Ye Ling, after exiting the Blood Prison, saw Yama and the Heavenly Court's reinforcements arrive belatedly, resolving the poisonous fog and meteor fragments of Mount Buzhou.
With Yama and the celestial deities from the Heavenly Court present, the chaotic order of the Underworld gradually returned to normal, and Ye Ling was no longer needed.
As the Underworld gradually calmed down and Ye Ling had accomplished what he set out to do, he had no intention of concerning himself with whatever had transpired between Yama and the Heavenly Court. He declined Yama's visit, did not greet the other deities, and returned to the Half-Spirit Realm with Ye You and Xu Xiaoqing.
Ye You returned to Mount Shu with Xu Xiaoqing, and incidentally returned the Xuanyuan Sword to Xu Changsheng. Meanwhile, Ye Ling took this opportunity to bring Su Ruoxue back home.
One day in heaven is one year on earth.
Ye Ling had previously planned for Bu Si Gui to attack the Heavenly Court and disrupt the immortal realm, and it would take some time for things to fully develop.
During this period, Ye Ling could finally rest.
After the battle at Mount Shu, Ye Ling strengthened the protection around his loved ones to prevent a repeat of the Shadow Hall kidnapping them.
Following this, Ye Ling peacefully spent some leisurely time with Su Ruoxue and Ye You.
Jiang City, Xishan Manor.
After Ye Ling had previously burned down Xishan Manor, he had also put in great effort to rebuild the manor belonging to the Ye family, entrusting its management to Du Yameng.
The current Xishan Manor was quite elegant and had gained some fame in Jiang City.
There were even rumors in the city that the owner of the manor was a prominent figure from the capital, and many influential people tried to inquire about Ye Ling's identity daily, hoping to establish a connection with him.
However, all these influential figures were firmly rejected by Du Yameng.
One day, in a pavilion by the lake.
Ye Ling sat in the pavilion, sipping hot tea, and watched Ye You dance on the lake.
Outside the manor, heavy snow was falling, but inside the manor, peach blossoms bloomed, and the sun shone brightly, a miraculous sight in the world.
All the employees working within the manor were awestruck by the miraculous scenery, but having signed confidentiality agreements and receiving substantial salaries, none were willing to lose their jobs and dared not leak the wonders within the manor.
Only a select few knew the secrets of this place.
Du Yameng, dressed in a purple dress, entered the pavilion and said to Ye Ling, "Your Majesty, Wang Die wishes to see you."
"Wang Die?"
Upon hearing Du Yameng's words, Ye Ling's eyebrows slightly rose. "Why is that girl coming to see me?"
"Since I finally have this leisure time, tell her I'm not seeing her!"
Ye Ling still had to cause trouble in the immortal realm later, and this period was a rare moment of leisure after his return. He did not want to waste his precious rest time on that girl Wang Die.
As a prophet, Wang Die already knew a lot of information, and if she came to him now, it was bound to be for something troublesome.
After rescuing Ye You and Su Ruoxue, Ye Ling no longer wished to manage any mundane affairs other than those concerning the Shadow Hall and the Void.
Hearing Ye Ling's words, Du Yameng could only smile wryly and say, "Wang Die said it's about the Cloud Palace and the Shadow Hall."
"The Cloud Palace and the Shadow Hall?"
Upon hearing Du Yameng's words, Ye Ling was slightly taken aback. He truly couldn't understand how a mortal superpower like the Cloud Palace could be connected to the Shadow Hall in the immortal realm.
Although the Cloud Palace's influence had grown rapidly after the demise of the Red Dust Pavilion, with Ye Ling's divine weapons suppressing them, no matter how much the Cloud Palace developed, it wouldn't reach the level of the Red Dust Pavilion and pose a threat to the world. Ye Ling had thus stopped paying attention to such matters.
Du Yameng didn't know what Wang Die was referring to, so she continued to relay Wang Die's words: "Wang Die said that the Dragon Department is also involved in this matter."
