Chapter Twenty-Five: The Descent of the Three Immortals in Pursuit of Bai Ling (Part One)

After sending Cheng Tang to the carriage of Prime Minister Yi Yin outside the city, Bai Ling vanished in the blink of an eye. Hao Dan followed her trail and soon sensed that something was amiss. The lingering aura Bai Ling left behind was hurried, as if she was desperately trying to evade pursuit. Yet Hao Dan could not detect any other presence; of course, if the pursuer’s cultivation far surpassed his own, he would be oblivious.

In a banyan grove beyond the city walls, Hao Dan noticed unusual movement ahead. To avoid alarming anyone, he invoked the divine art of concealment from the arcane Qimen Dunjia—specifically, the Invisibility of the Gate of Scenery, known as “No Trace in the Empty Mountains.” This technique allowed him to blend seamlessly with his surroundings, becoming as nondescript as any object, provided his aura was hidden and his actions cautious. Thus unseen, he soon witnessed the unfolding scene.

“It has been a while, little junior sister. Why do you flee upon seeing your senior brothers?” The speaker was a middle-aged man clad in broad, dark Daoist robes. He had pronounced eyebrows, phoenix eyes, wind-catching ears, a high nose, an enormous mouth, and a flat, round face—features that would be called eccentric at best. This was Kong Qiandao, Daoist of the Wondrous Sword, known as the Sword Maniac, one of the Celestials of the Sect of Severance and the overseeing Immortal Lord of the First Heaven.

“Senior Brother Kong, how have you been lately? The moment I set foot in the mortal realm, you and the other senior brothers found me. You must truly care for your little junior sister!” Bai Ling looked at the three figures before her, her expression laced with a mocking, enigmatic smile.

Among the trio, another stepped forward to stand beside the Sword Maniac, his face solemn. “Junior sister, come with us and meet our teacher. I know him well—he will not punish you for past mistakes, and we brothers will plead for you,” he promised.

This was Yan Lietian, Marshal of the Three Realms, Immortal Lord overseeing the Eighth Heaven, honored throughout the Celestial Court as the Grand Marshal of Heavenly Patrol. He wore silver dragon armor, a cloak of scarlet-gold emblazoned with the glowing characters “Heavenly Patrol,” and his heroic, square-jawed face and towering frame—nearly nine feet tall—gave him a commanding presence. He directly commanded millions of celestial soldiers and the elite patrols of the Ninth Heaven, whose task was not to oversee the mortal world but to guard against threats from beyond the celestial domain.

“Senior Brother Zhao, are they speaking the truth?” Bai Ling ignored the other two and gazed at the black-clad figure behind them.

“Naturally, we will plead for you. But, junior sister, I hope you will hand over the Sea-Calming Pearl you possess. As for my promise, I will not let you down,” replied Zhao Gongming, his voice echoing from beneath a grand black-and-gold Daoist robe adorned with a prominent yin-yang trigram. His concern was not for Bai Ling’s welfare but for the fabled Sea-Calming Pearl.

He was worth mention—the Quasi-Saint overseeing the Ninth Heaven, Black Tiger Immortal Lord Zhao Gongming. With his rotund body, broad face, and extraordinary cultivation—half a step from true Sainthood—he was the only Quasi-Saint among the Sect of Severance’s second-generation disciples, excelling above all others in humanity, the Sect of Elucidation, and his own. Yet, lacking a supreme artifact to complement his power, he remained a Quasi-Saint in name only.

“Ha! I knew you harbored no good intent. No wonder you found me the moment I appeared—so the last Sea-Calming Pearl is with you! The pearls resonate with one another; I was negligent,” Bai Ling said angrily. Zhao Gongming already possessed one Sea-Calming Pearl, while the remaining twenty-three were in her keeping. He had tracked her through the pearls’ mutual resonance.

At that moment, Hao Dan realized the newcomers meant harm. He revealed himself, abandoning his concealment—his worry for Bai Ling overriding his caution. Unwise to the dangers, he hoped to help her, unaware that these three were illustrious gods and immortals of the Sect of Severance, all favored disciples of the Celestial Lord of Spiritual Treasure, with Zhao Gongming his personal protégé.

As Hao Dan shed his invisibility, his form materialized among the trees, confidence and anger burning in his gaze, drawing the attention of all present.

“You…!” Bai Ling was startled by Hao Dan’s sudden appearance, her face shifting from shock to anxiety, not knowing how to react. Had Hao Dan not appeared, she might have found a way to escape, or at least flee if overmatched. But his sudden intervention threw her thoughts into disarray.

“Don’t worry—with me here, they won’t hurt you,” Hao Dan declared confidently, utterly unaware of the might of those he faced.

At his words, Zhao Gongming, Yan Lietian, and Kong Qiandao all regarded him with indifference. Yan Lietian barely even acknowledged his presence. Zhao Gongming, however, was quick to recognize the bond between Hao Dan and Bai Ling. Initially uncertain of success, Zhao Gongming now felt assured; with this youth’s appearance, their task would be far easier.

