Rebirth of the Supreme Immortal Emperor

"Squeak, squeak!"

Little critters seemed not to understand Zhao Yuqing's question, only making "squeak squeak" sounds.

Shui Yue, the young girl, blinked and asked, "Sister Yuqing, are you thinking about him again?"

Zhao Yuqing smiled and did not reply, tacitly affirming Shui Yue's question.

Driven by curiosity, Shui Yue pressed further, "Sister Yuqing, seeing you spend time alone in the garden watching the bright light after practicing your sword, you always seem unhappy. If missing someone is so painful, why do you still think about him?"

To this classic question, Zhao Yuqing did not know how to answer; she just gave a wan smile and said, "Shui Yue, you don't understand. When you meet someone you like one day, you will understand!"

At this moment, Shui Yue looked truly baffled. Now was her age of playful innocence, hardly understanding what emotions are?

Zhao Yuqing, preoccupied, did not continue with idle chatter with Shui Yue, but looked up to the bright moon in the sky. When thinking of that person, a sweet smile unknowingly surfaced at the corners of her mouth.

Clothes have grown wide, I do not regret, for the suffering caused by love! (Note 1)

Seeing Zhao Yuqing's poisoned-like demeanor, Shui Yue silently thought to herself never to touch the "poison" of men, too horrifying.

Suddenly, she seemed to recall something and said softly, "Sister Yuqing, not long ago, two people and a beast forced their way into Immortal Sword Mountain, took the Purple Shadow Immortal Sword, and even killed a Guardian Elder of Immortal Sword Sect, severely wounding Sect Leader Hong Song Taoist!"

"Heaven and Earth are unkind; the Immortal Path is ruthless. Isn't this quite normal?"

Since Zhao Yuqing had come to this Cultivation Realm, although it had been less than three years, she had come to understand what 'the ruthlessness of the Immortal Path' meant.

Heaven and Earth are unkind, treating all beings as straw dogs; Saints are unkind, treating the people as straw dogs. (Note 2)

This is the Way, the cold and ruthless Immortal Path, fervently pursued by countless benevolent souls over thousands of years.

Shui Yue looked up at Zhao Yuqing and said, "Sister Yuqing, you might know those two people. One is called Li Chen, and the other is Lian Hongshang, with a demon beast that is a Jiao Long!"

"Clang!"

Before Shui Yue's words even finished, Zhao Yuqing was struck as if by thunder, her Spirit Sword dropping to the ground, emitting a crisp sound.

Immediately after, she grabbed Shui Yue's hands, frantic with joy, and asked, "Shui Yue, what did you say, has he come here?"

Shui Yue, not expecting Zhao Yuqing's extreme reaction, was also startled, and hurriedly nodded like a pecking chicken.

"Yes, the news came from Laurel Square; I just heard about it too!"

Laurel Square, an intelligence department of Moon God Palace, was responsible for collecting information from various places. Normally, they would not report groundless things.

With this in mind, Zhao Yuqing's joy was palpable, and she nodded vigorously.

"Mmm, Shui Yue, thank you!"

Saying this, she ran outside.

However, Shui Yue called out to her.

"Sister Yuqing, where are you going?"

Zhao Yuqing, without turning back, replied, "I'm going to find him!"

Shui Yue asked further, "Penglai is so large, where will you find him?"

Zhao Yuqing paused, realizing indeed, Penglai was immense, finding someone there was like finding a needle in a haystack; where should she even begin her search?

Shui Yue continued, "Sister Yuqing, if he truly intends to, he will come to the Moon God Palace to find you. If you go out to search for him now, it's very likely that you two might just miss each other."

Zhao Yuqing felt that Shui Yue made sense, returned to pull on her little hand, and said, "Mmm, Shui Yue, you are right, thank you!"

Shui Yue had never seen Zhao Yuqing like this before, and blinked her eyes as she asked, "Sister Qing, you are deeply devoted to him. But what will you do if he finds another Taoist couple?"

Upon hearing Shui Yue's inquiry, a bitter smile crossed Zhao Yuqing's lips.

"Love is a one-person affair, it doesn't concern anyone else!"

"Eh?"

