The Secret

Zhang Xuezhou felt that the Jade Emperor was extremely powerful.

Building a grand formation in the Immortal Court is nothing special; the real skill lies in excavating one's own secret chamber while building such a formation.

This is no different from Zhang Xuezhou building a tomb for himself in Maoling; few supervisors throughout history have done such a thing.

It was something no ordinary person could accomplish, yet the Jade Emperor did it in full view of everyone, while also avoiding the attention of the Three Pure Ones Heavenly Venerables. That's the Jade Emperor's skill.

Zhang Xuezhou was quite wary of meeting the Jade Emperor, since knowing his secrets was not a good thing. If used well, they could restrain each other; if used poorly, they could lead to murder and silencing.

If he could turn back time, Zhang Xuezhou would rather lose the centennial event, since he didn't gain much advantage from it and almost all of it benefited others.

"Technique Method transmission techniques can't lock him down!"

The Jade Emperor's voice kept reverberating in his ears, but Zhang Xuezhou really didn't have the ability to send the voice back.

Even with Zhang Xuezhou's Technique Method, he was unable to pinpoint the Jade Emperor's location.

He knew the sound was coming from the Pixiang Hall, but Zhang Xuezhou couldn't pinpoint the source and transmit the sound back.

Ren Anran's surname was asked, so Zhang Xuezhou knew without a doubt that the Jade Emperor had already figured out a lot of things.

"Heavenly Venerable, I'm going to the Fragrant Pavilion now. I'll go with you to the Purple Cloud Palace to listen to the Human Sect Hongjun next time!"

Zhang Xuezhou had no choice but to take the lead in using a false pretense. After Celestial Venerable Yuanshi responded in the Jade Void Palace, he nodded to the rushing Antarctic before swaying as he walked towards the Pixiang Hall of the Lingxiao side hall.

"Interesting," the Jade Emperor said in a surprised voice, "Are you being so cautious because you're afraid I'll kill you?"

Everyone has both good and evil sides in their heart. If Zhang Xuezhou didn't find a powerful backer in advance, how could he know which side he was facing?

Zhang Xuezhou did not respond, nor was he capable of doing so.

"Even after retiring to the Hall of Fragrant Breeze, you're still managing affairs in the Immortal Court?"

Zhang Xuezhou only called out when they were close to the gate of the Pixiang Hall.

"We haven't seen any friends from the human world for a long time. They came simply because they were eager to see us. Don't you think that makes sense?"

The Jade Emperor was not angered by Zhang Xuezhou's disparaging remarks, but calmly and slowly gave his instructions. However, his words made Zhang Xuezhou's heart tighten.

He sent Rong Tianding and the others to the Immortal Court hoping to gain some benefits. For example, Ren Anran could use the Jade Void Palace as a shield to make connections everywhere, and Rong Tianding would have the opportunity to participate in the Ten Thousand Immortals Assembly to obtain the Immortality Elixir. Little did he expect that the Jade Emperor, who had previously vowed to retire, would be so troublesome.

"Your reasoning is certainly sound. What do I need to give in order to exchange them?"

Zhang Xuezhou stood at the entrance of the Pixiang Hall, carrying the jade ruyi, and looked around, his eyes occasionally glancing towards the Tushuai Palace.

"Actually, you can come in and talk. I haven't seen you in a long time and I can't understand why a meritorious official has become a wanted criminal," the Jade Emperor said amiably. "I'm not some Taotie beast. Are you afraid I'll eat you?"

"I just don't really like dealing with emperors!"

Zhang Xuezhou finally stepped towards the entrance of the Pixiang Hall. A white mist Shengteng behind him, and in the blink of an eye, he was trapped in the Great Heavenly Evolution Boundless Array.

What happened to you?

Behind Zhang Xuezhou was a vast expanse of white mist, while in front of him was a clear and distinct view. The Jade Emperor was sitting under a cassia tree, drinking wine.

Before the Jade Emperor could even fully appreciate his tipsy state after taking a sip of wine, he nearly spat it out the moment he saw Zhang Xuezhou.

"Do I look that bad?" Zhang Xuezhou asked, touching his face.

"I originally thought that your great victory at the centennial celebration would make you arrogant and cause trouble, thus offending the Haotian. But now it seems that you won't cause any trouble at all," the Jade Emperor said.

"Even the Emperor has a Achilles' heel?" Zhang Xuezhou asked in surprise.

Everyone has a sore spot!

The Jade Emperor ignored Zhang Xuezhou's probing and instead let out a deep breath.

