DDAM 1
It was the height of mid-spring in the mortal realm, and the Nines Heavens were bathed in the warmth of the season. A sea of clouds billowed like cotton, and immortal cranes glided past with stalks of spirit-fungus in their beaks; celestial attendants from every palace took advantage of the fine weather to air out scriptures and water the spirit-herbs. All was peaceful and serene.
Inside the Silu Hall, which governed mortal fortunes, fame, and rank, Fulu Shangxian sat upright behind his desk, brush in hand, marking the ledgers of mortals who had recently achieved success. When he grew weary of the writing, he set down his brush to massage his wrist. He picked up a peach-blossom pastry from a nearby jade dish, took a bite, and squinted in satisfaction: “The peach blossoms bloomed beautifully this year; this pastry is wonderfully crisp.”
Sitting opposite him was Bitao, a junior maiden from the Siyinyuan Hall; she had slipped over to beg for tea while the immortal in charge of her hall was away. With a cup of sweet dew tea and melon seeds in hand, Bitao chatted animatedly about the latest gossip in the Heavenly Realm: “Have you heard? That new heavenly soldier transferred to the Southern Heavenly Gate is handsome. On his very first day of guard duty, he was surrounded by the maidens from the Yaochi, all clamoring to ask him questions…”
Fulu Shangxian scoffed. “You said that last month.”
“The one from last month got transferred to the Heavenly River. This is a new one!” Bitao retorted righteously.
The immortal couldn’t be bothered to argue; he simply took another bite of his pastry. Just as Bitao was about to continue, she froze, and the melon seeds in her hand clattered across the table, for the entire Silu Hall had suddenly started trembling.
The tremor came without warning, as if an invisible giant hand had shaken the very foundations of the Nines Heavens. The jade desk before the immortal slid three inches sideways; his inkstone spilled ink across half the ledger. The cloud-stool Bitao was sitting on tipped over, sending her crashing to the floor with a yelp of surprise. She was unable to react for a long moment.
“What is happening?” Fulu Shangxian pressed down on the jade disk that had nearly flown out of his grasp. His face turned pale. “Which Shangshen is engaging in a duel?”
Bitao had no idea; she hadn’t even managed to get up from the ground yet.
The tremor lasted only an instant before subsiding, but it was immediately followed by a thunderous explosion, not the sound of thunder, yet far more unnerving. The sound seemed to originate from a vast distance away, yet simultaneously echoed right beside their ears. It carried an awe-inspiring pressure that startled the immortal cranes across every palace and hall into flight; they circled high above the eaves, unwilling to land.
At the same moment, a brilliant golden light flashed in the far east of the Nine Heavens.
The golden radiance cleaved through the sea of clouds like a blade capable of splitting heaven and earth. The light was so intense that even the Queen Mother of the West, dozing by Yaochi, was dazzled by the glare. Immortals across the various palaces set aside their tasks and turned to look toward that direction.
“That direction…” Fulu Shangxian walked to the hall entrance. He squinted into the distance as he murmured, “Is that the Qinglong Tower?”
“The Qinglong Tower?” Bitao stopped cracking melon seeds and ran to his side. “With such a commotion… could it be that a Shenzun has fallen?”
Fulu Shangxian quickly covered her mouth with his hand. “Mind your words.”
“The Shenzun are all in their prime; how could there be any talk of them falling?”
Fulu focused his senses. “…There seem to be two distinct auras within that golden light.”
Bitao blinked in confusion. “Two?”
Fulu Shangxian offered no further reply and stepped out. He headed toward the source. It was not just him; at that very moment, immortals from the various halls and ministries across the Nine Heavens set aside their tasks, stepped out of their chambers, mounted their auspicious clouds, and converged toward the direction where the golden light had cleaved the sky.
By the banks of the Heavenly River, two sentry guards exchanged glances, hoisted their halberds onto their shoulders, and joined the throng.
In the alchemy chamber, a white-haired elder was jolted so much that he overturned his furnace; though he stomped his feet in distress over the ruined batch of pills, his curiosity ultimately triumphed over his regret. He rushed out the door without even brushing the dust from his robes.
Even a Xianzun, who had been in deep seclusion, was roused prematurely by the commotion; he flew over with a look of displeasure.
In the time it takes to brew a pot of tea, immortals had surrounded the Qinglong Tower.
To say “surrounded the Qinglong Tower” was not entirely accurate. Strictly speaking, the arriving immortals had all stopped at the tower’s outermost tier of cloud-steps. The golden light emanating from the inner sanctum had not dissipated; instead, it had coalesced into a visible wall of radiance, which barred everyone from entry.
The Nine Heavens were divided into the Upper, Middle, and Lower Heavens, distinct realms, each with its own functions. The Qinglong Tower was the only structure that spanned all three, rising from the base of the Lower Heavens to the summit of the Upper Heavens. An ancient Azure Dragon deity coiled around its body, standing guard, hence the name, Qinglong (azure dragon) Tower.
The immortals were whispering amongst themselves.
“What’s that commotion? Is someone ascending from the mortal world?”
“Surely not. There are two distinct auras within that golden light. Could it be that two people are ascending at once?”
“Even if two people were ascending simultaneously, it wouldn’t cause such a spectacle… I wonder how extraordinary must their talent be?”
“Exactly. With a commotion like this, I’d believe it if someone said the Heavenly Emperor himself had fallen.”
“Hey, hey, hey! Watch what you say; don’t go spouting nonsense just because there are plenty of immortals around. If you bring disaster upon yourself with that loose tongue, don’t expect us to share the consequences.”
