Chapter 601: The Nine Heavens in Turmoil

"Thank you, True Immortal..."

"Thank you, Immortal..."

Dozens of Daoists, led by Jia Qiaozi and Tao Daochang’s disciples, along with other Daoists from the mountain, had lived over two hundred years since Lin Jue’s time—he was now a distant, unrecognizable elder to them, and to see this immortal elder for the first time was an unimaginable thing.

For others, resurrection meant one less dead soul in the underworld and one more living being in the mortal realm—but for the dead themselves, what difference was there between resurrection and recreating heaven and earth?

Everyone was stunned, as if reborn after centuries, like dreaming, and they all bowed and thanked him.

At that moment, the fox suddenly turned its head, gazing into the distance.

A gentle breeze blew from that direction:

"Master! I’ve come!"

A Daoist woman in robes, carrying a long sword, materialized in the wind—round-faced, large-eyed, she had come to assist, yet upon arriving, she looked around in confusion.

It was Lin Jue’s third disciple, Xian Zhu.

"Huh! Master, is it over?"

"You’re late."

"I knew the Yinzhao True Immortal wouldn’t chase me!" Xian Zhu said, then added, "Master, did you see? I’ve become a True Immortal!"

"I heard you held back Yinzhao True Immortal in the frigid northeast and attained True Immortality through your struggle with him," Lin Jue smiled at her, deeply satisfied with this disciple, "You’ve outpaced your senior brothers and sisters."

"It was only right."

Xian Zhu spoke with solemn seriousness.

Because she too was a spirit-beast.

"Master, Sister Fuyao, the three elder immortals—are you all unharmed?"

"We’re fine."

At this, the fox drew close to Xian Zhu, clearly concerned, sniffing her all over.

"Good," Xian Zhu stepped aside slightly, "Why does Sister Fuyao always act like an animal?"

"?"

The fox looked up at her, surprised: "Why do you act like a human?"

This left Xian Zhu speechless.

Soon after, another immortal arrived—covered in wounds.

It was Wan Xinrong.

"True Immortal!"

Lin Jue bowed to him in greeting.

"I knew you’d prevail here," Wan Xinrong quickly returned the bow, "No need to speak of hardship—I only regret my weakness, unable to match the Zhenhai True Immortal. Fortunately, he had little will to fight, so I stalled him with idle talk for a while, hoping to aid Yishan."

Upon hearing this, every Daoist and spirit-being on Mount Yi bowed and thanked him.

A spiritual light then bloomed from Wan Xinrong’s body.

"Hm?"

Wan Xinrong instantly tensed, assuming the strain of facing a seasoned True Immortal had left him overwrought—but he quickly realized this was no threat.

For beneath the light, his wounds healed rapidly.

"What kind of divine art is this?"

"It’s my fifth elder brother’s ability—the famed Physician Immortal of the mortal realm."

"I see."

As they spoke, the shattered Black Mountain had already regained its general outline—only the plants and trees remained unrestored.

?

But this was precisely Lin Jue’s specialty.

"Come..."

Lin Jue swept his sleeve—the mountain’s flora instantly revived.

Not new growth, but resurrection from death.

Beneath the renewed vegetation, the mountain’s unfinished details—the cracks in rocks, deep pits, lava scars from divine fire—all vanished, as if a robe covered battle scars, making the mountain appear nearly unchanged from before. Yet some marks remained—like the fissure carved by the True Immortal’s sword on the mid-slope of Tiandoufeng—these would require the Yishan Mountain God to slowly repair.

Lin Jue studied it carefully, pondered a moment, still seemed unsatisfied.

He waved his hand again.

In an instant, the azaleas, magnolias, peaches, plums, apricots, pears, even the wild grasses along the paths, burst into bloom.

Flowers adorned the entire mountain—timely, uplifting, filling hearts with joy.

Victory had been won, the dead had returned—this was not merely joy, but wonder.

The senior and junior disciples naturally gathered together; Ji Yang and his disciples followed close behind.

Zhenren Xuanming, Daoist Bai Luan, and Zhenren Moyu clustered as well; Xian Zhu stayed obediently beside Fuyao, who remained beside Lin Jue. Wan Xinrong walked to Tao Daochang, Qu Ren, and Jia Qiaozi, congratulating Wan Xinrong on his attainment—his peers looked on with envy; Wan Xinrong asked them about the battle’s details, and upon learning Jia Qiaozi and Tao Daochang’s disciples had died and then returned to life, even he, now a True Immortal, could not hide his astonishment.

