"Up ahead is the Fragrant Fire Lin Palace, let's go take a look!"

"After searching the Fragrant Fire Lin Palace, there's nothing much left to search in the Taihuan Ji Yao Heaven, then let's head to Yuan Zai Kong Ascension."

"Alas, with the Thirty-Three Heavens being so vast, even a million Heavenly Soldiers searching for a year might not be able to finish... I really don't know what the Emperor was thinking, that Jie Sect Immortal should be completely annihilated in both form and spirit."

"You don't understand! Even if that Jie Sect Immortal is annihilated, we must still search with all our heart and effort... it's all about attitude!"

"It's just a pity for Fairy Chang'e... Her beauty is unmatched in the Three Realms, now she has also perished this way."

"Who could have expected this to happen, one can only say that beauty is often accompanied by a tragic fate!"

"..."

The voices of a group of Heavenly Soldiers and Generals came from outside the palace, awakening Yu Yuan and others who were in deep thought.

Long Ji's expression changed slightly and she nervously said: "The Heavenly Soldiers and Generals are searching this way, we need to leave quickly."

Yu Yuan glanced at the few mud figurines, hesitating slightly.

Was he really still trying to unravel the red threads of fate?

Chang'e hesitated for a moment, then softly said: "Marriage is a gift from heaven, but it's up to us to forge it... Immortal, you need not worry about this."

Yu Yuan slightly nodded, understanding her implication.

Tying the red thread doesn't necessarily mean becoming marital partners!

It's just a pity they had yet to clarify who exactly those two mud figurines were.

Yu Yuan waved his hand and released the mud figurines.

Then, he used a secret technique to erase all traces of their presence, ensuring that even reversing time would reveal nothing, before urging the Chaos Bell, teleporting himself along with Chang'e and Long Ji near Lingxiao Palace.

His original plan was to go directly to Yaochi Palace.

Unfortunately, this broken bell was not fully functional and always had its own ideas.

But being near Lingxiao Palace meant Yaochi was not far away.

This incident had already caused too much noise, it had to be brought to a conclusion one way or another.

Feeling guilty like a thief, Long Ji did not want to go to Yaochi, so she directly returned to Qi Yun Palace.

As for Chang'e, she followed Yu Yuan to Yaochi Fairyland.

Before they reached their destination, they had already encountered Yun Zhongzi who had been searching for Yu Yuan's whereabouts based on his instincts.

"Fellow Daoist, you are indeed still alive, I knew you would be fine!"

Yun Zhongzi felt not at all surprised.

After spending time in the Eastern Emperor Heaven, he had complete confidence in Yu Yuan's ability to escape.

Seeing how those three Demon Gods were trapped on Taiyin Star by a mere illusion array, he was even more convinced that Yu Yuan was still perfectly fine.

Indeed, the reality was exactly as he believed.

After a brief conversation, Yu Yuan also learned from Yun Zhongzi about what had happened following his departure from Taiyin Star.

When he heard how the Heavenly Court categorized this incident, and how Chan Sect's Twelve Golden Immortals and Jie Sect's Zhao Gongming openly refused the invitations from the Heavenly Emperor.

Yu Yuan couldn't help but inwardly sigh, acknowledging that the current situation was truly a godsend for the Heavenly Emperor.

Originally targeting Yu Yuan for assassination and robbery, the story had been transformed by the Heavenly Emperor and Li Changgeng into a deliberate sabotage of the Peach Banquet by the remnants of the Demon Clan.

Now, it seemed the Emperor of Heaven was probably ready to go to Zixiao Palace to lament.

This was an inevitable trend.

The divine throne of Heaven was vacant, and peace in the Three Realms was rare.

The great calamity would inevitably come.

Yu Yuan had no solution for this.

However, this also saved him a lot of effort in explaining.

Once they returned to Yaochi Fairyland, they were immediately welcomed with warmth and concern by the Heavenly Emperor and other Immortal Gods.

Yu Yuan did not distinguish how many of them were genuinely concerned and how many were just offering lip service.

