Amid the kneeling salutations of a group of black-armored guards, Jiuyou lifted her small head proudly and led Liu Bai into the Great Heavenlaw Domain.
"Well? Did this king lie to you?" Jiuyou glanced sideways at Liu Bai, asking with a hint of smugness.
"Yes, yes—Nine Nether King is domineering! Nine Nether King is mighty!" Liu Bai played along and offered a couple of flattering remarks.
But in the next moment—
"Captain, could that woman just now be the Nine Nether King who disappeared many years ago?"
A faint voice suddenly reached the ears of the two.
Although the speaker was no longer visible, Liu Bai was certain it was one of the black-armored soldiers previously stationed at the gate of Great Heavenlaw Domain.
Upon hearing this, both Liu Bai and Jiuyou subconsciously slowed their steps.
"Mm. With the Nine Nether Token in her possession, how could she be fake?"
"It's said that among the Nine Kings back then, the Nine Nether King was the weakest. However, she came from the Nine Nether Sparrow Clan, and with Lord Sky Vulture Emperor's support, she barely became one of the Nine Kings. But just now, I clearly sensed pressure from her no weaker than the other eight kings. It seems she has successfully survived her tribulation."
"Still… the situation of Nine Nether Palace has grown worse and worse over the years. If not for Lord Sky Vulture Emperor's prestige, it probably would have been abolished long ago. The current Nine Nether Palace is nothing more than an empty shell."
These words caused Jiuyou's expression to change. She said nothing further and continued walking toward the interior of the Great Heavenlaw Domain.
Liu Bai, however, remained calm. He had already known all of this, so he was not surprised. Whether Nine Nether Palace was strong or not ultimately depended on Jiuyou herself. If her strength was insufficient, even if she stayed in the palace, her situation would not be much better.
However, because the two of them quickened their pace, Jiuyou did not hear the later remarks—so she was still unaware of the betrayal among her subordinates.
"The strength of Nine Nether Palace ultimately depends on you," Liu Bai said as he looked at the silent Jiuyou. "Now that you've returned as king, all problems will naturally be resolved."
"I know," Jiuyou rolled her eyes at him.
"It's just that I bragged a little too confidently, and then immediately got slapped in the face. Jiuyou-jie is feeling very unhappy."
Liu Bai waved his hand grandly. "No problem!"
"Do you know what the highest realm of showing off in this world is?"
Jiuyou looked confused. "What is it?"
"Three years have passed—welcome the Dragon King's return!"
Jiuyou: "..."
Are you sick in the head?!
Still… the script actually did suit her rather well. After all, this really was a classic 'king returns' scenario.
Nine Nether Palace was located atop a towering mountain that pierced the clouds. The mountain vaguely resembled a colossal bird, wings spread wide, blotting out the sky.
At the summit stood a vast and majestic cluster of palaces—belonging exclusively to the Nine Nether King.
This was Nine Nether Palace.
Looking at the palace complex, a trace of a smile finally appeared on Jiuyou's usually cold face. A strong sense of homesickness welled up in her heart. In the next instant, her figure moved, and she appeared directly above the palace.
Before the palace lay a massive cultivation plaza. Over a thousand figures were seated there in meditation. At the very front sat two young girls who did not appear very old.
One wore a black training outfit, while the other wore light red robes. Both were beautiful and refined and most astonishingly, their faces were exactly identical. Clearly, they were twin sisters.
Despite their identical appearances, their temperaments were completely different.
The girl in black exuded coldness and valor, while the girl in light red appeared gentle and fragile, evoking an instinctive desire to protect her.
It was precisely this contrast—identical beauty with opposite temperaments that made them even more captivating. Among the cultivators present, many could not help but secretly glance toward the two girls.
Jiuyou's sudden appearance naturally disrupted the cultivation below.
The black-clad girl abruptly opened her eyes, cold light flashing within them. She looked up toward the sky and shouted sharply:
"Who goes there?!"
As if it were a signal, the entire plaza instantly became alert. Spiritual energy surged from the cultivators, faintly merging together, and an oppressive pressure rushed forward.
"Hehe, little Bing'er really is getting more and more impressive…"
A soft laugh echoed from the sky, and a graceful figure slowly descended, landing before the palace.
