Chapter 105 is about the Mystic Immortal Rank! The second round of the competition is over!!!...

The first thing to appear above the clouds was a small peach tree.

In the blink of an eye, it grew into a towering tree, its canopy stretching wildly until it finally covered the entire cloud layer.

As the wind swept through, a clump of filth that had condensed on the large peach tree fell to the ground with a thud.

Upon landing, it transformed into a cluster of tiny peach branch figures pieced together from peach blossoms and branches.

The little peach branch figure was practicing martial arts under the tree, holding a tree branch in his hand and laughing heartily.

The Five Thunder Formation was then formed and struck down at the peach branch figure under the large peach tree.

The little peach branch man seemed terrified and quickly burrowed into the bushes to hide, but he was still unable to escape the lightning strike.

After the lightning passed, the immortals who were observing the clouds all thought that the peach branch figure, formed from the pure and turbid energies, should have died under the five thunderbolts.

But not long after, a beautiful peach blossom maiden with a pure and elegant aura appeared under the large peach tree.

—It is a green peach.

She leaned against the trunk of a large peach tree, neither wearing peach blossom armor nor holding her natal peach wood sword.

She simply sat there cross-legged, serene and gentle.

As if he had just woken up, he stretched and raised his hands above his head from his hand seal posture.

Then she opened her eyes.

The moment she opened her eyes, the peach trees that covered the entire sky trembled, and peach blossoms began to fall in a flurry.

In an instant—the gentle breeze transformed into a fierce gale, causing the clouds to surge and churn. The peach blossom petals also turned into silent, deadly steel blades.

The dense, overwhelming spray was like a grand and magnificent rain of peach blossoms, penetrating every nook and cranny.

The circling birds, seemingly unable to leave, resembled pheasants with their necks choked.

It flapped its wings frantically and soared into the sky, its shock barely subsided before it fled for its life.

The world was filled with an endless sense of desolation and chill.

Even the Thunder King, who was setting up the formation to guide the way, was stunned for a moment before his armor was torn by a peach blossom petal falling from his shoulder.

Their armor was their protective robe, capable of withstanding even a round of Five Thunderbolts, yet it was easily torn apart by these peach blossom petals!

Moreover, the fluttering petals seemed to possess a spirit, each one landing on people with a chilling aura, drilling straight into their armor!

The Thunder Kings were stunned and retreated, and the Five Thunder Formation could not continue for a moment.

Qingming, who had been sitting upright on the Six Imperial Platforms of Chongxiao, opened his eyes again and looked at the group of Thunder Kings who were retreating step by step in the clouds.

They were clearly unable to withstand the imposing presence of the Fairy of the Peach Blossom.

Kunyi went to Shangqing Realm, and Qingming glanced at the soulless Emperor Qinghua of the East Pole beside him.

He sighed silently.

He could only rise from the Six Imperial Platforms of Chongxiao, and amidst the puzzled gazes of the crowd, he instantly appeared above the clouds.

The immortals watching the match gasped in astonishment.

"Wow! It was actually the Celestial Emperor himself who personally escorted her! This is quite a grand affair for Bi Tao!"

“I want to see just how high a celestial rank she can rise to… that’s tens of millions of merits.”

"This appearance is rather strange. Wasn't her natal sword a peach wood sword? How did it turn into flower petals? Is this what people mean when they say that even falling flowers and leaves can be deadly?"

"In all my years living in the Heavenly Realm, this is the first time I've seen the Azure Nether Emperor personally guide me back to my celestial position..."

...

At this moment, above the clouds, Qingming appeared and raised his hand to envelop the Thunder King, who was about to be enveloped by peach blossoms, in golden light.

Then she looked at the Peach Blossom Fairy standing under the tree, gentle and harmless amidst the peach blossoms.

Qingming said, "Bitao, you have lingered in the Netherworld for too long, and your return is filled with cold and malevolent energy, which has already injured your fellow immortals. If you do not restrain yourself, do not blame the Heavenly Rules for being merciless."

