GD Ch. 53 Part 1

Chapter 53: What’s Strange?

The young immortal carefully held his tribute, trembling as he placed it in the offering pool. He kept his head down and quickly stepped back, feeling the icy gaze resting upon him.

Sweat covered his forehead. He wasn’t sure if it was because he had neglected his appearance today, making the Divine Venerable glance at him twice.

But so many other immortals had their hair unbound—why did she only look at him? Could it be that she found him unsightly?

This was troublesome. He couldn’t just change his appearance on the spot—doing so would be disrespectful to the Queen Mother of the West. That was absolutely unacceptable.

The young immortal slowly retreated to the back of the crowd, letting the taller immortals in front block him from view. Only when he felt the Divine Venerable’s cold gaze shift away did he finally let out a breath of relief.

He cautiously peeked out but didn’t dare to look directly at her. Even a single extra glance made his eyes ache unbearably.

Yet, just as he poked his head out, the Divine Venerable’s gaze swept toward him again—icy and indifferent, sharp as a blade.

A shiver ran down his spine, and he instinctively shrank back, slowly moving with the crowd toward the offering pool. In his haste, he placed his tribute down as quickly as possible.

As soon as he let go of the box, the Divine Venerable seemed to avert her gaze, no longer fixating on him.

The young immortal found this odd. Unable to resist, he snuck another glance up, only to see that the Divine Venerable had turned to look at the offering pool instead.

Could it be… that she found his tribute lacking?

Scratching his head in frustration, he felt both anxious and confused, unsure of what he had done wrong.

A procession of immortals carrying divine delicacies and celestial wine approached from the white jade corridor, their flowing robes fluttering like a swarm of colorful butterflies.

Then, the celestial music began. The immortals took their seats one after another, raising their cups in a toast to the Queen Mother of the West.

The Queen Mother smiled and nodded, skipping any unnecessary pleasantries. With a simple wave of her hand, she declared, “Let the banquet begin.”

The gathered immortals sat stiffly, as though their mouths had been sealed shut, all wearing forced smiles. In the past, they would have freely offered their congratulations to the Queen Mother. But today, with the Divine Venerable sitting there, her face cold and unyielding, the pressure alone made their hearts tremble.

Though they smiled, they sat as though on pins and needles, eager to finish eating and flee.

Rumor had it that this Divine Venerable had returned from the devil’s domain a century ago, alongside heavenly soldiers. Back then, the Heavenly Realm had waged war to encircle and exterminate the Three Lords of the devils. Yet, something unexpected occurred. Not only was the Devil-Suppressing Tower shattered once more, but several powerful devils managed to escape.

The one responsible for damaging the tower was none other than the phoenix who had fallen into the devil path.

The immortals sighed, lamenting the unpredictability of fate. So many had worn out their soles and broken their knees trying to ascend the celestial ladder, just for a glimpse of the Heavenly Realm. Yet, some were born as immortals—only to fall into the devil path instead.

After that century-old conflict, the Divine Venerable returned to the Heavenly Realm. She had still been in the form of a young girl at the time. Then, she bathed in divine radiance for seven days, breaking through multiple realms in succession.

Purple lightning crackled, thunder roared, and the sky shimmered with ever-changing divine light, blooming in a spectrum of colors as she ascended.

Only when she finally stepped out from the divine radiance and entered the celestial gates did the gathered immortals see her true form.

Tall and graceful, yet cold as ice.

She seemed accustomed to solitude. Even after returning to the Heavenly Palace, no immortal could grow close to her. She was like ancient ice formed in the highest heavens—no warmth could melt her.

Or perhaps, the one who could thaw her… was not here in the heavens at all.

The immortals knew she was an ancient God of Slaying, her divine soul never extinguished. She had foreseen the return of the Devil Lord and thus reforged her body to subdue the devils. It was also known that she had once resided in the Dragon Palace before mysteriously ending up in the devil’s domain, only to later ascend to the heavens. However, no one knew what had transpired in between.

East Sea Monarch avoided the topic altogether, and even the immortals who had brought her back to the Heavenly Realm were puzzled. Thus, no one could say why she had ended up in the devil’s domain or what she had experienced there.

And yet… the Fate Keeper had clearly predicted that two ancient gods would return.

Where was the other one?

No one knew. And no one dared to ask.

***

As the banquet began, Changying neither raised her cup nor touched her food. She simply turned her head slightly and nodded at the Queen Mother of the West.

The Queen Mother was pleased and showed no displeasure at all.

Changying was dressed in black, her long hair jet-black as well. But her eyes gleamed with a brilliant gold—strikingly different from the surrounding immortals. She remained still, gazing at the offering pool with unwavering focus, though no one knew what she was looking at.

Some bold immortals risked the burning pain in their eyes just to get a clear look at her.

The Divine Venerable’s features were undeniably exquisite—slanted eyes, a delicate and refined nose—beauty in its purest form. Yet, her complexion was deathly pale, and her expression was so utterly indifferent that it drained all color from her beauty.

The more distant she seemed, the more the immortals dared not offend her.

Suddenly, an immortal raised a cup and said, “This toast is for the Divine Venerable.”

Only then did Changying shift her gaze, following the voice to its source. She gave a slight nod but did not lift her cup.

The immortal took a sip of his celestial wine, his smile lingering. Though he had not shared a drink with her, he was already satisfied.

This was the first time the immortals had seen her since she had emerged from seclusion after a hundred years. Many had only heard of her before but never laid eyes upon her.

They dared not be disrespectful, but curiosity burned within them. Following the lead of the first speaker, they raised their cups in unison. Afterward, as they conversed with their peers, they couldn’t help but steal glances at her—cautiously, for fear of offending her divine presence.

