The Realm Gate of the Heavenly Realm
The Immortal Realm was divided into two parts: the Heavenly Realm and the Earthly Realm. Whether in the Heavenly Realm or the Earthly Realm, heavy barriers were set up around their perimeters, prohibiting entry and exit at will. Realm Gates were established between Heaven and Earth; regardless of an immortal’s rank, ordinary travel always passed through the Realm Gates, and even the Masters of the two realms were no exception.
The Master of the Earthly Realm usually resided in the Earthly Realm, so the immortals in the Heavenly Realm rarely got to see him. Ordinary low-ranking immortals had often been ascended to the Immortal Realm for several thousand years without ever laying eyes on him once. Therefore, upon learning that the Master of the Earthly Realm was coming, the Realm Gate of the Heavenly Realm soon became packed with a dense crowd of people.
Ye Miaomiao had arrived early and was currently standing in the very front row of the crowd. When the Master of the Earthly Realm arrived in a moment, he would naturally be able to see clearly and plainly. He had originally thought about saving a spot for Immortal Friend Shi Chu, but the other party had replied saying it was unnecessary; it seemed a figure like Immortal Friend Shi likely held no interest in such matters.
Just as he was thinking, he suddenly felt a light tap on his shoulder. Ye Miaomiao turned around and saw Tong Xue standing behind him, smiling brightly. Seeing him turn back, she pointed to the empty space beside him and asked, “Does Immortal Friend Ye have a friend coming?”
Ye Miaomiao hastily ushered Tong Xue over, saying, “No one is coming. Please feel free, Immortal Friend Tong.”
Standing in the front row, Tong Xue was clearly in an exceedingly good mood. She looked at Ye Miaomiao appreciatively and smiled, “Worthy of being the Master of the Earthly Realm—this fairy merely delayed for a short moment, and yet so many people have gathered. Fortunately, I have Immortal Friend Ye here.”
Ye Miaomiao hurriedly brushed it off, saying it was no trouble. After a brief thought, he couldn’t help asking, “May I ask Immortal Friend Tong, why are there so many fellow immortals coming?” Over the course of thousands of years in the Immortal Realm, the number of newly ascended immortals was at most a dozen or so. Even if, as previously heard, some immortals hadn’t seen the Master of the Earthly Realm once in several thousand years, there shouldn’t be this many people regardless.
Hearing this, Tong Xue couldn’t help but chuckle softly, “Naturally it’s because many immortals want to see him again even after having seen him! For example, this fairy.”
Ye Miaomiao was bewildered: “Ah?”
Seeing his reaction, Tong Xue couldn’t help but pat his shoulder affectionately and said, “No rush. Once you see the Master of the Earthly Realm, you’ll know why these fellows are like this.”
Ye Miaomiao suddenly realized: this Master of the Earthly Realm must possess an extraordinary grace that surpasses even heavenly beauty, otherwise how could he draw all these immortals to flock here like this?
“May I ask Immortal Friend Tong, when the Master of the Heavenly Realm comes, is everyone like this as well?”
He had thought Tong Xue would give an affirmative answer, but to his surprise, Tong Xue waved her hand and said, “That is not the case at all. You don’t understand; once the Master of the Earthly Realm arrives in a moment, you will know.”
Since that was the case, Ye Miaomiao naturally asked no more, turning instead to join the other immortals in quietly waiting for the Master of the Earthly Realm’s arrival.
After another period, a sudden change occurred at the Realm Gate of the Heavenly Realm. Unusually excited, Tong Xue reached out, grabbed Ye Miaomiao’s arm, and gave it a shake: “Look closely, he’s coming!”
Ye Miaomiao hurriedly focused his gaze on the Realm Gate, only to see air currents surging wildly at the gate. Mysterious dark light coalesced at the very center of the Realm Gate, after which the dark light gradually expanded until it finally seemed to open a massive, ink-black door right at the Realm Gate.
Ye Miaomiao blinked lightly. When he looked again, he saw only a single corner of a robe emerging from outside the massive ink-black door. A tall figure was already standing before the massive door at an unknown moment. That figure lightly raised a hand, and the massive ink-black door behind him shrank in an instant, vanishing without a trace.
Seeing this, the surrounding immortals couldn’t help but let out exclamations of admiration. Before Ye Miaomiao could even ask, Tong Xue beside him was already murmuring in awe, “Worthy of being the Master of the Earthly Realm—forcing open the Realm Gate as easily as brushing away a feather!”
Forcing open the Realm Gate? Hearing this, Ye Miaomiao couldn’t help looking back at that tall, slender dark figure standing by the Realm Gate. So this was the Master of the Earthly Realm!
Speaking of this Master of the Earthly Realm, he had a tall, upright, and imposing stature, wearing a dark black outfit for combat. Around his waist was bound a palm-wide belt patterned with dark gold lines, and a head of ink-black hair hung tied behind him. Standing with his hands behind his back, his figure was fierce and sharp. He didn’t possess even half a fraction of the typical immortal grace and otherworldly poise common in the Immortal Realm; instead, he was filled with an aura of conquest and slaughter all over, like a God of War descending upon the world!
