109 Reinforcements Join the Ranks

There are many monsters in the Palace of Cloud-Entwining, but they are mostly gentle herbivores that pose no threat.

The three of them searched meticulously for the entire day. By the time the sky grew dark, they had harvested a large bag of ornamental spirit flowers and various spirit fruit seeds. Each of these fruits was delicious and would make excellent material for brewing spirit wine, but there was no sign of anything at the level of immortal herbs.

Luo Yu, feeling unsatisfied, urged the other two to pick up the pace as they pushed deeper inside. After circling around a pile of jagged mountain rocks, they vaguely felt that the spiritual energy nearby had intensified. Luo Yu was overjoyed and said, "There might be immortal herbs nearby!" With that, he parted the flowers and shrubs to rush inside. Luo Li and Qin Yue, not wanting to be left behind, hurriedly leaped to follow him.

Following the trail of spiritual energy, the three arrived at a secluded, clear pool. Ancient trees towered all around, forming a natural barrier. In the center of the pool sat a large, moss-covered green stone, at least three zhang wide. On it stood several plants: some resembled fern buds, with long, single stems topped by clusters of leaves like small fists; others looked like peacock feathers, with leaves spreading to both sides and topped with delicate flowers; still others resembled coral or clustered pearls. Their forms were strange and varied, yet all were as moist as jade, glowing with a flowing luster, shimmering in the night like a dream.

"Wow... we finally found them!" Luo Li cheered. "There are seven of them!"

Luo Yu leaped, gliding lightly across the surface of the water, and landed beside the immortal herbs. These herbs were growing well; two of them had shed seeds and sprouted new plants, while two others had small shoots growing beside them. Luo Yu’s eyes lit up, but he was conflicted: "There are three single stalks... what should we do?"

Qin Yue said bluntly, "Take them." As he spoke, he reached his "devilish claws" toward the solitary specimens.

Before his hand touched the leaves, a sudden, angry shout rang in his ears: "Who dares to steal the immortal herbs!" A blade of wind followed immediately. Qin Yue hurriedly dodged. The wind blade was extremely accurate; it merely obstructed Qin Yue’s movement without harming the herbs in the slightest.

The sudden turn of events startled the three of them. Looking back, a monster had appeared by the pool, pawing the ground angrily. It looked somewhat like a horse, but its legs were thicker and more robust, its body covered in golden-brown tiger stripes. It had a long, ox-like tail with a tuft of golden hair at the tip, a pair of golden wings on its back, long pointed ears, and a face similar to a human's.

"The divine beast Ying Zhao!" Luo Yu exclaimed in surprise. He had studied the guides for this "Heavenly Court" instance thoroughly, reading every description of the Heavenly Court he could find in the cultivation world, so he knew exactly what divine beasts were involved.

Ying Zhao had once been one of the divine beasts of the Heavenly Court, with illustrious battle achievements and formidable strength. After the Jade Emperor pacified the four corners of the world, it was assigned an easy job: guarding the Imperial Garden. However, this guy wasn't one to settle down; it frequently neglected its duties to roam the lower realms, which infuriated its superiors, eventually leading to its exile to the palace on Mount Huaijiang in the lower realm. How had it regained its position? And why hadn't it perished?

Seeing that it was about to attack, Luo Yu panicked and grabbed a waist pendant, holding it up. "Wait, wait! Look closely, we have a waist pendant!"

Ying Zhao hesitated for a moment, let out a fierce snort, and said in a muffled voice, "Who are you trying to fool? Not to mention that this pendant doesn't work here, all the immortals have perished—who would have bestowed this upon you?"

Luo Yu was stumped, not knowing how to respond. Luo Li’s eyes darted, and she locked her gaze on the beast, asking crisply, "Weren't you exiled to the lower realm? How are you here?"

Ying Zhao froze, avoiding Luo Li’s gaze, and muttered, "The Heavenly Court has no master now; what harm is there in returning?"

Luo Li said righteously, "If you can come, we can come too! Those immortal herbs weren't planted by you, so why shouldn't we take them?"

Ying Zhao roared, "These immortal herbs were all found by me in the lower realm! They are my property!"

Luo Yu and Luo Li were both dumbfounded. Qin Yue said coldly, "Empty words mean nothing. Who knows if you're just making this up."

Ying Zhao was unable to argue and was thoroughly irritated by Qin Yue. He barked, "Do you want to fight me?"

Qin Yue replied, "Senior is an ancient god of war; how could we be your match?"