The mountain bloomed with radiant flowers, beautiful as a fairyland.

Yet amid the joy, sorrow lingered.

"Fuxiu Temple is destroyed?"

"Xianyuan Temple is destroyed too."

"Many temples on the mountain are ruined."

"What a pity..."

The senior disciples scanned the mountain, deeply saddened.

Lin Jue then pulled out a seal.

"Chen Niu. Chen Niu."

Without sound or warning, a small brown-robed spirit appeared:

"I’m Chen Niu!"

"Carry this message to the Old Ancestor of Tianshan, to Daoist Jiang, and... no, let those three continue their trials abroad, seeking fortune. With the Purple Emperor defeated, demons and evil spirits may rise—this is the perfect time to pacify the realm," Lin Jue said, "Deliver it to these two: invite them to meet at Yishan."

"!!"

Chen Niu stared at him, then vanished.

"Xian Zhu."

"Master."

"Return to Fengshan. See if any True Immortals or divine generals have harassed our temples. If not, gather all the ripe immortal fruits, and bring Ziyun as well—she’s tended our orchards these past days, and worked hard."

"Yes..."

At this moment, Xian Zhu showed none of the stubbornness she’d displayed before her master when forcing her junior brother to switch places—she was obedient, riding clouds away.

"Ji Yang."

"Little Uncle."

"I left some thousand-day immortal wine at the Mountain God of Langtou Mountain—go fetch it," Lin Jue said. "We’ll drink together in a few days."

"Yes!"

Ji Yang agreed, then ordered his disciples to act.

Only then did Lin Jue realize—the little nephew who once circled him, begging for food, was now the abbot of Fuxiu Temple, an ageless old Daoist.

Many still remained on Yishan.

Thanks to the celestial soldiers’ battlefield being in the heavens, among the clouds—whether True Immortals or divine officials treated spirits kindly or not, they were proud, rarely striking the weak. Even when celestial officers unleashed thunder and fire, they did not indiscriminately cleanse the mountain; instead, the Purple Emperor’s three strikes aimed to obliterate Yishan entirely. Those who hid well, far from the blast zones, survived.

Some Daoists and spirits bowed to them as they passed.

They walked along the flower-lined cliff path, crossing Yishan, returning to Fuxiu Peak—yet the temple there stood only as broken walls and rubble.

"Sigh..."

Ji Yang couldn’t help sighing.

"Why sigh?"

Lin Jue spoke, then gestured.

All broken walls, shattered tiles, splintered wood rose into the air, reassembling into the original palaces and halls.

Their expressions eased.

They sat cross-legged, recounting the battle.

In the early phase, the Mountain God used the mountain’s spiritual resonance for defense; Daoists on the mountain aided in defense—delaying time, wearing down the Nine Heavens’ strength. When the defense fell, it became a brutal, direct clash.

Little sister, as the Five Elements Immortal, and Elder Brother, with his Mountain-Moving Mirror, were unquestionably the main forces; the Mountain God alone held back the Great Defender Divine Lord, while Fifth Elder Brother and Seventh Elder Brother, hidden in the shadows, provided optimal support, aiding the other brothers and two spirit-ancestors in directly confronting the Nine Heavens’ True Immortals and Supreme Deities. Zhenren Xuanming, with several protectors, Ji Yang, other Daoists on the mountain, the countless Bean Soldiers of Fuxiu Temple, and the Mountain God’s divine guardians, formed Yishan’s main battlefield.

Outside Yishan, Wan Xinrong stalled the Zhenhai True Immortal from the west; Xian Zhu held back the Yinzhao True Immortal in the frigid north; the Old Ancestor of Tianshan rallied other western nature spirits to block the Buddhist Bodhisattvas; later, Yi Li Divine Lord and Daoist Jiang again blocked the Buddhist Bodhisattvas, while the Southern Heavenly Master successively persuaded away two True Immortals from the east—each played an indispensable role.

Now, the Purple Emperor is trapped; the Southern Jade Mirror Emperor has intervened, beginning his bid for the Nine Heavens’ legitimacy.

In a way, he is easing Lin Jue’s burden.

But he came too late—

Had he acted sooner, standing beside Lin Jue from the start, even had Lin Jue known him untrustworthy, he likely could not have prevented the Jade Mirror Emperor from seizing the Nine Heavens after the Purple Emperor’s fall.

Emotionally, situationally—it was impossible to stop him.

