Outside Zhang Yifan's farmhouse courtyard in the mortal realm.
The Jade Emperor and Queen Mother arrived with the Seven Fairies.
Outside the fence gate.
The Jade Emperor instructed his seven daughters, who looked like young girls, "Remember, your grandfather is a hidden great power. He is currently living as a mortal to experience life, so you must not expose him, understand?"
"Understood, Father Emperor."
"Still calling me Father Emperor?"
"Understood, Dad! Hehehehe!"
The Seven Fairies giggled together.
"Good. Come on, let's go in."
As he spoke, the Jade Emperor pushed open the gate to the fenced courtyard and shouted, "Dad, your son is back! I brought your daughter-in-law and granddaughters to see you!"
The Jade Emperor truly acted as though he had returned to his hometown. The moment he entered the courtyard, he strode toward the house.
Meanwhile, the Queen Mother and the Seven Fairies stood frozen on the spot.
What was going on?
Where was their cultivation?
Where was my cultivation?
Why had it disappeared?
Not only were the Seven Fairies utterly stunned, even the Queen Mother was filled with shock.
How could the cultivation of an Early Quasi-Saint simply vanish?
"Grandfather is incredible!" the Seven Fairies could not help exclaiming.
They had long learned from the Queen Mother's vague remarks that this grandfather was extraordinary, but only now, after experiencing it firsthand, did they truly understand just how terrifying he was!
The moment they entered the courtyard, their cultivation had been stripped away, leaving them no different from mortals!
This level of power was simply terrifying!
Perhaps not even Dao Ancestor Hongjun could accomplish such a thing.
"Your son is back?" Zhang Yifan had been walking his bird in the backyard. Hearing his son's voice, he strode over.
"Dad!" The Jade Emperor hurriedly called out when he saw Zhang Yifan, then respectfully bowed.
"Good, good, good."
Zhang Yifan patted the Jade Emperor on the shoulder, but his eyes were not on him at all. Instead, he looked at the Queen Mother and the Seven Fairies as he strode toward them.
"Father, your daughter-in-law greets you." Seeing Zhang Yifan, this great power, the Queen Mother could not help feeling a little excited and flustered. She quickly suppressed it and curtsied in greeting.
"Hello, Grandpa!" The Seven Fairies, who looked like girls of fourteen or fifteen, hurriedly greeted him as well.
"Good, good, good! Hahahaha!" Zhang Yifan was overjoyed. He could not help taking a few extra looks at the Queen Mother, then kept looking over the Seven Fairies.
"Mm, my son has good taste. He married a fine wife! This old Zhang is truly blessed to have seven beautiful granddaughters! Hahahaha!"
Zhang Yifan laughed heartily.
His son had gone out into the world for twenty years. Not only had he survived, but he had also started a family, married a graceful woman, and had seven granddaughters. How could Zhang Yifan not be happy?
There was no greater joy in life than this!
"Grandpa is handsome too!" the Eldest Fairy praised him with a smile.
"Grandpa is old already. Hahahaha!"
"Grandpa isn't old at all. You only look like you're in your forties!"
"Exactly, exactly."
One by one, the Seven Fairies crowded around Zhang Yifan, linking their arms through his and rubbing against him.
"Hahahaha! Good girls, good girls! You truly are my wonderful granddaughters! Tonight, Grandpa will show you what he can do and make you a lavish dinner!" Zhang Yifan laughed merrily at their antics.
"Yay! That's wonderful! Grandpa is the best!"
"I love you, Grandpa! Mwah!"
The Seven Fairies jumped up excitedly, each of them leaning over to kiss Zhang Yifan on the cheek.
A lavish dinner! That meant they could eat their fill!
The Jade Emperor had told them on the way here about the food containing Fragments of Great Dao Laws!
Just eating a meal could allow them to break through!
How could they not be excited?
And there would be enough for all of them!
"Grandpa, what are you holding?" Second Fairy Tianyang asked curiously, trying to curry favor with him.
"Oh, this? Grandpa gets bored sometimes, so I walk a bird in the backyard. It's just a little bird your grandpa keeps." Seeing his granddaughters staring at the birdcage in his hand, Zhang Yifan lifted it for them to see.
"I'll help Grandpa carry the birdcage." Second Fairy Tianyang said.
"Fine. You girls play for now. Grandpa will go cook for you, so wait here!" Zhang Yifan handed the birdcage to Second Fairy Tianyang.