Ying Zhao rolled his eyes. "If you know your place, then retreat quickly. Otherwise, don't blame me for bullying the young."

Qin Yue was silent for a moment before suddenly saying, "Having been exiled, I fear your cultivation has dropped significantly, hasn't it?"

Hearing Qin Yue’s words, Luo Yu thought to himself that this was bad; the "sequelae of his black-eating-black habits" seemed to be flaring up. He didn't know the true strength of their opponent and dared not act rashly. Was this just a probe? Ying Zhao seemed quite reasonable; if they tried to seize the herbs by force, it wouldn't be justified.

Ying Zhao said indignantly, "Trying to take advantage of my situation? Feel free to try."

Qin Yue shook his head. "Senior is overthinking. We found two puppets when we entered; were they injured by you?"

Ying Zhao hummed, his tone carrying a hint of pride. "Correct."

Qin Yue observed his expression and said calmly, "I suspect your current cultivation is no higher than the Yuan Ying stage. How could you defeat two puppets?"

Ying Zhao glared at Qin Yue. "You dare doubt me? Even if today is not like the past, dealing with a few puppets is more than enough for me!"

Qin Yue sighed regretfully. "Hearing is not believing. Could Senior demonstrate your prowess so we might broaden our horizons?"

Ying Zhao retorted, "Do you think I would fall for such a crude provocation?"

Qin Yue paused, stunned: it seemed not all divine beasts were as easy to fool as Gu Huo. He had hoped to trick the creature into opening a few palace gates, but that plan had fallen through.

Qin Yue asked flatly, "If you possess such strength, why hide away in this corner? There are many immortal herbs in the Heavenly Court's spirit garden; why must you search so painstakingly?"

Ying Zhao flicked his tail, looking uncomfortable. "As the guardian of the Hanging Garden, how could I turn against it... Hmph!"

Hearing this, Luo Yu finally understood what Qin Yue was after and stepped forward to lobby the beast: "If you feel bad about it, how about we cooperate? You just handle the puppets, and leave everything else to us! When we get the immortal herbs, we'll split them!"

Ying Zhao was tempted. Not long after his exile to the lower realm, he had felt a bloated, uncomfortable sensation in his energy. He wondered if it was because he was used to living in the upper realm and had spent too long in the lower one. Later, when he learned the Heavenly Court was empty, he snuck back into the Palace of Cloud-Entwining and found that staying in places with rich spiritual energy eased the discomfort. He had spent thousands of years searching for herbs, only finding seven or eight... If he could really open the spirit garden, staying there would surely be much more comfortable.

He tilted his head and sized the three of them up for a moment, suspicious. "You think you can break into the spirit garden? You just want to use me as a pawn!"

Luo Li said indignantly, "Such a small-minded view! Are you afraid? Don't worry! Even if your cultivation has dropped, we won't bully you with numbers. We are kind, righteous people!"

The three siblings took turns persuading the beast for a long time. Finally, unable to resist the temptation, Ying Zhao gave in. The four of them set off together toward the spirit garden.

They soon arrived at the "Palace of Flower-Joy," which was still guarded by two puppets. The three siblings tacitly stopped and looked at Ying Zhao with wide eyes.

Ying Zhao hesitated, shuffling his feet and refusing to step forward.

Luo Li couldn't help but ask, "What's wrong with you?"

Ying Zhao struggled for a long time, his face turning red. "My cultivation has greatly diminished; this fight may be difficult. You must not stand by and watch!"

Luo Li asked in surprise, "Didn't you say you were more than a match for them?"

Ying Zhao turned beet red, stammering and unable to speak.

Qin Yue said flatly, "If you are not their match, we will naturally lend a hand."

Ying Zhao nodded hurriedly. "Exactly! It's not that I can't defeat them, it's just that it's a bit strenuous!"

Luo Li waved her hand. "Don't worry! We're partners now. You draw the aggro, and we'll strike!"

Ying Zhao hesitated for a long time, then gritted his teeth. Suddenly, a golden light flashed on his body, and he donned a suit of armor: three sharp horns cast on his head like a rhinoceros, and blades behind his four hooves. From head to tail, he was armored even to his wings, with two sharp spikes on the wing joints. He looked majestic and imposing. Looking closer, the material was identical to that of the puppets.

Luo Yu’s eyes lit up: A magical treasure! How cool! If he could wear a set like this in his phoenix form, wouldn't his defense increase significantly? He wouldn't have to just run away!

