On the flying ship that Long Wanyu was on:
Li Shenji, Long Shenwu, Ye Shenzhen, Gongyang Sheng, Sima Changkong, and others watched Major Metropolitan City fade away into the horizon. They all remained silent for a long time.
This trip to Major Metropolitan City had been rife with setbacks and grave danger.
“We finally managed to get out,” Li Shenji sighed.
After all the plots and effort, Li Shenji ended up with nothing, so he felt quite depressed. However, he managed to leave that dangerous place. Also, perhaps Gu Hai was finished as well.
Gongyang Shen coldly eyed Sima Changkong. However, Sima Changkong smiled faintly.
The two had shared the holy Dao scripture, half each when it split. That ruined its completeness. However, that was better than being forced to leave it in Major Metropolitan City.
“It is unfortunate that the other holy Dao scripture… Also…the Yuan Imperial Nation is about to go to war again?” Gongyang Sheng said.
“If soldiers come, we will deal with it. The accumulations of an imperial dynasty can never compare to a heavenly dynasty’s. It is unfortunate for Mister Gu. To let us leave, he…,” Sima Changkong sighed.
Long Wanyu stood at the side, her entire body trembling with bloodshot eyes.
Ye Shenzhen immediately glared at Sima Changkong, reproving him for mentioning Gu Hai.
“Princess, Mister Gu will be fine. Don’t worry,” Ye Shenzhen consoled.
He feared that Long Wanyu would kick up a fuss about returning.
“I know. I saw it earlier. Brother-in-Law already managed to escape Major Metropolitan City,” Long Wanyu said while biting her lips.
“Oh?” Gongyang Sheng appeared surprised.
Gu Hai is already so far away; even I cannot see him, yet Long Wanyu can?
“You used it again?” Ye Shenzhen suddenly said with a bitter smile.
Using her seer abilities, Long Wanyu can see the future once a month. This is such a heaven-defying ability, but she used it so casually?
Long Wanyu immediately glared at Ye Shenzhen.
Ye Shenzhen smiled bitterly. “Yes, Mister Gu is more important.”
“He escaped?” Long Shenwu and Li Shenji exclaimed while frowning.
In the two’s judgment, escape was simply impossible. Since Gu Hai used the Investiture of the Gods to threaten Imperial Emperor Xi Yu, how could he escape after handing it over to Imperial Emperor Xi Yu?
“However, my brother-in-law’s injuries worsened. Ye Shenzhen, tell me, what is that ice spirit? Why can’t we take out that ice mountain?” Long Wanyu stared at Ye Shenzhen.
Ye Shenzhen smiled bitterly, not wanting to say.
“Hurry, speak! Come on, speak!” Long Wanyu urged anxiously and angrily.
Ye Shenzhen worried that Long Wanyu would find the situation unbearable. He did not know how to start. At the side, Sima Changkong thought for a while before explaining, “The ice spirit is actually a living thing.”
“A living thing?” Long Wanyu felt slightly startled.
“Yes, a living thing. It has souls,” Sima Changkong explained.
“Souls? Isn’t it an ice mountain? Why does it have souls? Why does everyone say it is over for my brother-in-law? Tell me!” Long Wanyu said anxiously.
“An ice spirit is a spirit formed due to extreme cold. Normally speaking, a fist-sized ice spirit is already an incredible treasure. To a Heavenly Palace Realm cultivator, it would be great nourishment for the three spiritual souls. However, it is fatal for those who have not established their heavenly palaces. Ice spirits are hard to refine in the first place. Once refined, it would enter the kidney aperture and assimilate the kidney aperture, becoming one with the flesh,” Sima Changkong explained.
“What do you mean?” Long Wanyu asked, still confused.
“After one establishes one’s heavenly palace, the three spiritual souls can consume the ice spirit’s souls and absorb the ice spirit’s cold energy. However, before that, the ice spirit can still alter the host’s body, assimilating it at the same time. Assimilation means usurping the host’s body and consuming the host’s consciousness, replacing it with the ice spirit’s,” Sima Changkong explained.
