Chapter 21 Two Gods, Immortal and Mortal, Ascend the Stage Together; Perhaps No One in the World Can Compare to Her…

Mingying raised her palm upwards, and the heavenly fire rose slowly, like the rising sun. The rocks above crumbled layer by layer, golden flames burned the dark sky, starlight poured down, and spiritual energy was as abundant as the Milky Way flowing backwards, separating cultivators from mortals.

The roles of the whip-wielder and the trapped were reversed once again. The guards had already scattered like birds and beasts, and the angry cultivators counterattacked them. Xiao Jingze reached out and summoned back the golden ring rope, binding everyone together, regardless of how fast or slow they ran, barely managing to bring the chaotic scene under control.

Shen Yichuan reached out and removed his mask, looking up at the cultivators surrounding him. He smiled self-deprecatingly, his eyes devoid of any regret. He had spent his life striving and scheming, filled with resentment and unwillingness, never looking back.

Lin Qin appeared before him like a ghost, about to strike him dead, when Shen Zhiyi flipped and landed between them, stopping her, saying, "Grandma Lin, stop!"

Lin Qin withdrew her stance, her eyes turning icy: "Is the Shen family going to cover for each other?"

Shen Zhiyi stood among the cultivators, outnumbered and outmatched, yet showed no sign of backing down: "I know you all have many complaints, and the Shen family will certainly give you an explanation for this matter. However, the matter of Immortal Fengshui has not yet been fully investigated, and it cannot die now."

The sword cultivator looked at him with disdain: "This person has already confessed that Shen Xiyun tacitly approved of this! The entire Shen family is a bunch of scoundrels, so why are you pretending to be innocent!"

Shen Zhiyi stood motionless in front of Shen Yichuan, saying, "If that were true, why would I be stuck here? Based on his words alone, it is impossible to determine whether the Shen family was responsible. We will invite everyone to participate in the interrogation at the execution ground."

Shen Yichuan stared at her retreating figure, then chuckled, his hand on his forehead. Everyone looked at him in surprise. Chu Tianxiao's lips twitched. Had this guy gone mad from the shock?

Shen Yichuan smiled until tears welled up in his eyes: "Zhiyi, don't you believe me? This matter was indeed approved by the old lady."

Shen Zhiyi didn't turn around: "Why would Grandmother choose you? You can't make a decision on your own without evidence."

Shen Yichuan glanced at the cultivators with their various expressions, his gaze flickered slightly, and he put his hands behind his back and remained silent.

A cultivator shouted, his body suddenly swelling up from his previous skeletal frame. He patted his chest and pointed at her, saying, "Why waste words! This person should be handed over to us. Surely so many of us can't defeat a Foundation Establishment cultivator?"

"Please wait a moment."

Mingying rubbed her head and walked to the center, asking everyone in a calm tone: "Since the old lady is involved, simply dealing with this person will not solve the problem. This matter also concerns the spiritual veins, so it should be reported to the palace for joint review by all five parties. What do you all think?"

After a moment of silence, the cultivators all looked at the heavenly fire floating beside her. Chu Tianxiao looked left and right. A group of cultivators were actually intimidated by a mortal. The scene was really bizarre. This was like a phoenix in distress, while its chickens and dogs ascended to heaven.

Seeing that the cultivators were cooperating and the mortals were trapped by Xiao Jingze, and that the situation was relatively under control, Mingying breathed a sigh of relief and slightly curved her eyes: "Then..."

A gentle breeze brushed her face, snowflakes landed on the tip of her pen, Mingying sneezed softly, Lin Qin looked up in surprise and quickly backed away, Xiao Jingze's expression changed, and he threw the Myriad Images Return to Nothingness towards the center: "Mingying!"

Mingying turned her head, her hair fluttering in the air. The myriad phenomena of the Void tore through space, trying to swallow her up. At the same time, the starlight suddenly dimmed a bit, and blue-green light spots converged in the air. A slender hand grasped her, as if holding a small bird and lifting her into the air. Gradually, a smiling face of a beautiful woman appeared on the horizon.

The Immortal Venerable's Dharma Body descended, like a jade mountain about to collapse, carrying an overwhelming pressure that covered all things. Cultivators were knocked to the ground by the spiritual energy, and the heavenly fire was blocked outside. Mingying met her indifferent eyes and felt as if the blood in her body had frozen.

Song Xijia pinched her and examined her closely: "You are the little goddess Qingyi prophesied about? I didn't expect the Heavenly Fire to be with you. Huai'an's things are naturally mine, so I can only apologize to Qingyi."

As soon as she finished speaking, she tried to crush her with her palms, but a protective rune appeared between Mingying's brows, instantly dispersing the hands that were binding her. At that moment, the Void of All Things opened, and she fell backward into it, her figure disappearing into the realm.

