When Bao Gu returned to the Envoy’s Residence, she found it utterly different from the empty, quiet place where she and Yu Mi had once lived. Out of habit, she released her divine sense and swept through the entire residence, taking in everything at a glance. Although formations protected each courtyard and concealment formations blocked divine-sense probing, she could still tell at a glance whether powerful cultivators were present. Whether living or inanimate, everything that existed possessed its own unique aura. Wherever it had been active, traces of the aura spreading from it would inevitably remain behind.
For example, two towers stood on either side of the Envoy’s Residence’s main gate. Defensive formations blocked divine-sense probing, but Bao Gu could still immediately detect the distinct auras of Tribulation Transcendence cultivators gathered within them. Those auras had already seeped into the surrounding environment, showing that two Tribulation Transcendence cultivators had lived there for many years.
This was the main gate. The purpose of having two such experts stationed there was self-evident.
Although this realm already had Earth Immortals, and True Immortals had even ascended from it, those capable of becoming immortals were exceedingly rare. There were not many Tribulation Transcendence cultivators, either. Using two cultivators at that level to guard the entrance of the Envoy’s Residence was more than sufficient.
More than a thousand people now lived inside the Envoy’s Residence. Most of them were maidservants, guards, and laborers, but quite a few cultivators at the Void Tearing and Tribulation Transcendence stages lived there as well. People streamed in and out of the side halls flanking the main hall directly opposite the main gate. Plaques bearing the names of the Chop Gang’s various branches hung above those halls, which appeared to have been set aside as temporary offices for the Chop Gang.
Bao Gu did not detect the Horned Dragon Enlightenment Sacred Tea Tree.
“Did the Little Monkey and the old tea tree ascend too?”
Yu Mi replied,
“The old tea tree ascended with Qing Ying, our Master’s wife, and the others. Little Monkey is still in this realm, but it spends its days running all over the place. It appears and disappears, and no one knows where it has gone. At the shortest, it returns once every ten days or half a month; at the longest, only once every six months or even a year.”
Bao Gu thought for a moment.
“What about Senior Nanshan and Senior Jun? Have they ascended?”
Yu Mi shook her head.
“Senior Nanshan still hasn’t managed to take that step. Senior Jun remains sealed.”
As they spoke, they arrived at the courtyard where Bao Gu had once lived.
The furnishings were unchanged, but the spirit fruit trees planted in the courtyard had grown into thousand-year-old trees. Their branches were laden with spirit fruit that gave off an enticing fragrance. The rare spirit herbs and precious medicines in the flowerbeds were flourishing as well, clearly tended with great care.
The aura in the courtyard was extraordinarily clean. Aside from the aura of the spirit herbs and medicines, only a faint trace of Bao Nianhui’s aura remained. Bao Gu knew that Yu Mi did not live here. Bao Nianhui must have come by regularly to tend the courtyard.
The group sat down in the courtyard. They had just set out the tea when Yu Jianming came rushing over. After saluting everyone, he asked,
“Little Martial Aunt, I heard that the phenomenon of the Immortal Gate opening appeared only after you survived the Immortal Ascension Tribulation?”
He could not see the slightest difference between Bao Gu and the way she had been before.
“Mm. Go bring a chair out of the room and sit down.”
Yu Jianming answered,
“Yes!”
He walked over to Bao Nianhui and whispered,
“Everyone in the cultivation world is saying that the Supreme Immortal Lord of the Heavenly Dao Sect was destroyed by Little Martial Aunt in a single move. They also say that when Little Martial Aunt underwent the Flying Immortal Tribulation, she fought the Heavenly Tribulation head-on, and her might was even greater than the tribulation itself.”
Bao Nianhui handed him a small magical artifact.
“This is a recording of Master destroying the Supreme Immortal Lord and undergoing the tribulation. See for yourself.”
Yu Jianming grinned.
“I knew you were the best!”
He then said,
“I’m going inside to fetch a chair.”
Instead, he hurried into the room and activated the artifact to watch what had happened after Little Martial Aunt emerged from the Immortal Burial Ground.
Bao Gu saw through everything.
“You two martial siblings certainly get along well.”
Jade Shura said,
“They’re both children without a master to keep them in line. They grew up supporting each other. How could their bond be anything but strong?”
Bao Gu made a noise of acknowledgment and turned toward Bao Nianhui.
“Have you suffered any hardships all these years?”
