Chapter 85: The Scene of Celestial Evolution

Song Ye, together with Qin Xuanxi and Song Yan, formed a makeshift family of three for their patrol, instantly becoming the most eye-catching sight in the Eastern Market, drawing an exceptional amount of attention.

Song Ye noticed that today, as usual, there were quite a few unfamiliar cultivators present in the Eastern Market. Additionally, a new storyteller’s stall had appeared.

A crowd had gathered before the stall.

The storyteller was in the midst of an animated, passionate performance.

“Let me tell you in secret, I, Guan Zijie, have seen the successor of Yu Muqiu with my own eyes! He stands eight feet tall, with a noble and heroic bearing, truly extraordinary in appearance.”

“Moreover, he has promised to join the ‘Alliance to Suppress the Demoness’ that I lead, and together we shall bring down that demoness, the Devil Lord Xuanxuan, so that the seven thousand souls of the Sacred Heaven Sect, slain by her hand, may finally rest in peace!”

At first, Song Ye found the voice quite familiar; as it turned out, it was indeed Guan Zijie—a man notorious for seeking fame, spouting lofty ideals about righteousness and the great principles of the immortal sects, while in truth a cowardly, self-serving wretch.

Now, he had come to Yan City, exploiting the fame of Yu Muqiu’s successor, fabricating lies to further polish his own reputation.

Song Ye thought that such a man would likely meet a poor end in the future.

Just then, someone suddenly cried out, “Look, it’s the Black-Armored Winged Rhinoceros!”

Upon hearing this, Guan Zijie, clearly feeling guilty, immediately ducked under the table in terror.

After all, everyone knew that the Black-Armored Winged Rhinoceros was the mount of the demoness Qin Xuanxi.

Yet, the creature hadn’t actually appeared; it was nothing more than a prank.

Everyone, seeing the man who had been declaiming so righteously become terrified at the mere mention of Qin Xuanxi’s pet, burst into hearty laughter.

Qin Xuanxi, observing this, gave a cold snort. “Mortals, how tedious they are!” But noticing Song Ye’s gaze upon her, she immediately flashed a bright smile. “My dear husband, I wasn’t talking about you!”

Song Ye chuckled. “Patrolling the streets with me must be dull. Why not come with me to the riverside for a stroll?”

He was thinking that if they slipped away to the river, he could also complete his daily “fishing” task.

Qin Xuanxi agreed at once. “Alright!” She already looked the very picture of a devoted wife.

Thus, the two of them made their way together to the banks of the Yi River.

The Yi River had once flowed past Qiuyu Village and several neighboring settlements. It had no name in the past, but after Yan City was built, the river was preserved and someone gave it the name “Yi River.”

Song Ye, Qin Xuanxi, and the “tagalong” Song Yan arrived at the riverside.

It was still early morning; the sunlight was gentle, a mild breeze stirred the air, and the atmosphere was exceedingly pleasant—perfect for a walk along the river.

But just then, a peal of high, exuberant laughter erupted from across the water.

Song Ye turned and saw the source: a middle-aged man in a white long robe.

After his laughter subsided, the man threw back his head and shouted, “I, Zhou Junhao, have traveled nearly the entire Xuanying Continent, yet never imagined that I would find here, at last, the ‘Scene of Heaven’s Evolution’ that would allow my cultivation to advance!”

No sooner had he spoken than seven-colored radiance began to coil about him, and the sunlit sky was suddenly swallowed by darkness, as if a celestial hound had devoured the sun.

Then, a bolt of violet lightning tore across the heavens, its thunder deafening.

In all, nine bolts of violet lightning appeared above Yan City.

Seeing this, Qin Xuanxi immediately realized that someone’s cultivation had just advanced to the level of Imperial Soul.

The Imperial Soul realm was the highest stage of immortal cultivation; thus, the birth of an Imperial Soul expert was enough to shake the heavens and the earth.

And the one who had just achieved this breakthrough was the white-robed man standing across the river from Song Ye.

Shortly after, the world returned to normal—the darkness faded, the sky was again cloudless and bright.

Suddenly, the white-robed man appeared before Song Ye and Qin Xuanxi with a teleportation technique.

“My deepest thanks to you,” Zhou Junhao said to Song Ye and his companions. “The sight of you three together formed a unique ‘Scene of Heaven’s Evolution’ just for me. Witnessing this moment, I finally broke through the bottleneck that had held me for two centuries, and advanced to the Imperial Soul realm!”

Had this white-robed man truly been stuck at a bottleneck for two hundred years? If so, Song Ye thought, the man must be at least two centuries old.

But that was hardly surprising; after all, his own young wife was more than three hundred years old.

Yet Song Ye was still puzzled. How had a simple stroll by the riverside with Qin Xuanxi and Song Yan become the so-called “Scene of Heaven’s Evolution” for this man?

And he had even mistaken them for a family of three—apparently, Song Ye and this demoness Qin Xuanxi did look very much like a married couple.

Zhou Junhao noticed Song Ye’s confusion and explained,

“The cultivation method I practice is the ‘Ninefold Evolution Sutra of Enlightenment.’ With this method, one cannot forcibly break through by accumulating power alone; one must also comprehend a ‘Scene of Heaven’s Evolution’ in the world to achieve advancement.”

“For every practitioner of this method, the ‘Scene of Heaven’s Evolution’ is different.”

“At first, when I was advancing through Bone Tempering, Profound Connection, Spirit Void and the other realms, I easily encountered the scenes I needed.”

“Sometimes, it was nothing more than stepping outside my door and seeing a neighbor’s child crossing before my house—my realm would break through at once.”

“Sometimes, it might be an unremarkable willow tree by the roadside.”

“But when my cultivation reached the ninth level of the Sacred Origin realm, I was unable to encounter the scene I needed for my next breakthrough.”

“So I journeyed for two hundred years, traversing nearly the entire continent, all in search of that one scene.”

“Until just now, when I saw you three walking by the river, and my cultivation finally advanced.”

“So, you are the Scene of Heaven’s Evolution I, Zhou Junhao, have sought for two centuries!”

In the scene that allowed Zhou Junhao to attain the Imperial Soul realm, there was the makeshift family of Song Ye, Qin Xuanxi, and the tagalong Song Yan strolling by the river. Song Ye, in his fitted constable’s uniform, looked strikingly handsome.

Qin Xuanxi wore a pale blue scholar’s dress that swept to her ankles, her feet bare, her face unadorned yet as radiant as a blossom, long jet-black hair flowing freely down her back.

Five-year-old Song Yan’s cheeks were adorably puffed.

It was such a tableau—a “family of three” by the river—that brought another Imperial Soul cultivator into the world, the image forever etched in Zhou Junhao’s mind.

“If you hadn’t appeared here, who knows, perhaps even after another two centuries, I would have remained stuck at my bottleneck. This is a debt of great gratitude, and I ought to reward you handsomely, but—”

Zhou Junhao looked embarrassed. “I’ve spent so many years wandering, I seem to have nothing of value left except…”

He rummaged through his storage space for a long while and finally produced only seven beast eggs.