Chapter 368: Heavenly Court Envoy, Taibai Jinxing

Heavenly Court, South Tianmen.

Nezha was just chatting and laughing with the on-duty Zengzhang Heavenly King when he saw a cloud chariot and treasure carriage driving out from within.

A high canopy was raised, adorned with pearls, jade, gemstones, kingfisher feathers, coral, silver shells, and flowers fashioned from colorful stamens; the treasure aura formed a rainbow.

On both sides, handmaidens held incense and scattered flowers, their skirts trailing like lush grass. Behind them were carefully selected Heavenly Soldiers and warriors, tall and fierce, with bright armor and high spirits.

As for the very front, it was particularly conspicuous: a tall divine general, sixteen feet in stature, holding the Tianfu Divine Tablet and the Haotian Immortal Flag, clearing the way ahead.

The group was vast and mighty, with unparalleled momentum.

"This is—"

Nezha's gaze sharpened. He looked over and saw a Daoist on the treasure carriage, possessing the air of an immortal and a kindly face, holding a Whisk in his hand, looking cheerful.

If it wasn't old Jinxing, who else could it be?

"Old Jinxing—"

He immediately abandoned the Zengzhang Heavenly King, set his Wind Fire Wheels in motion, and arrived before Taibai Jinxing, blocking the path, saying with a grin: "Are you heading down to the lower realm?"

It was just that every time this old Jinxing went to the lower realm, it was never for a stroll; there was always business to attend to.

And he, Nezha, loved joining in the fun the most.

"Indeed."

Taibai Jinxing had a face full of kindness, looking cheerful at everyone he met, his smile never fading. He was very easy to talk to and answered whenever asked, but he said: "I must go down to the lower realm to Beiju Luzhou to deliver an imperial decree. I have to make a trip; I am just a person destined for hard labor."

"Beiju Luzhou—"

Nezha's eyes darted around. He pulled Taibai Jinxing aside and whispered: "Could it be that the Great Heavenly Venerable wants to use this as a pretext to completely ease relations with the Second Brother and the others?"

Upon hearing this, Taibai Jinxing was stunned for a moment and gave Nezha a deep look. He hadn't expected this; truly, one cannot judge a person by their appearance, just as one cannot measure the sea with a bucket. Nezha caught a glimpse of Taibai Jinxing's expression, clicked his tongue, curled his lip, and said dismissively:

"What is there to be surprised about? The old Jade Emperor has been wanting to do this for more than a day or two—"

However, he was thinking quite beautifully, truly believing that just because the Third Holy Mother had married, she would be easy to talk to.

Taibai Jinxing did not pay attention to Nezha's grumbling, only waving his Whisk, smiling without a word.

"Boring—"

He had thought there was some exciting event! And it was just this? He had been excited for nothing. He didn't believe that a single imperial decree from the old Jade Emperor could summon the Third Holy Mother and Yuanlong to the upper realm.

Especially since the two of them coming to the upper realm this time was nominally to receive an enfeoffment, but in reality, it was to visit relatives. Nezha shook his head and turned to leave.

Unexpectedly, he was grabbed by Taibai Jinxing, who waved his Whisk and said with a chuckle: "Third Prince, since you are well-acquainted with the Third Holy Mother and that young Dragon Lord, do me a favor and accompany this old man on a trip to Beiju Luzhou!"

Nezha could not break free and said discontentedly: "So you were waiting for me here, old man!"

Taibai Jinxing remained smiling, though his hand did not loosen in the slightest. He looked at the sky and said:

"Third Prince, let's go! We must set off; otherwise, if we delay matters, we might be punished—"

"Who said I was going with you!"

Nezha struggled hard, shaking his head like a rattle-drum. "I won't go! You could beat me to death, and I still wouldn't go!"

"If I go with you, the Third Holy Mother will definitely think I've defected to the old Jade Emperor's side! Wouldn't she then chase me with the Lotus Lantern and burn my backside?"

"What Third Holy Mother's side or Great Heavenly Venerable's side? Everyone is a minister in the same palace; we are all one family—"

Taibai Jinxing's smile remained.

