As the deep voice faded, two figures, one in black and one in white, stepped out of the black hole. Black and White Impermanence caught sight of the four cultivators and the bear at once and halted.
Yunxi walked forward with a smile and cupped her fists. "Seniors, it has been a long time."
Black Impermanence and White Impermanence exchanged a glance. Seeing that Yunxi's appearance had hardly changed, they immediately recalled what had happened between them in the past. Black Impermanence cleared his throat. "So it was you who summoned us. For what purpose?"
White Impermanence's sharp gaze swept over the three behind Yunxi and the beast, then dropped to the planet beneath their feet. His brows slowly knit as if he had sensed something.
Yunxi remained courteous. "To put it simply, our cultivation was lacking, and someone tampered with us. We were transported from Weiyu Realm to this realm without spiritual energy, and we discovered that the Laws of Heaven and Earth here are flawed. This realm has even been severed from the Underworld.
After multiple verifications, we determined that the deviation in this realm was man-made. So we activated the Five Elements Reincarnation Array and forcibly knocked on the Gates of the Underworld to summon you two. We hope you will aid the innocent beings of this realm, so that after death they may enter the cycle of reincarnation."
"Amitabha. Heaven cherishes life. I hope the Underworld will punish only the main culprits and not drag in the innocent."
Yunxi laid out the cause and effect in a few words, and Yun Chen Fózǐ added his support.
White Impermanence withdrew his gaze, met Black Impermanence's eyes, then spoke: "You forced open this realm's Gates, yet according to the Underworld records this star was a dead star, without any born life. Naturally, there was no link to the Underworld.
But given the current situation, there are indeed living beings here, and an alternative method of reincarnation has arisen. This exceeds our authority. We must report it step by step and let our superiors decide."
This was exactly what Yunxi had been waiting for. She cupped her fists. "Being able to present the situation to you was the very purpose of forcing the Gates open. It is our good fortune that you do not blame us for acting on our own. Before you report this, should we destroy the locally developed reincarnation system of this small world to clear obstacles for the Underworld and return it to the proper path?"
White Impermanence frowned and shook his head. "Do not act rashly. Maintain the status quo for now."
"Very well. But when we forced the Gates open just now, the rulers of this realm noticed and attacked us. If they act again, we will retaliate."
Yunxi smiled. They were cultivators, not targets to be beaten while standing still.
Black Impermanence and White Impermanence shared another look. White Impermanence spoke again: "Appropriate counterattacks are acceptable. The people of this small world are not on the same level as you."
Watching the black hole begin to distort, he said to Yunxi, "We will return immediately to report the matter of this realm. You are to remain here for the time being."
Yunxi said at once, "Seniors, we expended our own cultivation and merit to force these Gates open. If the Gates close now, how will we contact you next time? With our strength, forcing the Gates again would take at least a hundred years. By then, the living here may already be gone."
White Impermanence knew Yunxi spoke the truth and reassured her: "The flow of time in this realm is not the same as in the Underworld. We will resolve this small world's problem as quickly as possible. Previously, because this place was recorded as a dead realm, the Gates were closed.
Now that you have spent merit to open the Gates, they will not sever so easily. We will also mark this place. Upon return, we will report to the First Hall Yama. Wait for news with patience."
Hearing this, Yunxi understood it was not convenient to raise the request of borrowing a path through the Underworld yet. She smiled, cupped her fists, withdrew the half-burned soul incense, and watched Black and White Impermanence turn and enter the Gates.
The already unstable black hole slowly drew closed after they vanished.
Only then did Yunxi turn to Han Lian and the others. "Let's go. We will find a place to restore our strength and wait for their message. Overlooking an entire small world is no trivial matter for the Underworld. It seems our earlier guess that the Gates were closed as punishment for Azure Star may not hold."
"Amitabha. Let us leave."
Xun Kun's eyes turned cold. More drones had lifted off and were quietly approaching. He flicked his sleeve and released his flying boat. The four cultivators and the bear boarded and vanished into the clouds.
The Five Elements Reincarnation Array gradually faded into the air and disappeared, as if the visions the people of Azure Star had witnessed were only illusions.
But when Yunxi activated the array earlier, careful hands had already recorded the images. They were now spreading wildly across the star network. Even the previously aired Reincarnation was dragged back into the spotlight. Those with keen noses smelled conspiracy and went first to Director Lian Tao.
Director Lian Tao never expected to gain fame like this so late in life. The screenwriter of Reincarnation, "Ran Xi," entered the public eye, though no one had ever seen this writer.
Following the clues, people found Xia Mengmeng, who had recommended the script to the director, and speculated that the screenwriter Ran Xi had known something in advance, or had learned of the authorities' dirty dealings and chosen this method to reveal the truth. In short, the entire Reincarnation crew was ablaze with attention.
Wei Lansong watched the images on the light screen, sighed, and collapsed into his wide chair. Things had spun beyond his control.
Wei Lanlan stared blankly at the four colossal phantoms on the screen. She recognized them. They were Master Ran Xi and her companions. They seemed to have accomplished something extraordinary.
Daphne hugged her portable screen and hurried to her father, pointing excitedly at the black demonic immortal phantom. "Father, that is Mr. Xun Kun. I could never mistake him."
Mr. Sack's feelings were complicated. If Reincarnation was true, then they had missed a chance to cling to a towering thigh.
Elder Nan's eyes reddened as he watched the four cultivators and the beast fade from the display. At last, he had fulfilled his mission, finding a path forward for the future of Azure Star and for himself.
Professor Huang, under investigation and among the last to receive the news, felt no relief at having survived. His eyes grew heavy instead. He knew that Azure Star would soon undergo a vast purge.
Yunxi and her companions flew to the deepest part of the scenic area where Yun Chen had fallen before. Yunxi released her capsule abode, activated concealment arrays, then swept her divine sense and brought everyone into the fused space.
The three and the bear felt their vision blur, and in the next instant they stood within the Misty Snow Domain. Dense spiritual energy wrapped around them at once. Han Lian, whose constitution was of the ice spiritual root, felt so comfortable she nearly let out a moan.