Yun Heng followed the Jade Emperor on an inspection tour of the entire immortal realm. He didn’t remember many of the Immortals, but he became quite familiar with their mounts and divine beasts.
There were indeed Immortals who, hoping to curry favor with the Jade Emperor, were willing to offer their own mounts to the crown prince. However, Yun Heng was not willing to accept just any mount; in fact, he refused them all.
Those Immortals assumed that the Jade Emperor’s son, having seen all manner of Rare Birds and Strange Beasts in the Heavenly Court, would look down on ordinary offerings.
Nezha, however, felt differently. Seizing an opportunity, he asked Yun Heng, “Your Highness, don’t you love little animals the most? The mounts they offered you, though not as rare as the Mo Qilin, are still considered uncommon divine beasts. Why did you refuse them?”
Yun Heng pouted, looking somewhat displeased. “I just don’t want them.”
He was not a willful child and rarely showed such a petulant expression. Nezha grew even more curious. Chewing on a blade of grass, he crouched in front of Yun Heng. “Tell your brother Nezha, why don’t you want them?”
Yun Heng replied, “They’re not giving the mounts to me.”
“Then who are they giving them to?”
“To my Father Emperor.”
“…”
He was innocent and did not understand flattery, but he was perceptive. He could sense whether someone genuinely wanted to give him a gift or was merely trying to please his father.
Although he loved little animals, the Heavenly Court was not lacking in such creatures. The Immortals’ guess was not entirely wrong—ordinary offerings could not bribe this little crown prince.
After concluding the inspection of the immortal realm, the Jade Emperor proceeded to tour the mortal realm.
This was what Yun Heng had been looking forward to the most. His secret reason for sneaking out was to taste the delicacies of the mortal world.
The Jade Emperor’s tour of the mortal realm aimed to personally observe the conditions of various regions, rewarding the virtuous and punishing the wicked based on the conduct of all living beings.
The mortal realm was vast, and he could not visit every corner. Instead, he stood atop the clouds, overlooking the four great continents.
Although they did not actually descend to the mortal realm but merely gazed down from the clouds, this was Yun Heng’s first glimpse of the mortal world’s scenery, which was vastly different from the Heavenly Court.
The little one found everything new and exciting, constantly asking questions of those around him.
“Does the mortal realm have no clouds or mist?”
Zhang Daoling, the foremost of the Four Heavenly Masters, patiently explained, “Clouds and mist form a barrier between the Heavenly Court and the mortal realm. The clouds we see are beneath our feet, while they see them in the sky.”
“Your Highness, look over there. That is the eastern seashore, that is the Western Continent of Cattle-gift, that is Lingshan, where Rulai Fozu resides, and that is where we are about to go.”
Yun Heng focused his gaze. “Isn’t that a mountain?”
“It is a mountain, named Mount Tai. At its summit stands a Jade Emperor Pavilion, primarily dedicated to His Majesty the Jade Emperor, hence the name Jade Emperor Peak.”
Not long after, the Nine-Dragon Imperial Carriage descended upon the summit of Mount Tai. The little one curiously looked around. The mountains of the mortal realm were indeed different from those of the Heavenly Court—the flowers, plants, trees, and the animals inhabiting them were all distinct.
However, the mortals halfway up the mountain looked quite similar to the Immortals, with two arms and two legs. The mortal children, like him, a child of the heavens, were small in stature, carried or held by adults when walking.
Unfortunately, the Immortals’ abodes were protected by barriers, preventing mortals from easily intruding, and he could not interact with them either.
Upon the Jade Emperor’s arrival at Mount Tai, Huang Feihu, the Great Emperor Dongyue, ruler of the Five Sacred Mountains, led a group of mountain deities to welcome him.
Yun Heng stood beside Nezha, looking up at the Great Emperor Dongyue. He saw a middle-aged general with a beard, clad in armor and holding a uniquely shaped long spear.
He tugged at Nezha's Hun Tian Ling and whispered, "Brother Nezha, what is he holding in his hand?"
"The Golden Zuan Ti Lu Spear, his weapon."
Yun Heng asked again, "Is he very powerful?"
Nezha neither confirmed nor denied it: "Not as powerful as his son."
Yun Heng glanced around, "Which one is his son?"
Nezha said, "His son is the Mountain God Bingling Gong, also my senior brother from the same sect but under a different master. He's not here."
Yun Heng turned his gaze back and asked a sharp question, "Then… who is more powerful, his son or you?"
Nezha slung his Fire-Tipped Spear over his shoulder, "Do you even need to ask? Of course, I'm more powerful!"
"Really?"
"Really!!"
Yun Heng lifted his chin, "But you're still not as powerful as my cousin."
"…"
Nezha snorted through his nose and turned his head away, ignoring him.
Yun Heng circled around him halfway and tugged at his Hun Tian Ling again, "Brother Nezha, Brother Nezha…"
Nezha pulled back his Hun Tian Ling, "Go, go find your cousin!"
"Ah!" Yun Heng hugged his leg tightly, "Don't be angry, don't be angry. Besides my cousin, you're the most powerful!"
"…"
Yun Heng looked up, "I have another question."
"Ask."
"Does this Great Emperor Dongyue have a mount?"
"!!!"
Not long after.
Nezha sat on a jagged rock at the edge of the cliff, watching Yun Heng continuously feed grass to the Five-Colored Divine Ox while muttering, "Your colors are so beautiful, like a rainbow in the sky."
"…"
"Who runs faster, you or Mo Qilin?"
"…"
"Come on, open your mouth, have another bite."
