Chapter 599: Rain Immortal

“Bullshit!” Ye Xiaotian roared furiously.

Immediately, a resounding *smack* and a *thud* echoed, followed by a faint *ouch*. Zhao Xidong was directly slapped to the ground. He clutched his face, wiping blood from his nose as he scrambled back up, feeling utterly disoriented. "Didn't you tell me to speak freely? How did I go from talking to getting hit directly? Couldn't you give me some time to react?! Are you a sore loser, or what?!"

Qiao Qianzhi quickly stepped forward and helped him up. Appearing to be a peacemaker, he whispered, "You really are something. Only say what needs to be said. How dare you make such inferences without factual basis?"

Zhao Xidong looked aggrieved, pointing at a large pile of jade slips floating in mid-air. "Aren't these factual evidence? How can you lie so blatantly with your eyes wide open? I went through all this trouble to find these things; even if there's no credit, there's at least effort involved! Why are you all blaming me in the end?"

"Elder Qiao is right," Ye Xiaotian said, calming his anger and taking a breath. "Even if you gather countless pieces of what appear to be factual evidence, as long as you haven't seen it with your own eyes, it's all still hypothetical."

Zhao Xidong was about to say something, but Ye Xiaotian cut him off: "Remember, you are now an enforcement officer, and the land you are on is called the Heavenly Mulberry Spirit Palace!"

Zhao Xidong's lips parted, but he couldn't utter a single word. He wasn't foolish; on the contrary, he was exceptionally intelligent, otherwise, the Dean wouldn't have assigned him such an important task. And Ye Xiaotian's words were absolutely precise. The place he was in was indeed called the Heavenly Mulberry Spirit Palace. No matter what Elder Sang had done in secret, on the surface, he was still the Vice Dean of the Heavenly Mulberry Spirit Palace.

Conjectures that others could easily blurt out needed careful consideration when spoken by one's own people. Sometimes, misfortune stemmed from speaking too casually. At this crucial moment, especially with the White Robes and Red Robes surrounding White Cavern, nothing could go wrong within the Heavenly Mulberry Spirit Palace. If something did, it was highly probable that not even half a person could be brought back. After all, their opponents were from the Holy God Temple!

"I misspoke," Zhao Xidong truly reflected for a moment, then asked, "What do we do now? According to the information I've gathered, after Qinglong Prefecture, Sword Immortal Wuyue has already led people to surround White Cavern, blocking all other exits. Currently, the only remaining passage out of White Cavern is through the Eight Palaces. As for the rest, even if one tried to sneak out, they would likely be disoriented by the grand formation and transported to the Eight Palaces, straight into Sword Immortal Wuyue's hands." Zhao Xidong spilled everything he knew.

Qiao Qianzhi's brows furrowed tightly. He had just finished viewing the images of the Eight Palaces provided by Ye Xiaotian, and he hadn't expected the situation to take such a dramatic turn for the worse. If they mishandled this, and the charge of colluding with the Saint Slaves was leveled against them, not only might they fail to retrieve the young disciples from the White Cavern trial, but the Heavenly Mulberry Spirit Palace itself could face utter ruin!

"Xiaotian..."

"Go!" Ye Xiaotian didn't ponder for long. He made an immediate decision, uttering a single word.

"Go?" Zhao Xidong was bewildered. "Where?"

"Where else?" Ye Xiaotian glared at him. "Call your Senior Xiao, we're going to White Cavern to retrieve our people!"

"Huh?" Zhao Xidong froze. "Retrieve our people? With that posture, you're going to take lives! And our opponent is Gou Wuyue; it's hard to say whose life will be taken then!"

"Dean, calm down," Zhao Xidong immediately advised. "At this critical juncture, I think it's better not to act rashly and just wait and see..."

"Wait and see?" Ye Xiaotian retorted. "If we wait any longer, the outcome will mutate!"

Zhao Xidong was momentarily dumbfounded. The Dean was clearly not listening to reason at this moment. Even though he appeared calm on the surface, it seemed he had completely lost his composure upon hearing the news about the Vice Dean.

Qiao Qianzhi pondered for a long time on the side, then suddenly spoke up, "Xiaotian is right. Going to retrieve them now is actually the best option. We can't wait."

"Elder Qiao!" Zhao Xidong became agitated. "Why is it that the Dean has lost control, and now you have too?"

"Little rascal—er, Xidong, listen to me for a moment," Qiao Qianzhi stepped forward, patted his shoulder, and lowered his voice. "You spent all this time gathering this intelligence. Regardless of its accuracy, we are at least more than one step ahead. Even if the final outcome proves it correct, the Holy God Temple still won't have the evidence at this moment. After all, they are a step behind us. Now, with this time difference, we know the outcome in advance and have the upper hand. Therefore, the intelligence you gathered and the conclusions you drew... are useless! Do you understand what I mean?"

Qiao Qianzhi glanced at him meaningfully. Zhao Xidong instantly understood. Not knowing... at this moment, was actually the best outcome! At least on the surface, the Heavenly Mulberry Spirit Palace was still under the jurisdiction of the Holy God Temple. With this relationship in place, it was perfectly legitimate for the Spirit Palace's higher-ups to demand the return of their people, given how dangerous the White Cavern trial was.