“You mean that the ice spirit wants to consume my brother-in-law?” Long Wanyu’s expression changed.
“It’s called assimilation because, after the merger, it would be one with the host. It is like Mister Gu’s kidney aperture; it has merged with it already and can no longer be separated. However, saying that it wants to consume Mister Gu is about right. Normally speaking, a fist-sized ice spirit is already beyond a peak Nascent Soul Realm cultivator’s endurance. However, Mister Gu took in an ice mountain. If this ice mountain were forged into a treasure and placed on the battlefield, it could freeze everyone within an area of five thousand kilometers instantly,” Sima Changkong explained.
“Sima Changkong, that’s enough. Gu Hai will be fine,” Ye Shenzhen immediately said furiously while glaring.
You made it out to be so horrifying. What if Princess Wanyu makes a big fuss?
However, Long Wanyu bit her lips and said, “I want to go to Chaoge City.”
“Huh?” Everyone looked at Long Wanyu in confusion.
Long Wanyu actually did not demand to return and save Gu Hai when she heard that he would die for sure?
“I promised Brother-in-Law that I would not return. I want to go to Chaoge City and monitor the Han Nation’s blessings. If the blessings remain, Brother-in-Law is still alive. I have to keep an eye on the Han Nation’s blessings,” Long Wanyu said with bloodshot eyes.
“Go to Chaoge City? Princess, the Yuan Nation is about to turn hostile with my Qian Nation. It might target you. How about we go back and see His Holy Eminence first?” Ye Shenzhen advised.
“I don’t want to. I want to go to Chaoge City!” Long Wanyu immediately shouted furiously.
Ye Shenzhen smiled bitterly.
In the end, the group could only part ways. Ye Shenzhen and Li Shenji escorted Long Wanyu to Chaoge City while Gongyang Sheng, Long Shenwu, and Sima Changkong went to report to the Qian Heavenly Emperor.
Long Wanyu’s flying ship stopped for a while at a valley.
The sorrowful Long Wanyu, the depressed Li Shenji, and the conflicted Ye Shenzhen looked at the valley.
Bones filled the valley, and Purple Subtlety and Longevity sat in the middle of the bone pile, chewing meat. These bones were the remains of the two’s meal.
“You…you haven’t left yet?” Ye Shenzhen’s expression turned stiff as he looked at the two.
“Why leave? Didn’t you say to wait for you lot here? We finally ate our fill after eating for a few days. Fortunately, you returned. Otherwise, we would go and look for you,” Purple Subtlety said as he patted his bulging belly.
Ye Shenzhen: “…”
If we waited for you to find us, the flowers would have wilted by then.
“Purple Subtlety, didn’t you say that we would go after we ate our fill and took a nap?” Longevity said as he drank wine.
Everyone: “…”
——
Major Metropolitan City:
After Gu Hai tossed out the Investiture of the Gods, he got Dongfang Bubai to guard the entrance. Then, he traveled quickly through the tunnel with Bing Ji.
Blargh!
The cold energy swept through Gu Hai’s body, continuously wrecking his deity palaces. Fortunately, he had Mending Heaven Energy to keep fixing them.
Fire and water could not coexist. Gu Hai wanted to use intense fire to eliminate the cold energy. However, he had to consider the safety of his other deity palaces. If only he could completely control the Samādhi True Flame.
“Your Majesty, how are you?” Bing Ji asked worriedly.
“Cough! Cough! Cough! We need to get out first,” Gu Hai said weakly.
Bing Ji carried Gu Hai as she sped through the tunnel.
After traveling in the tunnel for a while, they finally arrived at the exit.
Whoosh!
The two were outside Major Metropolitan City after exiting the tunnel.
“Your Majesty, we are out!” Bing Ji released her bated breath.
Gu Hai nodded and was about to say something.
Buzz!
Suddenly, space warped by Gu Hai’s side.
“Who is it?” Bing Ji’s expression changed.
Surging sinister energy rushed out of the warped space.
Whoosh!
The Unborn Man’s leg stepped out of it.
