The Nine Immortals Gathered, Awaiting the Immortal's Return; The Jade Throne's Tea Fragrance, Awaiting News of Victory

The sea of clouds lay like wisps of silk, winding around the peak of Nine Immortals Mountain.

Upon a jade platform paved with white jade, twelve jade seats stood in a row. Beside them hung radiant immortal silk ribbons that swayed gently in the wind, stirring waves of refreshing spiritual energy.

The Golden Immortals sat steadily upon their jade seats, immortal light flickering around them. As they drank tea and spoke in low voices, their gazes occasionally turned toward the sea of clouds below the mountain, awaiting Juliusun's return with his disciples.

"Who would have thought that a mere mortal cultivator, Zhao Cheng, could force us into this position—even making Senior Brother Juliusun personally descend the mountain to retrieve people."

Chijingzi held a jade cup, lightly rubbing its rim with his fingertips, his tone full of bewilderment. "Just where did this Zhao Cheng come from? Cultivating in the mortal world, with neither supreme resources nor an orthodox inheritance, yet he managed to suppress the third-generation elite disciples of our Chan Sect all by himself. It truly defies reason."

"Exactly."

Daoist Cihang formed hand seals, her brows slightly furrowed. "Yin Jiao and the others were all reincarnated and rebuilt their cultivation. Their foundations are even firmer than in their previous lives, and they carried a supreme treasure such as the Heaven-Overturning Seal, yet they still could not defeat him. There must be something deeply strange about this man."

Master Lingbao's gaze was grave. "Stranger still, when we attempted to deduce his origins, the heavenly secrets were a complete chaos. Even his karmic threads were filled with variables, as though something had obscured them. We simply cannot trace them to their source."

"No matter."

Jade Cauldron True Person set down his jade cup, his tone composed. "Senior Brother Juliusun has gone in