Qingming's voice was deep and calm.

If the voice of the light of the sun has the effect of making people submit, then the voice of the blue sky, when heard by people, is precisely the law that comes to pass.

That was an edict that directly crushed the immortal essence.

All the immortals in the Nine Heavens dared not disobey.

Bitao was unaware that she was recklessly releasing the yin and evil that had accumulated in the underworld for many years.

Because of the divine spirit and the Five Thunderbolts entering her body, she felt light and extremely comfortable.

He dispersed all his divine sense into the large peach tree, into every petal, and was playing with the gentle breeze, the lightning, and even the thunder kings.

Crushed by the voice of the Immortal Emperor Qingming, her divine soul, which had merged into the peach tree, was forcibly forced back into her body in an instant.

Bitao was startled awake.

Realizing she had gotten carried away, she glanced guiltily at the men she had almost stripped naked not far away.

She knelt before the Azure Nether Immortal Emperor, gathering all her immortal energy, and respectfully said, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for awakening my soul with Heavenly Sound."

Seeing how quickly she regained consciousness, Qingming glanced at her with satisfaction, then, without uttering another word, flashed back to the Six Imperial Platforms of Chongxiao.

The Thunder Kings quickly used magic to straighten their robes, their eyes filled with fear and shame as they looked at Bitao.

What kind of scoundrel is this?

Having just passed away and been promoted, he immediately stripped several outstanding young men from the Thunder Department of their clothes!

However, they sensed the subtle oppressive and murderous aura emanating from Bi Tao after she had subdued herself. Even before they had fully passed through the Five Thunder Formation, she was already a celestial being they could not afford to offend.

Several Thunder Kings who nearly ran naked in front of the immortals dared not speak out in anger, and quickly reassembled the Five Thunder Array to infuse the peach blossom with the immortal spirit transformed from countless merits.

The formation once again enveloped the entire cloud layer, with golden light and lightning intertwining to form a dense, intricate net.

Suddenly, lightning flashed and thunder roared above the clouds, and golden light shot into the sky, too bright to look at directly.

The Five Thunder Formation lasted for almost half an hour before the thunder finally dissipated.

The great peach tree in the sky still stands tall and majestic, its blossoms in full bloom. The peach trees beneath it remain vibrant and beautiful, and the robes made of long hair and flower petals flutter like a dream.

As she opened her eyes and stood up, the celestial spirits around her gently and restrainedly spread out.

The immortals, who had been waiting for a long time, finally exclaimed in amazement once again.

"—It's the Mysterious Immortal level!"

"My God, he's directly advanced to the Profound Immortal realm, and even the Upper Profound Immortal realm!"

"Wouldn't that put him on par with the Bright Light Mystic Immortal? He'd ascended to the heavens in just two competitions!"

"That's tens of millions of merits, and she even gave some away! Just now, after she ascended to heaven but before the competition ended, I glanced at the mortal realm again. The two storage bags she dropped during the lightning reception were filled with merits, roughly estimated to be several million!"

"It would be more than enough to instantly elevate those two Earthly Fiend Kings to the rank of Yama..."

"Aaaaaaaahh ...

...

Although the competition had ended during Bitao's promotion process, the wave of discussion on Yinhan Gu had just begun.

The Fairy of the Peach Blossom... no, the Mysterious Fairy of the Peach Blossom is still in first place this round.

In the previous round of the competition, the winner was determined by having 100,000 points of faith power and being the first to pass away.

In this second round, however, the order of death does not matter; once the time limit is up, whoever has more merits will be the winner.

This is also why Bitao insisted on staying in the underworld for forty years.

Bitao descended from the clouds, and as soon as she passed through the Heavenly Gate, she saw Zhan Kui, Xuanjia, and the others.

Bitao rushed over and hugged the others.

Zhan Kui jumped for joy, as if she were the one who had ascended to immortality.

