Chapter 35 Immortal Venerable Yan Kuo, it's been a long time!

The old ancestor was determined to die.

The Old Ancestor of Earthly Breath Mountain was in excellent health, making him the perfect candidate to go to Flame Mountain. All the ministers present advised the Emperor to summon Duan Jiuyou immediately. The Emperor stared blankly out the window for a while, then shook his head and chuckled, saying it wasn't the right time.

"That sword wasn't made for nothing; it took her two months to forge it. How could she be satisfied without trying it out?"

The court officials shook their heads, saying that the Emperor was too lenient with her. Duan Jiuyou, as the head of the court officials, should have been at the beck and call of the Emperor at any time.

Bai Yanxing's leniency towards her was not a one-off occurrence; ever since she started courting disaster, he had consistently indulged and tolerated her. He knew that the court officials had many opinions on this, but his attitude had always been clear: he calmly questioned the officials in return.

"Besides the divine official Jiuyou, do any of you immortals have a more suitable candidate to go to Flame Mountain to deal with the Fire-Eating Beast?"

"this…"

The ministers were collectively speechless.

The Ao clan possesses a unique physique, capable of extraordinary uses only in exceptional circumstances. Their abilities may not be apparent in ordinary times, but once needed, they are indispensable. This is the power bestowed upon this supreme divine official by Heaven, and the reason why successive emperors of the Heavenly Realm have relied on her.

"Go back, all of you." Bai Yan walked back to the table and sat down in the dragon-breath chair, touching the Xuanrong flower carved on the teacup. "There's no need to discuss this matter further."

He had already chosen Duan Jiuyou to go to Yanshan to pick the vines, but before that, she wanted to try out the new sword, so he gave her time to do so.

Because of the Emperor's indulgence, the Heavenly Realm was shrouded in thunderclouds for seven whole days.

As expected, the newly forged greatsword failed to deliver a final blow to Duan Jiuyou. She used it three times in succession and devised some other "deadly moves" from different directions. The overall method was not much different from before: sword formation, sharp light, and even going to Wanku Mountain to draw out some ferocious energy.

Duan Jiuyou was serious about courting death; he never held back from giving it his all.

Ever since she learned of her destiny with the God of Destiny, she has been working hard in two directions.

First, influence the emperor to rule the three realms, and incidentally "send her away".

Second, seek death. What if you could actually die? Wouldn't that be easier than arguing with that divinely ordained master every day and painstakingly scheming for "teaching" methods?

Unfortunately, her wish was not easily fulfilled. After a series of desperate attempts, she still failed to die, even after going to heaven and earth.

She sat atop the mountain, chin in hand, throwing a tantrum. After each effort, she would feel depressed and resentful for a long time.

Bai Yanxing waited for Duan Jiuyou for eight days until the ninth day when the sky cleared completely without any lightning or thunder before sending the ceremonial official to Dixi Mountain to deliver the decree.

It was called an imperial decree, but it was more like a message that he hadn't seen the priestess for a long time and missed her dearly, so he asked her to come to court the next morning.

It was a matter of course for court officials to report for duty, and even without this imperial decree, Duan Jiuyou should have been on duty on time. However, she was unruly, and Bai Yanxing was afraid that no one would call her, so she continued to search for divine weapons that could "kill" and deadly poisons.

The next day, when the court officials were to report for duty, Duan Jiuyou did not appear for a long time. The immortal officials who were waiting outside the Qianxi Gate to enter the palace gathered in small groups and talked about how she was really outrageous!

"Duan Jiuyou has never attended court on time since the first emperor. This is not my statement, but clearly recorded in the Records of Immortal Officials!"

"It is said that when she attended court this time, it was personally delivered by the Emperor's close attendant. Even her morning duties required the Emperor's personal invitation. I think we should stop calling her a divine official and just call her the Supreme Emperor!"

"Huh? You're just spouting nonsense?"

"How can you call it nonsense? Duan Jiuyou dares to disregard the rules of heaven and the laws of the court; she should be prepared to be scolded—"

"Bang!"

Suddenly, a six-cornered, blue-striped official sedan chair descended from the sky, landing straight into the crowd. The discussing celestial officials were unable to dodge in time and were knocked away by the divine light emanating from it, falling flat on their faces.

"Are you going to court or committing murder?!"

The celestial officials were furious and rolled up their sleeves, ready to argue.

The curtain inside the sedan chair was lifted, silencing their conversation once again.

