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After listening to Li Hong's words, Xi Che's expression was one of utter astonishment, almost forgetting to conceal it. He blurted out, "You are a descendant of the Seasoned Master!" As soon as the words left his mouth, he clearly regretted it, hesitating and wanting to say more but stopping himself. After a long pause, he spoke in a very peculiar tone, "You will understand slowly. However, right now, I cannot say much more." Then he returned to his usual tone, adopting a businesslike manner and said, "Brother Li Hong, so you are from below. I must report this matter to the Immortal Emperor. We are currently on our way to the Celestial Palace of Leisure, and we are from Xu Yang Immortal Palace. Therefore, I ask you and Brother Heavenly Torch to temporarily act as our guards from Xu Yang Immortal Palace. Once we return to Xu Yang Immortal Palace and meet the Immortal Emperor, everything will be decided by him."
Li Hong found this strange and momentarily forgot to communicate telepathically, directly asking, "Are there two celestial palaces? Are there also two Immortal Emperors?"
"Of course. Our master is the Xuyang Immortal Emperor, while the place we are heading to is under the domain of the Carefree Immortal Emperor," Xi Che replied. After saying this, he clearly did not wish to continue the conversation and moved forward to the entrance of the tent, staring intently at the road ahead, lost in thought.
Li Hong gazed at his back, feeling that what he had just heard was truly incomprehensible.
He had always heard that there was only one Immortal Emperor in the immortal realm; how could it sound like there were not only two Immortal Emperors but also two celestial palaces? Moreover, at first, Xi Che had shown great interest in him and even made subtle moves under the watchful eyes of those ten cultivators. But why did his expression change so drastically upon hearing that he was from Nine Li Sect? Could it be that Grandmaster Jilianzi's name was particularly renowned here?
It seemed he needed to extract more information from him. Li Hong thought for a moment and communicated telepathically, "Brother Xi Che, there is something very important to me that I want to ask. Is there someone named Chu Xi in your Xu Yang Immortal Palace? She ascended twenty years ago and looks... wait." Li Hong's Divine Consciousness probed into the Yin Yang Platform space and retrieved a portrait of Chu Xi to hand over.
This time, Xi Che did not refuse; he took it in his hand and examined it carefully. After a long while, he shook his head and said, "I am just an ordinary person living on the outskirts of the celestial palace; I am not allowed inside. However, you can ask about this when you meet the Immortal Emperor later. But even if she ascended here, she may not necessarily be in our Xu Yang Immortal Palace."
"Are you saying that those who ascend do not necessarily go to your place?"
"Yes. There is an Ascension Pool in Xu Yang Immortal Palace, but there is also one in Celestial Palace of Leisure. Those who ascend do not exclusively go to our Xu Yang Immortal Palace," Xi Che explained.
"I see," Li Hong mused, thinking about how his own ascension place was clearly a ruin. Could it have been a celestial palace long ago?
Indeed, Xi Che seemed to have thought of this as well and tentatively asked, "Where did you come from? Was it Desolate South Celestial Palace?"
"Not really; I think that place should be called Northern Desert Celestial Palace instead; it's clearly at the northernmost part of the immortal realm," Li Hong replied.
Xi Che was momentarily stunned; his expression changed dramatically again. Li Hong felt that the ten people behind him simultaneously reacted with a shift in their aura, clearly having understood what he said.
Li Hong was puzzled and did not know what was wrong with that place; he looked at Xi Che with questions in his mind.
Xi Che trembled as he spoke: "You and Brother Heavenly Torch both came from that ruin? How could you possibly be safe?!"
"What’s wrong?" Li Hong scratched his scalp, suddenly recalling those formless, shadowy creatures. Could they be nervous about such things?
"There are countless Chimeras over there; how could you two possibly escape! I don’t believe it," Xi Che shook his head repeatedly, clearly incredulous.
So that thing is called a Chimera. Li Hong decided to speak frankly, not avoiding the ten elongated ears behind him, and smiled, "Our Nine Li Sect excels in fire techniques. We did encounter some trouble when we came out, but as long as True Fire is ignited, those Chimeras will all flee with their tails between their legs."
"I see!" Xi Che's eyes lit up, and he couldn't help but praise, "Brother Li Hong, you two are really lucky! You should know that everyone here fears those creatures. One year, our Xu Yang Immortal Palace sent a caravan to the Celestial Palace of Leisure, and just encountering one resulted in the annihilation of thousands of people and horses, except for the palace guards. To this day, those desiccated corpses still lie in the Blood Sea, serving as a grim landmark stretching for miles. It's terrifying; you have no idea how gruesome their deaths were. I saw some on the way here. Fortunately, Chimeras mostly dwell in that wasteland and rarely wander into the Blood Sea, so we can feel somewhat at ease for now, as long as we stay alert."
