“Princess, at that time… you were already this tall,” said one of the celestial soldiers from the far end of the Heavenly Gate.

Luan Ling raised an eyebrow, suspicious. “Even if my memories from back then aren’t very clear, this is way too short—it barely reaches the ankles! Even untransformed spirits wouldn’t be this ridiculous!”

Another celestial soldier chuckled. “Exaggeration, just exaggeration.”

Luan Ling hadn’t expected the two soldiers stationed at the most distant point to be so cheerful. She had assumed, like most she’d encountered before, that they would exude an intimidating aura. Surprisingly, those stationed in the most dangerous spot seemed carefree.

“You may not know,” one soldier said, “but we both graduated top of our class, which is why we were chosen to guard the most important gate of the Heavens.”

Luan Ling thought for a moment. “But you two look far too happy. It’s not the same vibe as the others.”

The other soldier said, “Because back then… we really did kill demons.”

As he spoke, a sudden aura of demonic energy leaked from him, and his tone shifted completely. “Princess, do you still remember us?”

Luan Ling’s expression changed, but the other soldier immediately struck the demonic-energy-emitting one with a few light slaps. “You scared her—scared the Princess.”

The soldier smiled at her, gathering the swirling demonic energy in his hands. “This is our signature technique. Only a few celestial soldiers can control it. Using this demon-guided detector, no matter where demonic energy spreads in the Heavens, we can locate it instantly.”

“With this, situations like the past won’t happen again.”

Luan Ling nodded thoughtfully.

As they spoke, three figures suddenly descended from the sky. The familiar combination made Luan Ling instinctively look up—and immediately, a sense of foreboding washed over her.

It was none other than Xiao Yu Fairy, Wei Sheng Shenjun, and Ji Yun Fairy—this dreaded trio.

She exchanged a glance with the celestial soldiers. Both had already gone on high alert. After all, at the Heavenly Frontier, one had to guard not only against outsiders but sometimes against their own kind. And while outsiders’ tactics could be anticipated logically, the thought processes of celestial beings were often unfathomable. A moment’s distraction could result in catastrophic acts, like threatening the entire Heavens out of emotional impulse.

Indeed, seeing the man and two fairies wiping tears, the celestial soldiers’ expressions became complicated. Luan Ling was debating whether to intervene when one soldier shook his head at her.

“I don’t think they’ll fight,” he said.

“Not necessarily,” the other countered. “Last time, someone who seemed calm turned around and just jumped off.”

“Ah?” Luan Ling was curious. “That can happen while seeming calm? I thought emotional disputes always ended in drama. Can they really stay polite?”

She imagined a scenario: a fairy scolding the Shenjun, “You heartless man! I hate you!” The Shenjun replies: “Oh, okay,” and the fairy calmly accepts it… then jumps.

How could that be? It felt utterly strange.

The soldier explained, “Some celestial beings, when ascending, choose to suppress their mortal senses. But they can’t reach the transcendence of those in Penglai, so their words often contradict their feelings. I think it’s just incomplete cultivation. We’re not marquee deities with altars in the mortal realm. If we have emotions, so be it. But if they can’t handle their love lives at their age, that’s unbecoming of their divine status.”

Luan Ling chuckled. “You all seem to be learning quite a lot just from observing.”

She had thought she was the only one in the Heavens quietly watching these bizarre emotional entanglements.

The left soldier replied, “Of course. If a celestial being is missing from the Heavenly Frontier, we get held accountable. Last time, when someone jumped without warning, we were punished too.”

“Exactly,” said the right soldier. “We were truly unlucky. First, we couldn’t stop the one who jumped, got scolded by the late-arriving Shenjun, then by our superiors. Then, the one who jumped somehow returned, and we were warned again by a randomly appearing Shenjun. How can guarding a gate be this complicated? Honestly, I’d rather run into demons than deal with this.”

“Ah…”

Luan Ling sympathized, though she couldn’t do much. She was still a deity, protected by divine laws for minor gods, but these things still affected her.

