News of everything that happened in the Heavenly Mandate Academy very quickly spread throughout the Nine Realms. The cultivators from various major worlds all knew about this. They never imagined that the forces of the Divine Prefecture would end up having internal conflict first. The cultivators of the other worlds were happy to enjoy the show.

In a courtyard in the Ziwei Segmentum, a group of people appeared. They seemed rather lively.

Ye Futian and Hua Jieyu were among the group, as well as Hua Fengliu and Hua Nianyu. Hua Jieyu had returned safe and sound. The first thing Ye Futian wanted to do was to bring her to meet his master. When Hua Fengliu and Nandou Wenyin saw that Jieyu had finally returned, they felt joy that could not be expressed in words. Smiles covered their faces. Hua Nianyu was also very happy. When she was young, her elder sister and brother-in-law had left, becoming remnants in her memories. Finally, they were reunited.

Yu Sheng was not with them. After the incident in the Heavenly Mandate Academy was over, they had temporarily returned to Ziwei Imperial Palace. Yu Sheng had instead returned to meet with the others in the Devil World. With Yu Sheng's current standing in the Devil World, Ye Futian did not need to worry about him at all. There was a devil overlord protecting him by his side. Moreover, with Yu Sheng's identity, no one dared to touch him.

The Lord of Tianyan City dared to act against Ye Futian, but did he dare to act against Yu Sheng, who might be the heir of the Devil Emperor? If he offended the Devil World, the Devil Emperor might order his armies to attack Tianyan City. When that happened, no matter how powerful Tianyan City was, it would still face the perils of extinction.

After all, only Donghuang the Great was a match for the Devil Emperor.

Hua Jieyu was chatting with Hua Fengliu and Nandou Wenyin about her experiences these past years. She felt an intense sense of guilt towards her parents. It had been so long since the Ordeal of the Holy Palace. Only now had she truly returned to her parents' side.

Aside from their family, there was another woman in the courtyard. This woman had an extraordinary temperament and appeared like a goddess that was beyond this world. She was similarly beautiful like Hua Jieyu, but their temperaments were completely different. Hua Jieyu's beauty was like that of the Jiutian Goddess. She appeared like a true deity. However, this woman appeared otherworldly, like someone from beyond this world. She was flawless and immaculate. People felt a sense of comfort just by looking at her.

At that moment, Hua Fengliu and Nandou Wenyin got up together and came before this woman. They actually bowed down towards her and said, "Thank you, Miss Hua, for protecting Jieyu and preventing her spiritual soul from perishing."

"Both of you need not be so polite with me. All these years, Jieyu and I have become one and are inseparable. I also feel extremely close with both of you. How could I accept such treatment?" said the woman as she lifted the two of them up from their bows. Ye Futian stood quietly to the side and watched. When he saw this scene, he smiled and said, "It should be expected."

It turned out that this woman was Hua Qingqing, one of the four major beauties of the Eastern Barren Territory back in the day. After Hua Jieyu entered Eastern Barren College, she was crowned one of the major beauties too. Hua Qingqing and Hua Jieyu were both famous beauties. Unfortunately, Hua Qingqing was not favored by fate. Her entire family was killed. She was spared from the calamity since her parents sent her to Book Mountain.

Ye Futian also felt emotional when he found out that Hua Qingqing was the one who saved Hua Jieyu in the past. He recalled the scene where he played the Divine Melody on top of the mountain.

"Mom, Dad, what Qingqing said is true. She and I are one. We are of one mind. She knows my thoughts, and I know hers. After I inherited the teachings and proved my Way, I resuscitated Qingqing's flesh. The two of us are like sisters," Hua Jieyu said while beaming. In the past, Hua Qingqing transformed into a spiritual lamp to protect her. Without her protection, Hua Jieyu would have long perished, and it would have been impossible for her to defeat Brahma's Pure Sky Empress.

