Chapter 1149 - Little Heavenly Prayer

An ancient world of the Heavenly Prayer Star Realm.

The peak of an immortal mountain shrouded in mist.

“Little Heavenly Prayer, you sure screwed me over this time!” A blood-curdling scream emanated from within the bronze kettle.

A picturesque young beauty in a jade crown and a pale blue dress stood beside him. She couldn’t help but look stunned. “I wouldn’t have thought that even you would be so wimpy, Uncle Nine Planets...”

This young woman was none other than Heavenly Prayer, the closed-door disciple of the leader of the Nine Heavens Sect.

However, she no longer had that aura of aloof majesty. Rather, she seemed like a guilty child. She was even a bit embarrassed.

“Wimpy? When I commanded the wind and clouds, who in all the star realms of the vastness of space would have dared call me that?” The bronze kettle revolved in midair as Nine Planet’s voice emanated from within.

The woman in the blue dress said thoughtfully, “Uncle Nine Planets, in that case, can you tell me what scared you so badly earlier?”

Within the bronze kettle, Nine Planets fell silent.

A while later, he let out a deep sigh. “I wasn’t just scared; I was so terrified I wanted to die. Due to the vow I made back then, I cannot share these secrets with you, but...”

Here, Nine Planet’s voice suddenly turned solemn. “I urge you

never

to become enemies with that sword cultivator, no matter what. No matter who orders you to target him, you absolutely cannot agree!”

The young woman’s pupils constricted. “Not even if... they’re my master’s orders?”

“If your master really orders you to do that...” Nine Planets sank into a lengthy silence before finally saying, “In that case, decide for yourself.”

The woman in blue couldn’t help but feel stunned. She hadn’t anticipated receiving such an answer.

After a moment’s thought, the woman in blue said, “It’s true that he was strong, but we fought across a Boundless Barrier, so I couldn’t even display twenty percent of my cultivation base. In a true confrontation...”

But Nine Planets interrupted her before she could finish. “Little Heavenly Prayer, even if you told me you could defeat your master, I might well believe you. But that sword cultivator is different. I have absolutely no hope that you can win against him!”

He paused, then added, “You must bear this in mind. He’s not someone you can provoke!”

The woman in blue couldn’t help but feel stunned, and her beautiful face shifted erratically. A little while later, she said, “I plan to take a trip to the Dark and Gold Star Realm.”

“What for?”

“To retrieve my other half!” Her starry eyes had an illusory quality as she said, “I’ve stagnated in the Heavenly Longevity Realm for thirty thousand years. I’m in no rush to break through, but if I enter Oneness without retrieving my other half, it will inevitably result in flaws in my foundations in the Grand Dao, and I’m afraid my accomplishments will forever be limited to the Three Realms of the Path of Heaven’s Ascension.”

Nine Planets gasped. “But you saw it too. That sword cultivator is with your other half!”

“I can try my best not to become his enemy,” said the woman in blue. “There might be ways to resolve this peacefully.”

Here, she raised the bronze kettle. “Uncle Nine Planets, I hope you can help me with this.”

Nine Planets fell silent.

Time slipped by, but the woman in blue seemed extremely patient. She simply waited.

“Why not ask your master?” asked Nine Planets.

The woman in blue sighed. “Uncle Nine Planets, I don’t want Master to arrange

everything

I do. From a young age, every step I’ve taken has been entirely under his control.

“In the past, I didn’t mind, but now... I’ve started to dislike feeling like my fate is under another’s control. This time, I want to act in accordance with my own will!”

Here, her gaze filled with staunch determination.

“Very well,” said Nine Planets. “As long as you don’t make me fight that sword cultivator, I can agree to anything else.”

A smile tugged at the young woman’s lips. “Let’s set off now, then.”

With that, she put away the bronze kettle, soared into the air, and left that peak shrouded in an ethereal, immortal air.

Shortly afterward——

Two figures appeared out of nowhere.

One was a thin middle-aged man in jade-colored robes. His temples were graying, and his eyes were as deep as twin abysses.

The other was a white-haired, decrepit elder in worn-out Daoist robes. His face was covered in wrinkles.

“Little Heavenly Prayer has grown up, and she’s started to form her own opinions. As gratifying as that is, she’s about to do something rather dangerous...” the white-haired elder in Daoist Robes said in a soft, raspy voice.

“Dangerous?” The middle-aged man said calmly. “I anticipated this day the moment I brought her back to the sect. If everything goes smoothly, when she repairs her soul and spirit, she’ll understand her true origins.”

The white-haired old man said probingly, “And if it doesn’t go smoothly?”

The thin middle-aged man didn’t answer directly. Instead, he said something entirely inexplicable. “This is what the Temple Master owes her, and... what he owes me.”

The old man froze, completely baffled.

But he knew better than to ask any further questions. “Nine Planets is accompanying Little Heavenly Prayer. He...”

