Futile Devices Scans

Chen Yixin and Wenren Li entered the Myriad Immortals Pavilion together. Its storefront was no different from those elsewhere, and the flow of visitors coming and going was lively.

They went directly to an immortal attendant standing off to the side of the main hall, the only one not receiving guests. Wenren Li arranged four pieces of top-grade immortal jade into a special pattern, and the attendant immediately led them upstairs.

After they took their seats, Chen Yixin tossed another piece of immortal jade onto the table, one he had re-engraved using divine power. The attendant froze upon seeing the symbol carved into it. Chen Yixin then said, “Tell him an old acquaintance has come to visit.”

The attendant seemed to want to ask something further, but the look Chen Yixin gave him instinctively prevented him from speaking. The symbol on the jade was indeed the personal mark of the owner behind their pavilion. Every mark looked similar, yet each was unique. Their number was limited, and without exception, anyone who arrived carrying one of these marks was a distinguished guest whom the Myriad Immortals Pavilion could not afford to neglect.

Chen Yixin’s mark was genuine. The only issue was that it was not imprinted upon one of the pavilion’s specially made authority tokens, which was why the attendant hesitated.

After the attendant left, Chen Yixin turned to explain to Wenren Li. “When I chased him in return, he dropped one of these authority tokens. I casually threw it into the Burning Heaven Nether Palace. It was probably lost long ago, but I remembered the symbol.”

In truth, he had merely been testing his luck. Judging from the attendant’s reaction, however, there should be no problem.

Hearing this, Wenren Li reached over and rubbed Chen Yixin’s cheek. “With Ah Rong doing things this way, we no longer need to worry about not bringing enough immortal jade.” When the Myriad Immortals Pavilion traded information, outrageous prices were the norm. It was one of the most profitable businesses imaginable.

If one brought too little immortal jade, obtaining accurate information from them would be difficult.

As he spoke, Wenren Li paused, his hand still resting against Chen Yixin’s cheek. “Let’s see how things go before deciding whether robbery is necessary.”

If the Myriad Immortals Pavilion demanded too much, they would become the first target of his and Chen Yixin’s robbery. If this authority token could make the pavilion restrain itself somewhat, it would save them the trouble. It would also make future dealings easier.

Chen Yixin turned his head. His lips parted slightly, and he bit the fingertip Wenren Li was about to withdraw. He left no teeth marks, but thoroughly dampened that fingertip before saying, “A-Li handles the robbery. I’ll handle the killing.”

This could be considered a unique form of romance shared only between the two of them.

After speaking, Chen Yixin’s lips curved into a brilliant smile—one that was dazzling and irresistibly alluring. Even after becoming so thoroughly familiar with him, Wenren Li was still momentarily dazed by that smile. His fingertip twitched lightly, and the sensation from that bite seemed to send a tingling numbness straight into his heart.

The transmission of information through layer upon layer of channels took quite some time. Chen Yixin and Wenren Li had already spent nearly two hours sitting on the top floor of the Myriad Immortals Pavilion before the branch master of this domain finally appeared with the attendant. Behind them was another person.

Before the newcomer even arrived, his voice rang out first.

“An old acquaintance? Then I would very much like to see which old acquaintance it is…”

The specially made authority tokens of the Myriad Immortals Pavilion had passed through many hands over the years and were no longer necessarily in the possession of their original owners. However, Chen Yixin had specifically instructed the attendant to deliver the words “old acquaintance.” That was what finally prompted the true master behind the Myriad Immortals Pavilion, Immortal Lord Zhu Yan, to appear in person.

Both Chen Yixin and Wenren Li wore black immortal robes with hooded cloaks—the most common attire among wandering immortals in the Upper Realm. At first glance, Zhu Yan could find no flaw in them. Their appearances and auras seemed utterly ordinary, so ordinary that he could not recall having acquaintances like them.

Yet he was already a Ninth-Rank Immortal Lord, only a step away from becoming a half-step Immortal Emperor. Unless an actual Immortal Emperor had come specifically to toy with him, there was no reason he should fail to see through their identities and cultivation levels.

The moment Zhu Yan saw Chen Yixin and Wenren Li clearly, his steps halted.

He immediately waved his hand.

“You two, leave.”

The branch master and attendant, who had been preparing to exchange greetings with the pair, were dismissed.

“Is Pavilion Master Zhu planning to personally serve tea for A-Li and me?” Chen Yixin turned his head slightly. Though his disguise and concealed aura remained unchanged, his tone of voice was unmistakable. Even after more than thirty thousand years, Zhu Yan remembered it vividly.

“Y-you… you two!”

