After Losing My Memory, I Became My Rival's Palm-Sized Chirper - Chapter 36

Chapter 36: The Secret Realm Appears

Even though Yu Baixi had suddenly taken an interest that day, bringing out many books for Qi Jia to study and saying he would personally train him to be the Empress, the Heavenly Emperor made no further demands of the little chubby bird afterward.

This made Qi Jia feel so guilty that he wanted to take the initiative to learn. However, whether it was The Emperor’s Illustrated Guide, The Subject’s Path, military strategy, or drawing talismans, Qi Jia wasn’t particularly interested in any of it. He ended up “fishing for three days and drying the nets for two”—studying only fitfully.

In this lazy, drifting state, the day for the appearance of the Taigo (Primordial) Secret Realm finally arrived.

On this day, violent winds and waves rose above the Ying Sea in the Mortal Realm.

According to the agreement Qi Jia had made with Yu Baixi to retrieve the Qiankun Mirror together, Qi Jia was brought along to the Ying Sea when the Heavenly Emperor set out.

By then, the sky above the Ying Sea was already crowded with a dense mass of spirits, monsters, and cultivators.

The Taigo Secret Realm was a mystic realm left behind by the ancient mighty being, Immortal Yutian, upon his apotheosis. It only appeared once every twenty thousand years. It was said to contain countless treasures and was not considered overly dangerous, earning it a spot on the “High-Quality Secret Realm Rankings.” It had become one of the most important realms for various factions across the Four Realms to seek treasures and train disciples.

Even the various tribes of the Heavenly Realm had sent representatives.

Shortly after arriving, Qi Jia spotted several familiar immortal officials. They were there representing their respective clans to hunt for treasure or leading groups of disciples for experience.

“The Four Realms have never forbidden the private searching for treasures,” the accompanying Shuoling Immortal explained to Qi Jia while they waited for the realm to open. “It’s a matter of the capable claiming them. So, occasionally, a spirit or a human cultivator finds a treasure in a secret realm and achieves a great breakthrough in their cultivation level.”

“Oh, please,” a cultivator from an unknown origin nearby interjected. “They don’t forbid searching, but the divine artifacts always end up belonging to the Heavenly Realm.”

Many who came to investigate secret realms used magical items to conceal their appearance and aura. Qi Jia’s group was disguised, and so was the stranger. This allowed everyone to converse quite recklessly.

The man said, half-disgruntled and half-mocking, “That Heavenly Emperor of yours never allows anyone else to keep a divine artifact for themselves.”

“Hey, what kind of talk is that? ‘Keep for themselves’?” Han Mo, who had also come along, was displeased, his tone turning sarcastic. “You say that as if you could actually control a divine artifact if one were given to you.”

General Han had spent years being responsible for arguing on behalf of His Majesty in court; his verbal sparring skills were well-honed. Seeing the man about to retort, Han Mo quickly added, “Take the Demon Ice Wheel previously in the Sishui River, for example. It was just sitting there for years. Why did no one take it? Because anyone who touched it died! In the end, it was the Heavenly Emperor who spent more than half of his spiritual power to pull it out!”

“Damn, you’re using the Demon Ice Wheel to argue with me? That’s only because the Wicked Heavenly Emperor is a dragon! Not to mention his rare bloodline, he’s naturally of the ice attribute. I’m of the fire attribute—otherwise, do you think I wouldn’t have gone to get it?”

“Oh, really? The Sun-Glass Shield in the Yangli Volcano is still there. Why doesn’t this ‘hero’ go and get that right now?” Shuoling said coldly.

The man gave an insolent, dark laugh. “The Sun-Glass Shield hasn’t finished refining and emerged yet. Don’t think I don’t know that.”

“You wouldn’t dare take it even when it does emerge!” Han Mo snapped back, even more defiant.

Qi Jia: “…”

Qi Jia watched the scene with curiosity. This was his first time witnessing such a large gathering. His gaze swept around the surroundings, only to find Shuoling and Han Mo bickering with someone.

He stared fixedly at the masked man claiming to be of the fire attribute. He suddenly spoke up: “But you aren’t of the fire attribute. Just like the Heavenly Emperor, you’re of the water attribute, aren’t you?”

The arrogant man who had just called himself “this young master”: ?

Qi Jia stared straight at him and said, “A Demon, with dual Water and Earth spiritual roots. Correct. It has nothing to do with fire at all.”

The man: ???

It was common knowledge that even with artifacts to hide one’s face and aura, there was a possibility of being recognized. However, the prerequisite was that the other person’s cultivation or their “revelation-type” artifact was of a much higher grade than the concealment artifact.

As a minor noble of the Earth-Spirit tribe of the Demon Realm, this man naturally wore a top-grade immortal artifact, just one level below a divine artifact. One could say that aside from the yet-to-emerge Primordial Mirror, no artifact should be able to see through his identity—this was the source of his confidence in speaking so boldly.