Under the inquiry of the Heavenly Emperor, he and Chang'e concisely repeated their pre-prepared explanations.

Simply put, they had encountered those Demon Gods on their way, ensnared them with a small trick, and then escaped through space using the Chaos Bell.

Their explanation was readily accepted by all the Immortals.

As to how much they truly believed, that was unknown.

Soon, Zhao Gongming, Wen Zhong and others who had been searching for him also returned upon receiving the news.

Seeing Yu Yuan unharmed, even the highly skilled Zhao Gongming couldn't help but sigh with relief, while the less proficient Wen Zhong, having grown up in Penglai and spent over a decade together with Yu Yuan, was overwhelmed by mixed feelings of joy and near tears.

Previously, he was the most panicked upon hearing the news of Yu Yuan's uncertain fate.

Fortunately, it wasn't long before he received news of Yu Yuan's safe return.

Thus, this perilous scheme came to an end, somewhat satisfactorily.

Due to this incident, the Peach Banquet also came to a close.

The Heavenly Emperor and Golden Mother personally stood to bid farewell to the guests, and retained those Immortals they favored to serve in the Heavenly Court.

After bidding farewell to Yun Zhongzi, Li Changgeng, and others, Yu Yuan left Yaochi with the Jie Sect Immortals.

Chang'e Fairy watched his silhouette, wanting to say something but stopping, ultimately sighing softly, holding the Jade Rabbit as she flew towards the Taiyin Star.

Tianpeng Immortal, clad in Golden Helmet and Armor, quickly followed her, smiling: "Fairy, rest assured, I'll immediately send people to Taiyin Star to help you reforge Guanghan Palace."

"There's no need!"

Chang'e's expression was cold as she replied indifferently: "I've already asked Immortal Yu Yuan to help me reforge Guanghan Palace, and he has also set up a new great formation. I hope the general does not let people approach Taiyin Star, otherwise, they might easily be injured by the formation."

Having said that, she went straight away, leaving Tianpeng Immortal smiling bitterly.

Meanwhile, as Yu Yuan just left Yaochi, he looked at Zhao Gongming and said: "Uncle Master, you go ahead, I still need to take my junior brother back home to visit our family, I won't accompany you."

"Is it to Chaoge, right?"

Zhao Gongming nodded slightly, smiling: "Nephew, if you have free time in the future, come and find me in Luofu Cave of Emei Mountain... Oh, right!"

He suddenly remembered something and handed over a Sound Transmission Treasure Pearl.

"If you ever need me, just call and I'll be there right away!"

Yu Yuan took the Sound Transmission Treasure Pearl and his impression of this straightforward senior external sect brother improved slightly.

At the same time, he noticed a somewhat gloomy gaze upon him.

Without looking, Yu Yuan knew that the gaze belonged to Long-eared Ding Guang Immortal.

Seeing himself doing well, he must be disappointed, right?

However, Yu Yuan wasn't yet sure if Long-eared Ding Guang Immortal was the enemy hidden within Jie Sect.

To avoid alarming the enemy prematurely, he decided to let him go on for a couple more days.

After saying farewell to Zhao Gongming and other Jie Sect Immortals, Yu Yuan and Wen Zhong flew towards the South Heavenly Gate on an auspicious cloud.

What they didn't notice, however, was two ordinary-looking Daoists, one in a mystic robe and the other in a green robe, who had been silently watching them since they left Yaochi Palace.

Seeing them part ways with the Jie Sect Immortals, the two Daoists exchanged looks and calmly followed them.

...

Outside the South Heavenly Gate, Yu Yuan dissipated the auspicious cloud and instead summoned the Golden-eyed Five Clouds Camel.

Wen Zhong also pulled out Dang Kang from his storage bag.

Perhaps because the Golden-eyed Five Clouds Camel was extremely unusual or it was rare to use Dang Kang as a mount, their appearance attracted the attention of many Immortal Gods.

However, both Yu Yuan and Wen Zhong didn't care about their gazes and flew towards the Southern Continent under their watchful eyes.

Yu Yuan was someone who didn't care much about others' opinions.