Hua Fengliu had an idea when he heard Hua Jieyu's words. He knew that Hua Qingqing was not favored by luck and had suffered from many misfortunes. As he looked at her ethereal beauty, compassion overflowed in his heart. He said, "Miss Qingqing, may Wenyin and I have the honor of having you as our goddaughter?"

In reality, the cultivation planes of Hua Fengliu and Nandou Wenyin were far lower than that of Hua Qingqing. In the cultivation world, a person's status was usually determined by their plane. Supposedly, Hua Fengliu should not have made such a request. However, Hua Fengliu was not someone who was restrained by rules. He was not interested in fame or power either. Moreover, Hua Fengliu was very close to Ye Futian, who was both his disciple and his son-in-law. Therefore, he did not feel inferior to them, and he did not consider his own cultivation plane when he made the request. He had this idea merely because he took pity on Hua Qingqing, not to mention she was of one mind with Hua Jieyu, and the two of them had shared a body before.

His words caused Hua Qingqing's heart to quiver. She raised her head and looked at Hua Fengliu with her crystal clear eyes. She beamed and said, "The honor is mine. I'm more than happy to have such a blessing."

Hua Jieyu and Ye Futian grinned when they heard this. In that case, they were considered a family now. Hua Jieyu and Hua Qingqing were sisters; Hua Qingqing also had a home from now on.

At this moment, a voice rang in Hua Qingqing's mind - her journey in this world was still unfinished.

...

In Empty Imperial Palace in the Central Emperor Realm of the Original Realm.

In the palace, divine light circulated and was extremely dazzling. The daughter of Donghuang the Great was staying here for now.

Princess Donghuang, as well as the cultivators from Donghuang Imperial Palace, had made this place their base.

Right then, outside the palace, a group of cultivators had come from the Divine Prefecture. They requested an audience with Princess Donghuang.

Someone outside of the Empty Imperial Palace announced their arrival, and Princess Donghuang received the other party.

Within the palace, before an ancient temple, Princess Donghuang stood at the top of a flight of stairs. When she saw the cultivators from the Divine Prefecture, she asked, "Seniors, what business do you have with me to have come all the way here?"

"Princess, we have come to deliver an urgent report," a cultivator from the Divine Prefecture answered loudly as they bowed slightly towards Princess Donghuang.

"Please make your report," she said.

"It is regarding Ye Futian," someone said as he then glanced in other directions. Princess Donghuang swept a glance around them. Immediately, a person behind her glowed with brilliant divine light. He sealed off the space and separated it from the outside world. Clearly, she understood the other party's intention from their gaze.

"Will this do?" continued Princess Donghuang.

One of the cultivators who came reported, "Princess, we have previously investigated Ye Futian's background. He is from the Nine States—a mortal realm from the Lower Worlds. The Great Emperor had passed through there before. According to our investigation, Ye Futian should be from an island in the East Sea known as the city of Qingzhou. The place is isolated from the rest of the world and later on even disappeared. The entire island has vanished, as though it was wiped off the map by someone overnight."

"What are you trying to say?" Princess Donghuang inquired further.

"I have heard that Princess has also ventured to the city of Qingzhou before. There is the last statue of a certain someone there, and you have previously led a group over there to investigate."

Princess Donghuang looked at the other party with a sharp gaze. She asked, "You are well-informed. What does this have to do with Ye Futian?"

The person bowed and continued, "Princess, Ye Futian has exceptional talent that is peerless in this generation. Even the monstrous figures of the Ancient God Clan had a difficult time against him. How could such a prominent figure not come from a special background? Moreover, his brother and good friend, Yu Sheng, actually received personal guidance from the Devil Emperor. Yu Sheng clearly has ties with the Devil World, and his identity is also certain to be extraordinary. Their birthplace is coincidentally the place where that person's statue stands. Moreover, regarding Ye Futian's surname, is it the one he was born with, or was he given the surname 'Ye'?"