Bao Nianhui replied,
“With Senior Sister Qing Ying protecting me, Aunt Yu, Senior Brother, the Left Envoy, and the Finance Envoy backing me, and Pavilion Master Qu and Aunt Si Ruo looking after me, I have never lacked protection. I also hold the power of the Chop Gang in my hands. No one could make me suffer.”
Bao Gu asked,
“Qing Ying hasn’t bullied you?”
Bao Nianhui hesitated.
“She thinks bullying me would be beneath her.”
In Qing Ying’s eyes, she did not even qualify to be bullied. Did that count as being bullied?
Bao Gu asked,
“What happened with the Heavenly Dao Sect?”
Bao Nianhui explained,
“The Heavenly Dao Sect was originally a mid-tier sect specializing in talismans and formations. It had always kept a low profile, but after Senior Sister Qing Ying ascended to the Upper Realm, an Earth Immortal suddenly appeared among them. They rapidly developed into the third-largest force in the cultivation world through all kinds of methods.”
Bao Gu glanced in surprise at Qu Yirou, who had been pushed out of the third-place position.
Qu Yirou said frankly,
“Soul Chasing Pavillion doesn’t even have a Mahayana cultivator anymore. Failing to keep our ranking is hardly surprising.”
Bao Nianhui continued,
“The Heavenly Dao Sect has an Earth Immortal, so no one dares provoke them. Even with the Chop Gang’s Daluo Scarlet-Gold Fleet and the Qingzhou Grand Formation, we can only suppress them through our superior overall strength. In many matters, they can still threaten us, and we have no choice but to give way.
“The Daluo Scarlet-Gold Fleet is too conspicuous a force to mobilize. Even if we move quickly and make thorough preparations in advance, whenever we need to use the fleet, we must first issue an order, assemble personnel, activate a teleportation portal, and set out. By the time we arrive, their Earth Immortal will have finished the job and left long ago! Using a fleet to suppress an Earth Immortal is simply too passive.
“The Heavenly Dao Sect’s conduct is irritating, but things have not escalated to the point of openly breaking with them and starting a faction war. Besides, even if we did start one, blasting the Heavenly Dao Sect apart with the fleet would not be difficult. The difficult part would be defending the Chop Gang against retaliation from the Earth Immortal! With an Earth Immortal’s strength, even the Daluo Scarlet-Gold Fleet might not be able to stop them from escaping. If they wanted revenge on someone, wouldn’t it be as easy as crushing an ant?”
Bao Gu blinked blankly.
“A Pseudo-Earth Immortal can be this brazen?”
Jade Shura said irritably,
“Is a Pseudo-Earth Immortal not still an Earth Immortal? Yu Mi is the number-one expert of both the Chop Gang and the Xuantian Sect. Ask Yu Mi how many moves she could last against the Supreme Immortal Lord.”
Yu Mi answered honestly,
“We’re a major realm apart. If he forcibly suppressed me with his cultivation realm, I couldn’t withstand even one move.”
Jade Shura glanced at Bao Gu again.
“How many people like you do you think there are in the cultivation world? With your strength, you alone could keep every faction from holding its head up. Bao Gu, have you never thought about unifying the cultivation world?”
Si Ruo and Qu Yirou both shot Jade Shura a fierce glare.
“You really are afraid the world won’t be chaotic enough!”
Bao Gu gently shook her head.
“Why would I go to all that trouble?”
A trace of gloom passed through her eyes, followed by a soft sigh.
Jade Shura said,
“Fine, I misspoke. I’ll punish myself with three cups…”
She paused.
“…of tea.”
Bao Nianhui cried out in distress,
“Aunt Yu, that’s Horned Dragon Enlightenment Sacred Tea! Every leaf you drink is one less. The tea you’re drinking now was something I shamelessly begged from the Crazy Tea Tree while clinging to its roots before it ascended to the Upper Realm!”
Jade Shura downed the tea in one gulp.
“Can’t you show some pity for me? My cultivation hasn’t advanced even a fraction!”
Bao Nianhui stared at her.
“How much of the Enlightenment Sacred Tea have you taken from me already?”
Jade Shura looked confused.
“That much?”
Bao Nianhui nodded.
“I’ve recorded it all on jade slips. Do you want to see?”
Jade Shura hurriedly waved her hand.
“No, no, forget it. Just remember how I usually look after you. As for spirit medicines, sacred teas, and all that, forget about them…”
She suddenly turned toward Bao Gu.
