Chapter 3: A Thunderbolt from a Clear Sky Like No Other

If he could, Zhao Lixuan very much wanted to deny that he had any acquaintances in the Mortal Realm.

But who could have guessed that the most renowned and battle-tested demon immortal powerhouse of recent years down below—the one who had risen to fame a decade ago during the Demon Hunting Moon Hunt and now commanded the laws of Liao Yuan Court from Holding Sword Pavilion—

Was none other than Jiang Chen, courtesy name Lin Yuan!

Heh, we meet again, whether we like it or not!!

Zhao Lixuan was dragged into Fu Xi Palace’s grand hall by his two senior brothers and swiftly assigned to the preparatory division for this Demon Hunting Moon Hunt.

Palace Lord Xia Yunjie’s voice rang out clear and commanding through the hall, every word distinct:

“We human immortals and the demon immortals from below may differ in origin, but we are all born of the world’s spiritual energy and stand as equals among the immortals. Yet for thousands of years, conflicts have raged on, and that bloody civil war twenty years ago nearly gave the Demon Clan an opening—delighting enemies and grieving kin!”

“Fortunately, since then, the two clans have set aside their grudges and forged a pact of peace, maintaining harmony for two decades now.”

“But now, demonic energy surges once more from the Misty Crevice Abyss. Fu Xi Palace has sincerely invited our friends from Liao Yuan Court to assist in the Demon Hunting Moon Hunt, to strengthen our alliance and stand together against external foes.”

“Immortals and demons cannot coexist! I urge you all to remember: human immortals and demon immortals must stand united as one, placing the survival of our Immortal Clan and the safety of all beings above all else. In this hunt, we must eradicate the demonic scourge at the smallest cost and ensure every cultivator returns safe and sound.”

“Thus, I hereby decree: All of Fu Xi Palace must watch their words and deeds, treat our demon immortal friends with utmost courtesy, and maintain harmony without neglect! Should any dare to speak recklessly or stir trouble, regardless of status, Fu Xi Palace will punish them severely without mercy!”

“After this assembly, the VIP Roster will be delivered to each Immortal Lord’s residence.”

“Please study it carefully, commit it to memory, and humbly seek guidance from our friends from Liao Yuan Court when the time comes. That’s all—assembly dismissed!”

…

Afterward, Zhao Lixuan floated back to Pear Flower Water Pavilion on unsteady feet.

He sat cross-legged in meditation, pondering just one question—

The Mortal Realm and Unstained Immortal Realm weren’t far if you thought about it, nor close. By his calculations, Lu Ziyuan’s group had already set out, so… at most two days, and they’d arrive.

Two days left…

Could he declare closed-door cultivation right now, immediately?

Or just shave his head, take vows, and become a wandering monk with no fixed abode?

Worst case, fake a cultivation deviation, perish, and reincarnate as a spirit beast Pixiu that only knew how to eat and sleep?

…

As long as he could avoid his old flame, he’d rather not be an immortal!

Of course, these were just wild thoughts. As a member of the preparatory division, where could he hide?

A mountain of tasks came crashing down at once, leaving him no time to breathe. Some handled gifts and meals, others coordinated registrations and receptions, and he ran around putting out fires everywhere—

Only to be unanimously elected as the chief emcee for the celebratory banquet during the Moon Hunt!

The crowd: “This time, we’ll show those bumpkin demon immortals from the Mortal Realm what true elegance and immortal poise look like—what it means to be the face of Fu Xi Palace!”

Zhao Lixuan: …

Though with his current refined grace, he was confident he wouldn’t shame the sect.

But one problem remained—

Back then, he’d put on a full show in front of Jiang Chen: low-IQ ravings, mad obsession, desperate lovesick antics, forceful seizures, and total chaos!!!

And now he had to take the stage as emcee with this sanctimonious air?

Help.

If Jiang Chen saw him now in this “refined and upright” skin, who knew how he’d mock him deep down—the shameless bootlicker from back then, now pretending to be all polished and ascetic?

It was like nailing him to a pillar of shame and whipping the corpse!

Fortunately, after burning through one incense stick’s worth of time, Zhao Lixuan successfully talked himself down—

Things might not be as bad as he imagined.

After all, even an emperor on campaign left the crown prince to mind the realm. With Liao Yuan Court’s leader Lu Ziyuan coming personally, her second-in-command Jiang Chen should naturally stay behind in the Mortal Realm to hold the fort.

Plus, knowing Jiang Chen as he did…

He wouldn’t even need to hide—Jiang Chen would avoid him like the plague! Back then, he’d loathed and despised him to the bone.

…Makes sense.

With that thought, Zhao Lixuan let out a long sigh of relief.

Just then, a light knock sounded at the door. An immortal attendant delivered the exquisitely bound VIP Roster to Pear Flower Water Pavilion.

Zhao Lixuan accepted it silently and slowly untied the red silk cord on the ethereal little booklet.

…

Heaven forbid Jiang Chen’s name be in there.

He flipped it open with the mindset of a man walking to his execution. The first page blazed with: Liao Yuan Court Venerable Lord · Lu Ziyuan.

His fingertip paused slightly, then he turned to the second page: Covenant-Keeping Immortal Venerable · Chu Fusheng.

Zhao Lixuan’s heart suddenly eased—Thank the heavens, second-in-command isn’t on page two. Jiang Chen isn’t coming!

But his joy was premature.

On the third page, in stark black and white, cold and piercing:

Sword-Holding Immortal Venerable · Jiang Chen.

… Any sliver of hope shattered cleanly.