"The Dragon Department is involved too?" Ye Ling chuckled. "What is all this mess?"
The Dragon Department was China's official organization of extraordinary individuals, the Cloud Palace was an international superpower, and the Shadow Hall was a top organization secretly dominating the immortal realm!
These three forces had no apparent connection, yet Ye Ling managed to hear about all of them in one sentence.
For a moment, Ye Ling became interested and said to Du Yameng, "Interesting, let her in."
"Yes." Du Yameng bowed slightly to Ye Ling and then withdrew from the pavilion.
In fact, the Du family had developed very well, subtly showing signs of challenging the position of Jiang City's top affluent family. However, after Du Yameng discovered that the benefits she gained from being Ye Ling's steward at Xishan Manor far outweighed her efforts in managing the Du family, she dedicated herself entirely to being Ye Ling's steward.
And the Du family, under Ye Ling's care, was subtly developing towards the capital.
After all, the Dragon Department and the Azure Flame Army were top official organizations in China, and Ye Ling's prestige within both organizations had reached unprecedented heights. If the high-ranking officials of these two forces merely opened their mouths slightly, Du Yameng, as Ye Ling's steward, would find her family's development receiving a clear path, making countless affluent families in Jiang City envious!
Ye You stopped her sword dance, leaped onto the pavilion across the water, then picked up the teapot on the table and drank from it. After quenching her thirst, she asked Ye Ling, "Brother, is something the matter?"
Looking at Ye You's carefree demeanor, Ye Ling couldn't help but shake his head and smile. He then said, "Wang Die wants to talk to me about something. It shouldn't be a big deal."
"By the way, weren't you supposed to teach Feng Ke cultivation today? Why are you still here?"
"That's right! I almost forgot about my disciple!" Ye You patted her forehead and immediately soared into the air. "Brother, I'm going back to Xueyin Valley. I won't be back for dinner!"
Ye Ling watched Ye You's retreating figure as she broke through the air and couldn't help but mutter, "When did this girl become like this? So wild and carefree..."
Not long after Ye You left, Wang Die walked to the outside of the pavilion alone, cupped her hands in a deep bow to Ye Ling, and respectfully said, "Your Majesty, it has been some time, and you seem even more leisurely."
Ye Ling looked at Wang Die and smiled, "I think your boldness has grown. There are few people in the immortal realm who dare to speak to me like this."
"Your Majesty is kind," Wang Die smiled at Ye Ling, then took out an invitation from her pocket and handed it to Ye Ling with both hands. "It's Marquis Wu Zhuge Feng's hundredth birthday. I would like to invite Your Majesty to attend."
"Zhuge Feng's hundredth birthday?" Ye Ling took the invitation from Wang Die. "If you hadn't mentioned it, I would have almost forgotten about it."
Previously, when Ye Ling went to investigate the Cloud Palace branch, he had encountered the riddles specifically set up by Wang Die. He remembered that those top-secret files were stored within the Zhuge family.
At that time, Ye Ling had planned to visit the Zhuge family, but now that Xiao You had been rescued and the Red Dust Pavilion had been destroyed, Wang Die's files were no longer that important, and Ye Ling had forgotten about it.
Wang Die said, "I know Your Majesty likely looks down on the Marquis Wu Sect, and you no longer need the files I placed there."
"But I implore Your Majesty to accompany me to the Marquis Wu Sect."
"Why?" Ye Ling asked Wang Die. "Your parents both died because of the Marquis Wu Sect. You should hate them, shouldn't you? Why would you go to Zhuge Feng's birthday banquet?"
Wang Die took a deep breath, looked directly into Ye Ling's deep eyes, and said earnestly, "If I say... that the Shadow Hall will make a move at Zhuge Feng's banquet, would Your Majesty believe me?"
Ye Ling raised his eyebrows slightly. "You mean the Shadow Hall has its sights set on the Marquis Wu Sect?"
"No..."
Wang Die shook her head. "They..."
"Are targeting Yan Hua."