The illusion shattered.

 

The false brilliance of the Heavenly Palace vanished in an instant, leaving only the dark night of the mortal world before them.

 

“Cough—”

 

After coughing up a mouthful of blood, Luan Ling realized she was the first to wake. She was still inside the palace—she had never actually left.

 

She glanced at Si Zhuo and Cen Yingyu beside her. Forming a hand seal, she scanned her surroundings and decided to help Cen Yingyu first.

 

Si Zhuo was currently using her body. Against an illusion like this, there was no way he would be taken down so easily.

 

But Cen Yingyu was a cultivator who had only entered the path halfway. It was safer to check on her.

 

Yet the moment Luan Ling stepped into Cen Yingyu’s illusion, she fell into an indescribable silence.

 

Why—someone please tell her why—a giant fish-headed monster was chasing Cen Yingyu around?!

 

Cen Yingyu, for her part, offered no commentary on the situation. She was busy throwing techniques at the monster, though they were about as effective as pouring water into a broken cup.

 

Just as Luan Ling was about to step in, Cen Yingyu suddenly stopped. Standing still, she calmly recited a spell.

 

In the next instant, the enormous fish-headed monster transformed into a crying man, wailing on the beach:

 

“Give me back my innocence! Give me back my innocence!”

 

Luan Ling: “……”

 

This was too cursed.

 

Compared to this, her own illusion suddenly seemed downright normal.

 

Forget it. Watching the fish-thing sob was giving her a headache. Before Cen Yingyu entered another illusion, Luan Ling simply set it on fire.

 

Once the flames burned out, Luan Ling opened her eyes—

 

And saw the fish head again.

 

“…Damn it,” she muttered. “I just got out of one illusion. Don’t tell me this thing infected my brain?”

 

She froze.

 

“It didn’t infect your brain,” a voice said coolly. “It infected my eyes.”

 

Si Zhuo kicked away the fish-headed creature kneeling in front of Luan Ling. The thing shrieked and immediately began crying again.

 

“Boss, that’s not fair! I just helped you out back in your illusion!”

 

“Without you, I would’ve gotten out two minutes earlier,” Si Zhuo replied flatly.

 

The fish head wasn’t offended at all.

 

“Well, you woke up the moment you saw me, didn’t you? Hehe.”

 

Being scolded only made it happier. It had finally rejoined the plot and reunited with its boss. All in all, it was a great day.

 

For the other three, however, it absolutely was not.

 

After sunrise, the sinister entities hiding in the abandoned palace retreated once more. The fish head walked ahead cheerfully, while the remaining three trudged along in exhaustion.

 

“Those damn things,” Si Zhuo growled. “One day I’m going back and tearing them all apart.”

 

“Not yet,” Luan Ling said calmly. “Now isn’t the right time.”

 

She analyzed the situation carefully. “You saw it too. We forced our way in last night and it looked smooth on the surface, but in reality, those monsters are slippery as hell. By daylight, we didn’t even find their nest. We were basically just training dummies.”

 

Cen Yingyu glanced around and said, “You should follow the palace maids to where I’m staying for now. Morning court should be over. I need to report some things to His Majesty.”

 

“Oh—one more thing,” Luan Ling added before she left. “You mustn’t tell the emperor everything about these evil entities. Cultivators who interfere too deeply with mortal karma risk divine punishment.”

 

Seeing Luan Ling’s serious expression, Cen Yingyu nodded solemnly and turned away.

 

---

 

Inside the palace, Luan Ling and the others began discussing how to seal the demons.

 

“I’ve already reported this to the Heavenly Court,” Luan Ling said, pacing back and forth with her hands on her hips. “But there’s still no response. What are they even doing up there?”

 

“Heaven’s efficiency has always been terrible,” Si Zhuo said coolly, standing with his arms crossed. “You live up there—you wouldn’t understand mortal suffering.”

 

“Oh please,” Luan Ling shot back. “You don’t exactly come down to the mortal realm either. A dragon clan prince who lives in luxury and burns down the Heavenly Court at the slightest provocation has no right to complain about efficiency.”

 

Si Zhuo snorted. “That’s debatable.”

 

“Boss—uh—” the fish head hesitated.

 

“Luan Ling,” she corrected.

 

“Right. Luan Ling, Divine Lord,” the fish head said earnestly. “This really isn’t the time to argue. Our priority is dealing with the evil entities in that palace—and turning me back to normal.”

 

Luan Ling sighed. “We all understand that. But right now, we’re suppressed by the restrictions of the mortal realm. Last night looked easy, but in truth, we were all trapped in illusions. On our own, it won’t be enough.”

 

“What if we find more people?” the fish head suggested.

 

Luan Ling pointed upward. “Isn’t that still going through official channels?”

 

“No,” the fish head shook its head. “I mean… mortals.”

 

“Mortals can’t interfere casually,” Si Zhuo said. “And if this becomes public, we’ll attract frauds. Where do we find people with real skill?”

 

“What about Luan Yu?” Luan Ling suggested. “He’s mortal now, but he can still form seals and set arrays, right?”

 

“That alone won’t be enough,” Si Zhuo said.

 

Their gazes suddenly met.

 

“…That female heretic!”

 

The fish head blinked. “What female heretic? Didn’t she go to see the emperor? I’m still waiting for her to turn me back!”

