Mu Sha, however, knew nothing of this. Over the decades, he had tried to come and pay his respects many times, but he had never received a response from Mu Guyue. For a Nascent Soul cultivator to enter seclusion for decades, or even centuries, was quite normal. Even if he had his doubts, he was unwilling to think the worst.
Looking down at Mu Sha, now a grown man, Mu Guyue remained half-reclined in her large stone chair. "I hope we will have a day to meet again. Say no more!"
Mu Guyue's voice was devoid of any emotion, filled with an endless coldness. She rested her head on one hand, her cloud-like black hair cascading down like a waterfall, and waved her other hand in dismissal.
This time, Mu Sha did not leave immediately. Instead, he knelt and kowtowed three times respectfully before turning and striding away.
After the sound of his armor faded into the distance and silence returned, a trace of softness appeared on Mu Guyue's icy face. "You have now successfully formed your core; you are no longer a low-level cultivator. From now on, you must walk your own path... I, too, should be going!"
What Mu Sha didn't know was that some things were not as Mu Guyue had said. She had not attempted to ascend to the Immortal Spirit Realm all these years, not because she wasn't ready, nor because she was still searching for treasures needed for ascension. She had been silently waiting for Mu Sha to successfully form his core. She had waited until his Golden Core stage was exceptionally stable and he had established a certain standing in the army before finally deciding to leave.
However, the black Black Demon God Armor she had given him was not something she had spent her entire fortune to purchase. She herself was about to ascend, not to die in the chaotic flows of space; Mu Guyue was well aware of this. But she also did not want Mu Sha to perish easily. Originally, she had planned to spend all the fortune she could muster to buy him a protective magical treasure that could defend against Golden Core stage attacks.
But in recent years, whenever she was in a bad mood, she would go to the Demon-Swallowing Abyss to fight the Heaven-Confounding Profound Gold Dragon. It was that vile dragon's fault for releasing that despicable aphrodisiac poison, causing her to lose her chastity. Occasionally, she would even dream of the intimate scenes with that man... Every time this happened, Mu Guyue would wake up feeling exceptionally ashamed and furious.
Now, when the Heaven-Confounding Profound Gold Dragon faced Mu Guyue, it could barely last an hour before being overwhelmed. Although Mu Guyue couldn't kill it, each battle would leave it injured. More seriously, it had affected its cultivation. Mu Guyue would come whenever she pleased, regardless of whether it was in seclusion or not. The dragon, on the other hand, did not dare to go to the Black Demon Clan to cause trouble for her while she was cultivating. With one growing stronger and the other weaker, the Heaven-Confounding Profound Gold Dragon's cultivation speed had fallen behind Mu Guyue's.
Its territory in the "Heavenly Demon Abyss" was its lair, and at the same depth in the Demon-Swallowing Abyss, there were other demonic beasts as powerful as it. It couldn't just easily take over another's territory and move. It had begged Mu Guyue many times not to come again, willing to offer corresponding treasures, but Mu Guyue had completely ignored its terms.
This had enraged the Heaven-Confounding Profound Gold Dragon. After each time Mu Guyue left, it would slaughter some of the weaker demonic beasts nearby to vent its anger. Over time, this had resulted in a desolate area for hundreds of thousands of li around its lair, with almost no demonic beasts to be seen.
The last time Mu Guyue went there, the Heaven-Confounding Profound Gold Dragon, roaring in frustration, had again demanded to know what she wanted, telling her to name her conditions. This time, surprisingly, Mu Guyue did not attack. Instead, she demanded a large number of Demon Crystals and a drop of the Heaven-Confounding Profound Gold Dragon's essence blood.
The Heaven-Confounding Profound Gold Dragon, after gritting its teeth, felt that the sky-high number of Demon Crystals was still bearable. But the demand for its essence blood instantly threw it into a rage. It immediately turned hostile and fought with Mu Guyue. The battle lasted for the better part of a day. Under Mu Guyue's powerful assault, the Heaven-Confounding Profound Gold Dragon was beaten until its scales were shattered and blood flowed freely.
