Chapter 167

Chapter 167: Who Should the Divine Artifact Belong To

"The divine artifact I lost years ago was a bronze mirror inscribed with the words ‘Mirror of Enlightenment,’ hence its name," Heavenly Emperor Yongqing declared solemnly. "Yet the artifact Lord Nie retrieved from the lower realm turned out to be a folding fan, which puzzles me greatly."

With a wave of his hand, a white folding fan materialized before the crowd, faint blue divine power swirling around it—the very artifact Nie Zheng had casually selected.

"That mirror of yours shattered long ago!" Feng Rong interjected.

"I have no doubt of the Divine Lord’s words." Heavenly Emperor Yongqing nodded gravely before turning to You You. "However, I’ve heard this artifact originally belonged to the celestial maiden. Fearing Lord Nie might return empty-handed, you deliberately entrusted him with it. Is this true?"

You You confirmed, "I did give it to him."

"I see." Yongqing’s eyes narrowed slightly, his righteous demeanor unchanged though a strange gleam flashed in his gaze. "Ancient divine artifacts are rare yet dangerously powerful. Without proper control, even immortals struggle to handle them—let alone mortals. When the Mirror of Enlightenment was stolen, I sent Nie Zheng precisely to prevent chaos in the Mortal Realm. Yet it seems the celestial maiden possesses such artifacts too. This suggests Jing Chen stole more than just the mirror. Surely you’re aware of this?"

He smiled benignly, every inch the virtuous ruler.

You You frowned, eyeing him before cutting through the pretense. "Do you want it?"

"…" His dignified expression faltered.

She’d just murdered the conversation.

Regaining composure, he coughed awkwardly. "You misunderstand. My concern lies with the lower realm’s safety, not claiming artifacts. We merely—"

"Good." You You interrupted. "I wasn’t planning to give it to you anyway."

Yongqing: "…"

The assembled immortals: "…"

So much for diplomatic circling.

A red-faced immortal suddenly blustered, "How dare you jest! While you’re blessed by the Heavenly Dao, mortals remain vulnerable. Hand over any hidden artifacts immediately to prevent disaster!"

You You scanned the crowd. "So you do want it."

Silence fell. Though true, the bluntness stripped their pretenses bare. The same immortal persisted, "This is for the lower realm’s sake!"

"Bullshit!" Feng Rong bristled, flames nearly erupting from his hair. Yuan Qi’s expression darkened.

You You tugged Feng Rong’s sleeve. "We’ll use reasoning."

Suppressing his fury, Feng Rong stepped back as she addressed Yongqing. "You claim the Immortal Realm safeguards artifacts better?"

"We fear uncontrolled artifacts’ devastation," Yongqing replied solemnly. "Nie Zheng reported they’ve already caused tragedies below."

"So you’re certain you can control them?"

"Of course!" An immortal crowed. "Our emperor’s cultivation surpasses any mortal! The Immortal Realm houses countless Great Immortals!"

Nods and praises erupted.

Yongqing added, "Weapons aren’t inherently evil—it depends on the wielder."

"Prove it then." You You pointed at the floating fan. "Control that."

Yongqing: "…"

The immortals: "…"

Control a divine artifact? If possible, they wouldn’t need this meeting—the Mirror of Enlightenment wouldn’t have gathered dust for centuries!

"Artifacts have spirits… special methods…" Yongqing stammered.

"You can’t." You You smiled sweetly. "Watch me."

She beckoned. The fan zipped into her palm, twirling joyfully. With a flick, she slashed the fan through air.

Whoosh!

A blade of energy sliced diagonally across the hall. The roof slid sideways with thunderous crashes, sunlight flooding the gaping wound in the palace. Tall immortals discovered their severed hair fluttering down.

Yongqing: "…"

The immortals: "…"

Σ（°△°—）︴

You You snapped the fan shut. "Still think you’re safer guardians?" A beat. "Especially after losing one already?"

"…"