Chapter 504

Chapter 504: A Member of the Qiao Family Returning From the Heavens

In a stretch of snow-covered mountains that extended for hundreds of miles, snowflakes drifted down.

At an altitude of several thousand meters on the snowy peaks, the flowing water had frozen into ice.

However, at the top of this snow-capped mountain, there was a large lake that had not frozen over.

At that moment, a shimmering Sky Boat was docked at the edge of the lake on the mountain top.

Rumbling.

The lake on top of the mountain, which was once as smooth as a mirror, suddenly rippled, and the ripples gradually grew larger, like a raging sea, with waves rising higher and higher, gathering around a figure standing in the lake.

"It’s Sky Piercing River; I knew I wasn’t wrong this time."

Sky Piercing Water Spirit looked at the almost boiling lake water, and could not hide its excitement.

When Sky Piercing Water Spirit was born two or three years before entering Return Ruins, it could control the water of Sky Piercing River, but it was not as smooth as it is now, like a child learning to move its limbs.

Now it is different; it controls the water of Sky Piercing River to gather and flow backward, just as easily and naturally as an adult man controls blood flowing into his sponge-like tissue.

After leaving Jiu Province for fifteen years, it has seen drowning in Return Ruins, communicated with the river of heaven in the celestial realm, and once traveled through a thousand worlds, witnessing great worlds fall into Return Ruins, with floods sweeping and drowning the mortal realm.

When it returned from Return Ruins, with a thought, the entire Sky Piercing River seemed to boil, already showing some of the extraordinary charm of the "Sky Piercing Demon King."

"I’ve finally returned to Jiu Province. But where should I start?" Qiao Mu felt a bit lost.

Returning to the great world of Jiu Province was his long-held dream from fifty thousand years ago.

Now that it has truly come true, standing in Jiu Province, he felt like it was the first day of summer vacation, suddenly unsure of what to do.

Qiao Mu stood by the great lake at the mountain’s peak, gazing far and wide, taking in the snow-capped mountains that stretched for hundreds of miles.

He had memorized them long ago, and now, before him, was a familiar scene he had not seen in a long time.

This was the Tongtian Mountain range in Northwest Prefecture, known as the connection to the sky, and the source of Jiu Province’s largest river, the Sky Piercing River.

However, when he looked closely, he noticed something different.

The mountains in Northwest Prefecture were just as he remembered before leaving Jiu Province, but surprisingly… there was a mountain that he had never seen before?

As he looked up, he saw a solitary peak rising among the vast snowy mountains, standing out like a crane among chickens.

On this peak, there was no blanket of pure white snow, nor lush green grass, just a sea of forests.

On that towering, abrupt mountain, there stood a grove of jade trees… which was literally jade trees.

The glaze was the trunk, the gems were the fruit, and the shimmering jewels danced among the mountains and forests, revealing their extraordinary nature at a glance.

"Is this really the great world of Jiu Province? Perhaps, it is another great world of Jiu Province?" Qiao Mu wondered if he had come to the wrong place.

Just then, Immortal Diyuan, who was on the Sky Boat, also stepped out.

Now she had become the spirit of the Sky Boat, but her experiences and knowledge were still no different from when she was an immortal, so her perspective was quite broad:

"That is not an ordinary mountain."

"You know?" Qiao Mu turned to look at her, a certain guess rising in his heart.

"The jade trees… that is one of the immortal mountains of the immortal world, Kunlun Mountain!" Immortal Diyuan began to explain:

"Of course, the peak before us is not the real Kunlun Mountain; it should only be a broken peak of Kunlun Mountain in the immortal world."

"The realm of the immortals has shattered, and whether it’s the demon world we once reached or this Jiu Province, there is a chance that a fragment of the immortal realm may appear."

Qiao Mu nodded, his expression becoming a bit serious.

In the past fifteen years, he had traveled through a thousand worlds, and this was not the first time he faced such a situation.

The fall of a fragment of the immortal realm into the Jiu Province is not a good thing.

This means that the order of the Jiu Province has become unbalanced and is about to be swept into the Great Collapse, just like the former demon world, ultimately falling into the Return Ruins.

"It seems that this time, we have no time to rest," Qiao Mu said with a slight nod.

"Let’s set off."

"We will split into two groups; I will head south along the Sky Piercing River."

"Immortal Diyuan, since you know about Kunlun Mountain, go and investigate that broken mountain."

"Water spirit… Before you go, take care of your face first."

"Huh?" The Sky Piercing Water Spirit touched its face, a little confused.

"Don’t use Qiao Xin’s face in this big world of Jiu Province," Qiao Mu explained.

He didn’t mind using a face because Qiao Xin’s face was still something he had created, not his true appearance.