Xuanjia spoke slowly but with utmost sincerity into Bitao's ear: "Congratulations." The word "congratulations" was not drawn out.

Bitao was overjoyed, but managed a restrained "hmm".

Zhan Kui screamed, her voice now incredibly pleasant: "Ahhhhhh—Xuanxian, hahahaha, you're on par with Zhu Mingxian now! From now on, who will be whose servant? Ahhhhhh!"

Zhu Ming, who happened to be passing by with his group, was speechless.

He turned his head: "What, you've only just ascended to the Immortal Rank, your cultivation hasn't even stabilized yet, and you're already thinking of betraying your master?"

Bitao looked at Zhu Ming and winked at him. The wolf and the jackal reunited, their unspoken understanding unnoticed by others.

This outcome was beyond their expectations, yet it was also part of their carefully planned scheme.

Zhu Ming sized up Bi Tao, then, looking quite respectable, led his subordinates off to perform their duties.

Behind him, Taiji, whom he had just pulled out of prison, saw Bitao return to heaven and was so excited that he didn't know what to do. He rushed forward and knelt down on both knees in front of Bitao.

With a thud, the sound made one's teeth ache and bones shatter.

Because he took a running start and then knelt down, he slid a short distance on the gleaming ground of Xianjing, ending up right next to Bitao's feet, his face bumping into her leg.

Tai Chi was overjoyed and, not caring how disheveled he was, shouted before he could even get up, "Peach Blossom Fairy, you're finally back!"

Bitao: "..."

The others: "...Hahahaha!"

As she looked at the Tai Chi symbol, she seemed to see again that child from years ago, who was blind in one eye, sharp and ruthless like a little wolf, yet also grateful.

Back then, Tai Chi would be trembling with fear when he brought her a bowl of soup, yet his face was filled with undisguised reverence, just like now.

Bitao reached out and, just like before, covered his head with her hand, then said, "Get up quickly."

There were too many onlookers. Bitao had already caused enough trouble by unintentionally injuring someone, and she really didn't want to stay near Tianmen and continue to embarrass herself.

The crowd escorted Bitao back, naturally heading towards the Cang Sheng Palace.

Cuiwei stepped forward and took Bitao's arm, saying, "The martial arts physician is helping a goddess of the Six Ding meridians to regulate her meridians. She said she will go directly to the Cang Sheng Palace to offer her congratulations later."

Bitao was quite pleased to see that Cuiwei had undergone a complete transformation after spending a few days in the Heavenly Realm, no longer the tense and cautious person she had been when she first ascended.

"Hmm, has anyone made things difficult for you in your official duties?"

Cuiwei shook her head: "No."

In fact, when Bitao was misunderstood by everyone in the mortal realm, some people did say some sarcastic things to Cuiwei and made things difficult for her in public office.

But later... later Tai Chi found out and stood up for her, dealing with all the gossips.

Although the method is simple and brutal, Tai Chi is ruthless and very effective.

Since then, everyone has known that Bitao has a waiter who is a complete madman who doesn't care about his own life.

Especially after Taiji once fearlessly beat up Yu Nan, one of the Six Ding and Six Jia Gods, even fewer people dared to provoke Bi Tao's people.

Later, Bitao transformed herself into a bridge, and her merits increased dramatically. Many of those who had spoken ill of Bitao became her supporters.

After all, whether in the heavens or on earth, the saying "might makes right" always applies.

After the crowd escorted Bitao back to the Cangsheng Palace, they began to chatter about everything that had happened while she was away.

There was nothing particularly new; most of the immortals watching the competition from above the Silver River were like weather vanes, easily swayed by the wind.

Moreover, their second round of competition takes forty years in the lower realm, which is long enough, but only four days in the celestial realm.

If it weren't for the high efficiency of the celestial ranks, Bitao probably wouldn't have caught all the cheating and harmful celestials she exposed by now.

