Chapter 973

In fact, before Ye Yu made his move today, he had already decided to leave the Mortal Realm! After all, as long as Feng Yingzhi was with him, he could create countless

Zhenhun Screen Sky Umbrellas

at will—he could return whenever he liked. But the Tunshen Chanchu had to ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) be dealt with! If it lived, Ye Yu simply couldn’t rest. He was nearly ascending into the Divine Realm himself—he couldn’t very well let his wives linger indefinitely in the Mortal Realm, could he?

So Ye Yu hit upon this plan: lure the Tunshen Chanchu up to the Heavenly Realm first, then finish it off. Without the balancing force of the Heavenly Dao’s power, he had ten thousand ways to kill it. The only condition was that he had to succeed in returning to the Heavenly Realm first. In other words, it was a gamble on the quality of the

Zhenhun Screen Sky Umbrella

. The return trip took only a few dozen breaths—surely it would hold together, right? That was Ye Yu’s assumption.

But soon he realized his assumption was wrong! The Heavenly Dao’s power was far stronger than he had imagined, and the umbrella was burning through at an astonishing rate. It might turn to ash in less than two breaths—and if that happened, Ye Yu would be in grave danger himself!

Thinking quickly, he came up with a solution. He stowed the

Zhenhun Screen Sky Umbrella

aside, then raised the Tunshen Chanchu overhead. In an instant, the Heaven-Dao thunderstorms brewing in the sky began to surge wildly, as though they had detected a power rivaling that of the Mortal Realm.

When the thunder roared, the Tunshen Chanchu was finally shaken fully awake, breaking free from the

Thousand Dreams Illusion

. It thought itself safe—until it saw the scene before it. Its massive body shuddered, and instinctively it tried to flee. But Ye Yu’s strength was unimaginable; the Tunshen Chanchu could not break free.

As the Heavenly Dao thunder crashed down, the toad had no time to dodge and had no choice but to endure it head-on. It puffed out its cheeks and expelled a dense cloud of golden mist, blocking most of the thunder’s force. Still, a sliver of lightning struck the toad’s body. Its green belly quivered violently, wounds gaping open. The thunder’s power coursed through its veins, and it convulsed uncontrollably.

“I—I damn it, you—bastard! You’re using me to shield the Heavenly Thunder!” it croaked.

“Keep it up—you can do it!” Ye Yu encouraged, hopeful the toad would withstand the next bolt.

Unbeknownst to him, those words of encouragement completely shattered the Tunshen Chanchu’s spirit! This was Heavenly Dao thunder—the very exemplar of “the strong becoming stronger.” No Immortal King or Emperor could hope to survive. If one bolt didn’t kill you, the next would hit you twice as hard—until you finally perished. Under such circumstances, thanking him for “encouragement” seemed monstrously cruel.

Before the toad could respond further, a new surge of thunder had already gathered. The moment it struck, blinding light swallowed everything.

When Ye Yu awoke again, he found himself safely back inside the Wu Wei Tower. Zhu Diezhen, Bai Xichu, and the others were gathered around him. As soon as they saw him stir, they hurried forward. His wives’ eyes were red as though they had been weeping. Ye Yu tried to rise but was pressed back down by Shangguan Jiujiu.

“Husband, please don’t move. Your soul is gravely injured—resting will help your soul and body fuse properly,” she said.

Hearing this, Ye Yu frowned slightly. Only after Shangguan Jiujiu finished her account did he understand. Half an hour earlier, his soul had already appeared within the Wu Wei Tower—but it was so severely damaged it looked as if it would dissipate at any moment. Frightened, his wives had lifted him in, fed him several top-grade Immortal Pills, and repeatedly performed Soul-Calming Arts.

Fortunately, Ye Yu was safe—and their efforts had not been in vain. Remembering back, he recalled the pair of Heavenly Dao bolts: the second strike had utterly shattered the Tunshen Chanchu’s body, though Ye Yu had preserved its soul. He had then infused vast Immortal power into the

Zhenhun Screen Sky Umbrella

, hoping to increase its speed enough to bring him back before the third bolt fell.

Yet the Heavenly Dao seemed to read his thoughts. The third bolt came even faster, bypassing the umbrella entirely and striking Ye Yu’s body directly. And that was that.

Reflecting honestly, had the Tunshen Chanchu not shielded him from the first two bolts, his soul would surely have been left behind in the Mortal Realm. At that moment, Feng Yingzhi’s voice rang out beside him:

“My theory was correct—even the Heavenly Dao has a heart of mercy. Look!”

Everyone turned to see Feng Yingzhi holding what could barely still be called an umbrella—just a stick with a few fragmented remnants of canopy clinging to it, and at its center a small red heart symbol.

The wives exchanged glances, incredulous. They didn’t believe the Heavenly Dao could ever show mercy—it strikes as it wills. Yet Ye Yu, surprisingly, did not contradict Feng Yingzhi. When the third bolt fell, it truly had veered around that little heart emblem. Could it be...?

Pah! He scoffed inwardly. Whether accidental or not, an umbrella’s purpose is to protect people—when did it become about protecting a symbol? Mercy or not, if it doesn’t shield the bearer, what good is it?

Though irritated, Ye Yu said nothing further about Feng Yingzhi’s theory. After all, this Immortal’s craftsmanship was indeed extraordinary—a technical talent best left unchallenged.

Half an hour later, Ye Yu had nearly fully recovered. He summoned the Tunshen Chanchu’s soul. He had preserved it to solve one mystery: why had the Tunshen Chanchu left the Underworld for the Mortal Realm? And if it truly sought to absorb soul-power, why only siphon cultivation?

With these questions in mind, Ye Yu delved into the toad’s memories—and soon found all the answers. Originally, this creature was a Tunshen Chanchu—but not the complete, true Tunshen Chanchu!