Worldwide Search

Inside the room, two males wearing a set of golden armor and several servants could be seen kneeling down, their bodies covered in sweat. They knelt before two figures.

The first figure was an incredibly handsome middle-aged man. He had long black hair, sharp eyebrows, and a pair of golden eyes. He had been wearing fancy clothes, with the words 'Celestial' and 'Emperor' embroidered on his back.

Next to him was a peerlessly beautiful middle-aged woman with a frown on her face. She had long black hair, crescent eyebrows, and mesmerizing golden eyes.

Under normal circumstances, everyone would have stared at this couple with awe and respect. However, at that moment, nobody dared to even glance at their shoes. They all had their foreheads pressed against the Jade floor.

"What did you just say?! Repeat it!" The middle-aged man screamed at the kneeling people in front of him.

"T-t-this servant reports to his Majesty, I was passing by the Young Master's Jade Slip when... when..." The female servant in charge of the Jade Slips stuttered uncontrollably, overwhelmed by fear.

"Enough! Take a deep breath and speak!" The middle-aged man's forehead bulged with veins as he tried not to frighten the servant with his loud voice.

"Yes, your Majesty!" She took a deep breath. "When I was passing by the Young Master's Jade Slip, it suddenly stopped glowing and has remained that way since!" She struggled to speak the last part and had to scream it out.

She raised her hands, holding a Jade Box with a colorless Jade Slip placed in the middle of it.

"Here—"

But before she could lift it halfway, the middle-aged woman snatched it from her.

She inspected the colorless Jade Slip with trembling hands.

"Haaa," she closed her eyes and let out a relieved sigh. "The Jade Slip is not broken; it has only lost its color."

"This means he is not dead but in a place beyond the reach of this Jade Slip's senses."

"But it's still strange..."

"This Jade Slip can detect him even at the ends of the world..."

"Did he tell any of you where he was going or do you have any ideas?" she asked the two men in the golden armor.

"T-this subject reports to her Majesty! I have been guarding the front Main Gate for the past seven months and have not seen the Young Master!" One of the figures in the golden armor struggled to speak without stuttering.

"This subject reports to her Majesty! I have been guarding the area within 100 miles of the Young Master's Villa with Divine Sense for five months and have not sensed a thing! Not even an ant escaped my notice!" The other man in the golden armor reported.

"This means that boy sneaked out of the Palace by himself..." The middle-aged man sighed.

"Bring General Xiang and General Ming to me immediately!" he commanded.

"Yes, Your Majesty! Please excuse us!" The two men in golden armor and the servants swiftly went out to search for the Generals.

Within an hour, two men in black armor returned. Both exuded an air of authority and dominance that made those around them break into a sweat. General Xiang, a man in his fifties with white hair, and General Ming, a handsome man in his early thirties with a ponytail.

"This subject greets Your Majesty!" They both knelt down simultaneously.

"Good! General Xiang and General Ming, take a look at my son's Jade Slip." He showed them a colorless Jade Slip.

"Uuhhh..." Their jaws dropped in disbelief.

"As you can see, my son is currently missing in a location that even the Celestial Jade Slip cannot reach!"

"General Xiang, you will lead an army of ten million Celestial Soldiers and search every corner of the Celestial Gods Realm! Question everyone, from the servants to the kings!"

"General Ming, you will lead an army of one million Celestial Knights to search the Forest of Heavenly Beasts! This kid loves to go there and play."

"Don't return until you find a clue!" he ordered them.

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

"We will ensure that even the chickens are not left unsearched! Please excuse us!" They snapped out of their daze and immediately left to commence the search.

"Haaaaa... He certainly knows how to make us worry." The middle-aged man sat down and sighed.

"I hope nothing bad has happened to him." The beautiful woman wore a worried expression, like a mother who had lost her child in a bustling city.

"Aiya, even though he's as strong as a dragon and as wise as a sage, he's only eighteen years old with no life experience..."

"Not to mention how innocent he is..." He sighed once more and gazed off into the distance.

* * * *

Right after General Xiang and General Ming departed from the Celestial Palace, they led an army of ten million Celestial Soldiers and one million Celestial Knights to search the entire Celestial Gods Realm.

In the Sect Master's Hall of a particular sect, a meeting was taking place.

"What did you say?! The Celestial Palace has dispatched ten million Celestial Soldiers and one million Celestial Knights? And both General Xiang and General Ming are leading them?!" The Sect Master exclaimed in alarm.

Why on earth would the Celestial Palace make such a massive move? Had someone insulted his beautiful wife or spit in his morning tea?

