Chapter 314 - 270-271: Returning to Red Cloud, An Old Friend (Part 2)

The Sequence Elders quickly withdrew from the Golden Yuan Cave.

Jin Ling'Er sat on the stone chair, unmoving.

The recent discussion about the Elixir Shop branch had reminded her of some things.

Things from many years ago...

Xu Chang'an's hand rose slightly, hovering over Jin Ling'er's head.

It seemed as if his hand would stroke her hair in the next moment.

Xu Chang'an sighed.

He turned and left the Golden Yuan Cave. In the end, his hand never descended.

Before leaving, he left behind two Jade Bottles.

That night, Jin Ling'er began her Cultivation as usual.

Having long since entered the Foundation Establishment Realm, she normally no longer needed to sleep.

But during her Cultivation, Jin Ling'er's spirit wavered, and she suddenly fell into a deep slumber, drifting into a dream.

In this dream, she dreamt of many, many things.

She dreamt she had returned to her teenage years, a time when Jin Yuanba was still alive, as were many of the older generation of Elders.

She was carefree, without a single worry.

One day, Langlang Mountain recruited a new batch of Little Demons.

She was flying mid-air and happened to see the Little Demons entering the mountain. She curiously sized them up.

Among the Little Demons, she saw a familiar figure.

Grey Rat...

She dreamt of Black Crow Mountain attacking Langlang Mountain. There was trouble at the Spirit Plant Garden, and she went to provide support with several Sequence Elders.

When they arrived, however, she saw a Golden Lion.

The Golden Lion's Cultivation was the same as hers, but its combat strength far surpassed her own.

After just a few rounds of Magical Combat, she was at its mercy, her fate uncertain.

But in the end, she survived.

Only, for some reason, the image of the Golden Lion gradually changed, eventually becoming that of Grey Rat.

'How could that be!'

She was extremely surprised!

The Golden Lion...

Grey Rat...

She dreamt of the standoff between Langlang Mountain and Lujiao Mountain, of Langlang Mountain's stabilizing pillar, Jin Yuanba, and many Elders being trapped in Black Crow Mountain, their return long delayed.

She was forced to hold the fort at Langlang Mountain, shouldering an immense burden to steady the hearts of the demons.

To ensure their safety, she took Standard-Bearer Grey Rat with her to patrol the area. Unexpectedly, while inspecting the Spirit Plant Garden, they were attacked by Black Crow Mountain's Second Elder, Hei Wu.

Hei Wu, with his Qi Refining Ninth Layer Cultivation, was an opponent far beyond her!

But she survived that battle as well.

Saved by Grey Rat, who was usually not skilled in Magical Combat!

To this day, she could not forget a single detail of that incident.

But here, in the dream, she witnessed a different scene.

She saw a flash of golden light, and Hei Wu of the Qi Refining Ninth Layer fell backward, stiff as a board.

"This is the place I've chosen for you to die!"

It was Grey Rat. That was Grey Rat's voice!

'Could it be...'

Before Jin Ling'er could think any more of it, she dreamt of the next scene.

Scene after scene flashed by, as if she were reliving her past.

She dreamt of going to the Lujiao Mountain Marketplace with Grey Rat.

She dreamt of him revealing his feelings for the first time inside his cave-dwelling.

She dreamt of confessing her feelings to Grey Rat.

She dreamt of the letters she and Grey Rat had exchanged over the years.

She dreamt of Grey Rat, now famous and accomplished, returning to Langlang Mountain once more.

She dreamt...

...that Grey Rat had perished on Red Cloud Mountain!

...

"It was a dream!"

Jin Ling'er was somewhat dazed.

How many years had it been since she last dreamt, after entering the Foundation Establishment Realm?

The dream was long, and the scenes were so real, it was as if she had personally experienced each one all over again.

Jin Ling'er sat there bolt upright.

She was still savoring the last scene of the dream.

She dreamt that Grey Rat had come back. He came back to see her and even brought her gifts.

Too bad she hadn't known.

The dream was fake, she knew that.

Grey Rat was never coming back.

During the Red Cloud incident, Grey Rat was right there on Red Cloud Mountain!

He had perished long ago!

'If Grey Rat were still alive,' Jin Ling'er thought, 'after so many years, he might have even achieved a Tier Three Middle Grade Skill by now.'

Coming out of her reverie, Jin Ling'er was about to stand up when she abruptly noticed two Jade Bottles placed before her.

The Jade Bottles were exquisite and translucent, just like in her dream.

"How can this be!?"

As if she had gone mad, Jin Ling'er lunged forward and snatched up the two Jade Bottles.

She opened them one after the other, and two distinct, fragrant scents filled the cave.

Crystal Condensation Pills and Clear Heart Pills!

'Grey Rat...'

Jin Ling'er's eyes were vacant as she muttered to herself.

She was overwhelmed with emotion for a long, long time.

...

After leaving Langlang Mountain, Xu Chang'an paid a visit to Yellow Wasp Mountain.

