"The Human Path is faint, the Immortal Path is vast.

Ghostly Path is joyful, in the gate of human life.

The Immortal Path values birth, the Ghostly Path values the end.

The Immortal Path is always auspicious, the Ghostly Path always ominous.

High above, the clear and beautiful spirits lament, their song echoes through the cosmos.

I only wish for success on the Immortal Path, not for poverty on the Human Path.

..."

Wen Zhong sat cross-legged in front of his Shoujing Temple, reading scriptures casually, yet his mind was entirely fixed on the luxurious and grandiose palace not far away.

Just like its disappearance, the appearance of the Tian Yuan Palace was equally abrupt.

Without any warning, it just appeared in his field of vision.

By the time he excitedly wanted to rush over, a fragrant Treasure Car descended from the sky and precisely landed within the Tian Yuan Palace.

He vaguely saw two figures inside the carriage.

One tall and stalwart, the other slender and graceful.

Afterward, several earth-shattering bangs came from the Tian Yuan Palace, like a landslide and thunder, startling Wen Zhong, who had wanted to go over and greet them. He retracted his steps and returned to Shoujing Temple to recite his scriptures properly.

Who knows how much time passed, a gentle breeze wafted by, bringing with it bursts of fragrance.

Wen Zhong sniffed, and just as he looked up, he saw a tall young woman, crowned with a halo of clouds, descending from the sky and landing in front of Tian Yuan Palace.

She gently pushed the palace gate, but it didn't open, and immediately turned around, with a single step arriving in front of Shoujing Temple.

As she approached, the air was filled with waves of fragrance, petals fluttering, each crystal clear, like a rain of light, scattered across the sky.

Wen Zhong hastened to rise and pay his respects, "Greetings to senior sister Huo Ling'er."

"Mm."

Huo Ling'er nodded, looking at Wen Zhong, she asked, "When did your senior brother return?"

"Senior brother returned about half an hour ago." Wen Zhong honestly replied.

"He's been back for so long, how come the palace gate is still tightly closed?"

Huo Ling'er frowned, her eyes shifted slightly as if she had suddenly thought of something, she looked at Wen Zhong suspiciously: "He couldn't have brought back the Fox Spirit from Qingqiu and is now fooling around inside, right?"

Wen Zhong frowned in confusion, "What does fooling around mean?"

Huo Ling'er gave him a glance, about to speak when she saw the Seven Fragrant Treasure Car rise from the Tian Yuan Palace and float slowly over.

She was startled and quickly bowed her head respectfully, "Huo Ling'er pays respects to great-aunt."

Wen Zhong was half a beat slow in his reaction, still contemplating the previous question, "What did you mean by senior brother fooling around inside... Ah, Master! Disciple pays respects to Master!"

"Shh!"

Huo Ling'er drew in a breath of cold air, wishing she could kick the three-eyed youth next to her flying away. The genuine article resides on M|V|L&EMPYR.

Are you doing this on purpose?

Fortunately, the Golden Spirit Saint Mother seated inside the Seven Fragrant Treasure Car seemed not to have heard the conversation between them, or perhaps didn't understand the meaning of "fooling around"...

In an uneasy wait that seemed to last forever, Huo Ling'er sighed with relief when the expected scolding didn't come. Instead, she heard a familiar voice from behind her: "I'm also very curious, what did you mean just now by fooling around?"

"Eh?"

Huo Ling'er looked up to see that the Seven Fragrant Treasure Car had long since disappeared.

She heaved a sigh of relief and turned her head to glance at Yu Yuan, irritatedly said, "And you have the nerve to ask; just now you almost scared me to death! What was great-aunt telling you inside? Why is the palace gate still locked?"

Yu Yuan glanced at her, with a smile that was not quite a smile, "Just like you imagined."

"You got scolded, didn't you? Serves you right! It's all because you went off to play without me!"

Huo Ling'er rejoiced in his misfortune and said, "If you had taken me with you this time, would there have been so much trouble?

That Yao Gongbo and Ma Yuan are merely Heavenly Immortals, after all. They would surely be trembling in fear seeing me as a Golden Immortal. Dare they cause you any trouble?

Right?"

Yu Yuan curled his lips, noncommittally nodding his head.

Seeing his nod, Huo Ling'er eagerly seized the opportunity and said, "Then you must take me with you next time!"

"Mmm, definitely next time."