Seeing that Nezha still wouldn't budge, he said with a chuckle:

"How about this: I know you, Third Prince, are currently trying to comprehend the Daluo Dao. I have a qian of Innate Enlightenment Tea Leaves here; consider it a small contribution—"

Innate Enlightenment Tea Leaves?

Nezha's eyes lit up. These were good things! He hadn't expected that the old Jinxing would actually have such treasures on him. He had been careless when he went to sponge off him in the past!

But thinking about it, it was normal.

This old Jinxing looked kindly, but in reality, he was an Innate Star God who had emerged since the beginning of the ancient times. He was already a Golden Immortal back in the days of Di Jun!

To be able to live until now, how could he be simple? It would be unreasonable if he didn't have some good things on him.

However, he maintained a look of disdain on his face and said: "The Third Holy Mother and I are close friends! What kind of person do you take me, Nezha, for?"

"How about three qian?"

"Are you trying to brush off a beggar?"

"Five qian should be enough!"

"Five qian? What can half a liang do? Aren't you still brushing off a beggar? I'm not asking you for three or five jin—surely you can spare one jin?"

"One jin? Farewell—"

"..."

After some bargaining, Taibai Jinxing paid the price of two liang of Innate Enlightenment Tea Leaves to invite Nezha to accompany him on this trip to the lower realm. "Old man, let's get this straight—"

Nezha jumped onto the carriage and confirmed:

"When the time comes, I will only mention it. Whether it succeeds or not, the things you promised me must be given as usual; you cannot go back on your word—"

Taibai Jinxing waved his Whisk and said with a chuckle:

"Third Prince, rest assured. This old man keeps his word; your benefits will not be short. Unlike some people who flip their faces and deny their debts after losing a game of chess—"

Nezha's face flushed red, and he argued forcefully: "That was because I was drunk later and forgot—"

Taibai Jinxing smiled without a word, just staring at Nezha. Nezha became annoyed under his gaze and said: "Fine! When I return later, I will have someone send that Tianxing Lamp to your mansion, is that enough! The hour is late, let's go quickly—"

Seeing this, Taibai Jinxing stopped teasing Nezha, immediately waved his Whisk, and signaled his subordinates to drive the cloud chariot, heading straight out of the South Tianmen.

The group headed toward Beiju Luzhou—

At Cangmang Mountain, lanterns and decorations were hung everywhere, treasure trees were draped with pearls, new lamps were lit on lotus leaves, and colorful ribbons drifted all around; even the air lingered with a joyous atmosphere—it had not been long since Fang Longye's wedding, and the entire Daoist field had not yet shed its festive mood.

At this time,

Fang Longye had already been out of seclusion for over ten days.

After some intimate time with his three newly-wed brides who had also just emerged from seclusion, he was hosting a grand banquet for his subordinates within Longying Cave—in a magnificent treasure hall,

one could see high-raised canopies and ornaments of pearls and jade, with Fang Longye sitting upright on a cloud couch in the center, flanked by his three brides: Yang Chan, Long Xuan, and Tie Shan.

The group was drinking and laughing,

and Yang Chan and the others seemed to have a very harmonious relationship, with not the slightest sign of quarreling or fighting.

In truth, this was only in front of others; behind the scenes, Yang Chan and Tie Shan had already brawled several times.

It was not that Fang Longye had not disciplined them, but he could only manage it for a moment before the two would soon revert to their old ways.

As for Long Xuan,

perhaps because her own strength and the status of her maiden family could not compare to the other two, she appeared very well-behaved.

However, to say she was just a little white rabbit would be nonsense. Fang Longye had long since noticed that this little vixen was adept at sowing discord—the several conflicts between Yang Chan and Tie Shan all had this little vixen's shadow behind them.

It did not exactly give him a headache, but it was certainly troublesome. Yet, Fang Longye believed that he would soon settle Yang Chan and the others and have the three women live in harmony.

It was not that he possessed some sort of kingly aura.

Rather, after his seclusion, he had made significant progress in the path of Yin and Yang; although he had refined the pure path of Yin and Yang, all principles were interconnected.

As a result, he had also gained considerable insight and improvement in Dual Cultivation of Yin and Yang. He played the "Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon" even more skillfully, enough to fight the heroines single-handedly, and could defeat Yang Chan and the others without any effort, leaving them utterly vanquished.