“Bao Gu, give some guidance to those of us whose cultivation has hit a bottleneck. I asked Yu Mi, and she said she cultivates an Upper Realm technique and has never encountered a bottleneck. After seeing you, I can’t believe all that talk about building up enough foundation and letting success come naturally. Everyone says cultivation depends on comprehension, that you have to comprehend the Dao—but what exactly are we supposed to comprehend?”
Jade Shura had asked with unusual seriousness. Even Si Ruo and Qu Yirou were listening intently. Yu Jianming soon came hurrying back with a chair, as though he had stumbled upon some immense stroke of luck, and sat down beside Bao Gu with an expression that clearly showed he was ready to hear the Dao explained.
Bao Gu was momentarily stunned.
Then she remembered that she had now become a True Immortal. Wasn’t she a ready-made success story? Naturally, she had no intention of holding anything back.
She thought for a moment.
“Then I’ll tell you about my insights and what I gained.”
Jade Shura nodded vigorously.
“Yes, yes, yes.”
Si Ruo knew that Bao Gu was close with the people around her and would not begrudge them guidance when they asked. Even so, receiving instruction from a True Immortal still left her feeling flattered and overwhelmed. She had never imagined that a day would come when immortal fortune would fall upon her.
Bao Gu gathered her thoughts and said,
“Half the reason I became a True Immortal was the Immortal Burial Ground, and the other half was the Xuantian Sword. The Immortal Burial Ground is actually a small world modeled after the Upper Realm. Once I entered it, my consciousness and body were separated. That allowed me to cast off the constraints imposed by my body and even by the outside world when it came to cultivation and comprehension. My thoughts and consciousness entered a boundless, unfettered world.
“I began by imitating scenes from the outside world and shaping a world of my own. I started with a table, a chair, a flower, and a blade of grass. Eventually, I could shape an entire world at will in an instant. It looked like an immortal’s divine art, something extraordinary, but it was actually only a method of simulation.”
As she spoke, Bao Gu lifted a hand, plucked a spirit fruit from a nearby tree, and peeled away the flesh, revealing the seed inside. She laid the seed in her palm, infused it with spiritual power, then used the laws she had comprehended to construct and alter it.
The seed sprouted and grew in her palm at a speed visible to the naked eye. When Bao Gu swept her hand, the sapling, already more than a foot tall, floated into the air and continued growing. Within a few breaths, it became a large tree. Then its leaves rapidly went from budding to withering, as though it were passing through spring, summer, autumn, and winter at extraordinary speed.
Time seemed to have been compressed within the tree. Before long, the seed had grown into a tree identical to the thousand-year-old spirit fruit tree beside it, as though it had truly experienced a thousand years of growth.
Bao Gu withdrew her hand. The thousand-year-old spirit fruit tree remained suspended in the air, indistinguishable from the genuine thousand-year-old tree beside it.
“When you first saw it, it was only a seed. But for this tree, it has now gone through a thousand years of growth. It truly is more than a thousand years old.”
Jade Shura’s gaze swept over the leaves covering the courtyard, piled almost waist-high.
“Huh? It didn’t bear any fruit.”
Si Ruo probed the tree Bao Gu had conjured with her divine sense.
“How did you do that?”
If a fruit tree could be made a thousand years old in an instant, wouldn’t ten-thousand-year spirit medicines be available whenever they were wanted?
Bao Gu explained,
“It’s actually quite simple. By studying this tree and this seed, I understood their structure and laws of growth. Then I used spiritual power to alter the way the seed responded to its environment, stimulate its growth, and supply everything it needed to survive. That was enough to make it reach the state of being more than a thousand years old in an instant.
“But, as Jade Shura said, it bore no fruit. It grew too quickly; its life passed before its flowers could even be pollinated. The moment the flower opened, it had already withered. It was like a person being born and dying of old age at once. How could it have time to marry and have children?
“I can make a seed rapidly become a tree, but I cannot turn a thousand-year-old tree back into the seed it was, nor restore the thousand-plus years of experience it lost by growing too quickly. It never endured a thousand years of wind, rain, sunlight, and storms. It never flowered or bore fruit. It grew only through the spiritual power and methods I gave it. So when I withdraw the power I bestowed on it, all it can do is…”
She stopped.
Everyone turned toward the tree. It was withering and dying at a speed visible to the naked eye.
After a long while, Jade Shura turned back to Bao Gu.
“What does this have to do with becoming an immortal?”
