Watching the madams’ amused expressions, Ye Yu was momentarily taken aback. He looked down—and saw that his Four Symbols Ink Bamboo Robe was not only inside out, but its sash was tied upside down and backward. It was obvious he’d been too flustered to dress properly.
Yet the mistake was understandable. He had been studying cultivation techniques with Dongkui when he broke through—and the resulting tremor of heaven and earth had jostled him so fiercely he’d dashed out at once. Everyone makes mistakes!
Ye Yu tapped his robe lightly, and in the next instant the immortal garment righted itself automatically.
“All right, stop laughing. What on earth happened?”
“We’re not entirely sure yet,” Shangguan Jiujiu replied, frowning. “But this disturbance feels very much like the previous revival of immortal qi.”
Ying Naiyan’s gaze flickered toward Master Dongkui’s Blessed Grotto, then she quietly slipped away—she simply had to ask her teacher what had transpired.
Zhu Diezhen and Wei Aoshu, too, were desperate to know the truth. Wei Aoshu tugged at Zhu Diezhen’s sleeve, her eyes brimming with silent pleading. Although Zhu Diezhen feared the worst, she squeezed Wei Aoshu’s hand in encouragement—what else could she do but offer comfort?
They both felt a headache coming on; after all their scheming, to have it all undone would drive them mad. Neither possessed the courage to face the truth. They {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} exchanged furtive glances at Dongkui’s door, forcing wry smiles so as not to draw attention.
Fortunately, most of the madams were distracted by the external anomaly and paid them no heed.
Just as Ye Yu prepared to leave Wuwei Tower and investigate, a purple column of light suddenly shot skyward from the far north—so brilliant it was almost blinding. At the same time, a faint but unmistakable aura washed over the realm.
White Xichu, Bai Miaoling, and Pei Chuxia’s faces drained of color. To anyone else it might have seemed unfamiliar, but to them it was unmistakably demonic qi.
“Demonic qi! It really is demonic qi!”
At that revelation, every cultivator in attendance shuddered. In the Heavenly Realm—how could demonic qi possibly appear?
Exchanging a look with White Xichu and the others, Ye Yu’s form blurred into a streak of light as he rushed northward. The other madams also moved to follow—but Zhu Diezhen raised a hand to stop them.
“Sisters, stay calm. If your cultivation isn’t high, you’d best wait inside the sect’s gate. Otherwise you’ll only hinder matters.”
Shangguan Jiujiu nodded in agreement. “Indeed. If we all go, Husband can’t attend to everyone. Let’s heed Sister Zhu’s advice.”
The madams, though disappointed, fell back. All of them wanted to see what was happening, but prudence prevailed.
At that moment, Qin Xihe stepped forward. Forming a Dao seal, she lifted her hand—and a pool of water appeared before her. Rippling slowly, it projected a clear vision of Ye Yu, White Xichu, Bai Miaoling, and Pei Chuxia racing toward the source of the light.
“Sisters, we can observe via the Water-Moon Grotto Technique!” she said.
Zhu Diezhen and Lin Miaoxue shot her admiring glances. Indeed, immortal arts were wondrous—real-time viewing conjured at will!
Meanwhile, Ye Yu and the three madams sped to the far north of the Heavenly Realm, where they could see the purple column more clearly. Its diameter exceeded a thousand zhang, and a torrent of demonic qi poured from within.
Pei Chuxia muttered, “Perhaps this is the fabled passage between the Heavenly Realm and the Demon Realm!”
Ye Yu’s expression turned grave. If so, the Five Realms’ passages were restoring far faster than Mo Tianjun had predicted.
Others from across the realm also converged on the scene, eyes fixed on the purple rift as they whispered excitedly.
“What is that? Why has this appeared in the Heavenly Realm? And what is that strange aura?”
“You ignorant child—your immortal lifespan is too short to recognize demonic qi. Look, the passage between the Heavenly and Demon Realms has reopened! Incredible!”
“Can it really lead to the Demon Realm?”
“In theory, yes!”
...
As the saying goes, fortune favors the bold. One Immortal Lord–level cultivator steeled himself and leapt into the rift, plunging downward at great speed. Seeing him go first, seven or eight others followed suit. After that, the surge of daring cultivators tapered off, and the rest stood by to watch.
White Xichu, Bai Miaoling, and Pei Chuxia exchanged meaningful glances. All three hailed from the Demon Realm and had come to the Heavenly Realm only because of Ye Yu. They had once believed they would remain here forever, unable to return—but now, with the Demon Realm passage open, they longed to go back and revisit memories nearly forgotten. Bai Miaoling, especially, had slept in the mortal world for so long and then soared to the heavens—her heart brimmed with homesickness.
Ye Yu perceived their thoughts and asked quietly, “You wish to return?”
Pei Chuxia and White Xichu remained silent, while Bai Miaoling ventured, “May we?”
“Of course,” Ye Yu replied, “but not yet. Let me ensure it’s safe first.”
He turned and scanned the crowd, quickly finding a wily-looking Immortal Lord at the peak of his realm—standing at the back, watching the rift with cautious eyes. Such a cultivator embodied prudence. Ye Yu preferred his steadiness for a daring task—much like a teacher calling on the quietest student first in class.
