Chapter 94: Return to the Mountain

Xu Chen and his companion were burying their heads and flying at full speed when they were suddenly blocked by several powerful auras. Their figures stalled, and they looked up in alarm, only to discover five great cultivators with immortal bearings standing before them.

"Great Elder!" Xu Chen was overjoyed, and at the same time, his breath hitched, and he nearly tumbled headlong from the sky.

Lan You, who was following closely behind, could not dodge in time and crashed directly into Xu Chen. In her desperation, she abandoned her Flying Sword and habitually lunged onto Xu Chen's back, wrapping her arms and legs tightly around him, clinging to his back like an octopus.

The group of great cultivators:...

Xu Chen was caught between laughter and tears, but since the two had been pressed together in such intimate contact for nearly a month, he had grown accustomed to the sensation. He could only reach back and gently pat her shapely buttocks to remind her: "Daoist Friend Lan, we are safe now; there is no need to be so tense."

At this moment, streaks of Escape Light arrived in rapid succession. Experts of the Danyuan Realm arrived one after another like a school of fish crossing a river. In less than a few dozen breaths, over a dozen people stood before them, and from the direction of Zhaoyang Peak, hundreds more streaks of Escape Light were racing over in colorful arrays, like flowers scattered by a goddess.

The five True Monarchs naturally saw the intimate actions of Xu Chen and Lan You clearly.

In particular, True Monarch Xuan Chen, Bai Yun, and the three Spirit Transformation Great Cultivators, Yuyang, could not help but have their faces twitch slightly.

The sudden appearance of two disciples who had been missing for nearly a month was truly surprising and unexpected.

Yet, the relationship between the two was far beyond the three men's expectations; it was excessively intimate.

Judging by the wager between Xu Chen and the two disciples of Yuqing Hall back then, the two had been in a life-or-death situation.

Even after the Black Wind Ridge shook and collapsed, the three True Monarchs speculated that it was because the two had engaged in a fierce battle deep within the fissure, using at least a Third-tier Spirit Talisman, which led to the collapse inside and their mutual destruction.

But looking at it now, the situation did not seem to be the case.

The two were currently like they had just been dug out of a pile of blood and mud; their clothes were shredded, leaving almost no inch of skin covered. Both were covered in blood scabs and dirt, their hair matted and their bodies filthy. If not for their soul auras, it would have been impossible to identify their true identities with the naked eye.

Just as True Monarch Xuan Chen was about to speak, a violent tremor suddenly occurred again in the direction of the Spirit Fox Cave. Within his Divine Sense, a section of the mountain ridge several miles long collapsed with a boom. The surrounding area shook, and black smoke rolled toward Xu Chen and the others like a tide.

True Monarch Chixia raised her hand and waved, and a surge of Spirit Qi that connected heaven and earth whistled in retaliation, instantly dispersing the black mist for several miles around. What they saw before them was a collapsed mountain ridge and a sunken earth; the once lush Spirit Fox Valley had turned into a bottomless giant pit, with rolling thick smoke steaming out like a demon's lair.

"It seems the changes in Black Wind Ridge have intensified. This is no place to stay for long; let us return to the mountain first!" True Monarch Xuan Chen said with a drastic change in expression.

"Very well, let us talk after we return!"

True Monarch Chixia gently flicked her sleeve, taking Xu Chen and Lan You with her in a single step. The two felt the scenery before them blur, and when they steadied their gaze, they found themselves standing before the Taiyuan Hall on the summit of Zhaoyang Peak.

Only then did Lan You climb down from Xu Chen's back, her heart pounding wildly, standing there at a loss for what to do.

Xu Chen moved his Divine Sense, took a robe from his Storage Bag, draped it over Lan You, and said: "Daoist Friend Lan, there is no need to fear; we have already returned to the Taiyuan Sect."

"Mm!"

Lan You's body trembled slightly as she wrapped the robe tightly around herself, hiding behind Xu Chen and not daring to look up.

In truth, Xu Chen had long ago discovered that Lan You's condition was very wrong, especially after the two were swept into the red light by the giant beast's tentacles; Lan You had completely changed into a different person.

After more than twenty days, Xu Chen drove his Divine Sense to find the giant beast trapped in the Array, and then the Blue Light Treasure Bottle and that Ancient Fierce Beast engaged in a desperate struggle. Because the situation was too terrifying, and because the two had to support the Blue Light Treasure Bottle to resist and subdue the beast, repeatedly experiencing that life-worse-than-death agony under the impact of the white energy refined by the Demon Refining Art, Lan You seemed to have lost her soul. She did whatever Xu Chen said, and in daily conversation, she would only say a word or two, or even just a simple "mm" to indicate she understood.

Especially after the beast finally escaped and that True Immortal Wuyazi appeared, Lan You did not say a single word from start to finish until they escaped the cavern. That she was able to escape was entirely due to Xu Chen desperately dragging her out.

In reality, from Xu Chen's perspective, Lan You's Dao heart had completely collapsed, and she was currently in a state of total chaos.

Perhaps this was a common flaw among elite inner-sect disciples raised in isolation by major sects since childhood.

They had decent cultivation and were arrogant, but once they encountered an insurmountable predicament, they would quickly lose their fighting spirit, or even have their minds collapse, becoming hysterical or simply turning into fools.

The reason Xu Chen was still able to keep his composure was because of the appearance of the Blue Jade Bead, which allowed him to start contacting and understanding things far beyond his realm early on, giving him mental preparation. Furthermore, as the Blue Jade Bead continued to advance, his soul had merged with the Blue Light Treasure Bottle, making his soul even more stable than that of a Spirit Transformation Great Cultivator; even if he were panicked or terrified, he would never collapse.

