Earth's Edge and the Divine Tree of Kunlun
Fortunately, the agarwood was finally useful. Master's mind gradually calmed down, and his crippled right hand was able to do small things like dressing and serving tea.
One night, Yan Dan couldn't sleep, so she sat in the courtyard and looked at the moon.
Because of its proximity, the moon seen from the heavens always appears large and yellow, much like a bright yellow loquat. And with loquat season fast approaching, it's no wonder she had such a bizarre association.
As it turned out, Master hadn't slept either, and happened to bump into Yan Dan while taking a walk.
Yan Dan had always thought that her master was one of the most powerful immortals in the Heavenly Court. She had never seen him look dejected. But when she saw him that night, she even wondered for a moment who was impersonating him.
The Primordial Emperor of Immortality patted her head and said rather sadly, "Your master has grown old."
Yan Dan immediately said, "Master, you are so handsome and dashing, and your immortal powers are so boundless. You don't look old at all." Although her master was definitely not a young man in appearance, and could not compare with the Qingli Yingyuan Emperor who was in his prime, she still praised him highly.
The Primordial Emperor stroked his chin and smiled with great satisfaction: "Actually, I was originally more charming than Lord Li Shu and more handsome than Lord Ying Yuan. Yan Dan, you really have good taste."
If Yan Dan had been drinking tea when she heard this, she would have definitely spat it out, but thankfully she didn't. She lowered her head, forcing a strange expression that could only be described as agreement: "Master, you are inherently more refined than the other two."
Although she hadn't looked closely at Emperor Zixu's appearance, just from seeing his general outline, she felt that his refined and elegant demeanor was unmatched by anyone in the Heavenly Court; and Yingyuan Jun, according to her vague impression, was far more handsome than her master.
"I know those celestial children often gather together to gossip," said the Primordial Emperor of Longevity. Yan Dan felt a chill run down her spine; she still enjoyed hanging out with those celestial children. Her master paused, then continued, "They once said that our Emperor Jiuchen never travels with us because I'm jealous of the youth and handsomeness of Lord Lishu and Lord Yingyuan. How utterly absurd!"
Yan Dan nodded silently in her heart. Master, you are less conspicuous when you walk with the Antarctic Immortal, but it is indeed a bit strange when you walk with the other two...
"The reason we rarely meet is because of the ancient artifacts. Our immortal energy is all different, and if we affect each other's artifacts, the entire Heavenly Court will be destroyed. But it's good now, those artifacts are all lost in the Demon Realm, so we don't have to worry about this every day anymore."
Yan Dan had never been interested in delving into the ins and outs of divine artifacts, since she was definitely not the one who would be in charge of them. It was her second senior brother who was very interested in these things. Ever since he heard that their master was in charge of ancient divine artifacts, he had secretly sneaked into their master's room to take a look and touch them, but he was caught on the spot and punished by being made to copy scriptures for half a month.
After saying these words, the master seemed to feel sleepy. He dusted off his robes, stood up, and said, "Yan Dan, I will send you to the edge of the earth first thing tomorrow morning. You must study hard there and remember to cultivate diligently every day. Don't be lazy. In time, you will become the first fairy in the Heavenly Court to be called an immortal."
So Yan Dan was sent to the Earthly Branches to manage books.
Anyway, she used to borrow books there often, so she doesn't think it's a chore anymore.
Although she felt that her master's words were merely earnest expectations, in this Heavenly Court, no fairy had ever been able to ascend to the rank of High Immortal, just as from ancient times to the present, there had only been one High Goddess, Nuwa. She wasn't being self-deprecating; given her current level of cultivation, it would take her at least 30,000 to 50,000 years to reach the rank of High Immortal.
The edge of the earth is at the southernmost point of the Heavenly Court.
Aside from the occasional immortal who comes to borrow books, there are very few people walking around there on ordinary days.
Yan Dan carefully put the misplaced books back in their proper places, wiped the dusty books on the top shelf, then organized the classics she wanted to read, marked them, and neatly stacked them on her desk.
She did these things with a sense of awe. The books here were originally compiled by Emperor Zixu, and she didn't know how much time it would take to complete them. She felt that some things didn't need to be taken seriously and could be joked about, but some things could not be profaned, especially when indirectly facing that deceased but very remarkable immortal lord.
After tidying up her books, she was about to settle down and seriously study the classics when she suddenly felt a cool sensation on her chin, forcing her to turn her head. What came into view was a pair of smiling, slightly flirtatious eyes.
The gilded folding fan that had been resting on her chin slowly moved away, casually lifting a strand of her hair. A deep and pleasant voice then rang out: "You're quite pretty, little fairy. Why don't you come back to my manor with me?"
Yan Dan raised her head, looked at his handsome, almost flamboyant appearance, then at his flowing white robes, and finally at the stance he was taking. She immediately realized who it was.
Aside from Bai Lian Ling Jun, there probably isn't another immortal lord who is so flamboyant, wears only white robes, and likes to hide any pretty little fairy in his immortal abode.
Seeing that she was staring at him, Bai Lianlingjun opened his folding fan with a flourish and slowly waved it.
