Chapter 614

Jiang Yan hugged them both tightly and gently, saying softly:

"You are the people I trust most."

"The Shushan Sect has revived, but it is still far from the glory of its former golden age."

"This process cannot be achieved by me alone."

"The position of Shushan Sect Leader is passed down through a single lineage; currently, only Klee is a candidate to become the next Sect Leader."

"But she is still too young. I hope you can help her shoulder some responsibilities while she is still growing."

"Once she is capable of standing on her own, I will hand Shushan over to her..."

413. Klee: Klee wants to take a disciple too, and ascend with Master!

"Master!"

Hearing Jiang Yan say this, Klee panicked immediately and grabbed him anxiously, fearing he would disappear right then and there.

"Is Master going to leave Klee? Did Klee make Master angry? Please don't go, Master..."

"Klee... Klee will be good! Klee doesn't want Master to go!"

Jiang Yan rubbed Klee's head and said gently:

"Master isn't angry. Klee is so well-behaved, how could I possibly be angry with you?"

"Then... then Master isn't leaving?"

Klee looked at Jiang Yan with wide, expectant eyes, and he said slowly:

"Klee, do you remember what Master said comes after the Void Refinement and Dao Integration realm?"

"I remember! It's Earth Immortal!"

Klee replied with a serious face, and Jiang Yan smiled.

"After this tribulation, with the ancestors' gift, Master can reach the late stage of Void Refinement and Dao Integration."

"There isn't much time left before I must undergo the tribulation and ascend."

"So... Master doesn't want to leave Klee either, but it is unavoidable."

Klee sniffled, lowered her head, and said nothing.

Jiang Yan sighed and said softly:

"Before Master leaves, I will handle all the trouble for Klee—the Evil Sword Immortal, other worlds..."

"I guarantee that the Shushan Sect handed to Klee will be the strongest and safest Shushan."

"Master will also have your sisters Ganyu and Yae Miko stay to take care of you."

"When you grow to be truly outstanding, Klee will be the legitimate Shushan Sect Leader who strikes fear into the heavens."

Klee looked up, her large eyes red, which made Jiang Yan's heart ache.

"Klee doesn't want Shushan, and I don't want to be Sect Leader! Klee only wants Master!"

"... lee."

Jiang Yan sighed with complex emotions, then added:

"But ascending through tribulation is the dream of every cultivator, and it is a path Master must walk."

"If I could, Master wouldn't want to leave Klee, but..."

"Just like when Master rebuilt Shushan in Teyvat, after I ascend, I will rebuild Shushan in the Immortal Realm."

"That way, when Klee ascends in the future, you can live happily in Shushan once again."

Klee turned her head away, pouting stubbornly, but tears dripped onto Jiang Yan.

"Klee will promise Master that after I leave, you will become an excellent Shushan Sect Leader, right?"

Jiang Yan pinched Klee's nose, and she nodded weakly.

"Ganyu, Yae Miko, First Seat Zhongli, First Seat Venti... Klee's mother, everyone will help Klee become an excellent Shushan Sect Leader."

"Inherit Master's will and carry forward the Shushan Sect."

"Klee, don't worry, you won't be alone."

Yae Miko, standing to the side, felt a pang in her heart and looked at Jiang Yan with pity.

Klee would not be alone; she had a Master who loved her, a mother who loved her, and many, many elders who cherished and doted on her.

These people would all help Klee grow and make her journey smoother.

This was the gift Jiang Yan left for Klee.

But what about Jiang Yan himself?

Once, he might have been a genius in the spotlight, showered with love, the perfect next Sect Leader in the hearts of all Shushan disciples and ancestors.

But that former glory was gone.

In the vast Shushan Sect, only Jiang Yan remained to start from scratch, relying on the occasional gifts left by ancestors to build Shushan with all his might.

When rebuilding Shushan in Teyvat, he was all alone.

At that time, Jiang Yan was powerful and fearless.

But what about later? When he goes to the Immortal Realm, will his strength still be the best in the world as it was in Teyvat?

After finally making so many acquaintances in Teyvat, Jiang Yan would have to leave again to rebuild Shushan in the perilous Immortal Realm.

Only now did Yae Miko and Ganyu suddenly realize.

Jiang Yan had always been lonely.

Admittedly, he now had many disciples, Klee as his direct disciple, and the two of them as his partners.

But what Jiang Yan wanted to do, what he needed to do, no one had ever been able to help him with.

It seemed everyone stood on the front line of reviving Shushan, but in reality, they were all just following in Jiang Yan's footsteps.

Beside him, no one had ever been able to stand and pull him up.

Burdened with the heavy responsibility of reviving Shushan, he dared not stop for a moment, and he had to pull everyone forward with him.

This was something they had never paid attention to before.

Yae Miko and Ganyu couldn't help but lower their heads in disappointment.

Even if they realized this, what could they do?

They still couldn't do anything.

"Must Master ascend?"

"I must."

Jiang Yan answered Klee firmly, then added:

"At the very least, Master must become an immortal. The Shushan of the past did not just lord over the lower realm; it was famous even in the Immortal Realm."

"The current Shushan is not even one-billionth as glorious as the Shushan of the past."

"Becoming an immortal is the destination for every cultivator. Long after, Klee will surely become an immortal too."

"Master needs to go to the Immortal Realm early to create a safer environment for Klee. When Klee becomes an immortal, you can see Master in the Immortal Realm."

"Master believes that Klee will have grown up by then and become an excellent Sect Leader. You can slowly tell Master about your achievements."

"It doesn't matter how long you talk; by then, we won't be separated. We will have long lives to slowly experience other things."

Klee's large eyes were red, and after a long while, she muttered:

"... hen how long until Klee can become an immortal? To go find Master?"

"When Klee grows up, takes in your own disciples like Master, and teaches her how to lead Shushan to become stronger."

"When Klee, like Master, breaks through the Void Refinement and Dao Integration tribulation, Master will be waiting for Klee in the Immortal Realm."

Klee said nothing, and after a long while, she held out her pinky finger.

"Pinky swear! Master must wait for Klee..."

Jiang Yan smiled magnanimously and nodded:

"Master will definitely wait for Klee."

After some comfort, Klee jumped down with a "he-he" and ran back to Jiang Yan's cave dwelling to practice in seclusion.

She wanted to become an immortal in the shortest time possible...

Watching Klee's back, Jiang Yan sighed.

"Jiang Yan, must you ascend? Shushan has only just gotten on the right track, everyone still cannot do without you, and besides..."

Ganyu pursed her lips and said softly:

"We don't know how long it will take for us to become immortals and meet again."

Jiang Yan rubbed Ganyu's horns and said softly: