Chapter 46 Second Round Competition Rules She was tightly embraced from behind! ...
After the thunderclouds dispersed, Bitao descended from the Chongxiao Liuyutai and went with the people sent by the Medical Department and the Supervisory Department to guide Taiji.
Taiji mingled with the contestants who had managed to retain their immortal positions, and together they arrived at the entrance to the Heavenly Realm.
Those whose immortal ranks had been demoted several levels naturally looked grim, each still feeling lingering fear.
As a newly ascended immortal with merit, Taiji stood out among this group of people, displaying exceptional brilliance and extraordinary talent.
Bitao looked at Taiji's yin-yang eyes from a distance, without rushing forward.
He followed the immortals down from the clouds with composure, and even helped a celestial who was about to fall to the ground because he was unsteady on his feet.
He showed absolutely no panic at his sudden arrival in the celestial realm, nor any excitement at ascending to become an immortal.
No matter how hard she tried, Bitao could not reconcile the image of the composed and resolute adult man before her with that of Gouwazi, who had knelt in the carriage, overwhelmed with emotion at the name she had bestowed upon him.
For a moment, even Bitao felt a little apprehensive about returning home.
He returned too late; it was already the eighth day of the first competition, and he was already very old in the mortal realm.
Having lived through eighty years of life, Bitao wondered if he would still remember the friendship they shared in his childhood.
However, after the immortal he was supporting was taken away by someone he knew, he let go of her hand and walked slowly but firmly toward Bitao.
The next instant, under everyone's watchful eyes, he lifted his hem and knelt down.
"Attendant Taiji greets the Fairy of the Peach Blossom."
"From this day forward, I am willing to serve the Fairy of the Peach Blossom with utmost loyalty and devotion, repaying her kindness with all my heart and soul."
His voice was deep and resonant, like the sound of evening drums and morning bells echoing in the quiet mountains and forests.
It wasn't grand or impassioned, but its tone was clear and resonant, as steady as a rock.
However, although he appeared to be very composed, what he did next was anything but composed!
Since he didn't have a knife with him, he simply put his finger in his mouth and bit it.
Then he smeared the blood from his fingertips between his lips, and with his eyes, which were so clear and bright after passing through the Five Thunder Formation that they were almost terrifying to look at for a long time, he locked his gaze on Bitao's eyes, who was looking down at him.
Then he swore an oath to the peach blossom: "In life and death, we are bound by this vow, and I will never waver. I swear by blood, and if this vow is broken, my soul will perish."
Celestial beings in the heavens don't swear oaths to each other for no reason.
After all, as immortals, every word they utter is law, and heaven and earth bear witness to it.
Blood oaths are different; the Celestial Realm is a celestial realm, and they don't practice blood oaths like those in the Demon Realm!
A rumbling thunder surged toward them. When Bitao saw the lightning gathering above the clouds, she forgot all her worries, grabbed the person who was still kneeling on the ground, and ran.
"What kind of blood oath are you making? Is heaven a place where you can just swear an oath anywhere? We are gods!"
"Moreover, your blood oath should have been made by smearing some animal blood on the ground as a formality, but you even bit your finger."
"Where did you learn this evil oath-making method? Run! You'll be struck by lightning if you're any later!"
Bitao pulled Taiji all the way to the big peach tree in Juntian.
The five thunderbolts above the clouds continued to roll, as if to teach this little immortal, who had just been promoted to immortality, a lesson for engaging in "crooked practices".
Helpless, Bitao pulled up her sleeve to wipe Taiji's mouth: "Hurry up, hurry up and wipe it clean, so we can summon the lightning later. This palace of mine has just been renovated!"
Tai Chi followed Bi Tao's movements throughout, running and stopping with her. Even now, when wiping her mouth, he stood motionless.
After finally wiping away the blood from the blood oath, the rumbling warning sound faded into the distance.
Bitao finally breathed a sigh of relief and looked at the little fairies from the supervisory and medical departments who had come to guide the two of them. They had been so frightened that they had left without even taking their fairy spirits...
In fact, Bitao was also a little curious as to why the Ministry of Supervision and the Ministry of Medicine had sent people to help Taiji ascend to immortality.
