Chapter 523: One Man Ascending the Heavens, Opening a Path Through the Starry Night!

The commotion of Divine Dawn's rebirth was so great that even Miss Yu was roused from her sleep. She stepped out of her room, sensing only Yun Xiao’s presence, and asked, “Where’s Lil Xi?”

Yun Xiao replied with a helpless tone, “Mother, my wife has run away.”

“Run away?” Miss Yu staggered, nearly falling to the ground, her face a mask of confusion. “On the grand day of you becoming an Arbiter, how could she run off? I was thinking when your big brother returns, we’d throw you a wedding.”

“It was my fault; I angered her, made her sad,” Yun Xiao said, coming to steady Miss Yu, then added, “But it's alright. We love each other. Once she cools off, she’ll speak to me again.”

“That’s good, then,” Miss Yu said, settling onto a stone bench in the courtyard. She lowered her voice, “Lil Yao, I still haven't asked you yet—what’s Lil Xi’s family background?”

“Does background matter when our hearts are aligned?” Yun Xiao asked.

Miss Yu shook her head. “I didn’t mean it that way. I just want to know a bit about her family—who they are, what they do, if they agree with your union. Should you need my help, I’d be ready.”

“Her background,” Yun Xiao murmured, looking in the direction she’d left, “after tonight, will be of the highest in the Celestial Court.”

“The highest? Don’t speak nonsense,” Miss Yu scolded, her face stern. Liu Mumu had already been a great pressure for her; could her younger son’s situation be even more so?

The events of the night added to Yun Xiao’s burdens—a pressure not only from Divine Dawn but from the entire Celestial Court and the looming destruction of the myriad worlds.

“Mother, I'm going to cultivate,” Yun Xiao announced. After becoming an Arbiter, the issue of his status was resolved for the time being. Now, he had to focus on getting stronger for the challenges that lay ahead.

“She’s advancing too; I can’t fall behind her!” Though the resources were not equal, Yun Xiao was confident.

?ι══????????══ι?

As late night set in, Sky Soaring City finally quieted. Yun Xiao secluded himself away to cultivate, and Miss Yu returned to her room.

In the courtyard, several little celestial pigs, their eyes round and wide, were rooting around in the dirt.

Suddenly, a pair of muddy iron boots stepped onto the courtyard soil.

The celestial pigs, startled, squealed and scurried into a corner, huddling together, daring not to stir.

In the night, the owner of the iron boots made his way, step by step, to stand before the Lu Family's ancestral hall.

This was a man in a yellow robe, a bearded drunkard! He staggered as he walked, his robe stained with spills of liquor, his face flushed red from drink.

Between his beard and disheveled hair, a pair of dull, murky eyes were hidden.

As he walked, his gaze swept over every corner of the courtyard—the vegetable garden, the seats, the pavilion—watching silently.

A faint glimmer of light began to appear in his cloudy eyes.

With a creak, he gently pushed open the grand doors of the ancestral hall and lurched inside, his murky eyes searching the tombstones.

Finally, his gaze settled on a particular tomb plaque.

「

Tomb of Rank 9, Lu Bufan

」

Below was also some smaller text.

「

His beloved wife, Su Yu

」

The yellow-robed drunkard stared at the plaque, motionless for a long time, his face twitching slightly as a sardonic smile curled at the corners of his mouth.

"Bufan, self-proclaimed extraordinary, yet as mundane as dust." The man shook his head with a bitter laugh, reached out, and took the plaque into his hands, rubbing his fingers over the character

Bu

in the middle of

Lu Bufan.

After a few rubs, he abruptly stopped, his gaze intensifying. He returned the plaque, closed his eyes, and clenched his fist. "It's all in the past, let not the heart wander needlessly."

After speaking, he tilted his head back, took a large swig of liquor, then poured the rest of the golden jade wine from his flask onto the ground in front of the plaque.

SIZZLE! SIZZLE! SIZZLE!

The golden jade wine formed a shallow golden puddle on the ground, like a layer of gold sand.

After pouring, he raised his flask towards the plaque and said, "To you, Lu Bufan."

With that, he smiled ruefully.

"Who are you?" At the doorway, a woman in plain clothes stood trembling, her hands on the doorframe, her eyes as vacant as charred wood, staring at the yellow-robed drunkard.

The drunkard turned, his gaze calm, eyes like solid amber as he met the vacant gaze of Miss Yu.

𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

"Who are you, and why do you trespass in the Lu Family's ancestral hall?" Miss Yu shook her head, tapping gently on the door frame, "Do not disturb the peace of a family of martyrs, please leave."

Hearing this, the yellow-robed drunkard looked back at the other plaques, his face twisting into a warped, ironic smile. Without another word, he turned and walked away.

As he passed by Miss Yu at the doorway, the man in the yellow robe paused again to look at the woman in plain clothes, her eyes as burnt and broken as charcoal.

"Please leave!" Miss Yu said sternly.

The yellow-robed drunkard pulled out another flask and tipped it back, taking a large gulp.

Golden liquor splashed down, wetting his robe.

He gritted his teeth and stepped forward, not looking back.

After he left the tomb, Miss Yu hurried inside and found the tomb plaque of Lu Bufan. She clutched it to her chest, her tense expression finally relaxing.

