Chapter 1053: Unbroken Past Twenty-two

The people in the pavilion were close friends, even sworn brothers, sharing both personal bonds and common interests, which made conversation easy. After a few more drinks, Mi Huang naturally began to inquire.

“Everyone, I’d like to ask about a person’s name. I seem to have heard it before, but I can’t recall where.”

“Oh? Is it about what the envoy just said?”

“Who is it? Tell us. At your level of cultivation, your memory shouldn’t be hazy.”

Mi Huang’s previous conversation with the envoy had been a private telepathic exchange, so others hadn't heard the specifics. Now, as they inquired, Mi Huang nodded and replied.

“It’s not a major issue, so there’s no need for you to worry. It’s just that during the process, I encountered an interesting person. This individual is a woman named Hu Yun. Her aura is faint, and her path is unknown, yet she was able to block the Heavenly Thunder Spell cast by a Thunder Deity. I can’t recall who she is at the moment, but I’m certain I’ve heard of her.”

“Hu Yun?”

“Any other clues?”

“Oh, yes. This person claimed to know Lady White Deer and Lady Ying from Glazed Palace. I just tried to silently deduce her origins in my mind, but I couldn't. However, I have a strong intuition that she might be from the demon clan, not a practitioner of immortal dao.”

After Mi Huang finished speaking, he looked at his friends. Some were deep in thought, while others slowly stroked their beards. Two or three seemed to have realized something, and one of them, after performing a quick calculation, nodded slightly and spoke.

“It seems it’s her.”

This was an individual with a curved, single horn on their forehead, yet they possessed no demonic aura. Instead, a contained divine light with a subtle iridescent glow emanated from them, clearly indicating their status as a great deity. Given the significant changes in the world, divine cultivation beyond a certain level was no longer bound by earthly realms, making it unclear if this deity hailed from the lower or heavenly realms.

“Brother, have you figured it out?”

Mi Huang quickly asked. The person smiled and said,

“You guessed correctly, my dear brother. This Immortal Hu Yun is indeed from the demon clan, a fox immortal with profound cultivation.”

“A fox immortal!”

Someone nearby repeated.

“Precisely, a fox immortal. The title ‘demon immortal’ has existed for several centuries since the Three Realms’ order was established, and Immortal Hu Yun is one of them. Her magical power is pure; not only is her demonic magic agile, but she also effortlessly employs various wondrous immortal arts. Thus, she naturally qualifies to be called a fox immortal.”

“So it’s her! I also thought of her. However, she has always disliked drawing attention, and there’s been no news of her for the past two or three centuries. There are indeed rumors that she has an excellent relationship with Lady Bai, but I’m unsure about her relationship with Lady Ying.”

“Hmm, as fellow demon immortals, that’s not surprising.”

Mi Huang nodded. In that case, Hu Yun’s statement to the Thunder Deity might be true, at least in part.

“My dear brother, allow me to continue. After I’ve finished, if any of you have something to add, it won’t be too late to speak.”

“Yes, yes, please continue, Brother!” “Please speak!”

The one-horned man lifted his wine cup, shaking it with a smile. The wine within shimmered with mist, appearing dreamlike and illusory, faintly showing trickling water, shifting winds and clouds, green leaves and red flowers, and flowing characters...

“Speaking of Immortal Hu Yun, one cannot help but mention an immortal who is now deliberately understated by the Three Realms, but who, nearly a thousand years ago, could shake the heavens and earth with a mere stomp of his foot.”

The one-horned deity looked around, and seeing everyone in thought, chuckled.

“I’m sure you’ve all guessed it. Indeed, the Bodhi Immortal Venerable in some Buddhist lineages, and the Supreme Dao Ancestor Grand Master in the Daoist ancestral court, are all this very immortal. That immortal is Ji Yuan, or as others prefer to call him, Mr. Ji! Mr. Ji acts as he pleases, enjoying the mortal world and living a carefree life. Although his magical power is boundless, he has no airs. If ordinary vendors and peddlers are fated, they can converse happily with him; if minor demons and monsters are fated, they can approach him to hear his teachings...”

“Immortal Hu Yun was originally a crimson spirit fox saved by Yin Qing, the son of the Sage of Literature and a renowned prime minister, during his childhood. Mr. Ji and the Sage of Literature had an exceptionally close relationship, and so, over time, Mr. Ji also enlightened this spirit fox. Having been long imbued with the Sage of Literature’s noble aura and receiving guidance and a name from Mr. Ji, this spirit fox naturally became extraordinary, evolving into the Immortal Hu Yun we know today.”

