Chapter 1688: Warmth

"Uncle, I'm here for my master," the boy said timidly after entering the Heavenly Court, a remark that infuriated Li Tian.

"An uncle? How could I be an uncle?" This was a significant blow to him. He had always seen himself as dashing and sophisticated, effortlessly charming without getting entangled, a blend of handsomeness and debonair grace. Yet, today, someone had called him old.

The crowd burst into laughter.

Inside the Heavenly Court headquarters, exotic flowers bloomed profusely and jade-like grasses carpeted the ground. Flying waterfalls cascaded down mountains, and suspended islands floated in the sky, shrouded in colorful mists and ethereal, swirling immortal fog.

Beneath the stone cliffs, purple qi surged, and ganoderma and orchids grew side by side. Mythical Qilin appeared and vanished, while Luan birds soared high above, their long tail feathers trailing like rainbows. Azure dragons also plunged through the clouds, their roars stirring the winds and shifting the skies.

"Uncle, I'm sorry, I didn't mean it," Xiaosong apologized weakly, lowering his head, a blush spreading across his pretty face.

Li Tian was displeased. "Am I that old? Call me Master-Uncle, not uncle."

"Aren't they the same?" Xiaosong asked, looking confused.

"They're clearly not the same, alright?!" Li Tian exclaimed, exasperated.

"So cute, you must have been a girl in your past life," Huahua said, walking over and laughing heartily as he looked at the young Xiaosong.

"And you must have been a boy in *your* past life," Xiaosong replied with a shy smile.

Huahua's laughter abruptly ceased. The remark sounded so awkward. "Could it be that *I'm* a girl in this life?" he wondered, no matter how he interpreted it, that's what it implied.

"Is it really Senior Brother Xiaosong?" Zhang Qingyang and Long Yuxuan exclaimed, rushing over. They were extremely excited, having been separated for so many years, and had come immediately upon hearing the news.

"It's me," Xiaosong said, his voice soft. He looked like a child, not at all like the senior brother of the group.

"Is this really the..." Huahua, still flustered from his previous exchange, widened his eyes and stared intently at the remarkably spirited and unbelievably beautiful boy before him. He longed to ask, "Is this truly that adorable, cute little purple squirrel from back then?" He had, of course, seen him when they left Earth years ago; he was his second senior brother.

*Thump!*

Sparks flew as the Dragon Horse pressed a hoof onto Huahua's shiny bald head with a resounding thump. Huahua yelped and hopped around in pain, but seeing it was the Dragon Horse, he couldn't bring himself to be angry.

The Dragon Horse was a sharp-tongued one; provoke him, and you wouldn't find peace for half a month. Although Huahua wasn't exactly mild-mannered himself, he was no match for a master-level figure.

At this moment, the Black Emperor also came forward, even less refined. With a large black paw, it pushed Huahua's bald head aside, its face filled with astonishment as it examined Xiaosong.

"There truly are such people in the mortal world—untouched by dust, their spiritual platform clear as a mirror, always consistent," the Black Emperor muttered mystically, staring at Xiaosong with wide eyes.

Everyone sensed the immense power of Xiaosong's divine soul; one could perceive it with their Heavenly Eye. The area between his eyebrows was pure and flawless, like a crystal.

The Human Demon arrived and spoke: "There is a type of person who remains consistent for a hundred years, automatically severing the clamor of the mortal world. Time leaves no trace on their consciousness. Even when they cultivate until they achieve nirvana, they retain the pure innocence of a newborn."

The Human Demon's words naturally resonated deeply with everyone.

In the cultivation world, there is a saying that after living for a long time, cultivators should 'self-sever'—cutting away the mortal world and its disturbances, allowing their spiritual platform (Sendai) to return to clarity and tranquility, making their Dao heart unified, and reverting to the pure nature of a newborn. This process can prolong life and dissolve the erosion of time.

This is not a physical metamorphosis but a complete rebirth of the primordial spirit, maintaining the spiritual platform's purity, untouched by worldly affairs like love, hate, and enmity, leaving only a heart solely dedicated to the Dao.

