Chapter 398 - 164: The Demonized Wu Gui

Lightning struck down relentlessly as Zhao Xin blocked each bolt, allowing herself to be tempered by its power.

Xu Lei watched, his heart in his throat. He recalled all the details of Jingchun’s tribulation and worried that Zhao Xin would fail just as Jingchun had.

"Master, are you very nervous right now?"

At that moment, Bai Ling looked at Xu Lei and suddenly said, "Would you like Ling’er to attend to you and help you relieve some of that tension?"

As she spoke, without waiting for Xu Lei’s reply, she tied up her hair, parted her lips, and began.

Xu Lei said nothing. He simply watched in silence, his gaze shifting between Zhao Xin’s ongoing tribulation and Bai Ling.

More than ten minutes passed in the blink of an eye.

The tribulation still wasn’t over.

It wasn’t like with Jingchun, who had failed almost immediately. ’Could there be hope?’

A sliver of anticipation couldn’t help but rise in Xu Lei’s heart.

But just then, Bai Ling wrapped herself around Xu Lei again. With no time for further thought, he held her slender waist and began his frantic Charitable Giving.

Another ten-plus minutes passed in a flash.

Xu Lei and Bai Ling stopped their Charitable Giving.

At the same time, the lightning over there also ceased.

To Xu Lei’s surprise and delight, Zhao Xin’s figure was still standing there, completely unharmed.

Zhao Xin had succeeded!

And she had become younger, just like Hui Ming had.

Of course, Zhao Xin hadn’t reverted to being a young girl; she had simply returned to how she looked in her twenties or thirties.

Her figure was already trim, but now her skin had become flawless, and her beauty instantly returned.

The youthful plumpness of her face returned. All sagging and wrinkles were gone, her skin now firm and tight once more.

Her eyes had also become clear, the cloudy look of old age in her pupils gone.

Zhao Xin herself was quite pleasantly surprised by this.

Then, Zhao Xin turned to look at Xu Lei and Bai Ling, but before she could say anything, the force of reception began to pull her body steadily upward.

Xu Lei knew what Zhao Xin wanted to say, of course; she had mentioned it before.

"Wait for me up there."

So Xu Lei shouted back, "I will definitely Ascend to join you!"

Zhao Xin nodded as well.

Then, her graceful figure flew steadily higher into the sky. She left him with one last smile from her newly youthful, beautiful face and a hint of reluctance in her eyes, before vanishing completely from Xu Lei’s sight.

Xu Lei, of course, was watching the sky with a Telescope. However, there was no one there to receive her, unlike with Hui Ming. He couldn’t see the figure of Bodhisattva Guan Yun.

The altitude at which Zhao Xin disappeared into the sky was about the same as when he had first observed Bodhisattva Guan Yun all those years ago.

"That’s wonderful."

Bai Ling also chimed in, "She succeeded! This proves that attaining the Dao still has a good chance of success!"

She was naturally happy as well. After all, she was also a cultivator, and Zhao Xin’s successful Ascension was like a shot of adrenaline for her.

In the current Daoist Sect, it had been many, many years since anyone had successfully achieved Ascension.

"Her talent was quite good back then, even from the time she was a young girl!"

Xu Lei couldn’t help but sigh with emotion. "I thought back then that she would definitely make it, and she really did! My years of protecting her path weren’t in vain! Ling’er, you can do it too. Your talent is even better than hers!"

"Cultivation is truly not easy. Some talented people can still perish along the way."

Bai Ling said, "Then Ling’er will also need Master to protect her path. Thinking back on the past years, if it weren’t for you, Master, Ling’er would have suffered great losses and wouldn’t have my current level of Cultivation!

From now on, Ling’er won’t be polite anymore. I’ll just trouble you with anything that comes up and have you protect my path! And as for Ling’er, I will devote my entire being to serving you! If there’s anything Ling’er does wrong, you just have to say it!"

"Silly girl."

Xu Lei hugged Bai Ling and stroked her head. "You’re already doing a wonderful job."

「Ten more years passed in the blink of an eye.」

Xu Lei was now fifty-nine years old in his third life.

Over these ten years, Xu Lei had taken Bai Ling back home, and they had been living there ever since.

He still held the position of the local general, though now he was known as the old general.

After all, he was over fifty years old. He couldn’t keep showing a young face, even though his true appearance was that of a mortal man in his early thirties.

That would be a bit too absurd, so Xu Lei wore a Human Skin Mask to make his face look older.

However, constantly wearing a Human Skin Mask was still rather uncomfortable.

In addition, his sons and daughters had all become successful.

Several of his sons had made names for themselves in both government and business, so Xu Lei retired and returned to his hometown.

He couldn’t be bothered with the dealings in the military camp. After all, he was someone who sought eternal life through cultivation and didn’t need to get too involved in mortal affairs.

By this time, Di Mengmeng, Zhao Xiaoru, and Chu Shuhan, his three wives and concubines, had all become old women in their fifties.

Di Xixi had even passed away.

She had been older than Xu Lei to begin with, after all.

"General, I have no regrets about marrying you!"

On the day she died, Xixi held Xu Lei’s hand and said, "My only regret is that I cannot stay young forever and remain by your side like you!"

During these ten years, Xu Lei would wear a Human Skin Mask at the military camp to feign old age.

But when he was at home, he would take it off, as it was more comfortable.

Besides, after so many years together, Xu Lei hadn’t been overly secretive. Di Xixi and the others had faintly guessed some of the truth.

After all, after all these years, Xu Lei and Bai Ling had aged far, far more slowly than them.

Of course, Bai Ling now looked a bit more mature than she had back then.

She had become a young woman of twenty-eight or twenty-nine, and her figure had grown even more stunning.