The one-horned deity's account of these details was clearly inaccurate, far from the true situation. Yet, it was remarkably fitting, and most who heard it, including those present, found it believable.

“So that’s how it is!” “Brother’s knowledge is truly vast!”

“Benefiting from the Sage of Literature and Mr. Ji, no wonder.”

“Indeed, this explains why Immortal Hu Yun knows both Lady Bai and Lady Ying.”

Others agreed, and Mi Huang also nodded thoughtfully, while the one-horned deity remained pensive.

“The great transformation of heaven and earth back then was originally a terrifying cosmic calamity. Many heroes emerged during that tribulation, and Mr. Ji, with his immense magical power, reversed the cosmos, practically remaking heaven and earth. Although the two hundred years that followed were also a catastrophe, they gradually reshaped the order of heaven and earth, laying the foundation for the current Three Realms. If Mr. Ji had still been present then, I believe this process would have been much smoother.”

This one-horned deity had lived through that era and spoke of it with deep emotion, even a hint of lingering fear. The dangers of those two hundred years were truly appalling. Past masters, true cultivators, great Ming Wangs, various mighty deities, eminent figures from the Hundred Schools of Thought, as well as great demons and numerous high-level spirits from across the world, were all entangled in the catastrophe. Moreover, invisible heavenly laws permeated everything, making it difficult for anyone to remain uninvolved; the Three Realms practically underwent a "great blood transfusion."

This doesn't mean those two hundred years were a continuous war. Rather, various conflicts emerged one after another, presenting cultivators with a multitude of calamities: those involving lineages, those affecting sects, those confined to individuals, and so on. These tribulations seemed like a predetermined fate, impossible to escape.

Even so, the Pavilion of Heavenly Secrets once declared that this was only the aftermath because Mr. Ji had successfully cast his spell to set up a trap and cut off the calamity; otherwise, it would have resulted in the annihilation of heaven and earth.

“Since Brother has brought it up, do you know what became of Mr. Ji?”

As soon as this question was posed, others naturally grew very curious. It was unclear when, but this matter seemed to have become an unspoken rule: few people brought it up nowadays, and even those who knew wouldn't casually discuss it unless there were special circumstances.

Since today's discussion involved Hu Yun, the one-horned deity continued his story.

“Hehe, to use the power of the Heavenly Dao to reverse the calamity of heaven and earth's annihilation, even Mr. Ji, with his boundless magical power and vast supernatural abilities, had to pay a price. The Pavilion Master of Heavenly Secrets once said that Mr. Ji had two choices at that time: the first!”

At this point, the one-horned deity straightened his posture and raised his voice by a few degrees.

“The first was to transform into the Heavenly Dao itself, looking down upon the mountains, rivers, lakes, and all living beings of heaven and earth!”

“Hiss...”

A group of people couldn't help but gasp, feeling their scalps tingle even with their level of cultivation.

“Could it be that Mr. Ji is now...”

Someone looked up at the sky, but was immediately interrupted by the one-horned deity's laughter.

“Hahahahaha... If that were the case, he wouldn't be Mr. Ji anymore. What I respect most about Mr. Ji isn't his boundless magical power that could reverse the cosmos, but that he chose the second path. Becoming the Heavenly Dao is naturally the pinnacle of the Dao, but while heaven and earth endure supremely, it would be extremely boring for Mr. Ji. He dispersed his supreme magical power, returning the power of the Heavenly Dao to heaven and earth!”

“What happened then?”

The one-horned deity glanced at the speaker.

“What happened then? Mr. Ji disdained transforming into the Heavenly Dao and governing its ways. He chose to disperse his magical power and become a contented mortal who finds joy in his own being! Have you all heard the saying, 'He who abandons heaven and earth shall be abandoned by heaven and earth'? Alas! I regret that I lived in that era yet could not witness Mr. Ji's grandeur. It is truly a pity!”

“Alas, what a pity!” “I completely agree!”

Mi Huang also nodded in agreement. The one-horned deity had spoken at length, and his account of Ji Yuan was the most complete version Mi Huang had ever heard. While greatly shaken, he couldn't help but frown deeply.

However, Mi Huang's frown soon relaxed. He admired Mr. Ji as an immortal with such spirit and character, but that was all in the past. As for this fox immortal, he would still need to deal with her carefully, preferably ensuring she didn't get involved.

After quickly contemplating, Mi Huang had a preliminary plan. Although he roughly knew She Ji’s location, he wouldn’t act against her immediately. Instead, he would try to find out what she had been doing lately, breaking down each detail to avoid unnecessary trouble.