Deep beneath the Academy ...
Chains rattled, the celestial-grade metal creating a beautiful chiming effect, as though they were not instruments of suppression but of an angelic orchestra instead.
In a dark dungeon-esque area, where there were numerous cells- most empty- Nagira sat, cross-legged, with his hands suspended overhead, chained to the wall.
Seated on a soft mat just outside of his cell was Xu Lan, whose expression was kept in an eternal smile.
"My eyes have never failed like this before, ancient. It appears that what they say in Heaven about the Supreme Immortal Body is true. It's lines of karma and fate are absolutely invisible."
"Even after my Xu Ye spent so long in its presence, now that it's gone, there's no trace whatsoever."
Xu Lan chuckled, slightly adjusting her seating position.
Nagira scoffed, "So that's why you're here? To make me tell you where they went?"
Xu Lan nodded, her smile consistent, "Indeed. The formation array that you destroyed is proving impossible to reconstruct or decipher, even with all of Yun Cang's methods."
"As the actual overseer of this operation, the least I can do is try to help him out."
Nagira frowned as his head fell, causing his long white hair to fall over his face.
"This whole thing's just gone to shit thanks to one goddamn oversight. How the hell'd your kid end up in detention with them anyway?"
"Hehe," Xu Lan giggled as a trace of pride crawled onto her expression, "That was all part of my Xu Ye's plan to uncover the truth. And uncover it, he did."
"I just wish I had seen more of this Jin Huang myself. Something got in the way of my connection with him when they went into that putrid Abyss. If not for that, I might have been able to place a mark on him with our Ocular Divinity."
Nagira gave a dry laugh, "Good thing, then."
Xu Lan scoffed, "Was it really? If I had been able to place that mark, there would be no doubt that I'd be the one to find him."
Nagira shifted, his chains chiming beautifully as Xu Lan continued, "Now, if I don't find him before the time comes, someone much worse will be sent to search for him."
"Worse?" Nagira laughed dryly. "Don't forget I'm an ancient. My being is tied to the Realms; I can feel the suffering of this one."
"What could be worse than the pointless slaughter of innocent mortals by the billions?"
Xu Lan smiled, then gathered herself and stood before bending over to pick up her mat.
Nagira followed her movements with cautious curiosity.
"You know," she started, "words are traitorous things."
Brow raised, Nagira inquired without words.
"Before they even become thoughts, inklings of a deeper truth spill out of our souls. It is thought that taints them with dishonesty. Makes them almost impossible to discern from truth."
Preparing to leave, Xu Lan tucked her mat under her arm and gave Nagira a sidelong glance.
"However, words can create an avenue to cut through all that. Reading minds, at our level of cultivation, is far too misleading. But words..."
Xu Lan's smile grew, "Now I know where the Supreme Immortal Body is. A pity that it's somewhere I can't go."
"Wh-" Nagira tried to speak, too lost to even get a word out.
"Well it's quite obvious, isn't it?" She laughed. "The demons got to Jin Huang somehow. That's unfortunate."
With that, she left. Nagira was silent, afraid to say anything else. Afraid to give even more away without realizing it.
Silenced reigned in the dungeon once again. The chains chimed repeatedly, but Nagira did not hear them.
____________
"I need to send a message to the Mountainous Sphere," Xu Lan stood before Yun Cang in the Headmaster's office, the authority in her voice overwhelming.
Yun Cang obliged wordlessly, and tossed a brightly colored crystal talisman to her. "Should I leave, Lady Xu?"
Shaking her head, Xu Lan activated the talisman, "This is Xu Lan, Goddess of the Cloudy Sphere, sending a message to any and all Immortals in the Mountainous Sphere."
She paused, then continued, "The Supreme Immortal Body has been found by demons of the Netherworld, and is likely hiding in that Realm."
"As you know, Gods of Heaven cannot enter that Realm, and regular human immortals are at an extreme disadvantage in that place. Hence the reason why I am requesting your aid."
"Respond with your Dao-titles, and I will adjust the karmic balance to accommodate you. I await your arrival in the Earthly Realm."
The talisman dimmed, and for a moment there was nothing. Xu Lan looked at it; Yun Cang looked at her.
Then, it was as if that moment of silence had never transpired. The talisman lit up, far brighter than it had, as responses came through back-to-back.
Listening to them, Xu Lan nodded as though she had expected this outcome.
"I am the Immortal Tiger, Soaring Blade! I shall join the Hunt!"
"Immortal Hawk, Storm Wing. Count me in."
"Woof! Immortal Dog, Chainbreaker! I'll sniff 'em out!"
"Yawn! Immortal Hippo, Behemoth- or whatever. Yep."
More and more responses came through. Xu Lan casually did the calculations as her eyes stared off into the void, performing a task that she alone could see.
Yun Cang sat back in his chair, feeling the weight lifting off of his shoulders. For the foreseeable future, him and his men would have it easy.
Once the Supreme Immortal Body was found and taken to the Heavenly Realm to be properly destroyed, they would all be able to return home.
Sighing, he stretched and listened to the responses pouring in.
"Bwahahaha! The Immortal Mammoth shall join! My title? Sage Monarch!"
"Shi shi shi! I am the Poison King, an Immortal Snake. I should like to partake as well."
Xu Lan personally took note of all the titles, her divine eyes performing operations that none could see or feel.
Something beyond the physical, reaching out into a conceptual kind of dimension and allowing her to adjust the karma of each of them.
Without her input, they would encroach upon a kind of Law of the Three Realms, and suffer tremendous backlash upon forcefully entering the Earthly Realm.
Naturally, being a God of the Heavenly Realm, she was equipped with an unfair advantage. This allowed her to bring any number of Immortals she wished, and keep them all from the backlash of the Earthly Realm's Laws.
Finally, just when Xu Lan and Yun Cang thought the last of the immortals from the Mountainous Sphere had signed on, the talisman lit up again.
A carefree voice full of arrogance and conceited laughter sounded; they both instantly recognized it.
"Going to the Netherworld? Heh, sounds fun! I'll come out and play, just this once."
Xu Lan's calm eyes widened, shock apparent in them. She activated the talisman and cleared her throat, "Uh, your dao title?"
"Heh heh heh heh! Don't you recognize me, Little Godling? I am the Immortal Ape, titled the Monkey King!"