"Is that so?"
The two began to chat casually. This time, Xi Che's words seemed directed at the ten guards from Xu Yang Immortal Palace. However, from his words, Li Hong gleaned some understanding of the situation in this "immortal realm."
There are four immortal palaces in this realm, located in the east, west, south, and north of the Blood Sea. The northern one has been destroyed; it is the vast ruin Li Hongfei saw when he ascended. The western one is Xu Yang Immortal Palace, the eastern one is Celestial Palace of Leisure, and there is also a Desolate South Celestial Palace to the south. Each palace has an Immortal Emperor and several immortals beneath them. Additionally, there are mortals living around each palace's periphery, like Xi Che and his daughter Xi He.
These four palaces are quite distant from each other, separated by barren land known as the Desert. Xu Yang Immortal Palace and Celestial Palace of Leisure travel every ten years; even riding these fast Azure Wind Antelopes takes five years for a round trip. Thus, the two palaces alternate their movements for unclear purposes—perhaps for communication or exchanging goods—though Xi Che was vague about it. Regardless of whether it’s Celestial Palace of Leisure in the east or Xu Yang Immortal Palace in the west, neither has any connection with Desolate South Celestial Palace to the south. According to Xi Che, he knows nothing about Desolate South Celestial Palace.
Li Hong had a feeling that Xi Che must know about Nine Li Sect and Grandmaster Jilianzi; however, whenever Seasoned Master was mentioned, Xi Che would become evasive and change the subject, clearly unwilling to discuss it.
After chatting for a while longer, Xi Che seemed disinterested in continuing the conversation and decided to let Heavenly Torch rest.
The tent fell silent.
Li Hong began meditating; in reality, he was consolidating all the information he had gathered and quietly reflecting.
This immortal realm is very different from what is said in the lower realms; this point was reaffirmed once again. However, the current question is: where exactly is Chu Xi? And where has Ling Yanzi ascended to? From what Xi Che implied, he was merely a mortal who could not enter an immortal palace and thus lacked knowledge about what was inside them. Whether Chu Xi and Ling Yanzi were in Xu Yang Immortal Palace remained uncertain. Nevertheless, so far Li Hong was quite satisfied with what he had learned; after all, he now had a general understanding and no longer felt completely lost as he did right after ascending.
After another two hours passed, Xi Che took out a timing device from his pocket, glanced at it, turned to Li Hong Tian Zhu and said: "We’ll stop here for today’s journey; we need to rest for four hours before moving on. Please feel free to make yourselves comfortable but do not wander too far since this area already belongs to Celestial Palace of Leisure. If you encounter anyone from there, it will be hard to explain."
Li Hong nodded and thanked Xi Che.
The long line of Azure Wind Antelopes came to a stop one after another, and the mortals jumped down from the Azure Wind Antelopes, starting to lay out blankets on the sand, build simple stoves, start fires for cooking, and even set up makeshift toilets with curtains, taking turns to deal with their urgent needs inside.
Li Hong and Heavenly Torch also jumped down from the Azure Wind Antelope, curiously observing these mortals living in the celestial realm.
Thousands of mortals, all young men and women, were healthy and clearly separated by strict rules; men were in one area and women in another, without even exchanging glances, each focused on their own tasks. In between was an empty space of about a mile.
At that moment, Li Hong's eyes lit up as he spotted the Tall Beauty, Xi Che's daughter Xi He. She was setting up a tent in the empty space while surrounded by ten other women.
Scanning with Divine Consciousness, it was clear that Xi He was an unadulterated mortal. However, those ten women were actually Demon Fairies, known in the lower realms as Beast Cultivators. Their true forms were quite Strange and hard to describe, but surprisingly, they all possessed cultivation at the Demon Infant Stage. Although this level was not weak, Li Hong could tell at a glance that these ten female Demon Fairies were hastily produced Demon Infants; their cultivation was mixed and impure. Aside from their beautiful human forms, they had little combat power.
Li Hong pretended to casually stroll to the back of the line where the Azure Wind Antelopes were tied together with ropes. The cargo they carried consisted of large bags of crop seeds in addition to supplies.
Li Hong had a feeling that if he guessed correctly, those thousands of young men and women, including those ten little Demon Fairies and these crop seeds, were gifts from Xu Yang Immortal Palace to Celestial Palace of Leisure. The exchange happened every ten years, likely an opportunity to trade mortal bloodlines for crop seeds. This indicated that both Celestial Palace of Leisure and Xu Yang Immortal Palace had long-term development visions.
Xi He had been paying close attention to Li Hong. Seeing him wandering aimlessly, she waved him over, and Li Hong walked over.
Xi He was cooking a small pot of soup. She bent down to scoop a bowl and handed it to Li Hong, then filled another bowl for Heavenly Torch.
