Chapter Five: Divine Artifacts Descend from the Heavens

True Lord Yun Zhao patted his own mouth. “It seems my words are blessed.”

Feng Qinghe shot Yun Zhao a glance before hastening toward the place where the point of light had disappeared. The other disciples from various sects rushed to follow, eager not to fall behind.

The commotion roused You Xiyue and Jun Yang from their slumber. Still groggy, You Xiyue radiated a pressure so oppressive that Jun Yang, who had wanted to complain, fell silent and dared not move.

After a long moment, Jun Yang could restrain himself no longer. “It seems a magical artifact has descended. I wonder what grade it is, to cause such a stir.”

You Xiyue kept her eyes closed, mumbling, “If you’re curious, go and see for yourself.”

“Then I’ll go have a look.”

At the site where the artifact had landed, the air was thick with swirling mist, ethereal energy entwining with shadowy qi. All those who had arrived hesitated, not daring to act rashly. After all, artifacts that appeared in such a dramatic fashion often possessed tempers of their own and could attack bystanders.

As the crowd watched, a figure suddenly materialized in the void. Before anyone could see clearly, he reached out for the artifact—only for the object to vanish more swiftly than he, disappearing from sight.

When Jun Yang arrived, he saw everyone staring in a daze at the figure standing where the artifact had landed.

“Who is that? Is that... a human-shaped artifact?”

...

Seeing Jun Yang flying by her side, Feng Qinghe whispered, “Senior Brother Jun Yang, that appears to be Yuan Chen, the young lord of the Yuan clan from the Thirty-third Continent.”

No sooner had Feng Qinghe spoken than another figure emerged from the void.

“Daoist Immortal Yuan Chen has truly keen senses.”

Yuan Yibai, the Daoist Immortal of the Yuan clan, cast a cool glance at Yan Qingye and said nothing.

“Well, well, is this a gathering of the five great families of the Upper Realm?” someone jeered.

Everyone turned to see the newcomer was Ye Linyi, fourth son of the Ye family from the Thirty-fifth Continent.

A few people near Jun Yang couldn’t help but retreat two steps. True Lord Yun Zhao broke into a cold sweat.

“Just as I feared! Whatever happens now is up to fate.”

The figures standing in the void were the direct heirs of the five great families of the Upper Realm: Yuan Yibai of the Thirty-third Continent; Mu Wanrou, the Daoist Immortal of the Mu clan from the Thirty-fourth Continent; Ye Linyi, the Celestial Immortal of the Ye clan from the Thirty-fifth Continent; Yan Qingye, the True Immortal of the Yan clan from the Thirty-sixth Continent; and—

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—and Ming Chenyu, the True Immortal of the Ming clan from the Thirty-seventh Continent.

Yan Qingye approached Yuan Yibai, attempting to rest a hand on his shoulder. “Is it truly a divine-grade artifact?”

Yuan Yibai sidestepped, evading Yan Qingye’s hand. “Every man for himself.”

With that, Yuan Yibai vanished on the spot.

“Tch,” Yan Qingye scoffed. “If he couldn’t seize it first, what makes him think he’ll have it in the end?”

The others glanced at him, then hurried off to search for the artifact.

Yan Qingye, however, was in no rush, for he had already noticed that the beast beside Feng Qinghe was no ordinary creature.

“Are you of the Teng Snake bloodline?”

Jun Yang considered the young man’s rudeness and, since the artifact had disappeared before he could get a good look at it, simply ignored him and vanished as well.

“Hey, if people ignore me, that’s one thing, but does the beast ignore me too?” Yan Qingye laughed in exasperation.

Yunwu Mountain was not large, consisting of only a few peaks, well within the reach of their spiritual senses. Yet after a long search, no one could sense even a trace of the artifact’s presence.

While the others were puzzled, You Xiyue—still dozing—was struck on the head once more by a black-and-white jade stone.

Annoyed, You Xiyue sat up, grabbed the stone, and hurled it out of her warding array.

But the stone was undeterred, flying back inside yet again.

Still befuddled, You Xiyue frowned. Even a Golden Immortal would take half a day to break through her warding array—how did this stone come and go so freely?

The black-and-white stone flew in once more, and You Xiyue caught it in her hand.

She scrutinized it for a long while. “Is this pitiful thing really worth all those people crossing realms and mountains?”

The stone protested, bouncing indignantly in her palm.

Meanwhile, the others, sensing something amiss, gathered outside You Xiyue’s array.

From afar, Jun Yang saw the five heirs standing guard in front of his own array. After some thought, he decided to observe quietly.

Yan Qingye was the last to arrive, approaching with a grin. “What’s everyone standing around here for?”

Mu Wanrou replied, “There seems to be a formation here. The artifact is inside it.”

At her words, Yan Qingye dropped his playful demeanor and focused on the array.

“This appears to be a divine-grade formation,” Ming Chenyu surmised.

“A divine-grade formation? For such a small Yunwu Mountain? Today is truly eye-opening,” Ye Linyi said.

Circling the area several times, Yan Qingye finally found the formation’s core beneath a tree to the southwest.

“With my cultivation, I can’t break it.”

The others attempted in turn, but none succeeded.

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Inside the array, You Xiyue watched their futile efforts. “It’s unbreakable—aren’t you all going home?”

She glanced down at the black-and-white stone. “Are you really that valuable?”

After a moment’s thought, Ming Chenyu said, “Why don’t we join forces, just this once?”

The heirs exchanged glances, then began casting spells at the formation’s core together.

Sure enough, the warding array began to tremble. Growing impatient, You Xiyue snapped her fingers and dispelled the formation in an instant.

The five withdrew their spells, turning to gaze at the maiden within the array, all struck with astonishment.

Mu Wanrou had long been celebrated as the most beautiful immortal in all the realms, yet in comparison to this girl, her radiance seemed to fade.

Seeing the array dispelled, Jun Yang flew back to You Xiyue’s side.

“Hey, is this snake yours?” Yan Qingye asked.

You Xiyue paid him no heed, instead raising the black-and-white stone to Jun Yang. “What kind of artifact is this?”

Jun Yang exclaimed, “How did this end up with you?”

“It flew to me on its own,” You Xiyue replied, tossing the stone far away—only to have it obediently return to her palm.

“I can’t shake it off,” she said, her tone full of disdain.

Yan Qingye and the others: “……”

Jun Yang flicked his tongue, unperturbed. “If I’m not mistaken, that’s likely the Celestial-Demonic Duality Jade, a divine artifact.”

“Oh.” You Xiyue showed no excitement at all and finally lifted her gaze to the group standing nearby. “It seems this stone doesn’t want to follow any of you.”

Yan Qingye shrugged. “If it won’t, then so be it. But little miss, would you answer a few questions for me?”

“You can ask,” You Xiyue replied.

“I estimate your bone age at only sixteen. Am I mistaken?”

“You’re not.”

“……” With his suspicion confirmed, Yan Qingye was so shocked he didn’t know what to ask next.

“No more questions?” You Xiyue blinked.

“I too would like to ask you something,” Ye Linyi said, looking at her.

You Xiyue turned away and replied stubbornly, “I don’t want to answer you.”

“……” Ye Linyi was taken aback. “Why not?”

“You’re the ugliest one here.”