Zhu Yan staggered back a step.

At that moment, he wanted nothing more than to flee. The two people whom the Ten Emperors and Nine Clans had spent countless years searching for without success had suddenly appeared right before him.

Chen Yixin rose to his feet. All disguise and concealment vanished from his body. As he spoke, he slowly advanced toward Zhu Yan.

“The matter of you joining the hunt against A-Li and me thirty thousand years ago still hasn’t been settled. Today’s reunion is also a debt collection.”

“Lord Yi, didn’t I explain long ago? I was only providing real-time updates!”

Following behind Chen Yixin while watching him slaughter so many Immortal Lords and half-step Immortal Emperors was already dangerous enough. Only someone tired of living would have dared actually try to kill him. Even so, Zhu Yan had always been willing to risk his life for the sake of making immortal jade.

“And besides, didn’t we cooperate quite pleasantly afterward…”

After Chen Yixin robbed him once, he had allowed Zhu Yan to continue following him. Zhu Yan provided information regarding some of the Immortal Lords pursuing Chen Yixin. Zhu Yan earned immortal jade, while Chen Yixin killed the people.

As Zhu Yan spoke softly, cold sweat immediately broke out across his forehead. Chen Yixin’s aura alone was already enough to shock him. Now that Wenren Li had also locked onto him with his aura, the pressure became utterly unbearable.

“Speak. Which Immortal Emperor stands behind you?”

Chen Yixin finally stopped walking.

Four phoenix-shaped flames of Soulreturn Flame surrounded Zhu Yan. If Zhu Yan thought he could muddle through this reunion by pretending familiarity and invoking old ties, he was dreaming.

The smile on Zhu Yan’s face froze.

Even so, he did not immediately drop his friendly facade. Instead, he forced a laugh and said:

“The Myriad Immortals Pavilion belongs to me, Immortal Lord Zhu Yan. Everyone in the Upper Realm knows this. Lord Yi, what exactly are you asking? Zhu truly does not understand.”

He smiled, and his figure vanished from the room without warning. The next moment, a muffled grunt sounded out, and a flaming phoenix appeared before Chen Yixin and Wenren Li, carrying a small red bird in its beak.

“Little Vermilion Bird, your Void Escape Art is quite impressive. But once you’re carrying my Soulreturn Flame, there is nowhere left for you to run.”

The immortal jade he had given the attendant earlier contained an imprint of his Soulreturn Flame. Zhu Yan’s escape techniques had reached a miraculous level, but he had failed to notice anything unusual about the jade. He had even taken it with him when he fled. Being captured and dragged back by Chen Yixin under such circumstances could hardly be called unjust.

The Soulreturn Flame Phoenix set the red Vermilion Bird down. Then it raised one talon and planted it firmly on the bird. The Vermilion Bird had only just spread its wings when it was smacked flat onto the floor again with a pathetic splat.

In truth, Chen Yixin had not even needed to make a move. Zhu Yan would never have escaped this immortal city anyway. This entire region had already been locked down by Wenren Li.

The moment Zhu Yan entered the city, his fate had already been sealed. He was a turtle trapped in a jar—or rather, a little bird trapped in a jar. Still, Chen Yixin clearly enjoyed dealing with people personally, and Wenren Li had no intention of interfering.

At the appropriate moment, Wenren Li retrieved a birdcage from his storage space and handed it to Chen Yixin. The cage itself looked entirely ordinary, but after passing through Wenren Li’s hands, it was covered from top to bottom in silver restrictions.

Zhu Yan escaped from beneath the Soulreturn Flame Phoenix’s talons, only to find himself trapped inside Wenren Li’s restricted birdcage.

Afterward, Wenren Li stepped forward and guided Chen Yixin back to their seats. The birdcage was placed on the table beside them.

Leaning comfortably against Wenren Li, Chen Yixin watched the Vermilion Bird Zhu Yan inside the cage with bright, interested eyes as it repeatedly tried to escape and was shocked until feathers fell out.

“Roasted Vermilion Bird… I doubt A-Li has ever tasted it before. I wonder if it’s any good.”

The moment Chen Yixin finished speaking, Zhu Yan visibly shuddered. His voice carried from inside the cage.

“Lord Yi… roasted Vermilion Bird doesn’t taste good.”

Almost no one in the Upper Realm knew that Zhu Yan’s true form was a Vermilion Bird. Yet for some unknown reason, once he came into contact with Chen Yixin’s Soulreturn Flame, he was forced back into his original form. Even now, trapped within Wenren Li’s birdcage, he could not transform back.

“Whether it tastes good or not isn’t for you to decide. Have you considered the question I asked earlier?”

