Chapter 594: The Shenhe Has Problems

The immortal king quickly replied: "It's Du Changya, disciple of Emperor Duxing, who inherited his master's imperial title."

Ding Huan walked toward the teleportation array: "Teleport me immediately to the Immortal Court Square."

He had no grudge against Emperor Duxing, as long as no one targeted Brother Xingpan or his friends.

Even if those people turned the Pangu Great World upside down, he wouldn't bother to care.

When Ding Huan wished to teleport, no one dared to lift a finger to stop him.

As soon as he landed on the Immortal Court Square, his divine sense swept outward, and he soon sensed Brother Xingpan's aura.

Brother Xingpan was still in the Emperor's Palace, and no one had driven him out.

The Immortal Court's Treasure Hall was now filled with people; Ding Huan's divine sense scanned briefly—the Emperor's seat remained empty, indicating they still respected Brother Xingpan.

But two people sat in the seats flanking the Emperor's throne.

On the left sat a young man, his cultivation at the peak of the Immortal Sovereign realm.

On the right sat a burly man, his Dao aura unremarkable, yet radiating a powerful presence—clearly a body cultivator, likely a Wu clan warrior.

He saw no Emperor Jinhe or Brother Pingwei, but recognized some acquaintances, such as Southern Dao Lord Ju Feihe, Qi Fangfeng, and his son Qi Yongjian.

Ju Feihe's cultivation in the Pangu Great World had been late-stage Immortal Emperor, but now Ding Huan realized he was merely late-stage Immortal Sovereign.

Yet late-stage Immortal Sovereigns in the Pangu Great World differed slightly from those elsewhere, primarily in their Dao resonance.

One could even say Immortal Sovereigns in the Pangu Great World were slightly stronger than those elsewhere.

Thus, advancing to Immortal Sovereign here was far more difficult.

"Our Pangu Great World is vast and boundless; though internal strife is nearly nonexistent, external threats remain."

"Since Emperor Brother Xingpan was gravely wounded, we have desperately sought Immortal materials to restore his body, but such materials are exceedingly rare—we still do not know when we will find them."

"As Du Wuya, a member of the Pangu Great World, I dare to suggest we temporarily appoint a Regent Emperor…"

"After all, the Mortal World cannot go a single day without a ruler—how much less our Pangu Great World?"

Ding Huan saw the speaker was the young Immortal Sovereign seated to the left of the Emperor's throne.

"I agree entirely with Emperor Duxing's words. Great Immortal Supervisor laid such a solid foundation for our Pangu Great World—if we fail to protect this land, we betray the Great Immortal Supervisor."

A slightly hoarse voice spoke.

The speaker was Bu Yue.

Originally sent to the Chaotic Zone to seek aid from the Wu clan, this man had vanished during his mission.

He never expected that after so many years, he would return to the Immortal Court.

Not only had he returned, but his position, judging by his standing, seemed unaffected.

His ability to survive in court politics was clearly innate.

Ding Huan entered the Immortal Court Treasure Hall and immediately drew every eye.

"Great Immortal Supervisor?"

Qi Fangfeng's delighted voice rang out—he had never imagined he'd see the Great Immortal Supervisor again here.

"Commandant Qi, long time no see." Ding Huan was genuinely pleased to see these old friends.

Fewer familiar faces remained; some likely died in the battle against the dung beetles, others were probably still recovering.

Ding Huan walked straight to the seat beneath the Emperor's throne.

At once, everyone—whether known or unknown—rose in unison to pay respects: "Great Immortal Supervisor."

The Emperor's seat remained empty; even Du Changya, who desperately wanted it, dared not sit.

But when one man sat there, no one dared utter a word of protest.

That man was Ding Huan.

Great Immortal Supervisor Ding Huan, in the Pangu Great World, was no longer merely an official title—he was a symbol.

Many Immortal Cities and some Immortal Sects even had statues of Great Immortal Supervisor Ding Huan.

"May all of you be well," Ding Huan rose to return their bows.

After everyone sat down again, Du Changya stood and bowed to Ding Huan: "Du Changya pays homage to the Great Immortal Supervisor."

"You are Emperor Duxing's disciple?" Ding Huan looked at Du Changya.

Du Changya replied respectfully: "Yes, my master's involvement with the Emperor is more complex than it appears—this matter has nothing to do with him."

"My master is rigid, incapable of compromise—he does whatever others ask of him with full commitment…"

He trailed off mid-sentence, clearly holding back more.

Ding Huan understood Du Changya's implication: Emperor Duxing merely followed orders and bore no real grudge against Brother Xingpan.

He also made clear he, Du Changya, would never harbor resentment toward Emperor Brother Xingpan for killing his master.

Ding Huan nodded—he had never intended to meddle in the feud between Brother Xingpan and Emperor Duxing.

"Wu Clan Feng Ju pays homage to the Great Immortal Supervisor," said the burly man on the right, rising to bow as Ding Huan showed no anger toward Du Changya.

He sat here representing the Wu clan, and he also respected Du Changya.

Before Ding Huan could ask, Southern Dao Lord Ju Feihe hurried to speak:

"After Emperor Brother Xingpan was gravely wounded, he still ordered us to unify the entire Chaotic Zone and bring the Pangu Great World together."

"After our battle with Zuo Shanxi, we suffered heavy losses; many Immortal Court cultivators lost the will to fight."