Bao Gu asked,
“What if I applied the same method to the forces of weather or the might of heaven and earth? That is the method I used against the Supreme Immortal Lord, and the method I used to withstand the Heavenly Tribulation. The Heavenly Tribulation could not destroy me, so it had no choice but to make me an immortal and send me out of this realm. The arrival of the Immortal Ascension Tribulation exists to preserve this realm’s balance.”
She paused, then continued,
“The laws of the Heavenly Dao are, in a sense, the rules and states governing the existence of every living being and object in this world. They are everywhere—in a seed and in a bolt of lightning. Anything that exists possesses them. Why is it that the Heavenly Dao cannot be sensed in the void, and there is no Heavenly Tribulation there?
“The so-called Heavenly Dao is actually the instinctive self-protection born from the existence of all life and matter in this realm, a way for them to continue existing… It may not possess a consciousness of its own, but somewhere beyond perception there is something akin to instinct. When it senses a threat, it produces the corresponding self-protective response.
“The laws of the Heavenly Dao are the rules of existence and survival. If someone alters or interferes with them, the result is what happened to that seed. It should have grown in soil while enduring wind and rain, but I altered it with spiritual power, violating its rules of existence, and it ultimately perished.
“Yet my comprehension and mastery of the laws of the Heavenly Dao made me powerful, and caused the Heavenly Dao to sense me and send down the Heavenly Tribulation. The laws wanted to destroy me, but I used power governed by those same laws against them. When they failed to blast me apart, they accepted that I was beyond their ability to deal with. So they tore open the boundary of space and drew in power from outside to carry me away. That was how I became a True Immortal.
“I did not leave, but I sealed my own power. The aura I reveal now is far too weak to provoke the Heavenly Dao’s awareness or cause it to form corresponding suppressive laws or heavenly punishment. That is why I can sit here safely.”
After hearing Bao Gu’s explanation, everyone fell into thought.
After about half an incense stick had burned, Jade Shura exclaimed,
“So I have to shape an entire world just like you?”
Bao Gu thought for a moment.
“Everyone’s cultivation path is different. What worked for me may not work for you. I was trapped in the Immortal Burial Ground and bored out of my mind, and I happened to have the conditions to shape such a world.
“Still, I do think refining the spirit is the right path. No matter how powerful a person’s body is, it is difficult to oppose the might of heaven and earth. The only force that can oppose the might of heaven and earth is the power of heaven and earth itself. The stronger one’s consciousness and divine sense, the more laws of the Heavenly Dao one can wield.
“No matter how profound one’s comprehension of those laws, without sufficiently powerful consciousness and divine sense, one cannot bring forth sufficiently powerful methods. Conversely, if comprehension is lacking, a powerful consciousness and divine sense are useless. Refining the spirit, refining the body, and comprehending the Dao are all indispensable.
“Jade Shura, your cultivation has been stuck at the peak of Void Tearing. From the auras of your soul and body, I can tell that both are sufficient. I suspect what you lack is insight into the Dao realm and the means to apply it. Try setting everything aside and quietly comprehending this heaven and earth.”
She then looked toward Si Ruo.
“Si Ruo, cultivating immortality is an act of defying Heaven. Sometimes being overly cautious makes it impossible to advance even a fraction. If you want to break through this realm’s shackles, become an immortal, and shatter the boundary to leave, you need the courage and decisiveness to strike at Heaven. There can be no hesitation.”
Si Ruo was startled. After thinking it over, she said,
“I understand. Thank you for the guidance.”
Bao Gu nodded gently, then turned toward Bao Nianhui.
“Because of me, you took control of great authority at a young age. It gave you abundant cultivation resources and masses of guards and experts to keep you safe, but it has not been good for your cultivation. Just like that seed: without soil beneath it and the tempering of wind, rain, sunlight, and storms, even if it grows into a great tree, it will never become useful timber.”
She suddenly thought of Zi Tianjun.
“Back then, when I gave thirty percent of the Chop Gang’s profits to the Xuantian Sect, I was actually harming the Xuantian Sect and Grandmaster.”
Bao Nianhui nodded.
“Yes, Master. This disciple will remember your teachings.”
Yu Jianming asked,
“What about me, Little Martial Aunt?”
Bao Gu carefully looked him over.
“You’re doing very well.”
Jade Shura turned to Yu Jianming.
“His cultivation is only a little higher than mine. How does that earn him a ‘very well’?”
Bao Gu smiled.
“He looks good. Isn’t that enough?”
