the Celestial Emperor himself. He specifically instructed that there would be an immortals meeting in the Heaven beyond Heavens in half a month. He also invited your honourable sect to attend the meeting," Bao Feiping said, grinning even wider.

"…"

Chapter 165: A Good-Hearted Warning

"Celestial Emperor?" Lonemoon paused. Attempting to test the waters, he asked, "Ning Zi- I mean, Celestial Emperor Chen Ge is back at Heavens beyond Heaven?" Was he not recuperating at the Bao Family Residence?

Bao Feiping sniggered and looked around him. Seeing that only three of them were there, he explained, "I'll tell you the truth. Celestial Emperor had already regained his full cultivation level about two years ago. He has returned to the Immortal Rainbow Palace in the Heavens Beyond Heaven. Today, all the countries in Feng Cang continent has gotten news of the Celestial Emperor's return. That's why they're organising this Mystic Spirits and Immortals Meeting. Apart from organising the competition, it is also meant to be a celebration for the Celestial Emperor's return."

"What competition?" Lonemoon picked up on the most important part. "There's a competition that is going to take place at the meeting?"

"Do you not know about it?" Bao Feiping stared blankly at them, as if they were  strange. Then, he started to explain, "It has not been long since Young Emperor Yi Qing became a Young Emperor – it is normal that you don't know of this. This Mystic Spirits and Immortals Meeting is held only once every hundred years. Although it is said that the Celestial Emperors personally host a meeting, it is really only an excuse to hold a competition between the various countries in Feng Cang  continent. Although Young Emperor Yi Qing has not yet founded a country to rule, he has already become a Young Emperor. That's why it's natural that he's qualified to take part in this meeting."

"So that's the case…" In other words, the so-called Mystic Spirits and Immortals Meeting is only just a mini Olympics? It's only held every hundred years, at that. Who exactly is this Chen Ge? The Olympic Committee? "Will all the emperors from the

various countries be there? My sect is way too small, will we…" If they took part in this competition, wouldn't it be akin to letting the other countries have a walk-over?

"I know your concerns, Elder Lonemoon." Bao Feiping stepped forward and continued, "But I personally think that your sect should take part in the competition."

"Oh?" Lonemoon could tell that there was a hidden meaning in Bao Feiping's words. "Why?" Lonemoon could not tell what Bao Feiping was thinking, but he did notice his expression changing. Bao Feiping gritted his teeth and lowered his voice as he said, "I'll just tell you directly. Actually… Two years ago, when Celestial Emperor returned to the Immortal Rainbow Palace, he received a letter from the various emperors of the various countries. They said your Invincible Sect has caused trouble in the Feng Cang continent, and that you're plotting to destroy Exalted Emperor Ge You's capital city. They requested for Celestial Emperor to take care of this, but they did not know that the Emperor already knows who you are, and that he trusts you all completely. The Celestial Emperor knows something is happening behind the scenes. That's why he wants to get everybody down."

He glanced at Yi Qing and continued, "Celestial Emperor knows full well what the various emperors of Feng Cang continent are thinking. Subsequently, when he learned Yi Qing had ascended to become an emperor at the Emperor Ascension Stage, he guessed the various emperors were unhappy to see another sword immortal rise up to become an emperor. That was probably the reason why they were ganging up against you. No matter what, the Celestial Emperor feels indebted to your sect. We are definitely standing on your side. That's why at this Immortal Meeting, my sect will not participate as representatives of the country of Chong Zhen. Instead, we will participate in our own name. This way, we can make clear that the Celestial Emperor is on your side. Apart from that, we can also warn the emperors of the other countries to back off." By the time he finished speaking, Lonemoon's expression was completely dark. So this was a mess caused by the various emperors of the various countries. While he had thought that they were afraid of Yi Qing; he had not guessed that they ganged up together to attempt to stab them in the back. They themselves were afraid to attack them in the open, so they reported the matter to Immortal Rainbow Palace in an attempt to make use of the Celestial Emperor to take revenge. They calculated very well indeed! But they never would have expected that the Invincible Sect had already met with Celestial Emperor Chen Ge.

Indeed, when it came to reason, Shen Ying was the best person to send out. People who were not beaten to the point of near-death would always think they could fight them.

"That's why your sect must attend the immortals meeting this time. Whether you can win or not is secondary. All you need to do is send a few of your disciples to turn up," Bao Feiping advised.

"Thank you, Fellow Immortal Bao," Lonemoon thanked him and bowed. "Exalted Immortal, you are too courteous," Bao Feiping smiled. His eyes were filled with genuine worry. "Although it is said that this immortal meeting will be organised at the Heavens beyond Heaven, and you will not have to worry with the Celestial Emperor around, the various emperors are not easy to deal with… You must still be careful on your way to the Heavens beyond Heaven."

"We will remember this."

Bao Feiping nodded and briefed them the details about the immortal meeting. Then, he said his farewells, "I still have matters to tend to at the Immortal Rainbow Palace. I will return to the Heavens beyond Heaven now."

"Please take care, Fellow Immortal!" Lonemoon walked him to the door.

