After contacting You You once, Nie Zheng hadn't heard from her again. She asked Ning Hui and found that Nie Zheng hadn't contacted him either. Something felt off. Given Nie Zheng's personality—treating Ning Hui like a younger brother—it was impossible for him to completely abandon him after returning to the Immortal Realm. Even if they were far apart and their relationship had become distant, it couldn't happen immediately; there had to be a process.
Moreover, although Nie Zheng is a bit dim-witted, he is still upright, loyal, and righteous. No matter what, he wouldn't change so quickly, unless... something happened to him in the Immortal Realm?
Youyou hesitated, wondering if she should find a time to have Feng Rong open the dimensional gate and go up to check on the situation. But unexpectedly, before she could even discuss it with Feng Rong, the upper realm sent people down to the lower realm first.
At that moment, You You was holding a weekly meeting in the main hall. Feng Rong, who was sitting next to her, was stunned for a moment and then suddenly stood up.
"What's wrong?" Youyou asked instinctively.
Feng Rong frowned and looked into the hall, saying, "Someone has disturbed that red lotus!"
"Ah!" Which one?
Just as she was about to ask, the space in the center of the hall twisted and suddenly opened up a passage, surrounded by familiar flames, from which large swaths of immortal energy rushed out.
You You was stunned for a moment, and even Ning Hui behind Ling Qi was delighted and subconsciously called out, "Nie..." He hadn't finished speaking when he paused.
The person who emerged was not Nie Zheng, but an elderly man dressed in white, exuding an ethereal aura, with white hair and beard, and holding a whisk. His ethereal aura was far stronger than Nie Zheng's, and his eyes were much colder. He tilted his head slightly, sweeping his gaze over the crowd, and spoke with a hint of arrogance and impatience, "I am Chao Hong, Immortal Lord, under the command of Emperor Yongqing of the Immortal Realm. Is this the True Transformation Sect of the Lower Realm?"
The crowd's expressions darkened, some displeased with the other party's impolite attitude. They exchanged glances and turned to look in the direction of the sect leader.
You You frowned but didn't answer. Instead, she looked at the familiar red lotus in his other hand and asked directly, "Why do you have Nie Zheng's red lotus in your hand?" This thing was clearly given to Nie Zheng by Feng Rong.
"You actually recognize this?!" Chao Hong was taken aback for a moment before fixing his gaze on her, as if he had just realized something. "Oh, you must be that celestial maiden surnamed You!"
"I am You You!" She nodded and continued, "You still haven't answered me, how is Nie Zheng?"
“Immortal Nie Zheng has rendered meritorious service in descending to the mortal realm to find the artifact and has been bestowed the title of Immortal Lord, so he is naturally in the Celestial Court.” Chao Hong frowned slightly, seemingly somewhat displeased with her question, and continued, “The Emperor has heard about your affairs and, considering your merit in assisting Immortal Lord Nie and saving the world from a calamity, has specially dispatched me to summon the Celestial Maiden You to the celestial realm to receive her reward!”
"Your emperor wants me to ascend to the mortal realm?" You You asked, somewhat surprised.
“That’s right!” Chao Hong raised his head even higher, adopting an air of divine superiority, his words carrying a hint of bestowal. He clasped his hands in a gesture of respect towards the heavens and said, “The Emperor is benevolent and cares for the Three Realms, and has always been fair in rewarding and punishing. Since you have rendered meritorious service, you should naturally be rewarded. Why don’t you hurry up and…”
"No need!" You You refused immediately.
"Then what...what?!" Chao Hong exclaimed in surprise, seemingly unable to believe her answer, and reminded her, "This is the Upper Realm, the Immortal Realm!"
"I know! I don't want to go!" You You replied. It's just the Immortal Realm, right? Either Feng Rong or Yuan Qi can open a passage there. She really has no interest. "Besides, we dealt with Qiu Yue because he did all sorts of bad things. It had nothing to do with your Emperor. We didn't deal with that person for his sake, so this reward is unnecessary!"
It's like she's just quietly getting rid of a pest in her own home, and the neighbor next door is rushing over, insisting on giving her an award for outstanding contribution. It's unnecessary, really unnecessary!
"You...you..." Chao Hong was speechless for a moment, staring at You You in shock. That was a reward from a Celestial Emperor! She actually said she didn't want it? Wasn't she a cultivator? Didn't she dream of becoming an immortal? Wouldn't she have a natural admiration for immortals? This was a reward from a Celestial Emperor! Ascending to the heavens in one step wasn't impossible! Why was she different?!
He finally lowered his head, scanning You You up and down in shock, then realized that she wasn't just being polite; she genuinely didn't want to go to the Immortal Realm. Chao Hong immediately panicked, a flicker of panic in his eyes, "You Heavenly Maiden, you'd better think this through! This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!"
He was ordered to come down to fetch the person, thinking it would be an easy task, but he was surprised to be refused. He remembered the Emperor's repeated instructions before he descended to the mortal realm: he absolutely had to bring the person here. If he couldn't even bring back a mortal, how could he explain himself?
“It’s alright. Go back and tell your emperor that there’s no need for any rewards or anything! If he really thinks we’ve done something right, then just grant us more leave so that Nie Zheng can come down and visit us when he has time!” You You replied earnestly.
“This…” Chao Hong’s face turned even more grim. He hurriedly stepped forward and said, “You Tiannv, this matter is the order of the Celestial Emperor. Even if you do not need a reward, you should still come with me to the upper realm to express your gratitude.”
You You frowned, turned around and looked at the other person seriously, and said, "I'm not an immortal from your celestial realm, and your emperor doesn't pay me a salary. Why should I obey his orders and thank him?"
It's important to understand that in this world, the three realms have always been completely independent. Leaving aside the Underworld, the mortal realm and the immortal realm aren't like those depicted in novels or mythological legends, where gods and immortals rule over all three realms. Basically, aside from cultivators achieving enlightenment and ascending to immortality, allowing them to migrate, the two realms have virtually no interaction and each governs its own affairs. There's no hierarchical relationship between them.
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