Ye Wen mumbled the name twice, ultimately concluding, "What kind of name is this?" Zhong Dajun managed an awkward smile. "Actually, it's not really a name. The high immortals who first discovered this place merely said that the location was 'a world unto itself,' a connection to another realm, and they never formally named it. But over time, that's what everyone called it, and since no one ever bothered to come up with a proper title, it stuck!"

"Why didn't they name it?"

Generally speaking, naming a newly discovered, peculiar place wasn't just a human habit; immortals and Buddhas loved to do it too. It was as if, in the early days of this Immortal Realm, no one knew what exactly existed here, so the Heavenly Court called this place the God Realm, while the multitude of immortals referred to it as the Immortal Realm. The Western Divine Clan had their own titles, such as the Bright God Realm or the Olympus God Realm.

Then, upon discovering something new, they would rush to name it—much like how the Underworld, the Netherworld, or the Mediterranean Sea likely got their names. But the fact that no one named this place, 'A Place of Hidden Wonders,' was somewhat strange.

Xue Rengui was also curious about what exactly this 'Place of Hidden Wonders' entailed. Did the immortals who found it never consider claiming it for themselves? In his previous life as a commanding general, he had overseen much territorial expansion. He had truly never heard of a situation where unclaimed land was discovered and then passed over.

Zhong Dajun’s smile became even more strained. "That place... it isn't suitable for immortals to reside in!"

"Oh?"

Seeing everyone looking expectant, Zhong Dajun had no choice but to explain: "Sect Master Ye already knows that this Immortal Realm is surging with immortal power and rich with spiritual energy—it’s an absolutely prime location for cultivation! Moreover, that spiritual energy is extremely pure, without many impurities." Ye Wen nodded; he was certainly aware of this situation, especially when comparing the spiritual energy of the Immortal Realm to that of Earth, which seemed far less pure. To draw an analogy: if the oxygen absorbed on Earth was mixed with various impurities, then breathing in the Immortal Realm was like inhaling pure oxygen with everything harmful to an immortal's body meticulously removed.

As Zhong Dajun spoke of this, Ye Wen immediately realized something. "Could it be that the place..."

As soon as Ye Wen started speaking, Zhong Dajun knew Sect Master Ye had understood, and he nodded in agreement. "If we use an analogy, our Immortal Realm is situated at the very top, where all the 'pure Qi' gathers. Even the so-called Underworld or Netherworld exists parallel to us. Although they possess some 'turbid Qi,' it is not significant."

"And that cavern's location can be considered beneath the Immortal Realm—it is where all the 'turbid Qi' gathers. Although it is equally abundant in spiritual energy, the 'turbid Qi' is too overwhelming. Ordinary immortals who enter not only fail to cultivate but find their cultivation actually damaged the longer they stay!"

Seeing Ye Wen nod, Zhong Dajun continued, "The handmaidens under the command of the Nine Heavens Mysterious Maiden are all immortals devoted to Daoist practice and are inherently not skilled in combat..."

"Wait a moment!" Ye Wen raised a hand, pausing Zhong Dajun as if recalling something. "I recall that the Nine Heavens Mysterious Maiden is known as the Immortal of War. Whenever the world is on the verge of chaos, the Mysterious Maiden appears to demonstrate her power... Even if these are just mortal legends, there must be some basis for them, right?"

Being able to select a suitable, wise ruler proved that the Mysterious Maiden herself must be proficient in this domain; otherwise, how could she judge who was fit to rule the world? From such legendary tales, it could be inferred that the Nine Heavens Mysterious Maiden was no frail female immortal—why, then, did Steward Zhong describe her as someone 'not skilled in combat?'

Zhong Dajun listened for a moment, then understood Ye Wen's point, and explained with a smile: "The Mysterious Maiden is indeed proficient in many military formations and arts of conflict. However, compared to an immortal who has cultivated this path as thoroughly as Sect Master Ye, she is vastly inferior."

Upon hearing this, Ye Wen understood the real reason: it wasn't that the Mysterious Maiden was unskilled in fighting, but rather that she couldn't defeat her adversary! But if the Mysterious Maiden couldn't win, sending a divine general would be enough to exact revenge?