Bao Feiping turned around and mounted his sword, then flew off into the distance.

When they could no longer see him, Yi Qing finally spoke up, "Do you believe him?" He felt like something was out of place.

"More or less!" Lonemoon turned around and sat down on the chair. He picked up a cup of tea from the table and drank from it. "Ning Zi'an… No! That Celestial Emperor Chen Ge was in seclusion for thousands of years. It is likely that the people underneath him began to guess about his whereabouts. He must have a motive for organising this Mystic Spirits and Immortals Meeting. Of course, it is not for the sole purpose of supporting us." What's more, they did not need his support. "Additionally, he's probably just intending to threaten the other emperors and announce his authority." Which one of the Celestial Emperors wasn't elite?

"You're planning to go?"

"Of course we have to go!" Lonemoon's eyes flashed. This was an excellent business opportunity. He could not wait to see the look on the other emperors' faces when they saw Yi Qing. He had not claimed Yi Qing's medical fees from them the last time. This was just the right opportunity. "Didn't City Lord Bao say that this competition is going to be conducted by splitting the competitors by cultivation level? All those who are below the level of Exalted Immortals will be able to participate. We'll forget about the Mystic Immortals and Stygian Immortals groups; we'll participate in the Golden Immortals and Earth Immortals groups." Especially the Earth Immortals group. Did they not say that the top ten would be rewarded? They will sweep the top ten places. Lonemoon was quite confident of the barbies in his sect.

"…" Yi Qing stopped questioning further when he recalled the aggression of the girls in their sect.

——————

Late into the night.

The night breeze was really strong, and Shen Ying was just about to fall asleep.

"Hey! That… Good Heart!" Shen Ying heard a familiar voice by her ears and jolted awake. She looked around and found a black fog condensing to form a black figure from the corner of her eye. She paused. "Hey, Boss! You're here to absorb the fog again?" Did he bring enough money?

"What fog?" The figure who had just condensed paused. As if recalling something, he looked around cautiously and then retracted his aura, saying, "I came here specially to warn you."

"Did you bring Immortal Stones?" She suddenly asked.

Lan Hua frowned, confused. Then, he exploded, "Where should I get immortal stones? Didn't I give them all to you the last time?"

"Oh." Shen Ying plonked her head back onto the pillow and ignored him.

"Damn it! How are you sleeping? Didn't I say I had something to tell you!" Lan Hua was panicking now, tugging at her sleeve. "This is for your good. You'd better know what's good for you." After a long time, Shen Ying continued to ignore him. Lan Hua frowned, and rage began to well up in his chest. Forget it if she did not want to listen. It did not matter to him whether she was dead or alive. Then… He gritted his teeth and took out a few immortal stones and placed them beside Shen Ying.

This darned good-heartedness!

The person on the bed sat up and picked up the immortal stones. "Boss, you have something to say?"

"…" How did this person cause my good heart to form?!

Chapter 166: You Are My Heart

The corner of Lan Hua's mouth twitched. He took a deep breath and resisted the urge to vomit blood. Then, he spoke, "I heard that you're going to the Immortal Rainbow Palace in the Heaven beyond Heavens to participate in the Mystic Spirits and Immortals Meeting. Is that true?"

"Yes."

"Where Chen Ge is?"

Shen Ying tilted her head and stared at him. "You know him?"

Lan Hua stared blankly back at her, and a strange look flashed across his face. A few seconds later, he answered, "That's not important! I have come to tell you that those Celestial Emperors are all baddies."

"Oh." Shen Ying pulled the blanket up to her chin. "You don't believe me?" Lan Hua was even more anxious now. He grabbed the blanket and pulled it back down. "I'm telling the truth – especially Chen Ge. Although his reputation is the best amongst all the ten Celestial Emperors, nobody knows what exactly he did while in hiding." As if recalling something, Lan Hua frowned. "You need to be careful! It's best for you not to continue associating with these people. Do you understand?"

"Oh."

"But there are so many people who will be participating in the competition. I think you wouldn't be able to meet him."

"I'm not taking part in the competition."

"What!" Lan Hua was shocked.

He only knew about this because he had left his projection behind and overheard some disciples in the sect speaking about the Mystic Spirits and Immortals Meeting. He became anxious and rushed over to warn her. Now that he thought about it, she was merely an Earth Immortal and her immortal Qi was almost non-existent. It was true that she was not qualified to take part in the competition.

It seemed that he had panicked for no reason. He let out a long sigh. "It's best for you not to go at all?"

"I have to go."

"What?" He had just relaxed, but now he felt his blood heating up once more. If he weren't a projection, he would have vomited blood by now. "If you're not participating in the competition, what are you going there for?"

"Father Niu told me to." She did not even want to go either.

"What Father Niu?"

"The Elder in charge of the finances of my sect." "Is your elder crazy?" Lan Hua sounded anxious again. The figure floated back and forth in front of her. "Is there nobody left around here? Why would he send a little Earth Immortal like you over there to join in the crowd? The Heavens beyond Heaven is not a fun place to be in. Listen to me. Don't go!"