"Bufan, it's alright, it's alright..." she hugged the plaque tightly, her charred eyes slowly moistening.

Outside, the yellow-robed drunkard heard her words and shuddered.

SMACK!

He suddenly slapped himself, his face twisting into a smile, then he hurried away.

Just out of the courtyard, he glanced to his left, where a young man in white leaned against the wall, his gaze cold as he asked, "What are you doing?"

The yellow-robed drunkard looked him over and asked, "What's your name?"

Yun Xiao raised an eyebrow and responded coolly, "Lu Yao."

"Lu Yao..." The drunkard's murky gaze trembled slightly. He suddenly laughed. "Distance tests a horse's strength; time reveals a person's heart."

With that, he soared into the sky, rising towards the boiling heavens.

BOOM!

Yun Xiao's eyes widened. As the yellow-robed drunkard ascended, the dark night sky suddenly burst into a myriad of stars, the dense clusters parting ways around his flight.

This dazzling display of starlight flashed momentarily, then vanished into the cosmos.

By the time Yun Xiao realized what had happened, the sky was dark once more, a black canopy stretched over the world, with no sign of the man or the river of stars.

Just then, the little black creature emerged from Yun Xiao's embrace.

Blue Star's eyes widened, his fur bristling as he growled, "There’s something strange about that fellow!"

"What kind of strange?" Yun Xiao asked.

"He's carrying something with him!" Blue Star asserted confidently.

"What does he carry?" Yun Xiao pressed.

"Something similar to the Divine Cosmic Sword and Cosmic Pagoda. A one-of-a-kind treasure, perhaps even more advanced!" Blue Star exclaimed, amazed.

"Oh?" Yun Xiao furrowed his brow. "Can you determine what it is?"

"For now, all I can tell is that the soul power within it is extremely potent, likely a vessel for a soul," Blue Star explained.

"A soul vessel?" Yun Xiao had little concept of what that entailed. He gazed in the direction the yellow-robed drunkard had left. "You mean, he's very powerful?"

"He could be ranked among the top ten in the Great Dao Celestial Realm, at least," Blue Star said casually.

"What?" Yun Xiao was stunned. He knew how vast the Great Dao Celestial Realm was, how immense the gap between a Dao Immortal and a regular True Immortal.

Such a vast Celestial Sourcecore was nurturing countless powerful immortals! And this yellow-robed drunkard was possibly among the top ten? Or even the top two?

"Who exactly is he? Why would he enter the Lu Family's tomb?" Yun Xiao frowned.

"Who knows!" Blue Star shrugged, then added, "But based on my judgment, his soul is in a state of extreme chaos, filled with too many distorted elements."

"So, you're saying he can pose a danger to me?" Yun Xiao asked coldly.

"Yes. He's extremely dangerous! A thousand times more dangerous than the Three Immortals," Blue Star assessed.

"Alright, I have an idea now." Yun Xiao looked once more at the sky. Who was that man, really?

?ι══????????══ι?

Above Sky Soaring City, the celestial fog in the dark sky was pitch black. It was a world painted in ink. Through the swirling black celestial fog, suddenly, the sound of dragon chants echoed!

Seen amidst the rolling mist were nine golden dragons. With five claws on each arm, their golden scales shimmered beautifully. They were lined up side by side, swallowing clouds and breathing fog!

These were no demons, but rather the most exalted of celestial beasts! Their divine might suppressed the land for miles, and where their golden light touched, it seemed as though golden flames were scorching the earth.

Most striking of all, these nine golden dragons were wrapped in white-gold chains. These chains were tethered to a massive black chariot.

This chariot, floating amidst the dark mist, resembled a moving palace in the sky, embroidered with various dragon patterns, majestic and solemn.

The chariot was constructed from primordial fragrant wood, resting on four wheels. Each wheel bore a golden lotus that, when the wheels turned, instantaneously illuminated the universe with myriad golden lotuses!

The roaring of the nine dragons and the turning of the golden lotus wheels heralded the return of the chariot’s master.

Astride this chariot was that yellow-robed drunkard! Upon his arrival, his murky eyes shone with a nonchalant arrogance. He strode forward with a commanding presence, laughing loudly as the doors of the chariot burst open.

A melody of celestial music played, and the air was thick with the scent of wine.

Amidst a cloud of pink mist, a procession of young, heavenly maidens stepped out. They were delicate yet fiery, clad only in light silks that made their graceful figures shimmer tantalizingly through the swirling fog.

Their faces were noble and pure, like saviors from the clouds, but their movements and expressions revealed them as the enticing flowers at the side of the yellow-robed drunkard. Each glance and smile was beguiling and strikingly bold.

They giggled, whispered, and hummed, clustering around the yellow-robed drunkard, who naturally reached out, embracing them while his hands, expert and playful, added to his beaming smile.

"This is truly the life!" The yellow-robed drunkard's laughter provoked more giggles from the celestial maidens.

Together, they entered the spacious carriage. Inside, it was a feast of delicacies and fine wines—a garden of earthly delights with only the yellow-robed drunkard as the sole male amidst countless beautiful fairies.

SLAM!

The carriage doors closed behind them, and from inside came sounds of indulgence, soft moans, and murmurs that never ceased.