This made things simple—

one must know that in matters between men and women, there is nothing that cannot be solved by a round of intimacy; if there is, then just have a few more rounds—although it sounded very vulgar and absurd.

But it really was just like that—

all fear stems from a lack of firepower.

Fang Longye toyed with the wine cup in his hand and cleared his throat, just about to ask his three wives where they wanted to go for their honeymoon—when he frowned and said, "What a grand display. Why isn't this Jinxing Laoguan staying properly in the Heavenly Court, and what is he doing coming here to me?"

For him now, everything concerning himself was clear to the eye; as long as the other party did not deliberately conceal it, he would know it instantly—and Taibai Jinxing and his party were making a great fanfare, never having concealed anything, with the Heavenly Secrets shining brightly before him. The moment they left the Heavenly Court, Fang Longye knew.

"I'm afraid he's here to invite my husband to serve as an official at court!"

Long Xuan poured him a cup of wine and said with a smile.

"If they don't give me the position of Dijing, I won't be happy to go and be some sort of Heavenly Official—"

Fang Longye picked up the wine cup and chuckled.

"Exactly, our family has a large business; it's already good enough that we haven't raised a banner to rebel, why would we be a Heavenly Official—"

Tie Shan took up the thread of the conversation and joked.

Yang Chan did not say a word upon hearing this, though a thoughtful expression appeared in her beautiful eyes.

After some joking, Fang Longye immediately clapped his hands to dismiss the banquet, ordering those below to tidy up well and wait quietly for the arrival of Taibai Jinxing and his party.

At the other party's pace, it would not be long before they reached this Cangmang Mountain—

Let us speak of Taibai Jinxing and his party; their pace was naturally not slow, and soon Beiju Luzhou was in sight.

"Beiju Luzhou,"

Taibai Jinxing sat on the cloud chariot, looking out, and saw the entire continent shrouded in Purple-Green Qi, surging back and forth, emitting a sound like a tsunami.

In this epoch,

the Demon Clan actually had some signs of revival. Was it because of the Human Race? Had the Human Race declined due to the matter of attacking the heavens, leading to one rising while the other fell? Even as a Great Luo, he still could not see it clearly. But he knew that this was not a good thing for the Demon Clan.

As a close minister of the Jade Emperor,

he knew that both the Brahma and the Daoist schools were very concerned about the Demon Clan in this epoch!

None of them had any good intentions—

including the Heavenly Court where he resided,

which also had many more thoughts regarding the Demon Clan compared to previous epochs—after all, the epoch had changed greatly, and that person was about to return; if the Demon Clan were to revive again, it would truly be uncontrollable, and it would never be a good thing—

The cloud chariot drove into Beiju Luzhou,

and a domineering, fierce aura from the ancient wilderness rushed toward them, chilling one's brow, quite different from the aura emitted by other continents.

It was because Beiju Luzhou had been occupied by the Demon Clan for a long time, having long since permeated everything and formed its own realm; naturally, it reacted upon encountering them flying the banner of the Heavenly Court.

Taibai Jinxing remained smiling, his whisk waving in his hand, and the treasure chariot and cloud vehicle did not stop for even a moment, continuing to move forward at a steady pace.

In front, tall Heavenly Generals held the Tianfu Divine Tablet and the Haotian Immortal Flag, with auspicious energy rushing out and treasures shining brilliantly.

At the very top, ten thousand rays of golden light were held aloft, filled with red script, each character like a peck, shining brightly, recounting the orthodoxy of the Heavenly Court and the majesty of the Jade Emperor, every word a gem.

In an instant, it stirred the Aura of Beiju Luzhou.

Demon energy surged like a long rainbow, revealing the phantoms of various strange beasts of the Demon Clan, in a thousand postures, baring fangs and brandishing claws, covering the sky and earth, arrogant and peerless.

The temperament of the ancient wilderness, the dominance and glory of once ruling the world, was incomparable.

Such a commotion naturally startled the living beings along the way; whether immortal or demon, those who bathed in its light and heard its sound all felt it vaguely.