"I don't think that's possible."

"Why not?"

"Because… I think I'm the sect master."

"........."

Huh?

(⊙_⊙)

Lan Hua stared at her for several seconds without saying anything. Sect Master! Her?

"Can I ask you something?"

"Hm?"

"The people in your sect… have they gone insane from inhaling too much demonic Qi?" Why did they choose an Earth Immortal to be their sect master!

"…"

He was just about to ask more questions, but his figure suddenly shook violently and began to fade away slowly. It was clear that he would not be around much longer. He began to panic and quickly instructed, "My projection is not going to hold on for much longer. Remember to be careful around Chen Ge. He's not a good immortal. Make ample preparation and prepare all your immortal treasures and equipment. Put them on the Day-Concealing Blanket that I gave to you the last time, along with the Water-Cutting Silk and Soul-Protection Hairpin.  Oh yes, and the Day-Setting Bell… put them all on." He eagerly recited a list of strange equipment as his voice became fainter and fainter. Just before he disappeared, he added one last sentence.

"This just won't do; go to Willow Forest a hundred miles from here to look for me! I have to go. Remember not to tell anyone that I came by here today…"

As he finished speaking, the black figure disappeared without a trace.

"Oh…" Shen Ying nodded seriously. Then, she turned around to address the two people who had been standing at the door the entire time. "This is not counted as telling people right?"

Yi Qing: "…"

Lonemoon: "…"

A while later… "A hundred miles from here – the Willow Forest in the southwest corner!"

"Me, go, catch!"

With a swoosh, Yi Qing drew his sword and exuded a formidable aura. In a flash, he flew out of the sect.

Little bastard, just you wait and see.

——————

Two hours later, in the main hall of the Invincible Sect.

Yi Qing and Lonemoon were seated in a line on the right while Bitao, Feng Ying and Qi Chengyu were seated on the left. They were all looking at the demon in the middle, who had been beaten to a pulp.

Nobody said a word. The entire hall was filled with only the noise of Shen Ying chewing on her fruit while seated at the head.

"Who are you?" Lonemoon finally asked in a low voice. "You invaded Invincible Sect in the middle of the night. What was your motive?"

Lan Hua just felt like all of the bones in his body had been broken. He glared at Shen Ying and felt the resentment well up within him. Didn't he tell her not to tell anyone else? Indeed, none of the immortal cultivators can be trusted!

"Speak!" Seeing that Lan Hua was not answering Lonemoon, Yi Qing raised his hand and formed five or six immortal swords with the immortal Qi around him. The swords charged toward Lan Hua, causing him to retreat until he could move back no further.

The wounds on Lan Hua's body were hurting even more badly. Thinking about what happened back at Willow Forest made him want to vomit blood. He had been cultivating for so many years. Although he was not yet a Skyfiend, he was still comparable to a Celestial Emperor – and that was being humble. He had never expected that he would be so badly injured by a sword immortal! F*cking hell, sword immortals were really perverted. This one in particular!

He glanced at the immortal swords in front of him. He gritted his teeth, unwilling to take another beating. Indignantly, he revealed his identity, "My name is Lan Hua!" He laughed mirthlessly and looked directly and Lonemoon and Yi Qing, waiting for the fear and shock to show on their faces. That's right! He's Lan Hua! The Demon Prince Lan Hua!

"Lan Hua…" Lonemoon frowned. "Who?" What kind of stupid name was that? Why not Ye Hua?

"…" Lan Hua felt like he had been stabbed.

"Bitao, you've been in the immortal realm for the  longest time. Have you heard of him?"

"Lan Hua… Lan…" Bitao lowered his head, deep in thought.

After awhile, he looked up and confirmed, "Never." "…" Lan Hua felt like he had just been stabbed again.

"Impossible!" Now, he was panicking. He struggled to sit up. "Think carefully. I am  the  Demon  Prince  Lan  Hua  of  the Heavens beyond Heaven! I was the one who challenged the ten Celestial Emperors a thousand years ago! How could none of you have heard of me?"

"We haven't!" Everyone replied in unison, including Shen Ying, who was still eating her fruit.

"…" He really wanted to vomit blood!

Lonemoon: "There are Demonic Princes in the immortal realm?"

Bitao: "I'm hearing this for the first time as well."

Qi Chengyu: "I guess there is. Wasn't I a demon supremacy before?" Shen Ying: "I've seen a demon king before."

Yi Qing: "This one is probably too weak to be called a king!"

System: [Ding! Whether you add the "king" title or not, he's still an ordinary man!]

Lan Hua: "…"

That's enough! Enough of all these insults!

Lan Hua had been in hiding for several years and had become a demon tens of thousands of years ago. This was the first time he was hearing that his name was not known. What was the point of all the fighting, hiding and fear of being discovered by his enemies all these thousands of years? What exactly did he go through all of that for?

Demons were so hopeless… "Cut to the chase!" Lonemoon was getting irritated now. He looked at the man was now beginning to resemble an eggplant. "You've invaded Invincible Sect twice now. What exactly do you want?"