"Goodness gracious..." Zhao Xidong was astonished by these two old foxes. "So this is what being an old hand means?" He secretly glanced at the white-haired Daoist child in front of him. So, at the very moment he misspoke and reached that conclusion, the Dean had already seen this layer, planning to retrieve their people from the Eight Palaces under the guise of "not knowing"? Cunning old... no, deeply calculating! Truly worthy of being the Dean!

"I understand," Zhao Xidong nodded, an expression of comprehension on his face. "So now, I'll go call Senior Xiao, and then we'll head straight over?"

"No need," Ye Xiaotian waved his hand. His eyes widened, and light shimmered before him, finally settling on a middle-aged man lying in a rocking chair, holding a long sword and dozing.

With a swish, he flicked his sleeve. The wind whistled past the path, and leaves rustled. With a few soft thuds, when they reappeared, the three were standing before Xiao Qixiu.

"Whoa!" Xiao Qixiu flinched. He flicked his wrist, and his long sword sprang from its sheath with a clang.

"Hum—" Ye Xiaotian remained unfazed. The long sword sliced past him, a foot above his head. Xiao Qixiu finally recognized the newcomers. With a slight roll of his eyes, he sheathed his spirit sword.

"What is it?" He glanced at the tightly locked door of the Spirit Law Pavilion. Then, he swept his gaze back to Ye Xiaotian, instantly understanding why these people could enter the Spirit Law Pavilion's barrier without knocking.

"What's going on? Are you in a hurry?" Xiao Qixiu frowned, looking at a dazed and disoriented Zhao Xidong.

"Not exactly urgent, but something has likely happened to your disciple," Ye Xiaotian said calmly. Xiao Qixiu's expression immediately changed drastically.

"You call this 'nothing happened'?" With a bang, the door of the Spirit Law Pavilion was directly blasted open by spiritual energy. Xiao Qixiu, now outside the door, turned back and roared, "What are you standing around for? Let's go!"

"Can your sword flight be faster than my spatial teleportation?" Ye Xiaotian tilted his head, motioning towards himself. "Come here, we'll leave directly."

"Oh, oh, alright, alright," Xiao Qixiu immediately scurried back.

With a thud, the door of the Spirit Law Pavilion closed, and the four vanished from the spot.

***

Far away, outside the Eight Palaces. Under the setting sun, smoke curled up from chimneys in a remote mountain village, full of the scent of daily life.

"Mommy, look quickly! That house is on fire again!" A childish voice, soft and milky, full of delighted surprise, came from the path at the head of the village. The child pointed a small finger at the fierce white flames once again billowing from the unoccupied house at the edge of the village, as if seeing an amusing object, looking very envious.

"Shhh," A mountain village woman, dressed as a common villager, carried the child on her hip. With a hoe on one shoulder and the child on the other, she immediately shushed him, indicating he shouldn't speak carelessly. "Xiao Yi, that's not 'burning'; that's where an immortal lives. You shouldn't point so wildly."

"Oh, okay." The child lowered his finger and asked curiously, "What's an immortal? Are they the kind that can fly?"

"Yes, they can," the woman replied, casting a serious glance at the white-flamed house at the village's edge before quickly averting her gaze. "Not only can they fly, but they can also kill people. Haven't I told you mischievous children not to play near there these days?"

"But A'wei and the others went to play, and nothing happened to them."

"That's because the immortal was generous and didn't mind you disturbing his cultivation. Otherwise, he would have burned you all to ashes long ago!" the woman said helplessly. She knew that even though parents had repeatedly warned their children recently, some still secretly went to watch. After all, a roof on fire with white flames, that miraculously didn't harm the house, was a spectacular sight... Even she herself couldn't help but want to steal a few more glances.

"I'll tell your Aunt Li and Uncle Zhao later, and they'll surely spank you all raw!"

"Hehe, I'm not scared!" The child giggled unexpectedly. "Because I'm an immortal now too!"

"An immortal?" The woman's foot trembled, and she quickly stopped. "What did you do over there...?"

"Whoa." Just as she looked up, she saw a small, teal flame suddenly appear in the child's hand. The flame had no heat and wouldn't spread, but it was incredibly brilliant, more beautiful than any fireworks they had ever seen.

"This..." The woman's pupils dilated in shock. "This flame... where did you get it, you little rascal?" She forgot about her hoe, throwing it aside, and quickly put the child down. The little one rolled on the ground, then stood up grinning, a bright smile on his face.

"That immortal grandpa gave us the spell. He looks really scary, but he's very kind. I have a teal flame, A'wei has a blue one, Xiao Hua has..."

"You saw that immortal?" The woman's mind was completely off the child's boasting; she was utterly shocked.

"Yes!"

"You, you, you... You rascal!" The woman was so angry her tongue tied in knots, and after a long moment, she blurted out, "What did he look like?"