It is said that many who have lived a second life have undergone such an experience.

How old was Xiaosong? Yet he had already reached this state, astonishing everyone. He had never lost his pure and simple heart; it had always been so.

Being stared at by so many people, Xiaosong's face naturally turned red, making many want to pinch his cheeks, finding him quite adorable.

Huahua was the first to reach out, but he was unlucky. The Dragon Horse stepped on him with a hoof and said, "Call him Senior Brother; you're just a junior."

"Amitābha! Oh my god, Uncle Ma, you really are so crude with your words!" Huahua fumed indignantly.

"Child, may I take a look?" the Human Demon asked.

"Yes, old sir," Xiaosong replied. He was unguarded, his nature pure, yet he could sense who was friendly and who was dangerous to him.

When the Human Demon acted, Xiaosong's spiritual platform shone like fire, clearly manifesting. Everyone could see how truly pure and crystalline his lucid spiritual platform was; all worldly matters simply faded from it, leaving no trace.

"Senior Brother, you won't forget us, will you, with everything leaving no trace?" Huahua asked in surprise.

"No, I remember everything," Xiaosong said earnestly. "When we left Earth back then, you were crying with your bare bottom, your eyes all teary and filled with tears."

Huahua was mortified and quickly cut in, not letting him continue.

Everyone burst into laughter. Huahua's face turned crimson, and he awkwardly retreated, unwilling to be mocked by the group.

"How strange," the Human Demon observed after a long time. "A peculiar wave automatically brushes his spiritual platform, making his Dao heart ethereal and untainted by mortal dust. This power allows him to maintain his nature and sea of consciousness unchanged."

Everyone was deeply shaken; Xiaosong was truly mysterious.

"This situation might be related to his nature and the various cultivation methods he practices," the Black Emperor mused. Having followed the Great Emperor Wushi, it certainly had an authoritative voice on such matters.

When Xiaosong revealed his purple-gold pagoda, the group was stunned. Upon seeing a figure seated in meditation and chanting scriptures on each of the nine levels of the Dao pagoda, they were utterly awestruck.

Indeed, the Human Demon and the Black Emperor successively confirmed that these scriptures were greatly connected to him, possibly even containing fragments of Emperor Zun's scriptures!

Furthermore, most of these scriptures focused on cultivating the spiritual platform, which, combined with Xiaosong's inherently pure nature, cultivated him into such an unblemished, self-contained, and infinitely clear spiritual being.

He would forget all worldly trivialities, but he would forever remember the people connected to them in his heart.

"Little Xiaosong is so cute," a two or three-year-old girl said at that moment, walking from behind the crowd. She looked up at Xiaosong, blinking her bright, large eyes.

Everyone turned and smiled, their eyes filled with doting affection. Little Nannan had arrived, a child delicately carved from pink jade, the Heavenly Court's most beloved little princess. She was evaluating him very seriously, her small face flushed and round like a large apple, making everyone want to take a bite.

The atmosphere was filled with warmth. Everyone felt a deep fondness for the boy; he was truly unpretentious, and his unique cultivation method inspired many.

A pure and flawless innocent, a shy boy, a powerful Quasi-Emperor—all converged in him, instantly making his presence astonishing. Everyone knew his future was limitless!

He was like a piece of unpolished jade, pure gold. The Black Emperor drooled profusely, yet no matter how it tried to trick or deceive, it couldn't sway Xiaosong's fundamental innocence. The boy's sincere words consistently made the Black Emperor's old face flush red, and for the first time, it found itself speechless and unable to make a move.

Xiaosong's arrival was a tremendous encouragement to the Heavenly Court, especially because he had brought an unrivaled expert who now stood not far away. Even with the Heavenly Court's myriad strong individuals, they were incredibly wary of that person.

Even the old Human Demon paced back and forth, circling him and looking him over repeatedly. For once, he had no appetite the entire day, a rare occurrence, so he turned and went hunting in the starry sky.

When the Heavenly Court discerned this person's origin, a silence fell before it erupted in an instant. This was a prodigious talent who had once been able to contend with Emperor Qing, the only supreme expert on the Emperor Road back then who could fight him without holding back. The mere thought of it was astounding.

