With Yang Jian's cry of surprise, the Palace of the Polestar instantly fell into dead silence.

At this moment, everyone's gaze was fixed on the middle-aged Daoist, their eyes revealing shock and amazement.

The middle-aged Daoist was now bound up with bright red silk like a wrapped dumpling, his face bruised and swollen, his once-green Daoist robe tattered and worn.

Having been pulled out by Yu Yuan from the Glazed Bottle, his face turned exceedingly pale as soon as he recognized his surroundings and he instinctively lowered his head, avoiding the eyes of the surrounding Immortal Gods.

The crowd of Immortal Gods present could hardly believe their eyes.

The Twelve Golden Immortals of the Chan Sect, how exalted and above they were!

In the eyes of the countless Immortal Gods of the Three Sects and Six Paths, the Chan Sect was reputed to "uphold the Heavenly mandate, oversee the Dao, and command all immortals in all directions."

And it was during their travels through the Primordial land that the Twelve Golden Immortals of the Chan Sect had earned this reputation!

The thought that such eminent immortals of the Chan Sect had been beaten to this state had the other Immortal Gods in a daze.

"Is this Daoist... really Yu Ding the True Immortal?"

"His appearance does resemble him somewhat, but how could a member of the Twelve Golden Immortals of the Chan Sect end up like this?"

"He absolutely can't be Yu Ding the Immortal!"

"At the last Peach Banquet, this Golden Immortal of the Chan Sect sat at the highest seat, his bearing so noble and refined that one couldn't help but look up to him..."

"Could someone have deliberately transformed into the appearance of Yu Ding the Immortal?"

"Looking at him now he seems to have his Primordial Spirit sealed; he shouldn't be able to use the Transformation Technique, right?"

"..."

Yang Jian struggled to rush forward, frightening the War Gods of the Five Extremes into action, barely managing to hold him back.

Unable to break free of the Immortal Binding Rope, he could only bellow in rage: "Yu Yuan! What exactly are you plotting? Why is my master imprisoned by you?"

"Stop your nonsense, claiming any random person as your master!"

Yu Yuan retorted without a good temper: "Isn't your master still in seclusion, comprehending the Dao on Yuquan Mountain? This person is just a sly impostor pretending to be your master."

"You..."

Yang Jian was both anxious and angered.

How could he, as a disciple, not know whether this person was truly Yu Ding the Real Immortal?

Ignoring him, Yu Yuan continued with self-amusement: "It's normal for you to make a mistake. At first, even I didn't realize he was an impostor, but when I discovered him and he started to run, no matter how I called, he wouldn't turn back.

That's when I knew for sure he was an impostor!

Otherwise, why would he run from me, his nephew by apprenticeship?"

Turning to Nanji Immortal, he said, "I didn't want to get involved in this trivia at first, but then I thought, if someone is impersonating Yu Ding my uncle and does evil deeds, wouldn't that sully the name of the Golden Immortals of the Chan Sect?

They say red flowers, white lotuses, and green lotus leaves; the Three Sects are originally one family, so I, his nephew by apprenticeship who stumbled upon this, certainly cannot sit by and ignore it!

Moreover, before this, Uncle Ci Hang and the others even gave me the Dragon Escape Stake and the Glazed Bottle!

With both uncles treating me so well, it's only right for me to repay them.

It's also because of these two treasures that I was able to capture this cunning impostor who pretended to be my Uncle Yu Ding..."

Nanji Immortal: "..."

At this moment, he really wanted to use the Flat Stick in his hand to smash the other's head to pieces!

Those two treasures were clearly stolen by this guy himself!

Who are you trying to fool with that talk?

And that was not the worst part; what truly exasperated Nanji Immortal was that he had just claimed "Brother Yu Ding is in seclusion on Yuquan Mountain," and this damned Yu Yuan immediately brought Yu Ding out.

It was a slap in the face, loud and clear!

However, in the Palace of the Polestar's summit and before the eyes of the Heavenly Court's celestial beings, he still suppressed his anger and said to Yu Yuan in a stern voice:

"This person is indeed my junior brother, Yu Ding the True Immortal. My nephew may have some misunderstanding with him. Please, undo his bindings first."

"Ah?"

Yu Yuan acted shockingly surprised with wide eyes, "No way, is he really Uncle Yu Ding?"

Nanji Immortal nodded affirmatively, "Indeed, he is."

"Release my master now!" Yang Jian roared furiously: "You dare to injure my master; I will settle this score with you sooner or later!"

"Cut the crap, kid!"

Yu Yuan waved his hand dismissively and then, with some curiosity, said: "Since he really is Uncle Yu Ding, why would he hide in a cave and watch Yang Jian splitting Peach Mountain and kill the Divine General?"

"This issue, I too would very much like to know!" declared the Heavenly Emperor with a stern look on his face but secretly rejoicing within.

What an excellent question!

It hits right at the heart of the matter!

If Yu Ding can be proven to have been involved in this affair, then this moves beyond merely being an issue between him and Yang Jian; it becomes a matter between the Heavenly Court and the Chan Sect!

And then, his role as the Heavenly Emperor would offer him far greater leverage.

He could rightfully question the Chan Sect - why would they do this?

Could it be they too have dissatisfaction with the heavenly decrees set by the Taoist Ancestor?

Nanji Immortal sighed lightly.

From the moment Yu Yuan produced the Jade Tripod, he had anticipated such a question.

Indeed, he also wanted to ask his junior brother, why wander aimlessly on Peach Mountain for no reason?

Nonetheless, it was not appropriate for him to inquire further at this time. Instead, he simply said, "Nephew-disciple, release him first. Trust that he will explain himself clearly and provide a satisfactory account to the Emperor!"

