"The seal of the Forbidden Tower has been broken."
Wu Xiang's words struck like thunder, initially stunning Zhuo Qiong. She continued, "Many of the demons imprisoned within have escaped, including the Demon Lord of Dong Yuan. My daughter attempted to reseal them, but as she was drawing the seals, Chen Yuan attacked Jiuchongtian and gravely injured my daughter's immortal companion. Her soul scattered into the Nine Netherworlds, forcing my daughter, out of desperation, to descend."
Zhuo Qiong hadn't expected the seal of the Forbidden Tower to be broken. Her immediate concern was the state of the Three Realms. Wu Xiang explained, "My daughter has killed most of the escaped demons. Some fled to the Demon Realm, which is now stable, so they shouldn't pose a significant threat. As for Chen Yuan, my daughter heavily wounded him before coming here, and he won't be able to retaliate for quite some time. You needn't worry, Mother."
Zhuo Qiong pondered for a moment, then asked, "What about Rong Jin? Is she injured?"
Wu Xiang's eyes flickered as she replied, "She sustained some injuries, but they are not serious."
Hearing that it wasn't serious, Zhuo Qiong didn't dwell on it.
"You mentioned your immortal companion just now, what is that about?" If they were to calculate based on the ages of the gods in the Divine Realm, this young girl should still be a toothless baby. How could she already have an immortal companion?
"She is from the Divine Realm. My daughter has known her since she arrived there and has spent over a thousand years with her. She deeply cherishes her. Not long ago, my daughter sent you a wedding invitation, hoping you and Father would officiate our union in the Divine Realm. Unexpectedly, this incident occurred. She was gravely injured by Chen Yuan while protecting my daughter, her soul falling into the Nine Netherworlds. My daughter could only come to find her."
Zhuo Qiong didn't detect anything amiss and instead felt a pang of sympathy for the young girl she hadn't seen in a long time. If only she had visited occasionally.
However, the seal on the Forbidden Tower had held for ten thousand years without issue. How could it have suddenly been broken? Zhuo Qiong was the person who knew the situation of the Forbidden Tower on the Divine Peak best. The seal she herself had set was not something that could be easily broken. There must be other hidden reasons behind this.
"The one you were protecting earlier, was that her?"
"Yes." Wu Xiang feigned a pitiable expression. "Her soul is incomplete, so her mind is not entirely clear. She cannot pay respects to you and Father with me. Please forgive her, Mother."
"Alright, alright. There's plenty of time in the future. When can't I see her?" Zhuo Qiong appeared unconcerned, dismissing the matter from her mind.
"I have no objections to you coming to the Three Thousand Worlds. I will return to the Forbidden Tower when I have the time to check on it. However, do not forget your responsibilities as a Divine Venerate and your divine compassion. These cases recently, they were all your doing, weren't they? Killing is permissible, but why soil your own hands?"
Wu Xiang immediately adopted a pitiable demeanor. "The people I killed were all heinous criminals. They were the ones who harbored ill intentions towards me first. Mother, why..."
"I am not faulting you for killing," Zhuo Qiong stated. "But you are a deity. Such wanton killing offers you no benefit. How much merit do you have on your person? Can you afford to squander it like this?"
Wu Xiang fell silent. She indeed did not possess much merit.
"The heavens and earth have their laws. If they dare to commit evil, you should use their sins to let them bear the consequences. This is not the Three Realms. If you use your spiritual energy to kill indiscriminately, it will be detected by the Heavenly Dao. At best, you will be expelled from here. At worst, you will be directly obliterated. Have you considered the consequences?"
"...Daughter knows her mistake."
In truth, Zhuo Qiong sometimes dared to confront the Heavenly Dao head-on with her sword because she possessed immense merit, which the Heavenly Dao dared not easily obliterate, nor could it. Wu Xiang, however, was still a naive young girl, full of spiritual energy but lacking much merit. If she were to clash with the Heavenly Dao, it would be a direct confrontation, leading to mutual destruction.
Seeing that her lesson had sunk in, Zhuo Qiong didn't say much more. "It is good that you understand. You will stay here for now. If you desire merit, you must learn to make choices. Know that killing ten thousand for one is evil, and killing one for ten thousand can also be evil. If you cannot bear the consequences of evil deeds, then do not commit them."
"Yes."
Wu Xiang didn't quite understand this statement. If she were to compare one person to ten thousand, she would definitely choose the latter. But if she were to compare Rong Jin to ten thousand, she would choose the former.
As Zhuo Qiong was about to leave, Wu Xiang called out from behind, "Mother, then if you were to compare ten thousand to Father?"
Zhuo Qiong paused, then replied, "If those ten thousand are evil and your father is good, I will save them and let them bear the consequences of their evil deeds. As for your father, I will save him at all costs. If I cannot, regardless of life or death, we will be united."
"If they are good and your father is evil, I will save them all the more. Your father is my person. If he has done wrong, I will bear the consequences." Although she lacked those memories, Yao Zhu had said that after Chong Yan arrived in the Divine Realm, he became her attendant. Zhuo Qiong knew her own character; she must have known what kind of person Chong Yan was at that time, yet she still kept him by her side. As for whether the young man had malicious intentions later, or if she had insufficient discipline, that was another matter.
Wu Xiang understood the first part but was again confused by the latter. Zhuo Qiong did not offer further explanation and pushed the door open to leave.
The small courtyard now housed two more people. The three women currently residing there were all young and beautiful Earth Kuns. Gradually, unpleasant rumors began to circulate, such as how the esteemed Sixth Master Li, who had abstained from carnal pleasures for thirty years, was now extraordinary after his first indulgence, reveling in nightly bliss with the three women... This enraged Wu Xiang, making her want to sew their mouths shut.
Zhuo Qiong paid little attention, while Li Shuang Jin was busy resolving the issues her new, adopted daughter had created. Yes, Sixth Master Li now had a daughter. Adopted. And a daughter-in-law. Both were Earth Kuns, and the other was a naive little fool. It was utter chaos. Wu Xiang was quite certain she would differentiate into a Heaven Qians in the future, and coupled with her stubborn and unruly nature, Li Shuang Jin, her supposed father, couldn't control her at all and had no choice but to let her be.
While this family was happily enjoying their time together, Li Xiaoxian, who had been pushed out to work by his father, got injured. Li Xiaoxian knew that not long ago, his father had entrusted his Sixth Uncle with a task: to meet with a arms dealer from the West and attempt to forge a cooperative relationship. At that time, he had other assignments, but after he finished them, the Western arms dealer was stranded at sea due to a typhoon and had only arrived recently, delaying the matter until now. He had been busy with cases during this period and was injured while handling one. Now, the task had naturally fallen to him. Li Xiaoxian didn't mind. The best partner in Haicheng was the Li family, and the Westerners wouldn't bring a ship full of weapons only to take them back. Thus, he was full of confidence. The business deal was concluded without incident, and he even managed to reduce the price by ten percent due to the other party's delay. As he was leaving, he was attacked. If not for the reflection from the Westerner's glasses, Li Xiaoxian would likely have been shot in the head. The moment he sensed it, he dodged, but he was still hit in the right arm. The person beside him immediately returned fire, taking out the sniper's position with a single shot. However, when they pursued, they couldn't find anyone. "Young Marshal, there's no one upstairs!"