Shui Yue's eyes widened, her bright, clear pupils filled with waves of confusion.

Right now, she couldn't understand at all; wasn't love supposed to be mutual? Why was it just one person's matter, unrelated to others? She really didn't get it!

She didn't know what loving someone felt like.

This thought floated through Shui Yue's mind as Zhao Yuqing's description made her both fearful and curious about "love," even harboring some expectations.

...

Penglai Sky Sword Mountain:

A young man with sword-like eyebrows and starry eyes, his expression cold and proud, was practicing his swordsmanship here.

With a single swing of his sword, he severed three thousand waterfalls and leveled protruding mountains. His unparalleled elegance, akin to towering mountains, could only be looked up to.

And he was the most stunning and peerless among the new generation of disciples on Sky Sword Mountain: Jian Wuheng!

"Congratulations, Senior Brother Jian, on mastering the ninth level of 'Heavenly Sword Nine Techniques.' It seems that in this Immortal Sect Martial Arts Competition, the championship undoubtedly belongs to you!"

Several young men and women came forward to congratulate him.

"Oh, it's nothing. Abbot Jue Yuan from the Sanskrit Temple on the Buddhist Isle has reportedly trained the 'Dragon Tiger Wisdom Divine Skill' to the Great Perfection realm, claimed as the most monstrous talent in the Sanskrit Temple in a century!"

"Furthermore, Kuan Dao Xu Que from the Yingzhou Blade Dynasty has practiced a strange sword skill to perfection at the cost of his arm. And Liuyun from the Cloud Sea Sect is said to have mastered their 'Cloud Dragon Nine Transformations' to the last level."

"It is said that Jing Yi Immortal from Moon God Palace ventured into the Mortal World recently, bringing back a remarkable young woman named Zhao Yuqing, who possesses an exceptional Spirit Root and is destined for greatness. Sadly, her gem-like talents were veiled in the Mortal World for too long!"

Jian Wuheng listed the formidable rivals he might encounter, one by one. However, his expression and tone were full of arrogance. Clearly, these people barely caught his eye.

Just as Jian Wuheng was feeling pleased with himself, a disciple named Yang Feng suddenly spoke up: "Senior Brother Jian, have you heard? There seems to be another powerful figure emerging from the Mortal World, named Li Chen."

"This Li Chen's cultivation is not very high, merely at Late-stage Foundation Establishment, but not long ago, he broke into the forbidden area of the Immortal Sword Sect, not only stealing the Purple Shadow Immortal Sword but also slaying a Guardian Elder of the Immortal Sword Sect and severely injuring Sect Leader Hong Song, truly terrifying!"

"Senior Brother Yang, are you kidding us? I know the Sect Leader of the Immortal Sword Sect, Hong Song, who is at the Late Stage Golden Core Perfect Realm, just a step away from Nascent Soul. How could a Loose Cultivator from the Mortal World possibly have inflicted such heavy injuries?"

The disciples of Heavenly Sword Mountain all refused to believe, raised questions one after another.

Jian Wuheng's eyes also flashed a complex light as he looked at Yang Feng.

Yang Feng, feeling somewhat guilty under the stare, stammered, "I just heard it too, it might be an exaggeration or deliberate sensationalism by the lower ranks."

"That's more like it. Even Senior Brother Jian couldn't possibly leap across a major rank and defeat a Quasi-Nascent Soul. It must be misinformation, deliberately sensationalized. I've seen this kind of thing a lot. Even a slightly larger snake, they could inflate into a Divine Dragon in the sky, nothing surprising!"

Others also agreed, chiming in one after another.

After all, such feats were impossible even for the Heaven's Chosen Sons and Holy Daughters of Great Sects. How could a Loose Cultivator from the Mortal World possibly accomplish them? How could he be more formidable than these elite talents?

Jian Wuheng didn't speak, just slightly squinted his eyes, silently noting the name Li Chen in his mind.

Note 1: From Liuu Yong's "Butterfly Lovers"

Note 2: From Laozi's "Tao Te Ching"

Today is Laba Festival, it's cold, plus I've been a bit stuck with the writing, sorry for being lazy...