Lan Hua tried not to show that his heart felt like it had been shattered into pieces. He glared at Shen Ying indignantly, surrendering to his fate. "Before this, I came to absorb all the demonic Qi and increase my cultivation level."

"How about tonight?"

"For her!" He continued to look at Shen Ying. "I did not want to come here either, but she has something of mine."

Lonemoon's expression changed. That's not right. Shen Ying had already handed over everything that he gave her. What else was she keeping for herself?

"What is it?" The look Lan Hua gave Shen Ying spoke of volumes of injustice. He answered with two simple words, "My heart."

Shen Ying: "…"

Lonemoon: "…"

There was a swoosh. Suddenly, an immortal sword was right at Lan Hua's neck. Yi Qing's sword Qi could be felt all around. Very deliberately, Yi Qing asked, "Do you want to be cut into multiple pieces?" Indeed, this is another little bastard who is trying to steal my master!

The group: "…"

Did they… just listen to the demonic prince's extreme attempt to woo Shen Ying?

Chapter 167: The Life of Lan Hua

Lan Hua was a genius. Whether he was training as an immortal cultivator or a demon, he was always one of the best in his field. He had never doubted this at any point in his life.

He was born in one of the top aristocratic families in the lower realm, which excelled in producing immortals. He had a top- grade, one in ten thousand Five Elements spirit root, which allowed him to improve several times faster than people with the celestial spirit root. He could choose any training path. In the end, he chose to take a different path from everyone else – he did not just train himself in one path, but trained in every single one, including pills, talismans, weapons and arrays. He was considered the only cultivator in both the mortal and immortal realm who was good at everything.

He had spent a total of about 500 years training before he ascended to immortality. After he entered the upper world, he took a hundred years to become a Golden Immortal, another 150 years to become a Mystic Immortal, 300 years to become a Stygian immortal, 600 years to become an Exalted Immortal, and 1000 years to become an Emperor. In another 1000 years, he became an Immortal Emperor. Within 4000 years, he became the supremacy of the Celestial Immortals, who was greatly and widely feared. His immortal journey… "Is it considered fast to ascend to immortality in 500 years?" Shen Ying interrupted.

"Of course!" Lan Hua answered proudly. "The spirit Qi in the mortal world is not like the immortal Qi, and it has always been relatively thin. It's not easy at all to ascend to immortality. Without a thousand years of rigorous training, ordinary people would not even be able to dream of becoming immortals. I'm not bragging, but I haven't found anybody in the immortal realm who made it here faster…"

Before he could finish, Lonemoon interrupted, "Oh, I took about 400 years."

"… Huh?" Lan Hua felt like he had been shot.

Before he could question Lonemoon, everybody who had been listening began to discuss how long they took to ascend to immortality.

Yi Qing: "I took less than 200 years." Yu Hong: "I took about 180 or so years. How about you all?"

Si Yu: "I took less than about 90 years."

A third disciple: "I think I took 45 years."

A fourth: "I only took about 20 years."

A fifth: "Hey, stop talking about it. I did not even train to become an immortal before this. About two months after I entered the sect, Senior Sister Hong came to inform me that we had all ascended to immortality."

Pew, pew, pew. Lan Hua felt like he had just been stabbed several times!

Who are you guys lying to!

He was going to take the 400-year response seriously, but what the hell were the rest talking about? How was it possible to ascend to immortality that quickly? Show me how any person can take freaking 2 months to ascend to immortality!

"Heh… Heh heh… Heh heh heh…" Lan Hua gave a deep sigh. That's right, that's right. This bunch of people are being ridiculous. He immediately felt furious. "You beat me to a pulp and come as a group to threaten me – what is the meaning of that? Are you still interested in what I have to say?"

"Er…" They were all telling the truth. Upon seeing his crazed expression, everybody stopped their discussion. "Alright, go on, go on…"

Please continue your performance!

"Pfft!" Lan Hua scoffed. Then, he carried on with his story.

Lan Hua's story was quite contrived. It could be summarised in a few words: conflict between brothers.

Lan Hua was crazy about his training. He wanted to breakthrough in every single training path. Apart from cultivating himself, he was not interested in anything else. His entire life revolved around three things: seclusion, training and epiphanies. This extraordinary focus was the reason why Lan Hua became the most powerful Celestial Emperor in the shortest amount of time.

As for human relations and other matters, Lan Hua was far less skilled. That was how he made the grave mistake of bringing his younger brother, Lan Yu, into the immortal realm. He also carelessly gave him an entire continent to govern.

Now, looking back, he could not understand why the younger brother he had taken care of since they were little had grown to hate him so much so that he lured Lan Hua to train as a demon.

Shortly after Lan Hua became a Celestial Emperor and began to control a continent, he was already a professional in the various paths in which he trained. He seemed to have lost his goal in life. It was at that time that Lan Yu told him he had found an ancient immortal technique by accident. Lan Yu handed it over to Lan Hua.

