The sudden turn of events almost gave Xing Mou whiplash. She’d thought she, along with the irreverent heretics who dared challenge the Monster God, would be torn apart in an agonizing death. But now, they’d been cordially invited to his palace!

Tidewatcher City sat by the ocean and was one of the biggest cities on the outskirts of Levitating Island. Spanning a hundred kilometers, it rivaled Dusk City in size. Miao’s palace happened to be located in this city.

Being a golden immortal made her a formidable player on the fringes of the island, and her mastery of illusions only amplified her authority. The other overlords in the area were reluctant to make an enemy out of someone who could ensnare their senses.

By now, Miao was back in the form of the beautiful man Lu Yun had met in the burial mound. Silver eyes were framed by silver locks, and both carried by unrivaled grace—this was the Monster God that locals were familiar with.

“Big sister Mo Yi brought me here,” Miao said with resignation. “She said the island is special, that it used to be a sacred land of the monster spirits, so it will help with my recovery.”

“Is that why you’re able to transform now?” Lu Yun and Qing Han couldn’t believe their eyes.

Aoxue, Beigong Yu, and Xing Mou had been taken somewhere else in the palace to rest, leaving only Miao with the two of them.

“It’s not that magical.” Given her current form, Miao had opted for a deeply resonant, androgynous voice. If Lu Yun and Qing Han hadn’t seen her true form before, they never would’ve believed that the beautiful man before them was actually a little girl around nine years old.

“Three months ago, big sister came and gave me her dao fruit and its cultivation. That brought my cultivation to the golden immortal realm, and that’s why I can transform into human form.”

Mo Yi had been a dao immortal before she’d severed her own cultivation and fallen back to the august immortal realm. Despite crippling her strength, she still possessed her dao fruit. With the path of cultivation restored, she’d made up her mind to retrace the journey of immortality. She thus severed her own cultivation again and gave the little fox her dao fruit and the cultivation embodied within.

Lu Yun and Qing Han were struck speechless by the recounting. Mo Yi… sure was unforgiving on herself. Thus far, she’d severed her own cultivation a couple times, and had now even given away her own dao fruit. That took courage that many other immortals didn’t possess. It was extremely perilous to destroy one’s cultivation, and Beigong Yu had almost died when he’d done so.

“Big sister Mo Yi said that there’s a great secret hidden on this island. The tomb of the ancient ancestor of the monster spirits? If I can find it, I may be able to recover my full power and be myself again!”

Miao reverted into her true form of a furry, nine-tailed fox cub, and clung to Lu Yun’s neck like a koala, nagging in a soft voice. She’d already died once, leaving her with no memory or cultivation. The tomb of the monster spirits’ ancestor might help her recover her true self.

“Help me help me help me! You have to help me! I know you’re strong. A little tomb won’t be a problem for you!”

Lu Yun scratched his nose while Qing Han turned away. The imposing and serious-looking monster spirit god from moments ago had suddenly turned into a coquettish fox and was acting cute.

“Alright, I’ll help you.” Lu Yun laughed wryly. “But I have other things to attend to first. I have to go to the capital city of the North Sea court.”

“Oh?” The fox clambered to the top of Lu Yun’s head. “That’s easy! I’m a marquis of the court. I can take you to the capital! Eh? Wait, that’s not right!” Miao leapt off his head. “What are you doing in the North Sea? The Dao Flower’s bloom attracted a great deal of attention and enhanced Dusk Province’s prestige. You should’ve stayed there to further develop your territory....” She batted round, baby-blue eyes. “Did you come here to raid a tomb?”

“Good guess,” Lu Yun admitted with some surprise.

The fox shook her furry head. “The legendary ancient skydragon tomb is about to open, which is located in the seas around the capital. You can’t be going there for anything else.”

“What?” Lu Yun turned to Qing Han with a grave expression. “The tomb is opening?”

“Hehehe, you’ve only just arrived, haven’t you? The news has reached all parts of the North Sea. Immortals from all around the world have gathered here to search for the tomb. They say you’re coming here in search of the tomb as well, so the North Sea monster spirits have set up many traps in preparation,” she continued proudly, “You’ll need me if you want to enter the capital!”

Her ears suddenly twitched. With a flash of bewitching sparkles, she morphed back into the inhumanly handsome and urbane gentleman.

“Your Holiness, Marquis Kun requests an audience!” A cultivator in black armor rushed in.

