Chapter Twenty-Two: The Reunion Ceremony

Ye Zhiqiu glanced back at the beautiful martial aunt and the other person, then turned around, smiling at Li Chengzhu. “So you’re the disciple of the Celestial Emissary, yes?”

Li Chengzhu grinned. “I’d rather you see me as myself.”

“Good, good, very good!” Ye Zhiqiu laughed heartily. “The disciples of the Illusory Sword Sect are indeed impressive.”

At these words, Gu Linglong’s followers were all taken aback. Who would have thought this inexperienced newcomer was actually the Celestial Emissary’s disciple? When they pictured the dignified figure of the Emissary and compared it to this awkward disciple, it was like comparing a soaring dragon to a worm in the gutter—utterly incomparable. Everyone shook their heads, sighing that even the Celestial Emissary could misjudge someone.

Ye Zhiqiu raised his brows, forcing a smile as he looked at the flamboyant man. “Chongzhen Immortal, what a fine grand-disciple you have!”

Chongzhen Golden Immortal stepped forward, looking at Li Chengzhu with satisfaction. “This has nothing to do with me. Little Third took this disciple himself—I only just heard about it from Wu Rui.” He then studied Li Chengzhu carefully and nodded. “Good! Little Third’s eye for talent is not bad!”

Li Chengzhu awkwardly scratched his head, unsure what to do, and cast a pleading look at the beautiful martial aunt.

She giggled, adopting a girlish air as she stood beside Chongzhen Golden Immortal, saying to Li Chengzhu, “This here is my master—the founder of the Illusory Sword Sect. Your master should call him Grandmaster, and as for you…”

Before she could finish, Li Chengzhu quickly composed himself and made a deep bow to Chongzhen Golden Immortal. “Greetings, Ancestor!”

He couldn’t believe his luck—at such a perilous moment, he had acquired yet another powerful protector.

Chongzhen Golden Immortal had been wearing a strange, amused smile. Now, his grin bloomed like a flower. “Enough. The Illusory Sword Sect doesn’t stand on ceremony over such things. Get up.”

At the same time, the last mysterious figure, whose face remained indistinct, strode slowly up to Little Shadow.

Li Chengzhu looked at his grandmaster in surprise. Chongzhen Golden Immortal shook his head, indicating he should just watch.

Little Shadow tried to discern the person’s features, but no matter how hard she looked, the face just feet away seemed to blur and shift, impossible to grasp—a clear sign of the sect's highest-level techniques. Suddenly inspired, she bowed deeply. “Disciple Xiao Meiying of the fourth generation of the Harmony Sect pays respects to Grandmaster.”

At last, the figure spoke, and to Li Chengzhu’s astonishment, it was a woman’s voice.

“Rise. Your father sent a message to me when you ran away from home. It took a great deal of effort to find you, only to learn you’d already been sent away. Thankfully, you’ve returned safely.” She then turned and glared at Ye Zhiqiu.

Li Chengzhu could almost feel the lethal gaze shooting from that indistinct face.

Ye Zhiqiu rubbed his hands awkwardly at the side.

Chongzhen Golden Immortal and the beautiful martial aunt covered their mouths, stifling laughter. Ye Zhiqiu’s reputation as a henpecked husband was already legendary in the Celestial Realm—seeing it firsthand was truly something else.

Gu Linglong and the others stood by awkwardly, still seething from the ambush, and now forced to watch this envy-inducing reunion. For these rootless, sectless cultivators, it was a bitter sight.

The beautiful martial aunt, ever perceptive, seemed to sense everyone’s discomfort. She quickly stepped in to smooth things over. “Enough, everyone. Let’s head back. Or would you rather wait here for the angelic army to catch up?”

It wasn’t until they were flying back that Li Chengzhu remembered the important thing he’d forgotten.

Damn it, he’d meant to extort something earlier—how had he gotten so distracted? Clearly, the older the ginger, the spicier it is! With just a few words, Ye Zhiqiu had diverted everyone’s attention. Li Chengzhu curled his lip. Stingy old fox.

Back at the army camp’s command tent, Li Chengzhu marveled at the difference between officers and soldiers. For days, everyone else had been exposed to the elements, but Ye Zhiqiu had been enjoying himself in the comfort of the grand command tent, monopolizing such a large space.

No doubt, there were defensive formations set up outside as well—the dust storms were blocked three zhang away from the tent.

If not for the favor shown to Little Shadow and Li Chengzhu, the rest would never have set foot in such a symbol of status in eight lifetimes.

Inside the tent, Li Chengzhu shamelessly argued with Ye Zhiqiu, eventually winning each person a reward of three hundred high-grade spirit stones, as well as the option to withdraw from the war at any time. What pleased Li Chengzhu most was the beautiful martial aunt securing two special tents, both shelters from the storm and places to rest.

Such tents were reserved for those ranked as generals or higher. Ye Zhiqiu had gone as far as he could for them.

Only after the exhausted party went off to rest did these immortals begin to discuss the war.

Chongzhen Golden Immortal’s face was filled with worry. “Marshal Ye, as I understand it, weren’t there numerous attack and defense formations set up outside the spatial rift? How could it be that tens of thousands of angelic troops broke through before the Immortal Emperor heard the news?”

Ye Zhiqiu sighed. “The Red Rock Plateau has always been a war-torn region. Every year, small bands of angelic soldiers launch raids. But for the last five thousand years, these were always repelled by the immortal garrison, so the defense formations rarely saw any real action. This time, though, a few incredibly powerful ten-winged angels suddenly burst from the rift and destroyed the formations in a single move. They returned to the Angelic Realm and joined others to widen the rift. I don’t know what they used, but they managed to shield their spiritual pressure from countless immortals. Only when it couldn’t be hidden any longer did other immortals sense it. But by then, nearly a hundred and fifty thousand angelic troops had already crossed over—hence the delay in the news reaching us.”

Chongzhen Golden Immortal shook his head. “Centuries of peace have made the Celestial Realm complacent.”

Ye Zhiqiu continued, “We only learned all this from the nascent soul of a Golden Immortal who managed to escape. Without that warning, we’d never have had time to gather forces and oppose the angelic army.”

The beautiful martial aunt now spoke up indignantly. “Why were only cultivators sent to the vanguard battle? Not a single immortal was dispatched! So many of our people died for nothing.”

Ye Zhiqiu pulled a bitter face. “There was nothing I could do—I’m only the commander of the cultivators. The Immortal Emperor gave the order; I dare not disobey. As for why no immortals were sent, you’ll have to ask their commander.” He pointed at his wife, and when he caught her murderous glare, he shrank back sheepishly.

Qiao Yanluo shot Ye Zhiqiu a venomous look before speaking. “Though I command the immortals in this battle, without the Immortal Emperor’s order I cannot send troops on my own.”

Ye Zhiqiu gritted his teeth. “Who knows what the Immortal Emperor is thinking? He’s just sending people out to die, isn’t he?” Then he stamped his foot. “And this time, sending out ten thousand for a sneak attack—without even consulting me, just passing the order through a special envoy. If this keeps up, I quit. What kind of commander am I supposed to be?”

Qiao Yanluo pinched his waist discreetly. “Careful—walls have ears!”

Ye Zhiqiu put on a show of bravado. “Let anyone dare report me—I’ll squash them like a bug!”

Outside the tent, the special envoy shivered and hurriedly fled from the scene.