What is the world at the end of light and shadow on the other side of the starry sky?
Well, it is a beautiful star that has slowed down the changes of the years and frozen time in the old days.
The oncoming wind has the fragrance of pasture. There is an endlessly stretching grassland without people.
Lin Luoran looks at others blankly. Holding the shrunken jade steps, she doesn’t know where they are at this moment.
…
Earlier—
Lin Luoran releases the five elements to fill the inner power for the earth. Black Tortoise disappears on the earth. After that, the five elements grow strong, forming a complete circle. At this moment, this star that was exhausted is infused with vitality. It is really an astonishing upheaval.
The gods and Buddhas that left tens of thousands of years ago have probably never thought that someone will really rescue a star that was destined to annihilate in eternity calamity.
The Taoist fields that they gave up may bring great merits with some danger. Some gods and Buddhas want to have a try and take advantage of it. The star’s fate has totally changed. However, they also find that their subtle connection with it has disappeared. It is not a star that they can contact—it is now a star with the large territory but actually only has one Taoist field. The merits will never have anything to do with them. The worship of believers actually all goes to a nobody that apotheosized herself.
The gods and Buddhas are all annoyed. They want to teach the little fairy a lesson when she enters their world.
They still don’t know that such a little fairy is still struggling in the Divinization period. No one knows what is waiting for her.
In the Unfettered World where gods, Buddhas, and immortals can not reach, an ordinary man in a linen robe closes the book on his lap.
Soft light drips down among branches, like a layer of a translucent veil which makes his ordinary face even more unreal.
Putting the book on a rock, he stretches himself and stands up. He looks really elegant and comfortable.
“Little girl, you are really stubborn.” The man in the robe smiles gently. When he appears again, he has already been in front of a tree house.
Inside the simple tree house with entwined vines, there is a bed of never-fading flowers. A young woman with ruddy cheeks sleeps in her clothes. Maybe she is having a sweet dream so she smiles gently, and her smile looks kind of like the man in the robe.
The man in the robe sits down on the bed and combs the hair on her temples for the young woman.
“Momo, you have had fun outside for so long. It’s time to go home.”
He looks at the young woman with gentle eyes, with the pamper for a naughty junior, and also with a trace of affection that he hasn’t noticed.
But when he thinks of the so-called “covenant”, his smile becomes a little awkward.
The promise is debt. When he taught the little girl, he emphasized many times that a person, an immortal, a monster, or even a devil should never make random promises.
Therefore, he has to make himself an example.
If the stubborn little girl really enforces the covenant, he also has to give her the chance as promised.
Thinking of the “god’s mind” that he took back more than a hundred years ago, the man in the robe is not sure whether Momo is still willing to meet the covenant.
Anyway, he has to see her.
The spiritual power of the man in the robe is triggered, and then he disappears in the Unfettered World.
If someone has the supernatural power to peer into the world of the man in the robe, he or she will find that it is big and boundless while small as dust. It is not in the Ninth Heaven. There is no exit or entry without his permission.
Even though he can control the laws of heaven and earth and he owns a world, he still can’t escape the erosion of “loneliness”.
In the flower bed, the young woman will not grow old or die. She is sleeping peacefully. It’s so quiet that as if she will never wake up again.
…
“Bug, have you heard it? I heard that there is a pastry shop in Xihua Lane. You can smell the pastry ten miles away… I am so starved!”
The scorching sun is in the sky. It is so hot that even beggars don’t want to move. They gather together in twos and threes, talking some gossip. When lice on their body can’t stand the heat and crawl out, they stretch out their forefingers and kill them on the ground.
The middle-aged beggar called Bug sneers, “A few more days later, I’m afraid Lord Shen’s army will enter the capital. Do you still have the mood to be greedy for a pastry shop?”
The greedy beggar sighs, “We really can’t survive this damn era.”
