Before he could finish speaking, Ye Wushang's figure had completely vanished, along with the unsettling demonic energy, as if he had never existed.

Shen Zhaozhao was left standing alone in the empty mountain valley, facing the few plants that had withered and turned yellow after being corrupted by demonic energy. After a long while, she took a deep breath of the cool night air, completely speechless.

"..."

She raised her hand and rubbed her temples hard, trying to banish Ye Wushang's obsequious face, filled with the spirit of a laborer, from her mind.

What kind of mess is this?!

Damn it!!!

...

In the distance, towards Canglan City, the lights of the Flower Festival shone even brighter.

Shen Zhaozhao knew that Xie Linyuan was most likely still in the high and mighty Nine Heavens Palace, being held down by Immortal Lord Yunji, dealing with those "important matters" concerning the balance of the Three Realms.

That peacock was probably harboring a lot of grievances and dissatisfaction at that moment, silently radiating coldness towards Yunji.

Reason told her that she shouldn't have any expectations.

But its footsteps seemed to have a mind of their own.

Shen Zhaozhao gazed at that warm, bustling place that belonged to the human world and remained silent for a moment.

Since we're already here!

Go check it out~

Because of the triennial Flower Prayer Festival, the nights in Canglan City are several times more bustling and lively than usual.

The long street was lined with all kinds of lanterns, their warm yellow glow blending together, and the air was filled with the sweet aroma of pastries.

The shouts of vendors and the sounds of string and wind instruments drifting from some restaurant mingled together, weaving together a vivid and lively scene of everyday life.

As Shen Zhaozhao walked through the crowd, she followed the direction the waiter had pointed out in her memory, heading towards the "Phoenix Tree" in the city center, which was said to be ten thousand years old and had attracted a real phoenix to perch there.

The closer you get to the city center, the denser the crowds become, mostly young couples holding specially made flower tokens that emit a faint glow, their faces full of longing and sweetness.

Shen Zhaozhao: "..."

hiss.

Why does she, a single dog, stand out so much among all these couples?

In the city center, the enormous Phoenix Tree is now covered with countless wish slips, which sway gently in the night breeze, like a tree in full bloom with shimmering light.

A crowd gathered under the tree, craning their necks, pointing, and laughing.

Shen Zhaozhao stood on the periphery of the crowd and watched for a while.

Those fortune slips, bearing the simplest wishes of mortals and cultivators, appeared somewhat illusory under the glow of the spiritual light.

She didn't believe in these things.

If fate could truly be changed by attaching a wooden plaque, then why would there be so much unfulfilled desires, resentment, and separation from loved ones in this world?

Can……

What if?

She walked to the stall where flower fortune slips were being distributed, dropped a few spirit stones, and picked up a blank fortune slip and a pen.

The pen tip hovered over the signature, then paused.

What to write?

She didn't seem to have any particular desires.

Cultivation level?

She has her own path.

money?

Ha, she actually went to the trouble of asking for this?

Only...

With a light click of her tongue, Shen Zhaozhao tapped the wooden sign twice in annoyance. It was unclear what she had thought of, but finally, as if she had finally convinced herself to compromise, she casually wrote a few strokes.

...

at the same time.

The Nine Heavens Palace, the Qingxu Hall.

This place is where Xie Linyuan handles affairs of the Three Realms. The palace has a high and distant dome, from which one can see the movement of stars. The four walls are hazy, as if clouds are flowing. Only in the center is there a huge jade table, on which the jade slips are piled up to form a small mountain.

Xie Linyuan sat upright in the main seat, wearing a wide-sleeved immortal robe with moon-white cloud patterns. His black hair was meticulously tied up with a green jade hairpin. His face was exceptionally handsome, and his brows and eyes were filled with frost that had never melted for thousands of years. His aura was cold, making this already cold hall even more like an extremely cold ice cave.

He had just finished arguing with the stubborn Heavenly Dao. Although the Heavenly Dao seemed to be lying dormant for the time being, the omnipresent suppression of its rules still made him feel depressed.

Even more somber was the fact that Yun Ji stood to the side like a door god, expressionless, never leaving his side: "Though Heaven's will may temporarily retreat, its heart is not dead."

"If you leave now, there's no guarantee it won't take the opportunity to retaliate, tear apart the boundary wall, and send you away directly."

"At that time, even if you are by her side, the changing of the laws of heaven and earth will be a foregone conclusion. What will you do then?"

Xie Linyuan sat upright behind the jade table, the mountain of jade slips in front of him emitting a faint glow, making the lines of his profile appear even colder and harder.

He did not turn the pages of any volume, but merely raised his eyes slightly, his gaze piercing through the barriers of the palace, remotely "locking" the invisible and intangible, yet omnipresent, rules of the Heavenly Dao.

In those eyes, as cold as a deep pool, there was not a trace of anger at having one's authority challenged, nor the scheming of a chess player; there was only a tangible, thick, almost dripping grievance.

He felt wronged.

He felt particularly wronged.

It was as if he wasn't some immortal venerable one preparing to overturn the heavenly order, but rather a simple victim who was being bullied and forced to stay away from the mortal realm to see his beloved.

That melancholy aura almost solidified into frost, silently spreading throughout the hall, even causing the slowly rotating star trails on the ceiling to become somewhat sluggish.

If the Heavenly Will, hidden deep within the rules, were to have any sense of it, it would likely be choked to the point of madness by this resentment that turns black into white.

No, bro?

It was you who was jumping around trying to usurp my power and seize my position!

Why are you acting like you're the one who's wronged?!

Is that right?!

Is that right?!?!

Is anyone going to speak up for me?

Immortal Lord Yunji stood expressionlessly to the side, already quite used to his master's demeanor.

He raised his hand and, expressionless, placed another stack of jade slips, half a person's height, on the jade table beside Xie Linyuan with a "thud." His voice was clear and calm, revealing no emotion whatsoever: "Since Your Excellency cannot leave for the time being, wasting time is futile."

"These are the most pressing matters in the Three Realms that have been piling up recently, involving minor adjustments to the trajectories of stars, abnormal spiritual energy tides in minor worlds, and disputes over the distribution of faith in some lower realms, totaling 7,891 volumes."

"Let's take advantage of this free time and deal with it all at once."

His posture was just like that of a miserable, resentful worker who had finally caught up with his boss, who was always skipping work and rarely seen, and was eager to shove all the documents that had been piling up for days and needed to be approved and signed in front of him.

Xie Linyuan: "..." Take it away.

Immortal Lord Yunji: "..." I don't.

Xie Linyuan: "..."

Immortal Lord Yunji: "..." If you have the guts, kill me! If you kill me, no one will help you with your work, and no one will watch over the Heavenly Dao for you!

You'll have to stay in the Nine Heavens Palace and keep watch by yourself for the rest of your life. Don't even think about going to find Shen Zhaozhao~ Hehehe~

Xie Linyuan: "..."

However, amidst this stagnant silence and resentment, Xie Linyuan's fingertips, resting on the armrest, suddenly twitched almost imperceptibly.