Chapter 63

This is a magical sea of mist, where the fog is red, and within it there are mountains, water, people, and beasts, jade pools, palaces, soldiers, and immortals, truly a place where all things are hidden and revealed. When the sunlight directly hits the clouds, a magnificent building complex rises from the mist, emitting a brilliant red glow towards the rosy light.

Before Yang Zhen even approached, he felt a wave of heat hit his face. Yang Zhen quickly used his powers to resist, and only then did he feel much better.

Turning to look at Yang Zhen, the Fire Virtue Star Lord introduced, "This is where the Fire Department deities live. I'll take you to your residence first, and then I'll tell you about our duties in the Fire Department."

"Thank you!" Yang Zhen said with a smile.

As they flew closer, Yang Zhen glanced at the distance and saw the vague outlines of magnificent halls emerging from the faint red mist. That was the Fire Department's base in Heaven, where all the Fire Department deities gathered. It was also Yang Zhen's first stop in Heaven. What would be waiting for him?

The Fire Virtue Star Lord then took Yang Zhen to tour his future residence. On this matter, the Fire Virtue Star Lord did not make things difficult for Yang Zhen. The residence he chose for Yang Zhen was very grand, ranking among the top few in all the buildings. Yang Zhen was naturally very satisfied. If the Fire Virtue Star Lord had chosen a small house for him, Yang Zhen might have beaten him up on the spot.

In fact, ever since Sun Wukong wreaked havoc in Heaven, some of the lower-ranking deities in Heaven had already become somewhat afraid of those arrogant and powerful cultivators. After all, during the battle at Huaguo Mountain, four of the Twenty-Eight Constellations were killed, and countless others perished. When Sun Wukong escaped from the Eight-Trigram Furnace, he wreaked havoc in Heaven again, and that battle was truly earth-shattering. Sun Wukong's Nine-Transmutation Golden Elixir powers had fully erupted, and if it weren't for the arrival of the Buddha, there would have been very few in Heaven who could stop him.

According to statistics, thousands of Heavenly Generals were killed in that battle, and the Fire Department's shortage of personnel was also due to that battle.

Therefore, the Fire Virtue Star Lord did not dare to offend Yang Zhen, for who knew when Yang Zhen might go berserk and cause another disturbance in Heaven.

After the tour, the Fire Virtue Star Lord handed Yang Zhen a token and said, "You must keep this token safe. It is the credential of a Heavenly Deity, allowing you to freely enter and exit Heaven. Our duties in the Fire Department are very simple: one, to manage all the fires in the world; two, to prevent the heavenly fires from the Chaos from entering the world. These tasks are very simple, and rarely anything goes wrong, but when it does, it's a major event, so we can't be too careless."

Hearing this, Yang Zhen asked, "What do I do on a daily basis?"

The Fire Virtue Star Lord, who dared not make Yang Zhen do anything, said, "You just need to cultivate well. These simple tasks will be handled by the lesser deities. We, the ones in power, just need to give orders, and the rest is to enjoy the Heavenly stipend."

"I see!" Yang Zhen nodded.

The Fire Virtue Star Lord then explained some other matters and left Yang Zhen's place.

The Fire Virtue Star Lord really did not want to have any relationship with Yang Zhen. After all, Yang Zhen was different from the other Heavenly Deities. Yang Zhen's character meant he wouldn't stay in Heaven for long, and the Fire Virtue Star Lord did not want to have endless trouble in the future.

After Yang Zhen received the Heavenly Deity token, he clearly felt an immense amount of merit flowing into him. This tangible feeling made Yang Zhen extremely comfortable. This was the life Yang Zhen wanted. With this merit, Yang Zhen was confident that he could learn all the skills in the store before the Journey to the West and have some self-preservation abilities.

There is one thing that must be mentioned again.

It is said that one day in Heaven is a year on Earth. With such a huge difference, does it mean that cultivating in the Earthly Immortal Realm is better than in Heaven? After all, one day of cultivation in Heaven is equivalent to one year on Earth.

Of course, this is not the case. If it were true, there wouldn't be so many people wanting to be deities in Heaven.

Indeed, if we consider time, one day of cultivation in Heaven is equivalent to one year on Earth. However, in terms of effectiveness, one year of cultivation on Earth is the same as one day in Heaven. Neither is superior to the other, as spending a year to learn something naturally leaves a deeper impression.

After the Fire Virtue Star Lord left, Yang Zhen took a double-experience pill and sat on a mat to cultivate. After three hours, Yang Zhen opened his eyes, his eyes full of surprise. This feeling was truly amazing. This cultivation speed was like a rocket, shooting up rapidly.

No wonder countless ambitious people have wanted to occupy Heaven since the beginning of the world. This place is not only a place of status but also a treasure land for cultivation.

Of course, this does not apply during the time of the Investiture of the Gods. That was the period of the struggle among the Sages. The power of the Sages was much stronger than that of Heaven. If one gained the favor of a Sage, they would have all kinds of magical abilities and treasures, and reaching the Great Perfection would be no problem.

It was only after the Sages retreated that Heaven became a high-flying, rich, and handsome place, once again becoming the most desired place for many cultivators.

Yang Zhen originally planned to remain in seclusion for several dozen days until he reached the Golden Immortal realm before coming out. But thinking of his beloved disciple Jiayao waiting for him in Biquo Kingdom, he abandoned this plan.

After ten years of living together, Yang Zhen had watched Jiayao grow from a crying baby to her current state. This feeling was like that of a father to a daughter, and he felt very reluctant to be apart. In this world, the only people Yang Zhen truly considered family, besides his master Subhuti and Sun Wukong, were Jiayao.

Among these three, Yang Zhen's feelings for Jiayao were the deepest.

With a light laugh, Yang Zhen left the Fire Department and headed south towards the South Heaven Gate. Cultivation could wait; after all, there was still plenty of time. He would first bring his precious disciple to Heaven. Besides, he had already been in Heaven for nearly ten hours, and almost a year had probably passed in the mortal world. The little girl must be getting impatient.

When Yang Zhen returned to the National Preceptor's Mansion, it was autumn. The mansion was filled with chrysanthemums, and from the sky, they looked colorful and full of life. From a distance, Yang Zhen saw a little girl of about ten years old sitting on a rocking chair in the garden, playing with an orange chrysanthemum in her hand.

As he got closer, Yang Zhen noticed the little girl plucking petals and muttering to herself, saying something.

"Will he come to pick me up, won't he come to pick me up, will he come to pick me up, won't he come to pick me up... he will come to pick me up!" After plucking the last petal, the little girl's face showed a hint of joy, but it quickly faded, and she sighed softly, "Although it's always like this, it's been so long. Why hasn't Master come to pick me up yet? Does he not want me anymore?"

"How could Master not want you, Jiayao? You are so cute," Yang Zhen said suddenly from behind her.

"Master!"

Jiayao turned around and, seeing her long-missed master, immediately threw herself into Yang Zhen's arms without a second thought.