(MC POV)

I woke to the sound of ringing between my ears.

??

Cursing my carelessness in letting that fox use her Technique on me, I slowly opened my eyes in preparation to see the fox gloating at me.

Instead, the first thing I saw was Cai Hong's worried face looking back at me.

"Papa? Papa ok?"

I sat up, looking around me to realise I was seated in a clearing somewhere.

"What happened?" I asked. Did Cai Hong managed to escape the mansion with me?

"The mean fox took Papa…" she cried while holding my arm. "Cai Hong called big sisters and got Papa back…"

Ok… How long was I even out for?

I looked up to the orange-tinged sky.

Since the sun has yet to set, either I was only out for awhile or it had been more than a day since I was unconscious.

"How long was I out?"

"Ummm… A few hours? Cai Hong dunno…"

I patted her head, "And where are the others?"

"Umm… Big sisters stayed behind to stop the mean fox from following… She brought Papa to the mountains in some weird cave..."

Not good. Do they know that she's an undead? I doubt my cute disciples are able to kill a person in cold blood yet so the undead fox could just regenerate indefinitely if she isn't wounded fatally.

Bemoaning my current condition, I leapt up to my feet, fully intending to go to wherever my disciples are.

But before I could do so, a pillar of light descended down from the sky a short distance away from us. The light was accompanied by a distinct bell-like ring that was easily missed if you didn't pay attention to it.

The unfortunate thing is that I know this light quite intimately.

Within the other Planes there was an all-powerful group of people that oversaw everything that goes on within the Planes.

According to them, they made sure that the 'balance is maintained for the greater good of all.'

Everyone had believed them to be gods and for good reasons too.

Nothing could touch them, not even Practitioners using Legend tier Techniques could do anything to hurt them.

It's not that they're invincible, it's just that anything anyone throws at them seem to pass through them harmlessly like they were incorporeal. But yet, they could still affect the world around them physically should they choose to.

They never gave a name for themselves but everyone just called them 'The Celestials'.

Me? I call them the busybodies.

Like really, I've seen them appear out of nowhere, point out someone for doing something or even planning to do something that might potentially disrupt the balance of the world, then whisk them away to who knows where.

They don't even explain or state the basis of what they claim to be actions that will cause the imbalance.

For all we know, they're just taking away people that they deem to be an eyesore or something.

Furthermore, the people they point out aren't killed but rather spirited away by them to somewhere that no one knows. A few have speculated it to be hell or even some other world but no one was able to prove anything yet. We just know that the people they take away were never seen again.

Another reason why I don't see them as some godlike entities is the fact that I've met them multiple times in my past life before.

It's all that damn psycho Practitioner's fault.

That psycho is the only one I agree with that is a threat to the balance of the world.

The only problem is that even they couldn't handle the lunatic.

They first appeared in front of us when I was tied to the ground and being used in some extremely weird ritual.

They called the psycho out on being an imbalance which only prompted that lunatic in shouting in a weird language at them.

I'm not sure if I mentioned this before, but that psycho does not seem to speak in any of the known human languages. Even those busybodies were stunned when they heard the words but they just ignored it and tried to send the psycho away.

But that maniac had invoked the ritual at that time and actually reflected the light ray back to them, sending them away to wherever instead.

That was my first encounter with them.

Over time they will keep reappearing again and again, saying the same things to us and trying and failing to send that psycho to wherever they planned to.

It was then that they really lost all sense of divinity for me, even when I heard about how mythical they were supposed to be from others.

Like seriously, a lunatic was running circles around them without even trying.

There was even once when one of them had just materialised in that ray of light and the psycho just did some weird hand signs before punting the guy in the balls.

A big middle finger to their supposed incorporealness right there.

It took them about a total of twenty or so tries before they straight up decided the psycho wasn't worth the effort, balance be damned.

And of course, I'm the poor soul who got stuck in between their little conflicts. So excuse me if I really can't see then as the so called 'Celestial' beings everyone else seem to think they are.

But enough about that. The problem right now is that I've never heard of one appearing within the Earthen Plane. I even thought the Earthen Plane was out of their jurisdiction since I doubt anything here might catch their eye.

Don't tell me they thought Elaria's rapid advancement of technology is a threat?

That is… Actually that's the only reason why they could possibly come here.

Damn it.

If Elaria gets sent away, she won't be able to come back! And the me right now won't be able to track her to bring her back either!

I do have some items in my storage ring that can bring me back here in the event I get sent somewhere else so...

"Cai Hong! Use the sling shot Technique I taught you that time and send me over there!"

Cai Hong jumped at my sudden outburst, "Muuu? The one Papa used to send things flying?"

"Yes! Now! Quickly!"

She must have sensed my urgency and quickly circulated her quarks, pointing her palm towards me.

I felt my stomach churn as I was slowly lifted the ground, mentally preparing for what was going to happen.

A second passed before I was catapulted up into the air, flying straight towards the landing point of the beam of light.

I started descending just as a man appeared from within, pointing his finger towards a girl I recognised as my little sister.

Not on my damn watch!

I crashed down in front of him just as his finger began lighting up, firing off a beam that was intended for Elaria.

The beam hit me straight in the chest and the next thing I knew, my vision had gone white.