The newcomer was dressed in a purple satin robe with gold embroidery that trailed on the ground, wearing a nine-bead court hat and a double-patterned court bead. At first glance, her features appeared clear and solemn, but upon closer inspection, she was seen yawning widely with her hands tucked into her sleeves. She was none other than the Supreme God Duan Jiuyou, whom the officials had described as quite outrageous.

This sedan chair was magnificent and should have been carried to the outside of Qianxi Gate by six porters to truly display its grandeur. However, Duan Jiuyou woke up late and, after changing his clothes, was persuaded and shoved into the sedan chair by his disciples. They didn't even bother with the porters; one of them simply carried him on his shoulder, pulled back like a bow, and threw him over from his own backyard.

She didn't hear the people's comments, but they wouldn't let it go, especially the one who was knocked away by the sedan chair. By seniority, he was Bai Yanxing's cousin. A group of dragon clan members rushed over to help him up, and the first thing they said was, "Duan Jiuyou! What a grand display you have! You don't even respect my dragon clan members!"

What exactly is a Dragon Clan relative?

Old Master Duan walked past them with an air of superiority, raising his chin upwards.

She looked up at the sky and saw that it was still a stick of incense before dawn. A hint of displeasure appeared on her face. She thought to herself, "Why did I have to come so early?" She said she would come after breakfast. It was those idle disciples who kept saying that she was too bad at teaching and that she should not be late since she rarely got to go.

She's not new to being out of work today, so why bother with all this formalities? Besides, she's unpopular and has a terrible reputation. When she comes, nobody talks to her. She just stands there like an idiot, or she runs into some fools who deliberately pick fights with her.

She was still half asleep and wanted to find a place to lean against. There was a porch in front of her, with several pillars standing under it. She chose the one that looked the most pleasing to the eye.

As the dragon clan members watched Duan Jiuyou head towards the porch, it was as if their earlier angry rebuke was nothing more than a dog barking out of nowhere.

The clansmen, utterly humiliated, rushed forward to block Duan Jiuyou's path. They grumbled incessantly, demanding that Duan Jiuyou apologize to the injured, hurling accusations at her one after another: disrespecting the dragon clan and defying the might of heaven.

After listening for a while, Duan Jiuyou's lips curled up slightly. A phantom rose behind him, revealing the outline of a colossal creature. That was Duan Jiuyou's Dharma form, the true form of the Mountain and Sea Cloud Turtle!

The dragon clan member forced himself to remain calm: "This is the Thousand Elements Sect! The Longsheng Palace is right behind us. How dare you disturb the Emperor?"

The Dharma Form roared in, leaping several meters high like flames. The giant tortoise in the clouds opened its huge mouth and swooped down, startling the dragons into instinctively conjuring their physical forms for defense.

Several terrified dragon roars echoed from within the shadows, but the giant tortoise, which had been about to devour its prey, did not advance further. As the tide receded, the shadow, just as it had come, transformed into a mere shadow beneath Duan Jiuyou's feet; it had all been nothing but a prank from beginning to end.

Duan Jiuyou kept his eyes straight ahead as he passed by the crowd. He found the pillar he had already set his sights on, crossed his arms in front of his chest, and leaned against it.

She didn't summon her true form, but merely used a phantom to "stick face to face" with them. Yun Zhong'ao simply poked his head out, which frightened out a group of trembling dragon clan members.

—This generation of clan members is not very capable; there isn't a single tough nut to crack.

Thinking this, Duan Jiuyou glanced in the direction of Longsheng Hall.

She knew there were eyes watching all of this with great interest.

No matter who is in power in the Heavenly Realm, they will inevitably encounter a few arrogant and domineering relatives. These people are related to the Emperor and form cliques in private. Since the Emperors cannot directly punish them, they need to find a reckless "fierce minister" to suppress their momentum.

Today, Duan Jiuyou played the role of Bai Yanxing's "fierce minister".

She was no stranger to this kind of "role." Firstly, she often "played" it, having done her fair share of "teaching and nurturing people." The emperors used her as a scapegoat, and she was used to being a tool in their hands at any time. Secondly, she looked down on these spoiled brats who lived off their ancestors and did nothing but eat and wait for death.

So who does she fancy?

With nothing else to do, Duan Jiuyou began to ponder this question seriously. His gaze casually swept across the location of the Medicine Master.

The onlookers secretly observed her expression and felt that Duan Jiuyou initially did not intend to pay attention to this person. After turning his face away, he seemed to think of something, and suddenly put on a big smile, giving the other person a familiar smile.

"Immortal Venerable Yan Kuo, it's been a long time!"

Her amiable demeanor almost made the court officials doubt that she was the one who had killed Yan Kuo's nephew!