The Immortal Tournament had finally drawn to a close.

Yun Xiao transformed in an instant, becoming the most celebrated figure in the divine land of the Celestial Court.

After the awards ceremony, the White Emperor and Empress Zhao departed amidst the reverent farewells of the gathered Immortals.

Yet, nearly none of the Immortals left!

The Nine Thunders Sovereign personally took Yun Xiao under his wing, introducing him to the various high ranking figures of the Celestial Court. There were Stellar Margraves, Merit Gods, Heavenly Masters, Primal Lords—over a dozen ranks just within the Thunder Department, let alone the other 20+ departments, each with their own array of celestial generals and beyond.

There were nearly 1,000 beings, all possessing might far surpassing Yun Xiao.

However, the most prestigious were undoubtedly the Northstar Sword Devil, Dragon Tiger Sovereign, Nine Thunders Sovereign, and the Sixth Prince Zhen.

"Lu Yao." The Sixth Prince, with his refined and cultured demeanor, shared a few laughs with Yun Xiao, appearing to be delighting in his company.

Nine Kites had returned to normal, standing by the Sixth Prince, the very picture of propriety.

"In ten days, I shall marry Nine Kites. I'll send you an invitation later; you must attend," the Sixth Prince said with a smile.

The imperial marriage edict was out, and other invitations had likely been sent already.

"Sixth Prince, this humble Immortal will certainly be there."

After speaking, Yun Xiao glanced at Nine Kites, who returned his look with a complex expression, a hint of longing in her eyes. Yet, who she truly belonged with was clear to her, as the daughter of a Sovereign.

And so, she leaned close to the Sixth Prince, looping her arm through his, and told Yun Xiao, "You're a big deal now, make sure the wedding gift is a generous one. Don't shame your family."

At this, all the Immortals laughed.

Good relations allow for such jokes, and it seemed Yun Xiao had fully integrated with the Thunder Department.

After a while longer, the Nine Thunders Sovereign declared, "Fellow colleagues, we must return to the Thunder Department to celebrate. Until next time!"

The Immortals of the Immortal Sword Court and the Imperial Treasury bid their farewells.

"Yue Ying," The Northstar Sword Devil called out to the Moon Sword Goddess, "You and Lu Yao share a master-disciple bond. You cannot enjoy the privileges of a master without imparting the art of the sword."

The Moon Sword Goddess, understanding the gesture, gazed at Yun Xiao with softness rarely seen, and in a gentle voice, she asked, "Shall we return together to the Thunder Department?"

Her typically cold demeanor softened before the assembly of Immortals, presenting a tenderness toward Yun Xiao that truly caught everyone off guard.

Before this showdown at the Divine Gateway, she had even warned Yun Xiao that they would have no further relationship!

"Of course, that would be pleasant." Yun Xiao relished seeing her transition from a lofty initial demeanor to one of tender care, lowering herself to his level.

As a Rank 2 Heavenly Officer, equal in stature to Stellar Margraves and Supreme Generals, she possessed the formidable sword techniques of the Immortal Sword Court!

Yun Xiao planned to use her connection to the Immortal Sword Court to his advantage, determined to extract some benefit from her.

So, he found himself flanked by a frosty older sister mentor on one side and a pure-hearted young mother figure on the other.

Basking in the care and attention of both older women, Yun Xiao once again boarded the Nine Thunders Divine Ark, setting off on the path back to the Thunder Department.

"Remember to join the game when you return!" The Longevity Immortal stood at the base of the Divine Gateway, standing over the still fresh bloodstains of the Great Horned Immortals, squinting and smiling as he waved to Yun Xiao and murmured his reminder.

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At the Taisui Sigil Palace, three figures returned from afar, entering this misty paradise that seemed a world apart.

They were none other than the Taisui Sage, the Sixth Prince Zhen, and Nine Kites.

Nine Kites, needing to select some wedding garments and jewelry, did not return with them to the Thunder Department.

She walked behind, lost in thought, her pretty face somber.

Unwittingly, the three reached the Rune Lake.

The Sixth Prince, looking over the clear waters, asked, "Master, do you think his Life Sigil absorbed those discarded Runes in the lake to form a Rune Prison?"

"It's not a guess, but a certainty," the Taisui Sage replied, turning to look at Nine Kites. "Little Nine, Lu Yao had no Rune Prison during the Thunder Department's selection two days ago, right?"

"Yes." Nine Kites nodded.

The Sixth Prince pursed his lips, his voice hoarse, "It seems that the son of Sovereign Lu also encountered a fate-changing fortune."

"Truly enviable," the Taisui Sage said deeply.

"The rise of the Chaos Sovereign was because the Celestial Court had never seen a creature of such caliber before, unprepared. Now, another has emerged... Master, don't you think depriving is higher than utilizing?" the Sixth Prince spoke calmly.

"The uncertainty is too great. The Emperor fears making the same mistake as with Sovereign Lu. You cannot view this young man as a rootless prodigy. Even Sovereign Lu struggled against him," the Taisui Sage whispered.

"That is true indeed," the Sixth Prince nodded, then added deeply, "But there is one thing I do not believe."

"What are you suggesting?" the Taisui Sage asked.

"Their father-son relationship," the Sixth Prince replied.

"Lu Yao has spoken openly about it, and the Chaos Sovereign did not deny it. It must be true," the Taisui Sage said.

"What I mean is, the beings controlling those bodies might not actually be the father and son themselves. Their spirits are powerful, characteristic of Immortal Devils from beyond our realm," the Sixth Prince said thoughtfully.

"That's a valid point," the Taisui Sage nodded.

"My older brother handles matters related to those outsiders. He'll likely delve deeper into this," the Sixth Prince whispered.

