Chapter 281: I Admit I Was Too Loud Just Now!

【Hope...】

Sect Leader Sikong Yu chewed on this word, not speaking for a moment.

His first reaction upon hearing this was not excitement, but a touch of hesitation.

After all, he was still a young man, a bit too impatient.

Sikong Yu was not clear on what exactly Ren Yidao had experienced in Wentian, but he could see the changes in him quite intuitively.

Compared to before, he had become much sharper.

If the past him was merely a sharp sword with its edge hidden within, then the him who had returned to the sect was a Sword with its edge fully exposed.

It had been sharpened, and it had tasted blood.

It was just unclear whose blood had been used to grind this edge.

A heaven-gifted talent growing up is a good thing.

But if one is blindly arrogant and cannot recognize reality, that is a bad thing, a very bad thing.

For a great sect of the world like the Divine Path Sect, what could be called "hope"?

Is it a cultivation method that leads directly to the Heaven Realm? Or a divine weapon that surpasses all others in the world? Or perhaps the favor of the so-called Master of Shenzhou?

Sikong Yu did not believe Ren Yidao could obtain any of these.

At the very least, with his current self, he was not even qualified to come into contact with them.

After a period of silence, Sikong Yu finally spoke, gently persuading him with a voice that was not at all imposing:

【Yidao, you are still young; some things are not as you imagine.】

【The hope of the Divine Path Sect is something we have never lost.】

Those various things, while beneficial to the Divine Path Sect, were not the most important, and could not yet be called hope.

For the Divine Path Sect, those things could be lost.

Secret Techniques could be lost, divine weapons could be misplaced, relations with Beigan could turn hostile, and even moving the entire sect away from Beiming Divine Continent would not be a major problem.

Only people are the most important.

It is the outstanding disciples of the new generation, the backbone Peak Masters who are the pillars of support, and the powerful Elders who grow stronger with age.

As long as these people exist, the path ahead will not be severed.

As long as one does not stop their footsteps, the road will continue to extend.

Just like that, Sikong Yu spent half the time speaking in a cadence of chicken soup for the soul, hoping to keep this disciple he favored from being so impetuous.

Nine chimes of the bell, a peerless heaven-gifted talent.

Perhaps others did not understand what this truly meant, and even Ren Yidao himself did not know, but Sikong Yu was crystal clear in his heart.

Other hopes were illusions, but Ren Yidao was right there before his eyes!

As long as this heaven-gifted talent before him grew up safely, he could at least protect the Divine Path Sect for over a thousand years in the future.

Over a thousand years!

Even, once he reached the Ask Dao Peak, there would be a chance to vie for the Ascension Realm, which had long since vanished into the long years of time!

This was the true hope.

After beating around the bush with his exhortations for a long time, Sikong Yu finally encouraged him:

【Your natural talent is rare in this world, but remember not to be overly eager for success, as that would be more harmful than beneficial.】

【You must curb your arrogance and impatience, cultivate properly, and not be idle all day like your Senior Sister...】

Ren Yidao:?

You said it, didn't you!

Were you just insulting Jing Yueqin? Hehe, did I catch you in the act? You wouldn't want this matter to be... oh, wait, no.

It's just insulting Jing Yueqin; that's not a big deal for the Sect Leader.

What a pity!

"However, Senior Uncle Sect Leader has misunderstood."

After listening to the chicken soup for so long, Ren Yidao had long since realized where the problem lay.

But he did not speak to stop him.

Just listen.

Anyway, Senior Uncle Sect Leader should be quite lonely being by himself for so many years; letting him talk a bit more is fine.

Consider it caring for an empty-nester.

I am so kind.

Thus, Ren Yidao held Xinying and obediently listened to Sikong Yu's earnest advice for a long time.

He didn't take a single word to heart.

As the saying goes, let them be strong, the bright moon shines on the great river!

There is a kind of aesthetic beauty in knowledge flowing across the cerebral cortex without leaving a trace.

On the contrary, Xinying, who was an outsider and should not have been able to hear anything, listened to Sikong Yu's words carefully, blinking her eyes thoughtfully.

Finally, in a pause in Sikong Yu's speech, Ren Yidao finally spoke slowly.

"Senior Uncle Sect Leader, you have misunderstood."

【Hmm?】

"Yidao is not confused by the outside world; I am clear on my current priorities and have never had a heart of complacency."

He first put down Xinying and bowed to Sikong Yu, as he was, after all, acting out of good intentions, hoping for him to be better.

"But please, Sect Leader, let me finish speaking first."

"Sect Leader, I want to ask you, if there were a god born naturally from the faith of only a hundred people, what would that mean?"

【"You say, what?"】

"You heard me."

"Senior Uncle, I am not joking."

Following this, Ren Yidao held the simple-looking Xinying high up with the motion of Simba being born, and said earnestly:

"He is truly the hope of the Divine Path Sect, the hope of us all."