The bug laughs at his shallow knowledge, “Lord Shen conquers the city for killing and robbing of his enemies who exiled him in the past. You and I will always be beggars whether there is a war or not. You should never be so damn anxious.”
All beggars praise that Bug is really a literate person—he is the best in terms of knowledge among the beggars nearby!
There are two carriages parking near the herbal tea stall not far away. The people in the carriages have heard enough gossip. They pay for the tea and then leave.
The wheels rumble, and the passengers inside ask the coachmen to go to the new pastry shop in Xihua Lane. Bug and other beggars hear it. When the carriages disappear on the corner of the street, they spit and curse at the same time. What a damn world dominated by rich people!
Lin Luoran in the car hears a group of beggars cursing. She shakes her head without saying a word.
It takes them a month to enter the capital from the border. Of course, they don’t do it for taking a vacation.
When they first arrived on this strange planet, they felt happy for the ancient Huaxia society. When they found some cultivators, they were even more excited.
They thought it would be easy to find Lins. However, the more they understood here, the more they were surprised.
The customs and races here are very similar to that of the ancient Huaxia on the Earth. Cultivators don’t often appear in front of ordinary people, but their influence is everywhere.
Most territory of this planet is controlled by a cultivation school. This time, Lord Shen leads his army north, and it is another force competing for the right to control this star.
After Bai Qingxue knows the situation, she says—this is a real cultivation world.
It’s just a simple sentence but it reveals lots of helplessness. The Earth before the New Era that Lin Luoran once lived was the most peaceful period of the cultivation world. Because of the decline, no one had time to fight against each other.
But this is a different place. Since Xia and Shang dynasties, cultivation schools have moved here one after another from the Earth, and they have gradually got their own firm footholds in this world. They have divided their own spheres of influence. With interstellar transmission circles, most famous schools take planets as their territories, collecting personal ability enhancement materials by controlling mortal regimes.
Some small schools can hardly survive, not to mention individual cultivators. Unfortunately, the Lins family, Master Mu, and others all had no ancestors to rely on. Absolutely, they are individual cultivators without any background.
Under such circumstances, how can Lin Luoran stay calm?
They finally figure out that the largest country in this star is controlled by “Yinshan School”, and the only interstellar transmission circle is in the imperial forbidden area supported by this school. Therefore, they go straight to the capital.
But they still have no idea about who the founders of Yinshan School are, and how powerful it is.
Lin Luoran and her team keep a low profile since they don’t know the specific information and their strength is so different.
Even Liao, a typical troublemaker, does not approve of breaking into the palace. Others naturally reach an agreement. The Reiki on this planet is not as abundant as they expected, so there should not be many high-rank cultivators. However, Lin Luoran and others do not know where the Lins family is. They also don’t know where the interstellar transmission leads to. They unanimously decide to stay in the capital, an information center, to explore more and then take action.
“Aunt Lin, will we stay in the capital for a long time?”
Han Weiya lowers the curtain and looks inside. When they first arrived in this star, they felt that the folk customs were very fresh. However, now they are used to everything, and they don’t think it is particularly attractive. Even in the capital, the streets here are just wider and the houses are only taller.
The horse-drawn carriage is bumping, which is inferior to the transportation of sci-tech civilization.
Lin Luoran opens her eyes when she hears her words, “When your Uncle Mu and others come back, we will gather our information first.”
Of course, there is more than one country in a star. Lin Luoran stays in the capital of the largest country Yinyue at war with a few young men. As for Liao, Hu Ji, Mu Tiannan, Baojia, Bai Qingxue, Yang Lisha, and Unscented who have enough personal ability and experience, they went to other different countries respectively.
With the capital of Yinyue Kingdom as the center, their investigation is coming to an end gradually. They have been searching for the whereabouts of earth cultivators who came here when the Tower of Babel was opened last time.
Lin Luoran sometimes knows the whereabouts of some individual cultivators from the street. They are all native cultivators with low personal abilities, and they are not clues worthy of attention.
