Chapter Forty-One: Visitors from the Celestial Realm

This incident had dealt a heavy blow to the entire Ming family, leaving a vivid and unforgettable memory in the minds of every clansman. Ming Chenyu and Junyang quickly gained a clear understanding of the entire event.

Today was the day when the Illusory Maze was to be opened, an occasion requiring the spirits of all five great families. Ming Chengwu had just stepped out of the family gates bearing the family crest when two figures descended from the sky.

A man and a woman, master and servant.

The man was not particularly old, no more than five hundred years, and carried the cultivation of an Immortal Lord. The woman was of lower cultivation, merely a maidservant at his side, yet she was exceedingly arrogant. Without preamble, she demanded the family crest from Ming Chengwu.

Naturally, Ming Chengwu refused.

A fight broke out.

The man was only an Immortal Lord; apart from Ming Chengwu, who was an Immortal King, there were two other Immortal Lords in the Ming family, so no one took this troublemaker seriously.

But once the battle began, they were all stunned.

Their souls were inexplicably filled with fear and turmoil, throwing their spiritual power into disarray and making their moves sluggish and uncoordinated.

In such a state, they might as well have stood still and let themselves be struck.

It took only moments for the Ming family to fall into disadvantage.

Seeing the situation turn dire, Ming Chengwu tried to borrow strength from the family spirit.

Yet the spirit did not respond at all, withdrawing in silence.

In the end, Ming Chengwu and the other two Immortal Lords were sent flying into the courtyard and fell unconscious.

The family crest was snatched away by the man, who vanished in an instant. No one knew how the pair arrived or where they went.

After hearing the recounting, Ming Chenyu clenched his fists, his nails digging into his palms as he tasted the bitterness of defeat for the first time.

“Senior Junyang, was this bloodline suppression? Was it someone from above?”

His words were full of certainty.

From the clansmen’s descriptions, the answer was obvious.

Junyang grunted in affirmation. “From the Immortal Realm.”

On the thirty-third continent, Yan Qingye, having overheard Junyang, turned to You Xiyue. “Master, why is Senior Junyang so sure they’re from the Immortal Realm?”

You Xiyue offered no words, but answered with action. Her eyes glinted with a faint red light as she glanced at Yan Qingye.

Unable to withstand the pressure on his soul, with a loud crash, Yan Qingye collapsed, crushing his chair beneath him.

His face was twisted in terror, his heart pounding wildly as though it would leap from his throat, an overwhelming urge to die consuming him.

“M...Master...” Yan Qingye gritted out, drenched in sweat.

You Xiyue blinked, and the oppressive feeling finally lifted from Yan Qingye.

He struggled to roll from his stomach to his back, gasping for breath.

It took a long while for his heart to calm.

Sitting up, he was left shaken and restless.

Just a glance.

It had been nothing but a glance, yet he was rendered so helpless and wretched, unable to resist in the slightest.

Now, at last, he understood Ming Chenyu’s sense of bitter helplessness.

“So this is divine bloodline suppression from the upper realms?”

“No.”

“No?” Yan Qingye looked up in disbelief at You Xiyue. “Could it be... this is only the Immortal bloodline’s suppression?”

You Xiyue turned her gaze back to the water screen, her voice calm yet merciless in its explanation. “Bloodlines have ranks, too—Mortal, Vassal, Lord, King, and Emperor. Just now, I used an Emperor-level Immortal bloodline. So those two individuals, their bloodline rank in the Immortal Realm is actually not high.”

A bitter laugh escaped Yan Qingye.

He understood the implication: if their bloodline had been stronger, there would have been no need to fight; like him, their enemies would have been forced to submit, prostrate at their feet.

Even bloodlines considered modest in the Immortal Realm could, in the upper world, defeat an Immortal King and two Immortal Lords with ease.

For the young master of the Yan family, who had always been admired in the upper world, this was an indescribable defeat.

Ming Chenyu’s feelings ran even deeper, for his loved ones still lay gravely injured, hovering between life and death.

The Ming family clansmen, hearing their young master speak of people from above, were filled with confusion, but at that moment, none dared disturb Ming Chenyu.

He sat quietly for a long time before rising and walking to Junyang.

With a dull thud, he knelt down.

Junyang was taken aback by this gesture.

“What are you doing?”

Ming Chenyu pressed his forehead to the ground, fists clenched, biting out his words. “Senior, please help me find the family spirit. I know my limits—I lack the strength. From this day, my life belongs to you and to Master.”

Junyang bent to pull Ming Chenyu to his feet, sighing. “What would I or the little ancestor want with your life?”

Ming Chenyu swallowed hard, struggling before meeting Junyang’s gaze. “It’s all I have to offer.”

Junyang looked up at the sky, as though exchanging glances with You Xiyue, then smiled and made his decision. From his storage pouch, he produced a bronze token engraved with a fierce, soaring serpent and held it out before Ming Chenyu.

“Drip a drop of blood.”

Without hesitation, Ming Chenyu drew a dagger and sliced his wrist, letting the blood fall onto the token.

The clansmen wished to stop him, but it was already too late—the action was too swift.

Seeing their worried faces, Junyang offered reassurance. “It’s only to use the Ming bloodline to track your family spirit.”

The Ming family relaxed, looking at Junyang with gratitude.

The token quickly absorbed the blood, its serpent’s eyes flashing green twice before fading.

Junyang took Ming Chenyu and soared into the sky.

They had not flown far, not even beyond the Thirty-seventh Continent, when they stopped.

Beneath the Heavenly Tribulation Staircase, a round jade medallion bearing the Ming character had been discarded among the grass.

A deep crack ran through its center, reaching the edge.

Ming Chenyu rushed over, picked it up, and wiped it clean. Reaching out with his divine sense, he found, to his relief, that the family spirit’s consciousness, though faint, still lingered.

Had the family spirit been utterly destroyed, the Ming family’s future would have been doomed to decline, perhaps even to fall into the lower realms.

Junyang approached, glancing up at the Heavenly Tribulation Staircase.

Ming Chenyu, putting away the family crest, followed Junyang’s gaze, silently vowing that he would one day ascend those steps.

Junyang withdrew his gaze. “Let’s go back.”

“Mm.” Ming Chengwu was still in critical condition, and the Ming family waited anxiously for Ming Chenyu’s return.

From behind the water screen, You Xiyue laid eyes on the Heavenly Tribulation Staircase for the first time. “That staircase looks rather shabby...”

Yan Qingye, still heavy-hearted, could not help but laugh at her words.

Feng Qinghe was in no better mood. When Yan Qingye had been suppressed, he too had been shocked. It was only the top-tier bloodline of the Immortal clan, yet it already wielded such power. The Feng clan had once been glorious too, once this mighty.

Staring at the Heavenly Tribulation Staircase, Feng Qinghe’s thoughts surged. Looking down at Yan Qingye, who still sat on the ground, he realized how far he still had to go.

When Ming Chenyu and Junyang returned to the Ming estate, Ming Zhu had already administered a pill crafted from Dreamshade Mushroom to Ming Chengwu.

Though haggard, Ming Chengwu had at least regained consciousness.

The first words from Ming Chengwu’s lips were, “Is the family crest... still here?”