Lan Hua was elated to hear this. He tried to train according to the technique and found that his power was increasing. He set his heart and mind on continuing to learn this technique. He did not expect that it was an immortal training technique that belonged to the demonic race. Inside it, there were planted many demonic seeds. He did not guard himself well against Lan Yu. By the time he realised the path he was on, it was too late.

He could not stop himself from becoming a demon. In just a thousand years, half of the immortal Qi in his body changed into demonic Qi. In the beginning, he was extremely angry. He could not wait to get his hands on Lan Yu so that he could kill him. But as he trained, his demonic skills improved, and he found himself growing instead of deteriorating. The demonic training made immortals vastly different. Like an eager student, he could not bear to give up. Therefore, he continued to work hard to follow the technique, thereby becoming a full demon.

But that wretched younger brother of his did not let him off that easily. Immediately, Lan Yu spread the news that Lan Hua had become a demon. Lan Yu also gathered the nine other Celestial Emperors and led them to Lan Hua's hide-out, intending to ask for all of their help to kill him.

In a fit of rage, Lan Hua rolled up his sleeves and fought it out with all of them. One against nine, Lan Hua battled hard for nine days in a row. The Heavens beyond Heaven was almost turned upside-down.

"And then… you lost?" Shen Ying guessed.

Lan Hua was stabbed once more.

He flushed, and angrily answered, "Who lost! There were no winners or losers, alright? I held on for so long and managed to escape alive. Given all of that, I think I won!"

"Oh…"

"…" Get your suspicious self away from me. "Pfft! If not for the fact that I have not yet become a Skyfiend, I would have taken my revenge on them already."

"That's why you've been hiding for the past thousands of years?" "…" Pew! Another knife into his chest. Can't they just talk amicably with me? "You call this hiding? I'm training! I'm not afraid of them. They're just a couple of emperors. If I take each one of them on their own, do you think they would even last for two hours?"

"So… you still lost to Chef?"

"…" Oh, how his heart hurt!

He could not continue chatting with them!

Lonemoon patted his shoulder, giving him a  sympathetic look. Are you so bored that you're talking to the cheat about life? Isn't it better to just live your own life?

"Boss, what happened next? What happened to your back- stabbing younger brother?" Shen Ying was quite excited by the story. She cracked a seed and ate it.

"Get out!"  I'm  not  talking  anymore.  You've  hurt  me  too deeply.

"Lan Yu? Lan… Could it be His Majesty Lan Yu!" Bitao's expression was one of absolute shock. Agitatedly, he said, "Great Immortal, Great Immortal, I remember now. Lan Yu is the Celestial Emperor of Yun Feng continent. His younger brother has replaced him as the Celestial Emperor!"

"Shut up!" I don't need you to fill in the gaps in my story!

This Invincible Sect is here just to annoy me, aren't they?

They aren't respecting me just because I'm a demon?

"Alright, alright! Stop being nosy, all of you." Lonemoon lowered his voice and addressed his disciples. "It's getting late. We have to get to the Heavens beyond Heaven quickly."

Lonemoon had already made his mind up about the Mystic Spirits and Immortals Meeting. His sect would only take part in the Earth Immortals and  Mystic  Immortals  competition.  That was why he already selected 15 disciples to go up with them. Together with the three of them, they would make less than 20 people. Lan Hua's appearance ruined his plan. For the sake of the disciples, and erring on the side of caution, Lonemoon had no choice but to bring Lan Hua along. All of their cultivation levels were different. In order to make it to the Heavens beyond Heaven on time, they had to take the  huge flying  equipment, the Ten-Direction Ship, that Boss Lan had so kindly provided.

"Yu Hong, Si Yu, go to the front of the flying equipment. Change shifts with Qi Chengyu and Feng Ying. Everybody else, get some rest. Don't forget that you have a competition ahead of you! Less chatting; more training!"

"Yes, Elder!" The disciples answered in unison. Each of them went their separate ways and Yu Hong and Si Yu went to the front to take their shift.

Only Lan Hua remained in the array, his expression as dark as ink. Did you not press me for my confession? When did his statement become nosy gossip? Since they did not care to listen, why did they beat him up and take him here for the entire night? All of you better come back and listen!

He had remained in hiding for so many years as a demon, and now they're kidnapping him and taking him to the Heavens beyond Heaven to be killed. They have it easy! This was all thanks to that stupid good heart of his!

When this thought sprung up in his head, he turned to glare at the woman who was still eating. He began to shout, "It's all because of you- Wait! What are you eating? What kind of messed up fruit is that? Are you eating something that doesn't even have any immortal Qi in it?" His expression changed.

"Throw it away, throw it away. Here, this is a Green Rosy Fruit that I picked last night. If you want to chew on something, eat this!"

"And why are you still wearing that rotten grey robe? Where's the robes that I gave to you? Why don't you change into that? The flying equipment is going so quickly – what if you get blown off?"

"Eh? Why are you sitting so far away? You're so close to the edge over there – if you fall over, how would I catch you? Come here, quick!"

"And-" Shing!

A familiar sword appeared just under his neck once again.

Someone spoke in a very serious tone.

"Master, why don't I kill this person? He's a burden to our sect!"