Perhaps sensing Ye Wen's confusion, Zhong Dajun continued, "Sect Master Ye doesn't know, but the turbid Qi in that Place of Hidden Wonders is too dense. For cultivators like us, who temper ourselves by absorbing 'pure Qi,' if we go there, we can barely utilize forty to fifty percent of our full cultivation. The Nine Heavens Mysterious Maiden has cultivated for a lifetime, and the purity of the 'pure Qi' within her body far surpasses that of ordinary immortals, so..."

This time, Ye Wen grasped the issue. The root cause was that she wanted revenge, but the enemy had the advantage of location. The Mysterious Maiden's own condition was special, meaning she was more susceptible to the environmental impact, which prevented her from taking action personally.

Seeing that Ye Wen understood the core problem, Zhong Dajun glanced at Xue Rengui, who looked slightly perplexed but had grasped that he was facing a difficult opponent. "However, the divine generals sealed by the Investiture of the Gods are unaffected by this. That is why the Mysterious Maiden wished to send General Xue on this mission!" The marvelous nature of the Investiture of the Gods was displayed once again.

So, the divine generals produced by the Investiture of the Gods possessed highly concentrated divine power, unaffected by external environments. No wonder the Heavenly Court, despite being able to recruit native immortals as officers, still favored those sealed by the Investiture of the Gods—these generals never suffered a drop in their power due to their surroundings. They were, quite simply, the perfect generals for expansion and conquest.

At the same time, Ye Wen understood why the Nine Heavens Mysterious Maiden was willing to lend her immortal power to help Xue Rengui forge those few magical artifacts. Since the artifacts originated from the Investiture of the Gods, they too would be unaffected by the environment. If Xue Rengui were bestowed artifacts after being deified, who knew if those items would be affected upon reaching that place?

This made much sense, and Ye Wen nodded to show he understood. However, he mused internally, That adversary is hiding in a world saturated with 'turbid Qi'... Hmm, doesn't this setting feel a bit like... the Demon Realm? Thinking this, he couldn't help but feel speechless and rolled his eyes dramatically, muttering, Do I have to venture into the 'Demon Realm' this time?

Zhong Dajun, unaware of Ye Wen’s thoughts, simply continued, "And that land of Dongying is where the pure and turbid Qi alternate. Because of this, that region experiences many anomalies, and even the local deities cannot avoid being tainted by some turbid Qi. Many local gods were even born from this turbid Qi. This is one of the reasons why, after the Heavenly Court reclaimed Dongying, they didn't send imperial officials to manage it directly but allowed those gods to continue governance..." Ye Wen nodded, signaling that the main points were clear—that remote corner was essentially the Demon Realm! And many of the so-called gods in Dongying were likely classified as demonic entities.

Thinking back to Earth, it wasn't surprising that many legendary 'gods' from Dongying were actually types of fierce ghosts. Even many truly benevolent gods had negative legends circulating about them—it turned out this was the reason! But weren't many of the gods and Buddhas in the Immortal Realm said to have arrived later? Did the deities of Dongying originally inhabit a world that was a mixture of pure and turbid energy, yet not fully integrated? Driven by curiosity, he pressed for details and learned that those beings were native to that world. It was only when connections were established during the ancient battle for this realm that those gods began moving to other places, including Earth, leaving behind those legends.

"My head is spinning!"

After explaining all this, Ye Wen had learned much about some unfamiliar aspects of the Immortal Realm. However, all this roundabout explanation was headache-inducing. Fortunately, there was nothing else to deal with; once the current business was concluded, he could just leave.

Xue Rengui received further instructions from Zhong Dajun: he was simply to follow Ye Wen. Upon arrival, showing his divine plaque as a general of the Heavenly Court to the local deities and stating his purpose would naturally lead someone to instruct him on how to reach the 'Place of Hidden Wonders.'

While listening to the directives, the newly ascended divine general nodded. He essentially understood his situation: he was just going to serve under someone else. After a lifetime of warfare, he probably wouldn't be good at anything else, so achieving deification now was a massive opportunity, and he would simply focus on doing his job well.

After hearing everything, Xue Rengui suddenly became curious. "Right, I don't even know the appearance or name of the person I'm supposed to find. Even if I get there, won't I be clueless?"