Song Xijia reassembled a hand, neither annoyed nor angry: "Possessing a protective array... Mingqi has indeed managed to produce something."

She turned her eyes to the side: "All things return to nothingness, are you Qingyi's junior?"

Xiao Jingze withdrew the Myriad Things Return to Nothingness, his heart filled with turmoil. Mingying was just a moment away from dying on the spot!

He concealed the anger in his eyes and replied calmly, "It is indeed I. May I ask why the Immortal Venerable is meddling in mortal affairs?"

Song Xijia had only asked casually, and was about to reach out and crush him as well, but the light spot was dispersed by spiritual power. She looked to the side unhappily: "I'm here to take what's mine. Shen Xiyun, you can't control the Heavenly Fire, so why don't you return it to me?"

Shen Xiyun floated in the air, her expression unreadable: "Back then, the sage perished, and the heavenly fire was given to the Shen family. What makes the Immortal Venerable's words?"

Song Xijia smiled contemptuously: "Belonging to the Shen family? How laughable. In less than a hundred years, the Heavenly Flame has changed hands three times, and you even went so far as to dig up spiritual veins to nourish it. The glory you gained from Huai'an in the Shen family comes to an end here!"

Shen Zhiyi stared blankly upwards: "...Grandmother?"

For so many years, Shen Xiyun neither listened nor looked, leaving the matter to "Fengshui Immortal." Who knew that Shen Yichuan would be so stubborn, leading to a falling out between the siblings, and Zhiyi being trapped underground because of her.

She closed her eyes: "In the end, I was wrong. But now that the Heavenly Fire has found its home, why must the Immortal Venerable create more bloodshed?"

Song Xijia coldly swept his gaze across the crowd below: "I don't care about what you do, but I am determined to obtain the Heavenly Fire. Shen Xiyun, if you really think so, then hand over that little goddess to me."

Shen Xiyun shook her head, her spiritual power surging, her voice booming: "If it were just Heavenly Fire, the Shen family would have given it to me. But now it has recognized its master, and our lives are intertwined. I should atone for my sins with my life, but now I can only risk my old bones—to fight against the Immortal Venerable!"

Chu Tianxiao had never seen such a scene since birth. He looked up at the dark clouds obscuring the moon and the fierce wind, his heart surging with excitement. He thought it was going to be a fierce battle that would last all night. But the Immortal Venerable simply stretched out his palm and struck out, and Shen Xiyun knelt on one knee and spat out blood.

He retreated in disbelief, his heart filled with trepidation. Madam Shen was one of the few Mahayana cultivators. Even without the presence of the Immortal Venerable, her Dharma Body alone possessed such power. If she wanted to kill someone, there was probably no one in the world who could fight her!

Song Xijia looked down at her: "Shen Xiyun, you're getting old too."

Just as she was about to strike again, a clear, cold voice came from behind her: "Immortal Venerable, please wait."

Xiao Qingyi arrived on the wind, her robes motionless. She bowed respectfully and said, "Immortal Venerable, Mingying's lifespan is only ten years, which is but a fleeting moment to you. What harm is there in waiting?"

"Wait a minute?" Song Xijia narrowed her eyes. "Didn't Qingyi say she could ascend to the Xuanji Palace? If I were to take it today, what would you do then?"

Xiao Qingyi's expression remained unchanged: "If Mingying dies today, the variables will be eliminated, and the dust will settle. Wouldn't the Immortal Venerable lose a lot of fun? It's better to wait and see."

The Dharma Body stared at her expressionlessly: "Is Qingyi begging me?"

Xiao Qingyi's expression was cold and solemn: "I beg the Immortal Venerable."

Song Xijia suddenly burst into laughter, shaking the heavens and earth. She slowly stopped laughing: "I'm really curious, what's so special about that little goddess?"

"Hasn't the Immortal Venerable already met her?"

Song Xijia shifted her gaze downwards: "So it was you who summoned Qingyi. Release her so I can see her."

Xiao Jingze lowered his eyes and bowed: "Immortal Venerable, the opening of the Myriad Manifestations Return to the Void has limitations, and I'm afraid it cannot be opened again today."

Song Xijia gave a cold laugh: "Qingyi, open it."

"Immortal Venerable, the Myriad Things Return to Nothingness has recognized its master."

Song Xijia looked at her again: "When did your Wanxiang Guixu actually recognize a master? Mingqi and Shen Xiyun are both protecting their own granddaughter. What is your Xiao family protecting? I'm getting more and more curious, but unfortunately my patience is limited, Qingyi."

Xiao Qingyi remained silent for a moment, then turned her head and said, "Take it out."