At this moment, the people inside the palace came out to greet him. Physician Wu and Big-Eyed Cuiwei were old friends of Taiji. They surrounded him to congratulate him and pulled him into the palace.
Taiji turned to look at Bitao and said the first normal thing they said after meeting in the Heavenly Realm.
There was even a hint of stubbornness in his words: "Years have passed since we parted... Fairy Bitao, do you still remember me?"
Bitao: "..."
She was not familiar with the mature male appearance of Tai Chi.
After ascension, one's appearance will remain at its peak.
He is now very handsome, with a graceful figure and a face like jade.
When he was little, his head was covered, and the eye that was hidden was no longer concealed. Moreover, it seemed to have shed its gray-white color and become a kind of misty haze that was impossible to see through.
But he couldn't help it. When he faced her now, he was still like when he was a child. Being tall was useless. Standing or kneeling made no difference. His voice trembled when he spoke.
With an uncontrollable tremor of restraint, she still resembled a shy child, which instantly brought back Bitao's familiar feeling.
Therefore, Bitao raised her hand, made a delicate gesture with her fingers, and flicked his forehead.
"What do you think, you little rascal?"
Tai Chi's lips twitched rapidly twice, then he pursed them tightly.
The blood that hadn't been wiped clean between his teeth, still carrying a hint of saltiness, revealed some of his master's painstaking efforts and heart-wrenching thoughts over the years.
It's so difficult.
It's really difficult.
Seeing her again is harder than climbing to heaven.
Tai Chi's pair of yin-yang heterochromatic eyes, after passing through the Five Thunder Formation, were supposed to be repaired after the immortal spirit entered his body and he left his mortal body.
But for some reason, they are still different colors of Yin and Yang.
One was like a bottomless abyss, the other like being shrouded in layers of thick fog, making it impossible for others to see through or guess. They were completely unaware that he was silently trembling, his heart breaking as he silently chanted over and over again.
Finally, finally, finally...
Finally, he saw the person he most wanted to see again.
He let out a soft sigh, a shy smile curving his lips.
But no matter how difficult it was to climb to the top, he eventually made it, didn't he?
Once inside the hall, a group of people asked him what he had been doing in the mortal realm.
Tai Chi didn't hide anything, especially after meeting Doctor Wu, he treated his master with the same respect as before.
He answered whatever anyone asked, but he omitted some of the extreme things he did to himself in his later years.
Although he was tall, he stood out from the crowd just by sitting there, making him impossible to ignore.
He lowered his eyes, his voice was gentle and calm, and he remained low-key to the end.
Bitao suddenly realized: "So you created the Knife Doctor Hall, saving countless women in difficult childbirths, and then you went around helping people everywhere..."
"No wonder the prison and medical departments came together."
"I'm about to enter the second competition. Now that you've ascended, the people from the Supervision Department and the Medical Department have come to guide you. Now you should think carefully about where you want to go."
"I'll take you to your new post tomorrow."
"I don't want to go anywhere."
Taiji answered very quickly, even moving so fast that he left his seat and was in front of Bitao in the blink of an eye.
He knelt down and looked up at her, saying, "I am the attendant of the Fairy of Peach Blossoms, and I will stay by your side."
He paused, then added, "Wherever you go."
Bitao was startled by this action and almost choked on her water, spraying it in his face.
However, before Bitao could even finish swallowing the tea and open her mouth, a series of messages suddenly came from the Silver River.
After opening the peach blossom, Bitao first read it through word by word from beginning to end.
Then he fixed his gaze on a line of words, and then suddenly grabbed the jade pendant at his waist. In an instant, he felt clear-headed, as if he had been doused with ice water!
She suddenly stood up from the table, casually slapped Tai Chi on the head, and said to him, "The medical department and the supervisory department will choose one of us. You can't stay by my side. I'm about to participate in the second round of competition!"
On the Silver River, the rules for the second round of the competition have been released.
Just as Bitao darted to the door, Tai Chi grabbed her wrist with incredible speed.
Tai Chi's expression could no longer conceal his stubbornness: "Then I will go to the competition with you and protect you!"
Bitao was genuinely taken aback, not because of his speed, which was fast enough to catch a deity who was about to transform into a spirit.