Ye Miaomiao felt a chill in his heart as he watched, instinctively pulling back his gaze. Just as he was about to speak to Tong Xue, the immortals burst into another clamor. Tong Xue tightened her grip on his arm and said, “Haven’t you yet to see the Master of the Heavenly Realm either? What are you doing hanging your head?”
Hearing this, Ye Miaomiao hastily raised his head to look, only to see a dazzling white light swooping from afar to near, landing precisely one step away from the Master of the Earthly Realm. The white light receded to reveal a moon-white figure. The newcomer wore a loose immortal robe, with silver-white hair flowing freely. His face was like refined jade, his eyebrows like distant mountains, and the corners of his lips were slightly raised, bearing an extraordinarily good-natured demeanor—this was the Master of the Heavenly Realm.
The Master of the Heavenly Realm—Tian Qian—looked at his friend before him, who was radiating an aura of slaughter all over. He couldn’t help but scowl his handsome brows in distaste, stepping forward to ask, “Where have you been, that you look like a tragic creditor who is owed millions but can’t collect the debt?”
The surrounding spectator immortals: “…” Worthy of being the Master of the Heavenly Realm—look at this wondrous talent for expression!
Hearing this, the dark-robed Master of the Earthly Realm merely gave the Master of the Heavenly Realm a faint glance. Suddenly curving one side of his lips, he sneered coldly, “With you acting like such a playboy, have you actually forgotten that you were the one who owed that debt?”
His handsome face had originally been cold, stern, and filled with slaughter, making one daren’t look closely at the handsomeness behind that cold sternness. Now, curving his lips into a shallow smile, even though the smile was cold, it nevertheless caused that aura of slaughter to recede slightly. The surrounding immortals finally gathered the courage to look directly at his face.
A commotion broke out among the surrounding immortals. Immortals from behind finally couldn’t hold back and tried to squeeze toward the front; some immortals clutched their chests, pretending to faint; the bolder ones even attempted to step forward to strike up a conversation. The scene briefly fell into complete chaos.
The Master of the Earthly Realm remained entirely unmoved. In contrast, the Master of the Heavenly Realm laughed helplessly and propped his forehead, scanning the area before scolding with a smile, “How come when you all see me on ordinary days, you aren’t like this? Where is this Master inferior to this cold-faced black guy!”
The moment these words were spoken, all the surrounding immortals couldn’t resist chuckling softly. Someone who was more familiar with the Master of the Heavenly Realm called out loudly in reply, “We reside long-term in the Heavenly Realm and see the Realm Master wandering about all over the Heavenly Realm every day. If we still acted like bumpkins who haven’t seen the world, wouldn’t that be hypocritical? The Master of the Earthly Realm hasn’t returned to the Heavenly Realm for a long time. Such a rare opportunity—we naturally must warmly welcome him!”
Hearing this, the Master of the Heavenly Realm glanced sideways toward the crowd, then waved his hand helplessly toward a certain spot, saying, “Bai Zhu, don’t fool me. I might believe others see him rarely, but how could you see him rarely?”
Standing at the spot he pointed to was an immortal dressed in blue robes with ink-black hair. His entire body surged with rich immortal power, indicating his rank was certainly not low.
Ye Miaomiao listened with confusion and turned to ask Tong Xue beside him. Tong Xue chuckled softly and said to him, “Apart from your daily duties, you should also learn more about the affairs of the Immortal Realm! This Immortal Bai Zhu is a Ninth-Grade Immortal Official. On ordinary days, he is responsible for communications between the Heavenly Realm and the Earthly Realm, traveling between the two realms frequently. Naturally, he wouldn’t be like us, who haven’t seen the Master of the Earthly Realm for a long time.”
Ye Miaomiao understood, but then felt confused again: “If that’s the case, why is Immortal Bai Zhu also here?”
He had originally thought that perhaps because the Master of the Earthly Realm was visiting, high-ranking immortal officials needed to welcome him. However, that wasn’t the case. Tong Xue refuted this idea, patted his arm again, and said, “Calm your nerves. In a moment, you will know.”
Ye Miaomiao: “?”
Just as he was filled with doubts, colorful clouds of aurora light unexpectedly flooded the horizon at an unknown moment. In the next instant, the eyes of all the immortals present fell collectively onto that spot, with even the two Realm Masters being no exception.
The seven-colored aurora light swept from afar to near, passing over the heads of the immortals and imprinting everything in seven-colored brilliance. Soon after, a magnificent immortal carriage slowly approached, stepping upon the clouds of aurora.
With just a single glance, Ye Miaomiao couldn’t help marveling repeatedly in his heart. Though he had only recently entered the Immortal Realm, his eye for detail was quite good; he immediately recognized that this immortal carriage was carved from supreme-grade Heavenly Jade.