He was the one asking Zhang Xuezhou a question, but in the blink of an eye, it became Zhang Xuezhou asking him a question in return, a kind of questioning that was almost imperceptible.

Without sufficient perception, communicating with Zhang Xuezhou will inevitably lead you astray.

"Tell me, how did you become a wanted criminal by Haotian?" the Jade Emperor asked.

"Because I know one of his secrets," Zhang Xuezhou shrugged.

"So he needed to kill someone to silence them?" the Jade Emperor asked.

"Right!"

"Then why didn't he actually kill you?"

You should ask him that question!

In a brief exchange of questions and answers, the Jade Emperor already knew that Zhang Xuezhou Zhang Xuezhou struck it lucky and witnessed something he shouldn't have.

Just as he did not want Zhang Xuezhou to come to the Immortal Court, nor did he want Zhang Xuezhou to inadvertently reveal his actions, the Kunlun Emperor was in the same situation.

"Would you mind sharing this secret?" the Jade Emperor asked with a smile. "Or would you die if you shared this secret?"

"His situation is different from yours," Zhang Xuezhou said. "Actually, when I stumbled upon it, I shouted at the Emperor and Empress, but no one believed me, and you certainly wouldn't believe me either!"

"Oh?"

The Jade Emperor watched as Zhang Xuezhou kept passing the buck.

Being too smart is not a good thing. He was testing whether Zhang Xuezhou could keep his bottom line regarding secrets, but Zhang Xuezhou quickly distinguished between different matters, even mentioning that no one would believe this secret if it were told, and that it had already been announced.

This means that Zhang Xuezhou's answer would be absurd, yet it might also be a fact that is difficult for people to accept.

Knowing this secret might not be of much use, nor is it worth the Jade Emperor's inquiry, but the Jade Emperor was unwilling to give up until he found out the answer, thus keeping Zhang Xuezhou in suspense. Once he learned the answer, it would be like chewing wax, leaving him feeling extremely uncomfortable.

"How can you be so sure I won't believe you?" the Jade Emperor asked, frowning.

"Because no one will believe it, and you're no exception!" Zhang Xuezhou said.

What if I happen to be that exception?

"Impossible!"

You look down on me?

The Jade Emperor glanced at Zhang Xuezhou.

What he did was very unethical, but the Immortal Court was a power that had accumulated many problems over the years. Even if he had the will to reform, he could not overcome the shackles and constraints brought by the passage of time.

If fresh blood is not introduced, the Immortal Court will inevitably become outdated, rotten, and beyond redemption.

Developing new talent isn't just about empty words; it requires real effort. Otherwise, no matter how strong their individual abilities are, they'll remain isolated and ultimately forgotten in this secret place.

The Jade Emperor did not want to be just like everyone else, nor did he want to be classified as a fool. He remained clear-headed and did not believe that his judgment was the same as others.

"Haotian has been possessed? Are you kidding me?"

But when Zhang Xuezhou began to recount his secret with Haotian, the Jade Emperor pointed at Zhang Xuezhou, feeling that Zhang Xuezhou was just making things up and lying, and that such words wouldn't even fool a three-year-old.

"You see, you're no exception!"

Zhang Xuezhou added that the Jade Emperor felt he must be crazy to believe Zhang Xuezhou's words.

The Three Pure Ones and the Two Emperors are top-tier cultivators in the Three Realms. It is unlikely that any cultivator in the mortal world could defeat them. To be silently possessed would require the return of the Sage Hongjun to the Three Realms.

A cultivator who has already ascended to a higher dimension cannot turn back; it's like a child that can't be put back in after it's been born.

If Hongjun Saint had not returned, then no one could have killed the Emperor, let alone possessed his body.

"You don't happen to know something about cultivators from beyond the realm, and you're trying to use that as a pretext to fob me off by mentioning that Haotian has been possessed by cultivators from beyond the realm?"

After thinking about it for a while, the Jade Emperor changed his perspective again and realized that it was unlikely.

These cultivators have reached the pinnacle of strength, except that their bodies are difficult to transform due to a lack of world origin; their individual strength has almost reached its zenith.

No matter what world they're in, they'd be top-tier.

The Immortal Court has slaughtered countless cultivators from beyond the realm over the past thousand years, and the Jade Emperor finds this impossible.

His name is Donghua!

When Zhang Xuezhou mentioned a name, the Jade Emperor's expression immediately turned solemn.

Because he had indeed heard of that name.