Return (IV)
He Shu folded his wings and stood stiffly at the foot of the white jade steps, looking disheveled. The bloody aura from his recent narrow escape still lingered around him.
Fortunately, Heqi arrived in time, and the tree demon had no intention of fighting. It turned around and disappeared among the overgrown vines.
The guarding heavenly soldiers blocked the way in front of the Ziji Lingxiao Palace. He Shu's heart was still beating wildly when He Qi hurriedly dragged him here.
"The Emperor of Heaven has ordered that matters be discussed in the palace, and all outsiders be kept away."
"Master Tianbing, we have an urgent matter to report. Please inform the inside."
He Qi spoke in an urgent tone. The guard saw He Shu standing behind her in a state of disarray. His eyes swept over the large, swollen, purple wound on his neck, covered with dark purple bruises and blood scabs. His brows knitted tightly together, knowing the situation was urgent. He stopped asking questions and nodded immediately.
"Understood. Please wait outside the hall for now."
After saying this, Tianbing turned and walked into the hall. Heqi's anxious eyes were fixed on the direction he left, and he paced back and forth outside the hall in annoyance.
He Shu was still a little dazed. The severe pain in his neck and the lingering feeling of suffocation made him dizzy. His eyes drifted unconsciously into the distance, and his vision fell blankly into the depths of the hall, but it was unfocused and he could not see anything clearly.
The magnificent scene seemed a little blurry and distorted in the frightened eyes. The plain brick floor reflected the dazzling light from the ninth heaven. The high-hanging glass lamps dropped their garlands, and the tassels swayed gently, casting swaying light and shadows, making the golden dragon relief on the coiled dragon pillar seem to come alive.
Before the heavenly soldiers who delivered the message returned, a vast and abyssal divine power suddenly spread out from outside the hall. He Qi immediately stopped and stood solemnly with his head bowed.
He Shu also came back to his senses, and felt the overflowing immortal power was scorching hot, as if he was standing next to an out-of-control alchemy furnace, burning him so much that his feathers curled up.
He hurriedly lowered his head, his gaze passing by the fairies with fluttering sleeves in the hall, the reflection of the hanging mirror on the throne of the Emperor of Heaven, and the corner of Yunhan Xianqing's whisk, and finally landed on the familiar figure on the plain bricks.
It was the hateful cat demon who stole his jade token and broke into the Heavenly Palace to steal!
At this moment, she was strangled by the Immortal Binding Chain and could not move. She was curled up on the ground in a mess, her amber eyes wide open with fear and pain, full of panic and unwillingness.
Looking at the appearance of the little cat demon who had bullied him before, He Shu had an absurd thought inexplicably in his mind:
Now it was his turn to say that things had changed.
The rosewood smoke from the incense burner in the hall drifted to his nose, mixed with the faint smell of blood from the cat demon. The immortal chains clanged because of her futile struggle.
His heart tightened and he quickly looked away, staring at the cold bricks under his feet.
"How can we tolerate such insolence in the Lianxu Palace Alchemy Storehouse?"
The low voice of the Emperor of Heaven came to his ears, and He Shu buried his head even lower. The wound on his neck felt a tearing pain, but the movement in the hall was like a hook, pulling his eyes in that direction.
"Cat demon Chiyu, do you admit your guilt?"
Another majestic voice questioned.
"crime?"
The cat demon's voice was hoarse and broken, filled with resentment and unwillingness.
"What crime have I committed? It's just... it's just an elixir... something you... can eat like a candy pill..."
She spoke intermittently, blood foam constantly flowing out of her mouth, and the immortal chain tightened with her violent struggle.
"Why...why...don't I deserve it?"
"Humph, ignorant little demon!"
Hearing that the immortal pill he had worked so hard to refine was despised by the cat demon, Yaodan Yuanjun's hair and beard stood on end, and he was furious.
"My Nine Revolutions Golden Pill was forged with the Six Ding Divine Fire for sixty-nine times, and refined with the Samadhi True Fire for thirty-six times. It took ninety-nine and eighty-one years of mortal life to complete. How could it be a sugar pill that you can so easily slander?"
"Yuanjun, calm down."
A calm voice interrupted him.
"The most urgent task is to find the mastermind behind this. With this level of demonic cultivation, there's no way it could possibly break into the Heavenly Palace and steal the elixir alone."
“…”
Outside the hall, Heqi suddenly looked up at Heshu, his eyes flashing with surprise and understanding.
When He Shu met her gaze, his heart was shocked.
really!
Heqi had guessed the truth without knowing it. He was even more clear-headed and knew very well that the cat demon and the tree demon had been in cahoots with each other in the mortal world.
No wonder she wanted to kill herself, it turned out she wanted to silence her!
"He Shu, the evil spirit that attacked you is probably related to this cat demon!"
Heqi said this, grabbing Heshu's arm and trying to rush in.
"No...you can't! Trespassing without permission...is a serious crime!"
He Shu staggered when he was pulled by him, but he endured the pain and shouted to stop him.
“I can’t wait!”
Heqi was so anxious that sweat broke out on his forehead. He put his hand on the hilt of the sword at his waist and then released it. It was obvious that he also knew the consequences of trespassing.
"The heavenly soldiers haven't returned yet, and that evil spirit is incredibly powerful. We don't know where it's hiding right now, and it could strike again at any moment! You're already injured like this, I doubt I can protect you if it strikes again! Besides, what if she escapes and causes trouble in the lower realms? Tao Hua's life or death is uncertain, perhaps she's already killed... Every moment of delay increases the danger!"
She looked at the horrific scar on Heshu's neck, thought of Taohua's safety, and gritted her teeth:
"It's an emergency, so I can't think of anything else! Get out of the way—"
As she shouted, she turned around and tried to push away the heavenly soldiers blocking the palace door.