Xiao Jingze met her gaze. Xiao Qingyi's expression remained calm and composed. He paused, holding the golden ring, which then transformed into a cauldron. In the end, he handed over the Myriad Manifestations Return to Nothingness.

The Immortal Venerable's Dharma Body coldly watched the two's actions. Xiao Qingyi raised her hand and injected spiritual power until the Myriad Manifestations Return to Nothingness forcibly opened a crack. Xiao Jingze spat out a mouthful of blood and secretly clenched his fist.

He wiped his lips and said, "Please wait a moment, both of you."

Xiao Jingze knew that something must have happened to Mingying, but when he saw her lying in the darkness, her face pale and her eyes closed, just like the scene in Liuzhou, his heart sank.

He crouched down and picked her up, his eyes dark and brooding: "I've always lived life on my own terms and rarely encountered anything I couldn't control. How come every single one of these things is related to you? It seems we're just not compatible."

He continued speaking to himself, then, thinking of the eight-character prophecy on the marriage certificate, he curled his lips into a smile: "However, this matter is not up to me. We should just live happily ever after."

Xiao Jingze stepped out of the void. Song Xijia looked at the person in his arms, who looked weak and exhausted, and didn't seem like he would live much longer.

She commented calmly, "Qingyi, she's dying."

Xiao Qingyi looked at her calmly: "The heavens have their rules, and immortals are separated. Immortal Venerable, you should return your Dharma body to the Xuanji Palace."

Song Xijia waved her hand, channeling spiritual energy into Mingying. Her Dharma body instantly dissipated, and snowflakes drifted onto Xiao Qingyi. Her gaze shifted to the runes on Mingying's forehead. Xiao Jingze hugged Mingying even tighter: "Imperial Preceptor, she is now..."

Xiao Qingyi waved her hand: "She is still alive. This matter should be left to the Ming family to resolve."

She stopped explaining and turned to Shen Xiyun, saying, "Shen Xiyun, you still need to give an explanation regarding the spiritual vein."

Shen Xiyun stood up unsteadily, bowed to the Imperial Preceptor, and then bowed deeply to everyone.

Severely wounded and at her last gasp, she said, “The Shen family has stood in Huaijiang for over three hundred years. Our ancestors poured their hearts and souls into building Huaijiang into what it is today. The Shen family’s century-old reputation and merits should not be ruined in my hands… This time, I acted foolishly and have let everyone down. The Shen family was truly unaware of this. Shen Zhiyi is an upright and honest person, capable of shouldering the heavy responsibility of the Shen family. I will pass the imperial seal to her, and I believe she will not sever the century-old foundation of Huaijiang.”

Shen Zhiyi shed tears, and Shen Xiyun looked behind her again: "It is my fault as his grandmother for neglecting his upbringing and leading him astray. I know that this matter cannot be resolved peacefully. It all started because of me. I beg the Imperial Preceptor to spare his life."

Xiao Qingyi did not nod, but said, "You can say these things during the Five Parties Joint Trial. I have already sent out the message, and the palace will send someone to come."

Xiao Jingze sat down on the ground with Mingying in his arms, drew a talisman on her face with his blood, waited a while, then took out a handkerchief to wipe her face and gently brushed her lower lip: "I really don't know how you could bring yourself to do that."

He looked at her pale face, and the smile on his face slowly disappeared. He lowered his eyes and said, "It is really not easy for a body like yours to last so long. Although you are known as a goddess, no one cares about you. The Immortal Venerable can kill you if he wants to. The Imperial Preceptor has a lot of things ahead of you. Your maternal grandmother can hardly protect herself. Your grandfather is wasting his days in the cave. You see, the Ming family doesn't even know how you are now."

His blood wouldn't work, but maybe her cousins' blood would. Xiao Jingze put away the handkerchief, picked her up, and stood up. The Imperial Advisor walked over and said, "I'll take you to Yunchuan."

Xiao Jingze didn't care about the outcome of Shen's handling of the matter, but thinking that someone would definitely ask when they woke up, he inquired, "How is the old lady?"

Xiao Qingyi said calmly, "My life is coming to an end."

She raised her hand, and with a hidden power within her sleeve, she took the two of them away. Chu Tianxiao looked in the direction where the Grand Preceptor had disappeared, then looked at the three members of the Shen family who were surrounded by the crowd. He clicked his tongue and shook his head. After watching this grand show, he felt that his trip had not been in vain.

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Author's note: The Huaijiang dungeon is over. This dungeon felt so long, twice as long as the Liuzhou dungeon... The next chapter will be back to the Ming Clan. Writing the plot is driving me crazy. I need to focus more on the romance.

P.S.: Chu Tianxiao wasn't originally designed as this character, but he arbitrarily altered the script and gradually became part of the atmosphere group.