Instead, I was struck by the stubbornness and determination in his eyes.
It was as if he was about to do something drastic if Bitao didn't agree.
But Bitao really couldn't care less about him at the moment, and shook off his hand: "You don't understand what the competition is all about, I'll tell you when I get back!"
After leaving, Bitao went straight to the Jade Bone Palace, where Zhu Ming was already waiting.
Zhu Ming was leisurely brewing tea when Bi Tao rushed in. He didn't even look up, but he couldn't suppress the smile on his lips.
She simply asked casually, "So, Fairy Bitao, are you satisfied with the gift I gave you for winning the first round of the competition?"
Bitao's fingers gripped the jade pendant on her body tightly—the Ice Wheel Seal.
The day Zhu Ming gave it to her, he told her that one day this thing would have a wonderful use.
Bitao had always loved it, and even when Zhu Ming intercepted the jade pendant that was meant to confuse her, it couldn't stop her from going mad in the mortal realm.
He even considered that if it didn't serve any other purpose in the future, he would carve out the two characters "Bing Lun" and recarve something else.
Let's just say she received a jade pendant.
But at this very moment, Bitao leaned against the doorway, one hand pressing on the Ice Wheel Mark on her waist, and the other on her wildly beating heart.
After a long pause, she finally managed to say, "Your Highness, if you continue like this, I might fall in love with you."
Zhu Ming paused in serving the tea, slammed his hand on the table, and glared at Bi Tao: "What, you want to repay kindness with enmity?"
Zhu Ming scoffed: "Save your distorted 'love' for your Mingguang Xuanxian, I can't afford it."
Bitao entered the house through the door, her face beaming with joy, and she even seemed to want to dance with glee.
Lifting her skirt on the ground, she inexplicably spun around, stopped in front of Zhu Ming, opened her arms, and said, "Then may I hug His Highness the Crown Prince?"
"You should just get out of here," Zhu Ming said, pointing to the door.
Bitao sat down next to his table, reached out and rubbed her face vigorously.
But he simply couldn't suppress the boiling passion he felt at that moment.
With her hands supporting her neck, she said to Zhu Ming, "What should I do, Your Highness? I've discovered that this gift is so heavy that I have no way to repay you except by offering myself to you..."
Zhu Ming glanced at her: "It's not like I'm letting you off easy. The ancient immortal clan attacked me first, questioning my path to ascension. I'm just retaliating in kind."
"If you don't perform well in the lower realm this time and fail to help me regain the face I lost before, you will never be allowed to enter the gates of my Jade Bone Palace again."
Bitao chuckled, her hands resting on the table.
First, I opened the Silver Han Gu and looked at the rules of the second competition.
She laughed for a while before placing the jade pendant that Zhu Ming had given her several days ago on the table.
He tapped it, one tap at a time.
During this time, their eyes met, they conspired together, and then quickly looked away.
Both men were exceptionally intelligent, and even in their own palaces, they would never openly reveal their schemes.
Yinhan Gu announced many rules for the next round of competition.
The first point states that the second round of the Immortal Selection Competition will take place in the Xuanxing Realm.
This realm is a place where the path to the underworld is severed, stagnant souls become evil spirits, the abyss is always open, humans and ghosts share the same path, and a world plagued by a hundred ghosts.
The second article states that this time, when they descend to the mortal realm, the immortals will experience three tribulations: separation from loved ones, unfulfilled desires, and encounters with those they hate.
In this chaotic realm, one's cultivation level and immortality are suppressed, making one no different from a mortal cultivator. One can return to heaven after obtaining 500,000 merits.
The third rule is a time limit for the competition, which is forty years in the mortal realm.
Article 4 states that because the time flow rate differs between each astral realm and the celestial realm, to ensure the competition's efficiency and smooth progress, the selected astral time flow rate for this competition will be temporarily changed from one year in the celestial realm to ten years in the mortal realm. The astral time flow rate will be restored after the competition ends.
And this fifth point...
Article 5: All immortals are not born from a womb. They will receive the Heavenly Thunder Curse, sealing their consciousness and imprisoning their past lives.
One should choose a deceased person whose appearance resembles theirs, imitate their form, inherit their memories, and continue their loves and hates.
