As the Jade Emperor walked in, all turned to pay their respects to him.
This was the foremost authority, the emperor of all the sky palaces!
His appearance alone dignified the atmosphere, making them more stately.
And by the Jade Emperor's side was the Heavenly Queen Mother.
She was a youthful looking woman, with divine looks and a fresh face that captivated all who gazed upon her beauty. She was the jewel of the sky palaces!
The likes of her beauty was probably unmatched in all of the 8,000 Sky Palaces and 10,000 Levels of Hell.
At the same time, her every movement was filled with exquisite grace and charm. Her every step was precisely right, neither more or less, in accordance with the hidden rules of the world.
Many of the immortal emperors here were familiar with the Jade Emperor and Heavenly Queen Mother, having seen them many times before.
However, there was another lithe figure who followed behind the Heavenly Queen Mother, who caught the attention of many.
It was a girl from the Immortal Phoenix Imperial Realm, the daughter of the Provenance Phoenix Empress, Dancing Flame Phoenix Lord!
Or perhaps to Wu Yu, Nangong Wei.
Dancing Flame Phoenix Lord was dressed in long, flowing black skirts. Her regal bearing and beautiful features arranged in a severe expression made her look completely at home by the Heavenly Queen Mother's side.
Many of the immortal emperors were curious. Why would one of the young prodigies of the Immortal Phoenix Imperial Realm be following by the Heavenly Queen Mother's side?
Dancing Flame Phoenix Lord was a rather outstanding young woman, given her performance at the Immortal Emperor Trials. The black flames had made a lasting impression on many.
Although she had later lost to Wu Yu after becoming an immortal emperor, but even so she was still one of the strongest of their generation.
And now she was by the Heavenly Queen Mother's side!
This was the first time that she had appeared here, and so they were all curious. What was the relationship between the two?
The Jade Emperor and Heavenly Queen Mother took their seats.
Behind them, Dancing Flame Phoenix Lord respectfully called her Master, and then sat over to one side.
This clarified things immediately.
Still, the Heavenly Queen Mother had never taken a disciple before.
"No wonder the Immortal Phoenix Imperial Realm's Six Superior Phoenix Emperors were so secretive. So the transformation is from the Heavenly Queen Mother herself! Incredible!"
"Amazing! Amazing! If she's the Heavenly Queen Mother's disciple, doesn't that make her status about the same as ours?"
"Indeed, even now, she will catch up to us in a matter of time. After all, how could the Heavenly Queen Mother's disciple be anything but superb?"
While the respect towards Jade Emperor and Heavenly Queen Mother was maintained, they kept up a steady flow of admiring murmurs and glances at Dancing Flame Phoenix Lord's way.
All of these immortal emperors had children as well, such as Yang Jian's son Yang Qiang, and Nezha's son Li Tianji.
Beside Dancing Flame Phoenix Lord, their descendants paled in comparison.
Even the initially favored Yang Qiang or Li Tianji looked inept in comparison to Dancing Flame Phoenix Lord. It seemed impossible that they would ever catch up to her.
After all, Dancing Flame Phoenix Lord was the disciple of the Heavenly Queen Mother herself!
Anyone that the Heavenly Queen Mother personally raised would definitely rise to greatness!
The immortal emperors were quick to offer their congratulations to the Heavenly Queen Mother for having taken in such a stellar disciple.
Heavenly Queen Mother was evidently pleased with Dancing Flame Phoenix Lord, and she smiled slightly in response to the well-wishes.
In a trice, the spotlight had fallen on Dancing Flame Phoenix Lord, and all thoughts had turned her way.
Just at this time, Wu Yu and the Patriarch Bodhi arrived!
Wu Yu had been delayed by his fight with Primeval Mighty Miracle God, and so had come slightly later. All the other immortal emperors had arrived before him.
When Wu Yu entered, he heard much chatter of Dancing Flame Empress, and was puzzled, wondering who it could be.
He looked up and saw the girl in the black dress by the Heavenly Queen Mother's side. Shock froze his face.
"Dancing Flame Phoenix Empress is Dancing Flame Phoenix Lord! Nangong Wei!"
Wu Yu finally understood now.
Since Nangong Wei had risen to become an immortal emperor and gained eternal life, her title had changed from Dancing Flame Phoenix Lord to Dancing Flame Phoenix Empress.
It seemed like her fate would never become untwined from Wu Yu's own.
However, even he felt that this was a strand of ill-fate. Since the day that Nangong Wei and Dancing Flame Phoenix Lord had been merged, she had always appeared against Wu Yu.