Yan Dan finally understood why Ao Xuan had plucked a handful of fox fur on the spot. It seemed that Bai Lian Ling Jun had said these words to countless people before.
"Ahem, Spirit Lord, actually my master is the Primordial Longevity Emperor. You were there when I was first transformed into a human." If we were in the mortal realm, Spirit Lord Bai Lian would have witnessed the scene of her birth.
Upon hearing the name of the Primordial Longevity Emperor, Bai Lianlingjun immediately lost interest and closed his folding fan: "So you are a disciple of the Primordial Emperor's Throne. Very well, I've come to find two books." He pointed his folding fan at the bookshelf, named a book, and immediately a thick book flew over and landed in his hand.
Yan Dan was filled with awe. She had previously thought that Bai Lian Lingjun was all talk and no action, merely an empty shell. She had seen other immortals come here to borrow books, and almost none of them possessed the ability to retrieve a book from afar simply by stating its title. She knew that retrieving objects from a distance wasn't a remarkable skill, but to be able to retrieve something from a distance without even knowing its location was truly extraordinary.
Her respect for him hadn't lasted long when Bai Lianlingjun reached out his fan and lifted her chin, smiling as he said, "What, do you think I'm something special? Well then, would you like to come back to my manor with me? I certainly won't mistreat you." Yan Dan immediately got goosebumps, and her respect for him dwindled to just three-tenths.
Seeing that she remained silent, Bai Lianlingjun closed his folding fan and leisurely said to the outside, "Qingzhao."
A handsome young celestial boy immediately entered, followed by a dozen or so beautiful fairies. The boy stepped aside, stood respectfully with his hands at his sides, and said, "Welcome back to the Spirit Lord's abode."
Bai Lian Lingjun walked over with great poise, and the beautiful fairies immediately split into two groups, six in front and eight behind. Petals fluttered all the way, colorful ribbons danced in the sky, auspicious energy shone brightly, and fairy light shone dazzlingly, as they escorted Bai Lian Lingjun towards their own fairy abode.
Yan Dan's last remaining respect vanished upon witnessing this scene.
This grandeur and pomp would make even the Queen Mother of the West feel inferior.
Bai Lianlingjun is truly a shameless old fox.
After managing the books for a few days, Yan Dan finally finished handling everything at the Diya Palace. She planned to take a stroll around the area in the next few days to get a better understanding of the surrounding situation.
On the first day, she first went south. The edge of the earth was already the southernmost point of the Heavenly Court, and beyond that was the end of the Nine Heavens.
At the end of the overgrown green trees and weeds, she saw a person.
The person was chained and trapped on a towering ancient tree.
She couldn't see the person's face clearly, only that he had jet-black hair, and he kept his head down, the iron locks occasionally clanging. Yan Dan thought, "That person looks to be in great pain."
Because the other person was bound by iron chains, she wasn't worried that they might suddenly break free and hurt her. Yan Dan tiptoed over, wanting to see who it was. She had only taken a few steps when she suddenly heard several sharp whistles from underground. A dozen supple branches emerged from the soil, binding her tightly and slowly dragging her toward the towering ancient tree.
As she got closer, Yan Dan saw that the person chained to the tree was not only bound by iron chains, but also tightly bound by vines entwined around the tree.
The person heard the noise and seemed to slowly wake up, raising their head slightly.
What Yan Dan saw was a disfigured face, burned from his left cheek to his chin, with thin scabs forming. He kept his eyes closed, as if trying to hear the sounds around him. After a moment, he finally spoke: "You must have accidentally wandered in here, right? This is forbidden territory. You shouldn't have come here."
Yan Dan listened to his voice and felt she had heard it somewhere before. While she was slightly stunned, she heard the man chant a few incantations. A thin flame spread around her, but avoided her. Yan Dan then heard a piercing scream from the ground, and the branches binding her immediately loosened.
As soon as she got away, the flames gradually died down, and the branches slowly shrank back into the ground.
"This is the Kunlun Divine Tree, which is afraid of fire. You must use a fire spell to deal with it." The man had probably not spoken for a long time, and his words were somewhat hesitant.
Yan Dan stood there, not knowing why she was afraid to stay in this place, yet she didn't want to leave.
She hesitated for a moment, but still asked, "You could have left here, so why did you choose to be tied up like this?"
"Well, there's no way..." He seemed to be smiling, but most of his face was burned, making it impossible to tell if he was actually smiling. "If I leave here, I'll definitely hurt other people. I can't control myself at all. Like just now, luckily I'm conscious now, otherwise I might have killed you."
Yan Dan was still quite young at that time, and she was also easily moved to pity.
What's more, she finally recognized the disheveled man.
"Emperor Yingyuan...?"
She often thought that if she hadn't gone to the southernmost point of the Nine Heavens that day, she would have been able to escape that calamity.
As long as it's not at that time.
She would never be so soft-hearted again, not for a very long time.
At that time, she clearly disliked Qingli Yingyuan Emperor.
But at just the right time, we met.
Ying Yuanjun smiled slightly again, and asked casually, "Hmm? You recognize me?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com