Chen Yixin tapped a finger against the cage. A layer of pale blue Soulreturn Flame immediately wrapped itself around the silver restrictions. Zhu Yan shrank into the middle of the cage, trembling pitifully.

“I can tell you anything else. But this one matter… even if I die, I cannot reveal it.”

“You are quite loyal,” Chen Yixin commented with a faint snort.

After a brief silence, he asked another question.

“Why was the entrance to the Netherwind Realm destroyed? Where did the people inside go?”

In truth, Chen Yixin was not particularly interested in the Immortal Emperor standing behind Zhu Yan. However, the question would distract Zhu Yan’s vigilance, and what he and Wenren Li needed was the most accurate information possible.

“Don’t tell me you don’t know. Just look at yourself—your feathers are standing on end.”

As someone who frequently puffed up himself, Chen Yixin was extremely familiar with such instinctive reactions. Zhu Yan had no way of hiding anything under the eyes of either him or Wenren Li.

At those words, Zhu Yan slowly lowered his raised feathers one by one. Only after a long silence did he lower his head and answer.

“The Netherwind Realm had exhausted most of its resources. On top of that, it was located too close to one of the transmission points leading to the Void Heaven Battlefield. Perhaps because of those considerations, they chose to evacuate…”

Long after Zhu Yan finished speaking, neither Chen Yixin nor Wenren Li responded. The two of them merely continued examining the badly bullied Vermilion Bird. Just as Zhu Yan was on the verge of puffing up again under their scrutiny, Chen Yixin finally withdrew his gaze and rubbed the bridge of his nose.

“Netherwind… Phoenix Cry. So you really are part of my elder brother’s personal forces.”

The connection was not difficult to make. Yet after so many ages had passed, neither Chen Yixin nor Wenren Li had expected that this branch of Qing Ruo’s followers could still survive.

The two exchanged a glance. Then both of them withdrew the birdcage and the Soulreturn Flame. At the same time, a crimson feather appeared in Wenren Li’s palm.

Having figured everything out, the two of them immediately relaxed.

Zhu Yan, on the other hand, had only just regained his freedom and had not yet returned to human form. The sight of the feather frightened him so badly that he stumbled and fell directly onto it. The instant he touched it, he felt the imprint and aura hidden within the feather with absolute clarity.

“M-Master…!”

At this point, it was obvious that the entire matter had been one enormous misunderstanding.

The Vermilion Bird Zhu Yan whom Wenren Li had allowed Chen Yixin to bully for so long was actually the very remnant force of the Netherwind Realm they had been searching for. What neither of them had anticipated was that this branch of old retainers would be bold enough to spread the Myriad Immortals Pavilion throughout the entire Upper Realm.

Chen Yixin glanced at the thoroughly bewildered Zhu Yan and, for some reason, felt a trace of sympathy. With a wave of his hand, he helped Zhu Yan return to human form.

Then he sat upright beside Wenren Li. His gaze became perfectly upright and proper, as though the domineering and vicious person who had been threatening murder moments earlier had never been him at all.

“A-Li and I returned this time specifically to find you. This crimson feather belongs to my elder brother, Qingruo. And this is A-Li. If you do not know who he is, you may return to your clan and ask those who do.”

After Chen Yixin finished speaking, Zhu Yan was still struggling to process everything.

Chen Yixin was not the youngest son of the Phoenix Divine Clan’s Immortal Emperor. He was actually the younger brother of their former master from several epochs ago?

Which meant that all this time, the Netherwind Tribe had simply stood by and watched the Ten Emperors and Nine Clans bully Chen Yixin and Wenren Li for so many years.

Yet once that realization clicked into place, Zhu Yan—who possessed far more information than most—was suddenly able to connect countless mysteries that had previously made no sense.

“Seeing the crimson feather is the same as seeing the Burning Heaven Sacred Lord. You are the Burning Heaven Sacred Lord’s younger brother, and therefore the future master of the Netherwind Tribe. Earlier, this humble god offended Your Highness. Please forgive me.”

Holding the crimson feather high above his head with both hands, Zhu Yan respectfully knelt and bowed deeply toward Chen Yixin.

Then he shifted the direction of his bow and paid the same great respect to Wenren Li.

“This humble god greets Your Majesty.”

Slowly rising to his feet, he revealed three crimson-feather markings upon his forehead—the unique symbol passed down through the line of tribal chiefs.

“This humble god is the Clan Chief of the Netherwind Tribe serving under the Burning Heaven Sacred Lord in this epoch. This humble god is incompetent. I failed to protect the Netherwind Realm.”

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