Chapter 112: No Reunion Ever

Qinghu is an inner‑door disciple and gets along well with Qingwu of the External Affairs Office; last time he even helped Wei Yuning deal with the Cloud Dragon of Shenwu Gate, and it was through this connection that Wei Yuning first met Qinghu.

Originally he could choose to go or not, but this time he has a special mission. The Spirit Beast Hall has bred many new spirit‑beast varieties in recent years, most of which have never been tested in real combat, so his purpose in the outer realm battlefield is mainly to conduct experiments.

The reason Qinghu was chosen as the test subject is twofold: first, he is an inner‑door disciple and reliable; second, his first battle pet is a Winged Tiger. The Winged Tiger is a Light‑aligned spirit beast that suppresses demonic creatures, flies at incredible speed, and can quickly flee danger, giving a high safety factor.

According to Wei Yuning, among the experimental spirit beasts Qinghu carries this time is the mutated Moon Beetle he captured. After the Spirit Beast Hall's secret cultivation, the insect has grown to over two meters in length.

As for its combat power, Wei Yuning is unsure, but can imagine it. A finger‑sized Moon Beetle can pierce low‑grade spirit armor and robes; at over two meters long, it is definitely a monster‑level being.

In addition to these lower‑rank disciples, Wei Yuning's master Tai Chong will also join the group; he holds the position of a new resident Golden Core stage expert of the Cloud Hidden Sect on the outer realm battlefield.

Accompanying them is a veteran Golden Core elder, Kun Hou, two generations senior to Tai Chong. This Kun‑generation elder is the most senior among the ninth‑generation disciples of the Cloud Hidden Sect, already over 470 years old.

More than three hundred years ago, the Cloud Hidden Sect did not have a fifty‑year generational system; ranks and ages were chaotic, and disciples of the same age could be separated by several generations—Kun Hou elder is an extreme example of this.

Today, among the Kun‑generation disciples, except for a few who have advanced to Nascent Soul immortal status, all have passed away; below the Nascent Soul stage, he is the only remaining member of his generation.

The lifespan ceiling for Golden Core cultivators is five hundred years; Kun Hou, at over 470, is still only at mid Golden Core, and hopes of reaching the Nascent Soul stage before five hundred are essentially gone.

Therefore, rather than staying in the sect to wait for death, he prefers to go to the outer realm battlefield to burn off his remaining vigor and also protect the ninth‑ancestor later‑day disciple Qingsong.

One after another, spirit‑flying boats loaded with disciples surged forward. Master Tai Chong indeed kept his word; he vanished without a trace, and even as all the boats flew away, Wei Yuning never saw Tai Chong's figure.

On each departing spirit‑flying boat, the two people seated by the side windows both noticed Wei Yuning's presence.

One of them was Qingsong. After being publicly humiliated by Wei Yuning last time, he almost led men to kill Wei Yuning outright.

However, with Qinghe, Changfei, Qing Ling and Yan Liang intervening, he was instead scolded by senior members of the main lineage. Now he must go to the outer realm battlefield to slay demons for promotion and can temporarily abandon dealing with Wei Yuning.

"Consider yourself lucky this time; I'll let you live a few more years. When I return, I won't just defeat you openly and righteously—I'll make you realize that your little talent means nothing before true depth! Death will be the greatest mercy I can grant you! Even your protective‑umbrella master won't be spared! And your Dao companion, your friends, everyone close to you will end up on my blacklist and will eventually face my revenge! Hmph!" Qingsong stared at the growing silhouette on the ground and said harshly.

The other person was the relaxed Qingyun.

He glanced toward the white clouds deep in the northeast and sighed, "Junior Brother Wei Yuning, I have always admired you; this parting may never see a reunion! The Demon‑Stabbing Lord has become almost insane; fortunately I can use this chance to escape, otherwise I would have been sacrificed. Moreover, Master has already told me the truth—I am completely disillusioned with the Cloud Hidden Sect, and you will surely become disillusioned too! Being non‑main‑line is your original sin, just like mine, ha ha!"

Those seeing them off watched the departing spirit boats with complicated expressions. The outer realm battlefield is no place for fun; among so many disciples, some certainly will never return.

This ordinary farewell may turn out to be a parting with no reunion.

The departure of over two thousand disciples did not cause much upheaval in the sect, and soon everyone lost enthusiasm for the matter.

Two days later, in the afternoon, Wei Yuning was in the pavilion of Wind Lotus Garden, sensing the details of the plant domain, with another person beside him—Mei Xuan.

Mei Xuan also activated her bloodline technique "Mei Xue Shengjing".

Both have wood‑type spirit roots, and their techniques are very similar; once, Mei Xuan happened to visit Wei Yuning and discovered his plant domain.

On a whim, she also triggered her bloodline technique, and unexpectedly the two different arts fused together. Moreover, the newly merged technique became even more mysterious and infinitely versatile.

Since then, whenever they have free time, the two have gathered to cultivate together.

Although Mei Xuan's affection for Wei Yuning has grown, the matter of the wood spirit remains unspoken; each time he asks, Mei Xuan either stays silent or evades the question.

News from Qingchou reports that Senior Xu Yan has already refined nine batches of Lingying Stone material, completing eight of them, while one batch encountered an inexplicable problem. Xu Yan is studying it carefully, preparing to identify the cause before refining the final batch.

The Baolian Business White Sail Jade Badge has been delivered into Wei Yuning's hands, but it was not brought by Nie Ziqing; it came from a guard of the Snow Alliance Leader. Since that day, Nie Ziqing has not returned to the Cloud Hidden Sect.

With the jade badge in hand, Wei Yuning first contacted Master Cheng Xin, but no reply arrived.

The power of Mei Xue Shengjing lies not only in its extreme cold but also in its spiritual awareness imprint.

Of course Wei Yuning would not agree to Mei Xuan turning Wind Lotus Garden into a new Mei Xue Shengjing; each time she runs her bloodline technique, she specifically clears its effects on the surrounding environment.

The faint real image of lingering plum‑blossom snow was eventually cleared, yet Wei Yuning could still sense its presence in his spiritual awareness, and that perception transferred to his bodily senses, making the bone‑chilling cold feel as if it never vanished.

Such residual spiritual perception usually takes one or two days to fully dissipate, and using it in combat would be an absolute nightmare for the enemy.

After many days together, Mei Xuan gradually adapted to her role, becoming Wei Yuning's full‑time secretary. The Secret Medicine Pavilion, Baihua Garden Fengming, Spirit Beast Hall Hongfeng, Herbal Garden Hongle, Refining Hall Qingfei, and Refining Apparatus Hall Qingchou, among others who interact daily with Wei Yuning, all became aware of Mei Xuan's presence.

Mei Xuan is gentle in temperament, elegant in appearance, personable, adept at socializing, and extremely intelligent; she remembers every detail meticulously. Within a few days, everyone grew to like this newcomer Mei Xuan.

However, the liaison with the Baolian Business Alliance remains Wei Yuning's responsibility, mainly because he fears that if Nie Ziqing suddenly appears, Mei Xuan and Nie Ziqing might clash violently.