Similar scenes played out in many other Sect Master's Halls at this time.

"S-Sect Master! One of General Xiang's platoons is currently at the Front Gate with ten thousand Celestial Soldiers, requesting our sect's cooperation!" The Front Gate Guard rushed into the Sect Master's Hall, shouting.

He was drenched in sweat, as if he had run a million miles without water.

"W-What did you say?! What in the world has our sect done?! Hurry and receive them!" The Sect Master yelled.

Moments later, within the Celestial Palace, another scene unfolded.

"Seniors! General Xiang's company was at the Front Gate with 100,000 Celestial Soldiers, requesting our sect's cooperation!" Another Gate Guard exclaimed.

"What are you waiting for?! Quickly lead them to the Royal Guest Villa!" The Supreme Elder urgently commanded.

This continued to happen everywhere else.

"Sect Master! General Xiang is here personally to ask for our sect's cooperation!" An Outer Court Disciple exclaimed.

"Why on earth is an Outer Court Disciple reporting this?! Where is the Gate Guard?!" The Sect Master frowned.

"S-Sect Master, the Gate Guard fainted from fear, and I had to report in his place!" The Disciple's entire back was drenched in cold sweat.

During that week, the entire Celestial Gods Realm descended into chaos. Every sect, from the low-ranking to the highest, faced thorough investigations—nothing and no one was spared.

All the sects, families, and loose cultivators in the Celestial Gods Realm had endured a week of hellish turmoil.

* * * *

In the Celestial God's Realm, where gods and demons walked the streets, there existed a forest known as the Forest of Heavenly Beasts. Within this forest, the Heavenly Beasts dwelled, indifferent to the presence of Gods and Demons.

General Ming and his Army had been diligently searching the entire Forest of Heavenly Beasts, leaving no rabbit hole unexplored. One day, a Celestial Knight rushed in to report a clue he had discovered. "General! A fellow comrade has found something!" he exclaimed.

"What is it? Quickly, report!" General Ming's face lit up with anticipation. He had been filled with anxiety throughout the entire week. Despite his relentless search, reality had cruelly reminded him of his empty hands. He dreaded facing his Majesty without any results to show for his efforts.

The Celestial Knight was taken aback to witness General Ming, who was known for never smiling, now beaming with joy. "Yes, General! This comrade shared that a week ago, an Expert had visited the Forest of Heavenly Beasts and encountered something peculiar," he relayed.

"For several days, the entire forest fell into an eerie silence, not even the faintest sound could be heard! Intrigued, the Expert explored the surroundings and stumbled upon this Red Pouch hanging from the Tree of Beginning!" The Celestial Knight handed General Ming a Red Pouch adorned with the character "Yi(一)."

"Excellent! Excellent! Excellent!" General Ming was so elated that he inadvertently repeated the word "Excellent" thrice. "We must return to his Majesty at this very moment! Not a single second can be wasted!"

"Yes, General!" The Celestial Knight saluted.

General Ming swiftly flew back to the Celestial Palace at his utmost speed. After an hour, he finally reached the Front Gates, his face flushed like that of a child who had just received candies from his grandparents.

* * * *

Inside the Celestial Palace, in the Emperor's Room, a middle-aged man observed his wife pacing anxiously. "Aaiiii... It has been a whole week without any clues," he sighed, feeling exhausted despite possessing cultivation higher than the heavens.

Bang!

The door in front of him burst open. "Who dares!" he bellowed. A handsome man with a ponytail hurriedly entered and knelt before him.

"Your Majesty, please pardon this subject's behavior! This subject has finally discovered a clue about the Young Master!" General Ming spoke weakly.

"Eh?... Ah! Finally! What are you waiting for?! Report!" The Celestial Emperor momentarily lost focus before regaining his composure.

"Yes, your Majesty! A Loose Cultivator found the Young Master's Storage Pouch and reported it to us! It was tied to the Tree of Beginning!" General Ming presented a Red Pouch.

"Good, let me see—" He attempted to grab it but was startled as it vanished into thin air. He looked at his wife, who had snatched it at lightning speed.

"I can sense his power within it. This belongs to him, and he recently used it!" She exclaimed with joy.

"Good, good, good! Reward the Loose Cultivator with an enhanced Top-Grade Celestial Weapon of his choice and a set of Top-Grade Celestial Armor! Also, reward all the Celestial Soldiers and Celestial Knights involved in the search as per your judgment."

"This subject obeys! Thank you for His Majesty's blessing!" General Ming saluted.

"Lì'er, quickly see what's inside!" He urged his wife. Feng Lì opened the Red Pouch and extracted a piece of paper. As she began to read it, her husband grew impatient.