Zhong Dajun slapped his forehead. "I completely forgot about that!" He then took out a jade slip, chanted something under his breath, closed his eyes in meditation for a moment, and finally pointed a finger, sending a beam of divine light into the jade slip until it vanished.

Having done this, Zhong Dajun handed the jade slip to Xue Rengui. "Keep this safe for now. The Mysterious Maiden has instructed that once you locate the Place of Hidden Wonders and enter it, crush this jade slip, and then you will know the appearance and name of the person you seek!"

Xue Rengui took the jade slip, carefully tucked it close to his body, nodded in understanding, and asked no further questions. He knew that if he handled this mission successfully, he might receive a commendation upon his return. If nothing else, he could truly establish a foothold in the Immortal Court. If he failed... well, if he failed, he likely wouldn't be coming back at all, so there was no point in dwelling on other matters.

He approached Ye Wen and respectfully bowed again. He dared not guess Ye Wen's age based on appearance alone now. Who knew how many millennia this young Daoist, who looked barely twenty, might have lived? To have acted too boldly previously felt like a lapse in etiquette.

"I appreciate your assistance during these matters, Immortal Elder." Ye Wen nodded. "It's a small effort, General Xue. There's no need to be overly polite!"

After speaking, the two were about to leave the hall when a new complication arose. Lu Bu suddenly leaped out and addressed Ye Wen: "Elder Immortal, please take me with you!" His sudden appearance startled several people. Zhong Dajun and Guan Yu exclaimed in unison, "What are you going to do?"

Lu Bu replied, "Sitting here idle in the Immortal Court, I won't find Chan'er either. If I travel around with this Elder Immortal, perhaps I'll run into her. Furthermore, only this Elder Immortal can discern who Chan'er has reincarnated as. If I don't accompany him, even if I meet her, I won't know. Naturally, I must travel with him!"

When he finished speaking, Guan Yu and Zhong Dajun's jaws dropped so wide that an egg could have been stuffed between their lips without much effort. Those two had merely intended to placate Lu Bu with a few casual remarks—Zhong Dajun to persuade him to fight for the Heavenly Court, and Guan Yu to secure a familiar face for future conversations. They never expected their casual deception to actually convince Lu Bu to run off with Ye Wen!

"This... General Lu..." Zhong Dajun scratched his head, completely unable to think of a suitable way to placate Lu Bu. After all, he was the one who had spoken those initial words, and Ye Wen's ability to discern past lives was a known fact that Lu Bu had overheard. He couldn't very well deny it now! This made it seem as if he had actively pushed Lu Bu toward someone else.

Zhong Dajun felt like spitting blood from the effort of thinking, but no matter how much he tried to persuade him, Lu Bu was resolute about going with Ye Wen. In desperation, Zhong Dajun could only say, "...Very well, you may accompany Sect Master Ye outside for a while." He muttered inwardly, I'll have to report this to my superiors: I've borrowed two divine generals from the Nine Heavens Mysterious Maiden and myself for an outing. Thinking this, he resolved to go immediately to the Mysterious Maiden's hall later to beg her to cover this up for him.

Of course, he could have ordered Lu Bu's physical body dismantled... but that would waste a slot for a deified general, and he would surely be accused of incompetence later. To avoid losing his position as an official, he had to manage it this way. At least the Mysterious Maiden was above him, so perhaps the Jade Emperor wouldn't blame him? As for the problem of front-line officers... he would have to find another solution.

Fortunately, Guan Yu on the side was willing to help Lu Bu. Seeing Lu Bu's mind was made up, and feeling sympathy for the Marquis of Wen, he offered, "At worst, we can conscript some disciples from various sects to temporarily serve as officers; that should suffice for a while!" Hearing this, Ye Wen recalled that he had someone in his mountain retreat with military experience—Steward Zhou, who had once held the rank of Grand Commandant. He should be capable of leading a few thousand troops without issue! Furthermore, the cultivation technique Steward Zhou practiced demanded actual combat experience, so a stint on the front lines would be beneficial. As for safety, Ye Wen didn't plan to worry too much; a disciple had to be sent out for tempering eventually; guarding them on the mountain forever would lead to nothing great.