"Another evil spirit has infiltrated the Heavenly Palace, intending to commit atrocities, but has already escaped. Delaying further could lead to disaster! If anything goes wrong, neither you nor I can bear the responsibility!"
During the stalemate, a familiar voice with a hint of joking came:
"Oh my, what's going on here? Why are you making such a fuss outside of Lingxiao Palace? How disrespectful!"
Soon, an immortal wearing a dark blue robe with cloud patterns came up to them.
"Emperor Xuanyue."
The heavenly soldiers immediately put down their weapons and bowed their heads in salute.
He Shu turned around upon hearing the voice, and when he saw the face of the person clearly, his pupils suddenly shrank and he gasped - this emperor was clearly the mountain god Xuan Tongzi whom he met in the mortal world!
The huge shock made him speechless for a moment. His mouth froze just as he opened it, and was interrupted by He Qi's anxious voice:
"Emperor!"
She grabbed a life-saving straw, stepped forward first, and reported quickly:
"Emperor Xuanyue! We were just attacked. We suspect it was the cat demon's accomplice who stole the elixir. The demon has already escaped without a trace. I'm afraid it will cause more trouble! I beg the Emperor to take us into the palace to report!"
"This matter is indeed tricky..."
Xuan Tongzi's eyes swept over the horrific scar on He Shu's neck, his expression slightly tense, and then he replied in a deep voice:
"You two come with me."
Heqi showed joy and followed immediately, but Heshu was stunned by the news that Xuantongzi was Emperor Xuanyue.
"He Shu! What are you doing?!"
Seeing that he was in a trance, Heqi was angry and anxious. He pulled him closer and scolded him in a low voice:
"Wake up! What's wrong with you today? You're the only one who has seen the true appearance of that monster. Don't miss the opportunity at this critical moment!"
“Alright, alright…”
Xuan Tongzi had no choice but to separate the two.
He raised his hand and flicked his robe sleeve lightly, and an invisible ripple spread across the barrier of the temple gate.
"This kid is already dazed. If you continue to be aggressive towards him, what will you do if he becomes speechless?"
Heqi stopped talking after hearing that, glared at Heshu with a red face, and turned his head away in embarrassment.
"Those people in the hall are still judging the cat demon who stole the pill. It would be inappropriate for us to rush in rashly, but..."
Before he finished speaking, the voice of Emperor Yuanji Tiandi came from the hall:
"Come in."
"Hey, they noticed, let's go in."
Xuan Tongzi chuckled and walked into the hall.
"How are you all? Oh, Yuanjun, who has offended you?"
He walked familiarly to the side of Yaodan Yuanjun, and the two people behind him followed closely.
"Humph, you are the one who caused all this trouble at Luzhu Mountain, and you still have the nerve to ask?"
Yaodan Yuanjun stroked his gray beard and snorted coldly.
"Your Excellency Yuan is wrong..."
Xuan Tongzi smiled and waved his hand.
"I am in charge of the heavens, the earth, and the mountains. However, there are so many wild monsters in the mountains that even if I had three heads and six arms, it would be difficult for me to take care of them all. But the Heavenly Court..."
"It's just a tiny cat demon. It ascended to the Ninth Heaven alone, yet the heavenly soldiers failed to stop it and the elixir was easily stolen. Is it because Marshal Zhenqiong failed to lead the troops? Or is it because you, Yaodan Yuanjun, are careless and negligent? Or maybe..."
Xuan Tongzi dragged out his voice, his eyes vaguely glancing towards the throne.
"Is there a flaw in the rules of the Ninth Heaven? According to Yuanjun's calculations, everyone here, including..."
"Xuanyue!"
The Emperor's voice suddenly sank, with obvious displeasure.
"You brought people in here, aren't you going to say something to impeach this emperor?"
His majestic voice suppressed the arguments. Xuan Tongzi stopped talking, coughed twice, and pushed the two people behind him forward.
"Of course, of course. I brought you two young friends here precisely for this crucial matter."
In an instant, the eyes of all the immortals focused on the two of them.
He Shu felt as if a thorn was thorning his back. He stared at the plain bricks on the ground, wishing he could shrink into the shadow of the lamp in the corner of the hall. He was so scared that he dared not even breathe.
Heqi took a step forward and bowed to report:
"Report to the Emperor of Heaven, a demon disguised as an immortal servant attacked He Shu in the Heavenly Palace and escaped!"
She pulled the pale He Shu forward, revealing the hideous scar on his neck.
"That evil spirit is adept at wielding vines, her movements are elusive, and her magical powers are immense. I believe she must be in cahoots with the cat demon in the palace and is the mastermind behind the pill theft!"
He Shu was dragged forcefully, his steps stumbling, his vision blackening. The dazzling light and the majestic pressure from the immortals in the hall nearly suffocated him. Someone beside him pinched his arm hard, and he shuddered, lowering his head and almost losing his balance.
"It was... the one who attacked me... a youkai who could control vines... She disguised herself as Tao Hua... and lured me into this illusion she had created... intending to kill me..."
The invisible pressure from the immortals in the hall was like a real mountain, pressing heavily on He Shu's chest.
His breathing stagnated, cold sweat instantly soaked his underwear, his throat seemed to be strangled by an invisible hand, and every breath affected the wound on his neck.
After swallowing hard, he pointed at the cat demon lying on the ground, panting and making a dry and intermittent sound:
"Xiaoxian... When Xiaoxian followed Madam Xi down to the mortal world, I once... in Luzhu Mountain... encountered this cat demon and tree demon colluding. They... they teamed up at that time... and stole Xiaoxian's jade pass..."
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