The little one's big eyes spun. "Hmm," he hummed, "He has really, really big dark circles under his eyes, really dirty clothes, and wears a straw hat. But fire can't burn him, just like that house!" He pointed again at the thatched hut being consumed by white flames and giggled, "He's super ugly, anyway!"

"Mmm!" The woman clamped a hand over the child's unrestrained mouth, picked him up, and dashed away, even forgetting to retrieve her hoe.

"Shut up!"

"If you keep blabbering, do you believe I'll tell Aunt Li to sew your mouth shut with a needle?"

"I don't believe you, hehe, Xiao Yi is an immortal now!" The child exclaimed, and flames appeared in his hand again.

"Put it out quickly!"

"From now on, don't show this ability to anyone else, understand?"

"Why?" the child asked, puzzled.

"Because..." The woman's steps faltered. She suddenly remembered her hoe. She looked back and faintly saw a figure in the distance casually shouldering the hoe, drinking from a flask, and walking towards them. As the setting sun cast its last rays, the woman's eyes suddenly reddened.

"Because being an immortal, there's truly nothing good about it!" Her voice suddenly rose in volume. The child seemed to sense his mother's emotional distress, was too scared to speak, and even extinguished the flame.

Just then, "Boom!" The thatched hut burning in the distance exploded from its roof with a bang, and then a figure burst out of it, soaring into the sky and vanishing.

"Immortal, immortal!" The child was instantly drawn, shouting loudly, "The immortal flew away!"

"Clap, clap, clap..." At the same time, several windows in nearby thatched huts were pushed open, and several children's heads popped out. Then, after a few "ouch!" screams, the children's heads were forcibly pulled back, and the windows were slammed shut again.

"Let's go home!" The woman jumped in fright, wiped her eyes, picked up her child, and ran directly towards her home.

The vigorous white flames on the distant thatched hut suddenly vanished after the figure disappeared, as if they had never existed.

"Mommy, it's cold," The child shivered suddenly, pulling his head back.

"What nonsense are you talking about!" The woman gently tapped the child's head, scolding him, "This is a volcanic region; it usually doesn't even rain here. How could it be..."

"Hiss." A gust of wind blew, and she suddenly shivered herself.

"Cold?" The woman was startled. Within the vicinity of the Eight Palaces, she had almost never felt cold in this village her entire life. According to the village chief, there was supposedly a fire mine of unknown scale beneath their village, and that distant tall mountain was Fire Spirit Mountain. Although it never erupted and was far away, "cold"?

The woman tightened her thin clothes, genuinely feeling "cold" here. It felt as if all the temperature in the vicinity had suddenly been drained, including from the underground fire mine. As the sun set behind the mountains, the temperature plummeted. The woman felt a chill spreading through her chest. Strange occurrences were piling up day by day... She dared not linger there any longer.

"Didn't I tell you to stay home instead of coming out with me?!" The woman snarled, seemingly fierce, then clutched her child and, without daring to delay for a moment, dashed towards her home.

"Drip." "Drip, drip, drip..." Suddenly, dripping sounds filled her ears. Immediately, the sky turned completely dark. The next second, "Pitter-patter..." The rain intensified directly.

"Rain?!" The child straightened up in his mother's arms, so surprised he looked like he might bounce out. "Mommy, rain! The rain from the books!" He gawked, as if seeing something completely new, with his mouth open and eyes wide. Even as raindrops hit his mouth and eyes, he didn't flinch, even reaching out to embrace it all.

"Go home!" The woman was truly terrified. This village hadn't seen rain for decades, even centuries; how could it suddenly start raining? "Go home!" Clutching her child tightly, she shouted again, seemingly to embolden herself, and dashed home through the rain with heavy strides.

The threads of rain blurred her vision. Before her, a shadowy figure, seemingly that of a young man, appeared.

"Whose child is that? Get home quick—" The woman's loud scolding abruptly stopped. She had initially thought it was a village child also running out to play in the rain. But as she rushed closer and looked carefully, she discerned the facial contours of what appeared to be a youth, and a pair of limpid, large eyes that seemed to have seen the whole world. This was definitely not a youth! The woman was greatly alarmed. This was merely an adult with the height of a young man, but whose features were completely mature!

Lines of rain fell from the sky. But when they reached the person in front of her, they seemed to merge directly into his body, then passed right through him.

"Immortal!" The woman's heart trembled wildly. This demeanor, this mysterious phenomenon... This person was definitely an immortal, just like her husband, what they called a Spirit Alchemist. Could he... could he influence the weather? Then he might even be one of the legendary Innate Experts!

"S-senior?" The woman, somewhat awkwardly, called out according to their custom, bending slightly at the waist. The newcomer seemed taken aback by the address "Senior." After a long moment, he grinned, revealing a mouthful of white teeth.

"Hello!" He bowed a full ninety degrees. The rainwater dripped through his chest onto the ground, startling the woman greatly. After a full breath, the short, yet very mysterious, immortal straightened up.

"Hello, Auntie. My name is Yu Lingdi. I got lost walking here and then saw this object..." He held out an item—the hoe the woman had been too afraid to go back and pick up. "Excuse me, did you drop this?"