Yu Gan from the Prison Palace arrived at some unknown time. When everyone mentioned the cheating for the immortal position, he stepped forward and said, "A batch of people have been sentenced, but their crimes weren't too serious. On the contrary, some of the culprits who were caught are still in custody. I guess they'll deal with them after you, the whistleblower, pass away."

Bitao pulled him aside and said a few more words.

After Bitao ascended to the Xuanxian realm, her hearing and eyesight became so sharp that even she found it difficult to adapt.

Everything in the world seemed to have been transformed in her eyes. She was now able to see the trajectory of cause and effect and could see the cause and effect related to Guanghan entwined around Zhan Kui.

Being able to discern a person's emotions before they even speak, and even deduce their intentions based on that.

For example, the bamboo leaf packet that Yu Gan was carrying in his sleeve had been secretly crushed several times, but he was too embarrassed to offer it to him.

Bitao said, "Seeing you makes me want to drink bamboo leaf tea."

Yu Gan scratched his head: "Now that you're a Xuanxian, my bamboo leaf tea is no longer of any use to you."

Bitao reached out without ceremony: "It's useless, but it tastes good, give it to me."

Yu Gan slowly pulled a packet of bamboo leaf tea from his sleeve; it was made from the best part of his own body.

Aside from this, he didn't have much to accumulate in the Heavenly Realm, and it's unclear what else he could possibly have to celebrate Bitao's ascension to the Xuanxian realm.

Most of his friends were low-ranking immortals. Although they came over in a lively and bustling manner, none of them offered any gifts first.

If Bitao were to advance one or two realms, that would be fine, but to advance several realms and directly become a Xuanxian (a high-ranking immortal), the things that these low-ranking immortals can offer are simply not presentable.

Fortunately... Yu Gan was the "frontline soldier," and Bi Tao seemed very happy, showing no sign of disdain.

Then everyone openly and generously presented the celebratory gifts they had prepared.

The peach blossoms are almost buried by these gifts.

The Palace of the Common People has several floors. A small banquet was held that night, and the revelry continued until the early hours of the morning. Those who drank too much simply stayed overnight in the palace.

Bitao also drank quite a bit, but she was actually the happiest.

The position of Xuanxian was within her expectations, yet it also brought her great joy.

Without these two rounds of competition, relying on the tribulation lightning, it would be an unknown amount of time before she could reach the rank of Xuanxian.

In the latter half of the night, Bitao leaned against the second-floor window, drinking tea to sober up. The window was open, facing the tranquil Wuji Sea and the towering peach tree that stood like a giant umbrella.

Zhan Kui leaned out from across from her and asked, "Aren't you going to find Mingguang? More than one sister told you today that Mingguang is going to marry the Queen of Shangqing Realm, right? Why...don't you react?"

Xuanjia couldn't hold his liquor and didn't use any magic to sober him up. After getting drunk, the little turtle liked to curl up into a ball and snuggle on Zhan Kui's lap.

Zhan Kui's legs were numb, but he didn't push Xuanjia's head off her legs. He stroked her thin neck as if petting a pet.

On the contrary, it was quite strange that Bitao remained so calm when she heard that Mingguang was going to marry someone else and had even gone to meet that person.

Bitao raised her teacup, savoring the aroma of bamboo leaves. She raised an eyebrow and looked at Zhan Kui, showing no sign of panic, but rather a smug expression.

Zhan Kui suddenly realized: "Ah! So you don't like him at all!"

"You just want to climb to the position of Xuanxian by stepping on him, right?!"

"I told you! You're not cut out for being devoted in love. Besides, who can stand your deceitful and manipulative way of being devoted in love..."

Bitao: "..."

"You should just go to sleep."

She missed Zhu Ming a little.

It still comes down to Zhu Ming. She doesn't need to spell things out for you to understand what she means, and you won't be confused for no reason.

She doesn't like Mingguang and just wants to use him. Why not use "close friendship" to bind him? That would tie him down completely, and he would still have to remember her kindness.