But if his identity could be seen through with the naked eye… how strong must this person be?

He would have to be a Great Venerable at least, someone on the verge of entering the Divine Realm! In the Four Realms, people of such status were few and far between. The first person that came to mind was the one from the Heavenly Realm…

But wasn’t that person the Wicked Heavenly Emperor who liked to travel alone? Why were there so many people standing around him? And why were they all so talkative?

The demon man denied it, refusing to believe it. “Who said I have Water and Earth roots? I’m of the fire attribute!”

Unexpectedly, the person who seemed able to see through his illusions suddenly said, “You have a mole on the left side of your face, and your head is a bit bald… If I may say so, you tie your hair too tightly. That’s not good for hair maintenance; it’s easy to go bald! …What’s with that expression? Do you want me to say more?”

The implication was that he had seen through all the disguises long ago; it was as if the man didn’t have a single shred of clothing on in front of him.

The slightly bald demon man: “…”

His eyes uncontrollably sized up the man who had called out his attributes—he was slender and elegant, his face couldn’t be seen clearly, and nothing specific could be discerned, but he exuded an aura of nobility…

Before he could finish looking, a figure blocked his view, one with a much more chilling aura. That person looked down at him with the unique, silent authority of a superior. Though he was taciturn, a cold aura radiated from his body. One glance from him felt like falling into a deep, abyssal pond…

The man’s soul shook violently. For a moment, he thought he had indeed run into the Wicked Heavenly Emperor and was about to be cut down by his sword! Realizing he had provoked someone he shouldn’t have, he immediately fell silent.

Even though the man and woman from before had already mocked him openly: “Oh, so you’re also of the water attribute. That happens to be close to the Demon Ice Wheel’s attribute. It seems you could do it, so why didn’t you go and get it, hero?”

“Exactly, didn’t you say you could control it easily?”

The man: “…”

This group was even wearing immortal-grade artifacts for themselves; he couldn’t see through a single bit of their disguises. The man didn’t dare say another word and slunk away in disgrace.

After he left, Qi Jia didn’t forget to ask, following up on the topic: “The Demon Ice Wheel? Is it very hard to get?”

Normally, Shuoling and Han Mo would have raced to answer such a question from the Sovereign. But this time… both of them glanced at the Emperor accompanying them and didn’t dare speak first.

…It was lucky they didn’t. Because His Majesty seemed to think the question was directed at him.

He had already opened his mouth to reply: “It’s alright.”

“How hard is ‘alright’? Didn’t they just say you lost most of your cultivation to get it?” Qi Jia pressed.

Yu Baixi’s pale eyes looked toward him, and he answered: “I only had to rest quietly for three months.”

Shuoling, nearby: “Ah!…”

She suddenly realized she couldn’t actually answer this question. She hadn’t even known His Majesty had been injured to the point of needing three months of quiet rest after retrieving the Demon Ice Wheel!

Shuoling couldn’t help but look at Han Mo. General Han scratched his head—he knew about this. But His Majesty had ordered it not to be publicized.

“You two.” Qi Jia noticed their odd behavior and pointed it out: “What are you discussing? Speak plainly.”

Shuo and Han: “…”

They knew the Sovereign wasn’t satisfied with the Emperor’s answer and wanted them to say more. Finally, Han Mo spoke up despite the risk: “Reporting to the Sovereign, the Demon Ice Wheel is an item of extreme Yin and extreme Cold. As a divine artifact naturally formed by heaven and earth, it was sealed in the deepest part of the Sishui River in a land of extreme frost. It only appears once every fifty thousand years. To retrieve it, His Majesty was not only injured by the Yin-cold of the river and the artifact itself but also had to expend his cultivation and spiritual power to tame it. Afterward, he coughed up blood for three full months!”

“General Han.”

His Majesty called his name, his sea-blue eyes sweeping over him coldly, like frozen earth.

Afterward, Yu Baixi personally explained to Qi Jia: “I only suffered some backlash.”

“…” Qi Jia was stunned. “Refining an object can make you cough up blood for three months? That’s too long!”

Han Mo: “It was three months of coughing blood, but His Majesty had to recuperate for several years total before he was fully well.”

Yu Baixi: “…”

He continued to give General Han a warning look.

Beside them, Shuoling was already mumbling to herself: “I remember, His Majesty retrieved the Demon Ice Wheel over three thousand years ago… Ah, back then I had just started working at the Hongmeng Palace. His Majesty never allowed us to get close. No wonder! As the managing female official, I didn’t even know His Majesty was so badly injured!…”

At this point, Shuoling breathed a slight sigh of relief. It wasn’t that she had been negligent; it was that His Majesty had deliberately hidden it. On second thought, even her father hadn’t mentioned His Majesty’s injuries to her back then. It was clear how tightly His Majesty had kept the secret. Everyone in the Heavenly Realm only cared about how resilient and powerful their Emperor was…

Before Shuoling could finish, she felt a chill through her whole body… not daring to look at the Emperor’s eyes, she immediately lowered her head.