But the more they looked, the more puzzled they became.

Was there something wrong with the offering pool?

Otherwise, why had the Divine Venerable been staring at it so intently, without moving?

The immortals hastily withdrew their gazes and exchanged glances in hushed silence. No one dared to speak through divine transmission, so they could only communicate with their eyes.

Could it be that your tribute is the problem?

Yours is the problem!

Impossible. I checked mine multiple times!

Then you must have overlooked it!

Nonsense!

Which tribute had the problem? Perhaps only the Divine Venerable herself knew. No matter how much the other immortals speculated, they couldn’t arrive at a definite answer.

The objects in the offering pool were all tributes to the Queen Mother of the West. After the banquet, only she had the right to take them away. Thus, after gazing at the pool for a while, the Divine Venerable calmly withdrew her gaze, picked up the wine cup before her, and pressed it lightly to her lips.

She didn’t take a sip. She had no interest in these fine dishes or celestial brews.

Since returning to the heavens, she had lost interest in everything. She cared for nothing, enjoyed no company, and remained solitary—utterly alone.

***

On the high platform, a group of magpie immortals performed a celebratory dance. Clad in colorful robes, they looked like a vibrant cluster of flowers, truly dazzling.

They had been dancing perfectly fine, yet an inexplicable sensation surged within them, as if something was drawing their gaze toward the offering pool.

Their hearts pounded, their blood seemed to boil.

Ever since that one had fallen into the devil path… they hadn’t felt this kind of stir in a long, long time.

Yet, all they could see in the offering pool were tributes—stacks of ornate boxes and scattered celestial artifacts. What exactly was making their hearts race?

Confusion filled them. For a moment, shame even crept in. Surely, they weren’t coveting the Queen Mother’s tributes, were they?

No, no way.

They knew their place, understood their worth. Having cultivated for hundreds of years, they had long abandoned worldly desires. Why would they suddenly crave these tributes now?

In the offering pool, Zhuyou, who was attached to one of the tribute boxes, also felt puzzled. She was being crushed under an overwhelming divine pressure, making it hard to even breathe. Fortunately, her cultivation had reached a profound level, so she was faring better than the trembling immortals around her.

However, because she was bound to the tribute box, her field of vision was limited. She had no idea who was present.

That oppressive aura—cold and terrifying—did not match Xuanqing’s cultivation method. It certainly wasn’t coming from the Queen Mother of the West either.

She racked her brain but couldn’t think of anyone in the Heavenly Realm who could exert such power in just a century. Could it be the elusive Divine Venerable?

She needed to locate the Devil Lord’s remaining soul as soon as possible. Otherwise, the Devil Clan would never rise again.

But with so many immortals present, she couldn’t just slip away. She had to wait until this batch of tributes was stored away and the area was deserted before retrieving the Turbid Mirror.

The Turbid Mirror was guarded by immortals. After all, it was an unrivaled treasure, and if it fell into the wrong hands, who knew what chaos it could cause?

Fortunately, Zhuyou knew where it was sealed—and exactly which immortal was guarding it.

The Heavenly Realm was vastly different from the devil’s domain. Here, even when gathered in large numbers, the immortals didn’t hurl crude words at each other like devils did. As a result, hiding in the offering pool felt oddly peaceful, as if her ears were being cleansed.

Still… if she hadn’t been betrayed back then, she should have been in the heavens too. She wouldn’t have known how cold-hearted these immortals truly were.

She had also lost track of the dragon she raised a hundred years ago. That dragon had always been indifferent by nature, and after spending so much time in the Heavenly Realm, it must have become even more unfeeling.

The more Zhuyou thought about it, the more she felt it was a pity. That dragon used to be so obedient.

Back when she shattered the Devil-Suppressing Tower, her spiritual core nearly collapsed from the backlash. Her energy had been thrown into chaos, and she endured agonizing pain for seven whole days before recovering slightly. Surely, some of that pain must have been shared by the dragon.

Yet after those seven days, she felt extraordinarily refreshed. She had no idea what celestial item the dragon might have consumed in the heavens, but her injuries healed at an astonishing rate, and her spirit felt purified, her mind clear.

From then on, she faced no barriers in her cultivation—breaking through realm after realm.

So even though she lost the dragon, in the end… she didn’t suffer a loss.

***

Time passed differently for immortals. The celestial music played on for three days before it finally ceased. Once the banquet ended, the gathered immortals dispersed, each returning to their duties.

The Queen Mother of the West, now weary, beckoned a junior immortal and instructed them to store the tributes safely. Then, she turned to look at the Divine Venerable. Her eyes crinkled in a smile—though she appeared quite aged, her elegance remained, and the divine aura surrounding her was ethereal, never vulgar.

“This time, we have troubled Your Divinity,” she said.

Changying replied flatly, “It is no trouble.”

Kunyi then turned to Xuanqing, who immediately understood and asked, “Among the tributes in the offering pool, is there anything Your Divinity desires?”

“There is not.”

Changying’s nature was cold, making her seem difficult to approach. But both Xuanqing and Kunyi knew she was not someone who made things difficult for others.

Still, Xuanqing added, “If there were something that caught Your Divinity’s eye, it would be that object’s fortune.”

“If I need anything, I will request it from the Heavenly Emperor in the future,” Changying said as she rose from her seat. Her icy gaze swept over the offering pool one last time, then she looked away without another glance.

Xuanqing took this to mean she truly had no interest in any of the tributes, so he simply nodded. “Then if the time comes, we shall offer it to you with both hands.”