Lan Hua: "…"

Shen Ying: "…"

Lonemoon: "…" Motherf*cker!

Chapter 168: Entering the Heavens Beyond Heaven

Since there were too many people, Shen Ying and the group took slightly more than half a month to travel through the Nine-Layered Palace Gates. As the Ten-Direction Ship exited through the gates, they heard a load of hustle and bustle.

Huge artifacts were parked all around them. They were in all shapes and sizes - some were in the shape of a huge lotus flower, others looked like chessboards, some looked like immortal seals and yet others looked like immortal ships - just like their own. From far away, they could see immortal figures moving about. The array formation separated them from the inside world, so they could not see too clearly. As they passed by the immortal artifacts, they saw that each one looked better and more glorious than the previous one. The immortal Qi in the air became increasingly strong.

But it seemed that none of the artifacts were as pristinely white as theirs. Their own ship was glowing golden. Compared to the oddly-coloured immortal ships that they passed by, theirs looked way more glorious.

The people atop the other immortal ships also looked like they were here to take part in the meeting. However, it was unclear which country they were from and which emperor they were under. Lonemoon pondered, and realised that there were more than just eight ships. These people clearly arrived earlier than them. From time to time, immortals flew out of the other ships, riding their swords and boarding other immortal ships, as if to have a chat. That was why even though everybody was still moving forward, they were moving relatively slowly.

Once the Ten-Direction Ship appeared, people stopped to stare. Some of them even released their divine perception into the Ten-Direction Ship, as if to check out who was on the ship. Yet, the array formation around the boat blocked these off. At once, many people turned around to look at the ship.

Lonemoon looked in front and pointed at the sky full of immortal weapons. He had not imagined that he would meet with a traffic jam even in the Heavens beyond Heaven. When did they have to wait until? An immortal in white robes rode an immortal crane and flew toward them. There was a crown on his head. He looked like he was an immortal official.

Indeed, the immortal stopped in front of the array around their ship and bowed toward the people on the ship.. In an exceptionally clear voice, the immortal said, "I am the immortal official under the Celestial Emperor. I have come to welcome all of you. I wonder which emperor you are under?"

So this is the traffic police, Lonemoon sighed in relief. He looked toward the master and disciple duo next to him who did not seem at all concerned about what was going on around them. Out of habit, he stepped forward and answered, "The Sect Master of Invincible Sect has brought Young Emperor Yi Qing to participate in the Mystic Spirits and Immortals Meeting! Thank you, Immortal Official." As he finished speaking, he conjured a seal and caused the invitation in his hand to fly out toward the official.

The official caught the invitation and paused. Why is  this reply so odd? Others would reply which country emperor they were under, and what disciples were participating in the

meeting. It is strange enough that this man is introducing his sect, but what did he mean when he said a Sect Master brought a Young Emperor? Yet, when the immortal official studied the invitation closely, he could find nothing out of place.

Without thinking too much about it, he decided not to enter the Ten-Direction Ship for inspection. Instead, he  turned around and led them on their way. "This way, please!" For some reason, he felt that the noisy Heavens beyond Heaven had suddenly become a bit quieter.

Eh? Why did the immortal artifacts in front of them create a clear lane? Were they so far away that they wanted to squeeze closer to one another in order to chat? Since when did the relationship between the various countries become so good? The immortal official was very suspicious, but he swept these

aside when he recalled the mission he was on. Without thinking further, he led the immortal ship behind him in and carried out his welcome as arranged.

Lonemoon studied the surroundings Indeed, the divine perception that everybody released onto the ship had all been retracted eagerly. It seemed that Yi Qing's beating did have an effect on them afterall.

The immortal ship followed the immortal official and flew for another ten or so minutes. This was indeed the Heavens beyond Heaven - the further they travelled inside, the richer the immortal Qi around them felt. All around them, there was acres of immortal land and immortal hills. Compared to the quiet and secluded Emperor Ascension Stage they had been to earlier, this place seemed much richer and more powerful. They could even feel the aura of several immortal meridians. All the disciples in the ship were both excited and curious as they studied their surroundings. All except… Lan Hua!

From the moment they passed through the Nine-Layered Palace Gates, he stopped speaking. All his years of training as a demon would naturally leave him unaffected by immortal Qi. Indeed, this little bit of immortal Qi was considered nothing to him.

But this was the Heavens beyond Heaven afterall. For all he knew, he would bump into his grandsons, the current Celestial Emperors. Ordinarily, he would not be afraid. But right now, he was trapped in this array formation. Beside him stood a Young Emperor sword cultivator who hated him to the core. He was not even sure he would be able to keep his life, much less defend himself against the Celestial Emperors.

He had been trying to suppress his demonic Qi for the entire journey so that he would be able to find an opportunity to escape, but the sword cultivator they called Yi Qing seemed to really hate him. He kept threatening to kill him for no reason, and treated him like he was a thief who was going to steal something valuable. Yi Qing's immortal sword would appear under his neck if Lan Hua so much as stretched his leg. He had no choice but to follow the group to the Heavens beyond Heaven. Sigh. He was done for this time. It looked like this group of people were going to hand him straight into his grandson, Chen Ge's, arms. This was all because of his darned good heart!