Seeing the calculating glances exchanged, Bai Ling understood her senior brothers’ intentions.

“Don’t harm him. I’ll go with you,” Bai Ling said without hesitation. To spare Hao Dan from harm, she was willing to submit herself to the strictest punishments of their order rather than see him suffer.

“It seems our beloved junior sister knows when to yield, when to advance or retreat. For fear of implicating your little mortal lover, you surrender yourself! Am I right?” Zhao Gongming gloated inwardly, easily reading Bai Ling’s concern for Hao Dan.

“Let’s depart, then. As for your mortal romance, we seniors will keep it secret from our master—otherwise, with double offenses, I fear you could not bear the consequences,” Kong Qiandao remarked, demonstrating his understanding. Love between immortals and mortals was strictly forbidden within the Sect of Severance; transgressors faced the Immortal Execution Platform and the agony of the Four Swords of Immortal Slaughter for a thousand years—a torment from which even the most powerful would not emerge unscathed.

Hao Dan did not grasp the full gravity of the situation, but he was certain from their conversation that Bai Ling would meet a terrible fate if taken away. In a flash, he placed himself before her, shielding her with his body. “I don’t care who you are. I will not let you take her!” he declared.

“Ignorant child!” Yan Lietian’s patience had run out. He cared only to seize Bai Ling and return to the Ninth Heaven to report to the Celestial Lord of Spiritual Treasure.

In the blink of an eye, Yan Lietian moved. Without warning, he appeared before Hao Dan. With a single motion, he seized Hao Dan by the throat, lifting him off the ground. Hao Dan, caught off guard, struggled in pain, unable even to react; not even Bai Ling could intervene in time.

“Senior Brother Yan, no, please spare him!” Bai Ling cried, leaping towards Hao Dan, but Yan Lietian flung her aside with a casual swipe.

Such was Yan Lietian’s might—the oppressive divine power emanating from him was suffocating. Meanwhile, Zhao Gongming quietly drew out the Immortal-Binding Rope from his sleeve, sending it flying towards Bai Ling, while Kong Qiandao appeared before her in a flash, freezing her in place with a mysterious immortal art.

“Bind!” Zhao Gongming commanded. The rope transformed into a golden cord, wrapping around Bai Ling and binding her in an instant. With a flick of his voluminous sleeve, he swept Bai Ling inside, not sparing Hao Dan a single glance, his overbearing air dismissive and absolute.

A drifting white cloud descended; Zhao Gongming stepped aboard, gazing down at the scene. Hao Dan was still desperately struggling against Yan Lietian’s iron grip, kicking and thrashing in futility, his face flushed, breathless, unable even to utter a sound. Yan Lietian’s eyes blazed with cold impatience, and with a casual twist, he hurled Hao Dan at a great tree.

With a thunderous crash, Hao Dan’s body smashed through several banyan trunks, collapsing in a heap amid the fallen stumps. Yan Lietian, apparently merciful, paid him no further heed and strode toward Zhao Gongming.

“Damn it! Don’t… go! No… ah!” Hao Dan spat blood, forcing himself upright despite his battered body. He had not even touched his opponent, and the humiliation gnawed at him. Yan Lietian’s power was overwhelming—Hao Dan was utterly helpless, forced to watch as Bai Ling was bound and swept away. The sense of impotence was suffocating, his eyes now bloodshot and wild.

The disparity in strength was insurmountable—not for lack of courage, but because he was simply too weak. Far, far too weak.

“If you take another step, you will die here,” Yan Lietian warned, his voice devoid of emotion.

Hao Dan’s face was bloodied, crimson streaks running from his brow. His veins bulged, and he struggled to rise, inching forward with difficulty. He tried to summon his Eight Trigrams Gourd, but it remained unresponsive.

With his gourd silent, the Flying Immortal Blade unusable, and his body broken, he could not invoke his divine arts. Most maddening of all, the Eastern Emperor Bell, which had responded before, now lay inert. Facing death, he desperately hoped its spirit, Lord Dongjun, would come to his aid, as it had against Duna, but there was no sign.

Suddenly, a sharp wind cut through the air before him.

Yan Lietian materialized, and with the force of a god, delivered a merciless kick to Hao Dan’s abdomen. Hao Dan sailed through the trees like a puppet, crashing through more stumps.

Even Kong Qiandao, observing from the side, could not help but gasp.

From within Zhao Gongming’s sleeve, Bai Ling’s muffled cries echoed: “Good egg, run! Please, run!”

“Go! I don’t want you to worry about me!”

Perhaps out of old affection, Zhao Gongming made no move to finish Hao Dan, while Kong Qiandao stood by, hands behind his back. Yan Lietian, his divine authority challenged, turned to Zhao Gongming for guidance. Zhao Gongming merely glanced at his sleeve and shook his head, signaling Yan Lietian to desist.

“I… no, I… cannot… let them… take you… away!”