"Yet Du Changya, as a mere banner commander, repeatedly earned battlefield merits, and it was through his influence that the Wu clan eventually submitted to our Immortal Court."

Clearly, Ju Feihe feared Ding Huan might misunderstand and act against Du Changya.

Ding Huan nodded, turning to Bu Yue: "Bu Immortal Chancellor, your mission to seek aid took quite a while."

Bu Yue's face turned pale—he knew Ding Huan looked down on him.

Hearing Ding Huan's words, he hurried forward and bowed deeply to the ground: "When I reached the Wu clan, I was detained—they refused to listen to me."

"Only after Commander Du brought the Chaotic Zone under the Pangu Great World did I finally get the chance to return to the Immortal Court."

Ding Huan ignored Bu Yue and turned to Feng Ju, who was still standing below, and asked: "Feng Ju, are you the chieftain of the Wu Clan?"

Though this was his first time meeting Ding Huan, Feng Ju had long heard of the Great Immortal Supervisor's renown, and he quickly replied:

"I am one of the two Wu Pillars of the Wu Clan. If the Great Immortal Supervisor has any orders, Feng Ju will surely carry them out for you."

"Good. I have a friend named Wen Zhixi. She went into the Chaos Zone—do you know anything about her?"

Hearing Ding Huan's words, Feng Ju froze. Asking him to find someone was a difficult request.

Ju Feihe stepped forward again and said:

"Great Immortal Supervisor, I know Immortal Zhixi. Immortal Zhixi and her mother Wu Wanting came to the Immortal Court seeking you. When they learned you had left the Pangu Great World, she was deeply disheartened.

Later, she settled permanently in Brother Pingwei's Daoist estate, Tianwei Mountain, to cultivate—until seven years ago, when our Immortal Court's Ten-Thousand Array Star Lord Ji Cang discovered the Shenhe of the Divine Source…"

Ding Huan's heart jolted. The Shenhe had been discovered?

When he left, he had severed the Divine Clan's destiny with the Ascension Tower and sealed the Shenhe—how had it been found?

"After Ji Cang discovered the Shenhe, he dared not act and returned to report to Brother Pingwei. Later, Brother Pingwei detected traces of your Immortal Array beneath the Shenhe, so he and Emperor Jinhe jointly explored the Shenhe.

Upon learning there was an Immortal Array inside, Immortal Zhixi wished to descend and investigate. Her mother Wu Wanting, unwilling to let her go alone, followed her down.

But after they went down, no word came back. Later, I and Yi Shui voluntarily went to search once—but found nothing. We dared not go deeper and had to return."

After hearing Ju Feihe's account, Ding Huan frowned.

He had inspected the Shenhe before—it had seemed ordinary.

But he had only examined the end near the Divine Clan, and sealed that end with the Ascension Tower.

As for the other end of the Shenhe, he had never bothered to look.

In his perception, the Shenhe appeared to be only a million li long—could there be hidden mysteries within?

"Younger brother…" Brother Xingpan's voice reached him, and Ding Huan saw Brother Xingpan's frail Primordial Spirit.

Ding Huan immediately stood up: "Older brother, this matter is my fault for dragging you into it."

He had planned to find Brother Xingpan after clarifying the situation here, then restore his body—but Brother Xingpan had come to him upon learning he had returned.

"Hahaha…" Brother Xingpan laughed heartily: "We're brothers—what's this talk of blame?"

"Older brother, why not come with me this time? Give up being Heavenly Emperor." Ding Huan had originally come back to take Brother Xingpan away.

Remaining in the Pangu Great World—a place with incomplete laws—to be a Heavenly Emperor was utterly meaningless.

"If you don't disdain me having only a Primordial Spirit, I, Brother Xingpan, will follow you and venture out together." Brother Xingpan said without hesitation.

He had found no treasure to restore his body; staying here had become truly agonizing.

Ding Huan stood and asked again: "Has anyone seen a woman named Qi Ning or a man named Cang Diyi come to the Pangu Great World seeking me? By the way, they are not cultivators of the Pangu Great World."

As he spoke, Ding Huan raised his hand and drew their portraits.

"Great Immortal Supervisor, since I command the Pangu Great World's cultivator army, I can confirm neither of these two entered the Pangu Great World."

This time, it was Du Changya who answered, his tone firm.

Ding Huan felt disappointed. He knew Qi Ning and Cang Diyi's speed must be far slower than the Cosmic Cauldron.

Though he had wandered through many realms and returned to the Pangu Great World, Qi Ning and Cang Diyi might still be en route.

Ding Huan looked at Du Changya and said:

"What you just said is correct—the Immortal Court cannot be without a Heavenly Emperor. Since Brother Xingpan, the Heavenly Emperor, is leaving the Pangu Great World with me, from this moment on, you are the next Heavenly Emperor of the Pangu Great World."

Du Changya froze. Though he longed to be Heavenly Emperor, he knew Brother Xingpan and his master were mortal enemies.

Even if Brother Xingpan were magnanimous, he would never bestow the throne upon him.

What he had never expected was that Brother Xingpan said nothing—and the Great Immortal Supervisor himself had offered him the throne.

In the Pangu Great World, the Great Immortal Supervisor's word carried more weight than anyone else's—even Brother Xingpan's.

In short, once Ding Huan spoke, Du Changya's claim to the throne became legitimate.