The black-clad girl stared blankly at the figure. The cold sharpness in her eyes melted almost instantly, and her eye sockets reddened.
Beside her, the gentle girl looked on in disbelief. In the next moment, she rushed forward, her beautiful eyes red like a rabbit's.
"Jiuyou-jie! You're finally back!"
Jiuyou caught the girl in her arms. Seeing their reddened eyes, her own nose tingled slightly. She gently rubbed the girl's head and said softly,
"Yes… big sister is back."
Before the palace, the thousand-plus figures stared blankly at Jiuyou. After a brief pause, they suddenly snapped back to their senses and dropped to one knee, voices resounding through heaven and earth.
"Welcome back, my lord!"
Their voices were filled with overwhelming joy.
With the return of Nine Nether Palace's master, they were no longer rootless drifters, no longer forced to swallow humiliation in silence!
Watching this scene, Liu Bai felt the "Dragon King's return" image in his mind become even clearer. He tried his best to suppress the upward curl of his lips so as not to ruin the long-awaited reunion but he failed completely.
Fortunately, Jiuyou, who was affectionately reuniting with her two younger sisters, did not notice. Otherwise, Liu Bai would definitely have earned another massive eye-roll.
Much like in the original story, after a brief conversation, Jiuyou learned of Nine Nether Palace's current situation—especially the fact that Cao Feng, whom she had personally promoted, had defected to another faction.
Defection alone was one thing. But that man had actually joined the camp of the Blood Hawk King—Nine Nether Palace's sworn enemy!
This caused a surge of anger to rise within Jiuyou's chest.
"I knew Cao Feng was overly utilitarian," Jiuyou sighed softly while holding the two girls. "But I didn't expect he couldn't even endure a few more years."
She was disappointed but only that much.
Cao Feng was nothing more than that. She had promoted him out of pity back then. Since his character was so base, leaving was no great loss—perhaps it was even a good thing for Nine Nether Palace.
"Sister, don't worry. I will never let that traitor go!" Tang Bing said through clenched teeth.
Jiuyou was not only their benefactor but also their closest family. Any betrayal against her was something they could never tolerate.
If not for Nine Nether Palace's weakened strength and the fact that Tang Bing herself was still one step away from breaking into the Sovereign Realm—she might have already gone to seek revenge.
Cao Feng's betrayal alone merely disappointed Jiuyou. But when she learned that resources originally belonging to Nine Nether Palace had also been seized by others, her fury erupted instantly.
"This is truly going too far!"
Jiuyou's delicate face was covered in frost as an astonishing spiritual pressure involuntarily swept outward. Instantly, quite a few people on the training ground could not withstand the oppression and were forced to collapse to the ground with a thud.
This was not because Jiuyou only dared to vent her anger internally. Rather, her purpose was to display her strength.
Although these people had not outright betrayed her like Cao Feng, after so many incidents, there were certainly many who harbored other thoughts. If Jiuyou could not demonstrate strength sufficient to convince them, these people would inevitably drift away from her as the Palace Master of Nine Nether Palace. At that point, even if she wished to reclaim what belonged to her, it would be extremely difficult.
Tang Bing was also pushed back several steps by that spiritual pressure, but instead of fear, her delicate face was filled with joy as she looked at Jiuyou and exclaimed, "Sister Jiuyou, you succeeded in overcoming the tribulation?"
On the plaza, no one felt dissatisfied by Jiuyou's pressure. On the contrary, each of them revealed expressions of delight.
From Jiuyou's aura alone, they could tell that their Palace Master's current strength was no weaker than that of the other Kings. For Nine Nether Palace—long dependent on background and backing to maintain its King's position—this was unquestionably a tremendous piece of good news.
Jiuyou gently nodded, then waved her jade hand and said solemnly to everyone on the plaza, "You may all withdraw for today. No matter how much grievance you endured in the past, now that I have returned, I will no longer allow anyone to bully Nine Nether Palace!"
"Yes!"
Hearing her words, the members of Nine Nether Palace responded in unison with excitement, then withdrew in orderly fashion.
At this moment, their eyes were filled with fervor. They finally had someone backing them again, and the humiliation of living cautiously day after day would soon be gone forever.