Heavenly Court envoys were going to Cangmang Mountain to read the Dharma decree of the Jade Emperor, to invite the Mountain Lord of Cangmang Mountain to serve as an official at court! "Hmph!"

The actions and influence of the Heavenly Court envoys undoubtedly made the Demon Clan along the way very dissatisfied, and they cursed one after another, though they dared to be angry but dared not speak.

"Damn it! This Jinxing Laoguan is still as thick-skinned and black-hearted as ever!"

Nezha, who was to the side, glanced at Taibai Jinxing and muttered in his heart.

The Demon Clan and the Heavenly Court had always been at odds.

The Heavenly Court viewed the Demon Clan as a thorn in its side, and the Demon Clan had always looked at the Heavenly Court with displeasure, viewing the Demon Heavenly Court established by Di Jun back then as the orthodoxy.

The two sides could be said to be irreconcilable.

And the dojo of that fellow, Dragon Lord Yuanlong, was located in Beiju Luzhou, and he was even very close to the Demon Master Mansion, counting as half a person from the Demon Master Mansion.

As a result, Jinxing Laoguan pulled this move, making such a great fanfare, crazily attracting hatred, and then directing it all onto Dragon Lord Yuanlong.

Even if the upper echelons of the Demon Master Mansion were far-sighted and would not have any grudges, what about the middle and lower-level demons? It would be strange if they did not have opinions about Dragon Lord Yuanlong.

Over time, Dragon Lord Yuanlong would have no choice but to side with the Heavenly Court.

However, grumbling in his heart was one thing, but Nezha did not say anything. After all, given the background and origins of that Dragon Lord Yuanlong, he was never one of the same path as the Demon Clan.

It is better for the two to make a clean break early on~

One can only say that even with a rebellious and self-centered temperament like Nezha's, he could not avoid having the thought of "doing this for your own good."

Human nature~

People who are rebellious and self-centered do not necessarily empathize with others; in fact, it is common for them to be even more stubborn when dealing with those who come after them~

"Whew—we've arrived!"

Taibai Jinxing flicked the Whisk in his hand, narrowed his eyes, and looked into the distance; the dojo of that young lord of the Dragon Clan—Cangmang Mountain—had already come into view.

"What a magnificent Cangmang Mountain!"

As a Great Luo, his eyesight was beyond that of ordinary people, so he naturally saw the true appearance of Cangmang Mountain and could not help but wave his Whisk, sighing from the bottom of his heart.

He saw the vast and deep ocean, with water merging into the sky. Auspicious light shrouded the clouds, and propitious energy illuminated the mountains and rivers.

A thousand layers of snowy waves roared toward the blue sky, and ten thousand layers of misty waves surged in the daylight. Water flew across the four wilds, and waves rolled all around.

Inside, continents and lands acted as belts, with hundreds of mountain peaks dotted and intertwined, and in the center stood a mountain of five-colored, hazy, precious layers.

The high mountain was steep and extreme, its grand momentum towering. Its peak touched the heavens, and its momentum suppressed the vast ocean; it was indescribably grand and magnificent.

"Such a divinely beautiful and magnificent dojo, and it is said to have been cultivated and refined post-natally; truly rare!"

Taibai Jinxing sighed with emotion to Nezha.

Nezha was just about to open his mouth to agree, when he heard the sound of strong and powerful drumbeats suddenly ring out; it turned out that the group had already arrived before the gates of Cangmang Mountain.

Boom, boom, boom—each drumbeat was like the thunderous sound of the sun falling into Tang Valley in the ancient era, leaving behind only rainbow clouds across the sky, brilliant and dazzling.

Then, five-colored divine radiance rose from within Cangmang Mountain, hanging down in wisps and strands, coiling out of thin air to transform into a rainbow bridge that spanned between heaven and earth.

The rainbow bridge extended continuously, landing directly in front of the cloud carriages and Treasure Chariot of the Heavenly Court delegation.

Immediately following, the music of zithers and reeds played loudly, as if celestial sounds had begun, and a crowd of people surrounded a figure, emerging in a posture of stars surrounding the moon.

Who else could it be but the master of this mountain, that young lord of the Dragon Clan, the husband of the Three Holy Mothers?

(End of this chapter)