Each time she appeared, nothing good came of it.
And this was no different.
Wu Yu had a sense of foreboding upon seeing her. And by listening to the conversation around him, he picked up that she had become the Heavenly Queen Mother's disciple!
What an exalted position!
Even if Wu Yu was the Patriarch Bodhi's disciple, he could not hope to compete!
Besides, Wu Yu was here to be judged. He was to face Taiyi Zhenren, as a petty thief who could not be trusted. All in all, things were not looking good for him.
Looking into the eyes of the Jade Emperor, he felt that he had seen him somewhere before.
He recalled it now. Back at Heavenly Buddha's Domain. The eyes of Xuanzang, the Buddha Above All. Wasn't he equally young and full of life? The same profound sagacity in his eyes?
"Could it be that the Jade Emperor and Xuanzang are related?"
Wu Yu wondered.
Still, there were marked differences between them. Most notably, the Jade Emperor seemed friendlier, compared to the colder attitude of the Buddha Above All.
"Perhaps I'm over-sensitive. After all, they're all the respective tops in their domains. Perhaps all who reach that level look that way?" Wu Yu started to check himself.
He had thought that meeting the Jade Emperor might give him some clues.
But now he was as confused as before he came.
Led by the Patriarch Bodhi, Wu Yu paid his respects first to the Jade Emperor and Heavenly Queen Mother, and then the other immortal emperors. It was accompanied by greetings of respect - the most formal of courtesies.
It was hard to tell from their expressions what their attitudes were towards Wu Yu yet.
As he bowed to Taiyi Zhenren, he did not even bother returning the courtesies, getting straight to the point. "Wu Yu, I'm sure you know as well as I do why we are here at Lingxiao Palace. Let's talk straight."
The Jade Emperor signified his assent, and Taiyi Zhenren told the entire tale.
From the start, it had been Wu Yu who had come to him, to seek his help in reincarnating his sister. The agreement to exchange the epochal immortal treasure for it, and finally its return to Wu Yu!
Actually, Taiyi Zhenren had already told this story before, and all present knew it.
As he began his complaint, there were a few immortal emperors who were looking on disapprovingly, and then began to add fuel to the fire, scolding and disparaging Wu Yu.
The two main instigators were True Lord Erlang Yang Jian and Pagoda Heavenly King Li Jing!
Yang Jian was unhappy that the Immortal Emperor Trials, held for the benefit of his son's rise to the immortal emperor realm, had ended up benefiting Wu Yu.
As for Pagoda Heavenly King Li Jing, his grandson Li Tianji was in an even worse state.
The battle with Wu Yu had broken Li Tianji's confidence and spirit completely!
Although he had stopped Li Tianji's suicide then, but he was still a lifeless soul.
Neither Yang Jian nor Li Jing bore Wu Yu any goodwill.
This was a good time to stone him.
Yang Jian spoke up hurriedly: "Esteemed Jade Emperor, this Wu Yu betrayed the trust. He said that he would hand over the epochal immortal treasure to Zhenren, but then went back on his word. Such conduct should not be encouraged in the sky palaces. I suggest that he should be heavily punished!"
Li Jing had to add on. "Not just that! I hear that Wu Yu even went to beat up Sky Heart Dragon Emperor at Immortal Dragon Imperial Realm! Disrespectful towards his seniors! Unbecoming conduct! If he's not properly punished, he will only grow bolder and bolder in his misdemeanors!"
The other immortal emperors nodded in agreement after hearing his words.
Many of the immortal emperors did not know Wu Yu, and obviously would not speak up on his behalf while offending Taiyi Zhenren, True Lord Erlang, and Li Jing.
Besides, Wu Yu was indeed in the wrong.
Of course, many other immortal emperors simply watched, neither biased towards nor against Wu Yu.
In the Lingxiao Palace, a few other immortal emperors spoke up as well, indicating that Wu Yu should be punished. However, he should first of all hand over the Ruyi Jingu Bang to Taiyi Zhenren.
After listening to their opinions, the Jade Emperor nodded and finally spoke.
His voice was clear and crisp, like cascading water. It had a deep wisdom in it.
He turned a scholarly and genteel eye on Wu Yu. "Wu Yu. How did you come by this Ruyi Jingu Bang epochal immortal treasure? It's never been seen before in the sky palaces!" Wu Yu immediately knew that this was the beginning of his hearing. Or perhaps it was his judgment.
If he was not careful, he might end up in big trouble. He composed himself, and started to think about how he would answer the Jade Emperor.