Chapter 226: Chapter 179: [Tai Yang] Sets the Cosmic Order, Seeing Lady Xuan’nv Again

Jiang Yi placed his palm on the Wooden Envelope Appointment Letter. After a moment of silence, he said softly,

"What I said that day was only about Shao Yang welcoming Lady Xuan’nv. I hope Miss Xiaoqiao has not misunderstood."

Xiaoqiao puffed up her little face and huffed,

"Of course, I know. My sister is devoted to the Dao. How could she care about romance? As for you, you just need to be a good little ’Yang-wedded husband’ and help my sister escape Fengdu. Don’t even think about me calling you ’brother-in-law’!"

Jiang Yi smiled. "I’ve never had such a presumptuous thought."

Xiaoqiao remained turned to the side, muttering, "Then hurry up and write the appointment letter. My sister is still waiting in the Profound City Central Palace... I’ll have Gui’er take you there later."

It was only then that Jiang Yi understood why Miss Xiaoqiao had him stay for ten days and sent him the Five-Essence Treasure Liquid every day, telling him to recuperate well.

These were probably all ways to keep him here in the Palace of Accumulated Elegance.

Jiang Yi’s gaze softened as he looked down, watching the young woman in green robes quietly.

"Let’s keep the appointment letter for one more day. Just now, while ’dueling’ with Miss Xiaoqiao, I suddenly felt my organs roil and the qi in my body became sluggish. I’m afraid my injuries are showing signs of relapse."

"That can’t be right! I clearly saw you were full of energy and spirit during our duel..."

Xiaoqiao spun around in a hurry. Seeing that Jiang Yi’s complexion was normal, she finally realized:

"Hah! You’re just trying to trick me!"

Jiang Yi said with a serious expression,

"To be honest with you, Miss Xiaoqiao, there was indeed a moment of stagnation during my cultivation just now. But it got much better after seeing you."

Xiaoqiao wasn’t buying it this time. She just scoffed, "Tch," and turned her face away again.

"If you’re not feeling well, I’ll brew you a bowl of ’Five-Essence Treasure Liquid’ later."

Jiang Yi took a deep breath, a difficult expression on his face, as if facing a great challenge.

"Would just half a bowl be okay?"

Xiaoqiao smiled smugly, as if she had found Jiang Yi’s weak spot.

"At least two bowls! Otherwise, how can we make sure your injuries fully heal!"

The plump girl lowered her head, remaining silent.

’She was here on her Lady’s orders to deliver the appointment letter, but the young master-to-be also seemed to have a fated connection with Miss Xiaoqiao, and there was a clear emotional entanglement between them.’

’This tangled mess is so complicated, I couldn’t figure it out even if I had nine heads!’

"Gui’er, come and help me out."

True to her word, Xiaoqiao immediately stood up, picked up her bamboo basket, and prepared to grind medicinal materials and crush jade fragments to concoct the Five-Essence Treasure Liquid.

She gripped the pestle, grinding her teeth as she took her frustration out on the Treasure Medicine in the jade mortar, pounding it with all her might.

The plump girl beside her watched, her heart trembling with fear, afraid that Young Master Jiang would one day fall victim to Miss Xiaoqiao’s "cruel hands."

Jiang Yi glanced at the Wooden Envelope Appointment Letter again and sighed inwardly, but didn’t dwell on it.

As the new monarch of Shao Yang and the Daoist of the Innate Sect, he truly needed a Daoist Lineage to serve as his foundation, preparing him to one day ascend to True Monarch. In this, he and the Lady trapped in the Profound City Central Palace were a perfect match.

’If Cat Master were here right now, he would definitely say something to comfort me.’

Jiang Yi slowly returned to the couch and sat down cross-legged. Before starting his cultivation to absorb the "Pill Qi" from his Inner Mansion, he couldn’t help but miss True Master Xuanmiao.

...

...

White Jade City, Divine Firmament Thunder City.

A magnificent ray of celestial light pierced through the Great Void, coalescing into a human figure.

He was about ninety feet tall, with a flawless, clear halo hanging behind his head. Strands of golden flame formed into imperial robes, radiating a dazzling brilliance in all directions.

He strode into the Grotto-Heaven, a place built with the countless manpower and vast material resources of the Dongsheng Continent.

True Monarch Yingyuan Sijie, dressed in a purple robe and a high crown, resided within a bronze hall as large as a mountain.