"…"
The Five-Colored Divine Ox turned its head away, truly unable to eat any more.
Nezha looked at Yun Heng, "You wouldn't… want to take it back to the Heavenly Court too, would you?"
"I want to bring lots and lots of mounts back to the Heavenly Court, so I can ride a different one every day when I go out."
Nezha stared at him in shock, "You think quite beautifully."
Yun Heng suddenly said, "I also want to eat mung bean cake."
The topic shifted so quickly that Nezha didn't react immediately, "Eat what?"
"Mung bean cake, the one Xiaotian Quan ate last time."
Nezha looked around, "In this desolate wilderness, where am I supposed to find mung bean cake for you?"
Yun Heng pouted, "You all said it's food from the mortal realm, but I'm already in the mortal realm and still can't eat it."
Nezha looked at him. The little one's eyes were brimming with grievance, his pitiful appearance tugging at one's heartstrings.
"You're not going to cry, are you!"
As soon as he spoke, a tear immediately fell from Yun Heng's beautiful big eyes, "I want to eat…"
The Third Prince Nezha, with his vast magical powers, could certainly manage to get the child a taste of some snacks, "Well, let me think of a way."
He glanced down the mountainside, picked up Yun Heng, and activated his Wind-Fire Wheels, "Let's go!"
Just as he was about to leap into the air, someone firmly pressed down on his shoulder with considerable force.
Nezha and Yun Heng turned around simultaneously to see Li Jing's gloomy face.
Li Jing glanced at Yun Heng, then looked at Nezha, "Where are you going?"
"We're going to…" Nezha quickly covered the little one's mouth, "Nowhere, just looking around."
Li Jing clearly did not believe his "just looking around" excuse and shot him a warning glare: "His Majesty is about to depart for the underworld and wants you to bring the Crown Prince along."
"Ah!" Yun Heng sighed like a little adult. "My butt got spanked for nothing."
Nezha: "…"
Li Jing: "…"
Mount Tai served as the underworld, and the responsibility of the Great Emperor of the East, Huang Feihu, was to oversee the fortunes and misfortunes of heaven, earth, and the mortal realm, as well as to govern the eighteen levels of hell in the netherworld.
During this Tour of the Three Realms, aside from the immortal realm and the mortal world, the underworld was also a crucial destination.
Along the journey, Yun Heng had visited various parts of the immortal realm, gazed down from the clouds to observe the myriad scenes of mortal life, and was now about to enter the netherworld. He felt a thrill of excitement, tugging at Nezha and asking incessantly: "What's in the underworld?"
"Ghosts."
"Ghosts?" Yun Heng had never heard this word before. "What are they?"
"When people die, they turn into ghosts."
The Daluo Heaven where Yun Heng resided was the location of the Heavenly Court. The Immortals living there were immortal and indestructible, so he had never heard the word "death" either.
"Can they be used as mounts?"
"No."
As they spoke, they had already crossed the boundary between yin and yang and set foot on the territory of the netherworld.
This place was under the jurisdiction of the Great Emperor of the East, Huang Feihu, who accompanied the Jade Emperor throughout, guiding the way while reporting on celestial duties.
Both the Heavenly Court and the mortal realm experienced the alternation of day and night—sunlight during the day and a starry sky at night. Yet, whether day or night, one could always feel the vastness of heaven and earth.
However, upon entering the netherworld, a chilling wind blew incessantly, and dark mist filled the air, creating an exceptionally eerie and terrifying atmosphere.
Not to mention a child, even Immortals would feel somewhat uneasy in such a place.
Nezha thought Yun Heng would be frightened and intended to pick him up. But when he looked down, the little one showed not a trace of fear; instead, he was brimming with curiosity, looking around here and there.
As the Jade Emperor had come to inspect the work, the wandering spirits along the way had long been cleared away. Not a single ghost could be seen; Yun Heng hadn’t even caught a glimpse of a ghostly shadow along the journey.
Passing through the Ghost Gate and crossing the Yellow Spring Road, they arrived at the Hall of the King of Hell, where the ten kings of hell awaited the imperial visit, ready to report on underworld affairs to the Jade Emperor.
While the Jade Emperor attended to celestial duties, Yun Heng curiously looked around. He noticed a desk placed to one side of the hall, behind which sat a person holding a brush, writing something.
Yun Heng ran over, stood on tiptoe, leaned against the edge of the desk, and peered over. He saw a booklet spread open on the desk, densely filled with characters. Unfortunately, he couldn’t read, so he didn’t recognize a single one. The person behind the desk lifted the brush and made a stroke on it.
Yun Heng pointed to one spot: "Here, you haven’t crossed this one out yet, but you already moved to the next."
The Judge heard the voice and looked up to see a child standing before him, with bright eyes and pearly teeth, as delicate as carved jade, who was also looking up to examine him.
Occasionally, the souls of prematurely deceased children appeared in the netherworld, but one as exquisitely beautiful as this had never been seen before.
Knowing this was the Jade Emperor’s Crown Prince, the Judge dared not be negligent and patiently explained: "This person’s allotted lifespan is not yet exhausted, so it cannot be crossed out."
Yun Heng asked again: "What is this?"
"This is the Book of Life and Death, which records the names of all people in the world, including their lifespan limits, birth dates, and life events. When their lifespan limit arrives, their names will be crossed out, and soul collectors will bring their spirits back to the underworld, where they will be judged and then reincarnated."
He spoke such a long passage, but Yun Heng didn’t understand most of it. He only grasped one point—the book contained everyone’s names, so he curiously asked: "Then does it have Father Emperor and Mother Empress’s names? What is written about them? Read it to me."