Present
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As the latest twelfth member of the Twelve Higher Gods' Committee, appointed to oversee mortal cultivators, Long Xiao decided to descend into the Twelve Realms and observe their way of life.
The Higher Gods merely wanted someone to keep an eye on the mortals, particularly those pursuing immortality. Naturally, Long Xiao volunteered even though he wasn't bound by any celestial decree.
Out of duty, of course.
Somewhere In The Clouds
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The sun was high in the sky, shining brightly. Long Xiao didn't feel its effect. Not long ago, he had materialized a big cloud-like umbrella that hovered above him closely, blocking the sun's rays as he sat in the now sunflower-shaped travel cloud.
"Which realm should we explore first, Lei?" Long Xiao asked his mount, who was flying a few metres behind him.
"Wherever there are beautiful goddesses and good food, Master." Lei smirked.
"Unbelievable bird! That's outrageous. Why would there be goddesses in the Mortal Realm?' He glared, though the corners of his mouth twitched with amusement.
"I was just quoting quoting your exact words, Master." Lei scoffed.
"Funny I don't remember ever saying that." Long Xiao huffed.
"Of course, you wouldn't." Lei muttered, flapping his wings with more force to blow Long Xiao's clouds way, but to no avail.
"What was that?" Long Xiao turned his head, glaring at his mount.
"Nothing, Master." Lei shook his head frantically.
Long Xiao didn't press further, relaxing on his travel cloud. Time slowly passed.
The skies stretched endlessly, and Lei's wings beat with graceful laziness.
After a while, Long Xiao noticed that Lei was getting tired, watching as he collapsed dramatically onto a nearby mountain peak like he had carried an entire realm.
"My mount adores himself too much." Long Xiao sighed, descending his cloud, the travel cloud and umbrella fading away.
Long Xiao sat cross-legged as Lei rested. He spread out scrolls of information on the realms before him, also opening a map of the Twelve Realms he had acquired in the Celestial Archives—for ten thousand merits.
"Too expensive. It better be worth the merits." Long Xiao muttered, shaking his head.
After spreading the map, Long Xiao summoned a divine, twelve-sided die—a dodecagon—its surface shimmering with a celestial blue hue, adorned with black dots representing the numbers one through twelve. He flicked it into the air, and as it spun and came to a gentle halt, the number twelve faced upward, pointing toward the sky.
"Twelve? Hmm… Which realm is that?" Long Xiao mused, scanning through his scrolls with curiosity.
According to the scrolls:
Realm number twelve: Xuchong Realm.
Famous for its unpredictable Qi storms and its ruthless cultivators who practiced the Art of Insanity.
Because of their extraordinary aptitude, divine beasts, plants, humans, and countless other beings coexist within its borders, making Xuchong one of the most diverse and chaotic realms in the Twelve.
"The Art of Insanity sounds really divine and since I'm a curious god, I'm definitely going to visit there first."
Long Xiao chuckled, clapping his hand twice, gathering fallen leaves. The leaves floated and congealed into a soft makeshift bed. Long Xiao was definitely not sleeping on the ground. The bed hovered lightly above the earth, and he smiled as he lay down on it.
"Tomorrow, we fly to Xuchong."
"Where in Xuchong, Master? Its region is huge." Lei groaned, covering his face with his feathers after glancing at the map.
"Specifically to Xundu City. Have a good night's rest, Lei. You'll need it." Long Xiao chuckled, a wicked grin on his face.
Lei sighed, tugging his wings for comfort.
Somewhere above, the stars flickered like they were listening.
Xuchong Realm
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With the rising sun, they prepared to depart. Long Xiao gathered the information he had laid down with a snap of his fingers, all disappearing into his storage ring. Lei had already woken, eager to explore the realms, but not enough to carry Long Xiao on his back the entire way.
Long Xiao sat cross-legged on Lei's back, robes billowing in the wind, hair flowing like a divine waterfall. He had purposely not used the travel cloud today.
Lei, in his celestial form, soared through the sky with the grace of a spirit beast and the attitude of a disgruntled chauffeur.
"Master, must you sit like that?" Lei grumbled, wings flapping with extra effort.
"Yes. It's called being divine." Long Xiao replied, sipping tea from a floating cup he conjured mid-flight.
"Tch!" Lei snorted, resisting the urge to flame his Master.
They passed over countless jade forests, shimmering lakes, and floating islands tethered by chains of light.
"Xundu City ahead," Lei muttered.
"Remember, we're here to gain enlightenment," Long Xiao instructed. "I certainly don't want the mortals to know a god has arrived."
"But, Master, cultivators don't have talking celestial phoenixes as mounts. If you're trying to keep a low profile, you should stick with the travel cloud." Lei suggested.
He absolutely wanted to get Long Xiao off his back, but his words held a half-truth. Long Xiao nodded in agreement but showed no sign of getting off. Lei sighed in disappointment.