Peace and Ruyi had been punished, standing for over two hours until their whole bodies ached terribly. Peace was used to it, but poor Ruyi had a very hard time. Once she sat down, she couldn’t move at all.

Ruyi couldn’t understand why Uncle Chen hid the truth from them.

Was there something bad about being an Immortal?

The books always made it sound wonderful.

After thinking for a while, Ruyi asked: “Uncle Chen, have you heard of Flowing Cloud Temple?”

Chen Changsheng replied: “No.”

“Oh.”

Ruyi gave a small reply and asked no more.

“So… Uncle Chen, are you an Immortal or not?”

“No.”

Well, the conversation was over.

Ruyi sighed and buried this secret in her heart.

………

At dusk, Peace and Ruyi were brought home by Wang Sanniang.

Chen Changsheng planned to go for a walk.

Unexpectedly, the moment he stepped outside, a figure emerged from the alley corner.

When Chen Changsheng saw this person, he froze.

A woman who looked exactly like Yu Xuan.

But it wasn’t Yu Xuan. She was the Heavenly Dao that had taken form from the Spirit Cage.

Chen Changsheng sighed inwardly. His walk was clearly gone down the drain.

Yu Xuan entered the small courtyard and looked around.

It was very plain, nothing special.

“I can’t believe you live in a place like this.”

Yu Xuan seemed genuinely surprised.

“Sit,” Chen Changsheng offered.

“No,” Yu Xuan said. “I came to ask a favor. If you refuse, I’ll leave.”

“Then you may leave now,” Chen Changsheng replied.

Yu Xuan paused, as if she’d expected this answer.

Sighing, she pulled a book from her sleeve and placed it on the table.

“Here’s what you wanted.”

After leaving the book, she turned to go.

Chen Changsheng glanced down. Three characters were written on the cover:

— Sutra of Rebirth

Chen Changsheng pondered briefly. When he looked up, the woman was nearly out the door.

“You may only stay half a month.”

Yu Xuan halted her steps. Relieved, she said softly: “Thank you.”

Half a month was more than enough for her.

“I assume you don’t need me to prepare a room?” Chen Changsheng asked.

Yu Xuan shook her head. “That won’t be necessary.”

This was her only possible hiding place now. She wouldn’t have come if she had any other choice.

Chen Changsheng picked up the Sutra of Rebirth and began flipping through it.

“It’s complete now,” Yu Xuan said.

“How?” Chen Changsheng asked.

“Thanks to that disciple you accepted.”

“Feng Feiyu?”

“Yes.”

Yu Xuan sighed. “I never imagined a Buddha’s Child, after one hundred cycles of Reincarnation, would become a Terrifying Killer in his final life. He nearly wiped me out.”

“Did he kill many?” Chen Changsheng inquired.

“Probably.”

Yu Xuan explained: “He killed across the Jianghu, slaughtered through the Mortal World, then into the Demon Realm, and up to the Nine Heavens…”

“That extraordinary?” Chen Changsheng seemed surprised.

Yu Xuan frowned at him. “Why pretend to know nothing?”

“I truly know nothing,” Chen Changsheng replied. “But I did predict he’d cause major trouble. I just never thought it’d come to this.”

He paused. “What are those Evil Spirits?”

This puzzled Chen Changsheng.

“Ancient Evils,” Yu Xuan explained. “Most are beings utterly rejected by the Heavenly Dao.”

“Why were they in the Spirit Cage?”

“Below it.”

Yu Xuan elaborated: “You think a few strands of Heavenly Dao Power can sustain an entire world’s stability? Only heaven without earth can never form a true realm. Those Evil Spirits weren’t just suppressed below that world—most acted like Formation Flags, steadying the realm itself.”

“Now that the Spirit Cage collapsed, they broke free.”

“How many?”

“About a thousand. Mostly ancient demons or mountain Evil Spirits. Many others faded over the centuries.”

“Not too many.” Chen Changsheng remarked.

“But they’re different,” Yu Xuan countered. “You know why this world has hardly any demonic cultivators?”

Her words gave Chen Changsheng pause.

It did appear problematic now.

The real threat wasn’t the Evil Spirits themselves—but the forbidden cultivation methods they possessed. If dark arts like those spread across this world… everything would change.

Yu Xuan continued: “Among these fiends, we have masters of the Blood Dao, the Corpse Dao, and the Ghost Dao. And demons carrying methods to devour mortals, cultivators… even Immortals.”

After a moment’s thought, Chen Changsheng said: “I’ll be vigilant.”

Yu Xuan nodded and stayed silent.

Badly injured, healing took priority.

In a blink, she vanished before Chen Changsheng, transforming into a leaf on the courtyard’s small tree.

The deeper problem lay in the Disrupted Providence now.

Providence was disrupted precisely because two Heavenly Dao Powers occupied one world. Chaos was inevitable.

The Heavenly Dao escaped from the Spirit Cage was no longer mere strands—lesser than the Great Dao, yet sufficiently dangerous. Otherwise, she’d never have found this place.

Amidst this Heavenly Secrets disruption, the Heavenly Dao-rejected Evil Spirits gained cover to hide. By the time order returned… it might be too late.

Chen Changsheng sat in his chair, speaking aloud: “Born from Heavenly Dao yet awakened to your own spirit? To survive, you must choose what to sacrifice.”

The leaf remained still.

Unsure if she’d heard or not, Chen Changsheng didn’t press further.

Gazing at the Sutra of Rebirth, he fell into deep thought—

Then came a sudden knock at the door.

Chen Changsheng rose to answer it.

Standing there was Yun Xiang’s Maid.

The Maid handed him two jars of wine. “Miss sends these for you, sir.”

Chen Changsheng accepted them. “Thank you.”

Without lingering, the Maid returned to the courtyard across the street.

Carrying the two jars of Autumn Moon Brew inside, Chen Changsheng carefully stored them away.

No leisurely walk today.

……… 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

Hidden as a leaf, Yu Xuan watched Chen Changsheng.

She gradually realized how dull this man was—reading books, staring into space, occasionally closing his eyes to rest… not even leaving that long chair an entire night.

But this wasn’t her concern.

Pressing dangers circled before and behind her now.

Surviving at all was questionable.

………

Far away, beyond the Desolate Sea’s waters…

Several Cultivators climbed Tianji Mountain. Fellow Daoist Friends at Tianji Mountain recounted the Evil Spirits’ origins to them.

Thousands of years ago, dark powers ravaged the world until suppressed beneath the Spirit Cage after a great cleansing.

“Why not execute them directly?” a Cultivator asked.

From the hall’s depths, Chen Daoqiu answered: “Unclear. Our Tianji Mountain scarcely participated in that ancient chaos. Records are sparse.”

“Who resolved it, then?”

None present knew.

Not even Tianji Mountain’s official histories held the answer.