Chapter 625 - 623: The Master Has Returned, Is This True?

Chapter 625: Chapter 623: The Master Has Returned, Is This True?

Bullfrog chuckled. "You bet. I might be a little dumb, but with my handsome looks and great physique, I’m still very popular back home. Poppy, Daisy, Guagua... They’re all crazy about me."

"Heh. Just listen to yourself, Bullfrog." Before Bullfrog could finish, Tadpole had already smacked him. "Poppy’s married, Daisy’s engaged, and Guagua has two kids now. In your dreams!"

Bullfrog rubbed his head.

"Tadpole, you hit me again."

"Do I need to make an appointment?"

"Okay, fine. Go ahead."

Watching this scene unfold, Aaron Sinclair, who stood atop the mountains, couldn’t help but laugh out loud. "Hahaha, you two wintergourds get along surprisingly well."

Tadpole spoke up, "Master, Bullfrog and I have been best friends since we were little. We’re like family, so of course we’re close."

Bullfrog nodded in agreement.

"That’s right."

Aaron Sinclair nodded slightly.

"Master, we’re out now. Are we going home?"

"That’s right, we should head back to the clan. The chief must be getting anxious."

"The old chief will be so happy when he sees you’re back."

At that moment, the two wintergourds were at Aaron Sinclair’s side, chattering away.

Aaron Sinclair nodded slightly.

"Alright. We’ll head to your clan first."

’I haven’t seen Pip in a long time. I wonder how he’s doing.’

"Let’s go!" As he spoke, Aaron Sinclair grabbed one wintergourd in each hand, took a single step forward, and vanished on the spot.

When their figures reappeared, they had arrived at the territory of the Shadowmist Clan, thousands of miles away. This was the southern region of the Cunmere Realm, a place surrounded by mountains where the Spiritual Energy was so abundant it felt like it was about to overflow. As far as the eye could see, winding rivers flowed between the mountain ranges.

The Shadowmist Clan themselves lived within one of these mountain ranges.

The Shadowmist Clan didn’t live on the surface. They cleared and farmed the land above ground, but left entrances leading deep into the earth. They would then excavate downwards, building their homes in the planet’s depths. As for the risk of collapse, there was none to speak of.

The Shadowmist Clan were not just master farmers; they were also premier subterranean architects. Structures built by their hands could endure for a millennium underground with barely any decay.

Aaron Sinclair hovered high in the sky, his gaze drifting down to the land below. He had been here before, had even lived here for a long time. Looking at the familiar terrain now, a complex mix of emotions stirred within him.

’A thousand years have passed, and now I’m back. It seems like nothing has really changed.’

"Let’s head down." As he spoke, he leaped downward, making for the mountain range closest to the main river. The mountains loomed larger, and the landscape stretched out, vast and boundless.

As they drew closer to the ground, an endless expanse of Ethoria appeared before them. Vast fields were planted with all sorts of crops: Spirit Grain, corn, long beans, and various Spirit Fruits and Spiritual Medicines. At a glance, anyone, farmer or not, would have to remark on how magnificently everything was growing.

"We’re here! We’re home!"

Their days in the outside world had been difficult. Though they hadn’t suffered any real hardship, they never met anyone else like them. For the two wintergourds, it had been a lonely experience, as if they were the only two of their kind in the entire world.

"I can sense it! That’s the aura of our people!"

"The wind tastes so sweet, and the air is filled with the scent of our Spiritual Medicine. This is what home feels like."

Seeing the familiar landscape, the familiar peaks, and the familiar Ethoria spread out before them, the two wintergourds at Aaron Sinclair’s side were filled with excitement.

"We’re back... We’re finally back."

"SOB... We’re finally back."

Having finally arrived at the home of the Shadowmist Clan, the two creatures beside Aaron Sinclair were so overjoyed they threw their arms around each other.

"WAHHH... I’m so happy, Tadpole! We’re finally home!"

"I know, I’m so happy too, Bullfrog! We’re back! Look over there—that’s the thousand-mu Ethoria we cleared! The Spiritual Medicine in it is all grown up. And look, over there! I think I see Guagua and the others!"

Amidst the flourishing Ethoria, dark, shadowy figures could occasionally be seen drifting past. If one weren’t paying close attention, one might mistake them for spirits.

"It’s true! I see them too!"

’We’re back.’

’And we brought Master back with us.’

Bullfrog could already picture it: his clansmen would crowd around him, praising him for his incredible accomplishment.

"Heh heh..."

Aaron Sinclair smacked him on the forehead. "What are you snickering about? At a time like this, you should be shouting to celebrate!"

"I’ll do it!" Bullfrog took a deep breath and bellowed down below.

"Chief, I’m back!"

"People of the Shadowmist Clan, it is I, Bullfrog! I have returned!"

"Grandpa... I’m back! Gua-One, Gua-Two, Gua-Three... all the way to Gua-Twenty-One! Tadpole and I are back! Hurry up and come out!"

After Bullfrog had let out a few bellows at the top of his lungs, a RUSTLING sound came from the Ethoria below, and many of his clansmen began to emerge from beneath the lush leaves of the Spiritual Medicine.

What came into view were black wintergourds of all sizes, each with long, slender arms and legs. At that moment, his clansmen were, without exception, looking up toward them.

Before Bullfrog could even wave and start catching up, he was kicked aside by Tadpole. "Move it! You missed the most important part. Watch me." Tadpole took a deep breath and shouted.

"Clansmen, Bullfrog and I are back!"

"Chief, we brought Master back with us!"

She paused for a moment, then shouted again.

"It’s true! Master is back!"

The moment her voice faded, plumes of black mist erupted from underground. They shot into the sky, a dense, dark mass of thousands upon thousands that blotted out the view.

"They’re back?"

"Who’s back?"

"Master? Where is Master?"

"It’s Bullfrog! He’s back!"

"Tadpole’s back too! I think I heard her say they brought Master back!"

Countless voices rose up at once.

From among the thousands of black mists, one marked with cyan patterns shot out like a bolt of lightning, flying straight toward Aaron Sinclair. In an instant, it was right in front of him.

Aaron Sinclair recognized it at a glance. It was his Spirit Companion, Pip. Before he could even reach out to catch it, the plume of black mist had already attached itself to his arm, clinging on tightly.

Seeing this, he gently raised his arm. The plume of black mist with its cyan patterns clung there, a jet-black mass marbled with veins of cyan.

At that moment, a clear voice transmitted from it.

"This aura... there’s no mistake."

"It’s Master."

"It’s really Master."