“The Unborn Man?” Bing Ji heaved a sigh of relief.
“Gu Hai, why are you here? Where is Long Wanyu?” the Unborn Man immediately asked.
Gu Hai looked at the Unborn Man speechlessly.
“You are truly a good father!” Gu Hai finally said, feeling depressed.
“What?” the Unborn Man said, feeling confused.
“It was very dangerous earlier. Why did you go away? Do you know how much danger Wanyu was in earlier? If not for— Cough! Cough! Cough!” Gu Hai coughed weakly midway through his furious tirade.
“What’s going on?” the Unborn Man asked, still confused.
Bing Ji looked at the Unborn Man and explained everything that had just happened.
After she finished, the Unborn Man fell silent.
“Had you not pursued Lifespan Dongfang and brought us to the nether realm instead, it would not have been that dangerous. Cough! Cough! Cough! At least we are safe now,” Gu Hai said with a bitter smile while coughing.
The Unborn Man remained silent.
Indeed. Had I brought Gu Hai’s group into the nether realm, Imperial Emperor Xi Yu would not have been able to threaten Gu Hai. If not for Gu Hai discovering that the Investiture of the Gods was Imperial Emperor Xi Yu’s weak point and risking his life to threaten Imperial Emperor Xi Yu, then…
Long Wanyu only managed to escape danger because of Gu Hai. The Unborn Man felt conflicted. Indeed, I am a failure of a father.
Looking at Gu Hai, the Unborn Man suddenly bowed to him.
For the first time, the Unborn Man bowed to Gu Hai in gratitude. This was also the Unborn Man’s first time bowing.
“Never mind. Wanyu is safe now. That’s right. What happened to Lifespan Dongfang?” Gu Hai asked the Unborn Man.
“Lifespan Dongfang? Unfortunately, he managed to run. However, don’t worry. He has not fully grasped Dongfang’s line of inheritance yet. Although he ran, I severely injured him. He can forget about causing trouble within the next ten years,” the Unborn Man sighed softly.
Gu Hai’s expression suddenly changed. “Ten years? That’s fine. That’s right. That’s right. Help me summon a soul.”
“Oh?”
Gu Hai gave some directions, and the three soon arrived at a clearing outside the city. This was where Fairy Waner died.
“Find Lin Waner’s mortal soul. Find her mortal soul. Cough! Cough! Cough!” Gu Hai coughed while feeling excited.
Lifespan cultivators interact with ghosts and souls every day, right? He should be able to find her, right?
The Unborn Man looked around. After that, he sent out black fog from his hand.
Whoosh!
Black fog encased the surroundings as the Unborn Man carefully searched.
“There is no female mortal soul, only a male one. Oh? There are signs of the clone that Lifespan Dongfang made? However, there is no female mortal soul.” The Unborn Man shook his head.
“None? That’s impossible. Lin Waner died here. Could there be a reason for this, like someone took the soul away?” Gu Hai asked anxiously.
“No. A female mortal soul is different from a male mortal soul. A female mortal soul has a type of Yin-attributed energy. However, there is no trace of Yin-attributed energy here at all. So, that means that no female died here within the past three years,” the Unborn Man refuted with certainty.
“How can this be? How can this be? She died here!” Gu Hai exclaimed.
“When a person dies, there will be signs. However, there are no signs here. Perhaps that woman is not dead.” The Unborn Man shook his head.
Gu Hai said while frowning, “However, I saw…”
The Unborn Man explained, “What you saw might not have been true. Some treasures in the world can fake death, like the Spirit Mountain Holy Land’s Nirvana Lotus Seed, the Myriad Age Daoist Sect’s Damage Fixing Pearl, the Solar Divine Palace’s—”
“Wait, wait! The Damage Fixing Pearl? Cough! Cough! Cough!” Gu Hai had another fit of coughing.
Didn’t Lin Waner call the Supreme Ascendant’s treasure that we collected the Damage Fixing Pearl? Back then, she swallowed it?
The Damage Fixing Pearl? She faked her death? Gu Hai looked at the Unborn Man in shock.
