Chapter 2627

The purified souls had revealed the truth, providing irrefutable evidence. The weight of their testimony made the case undeniable.

"For the sake of an old tree, to disregard human life… such a person is unworthy of cultivation," the Immortal Emperor declared, his judgment final.

With those words, the cultivator’s future was sealed. No matter his innate talent or diligence, it no longer mattered. The Immortal Emperor refused to see such a person ascend, and thus, the Heavenly Dao would not permit it.

"Let us proceed in this direction," the Immortal Emperor said slowly. Since they were here, the matter must be resolved properly.

Yan Aohan gathered the souls into the Earth Book. He would only return them to the Underworld for reincarnation after finding the culprit and settling the account.

Noticing the Immortal Emperor’s subdued mood—though his expression remained unchanged—Yan Aohan, knowing him well as an old friend, suggested, "Shall we play a game of chess?"

She handed Mianmian to Zhu Yanyi and began setting up the pieces.

Zhu Yanyi did not hold Mianmian tightly. Instead, she spread a large carpet inside the flying vessel and placed Mianmian on it, letting her play freely. She also placed Qiao’er on the carpet. Although An Qiao’er could not yet sit up, she could occasionally roll over. The spacious area allowed her to practice.

Ding Chengpei stood nearby, helping to look after the two little girls.

Seeing this scene, the Immortal Emperor remarked casually, "You are truly happy."

Yan Aohan placed a piece and replied, "Everyone is happy. You are happy too."

The Immortal Emperor did not deny it. "I do feel happy. But seeing others cause trouble… in my past nature, I would have simply destroyed them. Now, I cannot destroy them so freely, which leaves me unsettled."

Yan Aohan smiled. "You say that without blushing? Think about it. You are the Immortal Emperor. How many matters rest in your hands? How many require your handling?

"Previously, you dealt with mortal affairs. Though those were good deeds benefiting all beings, they are different from now.

"It is like earning money. When one first earns six hundred, they are satisfied with a little more. At eight hundred, life seems good. At a thousand, one feels happy. At two or three thousand, one feels content. But years later, when the monthly income reaches twenty or thirty thousand, one feels it is too little. One wishes for a hundred thousand, and then a million.

"This shows that as one’s height increases, one’s vision expands. It is a simple truth. I need not explain it to you."

The Immortal Emperor placed a piece, his face calm. "I know this道理 (truth). But lately, my heart is easily stirred by innocence."

Yan Aohan raised an eyebrow, looking at him. "I think you are just bored."

Indeed, if anyone else felt unsettled, it might be due to manipulation. But for the Immortal Emperor, it was likely just boredom.

The Immortal Emperor did not agree. He pondered briefly, calculated something, and said, "I am not bored. A realm is indeed in trouble. Look for yourself."

Yan Aohan flipped his hand, and the Earth Book appeared. A realm was indeed in distress. "Evil cultivators?"

"Not evil cultivators themselves, but the trouble caused by a seed they planted. It takes time for this seed to sprout. But once it does, this realm will face a catastrophe," the Immortal Emperor said, frowning slightly. He could not intervene directly, as each realm had its own operational system.

"Then plant an Immortal Seed there," Yan Aohan suggested with a smile, understanding the Emperor’s dilemma.

"Although the spiritual energy here is not abundant, it is far more than in the mortal world I once lived in. Give the Immortal Seed some resources to grow. Thus, the evil seed will have no chance to act. Let the righteous and evil contend."

The Immortal Emperor looked at Yan Aohan and laughed. "That works. Since you say so, I will drop an Immortal Seed there."

She tapped her finger, and a golden star was sent down.

With this matter handled, the Immortal Emperor only needed to occasionally monitor the realm.

The group flew on their cloud vessel for about ten days. They arrived at a place called Tianpu City.

"I calculated that the location is here. Let us go in and see," the Immortal Emperor said.

The others had no objections. Zhu Yanyi placed Mianmian and Qiao’er into her Ruyi Space. The three adults, along with the child Ding Chengpei, disembarked and entered Tianpu City.

Although this area was in the west, there were many cultivators. Due to the region, their attire had an exotic flair.

However, many cultivators dressed similarly to Zhu Yanyi’s group.

"This city is quite lively," Zhu Yanyi observed, looking around. The trade and economy here seemed to be developing rapidly.

The Immortal Emperor nodded. "This area is closer to the Western Buddhist Cultivation Realm, so development is faster. The exotic style is also because it is near the Western Buddhist Realm."

Although the Cultivation Realm and the Buddhist Cultivation Realm were different planes, traveling between them required only a transmission array. Here, there was an array that led directly to the Buddhist Realm.

No one knew who set it up, but this array only allowed travel between the Cultivation Realm and the Buddhist Realm. It could not go elsewhere.

Because of this array, the area had a strong Western exotic color. This style mainly reflected habits close to the Buddhist side, and many items sold here came from the Buddhist Realm.

It was similar to border smuggling, except this border was between the Cultivation and Buddhist realms.

Seeing the items, Zhu Yanyi said, "This reminds me of when we visited the Tibetan area in the mortal world. The streets there also sold Buddhist items."

"However, the Buddhist items bought in the mortal world were mostly fake. Here, the items sold have some effect, though the degree varies," Yan Aohan smiled.