"Okay, Grandpa. You've worked hard! Tonight, your granddaughter will massage your back, hehehe!" Tianyang said with a smile as she accepted the birdcage.
"Good! Hahaha!" Zhang Yifan laughed, rolled up his sleeves, and headed into the kitchen.
In the courtyard.
The Seven Fairies gathered around the birdcage in Second Fairy Tianyang's hands, looking it over from every angle.
"Why is this little bird golden?" the Third Fairy asked curiously.
"Yeah, what a pretty little bird." The Fourth Fairy also leaned in to inspect it like some rare novelty, unable to resist reaching out to poke it.
The little bird in the cage merely looked on coldly without much reaction. It even seemed slightly displeased. Flapping its wings once, it hopped to another spot in the cage.
Seeing Zhang Yifan leave to cook, the Queen Mother smiled as well. This first meeting with her father-in-law could be considered a success.
At the very least, she had not left behind a bad impression.
"What are you looking at? Let Mother have a look." Seeing her daughters chattering around the birdcage, the Queen Mother approached curiously.
"Mother Empress—ah, no, Mother, look at this bird. Its feathers are golden. It's so beautiful," Tianyang exclaimed.
"Mm, it is quite beautiful. Such a bird is rare in the Three Realms." The Queen Mother took a look and could not help praising it.
"Mm? No, that's not right!"
But the next moment, staring at the little golden bird, the Queen Mother was shocked.
"This is... this is a Golden Crow!"
The Queen Mother cried out!
"A Golden Crow?" The Seven Fairies were all stunned.
"Wasn't there only one left in the heavens?"
"That's right, this is a Golden Crow! A Three-legged Golden Crow!"
Gasp!
One by one, the Seven Fairies sucked in a cold breath.
"Grandpa is freaking amazing!"
"Yeah, exactly! I practically worship him!"
"It's true! Other people walk birds, but Grandpa walks Golden Crows! And Three-legged Golden Crows at that! He's too powerful!"
The Seven Fairies exclaimed one after another, their admiration for their grandfather flowing on endlessly like a mighty river.
As they spoke, they leaned even closer, becoming even more eager to poke the little Golden Crow with their fingers.
"Hey, are you girls done yet? Looking is enough. Could you stop poking me?" The Golden Crow in the cage had finally grown annoyed and could not help speaking.
"Ah!"
Hearing the Golden Crow suddenly speak in a man's voice, the Seven Fairies were so frightened that they threw the birdcage away.
Fortunately, the Queen Mother reacted quickly enough to catch it.
"Please do not take offense, Fellow Daoist. My daughters are immature. I hope you will forgive them." The Queen Mother looked at the Golden Crow in the cage.
"You are the master's daughter-in-law, and they are the master's granddaughters. How could I blame them? Being poked simply feels uncomfortable." The Golden Crow in the cage shook his head as he spoke, showing no sign of anger.
"Thank you." The Queen Mother nodded, then asked, "May I ask where you came from? As far as I know, only the one in the heavens remains in the Primordial Era World."
"That's right, only the one in the heavens remains." The Golden Crow in the cage looked up at the sky and sighed. "Tenth Brother must have had a hard life these past years."
"Tenth Brother?" The Queen Mother's heart stirred. "Could it be that you are..."
"You guessed correctly. I am one of the nine who were shot down." The Golden Crow in the cage nodded.
"Then how are you here?" The Queen Mother could not help asking.
"The master keeps us. Not just me—my brothers are here too!" The Golden Crow in the cage gazed reverently toward the house, then looked toward a tree in the courtyard. On one of its branches sat eight golden little birds.
What else could they be if not Golden Crows!
Following the Golden Crow's gaze, the Queen Mother naturally saw the other eight Golden Crows in the courtyard tree!
Gasp!
There were actually nine Golden Crows!
The Queen Mother and the Seven Fairies all sucked in a cold breath.
They all knew what a single Golden Crow represented. Golden Crows controlled the growth of all things in the Three Realms, let alone nine of them.
"Grandpa is unbelievably awesome!"
"I swear, for the rest of my life, I'll be Grandpa's caring little padded jacket!"
"I will be in my next life too!"
The Seven Fairies danced with excitement.
With a grandfather like this, what was there to fear from Father Emperor Jade Emperor or Mother Empress Queen Mother?
Could heavenly laws control them?
Looking at the seven girls, the Queen Mother thought, It's over. These little troublemakers must be plotting something again.
Before you continue