 

Luan Ling clicked her tongue. Explaining this would take far too long.

 

After all, the fish head’s first love had become a heretic—and the heretic had become its first love.

 

“You’re not going,” Luan Ling said firmly. “With how you look, we’d have to waste energy creating disguises for you. Stay in the palace.”

 

“What?!” the fish head cried in horror. “You’re leaving me alone with that demon woman?!”

 

Before Luan Ling could respond, Si Zhuo sneered. “At worst she’ll turn you into another species. It’s not like she’ll eat you.”

 

“Boss! She will eat me! I already—”
The fish head’s dead eyes somehow turned shy.

 

Si Zhuo shook his head, speechless, and walked away.

 

“Relax,” Luan Ling reassured it. “She doesn’t have tastes that extreme. If you get eaten, it’ll probably only be because the imperial kitchen is short on ingredients.”

 

Before it could protest further, Si Zhuo summoned a chair with a gesture and forcibly pressed it down.

 

“Behave. If you want to go home sooner, stay put.”

 

Reluctantly, the fish head nodded. “Then be careful. Some places in the palace are really… wrong.”

 

“Got it, Your Highness,” Luan Ling replied casually, closing the door behind her.

 

---

 

On the way to where the female heretic was being held, Luan Ling glanced at Si Zhuo.

 

“I’m actually curious,” she said. “What did you see in your illusion? I can’t imagine anything terrifying enough to scare someone like you.”

 

Si Zhuo’s expression flickered for a split second, then smoothed over.
“Nothing interesting. I dealt with it instantly.”

 

Luan Ling laughed. “You’re just stubborn.”

 

He snorted but didn’t take the bait.

 

Luan Ling stopped pressing and instead began thinking aloud. “Alright… how do we interrogate that heretic…”

 

“If you don’t talk, I’ll kill you.”

 

Si Zhuo pressed a dagger against the woman’s throat, his voice cold and vicious.

 

Luan Ling: “……”

 

She rushed forward. “What are you doing?! At least try questioning her first!”

 

Si Zhuo shrugged, dropped the dagger, and the blade clattered to the floor.

 

At that moment, the heretic finally spoke:

 

“Go… into the city… Qinglü Tea House… where cultivators gather…”

 

Luan Ling studied her expression. Her gaze was unfocused—this technique was familiar.

 

Oh no.

 

The next second—

 

Thud.

 

Si Zhuo collapsed.

 

Extracting memories without assistance was extremely taxing. Luan Ling turned slowly, listening to the heretic mutter in confusion as she woke, and sighed.

 

Great. Cleanup duty again.

 

---

 

After resting for a long while, the two fragile immortals finally recovered enough to head toward the tea house.

 

“You bastard,” Luan Ling snapped. “You don’t care because it’s not your body, huh?”

 

She almost punched him, then stopped herself—only for Si Zhuo to step forward deliberately, pushing into her fist.

 

“I don’t care about my hand,” he said smugly.

 

She really wanted to hit him now.

 

Since she couldn’t strike his face, shoulders, or legs, she did the only thing she could—

 

She grabbed him and hammered her own back with her fists, hard enough to “realign bones.”

 

Si Zhuo nearly threw up.

 

Then—

 

The carriage curtain lifted.

 

A woman stared at them in silence, then lowered the curtain.

 

Three seconds later, she lifted it again.

 

Luan Ling was still holding herself in a chokehold.

 

Si Zhuo said calmly, “That’s Luan Yu—reincarnated as a mortal woman.”

 

Luan Ling and Luan Yu screamed at the same time.

 

---

 

Not long after, the three sat around a square table.

 

Luan Ling studied Luan Yu, who looked dusty and worn. There was barely any trace of his old self left—life had clearly smoothed down his sharp edges.

 

“How did you find us?” she asked.

 

Luan Yu ignored her and glared at Si Zhuo. “I saw you in the carriage.”

 

“You saw me and still came over?” Si Zhuo raised a hand. “Looking to get punched?”

 

Luan Yu swallowed but forced himself to speak. “This is all your fault! If you wanted to fight, couldn’t you do it in the heavens? Now you’re a mortal too!”

 

Luan Ling muttered, “He’s actually doing better than you. You reincarnated. He exploited a loophole and just descended.”

 

“What?!” Luan Yu gasped. “There’s more than one tribulation path?!”

 

Luan Ling rubbed her temples. “You’re illiterate.”

 

After everything was finally explained, Luan Ling cut to the point.

 

“There’s a fast way home. Are you in?”

 

Luan Yu hesitated, glancing at Si Zhuo.

 

Si Zhuo smiled maliciously. “Simple. Enter the palace, earn the emperor’s favor. The Son of Heaven has dragon qi—get his affection, cultivate faster, ascend.”

 

Luan Ling stared in disbelief.

 

And then—Luan Yu nodded.

 

She nearly lost it.

 

“That’s nonsense!” she snapped. “There’s a major demon in the palace. Either Heaven sends reinforcements or we handle it and let Heaven record it. That’s how we go home. What dragon qi? What favor? He’s a dragon—what are you?”

 

Si Zhuo tilted his head. “A god.”

 

Luan Ling: “……”

 

Luan Yu didn’t fully understand—but one thing was clear.

 

To go home,
he had to enter the palace.