Everyone was stunned. How could it have turned out this way? Even if the Ju Ling God were merely a prominent figure in the Celestial Court, a solid upper-tier immortal, he had been knocked off his feet by a young upstart. Was there any justice left in the heavens? Many people's first thought was that the Ju Ling God had deliberately underperformed. However, given what had just unfolded, that possibility had become extremely unlikely. Though the Ju Ling God might have reservations about the Huang Tian Emperor, Qin Feng was not only his personal enemy—the one who had caused him to lose face in the Celestial Court—but his very own nephew. How could he possibly have underperformed? Was he truly planning to retire from the Celestial Court altogether? Although Li Jing also found himself deeply puzzled, he quickly took off on a祥云, flying toward the scene to investigate. In the Imperial Study, the Emperor's eyes were as wide as the old Taoist Master's. He turned to the elder and asked, "What exactly happened?" "The old man sighed, saying, 'I really don't know. It might be that Ju Ling Shen deliberately arranged it, or perhaps Qin Feng has been progressing so rapidly—within just three months, he's now catching up with Ju Ling Shen. I think the latter is more likely. Since Hong Tian is his master, he must have learned a great deal from him during this period.' Emperor Yu added, 'There's another point we can't overlook—Qin Feng is truly a talent. Even if his master were exceptionally skilled, no ordinary person could advance this quickly.' His tone carried a strong sense of frustration. 'After all, he's one of our own from the Heavenly Palace, yet in the end, the advantage went to Hong Tian's court. You people—always making things worse than they need to be—really drive me crazy!' Too, the Jade Emperor nodded, gracefully complimenting, 'Emperor Yu is absolutely right. This time, indeed, we ourselves have fallen short, and we've ended up pushing our talent to others.'" On the platform, Qin Feng himself found it somewhat unbelievable. According to his expectations, managing to strike the Giant Spirit God with a single blow and send him reeling would have been an extraordinary achievement—anything beyond that would have to be handled as he went along. He hadn't anticipated that the opponent was so easily defeated, barely able to parry a single attack, yet still insisted on offering three strikes. If he really delivered three blows, he'd probably lose his life. Indeed, the power of the Haotian Hammer was truly formidable—no wonder it had become the renowned weapon of the Heavenly Emperor. Qingya had yet to recover from her shock, while Chao Tao shouted enthusiastically, "Qin brother, you're magnificent! Truly, one blow has dispatched the Giant Spirit God—I'm absolutely thrilled as your good sister!" Qin Feng turned crimson. "Chen Jie, shut up! Who's your good sister?" The crowd burst into laughter. The tall, handsome young man expressed concern, saying, "Yes, the Giant Spirit God was indeed knocked off his feet by one blow, but he'll return." "Qin was about to speak when a calm male voice came through: 'The Ju Ling God fainted several miles away and has lost his combat capability. Thus, Qin Feng has won this match.' The speaker was Marshal Li Jing, who used his right hand to support a massive figure—none other than the Ju Ling God—and continued, 'Qin Younger Brother, the Ju Ling God is now unconscious. How about you give me a face, and let's put an end to the 'never to be defeated' agreement?'" Qin Feng naturally chose to yield, smiling, "Of course, I must honor the face of the Protector of the Heavenly Tower. But, Lord Tian Wang, you must promise me that once the big fellow wakes up, he will specifically instruct him not to bother me again. Otherwise, I'll treat him quite unforgivingly. Then, no one's face will matter at all." Li Jing smiled, "Younger Brother, rest assured—this matter is entirely under my care. Should the Ju Ling God ever find fault with you again, I'll personally handle it without needing you to intervene." With that, he took the Ju Ling God and took off into the sky. Qin Feng smiled and stepped down from the platform, immediately grasping Qingya's hand. "Come with me." The beautiful Inspector blushed. "Where to?" "To the Hall of Heaven." "Why go to the Hall of Heaven?" "To be a maid there." "..." Tao Hua and the handsome young man naturally wouldn't let him go so easily; they kept him firmly between them, insisting he entertain them with drinks. In the Imperial Study, Laojun observed the image of Qin Feng and Qingya holding hands and remarked, "This seems rather inappropriate. Shouldn't I perhaps scold them? After all, this young man is asking someone who's already part of our celestial lineage to serve as a maid at the Hall of Heaven—even as a joke, that's quite out of place." The Jade Emperor raised his hand. "Don't be so particular. We don't lack maids here. If they're willing to go to the Hall of Heaven, let them go. Our talents are being generously shared. Let's not make a big deal out of a mere maid's appointment." "Upon hearing this, the Elder General nodded and said, 'That makes sense. Otherwise, it would seem we're being stingy. By the way, Emperor, how exactly shall we resolve the matter with the demonic forces? They've already issued formal protests—can we simply ignore them?' The Jade Emperor thought for a moment and replied, 'Those people simply don't learn from their defeats unless they're actually beaten. We'll have to send someone to give them a good lesson, and then they'll settle down.' The Lord of the Tao grew dark-faced and remarked, 'This matter was originally meant to be handled by the Giant Spirit. Now, however, he'll surely find an excuse—claiming he's injured—to politely decline the assignment.' The Jade Emperor smiled and said, 'Without the Giant Spirit, can we manage the demonic forces? I believe Qin Feng is quite suitable. He already has combat experience against the demons before his ascension, and his young companions—well, I think assigning the task to them might even yield better results than what the Giant Spirit could achieve.'" "The Old King's eyes lit up: 'Right. Who sent him to defeat the Giant Spirit? That responsibility should fall on him. But after all, he's a servant of the Heavenly Palace—shouldn't the Emperor issue a formal decree?' The Jade Emperor waved his hand: 'There's nothing improper about it; he'll certainly accept willingly.' 'Your Majesty is indeed wise.' The four chose a scenic spot. Qin Shao generously offered the Zui Xian Wine. Tao Xiang contributed a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables, many of which reportedly come from the Queen Mother's orchard. Chen Xisu sent a sumptuous banquet with delicious dishes and an array of pastries. As the only lady among them, Qing Ya only needed to focus on eating. After taking a sip, Qin Shao set down his cup and asked Chen Xisu, 'By the way, what exactly is your family's business? It seems you have considerable influence in the Heavenly Palace.' Chen Xisu waved his hand and replied, 'Actually, not much—compared to Tao Xiang's Xian Hua Palace, we're truly worlds apart.'" "Tuofa immediately countered, "Come on, who doesn't know your father is a close friend of the Three Pure Ones and Yuan Shi Tian Zun? Even the Jade Emperor has to give him some face. Besides elixirs, the Xianhu Palace has almost nothing else." Qin Sha smiled and said, "You two are both wealthy, the so-called 'divine offspring' of the legendary families—surely you've done your fair share of mischief, haven't you? Things like undermining your parents, or other such incidents..." Tuofa was taken aback, "What exactly does 'undermining your parents' mean?"