-Changbai Mountains-

In the elusive lakeside residence of the ghost emperor, the latter was currently in a hot spring.

​​

The calm demeanor of the handsome concealed his wickedness and absolute hatred perfectly.

However, beneath this facade, a bubbling pot of emotions simmered and gradually threatened to overflow.

'The Ministry of Water, The Underworld, and The Heavenly Court.'

'The one that rules over the three rules over Qin.'

Such outrageous thought stirred in his head.

The ghost emperor was a man who feared no retribution and had unbound confidence that backed up his ambitions.

Suddenly, a woman listlessly walked into the hot springs.

Her face had hopelessness written all over it.

Once, she was an aspiring and young cultivator, protected by her mother, who ruled over all men and women of Qin.

Her constitution was rather unique and allowed her to quickly reach a prodigious level of proficiency in her Daoist studies.

However, this very same blessing turned out to be a curse.

One inconspicuous evening, a trustworthy heavenly court member that her parents favored offered to take her to a mortal city, that elusive place where the common people went about their life.

She trusted the man, and in her delusional desires, she followed him.

Instead of taking her to the urban sprawl of the mortal world, an unknown assailant assaulted her and managed to make her lose her consciousness with his incredible strength.

When she woke up, she was in the ghost emperor's palace, and she had to accept a new, drastically different lifestyle.

The ghost emperor was a man who exploited her constitution and incredible fertility and refined machines of evil out of their offspring.

For three decades, she bore with this life and hoped that her mother would find her.

Unfortunately, that never happened.

Lately, an unknown man had been rampaging the ghost kings and even managed to vanquish four of them, and this gave her newfound hope.

Though, she had to conceal it.

The ghost emperor was a man who hated hope, and if he saw her garnering a single doubt of his complete dominion, she would suffer for it, as she did when he broke her cultivation base.

"Guidi, four ghost kings have died."

The ghost emperor frowned, but his expression soon eased, and he grimaced instead.

"Send over a transmission for the rest to come back to Manchuria."

"I wanted to advance back into Jade Immortality in more optimal conditions, but it seems I have to speed up my plans."

"Prepare the underground meditation cave."

___________

-Heavenly court, in the clouds over the sacred kingdom-

The Jade Emperor(Yudi) was currently in his abode, eating a simple meal.

The meal looked like a mundane kelp soup, but in reality, the very best culinary experts prepared it, and even a single taste of it would extend the lifespan of a mortal.

Nonetheless, the emperor ate it with a nonchalant expression.

Xiwangmu was opposite of him and was enjoying a cup of tea.

"Yudi?"

"Hmm?"

"Amaterasu of the Shinto islands has sent us a few gifts for the autumn equinox."

Yudi raised his head, and said, "What are they?"

"A sun-jade tea set," Xiwangmu took out a jade tray.

This jade was a variety of white jade that bathed for a century under the divine sunlight of the goddess of the sun, Amaterasu.

Instead of pure white color, it had a delightfully gorgeous gradient of white, beige, and orange.

Yudi examined the tea set, and a smile emerged on his face.

"We should send over something too, let some of the attendants decide."

Xiwangmo nodded, but she suddenly interjected, "Speaking of attendants, I've been stalling for a piece of news to reach your ears, as it seems it won't serve your temperament too much."

"Very few things upset a man of my stature."

"Alright."

"We have received a decree from The Ministry of Waters, and Longwang personally placed the two foreign criminals under his protection for a mont-

*Boom!*

A lightning bolt crashed on the roof of their residence, and the earth-shattering thunder followed soon after.

The Jade Emperor stood up.

"I was wrong, some things can still get under my skin."

"I feel like you should grant them pardon, Yudi," Xiwangmu advised her husband.

The emperor's wrath was never a good thing.

"No criminal shall escape without serving his time!"

Xiwangmu chuckled and asked, "I don't think that is what bothers you, this is more personal, isn't it?"

"You really liked that heavenly courtier, and his death maddened you," She understood her husband very well.

The Jade Emperor stayed silent and left the residence.

___________

Alex, Hermes, Hou Yi, and Zhong Kui all left the Celestial Moat and found their way back to the mainland.

They were very joyful about their overwhelming success in the negotiations, and they now had a month of protection from the heavenly court.

"We still haven't figured out how to find the tablets, however."

Alex and Hermes were still equally clueless, and were simply going to search far and wide, and hope for the best.

However, Hou Yi had an idea.

"We should issue out a search warrant, and promise payment to those who find the rest of the tablets."

Hermes hesitantly nodded, but he replied, "How will we do that?"

"I can ask Nezha, we're on friendly terms and in the mortal world, he has followers all around the land," Hou Yi smiled.

"The fish in this region is really quite pleasant-tasting..." An unfamiliar voice rang out amidst their enthusiastic discussion.

Hou Yi turned around, and when he saw the owner, his face went blank.

Loose yellow robes, an extremely tall stature, and a handsome middle-aged face.

"I wouldn't have believed that Hou Yi would co-operate with criminals," The man chuckled.

"As for Zhong Kui, it's much more understandable considering his superior."

"Alex! Hermes! Immediately escap-" Hou Yi exclaimed.

The two obliged and turned around.

However...

"Not so quick!"

"I can't kill you, nor can I imprison you during this month, but there is something else I can do!"

"Don't think I'm some senile old man!"

The tall man first caught up with Hermes.

A strange, hazy light glowed around his palm, and that same palm made contact with Hermes' shoulders.

"Palm Of The Immortal Tortoise!"

The attack's name was grandiose, but its effects were less so.

Hermes simply disappeared from his position.

Alex listlessly stared at this, but before he could even react, the palm that made Hermes disappear was in front of his face.

Suddenly, his body was sent flying into the air.

Even as Alex tried to slow down his trajectory with his wings, to his horror, he found out that he simply...

Could not!

And thus, his body flew through the air in the opposite direction to Hermes at a speed greater than sound...