A battle of spells erupted above the ocean.
The cultivator before her posed no threat to He Qing. Unleashing the Imperial Decree Sword Art, she drove the man back with little effort.
The man fled in a panic. He Qing considered it for a moment but chose not to give chase.
Instead, she simply stepped into the Mortal World.
To her surprise, a group of people arrived shortly after.
Clad in black robes, these people proclaimed themselves the 'Heavenly Dao.' Their Cultivation Bases were entirely unreadable, and a faintly unsettling aura clung to them.
He Qing furrowed her brows at the sight of them. The heavy stench of corpses rolling off their bodies made her deeply uncomfortable.
"Why isn't anyone allowed into the Mortal World?"
He Qing asked, but not a single person in the black-robed group answered. A moment later, a figure stepped forward from their ranks.
When the figure raised her head, He Qing was met with a striking, heroic face.
"I only came to look around," He Qing said. "I'm not here for amusement."
Yu Youyu had no desire to waste words on her.
Raising a hand, she unleashed a Divine Ability that firmly locked He Qing in place.
He Qing's expression shifted. Realizing this woman's Dao Cultivation was profound, she gathered her senses and issued an edict: "Release!"
As the word fell, the Restrictive Seal shattered.
She immediately dodged, retreating a hundred paces.
Yu Youyu stepped forward, closing the distance in an instant.
"The Art of Imperial Decree?"
Yu Youyu looked slightly surprised. After a moment of thought, she held back from delivering a lethal strike.
The two exchanged nearly a dozen blows.
Ultimately outmatched, He Qing was firmly bound once more.
Yu Youyu merely gave her a calm glance. She then dismissed the Heavenly Dao group, knocked He Qing unconscious, and left.
When He Qing awoke, she found herself locked inside a dungeon.
She was not the only one there.
The various cells, large and small, held nearly a hundred people in total.
"Oh, you're awake, little girl?"
He Qing gathered her wits and rubbed the back of her aching neck. "Where is this?" she asked.
No sunlight pierced the gloomy dungeon; only that hoarse voice echoed through the dark.
"Here? We don't know either..."
He Qing was momentarily stunned. As she slowly conversed with the others, she learned about their situations.
Without exception, every one of them had been captured and brought here after trespassing into the Mortal World.
Some had been locked up for nearly sixty years.
This place was unique. Built upon Formations and reinforced by Divine Abilities, escaping was nothing short of a pipe dream.
He Qing grew anxious. "What should we do?"
"Don't be afraid, little girl. You'll get used to it in time. This dungeon is fairly quiet; it's actually quite suitable for solitary cultivation."
The hoarse voice drifted over once more. He Qing pursed her lips, unable to comprehend how they could find joy in such suffering.
Not long after, however, He Qing was pulled out of her cell.
It was the same black-robed figures from before.
She was once again brought before the woman who had knocked her unconscious.
Yu Youyu scrutinized her before ordering her subordinates to search her.
"What are you doing?!"
He Qing struggled, but she was entirely powerless.
Yu Youyu inspected the confiscated items.
A few jars of wine, a bag of Spirit Rice, some loose silver, and two books.
Yu Youyu flipped open the two books and glanced at them.
She suddenly paused.
"A sword art?"
"A Divine Ability?"
Yu Youyu found the Divine Ability inexplicably familiar. She hesitated before asking, "Who gave you these two manuals?"
"What does it matter to you?" He Qing shot back.
Yu Youyu scoured her memory for anyone well-versed in edicts, and a certain figure inevitably surfaced in her mind.
The sword art, however, was a different story.
"Do you know Chen Changsheng?"
He Qing froze, taken aback by the question.
"Senior Chen?"
Hearing this, Yu Youyu instantly understood.
She should have realized it sooner. In this world, the only person capable of delving so deeply into the Art of Imperial Decree was likely Chen Changsheng.
Yu Youyu handed the two manuals back to He Qing.
Without a single word of explanation, she set her free.
He Qing had been hastily captured, and now she was just as hastily released.
She stood there in a daze, completely bewildered by what had just happened. Furthermore, rather than throwing her out of the Mortal World, the group simply left her to her own devices.
He Qing was utterly baffled, unable to make sense of their motives.
"How bizarre..."
He Qing muttered. After a moment of thought, she adopted a 'since I'm already here' attitude and ventured deeper into the Mortal World.
Yu Youyu, meanwhile, secretly trailed behind her.
She wanted to see exactly what kind of skill this young woman possessed to warrant Chen Changsheng passing down the very essence of the Art of Imperial Decree.
But the longer she watched, the more Yu Youyu found the girl inexplicably familiar.
It was as if she had met her somewhere before.
Yet she couldn't quite recall the details.
...
He Qing traveled steadily north. Now truly within the Mortal World, she bore witness to its bustling prosperity.
It was vastly different from the Cultivation World.
The Mortal World was much more orderly. There were no Supreme Immortals throwing their weight around; the vast majority of people here were ordinary mortals. As it was a time of peace, the common folk everywhere lived in contentment, plowing their fields, weaving their cloth, and enjoying their quiet lives.
It was deeply tranquil here, putting her entirely at ease.
"Is this what they mean by the warmth of mortal life?"
He Qing pondered this, slowly beginning to understand certain things.
Continuing her journey north, she learned from a passerby that a nearby city was hosting a Temple Fair.
Intrigued, He Qing decided to join the festivities.
The Temple Fair was held in honor of the Dragon King, with the common folk praying for favorable weather and an abundant harvest.
The streets were packed. Despite the stifling crowd, the sheer vibrancy of the event was intoxicating.
It was a kind of liveliness He Qing had never witnessed in the Cultivation World.
"It's so lively..."
She saw countless food stalls selling steamed buns, candied hawthorn skewers, and spun-sugar figures. There were vibrant flower lanterns and even street acrobats performing.
The dazzling array of novelties truly opened her eyes.
"The Mortal World is wonderful. Why does everyone insist otherwise?"
He Qing shook her head, unable to understand it.
Distracted, she accidentally bumped into someone.
"I'm so sorry, excuse me..."
He Qing hurriedly apologized and picked up the mask the person had dropped.
"Watch where you're going!"
Xuanji stood with her hands on her hips, visibly annoyed. But when the young woman looked up, she froze.
"Wait, you..."
Xuanji seized He Qing's hand.
He Qing blinked in surprise. "I already apologized. There's no need to grab me, is there?"
"Who are you?"
Xuanji took a step closer. "You look so familiar... And why do you carry Granduncle Chen's aura?"
"Xuanji, what are you doing?!"
Another voice rang out as someone else approached.
He Qing looked over to see a short little girl marching toward them, hugging a wine pot to her chest.
Yu Hongjin cast a glance at the stranger standing before them.
Instantly, the same confusion that plagued Xuanji washed over her face.
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