“The Heavenly Emperor isn’t that petty…”
A buzz of discussion filled the air, yet it was mere speculations; the wall of light had not yet dissipated, so no one could see what was happening inside.
A handsome, youthful-looking immortal strolled leisurely to the edge of the crowd while fanning himself with a folding fan. With a playful, gossipy grin, he placed a hand on the shoulder of a tall immortal standing in front of him. “Pardon me, what’s the situation in there?”
The immortal whose shoulder was tapped had been watching the scene with his arms crossed. He turned his head only after being addressed; he saw the young man’s unfamiliar face and assumed he was a minor immortal who had recently arrived in the Nine Heavens. He answered casually, “No idea. I just got here myself.”
He paused, then lowered his voice and added with a mischievous glint in his eyes, “But I heard people up front say that a man got pregnant while undergoing his tribulation. The immortal fetus ascended along with him, that’s why the commotion is so loud.”
The handsome young man’s temple twitched. “A man… pregnant?”
The tall, slender immortal nodded solemnly. “They say he gave birth to a whole litter.”
“A litter?” The young man’s jaw dropped. “What kind of person gives birth to a litter? And…”
“It wasn’t a rabbit!” An immortal standing ahead suddenly turned around. He looked at the pair with disdain. “Who’s been feeding you such nonsense? How could a man possibly give birth? You actually believe that?”
The handsome young man nodded with a serious air. “It did sound preposterous to me too…”
Before he could finish, the immortal continued, “The truth is, someone took a concubine from the demon clan just before undergoing his tribulation. During the process, the demonic energy clashed with his immortal energy. That’s what caused such a huge explosion.”
“No, no,” a voice chimed in from the right. A round-faced female immortal spoke with great conviction. “My senior sister works in the Siming Hall; she told me that while someone was undergoing his tribulation, an enemy rushed in to hitch a ride on the lightning strikes. They started fighting, and in the heat of the battle, both of them ended up passing the tribulation. Which is why they’ve come together.”
Shen Runze: “…”
He decided to stop listening to the surrounding immortals’ idle chatter. He was just about to turn and leave when the situation took a dramatic turn.
In front of the Qinglong Tower, vast banks of clouds suddenly churned, and the wall of light dissolved completely. The golden radiance shattered into a myriad of tiny specks that drifted down like golden snow.
“…Are those Jiewu Shenjun and Zhuochen Shenjun?” Someone murmured the question softly.
Shen Runze paused, then turned his gaze upward; the playful, carefree look on his face vanished. He transformed into a streak of light and shot through the dense crowd, before landing in the innermost circle.
And there, amidst the light-specks raining down like petals, two figures sat cross-legged with their eyes closed. The young man seated on the left possessed an ethereal, refined air, slender of waist and elegant of bearing, with long hair cascading to his waist, the ends drifting gently in the misty winds. His brows were like distant mountains and his lashes cast soft shadows; his features were cool and aloof, yet beautiful, resembling a meticulous ink-wash painting where every stroke of light and shade was perfectly balanced, untouched by a speck of dust.
Beside him sat another, likewise cross-legged with eyes closed. His hair, black as ink, was tied by a red-gold crown, with a few stray locks resting against a defined forehead and framing a face of striking angles. His features were more intense than his companion’s, exuding an innate boldness and unbridled spirit. He wore a deep crimson immortal’s robe edged in gold; the hem fanned out amidst the drifting clouds, while the cuffs bore embroidered patterns of flowing flames that shimmered with every breath he took.
There were many outstanding figures in the Nine Heavens, yet few possessed beauty of such caliber. Seeing two such faces side by side, one cool and frosty, the other bold and fiery, each distinct yet complementing the other, was a spellbinding sight.
“…Are those the Jiewu and Zhuochen Shenjun?”
“I suppose so? They rarely leave the Upper Heavens; it’s a rare treat to see them in the flesh.”
“Good heavens…” a young immortal murmured, his eyes wide. “This trip was worth it…”
“For the first time, I feel like the eight hundred years I spent cultivating my own appearance were a total waste…” the immortal said wistfully.
“Eight hundred years?” another immortal scoffed. “Their looks are innate; even if you cultivated for another eight hundred years, you’d never catch up.”
Every gaze was riveted to those two figures, while the sound of hushed whispers rose and fell like the tide.
“Jiewu!” Shen Runze’s figure blurred, and he had already reached his side.
Specks of golden light drifted down like snow and fell on Jun Jiewu’s raven-black hair. Shen Runze crouched down, one hand steadying Jun Jiewu’s shoulder while the fingers of the other probed his wrist to check his pulse.
Shen Runze focused on the pulse for a fleeting moment, and his expression changed drastically. His pupils contracted, and he looked at Jun Jiewu in shock.
At that very instant, Jun Jiewu slowly opened his eyes.
Those icy-blue eyes met Shen Runze’s gaze without warning, still and placid, yet radiating a bone-deep chill.
Shen Runze felt a chill run to his fingertips as he forced down his shock: “You…”
Before he could finish speaking, a blast of energy swept in from the right.
Even before Shen Runze could react, he saw Jun Jiewu’s spine slowly stiffen.
A few paces away, a man sat cross-legged; the hem of his deep crimson immortal robes fluttered without a breeze.
Shen Runze reflexively looked up, and the next moment, he found himself meeting a gaze that held an enigmatic, smiling expression.
Ranks from highest to lowest (not all titles are included yet)
Heavenly Emperor
Shenzun = Divine Venerable
Shangshen = High God
Shenjun = Divine Lord
Xianzun = Immortal Venerable
Xianjun = Immortal Lord
Shangxian = High Immortal
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