The Sky Piercing Water Spirit naturally had the ability to shape-shift, changing into many forms. When first seen, it transformed into a fierce beast, and later into Qiao Xin. The reason was quite simple.

The old Qiao Xin was the strongest it had ever seen and had left an unforgettable impression in its heart, so it instinctively took on the form of the most formidable enemy, Qiao Xin.

"I understand now." The Sky Piercing Water Spirit gently pressed its cheek, and its face rippled like water, causing its whole body to sway.

Its waist narrowed, its chest and hips rounded, and its facial features became soft. It quickly transformed into a graceful beauty—water spirits have no gender; they can imitate any shape.

However, Qiao Mu looked closely, and no matter how he saw it, it felt a little strange…

The Sky Piercing Water Spirit now looks somewhat like "Qiao Xin," but has a gentler appearance, almost like a female version of "Qiao Xin."

From a member of the Qiao family, she has become a beautiful lady… Qiao Mu showed no expression.

"Do as you wish."

"It’s time to go." Qiao Mu stood at the edge of the mountain, gazing far into the land of the Northwest Prefecture beyond the snowy mountains.

"There are no signs of the Tongtian Sword Sect’s existence; this Immortal Gate was not broken by me back then… Did it fall after I entered the Return Ruins?"

"Hmm? Is there an Immortal Gate temple within the Northwest Prefecture?"

His heart did not feel any emotional turmoil.

But he knew what he should do, just like a worker who repeats daily tasks, blending into the assembly line without any feelings.

"The Immortal Gate temple has indeed returned, just as I thought." Qiao Mu’s pupils glimmered with a cold light.

………………

In early spring, the royal city feels more like spring, yet it still holds a touch of cold.

As dusk approaches, the setting sun shines on the glazed tiles, sparkling with golden light. The fragrant plum blossoms among the palaces are adorned in red and white, contrasting beautifully with the green pine trees.

A broad-shouldered man with sharp eyes walks swiftly through the palace.

He wears a dark cloak, his face serious, moving with the grace of a dragon and the strength of a tiger, exuding natural authority, though he appears a bit hurried.

The palace maids and eunuchs instinctively step aside, creating an unspoken path for him.

The man in the dark cloak moves quickly; it looks like he is walking slowly, but by the time the maids realize it, he has already brushed past them.

Only after the man disappears from sight do the chattering maids gather to discuss:

"Who was that noble person just now?"

"Not only does he have a handsome appearance, but he also possesses a remarkable presence. Who is this new noble?"

"Don’t speak carelessly; Lord Wei’s age is enough to be your grandfather."

"You don’t practice martial arts, do you? In this world, all strong martial artists are young, with youthful appearances."

"However, if you look closely into their eyes, you can often see something extraordinary… A strong martial artist’s gaze and demeanor are often not something young people can possess."

"Lord Wei? Which Lord Wei?"

"He is the first-rank official in the court, the commander behind the Flying Fish Guard, holding the title of first-rank, and is one of the few superb martial artists in the Great Yan Imperial Court."

"Ah?"

"But it’s almost evening, and as the commander of the Flying Fish Guard, Lord Wei must have some important business to attend to at this hour…" The maidens thought this, not daring to discuss further.

Normally, it’s not a big issue to talk privately about someone’s noble appearance.

But when it comes to discussing important matters, no one dares to speak.

……………..

"Your Majesty, I have important news to report."

Imperial Study.

An old man dressed in imperial robes, with graying hair, looked up from the piles of documents on his desk at Wei En, who had just entered the Imperial Study.

The old man in imperial robes had slightly gray hair, was advanced in age, and his frame appeared a bit lean, but he was full of spirit, sitting upright, clearly showing signs of many years of martial training.

"It seems something unexpected has happened? It can’t be that the Immortal Gate has gained another Tao Achieving Stage Taoist Lord, can it?" the old man in imperial robes asked.

Since the promotion of the Spiritual Sound Conducting Technique, a Flying Fish Guard specializing in spiritual refinement has resided in the palace.

Whenever an important matter arises, the Flying Fish Guard reports it immediately… but Wei En is different.

In the Great Yan Imperial Court, there are very few excellent martial artists, and Wei En is a first-ranking official, serving as the Emperor’s eyes and ears, quietly becoming one of the pillars of the court.

For usual important matters, any one of the Spiritual Refining Flying Fish Guards can report just the same.

If Wei En comes in person, it must mean the matter is extremely urgent—although he does not live in the royal city, his lightness skills are top-notch, and it wouldn’t take him long to enter the palace.

"Your Majesty, strange occurrences have appeared in several states… The Sky Piercing River has flowed backwards once again, the water is rising, and the current looks like it is boiling. All the nearby states have noticed this phenomenon, but it did not last long, only about ten breaths, much less than that time years ago."