Qin Yue suddenly understood. He had been skeptical earlier: even though Ying Zhao was a divine beast with a strong physique and cultivation one stage higher than his own, killing a puppet wasn't easy. It turned out the beast had standard-issue equipment. Using the puppet's own spear against its own shield, whoever had more momentum would have the upper hand. Judging by their size and strength, the two puppets were clearly inferior, and victory was possible.

Ying Zhao channeled his spiritual energy, gathered all his power toward his head, and let out a long howl. He lowered his head, aimed his sharp horns at the dantian of one of the puppets, and stomped his hooves with a sound like thunder, charging forward like a bull. Having served in the Heavenly Court, he still had a standard waist pendant that hadn't been confiscated, which he wore. The two puppets didn't react as he approached, watching as he drove his horns into their abdomens, disposing of one just like that.

Seeing that he had landed an attack, the other puppet immediately retaliated. Its long blade slashed against his back with a sharp whistling sound. They tangled together, trading blows.

Luo Yu and the others watched from the sidelines. Although Ying Zhao’s energy was thick and dense, his movements were not as flexible as the puppet’s, and his armor had many gaps compared to the seamless perfection of the puppet.

After a round of fighting, the puppet had a few more marks on its body, and Ying Zhao’s wings were also wounded. The last time, Ying Zhao had probably fought it for a long time to exhaust its energy, and he likely hadn't come out unscathed then either... No wonder he had been so hesitant to cooperate; he had been bragging and was afraid of losing face.

The three of them figured it would be a long battle if they didn't intervene, so they didn't hesitate, donned their own armor, and joined the melee. They held halberds taken from the gatekeepers, waiting for an opening to stab the puppet’s dantian. The puppet was no match for the combined efforts of the four; after being poked for a long time, it was finally pierced, falling to the ground with a clang. The battle was over.

Seeing how easy the fight had been this time, Ying Zhao’s favor for the three grew. He said proudly, "You lot aren't bad; your movements are quite agile!"

Luo Li made a face. "Braggart!"

Ying Zhao was choked up, blushing as he defended himself: "If you hadn't intervened, I would have taken it down eventually, though it would have taken longer and I might have suffered some minor injuries."

The four explored the Palace of Flower-Joy. Ying Zhao said this was the headquarters for the ceremonial music department. The Heavenly Court only worshipped Heaven and Earth, and since there were few rituals, it was basically a place for celestial maidens to learn dancing and singing. Aside from the physical bodies of some female cultivators and some flashy but useless items, there was nothing of value.

They broke in and searched along the way for ten days, passing through the Palace of Wuhao, Lingxu Hall, Bisha Palace, and the Hall of Spirit Officials. They collected a pile of immortal stones, pills, techniques, and treasures. An ordinary cultivator would have been so happy their teeth would fall out, but for Luo Yu and the others, these items were somewhat mediocre—their standards were too high. They didn't care for treasures others had used, and the techniques they found weren't advanced enough for them to bother practicing.

The disappointment along the way made Luo Yu depressed, and he couldn't help but ask Ying Zhao, "How can a dignified Heavenly Court be filled with such junk? What was the cultivation level of these people?"

Ying Zhao had grown closer to the three over the past half-month and frowned upon hearing this. "Most of the celestial maids and servants in the Heavenly Court were Yuan Ying cultivators, and only those who reached the Hua Xu stage were qualified to be drafted into the military guards. Those who reached the He Shen stage could serve as department officials, and those who reached the Great Completion stage could command a palace. In my many trips back to the lower realm and return, I only saw the physical bodies of the eight Heavenly Kings guarding the four gates. Everyone else was dressed as servants. It is quite strange that the masters of these several auspicious palaces are nowhere to be seen."

Qin Yue said, "You mean to say, many people have gone missing?"

Ying Zhao nodded hesitantly.

Luo Li asked anxiously, "Do you think they cleared out the Heavenly Court's treasures and ran away?"

Ying Zhao replied, "Having traveled this far, several palaces show signs of chaos. I fear that may be the case."

Luo Yu thought for a while and shook his head. "According to my deduction, the first to suffer in this disaster were those with the highest cultivation. Perhaps those below saw the situation wasn't right and ran away... We haven't reached the important areas of the Heavenly Court yet, have we?"

Ying Zhao nodded. "Ahead are the Heavenly King Hall and the Lingxiao Hall, where the morning courts were held... Beyond that are the Jade Emperor's residence, the Taiwei Yuqing Palace, the Heavenly Treasury, the Baoguang Hall, and the Qionghua Palace in the spirit garden. If there are any remaining treasures, they should be in those three places."