If the Lins family had stayed in this star, they should have left something that could be traced down. Individual cultivators live a difficult life. If cultivators arrived here later from the earth had low personal abilities, they might choose to hide in the city. Such a situation will be extremely troublesome.
In addition to a pastry shop, there are also many rental houses in Xihua Lane.
Lin Luoran has been eavesdropping for a long time with a few people. Of course, she is not greedy to eat pastries.
Using a fake identity to rent a small courtyard with two doorways, Lin Luoran starts wandering in the street while these young people are cleaning their rooms.
The people here are traditional and rigorous. Lin Luoran buys a black gauze cap to wear, but she still attracts a lot of attention as a well-dressed single woman. Of course, she now is not in the mood of going shopping. Lin Luoran is stealthily looking at the direction of the palace.
There is also something that cannot be easily challenged in the mortal world, which is the air of the emperor. According to Bai Qingxue, Wu Mei’er of the Joy School once developed a new method, trying to steal the air of the emperor and become the queen. In her decades of ruling, she messed up. She had to give the power back to Lis and give up her absurd idea of taking a shortcut. Yinshan School has controlled this star. Other schools want to snatch, but they still do not dare to interfere with the mortal government. They have to support Lord Shen who is also a member of the imperial family. It’s easy to see how special “the air of the emperor” is.
Anyway, “the air of the emperor” with golden light above the palace has prevented Lin Luoran from seeing the details.
There must be many cultivators serving the royal family in the palace. Lin Luoran is a little upset. The interstellar transmission circle is in the forbidden area of the royal family. In other words, if they want to leave, the Yinshan School will definitely notice it.
The real world of cultivation follows the law of the jungle. Most cultivators are indifferent and ruthless with a snobbish attitude. Lin Luoran does not want her “weakness” to be exposed to such a group of people so soon.
Of course, there are other ways. Lord Shen will soon attack the capital. The contest between the two schools may be good timing for her to fish in troubled waters.
Lin Luoran wanders in the street until dusk and she finds a hidden cultivator shop. After remembering the location, she returns to the courtyard with satisfaction. Sshe is in a good mood, so she also brings back some delicious pastries from the alley which the beggars were talking about.
“Aunt Lin, after you went out in the afternoon, there were two batches of cultivators wandering around.”
Ma Shuangshuang greets her and takes over the food box that Lin Luoran is holding.
Lin Luoran nods, “A war is coming. They must be worried that we are from their rival school so they will definitely come and check.”
Lin Luoran has already reached a certain level and she can hide her personal ability very well now. In this world, no cultivator is beyond the Divinization period, so people can’t see through her easily. However, Rong Xinyi hasn’t enhanced his personal ability for a long time, and people can know it easily.
Colin and Ma Yiming follow Mu Tiannan and Hu Ji respectively. Lin Luoran leads Ma Shuangshuang, Han Weiya, and Rong Xinyi.
Rong Xinyi is not a very talkative young man. He was discovered to have the Taoist root when he was eight years old. After more than forty years, he just achieved Laying Foundation when they left the earth. Having the low personal ability, he feels a little guilty when he knows that he is exposed.
Ma Shuangshuang is a nice school sister. She pats him on the shoulder, “Little Xinyi, can you be less sensitive?”
“Xinyi” is the name of a kind of medicine. The Rongs family has managed Lins’ Pharmaceutical Factory for several generations. This family has a strong relationship with Huaxia medicine. Rong Xinyi is named after the traditional Huaxia medicine, which obviously shows Rongs’ high hope for him.
Lin Luoran eats a piece of puff pastry which is really delicious and not greasy. She feels really interesting that Ma Shuangshuang was like a timid rabbit but now she is acting like a mature school sister.
On the second day, Lin Luoran takes all the young men to the small cultivator shop she found yesterday.
Seeing the three of Ma Shuangshuan, the Training Qi receptionist is really respectful. He also doesn’t dare to ignore Lin Luoran who he can’t see through. The receptionist then invites them to the second floor for drinking tea.