Why go through all this trouble, with people separated by life and death, living and dying?

Tsk.

The next morning, Bitao went to find her good partner Zhu Ming.

Zhu Ming didn't sleep a wink again last night.

When the competition ended, he dispatched people to the mortal realm to bring back the immortals who had failed to return to heaven.

In a couple of days, I will join those immortals who were convicted and sentenced to descend to the mortal realm, and together we will have our immortal spirits extracted by the Heavenly Dao of the myriad realms.

After a busy night, he returned early in the morning to rest, and unsurprisingly found Bitao in his bedchamber.

After Zhu Ming entered, the servants automatically stayed outside.

Zhu Ming stood with his hands behind his back at the door, watching Bi Tao, who was drinking the tea prepared for him by the servants in his bedroom, taking off her shoes and leaning back on the long couch where he usually sat, without any proper posture. He said, "Back in the mortal world, I kept a lapdog that liked to lie on my couch like you."

Bitao wasn't angry at all; she just smiled at him without any flair.

"After you passed away, you came to find me in such a hurry. Aren't you in a hurry to find your cooked 'duck'? If you don't get to eat him soon, he'll fly away."

Just like she did with Zhan Kui last night, Bi Tao held up a teacup, revealing half her face, her peach blossom eyes filled with smugness and determination.

Zhu Ming raised an eyebrow slightly and sat down opposite Bi Tao.

"Are you so confident?"

"You made that little coffin board look incredibly pitiful, and even incited him to settle accounts with the ancient immortals, resulting in only a few members of the ancient immortals in the lower realm returning to heaven this time."

"Nowadays, the ancient immortal clan has even dragged out the Heavenly Dao of all realms in order to 'win back the emperor's heart'."

"He'll listen to his mother even if he doesn't listen to anyone else. Aren't you afraid you'll really mess things up?"

Zhu Ming poured himself a cup of tea.

He was stunned as soon as he took a bite.

Then he got up, went into the inner room, rummaged around, and came out aggressively, saying, "You drank the plum extract in my cupboard!"

What a fine Zhu Mingxian Commander! He's usually so dignified and composed, but as soon as Bitao came back, she turned him into a shrewish tabby slave.

Bitao leaned against the small table, sipping the rich, almost choking, Muling tea.

He acted like a dead pig that wasn't afraid of boiling water: "So what if I soak some tree roots in your water? You're making a fuss... I just need to stabilize my cultivation level."

Moreover, this was clearly a promotion congratulatory gift that Zhu Ming had prepared for her, and it was all packed in a gift box.

As it turned out, Zhu Ming could hold even more than the gift box. Pointing at the peach blossom, he said, "That's what I prepared for myself to stabilize my realm as I ascend to the Tai Xian realm!"

"You shameless bastard!"

"Hmph, I'll just wait and see if Mingguang will behave when he marries someone else and dumps you!"

If the immortals watching the competition on the Silver River were here at this moment, they would have caught "Jingjing," who had been constantly criticizing Bitao, on the spot.

After listening to Zhu Ming's words, Bitao put down her teacup and said inscrutably, "You've never been in love, you don't understand."

Zhu Ming: "...Ha."

Zhu Ming, who was clueless about romance, pointed to the door and said to Bi Tao, "I don't understand why you're looking for me. Get lost."

Bitao sat up straight, abandoning her frivolous demeanor, and began to discuss serious matters with Zhu Ming.

Questions arose regarding who might be suspected of violating the celestial positions involved in this competition, but for whom no evidence could be found. Other questions included the attitudes of the supervising immortals, including the Azure Emperor, towards the punishments of these individuals.

When two people are talking about serious matters, they don't engage in verbal battles.

But if someone comes to eavesdrop, they might not be able to understand what they're hearing.

Because their sentences often don't connect.

They would intermittently remain silent, dip their fingers in tea, write a word or two on the table, exchange a glance, and instantly understand each other's meaning.