"Boss, this is for you." He turned and felt something heavy hanging around his neck.

"Eh?" He paused and looked down at the necklace around his neck. Then, he looked up at his good heart, staring right back at him. "This is…"

"Baby gave you this shield," Shen Ying answered matter-of- factly. "It keeps your fog in check. Don't lose it - I have to return it!"

"…" What does that mean? Who is Baby?

Lan Hua was utterly confused, but on closer inspection, he found that his demonic Qi had indeed disappeared. He looked just like an ordinary Earth Immortal. "This… this necklace…" It helps him to conceal his demonic Qi!

Lan Hua's eyes widened and he looked up dazedly. "You… You are not going to hand me over to the Celestial Emperor?"

"The Celestial Emperor?" Shen Ying paused and answered, "You owe him money?"

"No… No, I don't."

"Oh. Then why would we hand you to him?"

"…"

Lan Hua  was  at  a  loss  for  words.  He  looked  again  at  the

necklace around his neck, feeling like he was in a trance. Then why did they bring me here? When they said they were going to take me on a trip, did they really just mean an innocent trip? Isn't it true that immortals and demons would never get along? Suddenly, he felt a familiar warmth fill his chest. It was the same feeling he got when Shen Ying offered a fruit to him. The feeling became so overwhelming that his eyes began to feel hot. Something in his chest welled up so that he felt like he was suffocating.

Wait, this feeling is…

Σ(°△°|||)

Good Heart, don't be rash!

That was how… he retrieved another storage bag from inside his robe.

"Immortal pills, weapons, talismans… help yourself to whatever you want. You don't have to return them to me!"

"… You have more!" (⊙ o ⊙) What a big boss!

"The last time I went back to Willow Forest, I took some more things." Afterall, he had been a Celestial Emperor in the past. He was not lacking in material treasures. "What else do you want?"

"Er… Immortal-"

"Immortal stones, right? Here, here, here…" He held back his tears as he retrieved two more small bags from inside his robes. "Here are the immortal stones. There are also some immortal fruits. Take them, take them. Take them all. Please, get away from me. Stop treating me so well, alright?"

"Alright, thank you, Boss!" Shen Ying turned around to walk away.

Lan Hua's heart felt like it was bleeding. He was trying his hardest to resist the urge to take out the artifact that was dearest to him. Good hearts… were so scary!

Lonemoon, who was in the audience: Hm, bringing Shen Ying along was the right decision afterall!

Chapter 169: Pre-Competition Preparation

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.

Chapter 170: Pure and Innocent

Everybody turned to glance at the girl, but they all dismissed her as just another immortal official from the Immortal Rainbow Palace. She walked into the hall with a pure and innocent expression, and boldly assessed everybody in the hall.

"Whoa, so these are the various emperors of the various countries," she suddenly said. Yet, her gaze landed on  Shen Ying, who had been chewing on her fruits. She started, then her eyes flashed. She walked to Shen Ying and stood in front of her. "Eh, there's even a Big Sister here!"

Her eyes widened as she looked Shen Ying from head to toe. As if she had known Shen Ying for all her life, she asked, "Big Sister, Big Sister, which country are you the emperor of?" She subconsciously reached out to hold Shen Ying's hand.

Yi Qing frowned and stepped forward to block her. "My Master is having her tea. Don't be rude."

"Ah!" The girl seemed to just notice the cup of tea in Shen Ying's hand. She stepped backward and sheepishly stuck her tongue out. "I'm sorry, Big Sister! I was too excited when I saw you. I didn't notice that you were having tea."

Shen Ying did not respond. She just looked down and took a sip of her tea.

"Big Sister, why aren't you saying anything?" The girl tilted her head and continued to study Shen Ying closely. "I'm just curious as to why there is a big sister here amidst the various emperors of the countries. That's right, my name is Hui Ling. How about you?"

"Hui Ling!" Just as she finished speaking, a man in a white robe rushed into the hall. He bowed to the emperors and looked frustratedly at the girl. "How could you run in here? This is where the various emperors have their meeting."

"Senior Brother Lu Ming, I just got a little curious, that's all." The girl pouted, but there was no hint of guilt on her face. Instead, she tugged at the man's sleeve and said excitedly, "Senior Brother, look! I discovered a big sister amongst all the emperors. But it's too bad Big Sister isn't telling me which country she's the emperor of." Lu Ming paused and looked at Shen Ying. He seemed to have sensed her cultivation level and started. Then, he held the little girl back. "Junior Sister, be careful with your words."

"I'm not being careless!" Hui Ling was indignant. She turned back to Shen Ying. "Senior Brother, how could you lie to me? You said that there were no female immortals who became emperors so far in Feng Cang continent. There's one right here!"

"Junior Sister," Lu Ming mumbled awkwardly. He shot an apologetic look at Shen Ying and turned to face Hui Ling.  He was not reproachful at all; instead, he addressed her with a certain affection. "This is not an emperor. Be good, follow me back."