!!!

【"You mean to say……"】

"That's right, it is exactly as you think."

"He is that newborn god, named—Xinying."

Boom!!!

The Qingzhuan Dojo shook violently.

……

"Hmm? Is it my imagination? Why do I feel like it shook for a moment?"

"An earth dragon turning over?"

"That shouldn't be, right? This is the Divine Path Sect, how could there be an earthquake? It must just be my imagination."

No, it wasn't just the Qingzhuan Dojo of Sikong Yu; the entire Divine Path Sect seemed to have shaken.

Although the tremor only lasted for an instant, it still caught the attention of quite a few people.

For instance…… the Peak Master of Luoyue Peak, who had returned to dreamland after brushing off Zuo Su.

"Hmm!!?"

Jing Yueqin, who had been sleeping very soundly, suddenly opened her eyes, flipped off the bed in Ren Yidao's Cave Abode, and looked around while squinting, wrapped in her quilt.

"What is going on?"

"What kind of matter could make Sect Leader Senior Uncle lose his composure like this?"

After waiting in battle readiness for a moment and discovering that everything was calm, Jing Yueqin relaxed again.

"Since the Divine Path Bell didn't ring, it shouldn't be anything major. Perhaps he just sneezed?"

"Come to think of it, can a stone statue sneeze?"

Thud.

Mocking Sect Leader Senior Uncle in her heart, she lazily lay back down on the bed and wrapped the quilt around herself again.

With the little quilt covered, she was peaceful once more.

Having been woken up twice today, Jing Yueqin had originally intended not to sleep anymore, but as she lay there, her upper and lower eyelids began to fight again.

Then, she followed the desires of her heart and honestly closed her eyes.

"Right, what was it that old man Zuo said earlier? It seemed to be that the Junior Brother had returned……"

Thinking this, before Jing Yueqin could reach a conclusion, she had already entered dreamland.

And the other person on Luoyue Peak, Jian Xinxin, also sensed some fluctuations and raised an eyebrow.

"Sect Leader Senior Uncle's reaction…… could it be because of the Junior Brother?"

As the only person in the know who was aware of Ren Yidao's current location, Jian Xinxin was very suspicious of this point.

"It shouldn't be, right?"

But remembering that child covered in blood, he felt a bit uncertain.

"That thing…… what exactly is it?"

……

……

The reaction from the outside world was not large, but the Qingzhuan Dojo at the center of the storm was a different scene.

"Calm down! Calm down! Calm down!"

Ren Yidao, holding Xinying, had his eyelids twitching uncontrollably. He looked at the stone statue in fear and said quickly:

"Sect Leader Senior Uncle! Do not panic when encountering matters! You must maintain a calm heart!"

What is wrong with you, an old person?

With such a sudden, huge reaction, are you trying to scare me to death?

Huhu's fur stood on end.

No, he was even a bit stressed.

When facing that general suspected to be of the Ascension Realm, Ren Yidao did not have such a huge reaction.

Perhaps it was because that general had passed away many years ago, or perhaps because he held no malice toward Ren Yidao, so he had always been very peaceful.

But just now, it was different.

After realizing what Ren Yidao's words meant, Sikong Yu had truly lost his composure.

He leaked a sliver of his true Asking Dao aura for an instant, and then, all the blue bricks in the Daoist Field shattered.

Fortunately, Sikong Yu reacted in time; if he had been any later, even the stone statue would likely not have escaped the fate of crumbling.

And even though it only lasted for an instant, that terrifying feeling still made Ren Yidao tremble all over.

He realized a problem.

All this time, those Heaven Realm experts he had encountered had all maintained goodwill toward him.

Whether it was Zuo Su, or Jing Yueqin, or even Li Long, none of them had ever treated Ren Yidao as an enemy.

This gave Ren Yidao a very fatal misconception.

They, it seemed, were not very powerful?

Strong is strong, but it didn't feel like there was anything I couldn't handle; even if I couldn't beat them, I could at least escape, right?

But now, the boomerang has arrived.

My past thoughts were like a giant slap across the face.

Slap!

No, I was completely wrong.

A casual Heaven Realm expert and a serious Heaven Realm expert are not the same; they are completely different!

No matter how outstanding Ren Yidao is among his peers, and no matter how invincible he is at his level, there still exists an unignorable, massive gap between him and a true expert.

I admit, I was speaking a bit too loudly before!

I'm sorry!

However, compared to the embarrassing Ren Yidao, Xinying's reaction was unexpectedly calm; it seemed she hadn't noticed at all.

She was pressing her hand on Ren Yidao's head, patting it gently, one tap after another, trying to comfort her embarrassing old father.

Finally, under Ren Yidao's repeated persuasion, Sikong Yu finally calmed down.