For him, Ma Shuangshuang and Han Weiya are enough to be called powerful senior cultivators. However, they have never visited such kind of cultivation shop. If they haven’t been well trained during the reconstruction of the earth, they will be seen through the moment they enter the shop.
“May I ask what kind of thing senior cultivators want to buy?”
Rong Xinyi looks at Lin Luoran unconsciously. The little cultivator catches it—just as he imagined, the female cultivator who was the last one to come in is the noblest one among four of them.
Lin Luoran sighs secretly. Mu Tiannan is right—what Rong Xinyi lacks is not laborious self-cultivation, but the practice of worldly wisdom. Otherwise, it will be very difficult for him to breakthrough.
Bai Qingxue knows the world of cultivation very well, but she is not there. Lin Luoran also doesn’t know much about it. She can only stand on her dignity as a senior cultivator and asks him to take some good things for them to choose.
A cultivator of the Training Qi period is definitely not suitable to entertain these four people. A middle-aged cultivator with a beard comes out in a scholar outfit. His personal ability almost reaches the Bearing Essence period. A man from a famous school who runs a shop must have some special skills. He can see through Ma Shuangshuang and others immediately, except for Lin Luoran. At such a sensitive time, he decides to test these strange cultivators personally. He seizes the chance to come out and calls his men to fetch fine products from the warehouse.
“I don’t know senior cultivators very well. Maybe it’s the first time for you to come to this store? Please allow me to introduce it in person.”
Lin Luoran nods, “We have been focusing on cultivation in a small and remote country for many years. It has really been a long time since we came to Yinyue.”
Oh… they turn out to be some individual cultivators.
Lin Luoran also feels helpless. It’s really not easy for her to introduce herself.
The middle-aged cultivator with a strong scholar temperament recommends the most suitable things for them, including a dripping sword which is the shop treasure and a Grade Five flying sword. If they pay the bill with low-grade spirit stones, the stones piling up can bury Lin Luoran—the total value is 18,000 spirit stones. Lin Luoran almost spits out the tea in her mouth. There are not many cultivators on this star, so a Grade Five flying sword can hardly find a buyer. This shopkeeper has a genteel temperament, but he is actually a slick salesman who tries to fool her.
Lin Luoran doesn’t nod nor shake her head. The “scholar” shopkeeper understands it, and he finally takes out some really good things.
One thing is said to be a new work of the refining weapon master in Yinshan School—a budding red rose.
It is really a magic weapon with both good looking and function made for a female cultivator. When the shopkeeper demonstrates it, he infuses a little Wakan in it. The rose petals open, layer by layer. Each piece of the rose petal is soft and beautiful. It looks gentle, but it can easily penetrate an ordinary magical shield. With such deceptive appearance, it can fool ordinary cultivators.
The fragrance from the stamens also intoxicates people. It must have a magical effect when facing an enemy.
This world is really a paradise for cultivation. New magic weapons can be introduced to the market one after another, which will never happen in the declining cultivation world of the earth. Lin Luoran thinks it is a little interesting, and Ma Shuangshuang kind of likes it. When the middle-aged shopkeeper finishes the demonstration, Lin Luoran just takes over the jade box and then takes out the rose flower to put it on Ma Shuangshuang’s hair.
“This is good. We will buy it.”
She is like buying a cabbage casually. The middle-aged shopkeeper thinks to himself—how can he be soft when he faces a rich individual cultivator?
“Thanks for the senior cultivator’s attention. The price is eight thousand nine hundred and eighty. I will only charge you eight thousand and eight hundred for good luck.”
Lin Luoran feels it interesting. When it comes to doing business, cultivators and ordinary people are all the same. She has the spirit stones she dug out in the place where they found the mother lode of Five Elements in Nami star. White Fairy also has the half treasure. Lin Luoran has plenty of “money” circulating in the world of cultivation.