They feign "revival and life extension" to compete in the world.
Bitao and Zhuming both stared at the fourth item.
The lingering smiles on their faces were precisely because of this fourth point.
In other words, after they descend to the mortal realm, their memories and consciousness will be sealed by the Thunder Pattern Curse.
Find a dead person who looks similar to you to take their place, inherit their memories, and become a completely different person.
With the rules for the second round of the competition now in effect, the first round of the competition felt like a group of immortals descending to the mortal realm for a leisurely stroll.
It turns out that the immortals who were supervising the competition in the Nine Heavens didn't bother to look at anything that happened on the Silver River Net during the first round of the competition because, strictly speaking, the first round of the competition couldn't even be called a competition; it was just letting people down to sift through the water.
However, this also made it clear to the Nine Heavens Immortals that they were like weasels giving birth to mice, each generation worse than the last.
Those who are sent down to play a game will never come back; they are unworthy to be immortals.
After playing a round, whether they were barely surviving after having their spirits plucked or had already won the previous round, they were all left behind.
If you dare to participate in the second round of competition according to the rules of this second round, then you are truly qualified to compete for the six high-ranking immortal positions and become the immortal who leads all the immortals.
The Silver River was in an uproar, with many immortals who had already registered for the second round of the competition beating their exit drums.
Zhu Ming sat there, deliberately activating the notification chimes on the Silver River Net. He squinted slightly, tapping his fingers rhythmically, as if listening to celestial music.
What kind of mindset and self-confidence is needed to survive in the Xuanxing Realm, where humans and ghosts coexist, after forgetting the past and becoming another person, and to accumulate 500,000 merits within forty years before returning to heaven?
The moment the rules for the second round of the nine-day competition were announced, all the immortals felt threatened.
Bitao, however, rubbed the Ice Wheel Seal in her hand, becoming increasingly excited as she looked at the Silver Han Net.
I can't wait!
If she wore the Ice Wheel Seal on her hand, the evil energy within it would attach to her celestial soul during the teleportation in the first competition, causing her to be confused and unable to remember anything after arriving in the lower realm.
That was a conspiracy by the Thunder Department to prevent her from returning to the Heavenly Realm.
If, in the second competition, Bitao receives the teleportation with the Ice Wheel Seal, which has been infused with a great deal of malevolent energy by Zhu Ming, her immortal rank will be high and her immortal essence will be perfected, so she will no longer be affected by this malevolent energy.
However, before the second competition in the lower realm, the Heavenly Dao of Myriad Realms would set up a thunder pattern spell to seal away the past lives of each of them.
As the teleportation and the Thunder Pattern Curse descend, the Ice Wheel Seal shatters, and the evil energy within becomes the first target of the fierce Thunder Pattern Curse.
In other words, it is possible that Bitao could, with the help of this ominous energy, retain a trace of chaotic consciousness for a fleeting moment after descending to the lower realm.
Although the Thunder Pattern Curse will eventually seal her past, she has a one in ten thousand chance that she can use this moment of chaos to break the Thunder Pattern Curse seal directly!
Bitao was most familiar with the method to break the Thunder Pattern Curse.
It couldn't be simpler.
The moment a person is on the verge of death is the moment when the Thunder Curse breaks!
Furthermore, Bitao even meticulously analyzed and searched for loopholes based on several rules following the Silver Han Gu.
By drawing inferences from one instance, they deduced that this thunder pattern seal had other uses as well.
Although the rules for the second round of the competition were extremely harsh, the celestial beings clearly did not intend for them to be completely wiped out below.
The Thunder Pattern Seal serves as both a seal and a protection.
It can protect a contestant from a life-or-death crisis.
Bitao read the rules dozens of times, her mind filled with countless thoughts and ideas, to the point that she could even write several lines at once.
Her face was flushed as she smiled obsequiously at Zhu Ming.
Holding the Ice Wheel Seal in his hand, he bowed to him and said, "Your Highness, rest assured, I will definitely help you avenge your past grievances this time!"
The ancient immortal clan thought that by sending out Feng Lian, the immortal god, as a scapegoat, they could quell Zhu Ming's anger, cover up the power struggle between the two sides, and bring peace to the world.