As everyone departed, Jiuyou's gaze turned once more toward a certain direction in the sky. She then said irritably, "How long are you planning to keep peeking from there? Hurry up and come down!"
Tang Bing and Tang Rou were both startled. Then they saw a figure of light streak over, finally appearing beside Jiuyou.
"How can that be called peeking? You, the Palace Master of Nine Nether Palace, were establishing authority in front of your subordinates. As an outsider, it wouldn't have been appropriate for me to interrupt…"
As he spoke, Liu Bai wore a gentle smile and nodded toward the Tang sisters as a greeting.
Tang Rou was a bit shy. Upon making eye contact with Liu Bai, she immediately shifted her gaze away. Tang Bing, on the other hand, stared at him with vigilance, clearly wary of this man who had suddenly appeared beside Jiuyou.
"This is Liu Bai. The reason I was able to successfully overcome the tribulation this time is largely thanks to him. From now on, he will also be a member of Nine Nether Palace."
Jiuyou was well aware of Tang Bing's temperament, so she proactively explained Liu Bai's role, allowing the girl to feel at ease about his presence.
"By the way, Bing'er, how much Sovereign Spiritual Liquid do you still need to break through to the Sovereign Realm?"
"Just say it boldly. This guy is a real tycoon—he has plenty of Sovereign Spiritual Liquid. No need to worry about him being unable to afford it."
Tang Bing was momentarily stunned. From Jiuyou's tone, she could sense that this man's relationship with Jiuyou was far from ordinary—he could even casually provide Sovereign Spiritual Liquid, such a precious resource…
"At least… one thousand drops," Tang Bing hesitated before answering, deliberately giving a lower estimate.
She did not want Jiuyou to owe this man too many favors because of her, in case he later used them as leverage with ill intentions. Clearly, after Cao Feng's betrayal, Tang Bing had grown distrustful of men who approached Jiuyou.
Both Liu Bai and Jiuyou immediately saw through the girl's thoughts. Warmth flowed through Jiuyou's heart as she pulled Tang Bing into her embrace and said softly, "Such a silly girl…"
Liu Bai smiled lightly, clenched his palm, and a jade bottle glowing with light appeared in his hand. He handed it to Tang Bing.
"It seems Manager Tang Bing doesn't trust my financial strength."
"Jiuyou is right—I really am a tycoon. There are two thousand drops of Sovereign Spiritual Liquid here. Take them for cultivation. If it's not enough, just come ask me for more…"
Tang Bing was stunned and did not immediately accept it, instead looking toward Jiuyou. Only after seeing Jiuyou nod slightly did she take it gently. The coldness on her delicate face softened a little as she said quietly, "Thank you."
With a wave of his hand, Liu Bai then gave Tang Rou another thousand drops of Sovereign Spiritual Liquid as a meeting gift, fully displaying the demeanor of a true tycoon.
Looking at Jiuyou, he teased, "Do I look like the financial backer behind your Nine Nether Palace now?"
Jiuyou curled her lips disdainfully. "You? Want to be the backer behind Sister Jiuyou? With that little bit of Sovereign Spiritual Liquid, you're still far from qualified!"
After speaking, the two burst into laughter simultaneously.
From their relaxed manner of interaction, Tang Bing and Tang Rou gradually realized that this suddenly appearing Liu Bai truly had an extraordinary relationship with their Jiuyou Sister—one so close that even the sisters themselves did not share it. This made the more strong-willed Tang Bing feel slightly uncomfortable.
Tang Rou, however, perhaps due to Liu Bai's extravagant generosity upon arrival, or perhaps because of his closeness with Jiuyou, found the caution and rejection in her heart rapidly fading.
Before long, she had already accepted Liu Bai's inclusion into her "family."
"Good. From now on, Liu Bai will also be part of Nine Nether Palace. We are all one family now." Jiuyou held the sisters' hands and smiled. "I plan to let him use one of Nine Nether Palace's commander slots to compete for the 'Greatlaw Golpond.' Do you have any objections?"
Normally, such a matter only required Jiuyou's decision. However, she had always treated the sisters as her own younger siblings, so she naturally wanted to consult them.
Yet her words made both sisters hesitate, as if they had something they wanted to say but held back.
This made Jiuyou somewhat curious—could it be that the two girls also wanted this opportunity?
...
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