Every inch of the hall was cast from Copper Essence. Four great pillars supported the sky, reaching straight to the Profound Dome. Ninety-nine lifelike thunder dragons coiled around their gilded surfaces, exuding an imposing might.

"Greetings, Emperor."

Upon seeing Ji Fuyao descend in his avatar, True Monarch Yingyuan Sijie hastily rose to bow.

Tai Yang was the Supreme Golden Position. Its Great Dao symbolism encompassed all existence, and its every move demanded attention.

The Thunder Core was below it. Although also a position of great power and authority, it was at most equivalent to a feudal lord. When meeting the sovereign, one must never be discourteous.

"Have your injuries improved?"

The majestic, ninety-foot-tall figure was dignified and grand. The moment he stepped into the bronze hall, vast swaths of lightning dissipated into silence, as if in submission.

True Monarch Yingyuan Sijie smiled helplessly.

"It was just one blow from a Slaying Sword. Ordinarily, it would be nothing; a few days of cultivation would be enough to dissolve the killing intent.

But that person from the Nanzhan Continent issued a Daoist decree, spreading the news throughout the Yanfu Vast Land. This damaged the symbolism of the Thunder Core and made me suffer greatly."

Ji Fuyao’s avatar clasped his hands behind his back. His voice was deep and steady, each word seeming to calm the very elements of earth, wind, water, and fire.

"Junior Brother, you should not have acted so rashly. Although Shao Yang has not reached Foundation Establishment and would surely have died facing nine profound lightning bolts, there are Daoist Monarchs watching from above. Whenever a Great Power intervenes, complications arise.

Because they are the most indisputable ’Upper Cultivators’ of the Yanfu Vast Land. It is not for you or me to comment on how this game is played."

True Monarch Yingyuan Sijie fell silent. Having long been the executioner in White Jade City, holding the power of life and death and having his word be law, he had indeed almost forgotten that the Daoist Monarchs were the true "masters" who governed Yanfu.

"Senior Brother’s teachings are correct. This Junior Brother was frivolous and reckless. I deserve this suffering."

Ji Fuyao’s avatar looked down and saw that a very faint, fine line remained on True Monarch Yingyuan Sijie’s forehead.

"The ’Inverted’ Slaying Sword is one of the ten great Slaying Swords in Yanfu, and its killing power is second to none.

It is no disgrace for you to be injured by it, Junior Brother. Even the World Honored One of the Ximizhou Continent had his Dharma Body shattered by it."

True Monarch Yingyuan Sijie sighed softly.

"I underestimated the karma that Shao Yang could stir. That boy surnamed Jiang is not only tainted by the Ghost Dao, but also has ambiguous ties to the Sword Dao. Now that he has become the Daoist of the Innate Sect, I fear he will become a great threat to you, Senior Brother."

Ji Fuyao’s avatar shook his head.

"Tai Yang has been manifest in the world for five thousand years. If not for the continuous emergence of unformed threats, how could its current radiance be so brilliant?

Be it Yu Shenxiu, or Ning Hechu behind him, or even that Prince Cangming, Zhang Yuansheng of the Taifu Sect... all are destined to be stepping stones."

He paused, his presence magnificent and overwhelming, seeming to connect heaven and earth.

"The Three True Ones once said that if I am to achieve the Dao, I must undergo one more Human Tribulation. After this tribulation, my merit will be complete. Tai Yang itself will bow to me, and I will be able to take another step forward."

True Monarch Yingyuan Sijie frowned.

"I originally thought that Yu Shenxiu was that Human Tribulation."

Ji Fuyao’s avatar shook his head gently.

"He is the one who will begin the tribulation... But let’s not speak of this. The damage to the Thunder Core’s symbolism is detrimental to your cultivation, Junior Brother."

The ninety-foot-tall avatar’s qi was pure and its spirit clear, like a true king of the Great Dao who commanded the universe.

He was heard to begin a recitation:

"Heaven is noble, Earth is humble; thus Qian and Kun are determined. With humility and nobility displayed, the high and low positions are established."

RUMBLE!

The Great Void vast, cosmic phenomena flowed down!

Countless rays of celestial light pierced the void, suddenly condensing into massive golden characters. Like the establishment of heavenly principles, like the promulgation of Daoist law, they hung above the Great Void, illuminating everything.

"Therefore, what distinguishes the noble and the lowly lies in their positions; what equalizes the small and the great lies in the hexagrams; what distinguishes good and bad fortune lies in the words."