As the intensity and severity of the subsequent competitions increase, those on the Ancient Immortal Clan who lose their composure will inevitably resort to certain measures.
Bitao and her group's scheming and petty tricks are naturally against the rules.
However, this seal is the Ice Wheel Seal, which is the personal seal of the Ice Wheel Celestial Immortal, who is being cultivated by the Thunder Department.
He personally handed it to Bitao; he didn't steal or rob it.
It wasn't used in the first competition, so using it in the second competition was a brilliant move, making the most of its potential.
Regardless of the outcome, when it comes to the final investigation, it's a case of killing multiple birds with one stone, and it's flawless.
Bitao and Zhu Ming, one in a sorry state and the other in a disheveled state, drank two cups of tea together and looked at the Silver Han Net several times, but neither of them mentioned how to use the Ice Wheel Seal.
Yet, through subtle glances and gestures, he formulated a grand plan.
Bitao left Zhu Ming's place. The eighth day of the first competition had come to a complete end, and the sun had already set on the horizon.
The sky was ablaze with crimson clouds, dyeing the entire heavens a deep red, as if silently foreshadowing a bloody storm brewing beneath the surface of peace.
Before Bitao could return to the palace, she was intercepted on the way.
To Bitao's surprise, the person who intercepted her was Mingguang.
After seeing the rules for the second round of the competition on the Silver River, Mingguang gradually became flustered and speechless.
He rushed out with some withdrawal lists still pending processing in his hand.
She first went to Bitao's palace, only to be told by her attendant that she had gone to Yugu Palace.
Why are they running to the Jade Bone Palace all day long, ignoring even the attendants who just guided them to the upper realm?
Mingguang frowned.
Thinking back to their intimate and affectionate interactions yesterday, and their mutual affection and adoration, she couldn't help but clench her teeth.
Zhu Ming was far superior to Jing Su.
But for some reason, Mingguang still couldn't imagine or accept the thought that Xiao Taozhi and Zhu Ming had actually developed feelings for each other.
Although Zhu Ming is a Xuanxian (a type of immortal), he possesses extraordinary abilities. As the head of Youtian (a realm in ancient China) and the sole attendant of the Eastern King Duke, he may become the future successor of Penglai and oversee the male immortals of the Nine Heavens. Naturally, his future is limitless.
But he was much older than Xiao Taozhi.
It's so much bigger.
Moreover, Zhu Ming is overly intelligent to the point of being demonic, and his methods are superb. Xiao Taozhi is bright and cheerful, cunning but lacks ruthlessness.
How can one outmaneuver Zhu Ming, who is full of schemes?
How can an older man and a younger woman maintain a loving and lasting relationship?
The more Mingguang thought about it, the more he felt that the two of them were not a good match.
It really won't work.
Although Zhu Mingxiandu and Bitao did have a servant relationship, now that Bitao is a deity, she doesn't need to guard him every day, watching over his every move.
Do you have so much to say?
Mingguang and the others stood by the Shuichun Bridge, their hands behind their backs.
Its shape resembles a jade tree standing in the wind, and its posture is like a lone pine tree bearing snow. However, the figure cast into the water under the bridge is desolate in the cold pool and shrouded in mist.
When Bitao landed after transforming into a spirit, she was probably caught off guard and instinctively took two steps back upon seeing him.
He grabbed the jade pendant at his waist and moved it behind him along the belt.
Mingguang thought he had startled her so much that she staggered, so he reached out and grabbed Bitao's wrist.
After the two of them stood up straight, Mingguang released Bitao's wrist... but not completely.
He grabbed Bitao's sleeve to prevent her from leaving without listening to him.
Times have changed, and the scenes that once took place by the Shuichun Bridge have been reversed.
Bitao looked down at Mingguang, who was clutching her sleeve, her eyes soft and filled with concern and pleading.
The pursuit that seemed to last a century was not merely her own wishful thinking and stubbornness.
Therefore, Bitao softened her voice and asked him, "Immortal Mingguang, are you here at this time because you have official business to attend to in Youtian to see Immortal Zhu Ming?"
This is the most reasonable reason for Mingguang's presence here.
But Bitao knew, of course, that he wasn't.