In the end, although it hid in its cave residence and activated its enhanced defensive formation, Mu Guyue bombarded it day and night. Finally, the Heaven-Confounding Profound Gold Dragon had no choice but to come out and glare at her, its teeth gnashed.
Under Mu Guyue's icy gaze, the Heaven-Confounding Profound Gold Dragon, suppressing its frustration, demanded that she sign a Blood Contract. She had to guarantee that she would not use its essence blood to curse or track it, but only to refine medicinal pills. After Mu Guyue signed the Blood Contract, the Heaven-Confounding Profound Gold Dragon finally squeezed out a drop of essence blood the size of an ant and handed over a large number of Demon Crystals, finally sending this female plague god away.
It was with these Demon Crystals that Mu Guyue had purchased a set of Black Demon God Armor, allowing her to leave with peace of mind.
Listening to the fading sound of armor, the image of Mu Sha as a child appeared in her mind. Childhood is the most innocent and lovely stage of a person's life. The child Mu Sha's tender voice echoed in her mind.
"Mother, why do we have to cultivate? It's so hard…"
"Mother, I have to eat every day to grow up. Why do you never eat? Aren't you hungry? Or are you saving all the good food for me…"
"Mother, your child knows he was wrong. Please don't punish your child anymore…"
Scene after scene played out, and a rare smile appeared on Mu Guyue's face. 'From now on, no one will punish you again!' she thought. Then, her ruby lips moved silently. "Cultivate well. The supreme Great Dao is our only destination! Perhaps the answers you've always wanted will be found in the Immortal Spirit Realm!"
Mu Sha, who was walking away, suddenly felt Mu Guyue's no-longer-icy words in his mind. His body froze. A strange light shone in his eyes, and he muttered to himself, "Mother, you've finally relented! The Immortal Spirit Realm… is that person in the Immortal Spirit Realm? I will definitely go! Definitely!"
In the cave residence, through layers of barriers, Mu Guyue saw the sharp glint in Mu Sha's eyes as he looked back. In that instant, it seemed as if Mu Sha was filled with a boundless will to fight.
'This is my final gift to you. Maintain an undying heart!' Mu Guyue thought. Then, she retracted her Divine Sense, her gaze fixed blankly on the cave wall.
'If you have not perished, then when you tore through the void, was it to return to the Desolate Moon Continent, or to find the path of ascension? If I die during my ascension, I hope he can find the clues I left behind. Consider it a conclusion to this ill-fated connection in the lower realm. If I see you again one day, I will still… still kill you!'
Mu Guyue stared blankly at the cave wall. Perhaps she didn't notice, or perhaps she simply didn't want to, but when she spoke the last sentence, there was an added hint of hesitation and indecision. At this moment, she was not the decisive, cold-blooded war general of the Black Demon Clan, but a woman heavy with thoughts. And at some point, a small segment of a green vine had appeared in her hand, which she unconsciously turned over and over in her slender, jade-like palm…
A few days later, when Mu Sha returned to the cave residence where he had grown up, his heart filled with apprehension, the white jade token in his hand flashed, and the cave's restrictions opened. The stone chair where the noble, queen-like figure always sat was empty…
And in the boundless darkness of the chaotic flow of space, a slender figure braved the astral winds, moving forward alone. There was no turning back to look at her homeland, only a solitary silhouette…
On Little Bamboo Peak of the Malevolent Spirit Sect, Wei Zhongran was talking with Zhao Min.
Zhao Zhi was not present. Perhaps concerned about the affair between Li Wuyi and Zhao Min, Zhao Zhi had also entered a period of seclusion several decades ago, but the results had not been very good. It was only after Li Wuyi's wedding and Zhao Min's engagement to Li Yan that Zhao Zhi had truly entered deep seclusion, not to emerge again.
Zhao Min would occasionally come to Little Bamboo Peak. Her feelings about Nascent Soul Formation were still very vague, so she was no longer in constant closed-door death seclusion. Instead, in addition to her daily cultivation, she would come to Li Yan's bamboo courtyard to talk with Zi Kun and Qian Ji for a while. Though it was called talking, it was actually the two demons who chattered endlessly while she just sat quietly.