Li Hong took a sip; it seemed to be some kind of plant root mixed with dried meat—bland and not very appealing. Looking at Heavenly Torch, it was clear he felt the same way.
Noticing their expressions, Xi He whispered, "The outer city of Xu Yang Immortal Palace is very short on salt, while outside Celestial Palace of Leisure there is a vast Salt Pond. So when we return, we will try to bring back as much salt as possible. It will be another ten years before we come again. Life here is not as leisurely as you imagine. Each of us has to work hard to survive; otherwise, we won't make it."
"Why not cultivate immortality?" Heavenly Torch blurted out.
Xi He glanced at the ten little Demon Fairies as if wary of them and replied softly, "Aside from the immortals in the palace, we mortals are not allowed to cultivate; at most we can exercise our bodies. Don't ask more; there are ears everywhere."
Li Hong smiled slightly and waved his hand to cast a Phantom Shadow Talisman, creating a small Restrictions space that enveloped an area of about ten feet.
At first, Xi He didn’t notice anything unusual. However, when she tried to take a bowl of soup to her father and approached the edge of the Restrictions space but found herself unable to pass through no matter what, she suddenly realized that Li Hong had done something. Turning around, her eyes sparkled as she looked at Li Hong.
Li Hong smiled and said, "The little magic we have from the lower realm isn't worth much. However, if Miss Xi He wants to chat, we are more than happy to accompany you."
Xi He turned and walked to the fire, crossing her long legs beneath her as she rested her chin on her hands, looking at Li Hong with envy. She softly asked, "Li Hong, can I call you Brother Li?"
"Sure," Li Hong replied nonchalantly.
"There are many legends about the Human Realm in our celestial realm. I've heard that the landscapes there are beautiful, and most importantly, there isn't such a vast desert where nothing grows. There is an abundance of food and many people. Even without cultivation, one can live to a hundred years old. Is that true?"
"Indeed, it is true," Li Hong chuckled.
"How wonderful! It's so much better than our celestial realm. People here rarely live past fifty. My father is already forty-one this year; by the time we return to Xuyang Celestial Palace City, he will be forty-three. That means he only has seven years left to live. If it were like your Human Realm, where one can live to a hundred, how great would that be?" Xi He gazed at the fire, her golden eyes sparkling with longing and concern.
Li Hong exchanged a glance with Heavenly Torch, feeling puzzled. Xi Che appeared to be in excellent health; how could he possibly not live past fifty?
"Miss Xi He, don't worry. From my perspective, your father is healthy and will definitely live a long life. You need not be concerned," Li Hong reassured her.
"You don't understand. Anyway, I envy your Human Realm; that's where people truly live. Here... here is actually hell," Xi He's expression suddenly turned serious as she seemed to carry a heavy heart, appearing much more mature in an instant.
Li Hong wanted to ask more when Xi He said, "My father is coming; he's looking for me. Brother Li, after you finish your magic, wait until everyone is sound asleep in three hours before you cast the barrier spell to wake me up. I have something very important to discuss with you and Brother Heavenly Torch."
Li Hong followed her gaze and indeed saw Xi Che walking toward them.
Li Hong put away the Phantom Shadow Talisman while Xi He hurriedly scooped a bowl of soup and walked over to her father.
Sitting by the fire, Li Hong pretended to drink from his bowl of soup while his Divine Consciousness had already reached out.
He heard Xi He hand the soup bowl to Xi Che and say, "Father, you've worked hard all day; eat something. You should rest well tonight; I'll keep watch."
"Alright," Xi Che replied as he looked at his daughter and slowly drank the soup, his eyes filled with affection.
He finished the soup, handed the empty bowl to his daughter, and quietly instructed, "The guards do not like to see you with those two. Do not go near them again; take someone to feed the Azure Wind Antelope."
"Okay, I understand," Xi He replied. She went over to inform Li Hong, cleaned up the pot and bowl, and indeed took someone to feed the Azure Wind Antelope.
Meanwhile, Xi Che made a gesture to Li Hong and Heavenly Torch by the fire pit, signaling them to rest, and immediately slipped into a large tent where ten Late Stage Nascent Soul Celestial Palace Guards were present.
He whispered, "Reporting to you, my lord, those two have shown no unusual behavior so far; they are quite well-behaved."
A deep voice responded, "You are doing well. Continue to extract information from them. Remember to ask clearly what rank their cultivation is in the lower realm and how much it has declined since coming to the celestial realm over these four years. Also, besides the Chimera, have they encountered anyone in the Blood Sea during these four years? The more details you gather, the better. Make sure to clarify everything by the time you reach the Celestial Palace of Leisure."
"Understood, my lord."
"You may go."
Xi Che stepped back out of the tent, appearing very respectful towards the ten individuals. Then he walked towards Li Hong Tian Zhu.
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