Zhu Ming went to handle official business midway through the journey. Bi Tao said she would leave after finishing her tea, but after Zhu Ming left, she fell into a deep sleep on the long couch in his bedroom.

She didn't return to her own Palace of All Living Beings all day.

When Zhu Ming returned that evening, he was quite surprised to find Bi Tao still there when he took off his outer robe.

Thinking that before nightfall, the Heavenly Dao of Myriad Realms had returned from the Upper Clarity Realm with that little coffin-board of Mingguang... Zhu Ming immediately guessed that Bitao, that bastard, was scheming against him by staying here.

"Get out of here right now, without stopping."

Zhu Ming used his outer robe to slap Bi Tao: "If your little golden crow causes me trouble, I'll pack you up and sell you!"

Bitao rubbed her eyes and got up with a grin.

He was slapped twice, but it didn't hurt him at all. He strolled out of the Jade Bone Palace leisurely.

She neither transforms into a spirit nor takes shortcuts.

Rubbing his eyes and with his long hair disheveled, looking like he hadn't slept enough, he staggered along Xianjing Road.

The immortals she encountered on her way all took the initiative to come forward and greet her respectfully.

Even Bitao couldn't help but sigh.

The last time she walked down the main street like this was... before the first competition, when Binglun falsely accused her of offending the Immortal Lord, and Jingsu had her arrested and imprisoned in the Prison Palace.

That time, it was a shameful public humiliation. None of the immortals watching the spectacle on the street said a kind word, and very few of them looked at Bitao with any good intentions.

In the blink of an eye, she has become a Xuanxian (mysterious immortal) whose power no one dares to offend or look directly at.

Times have changed, and it's finally her turn to climb the peak and look down upon the world.

Bitao turned a corner; her Palace of All Living Beings was at the end of the road.

There, the lights were on, and a group of friends were waiting for her return, to party with her all night and celebrate with her.

Enjoy life to the fullest when you're successful!

However, before the pride in this immortal, whom no one dared to "offend" had dissipated, Bitao felt a strong gust of wind coming from behind her in the next instant—

Logically speaking, someone who has reached the level of a Xuanxian should not be able to be ambushed while simply walking on the road.

But before she could even see the person clearly, she had exchanged forty or fifty moves with him when suddenly her wrist tightened.

Bitao looked down and saw the Immortal Binding Rope.

A strong wind swept in, and when I looked up again, good heavens—the Immortal Binding Net!

Moreover, the golden spirit on them is vast, and metal overcomes wood. These two immortal-binding artifacts are clearly designed to capture wood-spirit immortals like her.

Bitao had "no way to escape" and was bound tightly. Before the smile on her lips could even spread, she was taken away by someone and flew from the sky towards the direction of the Immortal Emperor's Palace.

After the peach blossoms fell to the ground again.

Before she could even stand up straight, Jin Ling swept her into the house.

"Bang bang bang—" The heavy palace doors slammed shut.

"Buzz buzz buzz—" Multiple layers of barriers were activated.

The peach was "thrown" on the ground, and the room was so dark that you couldn't see your hand in front of your face.

However, she was already a Xuanxian (a type of immortal), and could "see" even if her eyes were gouged out, let alone in the dark.

Besides, even if she were to abandon her five senses, she could walk around the room several times without bumping into anything.

This place is all too familiar to her.

I lived here for several years.

And this place remains exactly the same as it was back then, unchanged in the slightest.

It's been so many years since I last came here, I miss it terribly.

Like a fish that has been pulled out of the water and fallen into a fishing net, Bitao looked around on the ground and struggled to sit up.

Looking towards the doorway, my heart skipped a beat.

The feeling was like being struck squarely in the heart with a vajra.

At this moment, Bitao realized that longing has a sound, like thunder rumbling from all directions, resounding throughout heaven and earth.

Longing is tangible, like a volley of arrows—hitting the heart squarely.