The best he could do was wait until the end of this dynasty, when chaos returned, then help the Southern Heavenly Master replace the Jade Mirror Emperor as Heaven’s Emperor.

But the Jade Mirror Emperor lost this chance.

Since Lin Jue trapped the Purple Emperor without his aid, he would never assist him in seizing the Nine Heavens.

He preferred to let the Purple Emperor remain as nominal Heaven’s Emperor, granting the Southern Heavenly Master time to grow, so the Nine Heavens might one day welcome a more upright Heaven Lord.

He preferred to let the Purple Emperor remain as the nominal Heavenly Emperor, giving the Southern Heaven Master time to develop, so that the Nine Heavens might welcome a relatively more upright Heavenly Lord.

Lin Jue sat in the Mountain-Moving Hall, holding Fuyao, lost in thought.

At this point, it is purely for the sake of justice.

After all, the Floating Pool Divine Lord has already acted and failed to subdue him; even the Purple Emperor once lost to him. Lin Jue has now become a great power; by the time the Purple Emperor emerges, his abilities will likely have risen another level. Even if the Purple Emperor still controls the Nine Heavens, he will no longer be able to trouble him. Even if Lin Jue releases the Purple Emperor now, the Jade Mirror Divine Lord will likely bind him, forcing him to focus on the struggle for the Nine Heavens rather than purging demons and monsters.

In short, he has in fact ceased to be a threat to Fuyao or to Yishan; the one truly trapped in the otherworldly cave realm is, in fact, Lin Jue’s card used to counterbalance the Jade Mirror Divine Lord.

Thinking of this, Lin Jue suddenly realized he had forgotten to release the Floating Pool Divine Lord.

……

Meanwhile, in another realm.

Another Lin Jue drank his final cup of tea.

The Floating Pool Divine Lord asked: “You mentioned a chess master earlier—what was his name?”

“His surname is Gu, Master Gu. He is currently a guest in another immortal realm,” Lin Jue said, rising to his feet. “I must say, playing chess with you is far more interesting than playing with that old immortal.”

“What do you mean?”

“Hah…”

Lin Jue laughed a few times and gestured with his hand:

“After you, Divine Lord.”

“Hm?” The Floating Pool Divine Lord’s gaze turned cold. “So you’ve already bested the Emperor?”

“Something like that.”

“Has Lady Yao Hua returned?”

“Not quite,” Lin Jue said. “But it was indeed her intervention that subdued the Purple Emperor.”

“Where is the Emperor?”

“The Purple Emperor is too attached. I’ve kept him as a guest elsewhere,” Lin Jue said. “Don’t worry—I won’t harm him. At the right moment, I’ll let him go. But you know as well as I do: in the struggle for the Nine Heavens, right and wrong are decided by victory or defeat. After this battle, no matter what, he can never be Heaven’s Emperor again. I merely need to leverage his remaining prestige to stabilize the Nine Heavens, so the Jade Mirror Divine Lord doesn’t immediately seize the throne.”

“You don’t want the Jade Mirror Divine Lord to become Heaven’s Emperor?”

“Don’t you think there’s a better candidate?”

“You mean that so-called Supervising Heaven and Subduing Demon Great Emperor?”

“Exactly!”

“He’s upright—fits my taste!” The Floating Pool Divine Lord’s gaze turned icy. “But how dare you imprison the Heaven’s Emperor?”

“How is that imprisonment? He’s merely a guest here, like you. I’ve left a fragment of myself to keep him company,” Lin Jue said, looking at the Divine Lord with sincere expression. “And if I hadn’t used the otherworldly cave realm to keep him contained, what other option would there be? Would you have me kill a Heaven’s Emperor?”

“Hmph…”

“After you, Divine Lord,” Lin Jue said. “The Nine Heavens are already stirring. If you step out now, the Jade Mirror Divine Lord will know—and he’ll have some caution.”

Where his finger pointed, a void appeared ahead.

“You play your cards well!”

“By the way! Do you know of any technique or treasure that can alter one’s heavenly talent and fate, allowing those unable to cultivate to become cultivators?”

“Find out for yourself!”

The Floating Pool Divine Lord spoke and stepped forward directly.

Behind him came a laugh:

“Hah, very well. When I have time in the future, I’ll visit you again, Divine Lord—let’s play chess, drink tea, and share wine.”

The Floating Pool Divine Lord turned back—the void, the cave realm within, and the Daoist priest had all vanished instantly.