The two demons would call out "Matriarch... Matriarch" without stopping. Zhao Min would quietly listen to their nonsensical ramblings. Occasionally, she would tell them things the two demons didn't know. This greatly broadened the horizons of the two demons, who had been kept in the Earthen Patch for many years, much to their excitement.
Today, just as Zhao Min arrived at Li Yan's courtyard, Wei Zhongran flew over. Now that Zhao Zhi was in seclusion, Zhao Min visited his courtyard less often, which left Wei Zhongran feeling helpless. Sensing Zhao Min's arrival today, he had decided to come and find her.
The moment the two demons saw Wei Zhongran, they immediately found an excuse and slipped away. They didn't want to stay with a Nascent Soul cultivator. This fatty gave them a very dangerous feeling, and he always had a warm smile on his face. The two demons didn't dare to speak much. They would rather a senior expert be stern and unsmiling; a Nascent Soul cultivator smiling at you always made them feel flustered and uncertain.
There wasn't much for Wei Zhongran and Zhao Min to talk about. Wei Zhongran asked about Zhao Min's cultivation and, after some thought, offered some guidance. If this had happened to any other cultivator, they would have woken up laughing from their dreams. But Zhao Min had already received guidance from a Spirit Transformation old monster, so she didn't find it particularly extraordinary. However, some of Wei Zhongran's views were quite unique and not without use to her, so Zhao Min was willing to listen and absorb them.
As the two were talking, Zhao Min suddenly lifted her delicate face, her gaze seeming to penetrate through all obstacles to look in a certain direction. This action from his daughter stunned Wei Zhongran, a Nascent Soul cultivator himself. In his perception, apart from some low-level disciples of the sect flying in and out, there was nothing special around Little Bamboo Peak that would attract his daughter's attention.
Just as he was about to extend his Divine Sense in the direction Zhao Min was looking, a smile appeared on her face. "He's back!"
"He's back? Oh… you mean Li Yan!" At this moment, Wei Zhongran's Divine Sense had already flown to the distant horizon, and he had finally detected a familiar aura.
'The Heart-Entangling Twin Gu!' The thought rose in Wei Zhongran's mind. His Divine Sense couldn't be extended so far at all times; at most, it would occasionally roam around Little Bamboo Peak. The same was true for Zhao Min; she wouldn't be so bored as to constantly have her Divine Sense extended. That would deplete her Divine Sense power in less than an hour. So the only explanation was the connection between Zhao Min and Li Yan.
In fact, regarding the "Heart-Entangling Twin Gu," Wei Zhongran and Zhao Zhi had both carefully suggested to Zhao Min that she and Li Yan should remove it. After all, if one of them perished, the other would follow. To this, Zhao Min had only shaken her head, refusing to discuss the topic at all.
Wei Zhongran and his wife were helpless against this daughter of theirs. The fact that she was willing to speak to them like this was already the best outcome. They didn't dare to scold her for being reckless. If they did, Zhao Min might revert to her former cold self, treating them like strangers. So, they could only let things be.
When Li Yan flew over Little Bamboo Peak, he didn't sense any Divine Sense sweeping out from the main hall as usual. 'Is no one overseeing the peak's affairs in the main hall today?'
He then flew directly to his own courtyard. Before he had even landed, he sensed two familiar auras.
"Greetings, Master!" Li Yan landed and quickly bowed.
"Hehehe, for me to come over like this while you're not home, is it a bit impolite?" Wei Zhongran sized up Li Yan, and a strange light flashed in his eyes, but his words were about something else entirely.
Li Yan glanced at Zhao Min, who was staring at him with her beautiful eyes, and felt a little awkward. He naturally knew that Wei Zhongran had come over because Zhao Min was here. It was clear that after coming to Little Bamboo Peak, Zhao Min preferred to come to his place. But how would his master and martial mother, her parents, feel about this?