“Marquis Kun? What’s he doing here?” Miao’s faint silver eyebrows furrowed as she waved a dismissive hand. “I see, you may go.”

“Understood!” The cultivator hurriedly took his leave.

“Marquis Kun?” Lu Yun asked. “Are there other kunpengs in the North Sea?”

Beigong Yu had been the only one in the world of immortals, and he was now Lu Yun’s Infernum. It quite surprised Lu Yun to hear about a Marquis Kun.

“He’s just a shark who luckily stumbled upon some kunpeng energy and absorbed it.” Miao was so masterful in illusions that her expression was vividly reflected on her manifested self.

“I’ve got it!” The fox jumped in realization. “The shark is in cahoots with House Donglin. The little girl you brought here is a pet the house has been shepherding. That’s why he’s here.”

“Xing Mou?” Qing Han asked in bafflement. “Shepherded by... House Donglin?”

“Her cosmic constitution is awakening!” said Miao. “It was dormant back when House Donglin found her on this island. They killed her master and set her loose so her constitution would gradually awaken.

“Their Donglin Taihuang cultivates the cosmic method. He needs to copulate with a woman that has a cosmic constitution. However, the Qing patriarch keeps failing to produce a daughter, so Xing Mou is an easy solution.”

Miao had only been here for a year, but she’d collected a lot of critical information about the players on the island. It was how she was able to avoid trouble and establish herself as the Monster God with her own forces.

“No wonder....” Now Qing Han understood why she was so fond of Xing Mou. They shared the same constitution.

Although Xing Mou knew a unique disguising method, it wasn’t enough to fool high-level immortals. She’d only managed to survive on this island because of House Donglin, who killed everyone that dared think about laying a finger on her. They couldn’t stay put after the girl was brought to Miao’s palace, and therefore sent Marquis Kun to bring her back.

The awakening of the cosmic constitution was a unique process that no one could force. The constitution must be allowed to come into fruition on its own, and employing outside force might destroy it.

House Donglin had studied the subject for thousands of years, and knew how to identify someone with the cosmic constitution and guide its awakening. They considered the process not unlike keeping an animal free range. Thus, they called it star-shepherding.

……

“Monster God, this marquis has paid you a visit. I’d appreciate a meeting in person!” a brusque voice rasped through the palace and shook the architecture.

“Why don’t we return Xing Mou to House Donglin?” Miao shrank inward. “Marquis Kun is more influential and powerful than I am, and I can’t make an enemy out of him. Moreover, if House Donglin makes a move and discovers your identities...”

“No!” Qing Han shot her down before Lu Yun could speak. “I won’t let them have Xing Mou no matter what!”

There was no one who hated House Donglin more than Qing Han; she hated them down to the very core of her being. They were why she’d never been able to be herself since birth. Even now, she didn’t dare tell Lu Yun the truth. Though she knew that she’d be free once Xing Mou’s cosmic constitution awakened, she still didn’t want House Donglin to get what they wanted.

“Ugly thing, you’re still ugly even though you’ve become prettier!” Miao gave him a sideways glance. “You haven’t fallen in love with the little girl, have you? Listen, she’s a bad omen who’ll bring misfortune to everyone around her.”

“Bad omen?” Qing Han’s lips twitched. “What a coincidence, I’m a bad omen as well.”

Miao paused and lowered her head. “Your damn accursed spirit root.”

Bam!

The entire palace creaked and groaned.

“Monster God, you flamboyant sissy! Get your ass out here!” Running out of patience, Marquis Kun rained some blows down on the palace.

“Damned shark, do you think this holy one is a pushover?!” Miao was growing anxious. She’d only been here for a year, and her foundation was far inferior to that of the shark marquis. Besides, Marquis Kun was an arcane immortal. Her illusions could fool golden immortals, but not an arcane immortal.

“You dare call yourself Marquis Kun just because you’ve absorbed some kunpeng energy, you little shark?!” roared a furious voice. In the next moment, an enormous avian claw descended from the sky and closed around the shark, interrupting his taunting.

“A peerless immortal!” Despair flashed through Marquis Kun’s face as he stared at the giant claw. Peerless immortals were at the top of the pecking order here and should be found only at the heart of the island. Why would one come to Tidewatcher City? Moreover, there was a familiar power in the peerless immortal’s claw, which tore apart the strand of kunpeng energy in his body.