It wasn’t a misranking, either. Though Jiang Chen wielded real power as Liao Yuan Court’s second-in-command, on paper, the administrative Chu Fusheng outranked him by half a grade.

But this format truly let Zhao Lixuan experience a pipe dream turning to sorrow.

Dazed, he kept flipping through the booklet.

…

As Xia Yunjie had said, immortals were all born of heaven and earth’s spiritual energy. The only difference between human immortals and demon immortals was their origins.

Human immortals ascended from mortals through cultivation, while demon immortals awakened sentience from mountains, rivers, plants, birds, and beasts.

Yet once they achieved the Great Dao, there was no superiority between them.

Demon immortals with immortal bodies could cultivate the same immortal arts, comprehend the same heavenly laws, and ascend to the same realms as human immortals. There was no reason for human immortals to look down on them—and over millennia, many demon immortals had even surpassed their human counterparts in cultivation and insight.

Even so, many human immortals still felt inherently superior, despising demon immortals from their bones.

“No matter how high their cultivation, they were just wild foxes a thousand years ago…”

“Nothing but a roadside weed, daring to stand equal with me?”

“Trace this immortal back a millennium, and it’s just a bronze incense burner on some fallen emperor’s desk!”

Finally, a thousand years ago, tensions boiled over.

Immortals had varied temperaments: some loved the purity of the immortal realms, others the smoke and fire of the mortal world. For millennia, human and demon immortals alike could choose freely between upper and lower realms as suited their hearts.

But a millennium ago, human immortals began clumping together to monopolize Unstained Immortal Realm, squeezing out the demon immortals.

From subtle jabs at first, to outright aggression. Then the human immortal emperors brazenly placed restrictions on the Three Realms Stone, forever claiming Unstained Immortal Realm exclusively for human immortals and barring all demon immortals.

Such injustice—how could the demon immortals endure it?

This sparked the first large-scale civil war in Immortal Clan history. For the next millennium, the two clans only allied briefly against Demon Realm invasions; otherwise, it was endless friction and mutual hostility.

That was probably why, even though Fu Xi Palace had proactively sought special passage permits to invite the lower-realm demon immortals for help with the demon hunt, Xia Yunjie still issued triple edicts forbidding any neglect.

Without it, some arrogant human immortals might stir up trouble!

Zhao Lixuan sighed and closed the booklet.

He’d finished reading.

Senior Sister Lu had truly gone all-in, bringing every notable Immortal Lord from Liao Yuan Court—none left behind.

Sigh.

A moment later, he drifted soul-lessly to the water basin, scooped up cold water, and slapped it fiercely onto his face.

Slap slap slap—

Fine.

In immortal life, nine out of ten things don’t go your way. Looking on the bright side, twenty years had passed.

The playboy wastrel from back then had become the steady, refined Immortal Lord Li Xuan.

Jiang Chen was no longer that bullied, destitute youth but the awe-inspiring Sword-Holding Immortal Venerable of a region.

In short, with a thousand sails passing by, everyone had bright futures ahead.

After experiencing the vast world, old grudges and youthful follies should long be cast aside, right?

Moreover.

Even if he’d been the greedy tyrant who seized by force first, Jiang Chen had gotten his revenge personally, one act at a time.

When they parted, both had admitted aloud they were even—”quits.”

If they were quits, what grudges remained?

…

With that, Zhao Lixuan saw the light.

He meditated calmly for another hour until his mind cleared, then picked up the VIP Roster again and read it carefully.

The roster was meticulously detailed, listing not just names and titles of the Mortal Realm Immortal Lords but also their temperaments, quirks, pasts, likes, dislikes, and more in organized reports.

Lu Ziyuan’s entry sprawled over two full pages; Chu Fusheng took a page and a half.

Jiang Chen’s was under a page but precise word for word:

Jiang Chen, Sword-Holding Pavilion Immortal Venerable, true form: butterfly immortal.

Temperament: aloof and cold, speaks little and haltingly. Early years spent begging on the streets; adopted at ten by foster father Luo Yan, joined Xiao Xue Tower at eleven. Initially obscure, later revealed extraordinary talent, topping five consecutive Mortal Realm trials. At twenty, moved to Demon Bright; rumored to have been betrothed to Demon Bright King’s sole daughter, Xue Ying Princess, but returned to Mortal Realm four years later for unknown reasons. Joined Liao Yuan Court thereafter, promoted to Sword-Holding Immortal Venerable for illustrious war merits. Unmarried.

Likes: music (especially flute), sweets, birds.

Dislikes: rabbits, fish.

…

Fu Xi Palace’s intelligence was impressive.

Only one error: Jiang Chen wasn’t born with a stutter. As a begging child, he’d been viciously attacked—throat ruined, tongue cruelly clipped—leaving speech difficult.

But otherwise, the booklet was thorough.

Far better than the scraps he’d gleaned after two years of constant wheedling and coercion!

Like this: he’d only learned from the booklet that Little Ginger—

Bah! The esteemed Mortal Realm Sword-Holding Immortal Venerable Jiang Chen—was a butterfly demon.

Now it was clear: Jiang Chen just ignored him. Anyone else asked, and they knew everything!

…Truly unbearable to recall.

“Li Xuan, back when you were in the Mortal Realm, were you fellow disciples with Sword-Wielding Immortal Lord Jiang Chen?”

“Uh, well…”

Xia Yunjie nodded: “Perfect, then. You’ll be in charge of hosting Immortal Lord Jiang Chen specifically. Prepare early.”

…

Wait, no—who was hosting whom?