Xiao Fang, You're Not Dead

The Abyss of the Celestial Scales.

[Proclamation from the Treasury Department of the Purple Star Immortal Court: This territory is the inherent domain of our department. Later arrivals must not rashly encroach upon it, lest they incur great karma, which will inevitably be settled in the future! —Declared by Fang Fan, Ninth-Rank Wealth Summoner.]

Chen Yi: "......"

"So, Little Fang, you’re not dead after all?"

"Then what was all that fighting and smashing about for?"

"You little rascal, did you forget to leave a mark at the fourth checkpoint, or was it intentional?"

"Luckily, you left one at the entrance to the fifth checkpoint, or I’d have really messed things up!"

"Just you wait till we get back—I’ll teach you a lesson!"

Chen Yi let out a long sigh of relief, slowly pulled out his halberd, and hoisted it onto his shoulder. He stood guard at the entrance to the fifth checkpoint, ready to strike down anyone who dared approach.

The situation was now crystal clear. The moment he saw Fang Fan’s message, Chen Yi pieced everything together.

The sudden anomaly in the secret realm wasn’t the Chaos Treasure trying to challenge him—it was Fang Fan gaining the treasure’s recognition and forming a contract with it, which caused the upheaval!

But why did it choose to acknowledge Fang Fan now, of all times? Right after Chen Yi had assumed Fang Fan was dead and unleashed his fury?

Hmm... he might have played a part in this.

It was highly likely that his outburst, defying the secret realm’s suppression and wreaking havoc, accelerated the Chaos Treasure’s decision to recognize Fang Fan.

"Now that I think about it, the Chaos Treasure probably didn’t realize Fang Fan was connected to me. After acknowledging him, it might’ve felt deceived upon discovering Fang Fan was part of my group. That could create a rift between them."

"After all, this isn’t like dealing with the easily coaxed little golden dragon. This could actually lead to complications."

"Not that I meant to deceive it. I’ll just have to explain properly later and hope it understands..."

Just as he was pondering this, Chen Yi sensed two figures rapidly approaching.

"Heh, Wuji, it seems you still refuse to give up!"

With a cold smirk, he tightened his grip on the halberd and took a step forward, shielding the entire treasure realm behind him.

Meanwhile, in the Void Domain.

"Grandfather, this is truly bizarre. Our ancestral homeland is clearly in that universe, so why can’t we find it no matter how hard we search?" Zhang Aotian frowned, his voice thick with worry. "If we fail to locate it, how will we answer to His Majesty Wuji?"

Zhang Qian’s gaze was profound, his tone contemplative. "If one path fails, another will open. Since we can’t find the homeland, let’s explore the treasure realm instead. As long as we gain something, it should suffice to redeem ourselves."

"But, Grandfather..." Zhang Aotian hesitated. "How can just the two of us compete with the Six Ancient Clans? They have six Great Luo experts! Even with our ties to the Celestial Court, who would care about that when a Chaos Treasure is at stake? If pushed too far, they wouldn’t hesitate to eliminate us!"

"Fear not." Zhang Qian smiled faintly, hinting at something deeper. "Every action is witnessed by His Majesty Wuji. They wouldn’t dare."

"Is His Majesty Wuji truly watching?" Zhang Aotian sighed. "Ever since we descended to the lower realm, I’ve lost all sense of His Majesty’s majestic will..."

"Mind your words!" Zhang Qian’s voice turned stern. "His Majesty’s power is beyond our comprehension. I believe His Majesty is observing us at this very moment. Stay sharp—don’t embarrass us!"

"Grandfather, I don’t know why, but the closer we get to the treasure realm, the more uneasy I feel. It’s as if some primordial beast is waiting for us ahead."

"Aotian, even if Lingxiao himself were inside, we’d still have to enter. Duty calls. What we lack now is an opportunity—don’t you want to marry the little princess of the Golden Scale Ancient Clan?"

"Then let’s do it!"

"......"

"My loyal ministers, retreat at once! Do not approach the treasure realm!"

Suddenly, Wuji’s voice echoed in the minds of both Zhang Qian and Zhang Aotian.

"As Your Majesty commands!"

Without hesitation, the grandfather-grandson duo turned and fled.

In truth, their entire purpose had been to make their presence known.

Failing to find the ancestral homeland was one thing, but appearing too lackadaisical in their efforts would undermine their image as diligent officials striving for advancement.

After a perfunctory search in the universe where the Purple Star Continent once resided, they deliberately headed for the treasure realm—both to demonstrate their loyalty and to see whether that troublesome figure they’d repeatedly bailed out was still alive.

But before they could even catch a glimpse of him, Wuji had ordered them to withdraw.

What else could they do?

They’d have to wait for another chance. After all, they were Wuji’s fanatically loyal subjects—the kind who wouldn’t hesitate to turn on their own ancestors if ordered.

Only by proving such unwavering devotion could they earn Wuji’s trust, climb higher, and achieve greater things.

Meanwhile, in Wuji’s Divine Palace.

Wuji’s expression was tense.

Earlier, he’d been so engrossed in his schemes against that little bastard that he’d completely overlooked the Zhang duo charging toward the treasure realm.

Were they trying to deliver themselves as sacrifices?!

He’d only assigned them the task of eliminating the remnants of Cui Changsheng’s faction in the lower realm to test their mettle before promoting them. It shouldn’t have been difficult, especially with the Six Ancient Clans descending en masse to distract that little bastard.

They could’ve easily completed the mission within the safe window and returned.

Even if they failed, he’d have recalled them once time was up.

But who could’ve predicted their excessive loyalty?

Instead of admitting failure, they’d rushed to atone by taking risks!

Did Wuji really seem like such a tyrannical ruler who couldn’t tell right from wrong?

If that little bastard killed them, how would he explain it to Zhang Bairen?

Zhang Bairen was a Half-Step Dao Ancestor, a pillar of the current Celestial Court!

Fortunately, he’d noticed in time. The Zhang duo hadn’t yet entered the danger zone, so there was still hope.

Though that little bastard had set up traps around the treasure realm, as long as the Zhangs kept their distance, they should be safe.

Or so he told himself.

Yet, as he stared at the blurry images on the Heaven-Mirror, an uneasy feeling gnawed at him.

The Chaos Treasure’s influence was too vast, distorting the Heaven-Mirror’s reflections.

Worse, that little bastard possessed another Chaos Treasure, making it impossible to pinpoint his location.

"If he truly dares to entangle with them... then don’t blame me for being ruthless."

With a sigh, Wuji focused on the wisp of will he’d attached to the Zhang duo, vigilantly monitoring their surroundings.

Meanwhile, concealed beneath his Heaven-Shrouding Cloak, Chen Yi watched the fleeing grandfather and grandson with a strange expression.

"Zhang Kuang, your father and great-grandfather... don’t seem to be acting."