What happened in the Heavenly Court had drawn the attention of quite a few great powers throughout the Primordial World.
With Grand Supreme Elder Laozi and the many celestial gods leaving, word of the Heavenly Court's affairs spread at once.
The Jade Emperor was no longer the Jade Emperor everyone thought he was.
The Heavenly Court was no longer the Heavenly Court everyone thought it was.
He had gone head-to-head with the Grand Pure Saint, the Western Teachings, and all the celestial gods. Did the Jade Emperor really have that kind of ability?
But how was the Jade Emperor going to wrap this matter up?
Countless great powers in the Primordial World were watching.
There was another matter from this incident that became even more widely known among ordinary cultivators: Taibai Jinxing had slapped Great Master Guanyin. The story spread in an almost mythical fashion.
Every version of the tale praised Taibai Jinxing to the skies.
Other than the Jade Emperor, Taibai Jinxing was unmatched in the spotlight for a time, his fame soaring.
Who would have thought that the kindly old man who usually seemed so amiable could be so badass, so wild, cool, arrogant, and overbearing?
Recently, Taibai Jinxing had been walking around with his nose in the air.
"Why is this Heavenly Court acting like the Demon Race's Heavenly Court during the Witch-Demon Calamity? So domineering?"
Some great powers muttered to themselves.
"Hmph. Jade Emperor, I will settle this debt with you!" Tathagata Buddha was furious.
As for the Jade Emperor, he hummed a little tune as he took Yang Jian to the mortal realm, heading straight for his father, Zhang Yifan.
"Uncle, do I look all right today? Is this formal enough?"
"Uncle, is my grandfather strict? Is there anything I should watch out for?"
"Uncle..."
"Stop!"
Along the way, Yang Jian acted like a nervous little kid, asking one question after another. He had completely lost the imposing bearing he usually had as a celestial god, leaving the Jade Emperor both amused and helpless.
"You're not going on a blind date. Why are you overthinking this? You're just meeting your own grandfather. What are you so nervous about?" the Jade Emperor reassured him.
Yang Jian scratched his head and smiled.
How could he not be nervous?
After hearing the Jade Emperor's brief introduction of Zhang Yifan along the way, Yang Jian had been both shocked and afraid.
He was shocked by his grandfather's strength, but he was also afraid that if he said something wrong and upset his grandfather, what if his grandfather simply killed him?
He knew that supreme experts often had all sorts of strange tempers.
"All right, we're here."
The Jade Emperor brought Yang Jian to a small farmhouse courtyard.
"This is it? Why does it look so ordinary?"
Yang Jian eyed the small courtyard suspiciously. Wasn't this just an ordinary courtyard where common farming folk lived?
"Yeah, why does it look so ordinary?"
A voice suddenly sounded from beside them.
"Hm?"
The Jade Emperor was startled and abruptly turned his head. At some point, a handsome young man with sword-like brows and bright eyes had appeared beside him.
When Yang Jian saw the man suddenly reveal himself, he too became alert as if facing a great enemy, every hair on his body standing on end.
When had this young man appeared?
Why had they not noticed him at all?
The handsome young man looked at the Jade Emperor and smiled faintly. "Who would have thought that the little attendant from back then would be doing so well now? You've stirred the Heavenly Court into such a storm."
"I was wondering who it was. So it's Saint Tongtian." The Jade Emperor's expression turned a little cold. Sect Master Tongtian had actually followed him!
"Saint Tongtian." Yang Jian cupped his hands toward Tongtian. A Saint still deserved respect.
"Don't make it sound so unpleasant by calling it stalking. I merely happened to pass by," Sect Master Tongtian said, spreading his hands. He lied without so much as blinking.
"Hmph. Saint Tongtian disappeared for over a hundred thousand years after the Investiture of the Gods Calamity. What a coincidence that you just happened to pass by now."
The Jade Emperor showed him no courtesy at all.
His greatest trump card had been discovered just like that. How could he not be angry?
It also reminded the Jade Emperor that he would have to come here more discreetly in the future. Then even more discreetly than that.
Sect Master Tongtian wore a faint smile and did not respond. Instead, he looked toward the farmhouse courtyard.
The courtyard looked plain and simple, yet his divine sense could not detect its existence at all.