Thinking this, Ye Wen mentioned the idea to Guan Yu. Guan Yu was genuinely surprised to learn that a Shu Mountain disciple had such military talent and smiled, "If we have Steward Zhou, it should be enough to cover Marquis Wen's absence!"

Zhong Dajun was even happier, looking at Ye Wen as if he were his reincarnated parent. "Sect Master Ye has truly helped immensely this time!" After offering profuse thanks, he escorted the group out of the Investiture Hall. Only after they were completely out of sight did he turn back to continue his own work. Lu Bu's situation was temporarily managed; he still needed to quickly find several more suitable divine generals. As long as the quota of generals was met, he wouldn't fear losing his official cap even if Lu Bu never returned to the Heavenly Court.

Guan Yu did not leave. Since Ye Wen planned to send Zhou Guan into the army, he needed to run errands for Zhou Guan and make arrangements. Armor and the like were not urgent; suitable items could be found once they reached the front-line military camps. For Zhou Guan, who hailed from the Shu Mountain Sect, weapons likely wouldn't be a concern either. The crucial steps were obtaining the official tablet and seal and registering his name in the Heavenly Court's military roster, otherwise, he wouldn't be considered a true divine general. After completing these matters, Zhou Guan could report directly to the front line without making another trip. As for whether Zhou Guan would agree, there was no need to consider it much. Ye Wen was the Sect Master of Shu Mountain, and Zhou Guan was a disciple; Zhou Guan could not refuse a request made by Ye Wen. He was unaware that Zhou Guan wasn't actually a Shu Mountain disciple but rather a retainer of Wei Hong. Still, he presumed Wei Hong wouldn't dare refuse his master's face.

While the two went off to handle their tasks, Ye Wen led Xue Rengui and Lu Bu towards the South Heaven Gate. This Heavenly Court was vast, almost boundless, yet there was only one entrance and exit—the South Heaven Gate. Everyone, whether entering or leaving, had to pass through it, indicating that the duty of guarding the South Heaven Gate was an extremely vital post.

Originally, taking two peerless famous generals along should have been a magnificent affair, but after walking only a short distance, Ye Wen was driven nearly dizzy and seeing stars by one of them. It was none other than Lu Bu. As they passed through several courtyards, they inevitably encountered some female immortals. Every time he saw one, Lu Bu would ask, "Is this Diaochan?" At first, he addressed Ye Wen respectfully as "Immortal Elder," but later, he began to blurt out, "Is this her? What about that one? I think that one looks a bit like her!"

"Damn it, that girl looks barely ten years old! How could she resemble her?" Ye Wen was now on the verge of a breakdown, wishing he could just strangle Lu Bu.

"Even though she's young, that strand of unruly hair near her temple looks exactly like Chan'er's!" After saying this, he seemed to recall something else and stared off into space. Fortunately, he remembered he was supposed to be looking after Ye Wen and couldn't lose him, so his pace didn't slow down.

Ye Wen rubbed his temples and finally said helplessly, "After reincarnation, appearances aren't necessarily identical to one's previous life. Stop fooling around. If finding her were this easy, why would I need to come to the Heavenly Court?"

Lu Bu stopped speaking when Ye Wen said this, but whenever he saw a female immortal on the road, he would anxiously glance toward Ye Wen, making Ye Wen's hair stand on end. Ye Wen finally had to say, "That one isn't her!" Fortunately, after exiting the South Heaven Gate, they flew swiftly across the clouds. They no longer had to fear running into female immortals! However, compared to Ye Wen flying on his sword light, Lu Bu and Xue Rengui instinctively stepped out onto the clouds—a perk of being divine generals, perhaps.

Once they were flying, the two curiously looked at the cloud beneath their feet. Though the speed wasn't fast, it was comfortable—it could be stood upon, sat on, or lain down upon. Ye Wen glanced at them, realizing they couldn't fly very fast, so he condensed a white cloud of his own and pulled Artemis onto it. This cloud was formed from the vapor of the White Cloud Smoke, the first layer of the Primordial Heaven Mirror, barely serving as an auspicious cloud.

Lu Bu, seeing Ye Wen holding Artemis's hand, asked curiously, "Eh? Why did the Elder Immortal marry a foreign woman?" He then seemed to remember something else and added, "Can Daoists marry wives?"