“Hopefully, they’ll speak calmly and act less impulsively. These Shenjun and fairies know plenty of magic, yet none is used to manage their emotions. Instead…” The soldier paused. Suddenly, he vanished.

At the moment Xiao Yu Fairy was about to fall from the Heavenly Frontier, a boost returned her safely. The soldier sternly warned them:

“Heavenly Frontier—no playing or horseplay. Severe violations will be reported directly to the Queen of Heaven.”

He logged their identities and instantly returned to his post. “We shouldn’t have to intervene in these trivial matters. Last time, a simple trace spell could’ve resolved a misunderstanding, but they argued so much we had to step in.”

Luan Ling sympathized but her gaze already shifted to the three recently warned. She sensed something was off with Xiao Yu Fairy.

Just as Wei Sheng Shenjun and Ji Yun Fairy were about to leave, Xiao Yu Fairy departed in a daze. Luan Ling told the celestial soldiers, “I need to check on her. Excuse me.”

Before she could act, Xiao Yu Fairy had vanished entirely. Fortunately, Luan Ling still had the purple jade flower Xiao Yu Fairy had left behind. Using the spirit on the flower, she traced it and found Xiao Yu Fairy standing at another section of the Heavenly Frontier.

Sensing Luan Ling’s approach, she slowly turned. Her expression was no longer innocent and sorrowful, but slightly eerie, a subtle smile curling her lips.

Luan Ling accepted immediately that Xiao Yu Fairy had been possessed, so she didn’t approach recklessly. She activated her divine senses, targeting the nearest deity.

Although she wasn’t powerless, one-on-one combat without broadcasting a warning was risky.

Quietly, she asked the possessed Xiao Yu Fairy, “Who are you? Why are you occupying Xiao Yu Fairy’s body?”

“Occupying?”

Sure enough, the voice shifted from innocent to cold and sinister. Luan Ling was momentarily speechless, grateful that the possession was obvious; otherwise, she would’ve wasted time tracking clues.

“How do you know whether I’m occupying her, or she’s occupying me?”

The figure smiled deeply. “Perhaps I’m always meant to be this way. She only survived in this frail, pitiful form because of an injury.”

Luan Ling detected the faint lingering demonic aura under Xiao Yu Fairy’s spirit. Alarm bells rang. “You’re a demon!”

Xiao Yu raised a finger, her smile cold. “Deities send spies to the Demon Realm, so why would demons neglect reciprocity? Little godling, you’re clever, but how do you know the closest deity isn’t really a deity?”

Luan Ling tensed. She was no longer a child easily struck down by demonic energy, and she quickly realized Xiao Yu had no intention of attacking her.

“If you don’t follow, you might suffer less. But it’s fine—I won’t harm you. You helped me; our kind is grateful. Unlike some deities who can’t even recognize their benefactors, little godling, don’t meddle in adult matters. Just watch the sunset here.”

Luan Ling felt a strange force binding her in place. Xiao Yu Fairy smiled and vanished.

She had hoped to gather more information while Xiao Yu awakened, but the demon’s plan was faster. The residual demonic energy had alerted the celestial soldiers, so she had to act quickly.

This was pure demonic energy—far stronger than anything she had encountered in the mortal realm. It clashed tangibly with divine energy in her vicinity, forcing her to disperse it manually.

Xiao Yu had also immobilized her, using the purple jade flower as a lure. The demon realm’s knowledge of the Heavens surpassed Luan Ling’s imagination. She needed to alert the Celestial Court immediately.

Concentrating, she spread her divine senses throughout the Heavens.

Xiao Yu Fairy is a demon, Xiao Yu Fairy is a demon, Xiao Yu Fairy is a demon…

Repeating this, she quickly received the first signal.

It was from the Queen of Heaven. Not surprising—her divine senses were among the strongest. She had detected Luan Ling’s presence but didn’t respond immediately. There was something more urgent.

Then another signal occupied her divine senses.

“Where are you?”

The voice of Si Zhuo resonated in her mind.

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