"What does it say?" he inquired. However, she remained silent, as if she hadn't heard him at all.

"Ey, let me see!" He snatched the paper from her hand and read its contents.

[Dear beautiful mother and stingy father, I fell in love at first sight with a young lady in one of the Realms below and decided to go down and chase after her! Mother always says 'you can't blame love,' so you can't blame me for my actions! Also, old people like father should not bother the young ones like me! So don't bother me and go rest for a few hundred years and wait for my return!

Your one and only son, Tian Yi.]

His face twitched after the first sentence, and as he finished reading, red veins bulged on his forehead. He began to breathe heavily, and his entire body trembled with rage.

"Tian Yi!!!!" He growled, his anger manifesting as an unimaginable power, akin to a raging hurricane.

* * * *

"Haaaaaa... Can't blame Emperor Tian Qiang for his actions... If my son had gone missing, I would have turned the world upside down to find him too," sighed a Sect Master, sipping tea after the horrifying encounter with General Xiang.

BOOOOOM!

Before he could even savor his tea and relax, a terrifying surge of spiritual pressure descended upon the entire Celestial Gods Realm.

"Heavens! What is happening?" The Sect Master cried out in alarm, his voice drowned in the commotion.

"TIAN YI!!!!! YOU STINKING LITTLE BRAT, WORRYING US TO DEATH! JUST WAIT UNTIL I FIND YOU!!!"

The Celestial Gods Realm immediately fell silent, even couples in the midst of passion dared not make a move.

After a moment of hushed stillness, a mild cough echoed throughout the Celestial Gods Realm.

"Ahem, fellow Sects and Families, I have deeply embarrassed myself. The issue with my son has been resolved, and I apologize for causing a scene this past week."

Tian Qiang cared not for his reputation as he humbled himself before the Celestial Gods Realm. A true ruler accepts his mistakes and confronts them head-on.

Those who heard his words gasped in astonishment, only to feel a sense of injustice the next moment. Had they endured that living hell for naught?

But who would dare voice such grievances at this juncture?

"Now that it's settled, I have an announcement to make."

"Spread my words to your fellow Sects and Families! Whether you're a Servant or an Immortal, the first person to bring my son back unharmed will be granted any wish by me personally! Wealth? Status? Immortality? Heavenly Treasures? Wish to marry your daughter to my son and join my Imperial family? I care not, as long as you bring him back! Trick him, persuade him, beg him—I don't care! JUST BRING HIM TO ME!"

BANG!

Like being struck by lightning, everyone trembled with excitement.

Servant or Immortal? Joining the Imperial Family that rules over the heavens? Even a mortal could ascend through the Dragon's Gate and become a god? What kind of reward was this?

Especially when the young females heard the proclamation, their screams were so deafening that those nearby had to cover their ears. Yet, no one blamed them.

Who was the son of the Celestial Emperor?

The first time he had revealed himself in public, chaos ensued everywhere! Girls who caught sight of him went weak in the knees and couldn't eat for days, consumed by thoughts of his face! Arranged marriages across the world crumbled as females rejected their suitors left and right! Not even the goddesses or the elderly with one foot in the grave were spared!

The Celestial Palace was besieged by females for months, all seeking his hand in marriage. Even mortals joined the clamor, casting aside their lives.

Males with jealousy burning in their eyes were left biting their tongues, unable to voice their frustration. Many renowned handsome men felt a blow to their pride and had to swallow their resentment.

After that incident, the Celestial Emperor dared not expose his son's face in public again. However, it failed to stem the tide of marriage requests flooding in.

In the days that followed, chaos returned to the Celestial Gods Realm. Sects and Families, from the mightiest to the lowliest, devoted all their resources to dispatching as many individuals as possible to spread the news in the lower Realms.

* * * *

"Darling... Can't we just let him have a few years of freedom? He has spent his entire life confined within the Palace, always seeking amusement out of sheer boredom. If we reflect upon it, it's our own fault that he ran away," Feng Li attempted to persuade her husband.

"Hmph! That little troublemaker has no grasp of the impact his power can have on this world, yet he wishes to frolic about with such recklessness?! The more he tries to push me away, the more I'll assert my presence! Once I find him, I will instill proper discipline in him for a hundred years before considering his release," Tian Qiang grumbled.

"But even if you find him, will he willingly return with you?" she questioned.

"If he isn't willing, I'll force him to!" he declared.

"Although you can't do much if he resists, can you? Don't let yourself get too beaten up..." she playfully teased.

"..."

He fell silent, unable to form a response.