Chapter 128: Storming the Gates

The flames burned fiercely, shifting between crimson and white in a rhythmic dance.

Occasionally, a wisp of nameless divine essence would drift out, as if intoxicated, only to be promptly nudged back into the Six-Yuan Bagua Furnace by the flames. It was clear that these flames possessed a certain spirituality, perhaps even a life of their own.

Da Jiuxing, his deep eyes framed by silver hair that partially obscured his face, observed the process patiently for a long time. After a moment of contemplation, he flicked his finger, sending a stream of spiritual light darting into the cauldron.

*Whoosh.*

The spiritual light flowed like a stream, passing through hundreds of star-refining treasures along the way. Although these treasures radiated various powerful and unique auras, they were not its target. It slipped past them all, straight to the bottom of the furnace.

The bottom of the furnace was relatively empty, with few treasures lingering there; most were gathered above, jostling to be scorched by the flames to nurture their vitality.

*Click.*

Out of thin air, an aura emerged from nothingness. It grew rapidly, becoming a brilliant, dazzling source of light that took root at the base of the furnace.

Da Jiuxing beckoned, and the luminous divine essence leaped up, coiling around his arm.

"Eeya..."

The divine essence rubbed affectionately against Da Jiuxing, emitting the pure, clean sound of a child.

"Back then, to ensure Shang'er's safety, I refined a pair of 'creation-from-nothing' auras. It cost me quite a bit of material and delayed my progress, but over these years, you’ve spent so much time in the furnace that your spirituality has grown ever stronger. Is it possible that you might one day shed your gaseous form and take on a physical one?"

Da Jiuxing examined it with a look of puzzlement. This divine essence was truly extraordinary; its spirituality was so high that it had already developed self-awareness—the likes of which he had never seen in his entire life. He knew that among the hundreds of rare divine essences in this Six-Yuan Bagua Furnace, only this one grew in intelligence day by day. When he first refined it, he never expected such a transformation.

"Eeya... eeya..." the luminous essence replied with its childish voice.

"Heh heh heh, this is your own good fortune."

Hearing the tender sound, Da Jiuxing smiled kindly and stroked it. The essence, as if feeling the care, chirped incessantly. Although the sounds were garbled, the meaning was clear: it was happy.

"I once refined a spiritual essence before, but it wasn't as obedient as you. It fled the moment it was born. I wonder if anyone ever caught it later?" Da Jiuxing recalled the past. He remembered it was the first time he had ever refined a top-tier divine essence.

Back then, he was far from experienced. Despite his thorough preparations, something went wrong. Just as he was about to fail, a sudden, massive anomaly occurred, causing the star-refining treasure that was on the verge of collapse to suddenly manifest successfully. Even today, Da Jiuxing felt baffled when he recalled that experience. He had no idea what had become of that runaway essence.

"Enough talk, back into the furnace you go."

Da Jiuxing picked up the luminous essence and sent it back into the furnace. Just as he was about to check on the other essences, a divine thought probed into the space, accompanied by the gentle voice of the Myriad-Yuan Divine Tree.

"Master Sloppy is here," the tree transmitted.

"He's here?"

Da Jiuxing paused. "That drunkard hasn't moved from his spot in three years, has he? Why would he come to the Star-Sky Pagoda? Could it be... is he here to steal my wine again?"

The memory of his treasured Ten-Emperor Wine being stolen last time was still fresh in his mind, and Da Jiuxing's face darkened instantly.

The branches of the Myriad-Yuan Divine Tree swayed, casting dots of divine radiance, as it chuckled. "Master Sloppy has come openly this time. You should go out and see for yourself."

Da Jiuxing’s expression shifted. He stepped out of the space and into the heart of the nine-layered world.

A thick, pungent scent of smoke mixed with an indescribable smell of fermented wine rushed into his nose. Da Jiuxing frowned deeply, and before he could speak, a loud, resonant shout echoed from afar.

"Old Man Da! The harridans from the Yuchu Sect are coming for us—time to run!"

Old Man Sloppy, wielding a yellow bamboo staff and wearing a pair of straw sandals, traveled from the infinite distance of the nine-layered world to the base of the Myriad-Yuan Divine Tree in just two or three steps, leaving behind faint afterimages.

As always, he was dressed in rags, and he was currently picking his nose with complete disregard for his image, with several black, unidentifiable solids stuck to his fingernail. With a flick of his lips, he blew the black specks away like autumn frost, watching them drift carelessly to the ground. Then, without a second thought, he wiped his hand on his clothes.

"You..."

Da Jiuxing had intended to ask what was going on, but upon seeing the old man's perennial, disheveled state, the words died in his throat, and he was left utterly speechless.

"What?"

Old Man Sloppy rolled his eyes at Da Jiuxing. Seeing the clear look of disdain in the other’s eyes, he didn't take offense and simply picked up the wine gourd tied to his bamboo staff, taking two deep gulps.

*Hah.*

Old Man Sloppy smacked his lips in satisfaction, tied the gourd back, and said to Da Jiuxing, "That business from last time was exposed. The Yuchu Sect mistress is on her way here. Heaven knows what kind of storm she’ll kick up. It’s too easy for me to be tracked out there, so I’m hiding here. If things go south, we run together."

"The Yuchu Sect mistress? Who are you talking about?"

Da Jiuxing looked suspicious. He couldn't stand the smell on the old man, so he waved his hand, dispersing the wine fumes and purifying the air.

"Do you even have to ask? Naturally, it's the Yuchu Sect Leader, the one who just manifested her divinity a short while ago," Old Man Sloppy replied.

"What did you say?" Suddenly, Da Jiuxing's eyes widened. He finally remembered the massive disaster Feng Shang had brought upon him.

"The Yuchu Sect has manifested a saint? Does that mean they have a saint-level powerhouse? But I severed the karma of that incident completely—how could they have found out?" Da Jiuxing was both shocked and doubtful.

"Hmph! You'll have to ask your precious grandson about that. He must have had contact with that person; otherwise, with my methods, one could at best trace it back to a vague shadow," Old Man Sloppy said with an air of seasoned superiority.

"Shang'er, he—"

Da Jiuxing was tongue-tied, and a headache began to form.

The Yuchu Sect alone was a nuisance, but given his status and resources, he didn't truly fear them. Even if he were extorted, it wouldn't be the end of the world. The real problem was that it wasn't just the Yuchu Sect!

Over the past two years, Feng Shang had been causing trouble everywhere, provoking so many Immortal Domains and Divine Realms that they were too numerous to count. If this incident were made public, he could already imagine the scene of thousands descending upon Nine-Star City to clamor for retribution...

"Failure to discipline," Da Jiuxing sighed, his brows furrowed. After cleaning up after him so many times, he had finally slipped up once.

"Heh heh, giving you a headache, is it? In my opinion, you should just hand over your precious grandson and let him suffer a bit so he learns his lesson," Old Man Sloppy took another swig of wine, watching Da Jiuxing suffer with a smirk, looking entirely detached from the situation.

*Hmm?*

Da Jiuxing felt as if he had been reminded of something. He suddenly perked up, his eyes gleaming. He pointed at Old Man Sloppy and said with righteous conviction, "Exactly! You are responsible for this!"

"Me... why am I responsible?"

Old Man Sloppy's smile froze, and the two stared at each other in disbelief.