Otherwise, why would he stand here alone, looking at the water with such melancholy, without any attendants?
Mingguang, clutching Bitao's sleeve, looked up at her and saw the unspoken joy in her eyes.
It felt as if someone had scratched my heart, and an indescribable bitterness spread through me.
It's so late, are you really that happy after leaving the Jade Bone Palace?
Since the second round of competition rules were announced on the Silver River Net, Mingguang has been searching for Xiaotaozhi for a full hour and a half.
Mingguang stopped beating around the bush and said directly, "The second round of the competition requires sealing the Heavenly Soul. After descending to the mortal realm... we will become strangers again."
Mingguang's voice inevitably lowered due to his depressed mood.
"What will we do then...?"
He used to not remember Xiao Taozhi, and later Xiao Taozhi didn't remember him.
What if he and Xiao Taozhi don't recognize each other at the same time...?
This problem had been lingering in Mingguang's mind all night, and he couldn't think of any other solution.
No matter what method, magical artifact, or symbol is used to make them recognize each other in the mortal realm, it is cheating.
Mingguang has always been law-abiding and disciplined; he would never do something that would disregard the rules for his own selfish desires.
However, if they have no memory of each other at all, and due to their opposing stance, they draw their swords against each other.
If you injure the other party, how will you handle the aftermath?
If he were injured, that would be fine, but he didn't even dare to think about it. If Xiao Taozhi lost the competition because of him and passed away, how would the two of them get along?
Even more unimaginable is that if the identity assigned to her by the Heavenly Rules makes it impossible for her to distinguish between the love and hatred that belong to others.
She is already full of intense emotions. What will happen if she becomes attached to the mortal world and becomes willing to be a mortal?
Overwhelmed by worries and fears, Mingguang, a man accustomed to self-discipline and stoicism, was utterly at a loss.
Although he remained as usual, maintaining his usual icy expression and calm rationality,
Yet my heart is like a boiling cauldron, my internal organs are burning with anxiety.
At this moment, Bitao had seen through all his anxiety, desperation, and helplessness.
They deliberately added a blazing fire to his boiling cauldron, simmering his heart, liver, spleen, and lungs until they were charred and fragrant inside and out.
“Mingguang Xuanxian, I forgot to tell you, this time I descended to the mortal realm... I'm afraid I won't be able to return to heaven.”
"There is nothing in the heavens that I would be attached to."
"Although this competition takes place in the Star Realm, where humans and ghosts share the same path and a hundred ghosts wreak havoc on the world, at least my suppressed cultivation level still gives me the ability to protect myself."
"At that time, I won't even need to drink the Meng Po soup anymore. I can be reincarnated as another person, forget my past life, and experience the intense love and hate of others. Wouldn't that be wonderful?"
"Don't worry," Bitao's voice was extremely gentle, and her expression was somewhat relieved: "From now on, there will be no more little peach branches in the Nine Heavens, and no more Bitao Fairy who clings to you, causing you disgrace and endless trouble."
Bitao even bowed to him, saying, "Mingguang Xuanxian, from now on, may you reach the highest peak and enjoy prosperity for thousands of years."
After Bitao finished speaking, she didn't even look at Mingguang's expression.
He ripped off the sleeve he was holding and strode across the Water Pagoda Bridge.
Mingguang's expression went blank at first; he couldn't believe what he had just heard.
Little Peach Branch, in order to escape him, truly had no intention of dying.
Willing to be someone else, to chase after things that don't belong to you.
This is utterly absurd!
How could this be?!
Mingguang is like a frozen snowfield stretching for thousands of miles.
However, at this moment, a thunderous roar, like thunder and a dragon's cry, rolled in from beneath the earth—
The frigid waters, frozen for millennia beneath the snowfield, surged and finally, as Bitao strode across the other side of the Water Bamboo Bridge, carved a crack through the vast expanse of ice.
A crisp "crack" sound reverberated throughout the heavens and earth.
Mingguang's figure flashed by, and just as Bitao was about to transform into a spirit and return to the other side of the Water Bamboo Bridge, he stretched out his arms and hugged her tightly from behind!
He used almost all his strength, as if he wanted to break the person in his arms and melt them into his blood.
"Little Peach Branch!"
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