The avatar spoke again, as if uttering heavenly law, and proclaimed another sentence.

"Senior Brother..."

True Monarch Yingyuan Sijie’s heart shook. This was the use of Great Magical Power to establish heavenly principles and promulgate Daoist law.

Immediately after, the third sentence thundered out—

"There cannot be two suns in the sky, nor two sovereigns above. This is to show the people the distinction between ruler and subject."

Heaven and Earth seemed to move in response, and an endless, magnificent phenomenon poured down from the boundless Great Void like a waterfall.

After a dead silence that lasted eight or nine breaths, True Monarch Yingyuan Sijie faintly heard waves of mournful pleas:

"My lord, we are innocent!"

"We never had any thoughts of insubordination!"

"Please have mercy, Emperor!"

In just a few short moments, nearly seven thousand Qi Cultivation Cultivators and over fifty Foundation Establishment True Masters within the Divine Firmament Thunder City were incinerated by heavenly fire, turning completely to ash.

The avatar’s voice boomed,

"From this day forward, anyone in the Dongsheng Continent who dares to gossip about my Junior Brother being wounded by the Slaying Sword, or who presumes to speculate about the Thunder Core without permission, shall be guilty of the transgression of insubordination. Tai Yang itself will patrol the heavens and mete out punishment."

True Monarch Yingyuan Sijie felt an indescribable emotion and quickly cupped his hands in a salute.

"Thank you... Emperor."

"Junior Brother, focus on your cultivation. Do not worry about Shao Yang. The flow of tribulation is profound and unpredictable. Sometimes, the methods we use to break a tribulation can also serve to fuel the Tribulation Qi."

As soon as his voice fell, the avatar abruptly dispersed. The strands of celestial light disintegrated and fell to the ground as golden dust, tinkling as they landed.

"You will preside over the upcoming Luotian Dao Discussion."

"I will obey the Emperor’s command."

True Monarch Yingyuan Sijie remained bowed for a long time, not straightening up.

...

...

「The next day, in the Palace of Accumulated Elegance.」

"Jiang Yi of Guniu Town, Beimang Ridge, age seventeen, unmarried..."

Jiang Yi wrote his name properly on the appointment letter. He had considered whether to write "New Monarch of Shao Yang" or "Daoist of the Innate Sect," but in the end, he chose to use his original identity and place of origin.

After finishing the letter, Jiang Yi put away the Wooden Envelope and walked out of the Palace of Accumulated Elegance.

He slipped quietly through the palace gates, not alerting the two gatekeeper ghosts, and headed for the Profound City Central Palace alone.

Before long, Jiang Yi saw the grand, towering hall with its profound and deep Qi Mechanism.

The traces of the profound lightning that had fallen earlier, as well as the strange phenomenon manifested by the Thunder Core, had long since vanished without a trace.

"The young master-to-be is here!"

The plump girl was squatting on the threshold. Seeing Jiang Yi arrive, she immediately stood up and went to greet him.

"Her Ladyship is waiting inside the hall."

Jiang Yi smiled and gave a Daoist salute, then slowly stepped into the Profound City Central Palace.

Lady Xuan’nv sat upon a Jade Platform. Four great pillars resembling sun-wheels sealed off heaven and earth, isolating the person within.

From a great distance, he heard a familiar voice:

"Your Ladyship, you smell so nice... When this True Master was in the Daoist Palace, many female True Monarchs loved to rub my belly... Would Your Ladyship like to give it a rub, too?"

The smile on Jiang Yi’s lips froze slightly. ’What is Cat Master doing behind my back?’

Lady Xuan’nv said softly,

"It wouldn’t be good if your master saw this."

True Master Xuanmiao asked in confusion,

"Master? In the eyes of this True Master, there is only Your Ladyship."

Lady Xuan’nv seemed to be smiling.

"I cannot be the master of a cat like you. The karmic weight of the Yang Qi Taiyin Heaven is a burden too heavy for even a True Monarch bereft of the Dao."

True Master Xuanmiao lay on the Jade Platform, rolled over, and exposed his belly, as white as cotton.

"Your Ladyship is about to abandon the Ghost Dao, follow the Divine Dao, and serve Tai Yin. In the future, you are certain to become a great master who rules over Yanfu."

Jiang Yi’s mouth twitched. ’This lazy cat has been out of my sight for a while, and he’s already changed his tune.’

He couldn’t help but raise his voice, his words echoing through the great hall:

"Greetings, Your Ladyship."