The middle-aged man shook his head slightly and interrupted him. “This was Nine Planets’ choice. Whatever he does, he’ll have to pay the corresponding price.”

Here, he looked at the white-haired elder. “The old Tailor has already started making arrangements. You lead our next operation.”

The white-haired old man’s heart shook, and he nodded his assent.

The thin middle-aged man then stepped forward and disappeared into thin air.

𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

The white-haired old man in Daoist robes let out a breath of turbid air. “The leader’s aura is more terrifying than ever. That was just his Dao Clone, but it put more pressure on me than ever before. His true body is still in seclusion. I wonder if he’s already stepped onto the legendary path of the true immortal...?”

Here, he shook his head, then turned and left.

“See that? You can’t hide your tracks from your master at all.”

In a stretch of stars, a bronze kettle released light that interwove to form a scene.

The scene depicted none other than the thin middle-aged man and the white-haired elder’s departures.”

“I said I wanted to act in accordance with my own will this time. Master might already know, but he isn’t trying to stop me. That’s enough,” the woman in blue said softly.

The thin middle-aged man was her master, as well as the Supreme Leader of the Nine Heavens Pavilion!

And that white-haired old man in Daoist robes was one of their three Heavenly Libationers. His title was Ming Yong!

“Then do you dare say with certainty that your master didn’t predict this, or that your actions aren’t entirely under his control?” Nine Planets’ voice emanated from within the kettle.

The young woman froze, stunned. “Perhaps he did predict all of this, but if so, it seems to me that you’re an unforeseen variable, Uncle Nine Planets. So long as you’re by my side, I trust master won’t be able to predict what happens next.”

“Heh...” Nine Planets laughed from within the kettle, as if in self-deprecation. “Whatever you do, don’t underestimate your master. They say the Tailor’s schemes are unparalleled, but throughout the starry skies, no one is better at hiding their true abilities than your master. There’s no overestimating someone like him.”

Here, his voice suddenly softened. “Little Heavenly Prayer, I watched you grow up, and I told you that your master had ulterior motives for taking you as his disciple. He wasn’t doing it selflessly. No, he.... Most likely sees you as a pawn.

“But you refused to listen. You thought I was trying to drive a wedge between you and your master. And that’s understandable, as when it comes to transmitting the Dao, your master has really never kept anything from you, nor has he ever once mistreated you.”

The young woman’s brow gradually furrowed; it was obvious that she was displeased.

Nine Planets seemed to notice the change in her mood too. “Even if you get angry at me, please, let me finish saying what I have to say.”

The woman in blue took a deep breath. “I’ll take it as wind blowing past my ears, then.”

Nine Planets smiled bitterly, but then, his voice turned solemn. “Over the years, your master has never revealed his hand. That’s because the time was not yet ripe. But this time is different. Unless I’m mistaken, that sword cultivator... is almost certainly... the reincarnation of the Temple Master!”

The young woman’s pupils abruptly constricted in a rare loss of composure.

The Temple Master!

How could she not have heard of this legendary, transcendent existence?

“Your other half reappeared beside the Temple Master’s reincarnation. Do you... think that’s a coincidence?” asked Nine Planets. “I’ll say no more on the matter. Think it over for yourself.”

With that, the bronze kettle fell completely silent.

The woman in blue fell silent for a while. Finally, she muttered, “Isn’t that even better? I...I’ve always wanted an answer!”

......

The depths of Meteor Abyss.

Inside a thoroughly lamplit pavilion.

Cha Jin, Wen Lingxue, and the others clustered around Su Yi.

And Su Yi stood beside Qing Wan’s sickbed.

“That’s more or less the situation,” said Ning Sihua after summarizing Qing Wan’s symptoms over the past few months.

Su Yi subtly inclined his head.

He’d already guessed that, about two months ago, Little Heavenly Prayer of the Nine Heavens Pavilion had used a secret art to lock onto Qing Wan’s aura and determine her location. She must have planned to take Qing Wan away tonight.

And Qing Wan’s “symptoms” were surely the result of Little Heavenly Prayer’s secret art!

“Wait outside for now,” ordered Su Yi.

Before long, his friends had all left the room. Now, only he and Qing Wan remained.

“Did you come here to hurt me? It doesn’t seem that way, but if you didn’t, and you and Little Heavenly Prayer are the same person...” Su Yi trailed off. “I’m afraid only the leader of the Nine Heavens Pavilion knows the full story.”

Qing Wan lay on the sickbed, her eyes tightly shut and her beautiful face pallid and translucent. She looked completely haggard.

“No matter what, you and I once shared a bed and contemplated the Grand Dao together. In my heart, you’re Wan’er, and not just... a pawn whose fate is under another’s control.” Su Yi’s eyes shone with a hint of pity. “This karma involves you, but it’s obviously targeted at me, and it’s up to me to resolve it.”

With that, he took off his shoes and arrived at her bedside.