Chapter 881 - 363: The Great Secret

"I won’t stay here at Thousand Lakes and Thousand Islands for long; after I leave, those two might hold a grudge against you."

Chu Ning looked at Cheng Xinxin and slowly spoke.

Only at this moment did everyone understand why Chu Ning acted so decisively.

"Thank you, Young Master." Cheng Xinxin’s face showed gratitude.

Meanwhile, the young girl Su Keke nodded constantly, then curiously asked:

"Young Master Chu, what is your cultivation level now? Grandma said both of them are at the Middle Stage of Foundation Establishment.

She specifically told us not to offend them before coming here.

But I think they’re not that impressive, they couldn’t even take one of your moves."

As soon as the young girl said this, Cheng Xinxin hadn’t spoken yet, but the middle-aged male cultivator beside her immediately scolded:

"Keke, don’t be rude."

"No harm done." Chu Ning chuckled at this moment, his gaze directed at Su Keke.

"You’re even livelier than your grandmother was back in the day. I’m now at the Golden Core Late Stage."

"Golden Core Late Stage!" As soon as Chu Ning said this, several people exclaimed in surprise.

They certainly knew that Chu Ning was a Golden Core Cultivator, but they hadn’t expected that Chu Ning was already at the Golden Core Late Stage.

Cheng Xinxin and Su Keke were fine, but the other female cultivator and the male cultivator suddenly became much more restrained.

Chu Ning’s gaze swept over the few people, then fell upon the tombstone, and he asked Cheng Xinxin:

"These people are your family, right? What happened here?"

Upon hearing Chu Ning’s question, Cheng Xinxin immediately replied:

"Young Master, they are my daughter and son-in-law."

Cheng Xinxin seemed eager to recount the events of those years, even foregoing introductions before continuing.

"Back then, the Thousand Islands Alliance summoned Foundation Establishment cultivators under the guise of a Thousand Islands competition. After you left, we also stayed here in the cave mansion to wait.

But within days, news spread that Yin Demon Sect set up some grand array here at Thousand Lakes and Thousand Islands.

Foundation Establishment cultivators within Thousand Lakes and Thousand Islands were captured en masse.

Grandfather and I heard the news and went outside to gather information. We never expected to be trapped at Thousand Illusion Island as soon as we arrived.

It wasn’t until a year later, when the Yin Demon Sect left, that we returned to Feihong Island.

But by that time, we found the array here had already been broken, and the cave mansion destroyed."

Cheng Xinxin’s tone carried a hint of emotional fluctuation as she continued.

"Moreover, within that year, we also discovered that hundreds of Foundation Establishment cultivators at Thousand Illusion Island were killed.

We all speculated that the young master might have encountered an accident too; neither alive nor dead, we didn’t even have any of your clothes or other belongings.

So, grandfather buried the talisman you had given in the past and set up this tombstone here.

Unexpectedly, you were still alive and have become a Golden Core Late Stage Cultivator."

Upon hearing Cheng Xinxin say this, Chu Ning responded:

"Back then, I indeed managed to escape by chance, but I was pursued by Golden Core cultivators from the Yin Demon Sect, and I hid for three months.

This cave mansion wasn’t destroyed by others; it was me myself who returned and took away these spirit plants and the array setup equipment.

When I came back to the cave mansion at the time, I didn’t see any trace of you all, and I didn’t know where you had gone, so I couldn’t even send a message."

Chu Ning reminisced about the events from eighty years ago, lost in sighs.

He had considered leaving a message for the Isle Master Jiang Hongguang back then.

But at that time, the influence of Yin Demon Sect spread throughout Thousand Lakes and Thousand Islands, and Chu Ning merely thought and then dismissed the idea.

Even so, upon leaving, he encountered cultivators from the Yin Demon Sect.

Chu Ning was further chased by a Golden Core cultivator from Yin Demon Sect, and only when he was about to teleport and leave did he have time to activate the Dao Ice Shadow Sword Talisman.

All these scenes flashed in Chu Ning’s mind at this moment, and he then asked Cheng Xinxin:

"By the way, where is Old Man Cheng?"

"Grandfather never broke through to Foundation Establishment, and he passed away when he reached the end of his lifespan." Cheng Xinxin replied with slight sadness at this moment.

Chu Ning sighed lightly after listening, not entirely surprised.

Back when Old Man Cheng followed me, he was already at an advanced age.

"How have you spent these years then?"

Chu Ning looked at the few people again; only Cheng Xinxin was at Foundation Establishment, and among her descendants, the highest cultivation was her son-in-law, only at the Ninth Layer of Qi Refining.

It seemed their life wasn’t exactly pleasant.

Indeed, Cheng Xinxin continued at this moment:

"After the Yin Demon Sect left, Thousand Lakes and Thousand Islands fell into chaos, and later, Foundation Establishment cultivators from other places came in.

At that time, grandfather and I both had low cultivation levels, so naturally we didn’t receive any good resources.

We wandered from island to island."

Upon hearing this, Chu Ning raised his brow slightly.

"Why didn’t you return to Yanfeng to cultivate? The Spiritual Qi of the Hidden Spirit Vein here isn’t bad either."

"After the chaos, the Hidden Spirit Vein was occupied by a Foundation Establishment cultivator not long after.

Later, that Foundation Establishment cultivator seemed to have met with some accident, and the couple who were here earlier occupied it a few years ago."

Cheng Xinxin explained.

She then returned to recount her own experience; she and Cheng Zuyuan continued to live a life unlike before they met Chu Ning at Thousand Lakes and Thousand Islands.

However, relying on some cultivation techniques, spells, talismans, and resources Chu Ning had given before, she lived a life somewhat better than most cultivators.

Later, Cheng Xinxin married an outsider loose cultivator and bought a Foundation Establishment Pill by accumulating resources, successfully establishing Foundation.

But fortune wasn’t long-lasting; Old Man Cheng passed away at the end of his lifespan, and Cheng Xinxin’s husband met with an accident while hunting a demon beast externally.