"Then it's a deal!"

Huo Ling'er couldn't wait to stretch out her fair, jade-like little hand, raising her slender fingers and giving them a gentle shake, "Come on, let's make a vow!"

Yu Yuan: "..."

Huo Ling'er glanced over with a sidelong look, "Don't dare?"

...

Biyou Palace

Inside the Main Hall, all the elite disciples had already left, only the lead Disciple Duobao Taoist remained.

The Sect Hierarch Tongtian wasn't surprised and spoke indifferently: "It's been a long time since I played chess, come and play a game with me."

As he spoke, the scenery around them had already changed, as if they had arrived in a secluded valley with babbling streams beside them, and the bamboo forest rustling in the distance, revealing a very serene and refined atmosphere.

The mentor and disciple sat opposite each other under an ancient pine, with a smooth and flat green stone in between them, crossing lines drawn upon it, and two jars beside it containing black and white chess pieces.

It was clear that this was not their first time playing chess against one another.

Duobao Taoist also showed no restraint, deftly picked up the pieces, and made his moves.

Soon, the black and white chess pieces were placed down by the two players according to their intentions, appearing like entangled dragons battling each other.

I don't know how much time passed, but the speed at which Duobao Taoist placed his pieces became slower and slower, until he completely stopped.

In the end, this game of chess concluded with Duobao Taoist conceding defeat.

Sect Hierarch Tongtian raised an eyebrow, his expression slightly displeased, "Watching you play with a distracted mind, how could you win? Enough, ask whatever you want to ask, stop hiding it."

Duobao Taoist stood up, bowed respectfully, and said: "Your insight is clear, master. Indeed, there are some doubts in my disciple's heart that I can't rest without speaking. If I am offensive, please forgive me, master."

Sect Hierarch Tongtian smiled and said: "You want to ask why I did not punish Yu Yuan?"

Duobao Taoist nodded, seriously saying, "I saw everything that happened today very clearly. Whether it's Yao Gongbo or Ma Yuan, they were actually all killed by Yu Yuan's schemes!"

"Why do you think he schemed against the two of them?" asked Sect Hierarch Tongtian.

Duobao Taoist replied without hesitation: "It must be because they offended him!"

Sect Hierarch Tongtian shook his head, "You say you saw everything clearly, but in my view, you did not see clearly at all."

Duobao Taoist frowned slightly, "Does master mean..."

"Yao Gongbo and Ma Yuan were indeed calculated by Yu Yuan because this was one of his objectives for leaving this time."

Sect Hierarch Tongtian stated the truth indifferently.

Duobao Taoist widened his eyes, his face full of disbelief.

He thought the "truth" he had seen was shocking enough, but the real answer was even more explosive.

After a moment, once he had absorbed this information, new questions arose: "Then why did he scheme against these two? Could it be because these two people committed many evils outside, tarnishing the name of the Jie Sect?"

As soon as this guess was spoken, he quickly shook his head, "Impossible! With his lazy nature, he wouldn't care about these issues... So, what is it for?"

"Right!"

A light suddenly dawned in Duobao Taoist's eyes, as he remembered something, "Could it be related to the Heavenly Emperor?"

The Heavenly Emperor left Daluo Mountain to go to Kunlun Mountain, and at the same time, Yu Yuan rushed from Qingqiu to Chongxian Island which lay on the Heavenly Emperor's path, and then, coincidentally, during the conflict with Ma Yuan, he collided with the Heavenly Emperor's Treasure Car...

Sect Hierarch Tongtian looked at him, "Have you thought it through clearly?"

Duobao Taoist nodded, then shook his head.

"Disciple has figured out some things, but there are still many unclear aspects; I always feel like Yu Yuan is playing a great game of chess!"

Sect Hierarch Tongtian smiled slightly, "It's correct that you do not see clearly; now the Heavenly Mechanism is becoming increasingly chaotic, even I am starting to see it less clearly."

Hearing this, Duobao Taoist looked at Sect Hierarch Tongtian in surprise, "Even you, master, cannot see clearly? Could it be that..."

"That's right."

Sect Hierarch Tongtian nodded slightly and said with a smile: "A new Calamity is about to begin soon, at which time all beings between Heaven and Earth will become the pieces on this chessboard."

"Calamity..."

Duobao Taoist murmured, his expression gradually turning to one of shock.

...