Time had not completely obliterated him, leaving behind his physical remains. Although he was no longer the person he once was, his peerless body still remained.

Currently, he was disoriented, having gained some sentience but still unable to grasp his true Dao self. He could only calm down when by Xiaosong's side; otherwise, he was a killing machine, an invincible grim reaper.

"Xiaosong is too strong; he actually attracted such a remarkable figure!" someone exclaimed. "I imagine the Underworld must have rioted; they'd be heartbroken to the point of madness!"

Hearty laughter erupted throughout the Heavenly Court, and everyone was incredibly excited and overjoyed.

The news naturally shook the entire universe, and cultivators everywhere discussed it. Many now knew that the Heavenly Court had another child of extraordinary talent: Ye Fan's second disciple, a Quasi-Emperor.

Three Quasi-Emperors in one lineage, with the potential for four, or even five, in the future…

Everyone was stunned!

This was comparable to the eras when Great Emperors and Primordial Sovereigns were alive, for only when their descendants coexisted with them would there be multiple Quasi-Emperors in a single lineage.

Such an occurrence was destined to be the most glorious zenith for this clan.

The Heavenly Court had now embarked on this path, and the future might very well rest in their hands. As long as an unrivaled expert emerged who could rival the Undying Empress or the Woodcutter Elder, then no one would ever dare offend the Heavenly Court again, and their grand destiny would be fulfilled!

"Gu Xinao, the strongest battle slave capable of fighting Emperor Qing, just left?!" a terrifying roar echoed from within the Underworld.

Not just the Yama Hall, but also the Nether Emperor Hall and the Prison Suppressing Hall, were filled with a furious tempest as the Underworld's overlords raged.

Gu Xinao was the strongest battle slave they had acquired in tens of thousands of years. Once awakened, he could be trained into an invincible butcher's blade; wherever his might was directed, who could contend with him?

"The Underworld is truly declining with each generation!" one roared. "If this continues, we might as well just devour all the yin spirits ourselves! What's the point of cultivating immortal divine corpses? It's all useless!"

The Underworld's overlords were seething with rage, wishing they could awaken the sleeping supremes to bathe the starry sky in blood and bring about the end of the world. This time was truly too humiliating; they had toiled only for another's benefit, hundreds of thousands of yin soldiers and vast armies reduced to dust, all for nothing, and they had just lost an invincible war god!

This was a disgrace; if word got out, it would be a laughingstock.

Who were they? They were the Underworld, who had once shattered the Heavenly Court and caused immense suffering to all gods; the world trembled at their very mention. Yet now, they had been utterly humiliated, their faces "slapped and stomped on" until they were swollen like a pig's head.

Inside the Underworld, black demonic clouds surged, bloody lightning danced and struck, and a torrential rain of blood poured down, boundless in its terror.

The Heavenly Court, however, was filled with joyful laughter. The only regret was Ye Fan's absence. Everyone came out to meet Xiaosong, and Ji Ziyue arrived, holding Little Zi.

"Greetings, Master-Mother," Xiaosong said, performing a grand bow earnestly.

"I've always heard your master speak of you," Ji Ziyue said. "But he dared not go, fearing the flames of war would burn his homeland. I'm so glad to finally meet you." Ji Ziyue, who also liked Xiaosong very much, smiled and helped him up.

"Big brother wears pur-pul clothes," said one-year-old Little Zi, waking up and mumbling, "I'm Little Zi, same!" Like a porcelain doll, she reached out her tiny hands and told Xiaosong, "Hug."

"Senior Brother, you truly have a way with children," Huahua grumbled indignantly. "When I tried to hold Little Zi, she adamantly refused and scratched my bald head!"

When Xiaosong picked up Little Zi, the little girl showed no shyness, squirming and stretching her arms and legs as if climbing a tree, shouting, "Big brother smells good!"

Then, with a *smack*, she bit Xiaosong, leaving a trail of drool. Her pink, tender appearance in that moment made everyone burst into laughter.