What was supreme-grade Heavenly Jade? In the Heavenly Realm, there was an immortal pool called the Heavenly Jade Pool. Inside the Heavenly Jade Pool was a spring eye, which served as the source of all rivers, lakes, and seas in this world. The world’s water originated from Heavenly Jade, flowing through the rivers of the Immortal Realm and entering the lakes and seas of the mortal realm. Heavenly Jade came from the Heavenly Jade Pool; it contained the purest immortal qi within, which was of immense benefit to immortals. Furthermore, the yield of Heavenly Jade was scarce, and supreme-grade Heavenly Jade was extraordinarily rare. For ordinary immortals, obtaining a single piece to add a tiny fraction when refining an immortal artifact was already extremely luxurious; now someone had actually used it to craft a carriage? It was truly mind-boggling!
Looking again at the immortal beast pulling the carriage out front, it had six legs and four wings, its body covered in fiery red plumage, yet no mouth, ears, eyes, or face could be seen on its head—it was undoubtedly the immortal beast Dijiang!
Ye Miaomiao felt anxious in his heart and couldn’t help asking Tong Xue beside him, “This humble immortal once heard that the Dijiang is the mount of the Master of the Heavenly Realm. Who is inside this immortal carriage now?”
Tong Xue: “You certainly have good eyes. This immortal carriage and this immortal beast originally belonged to the Master of the Heavenly Realm indeed. It’s just that a few days ago, someone asked him for them, so he gifted them away.”
Ye Miaomiao was startled, just about to ask who could possibly possess such honor and distinction. But before he could open his mouth, Tong Xue lowered her voice and whispered, “No need to ask. Half the people here came for this personage, and that Immortal Official Bai Zhu is no different. You’ll know in a moment.”
Just as her voice fell, the immortal beast Dijiang descended from among the seven-colored clouds, let out a low growl toward the Master of the Heavenly Realm, and then gathered the four wings on its back to stand firmly in place. The surroundings instantly fell dead silent. Under the gaze of all the immortals, the doors at the front of the immortal carriage slowly opened, after which a figure emerged from inside the vehicle.
The moment that figure was seen, the surrounding silence was shattered in an instant. An immortal called out loudly: “Little Young Master!” Soon after, as if a seal had been broken, calls began to rise one after another, creating an extraordinarily clamorous scene all at once!
Ye Miaomiao snapped back to reality amidst the calls of the immortals—this person was actually that Little Young Master of the Immortal Realm! Soon after, he recalled the single golden rule he had firmly engraved in his mind on his very first day in the Immortal Realm—The Little Young Master is noble and precious!
The noble and precious Little Young Master of the Immortal Realm was dressed in light, ethereal moon-white immortal robes. A white waist sash was bound around his waist, upon which gold hidden patterns were vaguely visible. With his every move, seven-colored auspicious light flowed endlessly around his body. A head of long golden hair was bound high; when he turned his head to look over, a pair of pale gold eyes sparkled with flowing brilliance, captivating the soul!
Ye Miaomiao was dazed as he watched, only coming back to his senses when a burst of pain came from his arm. He blinked lightly, and in the next instant, the back of his head was pressed down, forcing him to bow his head.
Ye Miaomiao: “?”
Tong Xue said helplessly, “The Heavenly Realm’s rule—The Little Young Master is noble and precious—did you actually forget? Staring straight at him like that, are you trying to ruin your immortal path completely?!”
Ye Miaomiao was startled in his heart: “What does Immortal Friend Tong mean?”
Tong Xue said, “It is understandable that you didn’t know, having just entered the Immortal Realm and encountering such a situation. The one you were staring straight at just now is the Little Young Master. Do you still remember that one golden rule of the Immortal Realm? If you see him, you must not look directly at his face, must not touch his body, must not defy his intent; if he issues an order, you must comply with everything, and must not desecrate or slight him in the least… Whether you remembered it before or not, after today, you must firmly engrave it in your mind!”
Ye Miaomiao felt a chill in his heart and hurriedly agreed: “Thank you, Immortal Friend Tong! This humble immortal will keep it in mind!”
Seeing him so receptive to instruction, Tong Xue nodded with satisfaction and said, “It’s not that people aren’t allowed to look at all, but the Young Master possesses divine beauty. With your current cultivation and rank being insufficient, looking directly like that is of no benefit to your immortal path.” Saying it was of no benefit to his immortal path was already a restrained phrasing out of fear of scaring a newcomer; staring straight like Ye Miaomiao did earlier could easily ruin one’s immortal path completely if one wasn’t careful.
Ye Miaomiao realized, and thus dared not raise his head again. Lowering his head, averting his eyes, and cupping his hands, he thanked her: “So that was why. Thank you, Immortal Friend Tong, for your assistance!”
Seeing him like this, Tong Xue couldn’t resist chuckling lightly again: “There’s no need to be quite like this either. Just don’t look directly at his face; it’s fine for you to raise your head now.”
Ye Miaomiao hesitated in his heart. However, having only taken a single glance earlier, he was naturally curious. After a moment of hesitation, he still raised his head.
He saw that the Little Young Master had stepped down from the immortal carriage at an unknown moment and was looking intently toward a certain spot. Standing at this angle, Ye Miaomiao’s side could only see his profile, so looking for a while longer wouldn’t hurt.
As for whom the Little Young Master was looking at? Where his gaze fell, apart from the Master of the Earthly Realm, there was no one else…