Chapter 180: The Celestial Sect Raising Cubs

The Spirit King actually proved rather reliable. The very next day after Yun Jiao and the others returned to Qingyang, he summoned back all the wandering souls that had slipped into the Lingyou Domain. After questioning them thoroughly, he pieced together the whole story.

It turned out that the incident with the stolen life force had indeed been Sheng Heng’s doing—entirely for the sake of raising the Sky-Swallowing Beast. Though that creature was an ancient divine beast, it was still a living being, and not particularly intelligent. It couldn’t stay in the Underworld for long without being corroded by yin energy. So Sheng Heng had gathered the life force of living people, trying to neutralize the miasma’s effects and keep the beast alive down there.

At first, he’d been careful—not enough to kill anyone, just siphoning bits of vitality quietly, little by little. But as the beast grew older, its appetite expanded, and it was on the verge of adulthood. To avoid exposure, Sheng Heng began collecting life force from other ghost domains, impersonating Han Shu to give false orders.

When Yun Jiao’s group disrupted his plans, he panicked and resorted to the most desperate measure—feeding the entire population of souls from the Spirit King’s city to the beast, forcibly maturing it before retreating to the demon realm.

As for how he had come to possess such a beast in the first place, and the finer details of his scheme—those could only be learned from Sheng Heng himself. Unfortunately, his mind had completely collapsed. No one knew when, or if, his sanity would return, leaving the matter stalled for now.

Yun Jiao sighed. This whole ordeal had stirred in her a deep and unfamiliar sense of crisis. She’d once asked her ancestor just how strong Sheng Heng truly was—how a single man could make the entire Underworld dance in his palm. After some hesitation, her ancestor finally gave an answer: stronger than the Spirit Realm’s Yama himself.

When she asked her Uncle Yuan for context, he explained that a Yama’s strength approached that of a ghost immortal. In other words, aside from that chatterbox of an Underworld King, there was likely no one else in the whole Underworld who could rival a Yama. Even Uncle Yuan, an upper immortal, would find it difficult to defeat one—yet Sheng Heng had surpassed them.

So back in the demon realm, if Sheng Heng hadn’t suffered that mental break and lost the will to fight, they wouldn’t have stood a chance. It would’ve taken her ancestor’s direct intervention to end it.

The more Yun Jiao thought about it, the more she pitied the mortal realm. Of the Three Realms, the human world was the weakest—sandwiched between the demon realm and the Underworld like a hapless piece of meat. The only force that could be called battle-ready was the Celestial Sect, and among its disciples, only a handful, like Hall Master Xu from the Heavenly Master Hall, were remotely formidable. Yun Jiao knew their true level all too well—hah, not even close.

In short, humanity was the bottom of the food chain, the soft persimmon of the realms—something anyone could take a bite out of if they felt like it. If not for her ancestor’s presence, one bad mood from their supernatural neighbors could mean complete annihilation. As a long-time scholar, Yun Jiao could not accept this “backwardness.” History had taught her well: fall behind, and you get beaten.

So, although parts of the case remained unresolved, she reported everything to the Heavenly Master Hall and urged them to take the matter seriously. If an ordinary demon could cultivate to such terrifying heights, why couldn’t the Celestial Sect’s disciples do the same?

Uncle Yuan had once told her that, in their era, walking freely across all three realms was commonplace. It all came down to ability—or rather, the lack of it now. Too few tests, too little homework, she mused grimly.

She decided she’d discuss it with Hall Master Xu in a few days. It was time to overhaul education in the Celestial Sect. Compulsory training, talent cultivation, moral and practical studies—comprehensive advancement! Only by raising the overall standard could the sect stop being bullied and earn its rightful voice among the realms.

Yes. It was time to start new classes.

(╰_╯)

And no, it definitely wasn’t because the sect’s treasury was running low.

Yun Jiao picked up her brush and began drafting a five-year… ahem, education plan—absolutely not a money-making scheme. But when she looked up, she saw an old man, well past fifty, leaning against the window with the most tragic, resentful look imaginable.

“What?” she asked blankly. “You constipated or here to turn in homework?”

The old man twitched, his expression growing even more wounded. “Girl, you’ve no conscience! We agreed to wait for each other in the Underworld, and you sneak off with the ancestor instead! What about solidarity? What about loyalty? I’m heartbroken!”

“I did leave you food,” Yun Jiao replied dryly, barely lifting her eyes.

“Food? You call that food?!” The old man shot upright, slapping the windowsill in outrage. “Who leaves just plain rice?! No dishes! Not even a vegetable leaf! One bowl! ONE! Do you not feel the least bit guilty?”

“That’s your complaint for the ancestor,” Yun Jiao said, continuing to write. “I told him to save you dinner, but he misheard and only saved rice. Nothing I could do.”

“Misheard?!” The old man looked scandalized. “You mean he ‘misheard’ on purpose! I swear that old fossil did it deliberately! If you truly cared, you’d have saved me some dishes ahead of time!”

“Saved ahead of time?” Yun Jiao raised an eyebrow, feigning innocence. “Then it wouldn’t be leftovers, would it?”

“Girl…” He pointed to the wrinkles on his face, pitifully. “Look at me, already old and frail. You’d let me gnaw on plain rice? Have you forgotten who first took you in? Who introduced you to cultivation?”

“That would be my ancestor,” she answered instantly.

The old man: “…”

Stabbed. Right in the heart.

“Girl, you—”

“Fine, fine,” she interrupted, massaging her temples. “Next time I’ll save you a dish, okay? Honestly, I swear I’m raising two children, not elders.”

The old man brightened immediately, indignation gone like smoke. “That’s better! Anyway, someone’s here to see you.” He jerked his thumb toward the courtyard.

“Who?” Yun Jiao asked. It wasn’t often he called someone an idiot.

“Some fool I’ve never seen. He was right behind me just now…” He turned, frowned, then craned his neck. “Hey! You there! Not that way—this way! Good grief, there’s only one path, how’d you even get lost?!”

A moment later, quick footsteps echoed outside. Then, under the archway, appeared a figure clad in dark red. The newcomer’s features were strikingly handsome, but what really caught attention was the gleam of excitement lighting his eyes the moment he saw her.

“Ah! Little disciple!” he cried joyfully. “Finally, I found you—”

Yun Jiao felt a chill drop down her spine. Her face darkened instantly.

Great. The third cub has arrived.

——

Daylight or nightfall… take your pick what you’d like to “day” next.

(End of chapter)