"Ten breaths?" The old man in imperial robes looked slightly surprised.

A phenomenon lasting only ten breaths should not have troubled Wei En to report it overnight.

But if this phenomenon happens at the same time in several states and is connected to the Sky Piercing River, then it is certainly unusual.

With this thought, the old man in imperial robes instinctively looked to one side, but after a moment, he felt a bit lost and shook his head.

When he was still young, there was a reliable ancestor beside him to help manage official matters.

Time flowed by, and Emperor Wuping had reached the twilight of his life. Whenever he faced important matters, he would sometimes recall scenes from the past.

"Chu Xing, go fetch the documents from the ‘Yunxiao Sect’ in the Southwest Province," Emperor Wuping opened his eyes and instructed the nearby Flying Fish Guard.

Flying Fish Guard Chu Xing had once been the personal bodyguard of the late Emperor Yonghe, but he faced heavy punishment for not protecting Emperor Yonghe well.

However, after achieving True Strength 1st rank, he was reinstated by Emperor Wuping and has served as a guard ever since.

He was actually about the same age as Wei En, but he looked like a middle-aged man in his forties or fifties, with wrinkles at the corners of his eyes, though his gaze remained sharp.

Not long after, Guard Chu returned with the documents in hand.

Emperor Wuping spread the documents out on the desk:

"Although the Yunxiao Sect has long been destroyed, it was indeed one of the great Immortal Gates with the True Immortal legacy."

"The Yunxiao Sect of those days no longer had a small world, and in order to stand alongside the other Immortal Gates, there were several plans made over time."

"One of them is the ‘Sky Piercing Demon King.’"

The Sky Piercing Demon King is not a spirit of the river born naturally; its creation is closely tied to the Jingwei Divine Bird and the plans of the Yunxiao Sect.

Jingwei’s greatest enemy is the sea.

The Sky Piercing Demon King was nurtured using the almost immortal Jingwei Bird as sustenance, becoming an immensely powerful and exceptional demon king.

"Strange events often have something unusual behind them; the oddity of the Sky Piercing River seems to be man-made, perhaps related to that Sky Piercing Demon King," Emperor Wuping murmured.

"Your Majesty…" Wei En hesitated.

"Is it possible that there is another explanation, for example, something connected to the Sky Piercing River’s strange occurrence fifty years ago?"

"What are you trying to say?" Emperor Wuping looked up, his eyes shining with intensity.

"The Sky Piercing River flowed backward into a waterfall, strange chains appeared in the sky, and then the Qiao family’s martial arts and the masters of the Immortal Gate vanished together at the source of the Sky Piercing River…"

"And this is an old story from fifty years ago."

"The only remaining member of the Qiao family’s martial arts, Qiao Xin, has personally shattered the legend of the Qiao family’s martial arts…. Wei En, I know what you are thinking, but in this human world of Jiu Province, there are no legends of martial arts that come from the sky."

The old man in the imperial robe’s voice became deep.

"Do not hold onto hope; do not place your hopes on the return of a powerful warrior from the sky… This is where Qiao Xin’s last words lie."

As the words landed, a sound came from outside the Imperial Study.

"Speaking so confidently, it seems that after fifty years of storms, some progress has been made."

Founding Emperor Yan walked in from outside the Imperial Study, looking at his descendant who appeared much older than him.

Emperor Wuping ruled for fifty years, but his achievements were average… However, the past fifty years in Jiu Province were incredibly hard, much more difficult than when Founding Emperor Yan established the nation three hundred years ago.

It was already a challenge to keep the Great Yan Imperial Court alive… The only thing Founding Emperor Yan was not satisfied with regarding his descendant was the mediocre progress in martial arts; even with his supervision, they have only reached the 4th rank in martial arts so far.

Compared to a martial artist, Emperor Wuping seems more like a learned person…

"Our ancestor has not come to the Imperial Study for many years," Emperor Wuping said.

A country cannot have two rulers; this is a truth that everyone understands.

Founding Emperor Yan, as the founding emperor, had great strength and prestige, so as Emperor Wuping grew older, Founding Emperor Yan gradually stayed deep in the palace and rarely appeared.

During these fifty years, he spent much of his time outside the palace, fighting in battles.

"I came here today because I have matters to discuss," Founding Emperor Yan said.

"You only know part of it, not the whole story."

"The time when the spirit of Sky Piercing River went missing matches the time when the Sky Piercing River flowed backward fifty years ago."

"What our ancestor means is…" Emperor Wuping’s pupils trembled slightly.

"Don’t worry," said Founding Emperor Yan calmly.

"If a living being really comes back from beyond the sky, we still don’t know if it is a member of the Qiao family, the Sky Piercing Water Spirit, or the ancestor from Immortal Gate who has become an immortal."