"During these troubled times, it all depends on the Crown Prince," the Taisui Sage remarked.

Nine Kites, who was standing nearby, listened to their conversation, deeply moved.

Just as the Sixth Prince finished speaking, he looked at her tenderly, then beckoned her closer and wrapped her in his embrace, saying, "Little Nine, you are to marry into the imperial family and must prioritize its interests. Be cautious with those who could be either foes or friends. Whether to kill or to spare them will depend on the heavenly decrees from the Emperor."

"Yes, I understand." Nine Kites nodded obediently.

"Your father is valued by our imperial family, and you and I are the bridge between our families. We must be united, for the benefit of both the imperial family and the Thunder Department," the Sixth Prince reminded her.

"Prince Zhen, I am fully aware," Nine Kites responded.

"Good." The Sixth Prince smiled gently, his demeanor as serene as jade, his face saintly.

In his mature presence, Nine Kites surrendered her earlier fleeting infatuation from the Immortal Tournament, embracing him wholeheartedly, her arms around his sturdy waist.

But at that moment, a chilling sensation struck all three of them!

"Who's there?" The Sixth Prince pushed Nine Kites behind him and looked toward the white jade bridge over the Rune Lake.

The Taisui Sage's gaze turned frosty.

On the white jade bridge, as if out of nowhere, stood a young girl in a white dress, her skin as pale as pearl, surrounded by white flames and serpents of thunder, one eye ablaze with fury, the other flashing with lightning!

"Lil Xi!" The Sixth Prince's eyes trembled, and his look turned profoundly strange.

"The Seventh Princess?"

The face of the Taisui Sage darkened instantly, and he quickly said, "Don't be rash, your death has nothing to do with your Sixth Brother!"

With a resounding crash, the girl in the white dress stared at them, her bare snow-white feet seemingly light upon the ground. Yet, the white jade, inscription-etched bridge beneath her cracked and shattered.

In the next instant, the massive structure exploded into fragments!

"Be careful!" the Taisui Sage roared, positioning himself in front of the Sixth Prince. He conjured a yellow talisman in his hand, which trembled and burst into flames, scattering fiery sparks!

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Around them, reanimated Jiangshi children bared their teeth and charged like demonic beasts toward the girl in the white dress.

With a thunderous blast of white lightning, the hundreds of Jiangshi were obliterated, their remains scattering in the air.

"Stronger than before her death?" The Taisui Sage had always considered the Lu father and son to be monstrous, but this girl in white now brought a suffocating presence that overwhelmed even that belief.

In a flash, the girl disappeared in a burst of electricity, and in her place appeared a massive, spiked meteor hammer. It was like a giant, flaming meteor, crashing down upon the Taisui Sage!

"Summon the talisman!" With a gesture, the Taisui Sage transformed the yellow talisman into a vast net that sprawled across the sky, opening wide like a gaping maw to bite down on the flaming meteor hammer.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Yet, he had underestimated the sheer destructive force of the meteor hammer. Both he and the talisman were blown away, smashing through dozens of palaces along the way, with half of the Taisui Sigil Palace engulfed in blinding primordial fire!

"Master!" The Sixth Prince's face turned pale!

Though a prodigious talent of the Celestial Court's imperial lineage, young and already comparable in strength to many Rank 2 Stellar Margraves, the oppressive force unleashed by the girl in white sent his heart racing.

Looking up sharply, he saw the girl in white hovering in the air, wielding the meteor hammer. Clutching the chain in her small hands, she swung another smaller thunderous hammer down toward the Sixth Prince with the force of a beast!

ROAR!

Though small in size, the thunderous hammer moved with a terrifying velocity. In a blink, a flash of white lightning tore through the heavens, striking directly before the Sixth Prince's forehead!

"Little sister, I am your own brother! Whatever hatred you harbor, we can sit and talk it out..."

Caught in a dire predicament, the Sixth Prince screamed in alarm, his scalp tingling as he summoned his Life Sigil, layered with 30 Rune Prisons, and cast a spell in defense.

Yet… Even then, he had underestimated the lethal force of the Primordial Doom Stars!

The thunderous hammer smashed through the air, instantly striking the Sixth Prince's Life Sigil. The chaotic white lightning shredded through the 30 Rune Prisons in a moment, carrying the remnants of that force onto the Sixth Prince himself!

"No!" The Sixth Prince's eyes widened in disbelief and horror as he cried out.

Beside him, Nine Kites, panicked, scrambled away, tears streaming, her voice hoarse with continuous screams.

After rolling away, she staggered to her feet and looked up in terror!

BOOM!

As the ground shook, the hammer, taller than a man, crashed down relentlessly, smashing the Sixth Prince into the earth, turning him into a pulpy mass of electrified flesh!

Bones, organs, muscles—all were pulverized to dust in an instant!

"Ahhh!!" Nine Kites convulsed, her eyes trembling as she watched the girl in white controlling the deadly hammer.

"Why... why?" she asked in bewilderment.

This was the Seventh Princess's own brother, born of the same parents.

Why would she kill him?

They were to be married in ten days, in what was to be the grandest wedding in the Great Dao Celestial Realm...

All dreams shattered in that crushing blow.

"You ask me why?" Above the sky, the girl in white, wreathed in thunder and flames, glanced coldly at Nine Kites.

"Yes, why... why?" Nine Kites collapsed to the ground, her beauty marred by tears, heartbreakingly pitiful.

"I don't want to answer; you can ask him instead." With those words, the girl in white swung the thunderous hammer downward.

A flash of lightning passed, and where Nine Kites had collapsed, only a fresh pool of blood remained...

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