However, she really doesn’t have any low-grade spirit stone. Therefore, she pays it with high-grade spirit stones, and the middle-aged shopkeeper’s smile is even more genuine like a spring breeze.
Lin Luoran shows her nature as a generous and good senior. Ma Shuangshuang chooses various “competitive products” recommended by the shopkeeper while Lin Luoran is just drinking tea aside. The customer is king. Yinshan School acts domineering, but their service is very considerate when it comes to business.
The middle-aged shopkeeper looks like a scholar and he is actually a knowledgeable person. He talks with Lin Luoran for a while about the small remote country where “they lived in seclusion and practiced”. He can describe the local customs in detail. If Lin Luoran and others hadn’t really had stayed in that small country, he would have known that they were lying.
After chatting for a while, Lin Luoran laughs and says that the middle-aged man is really a good friend, but unfortunately, she has planned to leave the star recently.
The middle-aged shopkeeper shows more respect for her—Even with the interstellar transmission circle, only Gathering Vitality cultivators can travel freely among stars.
“Senior cultivator may haven’t known the news. Because some ridiculous people are trying to provoke Yinshan School recently, the transmission circle receives the order from the government and maybe it will be closed for some time.”
Anyway, there is a strange Gathering Vitality individual cultivator not in Yinshan School’s record in this planet with inadequate Reiki—he must report it back to the school.
Lin Luoran pretends to be angry, “I can’t leave? Yinshan School is too domineering! ”
Naturally, Gathering Vitality cultivators have a bad temper on any occasion. The middle-aged shopkeeper pretends to wipe his sweat and apologizes.
The little cultivator helps his shopkeeper out of a fix timely, “Lay Buddhist Xin has sent someone to get the customized precious clothes.”
While they talking, a beautiful female cultivator dressed up as a Buddhist nun has already arrived on the second floor. The drab color of the nun’s dress is monotonous, but it can’t conceal her beauty. The black hair under her hat makes her look even whiter. Without wearing any accessories, she actually has a kind of simple and special beauty. She is a young junior in the Laying Foundation period sent by the so-called Lay Buddhist Xin to fetch things.
“Mr. Wu.” The nun salutes. It turns out that the middle-aged scholar is named Wu.
Shopkeeper Wu asks the little cultivator to take out the precious clothes of “Lay Buddhist Xin”. It is a white Taoist robe with silver threads hem. Wakan is flowing on the surface of the clothes. Lin Luoran glances at it. The defense function is better than her “Protean Dress”. It is really a good “precious dress”.
After getting the “precious clothes”, the nun leaves. Shopkeeper Wu suddenly claps his hands as if he just remembers something, “Please forgive me. I just remember that Lay Buddhist Xin is the senior guest of the school who is not restricted by the temporary ban on the transmission circle. It happens that Lay Buddhist Xin also wants to visit her ancestors recently. If the senior cultivator doesn’t think it’s too late, you can go together with Lay Buddhist Xin.”
Lin Luoran acts as if she hasn’t heard it. She looks down at her fingertips for a long time before she says the word “thanks” to the shopkeeper Wu coldly. She is totally not the person who condescended to talk to him happily.
Lin Luoran is reasonable. The shopkeeper almost bluntly tells her—”oh, you are an outsider. At such a critical moment, our Yinshan School can’t trust you but we won’t offend Gathering Vitality cultivators easily. We especially ask our senior guest to be your travel companion.”
When Mu Tiannan and others come back to the capital one after another without gain, Lin Luoran suddenly remembers the promise of Shopkeeper Wu again. She has not yet decided whether to leave the star immediately. However, Lord Shen’s army is coming up north fiercely. The capital has been trapped.
Lin Luoran and others climb up the city wall to watch the show. They see the “Lay Buddhist Xin” whom Shopkeeper Wu talked about.
How to describe such kind of feeling? As the words in the “Tribe for Cultivators” in the past said—WTF… Yes, that is it.