Under his influence, Wen Zhong also inclined slightly towards this attitude.

Halfway through their journey, a clear calling voice came from behind.

"Immortal, wait for me, please!"

Yu Yuan slightly frowned and gently pressed on the camel's hump, bringing the mount to a halt.

Beside him, Wen Zhong quickly hugged Dang Kang's neck but still dashed quite a distance before stopping.

Soon, a Green Bird with feathers as green and beautiful as jade fluttered in, carrying a delicately poised little fairy on its back; it was Princess Long Ji of the Heavenly Court.

Once close, Long Ji took the lead in bowing: "Greetings to both Immortals!"

"Princess... Princess Long Ji?"

Wen Zhong looked surprised as he turned to Long Ji.

At this moment, the Heavenly Court Princess was not wearing the gorgeous and beautiful immortal dress as before, but a common water-green one and all her intricate hair accessories were gone, replaced by a simple jade hairpin.

Plain, simple, a stark contrast to her previous luxurious attire.

"Immortals, as it happens, I am also headed to the Southern Continent, why don't we travel together?"

Long Ji smiled warmly at Yu Yuan.

Yu Yuan frowned slightly and feigned ignorance: "What are you doing in the Southern Continent?"

Long Ji pouted, a bit annoyed: "What else? Because of my improper behavior at the Peach Banquet, my mother demoted me to go down to the mortal realm and cultivate at Phoenix Mountain's Qingluan Douque... But now, it seems we're headed the same way, perfect for traveling together."

Saying this, she pulled out a small lotus-embroidered pouch and from it, fetched a small bamboo basket, handing it to Wen Zhong: "Here are ten Purple Patterned Peaches, they'll be useful for your family visit."

Wen Zhong's eyes sparkled, but he hesitated to take them, "Thank you for your kindness, Princess, but this..."

"If it's from the Princess, just accept it."

While speaking, Yu Yuan pulled out a bottle containing Star Fruits from his Qiankun Ruyi Bag and handed it to Long Ji.

"I'll trade you this."

"I'm making a profit then!"

Long Ji unceremoniously accepted the bottle and put it into her pouch.

Hearing his senior brother speak, Wen Zhong then accepted the bamboo basket and repeatedly expressed his thanks.

"No need to be polite, it's just... it was your brother who traded with me."

Long Ji looked grinningly at Yu Yuan, "Immortal, shall we go now?"

Yu Yuan shook his head immediately, "We're not heading the same way, I need to make a trip to Qingqiu first."

"Qingqiu?"

After giving him a glance, Long Ji recalled that among the named clay figures, one was the ruler of Qingqiu.

"That's great; I've wanted to visit Qingqiu for a while now, let's go together."

This girl is quite persistent.

Yu Yuan thought for a moment and said to Long Ji, "How about this... you help me escort Junior Brother to Chaoge, and after I finish my business in Qingqiu, I'll join you there."

"This..."

Disappointment was evident in Long Ji's eyes.

Though I'm a distinguished Heavenly Court Princess, am I here to work for you?

But after a moment's thought, she agreed.

After a brief discussion, the trio split up.

Yu Yuan went towards the northeast alone, while Long Ji and Wen Zhong headed southwest.

After they left, the two unremarkable Daoists arrived and hovered on their clouds.

The Daoist in green robes sniffed lightly, a hint of surprise in his eyes, murmuring lowly: "They split up here."

The Daoist in the mystic robe slightly moved, whispering: "If we transformed into that little princess and her senior brother, could we get some information out of him?"

The green-robed Daoist shook his head, solemnly saying: "This Yu Yuan is not to be underestimated. Those several Demon Gods, whether in Dao Xing or techniques, weren't simple, yet he managed to play them to death with just a simple illusion array...

It's best to remain cautious.

Better to do nothing than make a mistake."

"You're right, let's just follow and see."

"The little princess and his senior brother might also be useful."

"Hmm, then I'll let a clone follow them."

As they spoke, the green-robed Daoist slightly swayed, and a black mosquito flew out of his sleeve, swiftly heading southwest.

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