【Yidao...】

Sikong Yu looked askance at Ren Yidao, who was holding his daughter and shrinking into the corner of the Daoist, and said in a deep voice:

【Regarding this matter, who else knows?】

After looking around repeatedly and seeing that the Sect Leader had no intention of silencing him, Ren Yidao cautiously walked out from the corner.

"Well, only my Senior Brother and Senior Sister know; apart from them, no one else knows."

Jian Xinxin knows; he was the first one to properly see Xinying.

And although Jing Yueqin doesn't know yet, it is definitely impossible to keep it from her.

Otherwise, if she asks about this suddenly popped-up illegitimate daughter in the future, how is Huhu supposed to explain it?

Huh?

Has anyone ever cared about Huhu's life or death?

【Hmm...】 Sikong Yu was silent, seemingly hesitating about something.

"Senior Uncle, is there anything improper about this?"

【No, this is fine.】 Sikong Yu hesitated for a while, but only sighed, 【Do not tell anyone else from now on, and do not let Her be seen by others.】

"This disciple understands." Ren Yidao nodded.

【Furthermore, regarding what She can bring to the Divine Path Sect, do not consider it any further.】

"... Yes."

Perhaps fearing that Ren Yidao would misunderstand, Sikong Yu added:

【This matter is still too early for you; wait until you enter the Heaven Realm before considering it.】

Sikong Yu's words were a matter of course; he did not believe the barrier of the Heaven Realm would become a shackle hindering Ren Yidao's progress.

Regarding whether Ren Yidao could step into the Heaven Realm, Sikong Yu had more confidence than he did.

"This disciple understands, but what should be done about Xinying now..."

【Just leave Her here with me for now; Her birth perhaps defied the rules of the Heaven, and thus She suffers from the Heaven's loathing.】

【But in this world of mine, the Heaven cannot interfere; wait until the Heavenly Tribulation has completely dissipated before letting Her go to Luoyue Peak.】

Regarding this arrangement, Ren Yidao nodded inwardly, but did not agree on the spot; instead, he looked at Xinying.

"Xinying, what do you think? Are you willing to stay here and keep Senior Uncle Grandmaster company?"

Xinying tilted her head, first looking at Ren Yidao's eyes, then looking at the stone statue, and slowly nodded:

【He is a good person.】

Fine.

One "good person" card.

I don't know who she takes after, knowing how to issue "good person" cards at such a young age... Wait, it seems she can only take after me?

No, it must be that she is naturally intelligent; it has nothing to do with me.

"Then you stay here with Senior Uncle Grandmaster for a while; I will come to see you from time to time. You must be obedient, and absolutely do not make him angry."

Although it's embarrassing to say, the two of us combined still couldn't beat the Sect Leader.

【Hmm!】

Seeing Xinying being so sensible, Ren Yidao felt relieved in his heart, placed her on the shoulder of the stone statue, and then bowed slightly.

"Many thanks to the Sect Leader Senior Uncle for taking care of her; this disciple will take his leave first."

【You need not worry about this matter; I will not let any accidents happen to Her.】

There is one thing Ren Yidao was right about.

Xinying can indeed be called the hope of the Divine Path Sect.

A new line of thought might just be a new path.

Sikong Yu had an intuition that if he could figure out the secret of Xinying's birth, he might truly be able to take another step forward.

Perhaps he could break free from this current awkward state.

【However, did I forget something?】

The stone statue looked askance at the sky, unable to think of what exactly he had forgotten...

【Kid.】

"Hmm? You're awake?"

Just after leaving the Sect Leader Daoist, Ren Yidao heard the Demon God's sinister and weak voice.

【Who did you meet just now?】

"Oh?" Ren Yidao raised an eyebrow slightly and laughed, "I just paid a visit to a senior, why?"

"Are you afraid?"

【Afraid? Hmph!】

As if having heard the greatest joke, the Demon God sneered three times and said gloomily:

【A mere Asking Dao, back in my day I'd eaten at least eight hundred if not a thousand of them! How could I fear him!?】

"Pfft, cough cough cough, sorry, I didn't mean to mock you."

Although Ren Yidao said this, there was not a hint of apology on his face.

Keep bragging, keep bragging!

A thousand, indeed...

If you could even encounter eighty Asking Dao, that would be impressive enough, alright.

【You don't believe me? You dare not believe me!?】

"I wouldn't dare, I'm just so terrified."

【You!!!】

Ren Yidao perfunctorily brushed off the furious Demon God while flying toward his own Cave Abode.

"So you've been talking for ages, how can you prove you aren't just bragging?"

As soon as these words were spoken, the previously noisy Demon God fell silent.

Ren Yidao curled his lips and raised his hand to undo the Restriction on his Cave Abode, but at that moment, his movements paused.

The Demon God spoke, the sinister voice unusually calm.

It said:

【Next time, if you meet him again...】

【I will kill him!】