"Little Junior Brother, that's great, you're alive!"

Seeing Xu Chen return suddenly, tattered and looking like a beggar, the group of Taiyuan Sect senior brothers and sisters swarmed over and surrounded him, their joy and excitement evident.

Other cultivators and rogue cultivators who had come to offer congratulations also flew back on their swords, landing in groups to surround them and watch the discussion.

Danchenzi and the other five great cultivators stood to the side. True Monarch Chixia said: "Since they are back, there is no rush to question them at this moment. The two look to have very unstable auras and are extremely famished. Take them to wash up, change clothes, and eat something first!"

"Exactly, exactly. No rush for questions, eat and wash first!" True Monarch Yuyang nodded quickly.

Thus, Danchenzi ordered the female disciple Qu Mei to take Lan You to wash and change, while Xu Chen was carried off to the side courtyard by a group of senior brothers like a gust of wind. Some fetched water, some brought clothes, and some brought towels. In no time at all, they stripped his clothes, which were as tattered as rags, completely off in the open air and used Magic Spells to scrub him clean from head to toe.

At this time, in front of the cliff where Xu Chen's small wooden hut was located, a woman in a green dress was sitting on the slightly withered yellow grass, her eyes gazing at the streaks of Escape Light rising and falling over Zhaoyang Peak, her expression lonely and desolate.

A white Spirit Fox about a foot long lay on her lap, listlessly licking its fur.

Ever since the celebratory banquet began, she had come here alone.

Even the violent tremors from the Spirit Fox Valley to the southeast just now only caused her to glance over slightly; she did not get up.

Such tremors were far weaker than the ones at Black Wind Ridge when Xu Chen first went missing.

A month passed in the blink of an eye, and she still could not walk out of her grief.

If Xu Chen were still here, he would certainly have been able to attend this unprecedented Spirit Transformation Ceremony of the Taiyuan Sect today.

Such a ceremony might only be encountered once in dozens or even hundreds of years; being able to attend was both a blessing and a stroke of luck.

But unfortunately, the Little Junior Brother died in such an unclear way.

And it was all to prevent the Yuqing Hall from having the opportunity to humiliate the Master and the many senior brothers and sisters of the Taiyuan Sect during this ceremony.

It was precisely his life that he traded for this peaceful and incredibly lively Spirit Transformation Ceremony.

But the Little Junior Brother would never return, buried in that dark, sunless Black Wind cavern.

The more she thought, the sadder she became; Zhao Xuan hugged the little white fox and wept.

Only she knew of her loneliness and sorrow.

She decided not to have the Master help repair her meridians anymore; from now on, she would live in this small wooden hut with the little fox, tending to the Medicine Garden, fulfilling the Little Junior Brother's final wish, and raising these strange plants until they matured to see what they actually were, at which point she would bury them near the hut for the Little Junior Brother.

"Xiaobai, from now on, it will just be the two of us relying on each other!"

Zhao Xuan stroked the little fox and whispered.

Just then, a streak of Escape Light broke through the air from the summit of Zhaoyang Peak. While still dozens of yards away, Jiu Shixiong's Divine Sense Transmission reached Zhao Xuan's ears: "Junior Sister, hurry to Zhaoyang Peak, Little Junior Brother is back!"

"What?!" Zhao Xuan was stunned for a moment, then jumped up, dropped the little fox, threw out her Flying Sword, stepped onto it, and whistled away.

Before Jiu Shixiong could even turn around, he saw a green light already far away and could only smile bitterly as he hurriedly chased after her.

Xu Chen's hair was still dripping wet, his skin flushed red; he had nearly been scrubbed raw by his group of rough senior brothers. Before he could even put his clothes on properly, he was busy sitting on a rock, frantically devouring dry biscuits, rolling his eyes as he ate, while a senior brother kept feeding him water and patting his back.

This was the first time in his ten-plus years of life that he felt dry biscuits were so delicious, making him unable to stop, eating without pause.

No matter how much Bigu Pills could stave off hunger, they could not replace real food.

Especially for disciples like them in the Kaiyuan Realm who were still in the Lianqi stage, although they ate less than mortals and lived on simple fare, they would still be famished if they didn't eat for a day.

"Little Junior Brother~"

Just as Xu Chen was wolfing down his food, an Escape Light carrying a sobbing sound landed in the courtyard; Zhao Xuan rushed over with a face full of tears and pulled him tightly into her embrace, wailing loudly.

Xu Chen went stiff, at a loss for what to do; with one hand clutching a dry biscuit and the other holding a piece of fruit, his mouth still stuffed with food, he could only hurry to swallow it all down before gently patting Zhao Xuan's back with his hand and saying, "Senior Sister, don't cry anymore. Didn't I come back safe and sound?"

"Wuu wuu, I thought I would never see you again!" Zhao Xuan cried as she let go of her hands.

"How could that be? I still promised to help you repair your Meridians. How could I just die so easily? Wait until I've eaten my fill and have some strength; I'll tell you what happened. You definitely won't know what went on!"

"Alright, eat quickly—no, eat slowly, be careful not to choke. I'll go boil some lotus seed and millet porridge for you later; look at how thin you've become!" Ignoring the strange looks from the senior brothers and sisters in the circle around them, Zhao Xuan reached out and gently stroked his cheek.

Xu Chen was incredibly embarrassed and gave a dry laugh: "I haven't eaten anything for over half a month, haven't even had a drop of water, and have been living entirely on Bigu Pill; of course I'd be thin!"

Zhao Xuan's expression suddenly changed; her willow-leaf eyebrows shot up in anger as she said, "That's right, Junior Brother, is that stinking woman dead yet? If it weren't for her, how could you have suffered so much?"

(End of this chapter)