Qi Jia had pieced together most of the event. He looked at the Heavenly Emperor with a complex expression. After a long silence, he asked General Han: “…Are divine artifacts truly that powerful?”

“That was still the result of our Majesty’s boundless celestial power. An ordinary person would have been frozen into ice shards the moment they touched that artifact.” Han Mo explained, his tone carrying a bit of proud boastfulness. “People were shouting loudly back then, but when the Demon Ice Wheel actually emerged, everyone just watched from the air like they are now. Not a single person dared to go down and take it! If not for His Majesty’s supreme bravery, we would probably have had to wait another fifty thousand years.”

“I know about this!” Shuoling Immortal added, finally returning to her rhythmic banter with General Han. “Usually, the Four Realms fight tooth and nail to snatch spiritual treasures, but when it comes to the most coveted divine artifacts, it’s actually the most peaceful time. Because either they can’t be found, or they can’t be lifted, so naturally, no fight breaks out. People don’t even have time to hide before the artifact is tamed. My father said it was exactly like that when His Majesty took the Demon Ice Wheel!”

“So that’s what’s funny. No one dared to take it then, but afterward, they say our Heavenly Realm is monopolizing divine artifacts.” General Han got angry just thinking about it. “Shameless. His Majesty risked his life to bring that back…”

“Enough. Silence.” A cold voice rose, interrupting the two.

Since it was the Empress personally asking, Yu Baixi found it difficult to constantly stop his subordinates from answering. But now…

The Heavenly Emperor stared at the seawater below, which was churning with massive waves. He said in a deep, stern voice: “The barrier has opened.”

As soon as Yu Baixi finished speaking, the surging, torrential seawater indeed split down the middle, as if a long, fresh gash had suddenly been hacked through it. It was pitch black and writhing, bottomless.

The seawater scrambled to pour into the fissure. Most of the people suspended in the air increased their flying altitude, fearing they would be sucked into the dark crack like the water.

But there were also brave ones who, believing they had timed it right, dove headfirst into the deep fissure entrance.

Seeing this for the first time, Qi Jia couldn’t help but be curious: “Aren’t we charging in?”

He already knew everyone was greedy for treasures and wanted to be the first to enter to grab more. As for the danger, he wasn’t worried—after all, he had Yu Baixi.

But the Heavenly Emperor standing next to him slowly pulled out a length of rope, handed one end to Qi Jia, and said: “Stretch out your hand.”

“What for?” Qi Jia tilted his head curiously but reached out anyway.

Yu Baixi said: “I am afraid you will get lost.”

Qi Jia: ?

Qi Jia then realized that Yu Baixi intended to tie their wrists together. He immediately grumbled with dissatisfaction: “Are you really afraid this Sovereign will get lost, or do you just not want me running around and delaying your business?”

Yu Baixi: “…”

The Emperor explained: “The Taigo Secret Realm is not dangerous, but it is the transformation of Immortal Yutian’s grotto after he achieved godhood. Immortal Yutian was the original ancestor of all generations of Immortal Xuanjing.”

“…I’ve been to Immortal Xuanjing’s grotto. It was full of mirrors.” Qi Jia had already thought of something.

“Mm,” Yu Baixi said. “Ancient records state that there are 330,000 full-length mirrors inside the Taigo Secret Realm. Many contain teleportation arrays and illusions. It is like a labyrinth.”

“Thirty-three… myriad?! …This Immortal Yutian was quite industrious,” Qi Jia couldn’t help but remark. “Even if he wasn’t making divine or magical tools and just making mirrors, that’s a high output!”

Yu Baixi: “…”

“By the way,” Qi Jia remembered. “The Taigo Secret Realm only opens once every twenty thousand years. You are only ten-thousand-odd years old, so this is your first time entering this barrier as well?”

Thinking of something amusing, Qi Jia’s eyes sparkled. He obediently lifted his wrist for Yu Baixi to tie. He laughed: “Twenty thousand years ago, Your Majesty was still a little dragon egg!”

Shuoling Immortal nearby was directly amused by the Sovereign’s tone and shared a look with General Han—a little dragon egg! Why did some descriptions of His Majesty sound so cute when the Sovereign said them?

The Heavenly Emperor nearby: “…”

He silently tied the knot for Qi Jia.

“…Wait a moment.” Before the knot was finished, Qi Jia suddenly pulled his hand back and transformed directly into a chubby bird.

The round little bird hovered in the air, pointing his bird claw at the Emperor: “Better tie the claw. That way, when I’m tired and want to turn back into a parrot to perch on Your Majesty’s shoulder, my wings won’t be too restricted.”

The Emperor: “…”

Meeting the scrutiny of the Emperor’s grey-blue eyes, the bird flapped his wings hard while stretching his little foot toward the other: “Can you tie it?”