His voice suddenly rose as he spoke the last few words.

An invisible aura burst forth, surging towards Yu Ding.

In that instant, Yu Ding's bound Primordial Spirit broke free. Mana flowed through his body, the five qi within his chest reconverged, and the three flowers atop his head blossomed once again, restoring the Dao Xing realm befitting one of the Chan Sect's Twelve Golden Immortals.

With the return of his mana, the bruising and swelling on his face disappeared instantly, his disheveled Daoist robe became spotless, and even the Chaos Sky Silk that had been wrapping him into a dumpling shape fell limply like a heavily struck fire snake.

At this moment, he looked the part of an Immortal with a celestial bearing, refined and elegant, no longer in the sorry state he was before.

Yu Yuan put away the Chaos Sky Silk, bowed with cupped hands towards Yu Ding, and said with a smile, "I'm really sorry about earlier. I didn't cause you any harm, did I?"

Hearing his words, Yu Ding, with a sour expression, snorted coldly and ignored him.

At this moment, the Heavenly Emperor from the head seat spoke sternly, "Yu Ding Immortal, We are still awaiting your explanation!"

"What's there to explain!" Yang Jian roared. "I split Peach Mountain; I slew the Divine General—it was all me. What does it have to do with my Master?"

"How impudent!"

The Heavenly Emperor's eyelids lifted slightly, an immense pressure emerged from nowhere, pressing down on Yang Jian so heavily that he knelt down with a "thud".

"In the Palace of the Polestar, since when is it your place to speak!"

The Heavenly Emperor was truly angered.

This nephew of his was just too much trouble!

As his words settled, Yang Jian was about to retort, only to find out that he couldn't make a single sound!

The Divine Skills followed the spoken command!

Such a divine power was nothing but a trifling matter for a Quasi-Saint like the Heavenly Emperor.

The gathered Immortals all watched with amazement, their eyes now fixated on Yu Ding.

They too were waiting for an explanation from this Golden Immortal of the Chan Sect.

Yu Ding glanced at Nanji Immortal. With both the Heavenly Emperor and the Golden Mother present, the master-disciple pair could not discuss their strategy through Primordial Spirit Transmission and could only communicate with a simple exchange of glances.

From Nanji Immortal's eyes, Yu Ding knew he had to fabricate a reasonable explanation, no matter what.

And he absolutely could not reveal that Yang Jian's mountain-splitting rescue of his mother was a setup by the Chan Sect!

Under the watchful gaze of the many Immortal Gods, Yu Ding's thoughts raced as he slowly began to speak, "Your Majesty is all-knowing, I emerged from seclusion as I sensed that Jial'er was in danger, intending to save his life.

However, upon arriving at Qi Mountain, I saw that Jial'er had already split Peach Mountain and had killed a Divine General of the Heavenly Court, violating the heavenly laws and committing a grave error!

I had intended to capture him and plead guilty to Your Majesty. Nevertheless, he is, after all, a disciple of mine. I truly could not bring myself to do it, nor could I bear to see him punished. Thus, I hid in that cave, choosing to act like an ostrich... Little did I expect to be misunderstood by others.

Alas, I indeed bear inescapable responsibility for this matter!

I implore Your Majesty to mete out punishment!"

Hearing Yu Ding's words, Yang Jian could not help but feel his eyes slightly moisten, with hot tears swirling in them, his face filled with shame and remorse.

Having resolved himself to the point of disregarding life and death for the act of splitting the mountain to save his mother and assaulting the Heavenly Court,

the only concern he had was implicating his gracious Master, Yu Ding.

Hearing his Master's words now, he felt a genuine sense of gratitude and remorse.

So it turned out that his Master could have stopped him from going to the Heavenly Court, thus avoiding being implicated. But his Master chose instead to hide...

Gratitude towards his Master was as towering as a mountain!

Gratitude towards his Master was as vast as the ocean!

Incapable of repayment, a debt too profound for one life to repay!

At this time, Nanji Immortal looked at the Heavenly Emperor and said with a smile, "Yu Ding's deep affection for his disciple has clouded his judgment, hindering his hand. This is an ordinary human sentiment... Your Majesty, what do you think?"

The Heavenly Emperor's brows furrowed slightly.

He was not satisfied with Yu Ding's explanation.

However, the excuse was plausible, and he could find no faults with it.

His gaze then shifted to Yu Yuan, filled with expectation, "What is your esteemed opinion on this matter, Immortal?"

Yu Yuan did not disappoint his expectations, looking at Yu Ding he commented with a click of his tongue, "Who would have thought that even here in the Palace of the Polestar, my uncle would dare to utter empty words and lies... You really don't regard the Heavenly Emperor and the Golden Mother as significant, do you?"

Yu Ding's expression changed abruptly, "What do you mean by that?"

Nanji Immortal's expression also stiffened as he demanded sternly, "Yu Yuan, what kind of nonsense are you spouting now?"

Without speaking, Yu Yuan simply produced an Image Retention Treasure Pearl and stimulated it with mana, displaying the recorded scene above the Palace of the Polestar:

On the banks of the Huai River, the torrential waves surged high into the sky, as Yang Jian and No Support were locked in a fight for their lives.

Not far away on a verdant peak, Yu Ding sat cross-legged under an ancient pine tree, gazing from a distance at the figures by the Huai River...

Seeing this familiar scene, the heavily bound Yang Jian was stunned into silence.

His greatly revered Master, in this moment, also froze on the spot, his face as if slapped fiercely by someone, instantly losing all color and turning deathly pale...

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.