At that moment, the Divine Realm itself welcomed the final resurgence of immortal energy!
As the roaring tide of immortal power swept through the heavens, every immortal sensed that the realm had at last emerged from its cataclysm. What was now stirring awake was the Immortal Emperor Realm!
On a sacred mountain in the far south, a young man in a Daoist robe slowly opened his eyes. He surveyed his surroundings and frowned. Then, in the next instant, he shot a gaze northward and murmured, “Impossible... it can’t be...”
He tried to stand, but having just awakened, his immortal body had not yet fully recovered. He could only sit where he was, eyes fixed on the north, his expression deeply troubled.
The vast resurgence of immortal power did not go unnoticed by Ye Yu and the ladies of Wuwei Tower! One by one, they emerged from their chambers and looked skyward, feeling the ambient surge of immortal energy.
At that moment, Ying Naiyan quietly approached Ye Yu and conveyed by inner-voice, “Husband, I just saw you emerge from Master’s room. Does that mean you two are... together?”
“No,” Ye Yu replied with a slight frown, “It’s still that talisman causing trouble. But is there really no way to dispel it?”
He truly found the constant teleportations vexing. Just the other day, while he and the ladies were discussing matters, Dongkui had thought of him and yanked him over—quite embarrassing. What was he to do? Continue the conversation? Or let it drop? It really scrambled his thoughts!
Ying Naiyan shook her head. “The Star Mark Talisman Sect said before they left that once the ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) talisman’s power is used, it cannot be undone. Of course, nothing’s ever absolute; Master has already dispatched the Heavenly Talisman Pavilion to resolve it as quickly as possible. There may yet be a solution. But honestly, Husband, why not just... absorb Master? Then you’d never have to worry about it again!”
Ye Yu forced a wry smile. Easy for her to say—he and Dongkui were like sworn adversaries; every meeting turned into a spat. How could they possibly get along? She should try offering something more practical!
Scanning the surroundings, Ye Yu’s brow creased. “In the days I was asleep, no new ladies arrived? By rights, the mortal wives should have ascended by now!”
“Not a one,” Ying Naiyan reported, “And it’s been days since I’ve seen Zhu Diezhen or Wei Aoshu. They haven’t returned to Wuwei Tower in ages.”
Her words made Ye Yu’s heart sink. Had something gone wrong? Their cultivation levels weren’t very high—if they encountered wicked immortals in this turbulent realm, they’d be in grave danger. And among the Fenghun Tan Ji’e Sanxiong, their leader, Tingyu, still hadn’t been found. It was all very perilous.
Just as Ye Yu considered sending the ladies out to search, Zhu Diezhen and Wei Aoshu appeared, riding the air toward them.
Ye Yu hurriedly called out, “Where have you two been?”
“We were out clearing our minds!”
“Closing ourselves off in seclusion!”
The pair gave two completely different answers, earning Ye Yu and the assembled ladies peculiar looks. Zhu Diezhen and Wei Aoshu caught each other’s eye and realized their mistake, so they quickly corrected themselves.
“We were in seclusion!”
“No—we were clearing our minds!”
They’d each repeated what the other had said, only to contradict themselves again. Ye Yu instantly knew something was amiss—and decided not to expose Wei Aoshu just yet, but to see what they were up to.
Feigning fatigue, he declared his intention to return to his chamber to rest. Jiang Yumo promptly offered, “I’ve learned a new meridian-relaxing technique that can help you unwind.” Grateful for her eagerness, Ye Yu accepted.
Before departing, he glanced at the sky. The dense black clouds overhead clashed grotesquely with the serene environs—a telltale sign of Dongkui’s volatile emotions. He turned to Ying Naiyan: “Go talk to Dongkui. Tell her to calm her aura—enough with the cloud cover! If anyone sees, they’ll think there’s misfortune in Wuwei Tower!”
“All right!” Ying Naiyan agreed, then hurried off toward Dongkui’s room.
Once the others had dispersed, Zhu Diezhen immediately pulled Wei Aoshu inside her chamber and laid down a soundproof barrier. Frustrated, she chided, “What’s your problem? You can’t even answer a simple question properly! Whatever happened to your sharp wit from your undercover mission in Qingyun Sect?”
Wei Aoshu buried her head deeper into her sleeves. Zhu Diezhen’s anger flared. Afraid? Afraid of refining a mere elixir? They had already ascended to immortality, braved countless dangers—yet now she claimed fear? It was laughable.
In truth, the reason Zhu Diezhen and Wei Aoshu had been absent from Wuwei Tower was their busy efforts to refine pills. Inside the sect, the alchemical processes were too conspicuous, so beginners had to work outside. After long toil, they had successfully crafted the legendary Immortal Affinity Pill—said to be the greatest remedy against discord between immortal couples. Everyone praised its efficacy.
In Zhu Diezhen’s mind, their achievement was complete. All that remained was for Ye Yu to take the pill, and everything would be perfect. It was as simple as that—so why had it turned into this fiasco?