Even when he tried to calculate the heavenly secrets, he could not divine anything about this place!
That meant this little farmhouse courtyard was anything but ordinary. Not ordinary in the slightest.
"Since we're here, aren't we going in?" Sect Master Tongtian asked the Jade Emperor.
"Yang Jian, let's go." The Jade Emperor's expression was indifferent as he led Yang Jian into the courtyard.
Tongtian smiled, then followed them inside as well.
Boom!
The moment Sect Master Tongtian stepped into the courtyard, his body shook violently. His eyes flashed with light, and his face was filled with horror.
What was going on?
Where had his cultivation gone?
Where had his strength gone?
Why could he not sense any of it at all?
Even his connection to the Heavenly Dao had been completely severed.
That was impossible!
Sect Master Tongtian cried out inwardly. How could a Heavenly Dao Saint possibly lose contact with the Heavenly Dao?
Even Dao Ancestor Hongjun probably could not accomplish such a thing!
Sect Master Tongtian's heart churned like stormy seas. His expression shifted uncertainly as he considered whether he should retreat immediately.
Meanwhile, the Jade Emperor had already pulled the equally shocked Yang Jian to the middle of the courtyard.
"Forget it. Since I'm here, I might as well stay," Sect Master Tongtian muttered before quickly following them.
Even Sect Master Tongtian was this shaken, so there was no need to mention Yang Jian. He had long since been scared stiff inside.
Seeing the looks on Sect Master Tongtian and Yang Jian's faces, the Jade Emperor secretly felt delighted.
He had been exactly like this when he first entered. Now that even a Saint looked like this, what was there left for him to fear?
"Dad, your son is back!"
The Jade Emperor shouted toward the inner room.
Huh?!
Tongtian was utterly dumbfounded.
Dad? The Jade Emperor called this reclusive supreme expert Dad?
When had he gotten a father?
"I'm weeding in the backyard!" Zhang Yifan's voice came from behind the house.
The Jade Emperor then led Yang Jian toward the backyard, with Sect Master Tongtian following as well.
The backyard contained an orchard and a vegetable garden.
"Those are Peaches of Immortality? Those are Yellow Middle Plums?"
From afar, the Jade Emperor looked at the orchard and was deeply shaken. He had lived here for so long but had never come to the backyard. There were actually Peaches of Immortality here? And the highest-grade kind at that?
Even innate spiritual roots like Yellow Middle Plums were here?
This backyard was practically a treasure vault.
Sect Master Tongtian was equally shocked, but what he saw was the soil.
The soil resembled Nine Heavens Breathing Soil, yet it did not. It seemed even more advanced than Nine Heavens Breathing Soil.
"Chaos Breathing Soil?" Sect Master Tongtian murmured uncertainly.
"Chaos Breathing Soil?" The Jade Emperor had heard Sect Master Tongtian's quiet mutter and was equally stunned.
The Jade Emperor did not know what Chaos Breathing Soil was, but he knew of Nine Heavens Breathing Soil. Since this had "Chaos" attached to it, it had to be unbelievably superior.
"Why did you suddenly remember to visit your father today?" Zhang Yifan stopped weeding when he saw his son return.
"Dad, listen to yourself. When have I ever forgotten to visit you?" The Jade Emperor completely changed his demeanor. He was no longer the imposing Jade Emperor of Lingxiao Palace, but a filial son.
"And these two are?" Zhang Yifan saw the two additional young men and casually asked.
"Dad, let me introduce them. This is Yang Sanlang, the son of my sworn sister. That makes him my nephew and your grandson. Just call him Little Yang."
The Jade Emperor hurriedly pulled Yang Jian over and introduced him to Zhang Yifan.
"Oh, hahaha, not bad, kid. You even have a sworn sister." Zhang Yifan teased the Jade Emperor, then looked at Yang Jian. "This grandson is quite handsome. Very good. Strong and sturdy too."
"Hello, Grandpa. Thank you for the compliment, Grandpa. You're the truly wise and mighty one!" Yang Jian's words were as sweet as honey.
"You know how to talk, hahaha. At noon, I'll let you try Grandpa's cooking." Zhang Yifan liked this handsome young man very much. He looked spirited and sharp-minded.