"No!" Hui Ling was startled. Her eyes widened, as if she did not believe what her senior brother was saying. She turned to look at Shen Ying and tutted, saying, "If Big Sister isn't an emperor, then why is she sitting here? Isn't this place only for emperors to sit? Big Sister, please get up quickly! This is against the rules."

As she said this, the expressions of everybody around her changed, especially Lonemoon and Yi Qing. Even the various emperors seemed to be entertained by what was happening. They were already curious about who the woman was; they just did not dare to ask.

Shen Ying, who was still sitting on the chair, continued to munch on her fruits as if she could not hear anything.

Lu Ming jumped, frightened. Junior Sister could not tell, but he could – the woman looked like a mere Earth Immortal, but the man behind her was obviously a Young Emperor. He spoke more sternly to Hui Ling, "Junior Sister, watch your words!"

Hui Ling did not get the hint. She lowered her voice and whined, "I'm not wrong…"

"Immortal child, you're really good at talking!" Lonemoon laughed mirthlessly and stepped forward. "May I please ask you where it is written that only emperors can sit here? Where in the rules and regulations of Immortal Rainbow Palace is there such a rule? Why can't the sect master of my Invincible Sect sit here? Or are you saying… Celestial Emperor personally invited the few of us here so that my sect master would stand as if being punished?" Nobody in the immortal or mortal realm dared to be rude to Shen Ying. How dare this little green wretch take on this tone with her?

"Well…" Lu Ming's tone became laced with fear. He had no choice but to cup his fists and bow. "My Junior Sister is young and does not know any better. She has said something to offend you. Please be magnanimous and forgive her this once." He had no idea that this was the Invincible Sect that the Celestial Emperor was talking about.

He paused, then turned to shoot a look at the girl beside him.

His tone was extremely fierce this time. "Hui Ling!"

The girl was pouting even more now, yet she still did not look in the least bit guilty. Instead, she looked incredibly wronged. She grabbed Lu Ming's hand and swung it haughtily. "Senior Brother! I'm sorry, I didn't do it on purpose." Why are you being so petty?

Lonemoon's expression darkened. Who exactly was she apologising to? Lu Ming turned to look at Shen Ying, who still had not moved. "Sect Master, my junior sister is only a young immortal. She overstepped her boundaries earlier. Please be magnanimous and forgive her?"

Shen Ying raised her head and glanced at the innocent Lu Ming. She paused and then nodded curtly. "Alright!"

Lu Ming heaved a sigh of relief and started to say something.

Shen Ying suddenly stood up, raised the cup of tea in her hands and tilted it, dousing the girl with tea. It was obvious that the girl had not expected she would do something like this. She stared blankly at Shen Ying, tea dripping down her face, tea leaves caught in her hair.

Everybody was stunned.

Shen Ying turned around to face Lonemoon and pouted, imitating Hui Ling. She said in a robotic voice, "Father Niu, I'm sorry! I didn't do it on purpose." Lonemoon recovered from his shock after a second, then understood. He cupped his fists and faced Lu Ming, saying in the exact same tone he used, "Fellow Immortal, my sect master is young and does not know any better. She knows she has done something wrong. Please forgive her this once."

Lu Ming: "…"

Hui Ling: "…"

The crowd: "…"

Two seconds later…

Pui…

"Hahaha…" Xun Shu collapsed with maniacal laughter onto the table. He finally understood. Who in the upper realm was actually still young? Shen Ying was just showing them how ridiculous they sounded. This slap was really…

He really would not be able to take this excuse of being young and ignorant seriously again.

Hui Ling could tell that they were mocking her. She immediately felt shame and irritation. Her face flushed with the mixture of emotions. Still dripping, she turned and ran out of the hall.

"Junior Sister…" Lu Ming shouted after her. He shot a glare at Lonemoon and Shen Ying, then chased after his junior sister.

Lonemoon gave Shen Ying a thumbs up and finally felt the anger dissipate. He was already getting irritated at the little girl. She was obviously taking advantage of Shen Ying, despising her for being a mere Earth Immortal. It was obvious that she was implying that Shen Ying had no right to be sitting here.

A bunch of ignorant fellas. If Shen Ying is not fit to sit here, nobody in the immortal realm would be. "Well done. I'll allow you to add dishes for your next meal."

More dishes!

(⊙ o ⊙)

Shen Ying tilted her head and she said in the same robotic voice, "Father Niu, what are you saying? I didn't do anything at all!"

"Hey, hey, hey… You're addicted to acting like that green tea?"

"I'm telling the truth."

"That's enough! Stop imitating her! You're nothing like her at all. Forget the tone – even your expression is so different!"

"You're horrible! Stop bullying me! Open brackets, shy shy shy, close brackets." "Are you narrating your own freaking expression?"

"I've added brackets!"

"Brackets your ass! Do you think you're sending a text message here? Brackets don't serve to change your expression  a  single bit!"

"Oh."

"Wait! I did not tell you to make a stupid expression. Put your hands down!"

"…"