Qu Yirou said to Jade Shura,
“If Bao Gu says he’s doing well, then he is. You should worry more about yourself.”
Jade Shura thought for a moment, then asked,
“Bao Gu, can you pass on some of your insights into the laws of the Heavenly Dao?”
Bao Gu pondered briefly.
“Anyone who comprehends the laws of the Heavenly Dao gets struck by lightning. If I demonstrated those laws while teaching you my insights, do you think the Heavenly Dao would somehow fail to sense it?”
She raised a hand and pointed toward the sky.
“Would you like to see how the Heavenly Dao of this realm brings down heavenly punishment and repeatedly strikes a True Immortal?”
Jade Shura let out a miserable howl.
“Ahhh!”
For someone like her, who could never settle her mind and never took anything seriously, asking her to sit quietly and comprehend the Dao was sheer torture. She tugged hard at her own hair and looked pitifully toward Qu Yirou.
Qu Yirou glanced at her.
“I think I am partly to blame for how difficult your cultivation has been.”
Jade Shura turned toward Qu Yirou. She wanted to tell her master not to say that, but she also felt it was unfair for Qu Yirou to take the blame—and was touched by how much her master cared for her.
Qu Yirou continued,
“Therefore, I’ve decided to correct my mistake. Sweetheart, when I ascend to the Upper Realm, I won’t wait for you. If you can ascend, I’ll wait for you there. If you ultimately can’t, I’ll take another disciple in the Upper Realm.”
Jade Shura’s mouth fell open in shock.
“Ah…”
She remained unable to close it for quite some time.
Was she about to lose both her master and her Dao companion?
Si Ruo returned from her thoughts and glanced at Bao Gu and Yu Mi.
“All right. You two must have countless things to say after being apart for so long. We’ll stop bothering you and come back another day.”
She rose and took her leave.
Bao Gu stood as well.
“Judging by the aura around Yu Mi, she seems close to undergoing the Immortal Ascension Tribulation. We won’t remain in this realm much longer, so I will arrange everything over the next few days. If you have time, why not stay at the Envoy’s Residence for a few days?”
Although Qu Yirou, Si Ruo, and Jade Shura had expected Bao Gu and Yu Mi would not remain for long, hearing Bao Gu say it herself still came as a surprise.
They were reluctant to part, but Bao Gu and Yu Mi were about to become immortals. None of them could bring themselves to ask them to stay. They were happy for the two of them, yet saddened by the coming separation, and could say nothing more than nod in agreement.
Bao Nianhui looked at her Master, her lips trembling. The words reached her lips, but she swallowed them back.
“Then I’ll go arrange quarters for the Empress.”
There was no need for her to arrange a place for Qu Yirou. Jade Shura had an independent courtyard in the Envoy’s Residence and was practically one of its masters.
After Yu Mi saw everyone off, she closed the courtyard gate. She turned around, took Bao Gu by the hand, and looked her up and down.
“Let me take a good look and see what the difference is between a True Immortal and a cultivator.”
She examined Bao Gu from every angle but could not see any difference at all.
“Or should we go back to the room, shut the door, and have you strip naked so I can take a look?”
Bao Gu’s face flushed bright red, and her heart gave an involuntary squeeze.
“How about I… I demonstrate the technique for growing a heart from a drop of blood?”
Yu Mi gave Bao Gu a sidelong glance.
“I’ve already watched you turn a seed into a tree!”
She pointed toward the fallen leaves and the withered tree still floating in the air.
“We’ll have to sweep the courtyard later.”
Then she suddenly remembered the illusory worlds Bao Gu had created.
“How is it that in the illusory worlds you created, there was a version of me squatting by the river with a laundry beater, washing clothes? And another carrying water while crying? And what was that embroidery supposed to be? It was so ugly!”
Bao Gu shuddered. Guiltily avoiding Yu Mi’s gaze, she put on a bold front.
“What are you talking about?”
Yu Mi drew out her reply.
“Oh? What are you talking about?”
Bao Gu lowered her voice.
“I… missed you, so I created a version of you to keep me company…”
Yu Mi snorted.
“And then I was made to carry water, wash clothes, embroider, and cry? Is that how you imagined me?”
Bao Gu made a helpless sound and stood there, frozen like a statue.
Yu Mi gave a heavy snort.
“Come here. Strip naked and let me see what a naked True Immortal looks like, and I’ll forgive you.”
Bao Gu: “…”