"Thank you, Grandpa. If you need help with anything, just tell me." Yang Jian patted his chest.
"Just help Grandpa weed a little later." Zhang Yifan smiled, then looked at Sect Master Tongtian. "And this is?"
Hearing that, Sect Master Tongtian straightened his back slightly, waiting for the Jade Emperor's grand introduction.
The Jade Emperor glanced at Sect Master Tongtian and introduced him, "Dad, this is the son of my sworn brother Pan Shiko. His name is Pan Santong. He's my grandnephew, which makes him your great-grandson. Just call him Little Tong or Little Tongtong."
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Huh???
Sect Master Tongtian was stunned, frozen, and utterly dumbfounded.
The son of your sworn brother? Pan Shiko? Pangu? Your grandnephew? Your father's great-grandson?
Little Tong? Little Tongtong?
As a dignified Heavenly Dao Saint, he had expected the Jade Emperor to introduce him in a grand fashion. Instead, this was completely insane, utterly ridiculous!
It felt worse than eating shit!
"You little brat are really something. You went out wandering for twenty years, and not only did you bring me a grandson, you also brought me a great-grandson. It's just that this Little Tongtong seems a little..." Zhang Yifan said as he looked at Sect Master Tongtian standing there in a daze. He pointed at his own head, silently asking the Jade Emperor whether the boy had suffered some kind of brain injury. Why did he seem so slow-witted? He could not compare to Yang Jian at all.
Smack!
Seeing Sect Master Tongtian still standing there blankly, the Jade Emperor raised his hand and slapped the back of his head.
"What are you spacing out for? Hurry up and call him Grandpa!"
That slap woke Sect Master Tongtian up, but it also enraged him beyond measure.
Seeing Sect Master Tongtian suffer, the Jade Emperor nearly laughed himself to death. Like he was coaxing a child, he said, "Little Tongtong, be good. Hurry up and call him Grandpa~"
Yang Jian could not stop himself from snickering. He secretly gave the Jade Emperor a thumbs-up. The Jade Emperor raised his brows in response, secretly pleased with himself.
Crack, crack, crack! Sect Master Tongtian clenched his fists inside his sleeves until they crackled, his old face flushed crimson.
Calling Zhang Yifan, this mysterious supreme expert, Grandpa was not a problem.
But the crucial point was that once he called Zhang Yifan Grandpa, he would truly become the Jade Emperor's grandnephew!
What the hell!
But if he did not call him Grandpa, this boundless opportunity would likely pass him by forever, never to return.
Seeing Sect Master Tongtian still struggling, Yang Jian walked over and draped an arm around his shoulders. In a comforting tone, he said, "Brother Tong, hurry and call Grandpa. Look, Grandpa is so kind and lovable. Hurry and call him Grandpa. He'll make delicious food for you at noon."
Boom!
What the fuck!
Sect Master Tongtian felt his blood rush straight to his head! His head was about to explode!
What the Jade Emperor had said was already infuriating enough, but what the hell was Yang Jian? He actually dared to put an arm around his shoulders and call him Brother Tong?
What the fuck!
If they had been outside the courtyard, Yang Jian would already have been a pile of ashes!
"Brother Tong, hurry up and call him~" Yang Jian sneered inwardly, though his face remained beaming.
Seeing this, the Jade Emperor laughed wildly inside. The smile on his face was nearly impossible to suppress, so he could only secretly pinch his thigh hard to keep from laughing out loud.
But inwardly, the Jade Emperor was already laughing himself silly!
Brother Tong! What a wonderful Brother Tong!
Hahahahahaha!
Well done, Yang Jian!
As expected of my good nephew!
The Jade Emperor secretly gave Yang Jian another thumbs-up, and Yang Jian smiled as he blinked back at him.
This uncle-nephew pair was unbelievable. They were making such little gestures right under Tongtian's nose. Were they really going to give him any chance to live?
Zhang Yifan did not see the little exchanges between the Jade Emperor and Yang Jian. He merely waved his hand. "Forget it, forget it. It's Little Tongtong's first time here, so he might be a little nervous. Once he gets familiar with us, he'll be fine."
"If you don't call him Grandpa today, then don't come back in the future."
The Jade Emperor refused to let it go. He insisted on making Sect Master Tongtian speak, even threatening him.
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