The Yellow Wasp Spirit of Yellow Wasp Mountain had also long since passed away.

The heir he had sent to Red Cloud Mountain back then, the Little Yellow Wasp Spirit, had perished along with the mountain's destruction.

Upon learning of this, the Yellow Wasp Spirit was overcome with grief!

His Cultivation stagnated, and he never managed to break through to the Foundation Establishment Realm!

The Yellow Wasp Spirit's domain on Yellow Wasp Mountain was not passed down; with his death, it gradually fell into decline.

Now, the peak where Yellow Wasp Mountain once stood had long been renamed.

'Apart from the Great Dao, all things in this world are naught but emptiness!'

Xu Chang'an gazed into the distance at the peak formerly known as Yellow Wasp Mountain.

On that peak, a Monkey Spirit at the Qi Refining Second Layer was preparing to make its mark and build something great.

"Fellow Daoists, failing to join Peacock Mountain may not be a bad thing. We'll establish our own territory, rule our own mountain, and surely build a great enterprise in the future! Come, let us celebrate together! A toast!"

The Monkey Spirit was full of vigor, its eyes filled with longing for the future.

It raised a simple stone bowl, speaking to the two Demons beside it.

"A toast."

The two Demons, their hearts stirred by the Monkey Spirit's words, repeatedly raised their bowls in agreement.

Watching them, Xu Chang'an felt as if he were seeing the Yellow Wasp Spirit from all those years ago.

'If it had known the outcome from the start, would the Yellow Wasp Spirit still have chosen to establish its own territory and rule its own mountain back then!?'

Xu Chang'an wondered.

Perhaps, the Yellow Wasp Spirit would have done it all the same.

...

The Peacock King had broken through to the Late-stage Nascent Soul, and her fame spread far and wide.

Peacock Mountain naturally became the hegemon of the many mountain ranges, attracting numerous Demon Kings to pledge their allegiance.

Today, besides the Peacock King, Peacock Mountain boasted two Unparalleled Demon Kings, over thirty Demon Kings, and numerous Quasi-Demon Kings!

One of the two Unparalleled Demon Kings came from the Thundering Mountain Range, and the other from a neighboring range.

「Peacock Mountain, Seven-Colored Cloud Palace.」

The Peacock King, Chu Xianyi, snapped her beautiful eyes open, her gaze fixed on a spot not far in front of her.

"Come out!"

Her voice was cold and clear, yet it carried boundless authority.

"Peacock King, what sharp Demon Sense."

The figure of a young Child slowly materialized before Chu Xianyi.

Seeing the figure appear, Chu Xianyi's expression remained impassive, but she relaxed slightly inside.

Just now, if not for the home-field advantage provided by the Restrictions of the Seven-Colored Cloud Palace, she wouldn't have even detected him.

Her Cultivation had already reached the Late-stage Nascent Soul Realm.

To have almost failed to notice him even at her level... it was clear the visitor was no ordinary person.

Because of this, she had been prepared to fight at a moment's notice!

However...

'To think, it's actually him!'

"What's this? Is the Peacock King so excited to see her long-lost Dao Companion that she's at a loss for words?"

The Peacock King, Chu Xianyi, was as beautiful as ever. Clad in Colorful Palace Attire, with a face that could eclipse the moon and shame the flowers, her black hair draped over her shoulders, she looked like a cold, stunning beauty in her twenties.

Chu Xianyi snorted coldly.

"I wonder if the Demon Emperor still remembers the sixty-year pact!?"

"Of course I remember."

Xu Chang'an's expression was calm.

"Since the Demon Emperor remembers, then showing up here at my Seven-Colored Cloud Palace only now, after more than a hundred years have passed... what a grand display of prestige!"

Chu Xianyi was secretly shocked.

In the mere span of a hundred-odd years, the Zi Dian standing before her had also broken through to the Late-stage Nascent Soul Realm!

She had only advanced this quickly because she'd had several fortunate encounters in Secret Realms.

But the Zi Dian before her...

'Could he truly be a Great Power Reincarnation!?'

"This Emperor was away for a long time. The Peacock King must have been getting anxious! I just wonder, was the Peacock King anxious about the pact for the Secret Realm, or... something else? For instance..."

Xu Chang'an had a playful look on his face as he teased Chu Xianyi.

Hearing this, Chu Xianyi's expression turned cold.

Back then, before Zi Dian left, he had left her with a parting sentence.

"Just now, during our Soul Fusion, the Peacock King seemed quite intoxicated with pleasure. When we meet again in sixty years, why don't we engage in Soul Fusion and enjoy that pleasure once more, hmm!?"

Seeing Chu Xianyi's expression, Xu Chang'an knew she had remembered his words.

"The sixty-year pact has long since passed, I know. But now that we meet again, it's not too late for another Soul Fusion! There's no time like the present. Why don't we..."

Before Xu Chang'an could finish his sentence, the Peacock King raised her hand and blasted a beam of Divine Light at him.

With a wave of his own hand, Xu Chang'an dissipated the incoming Divine Light into nothingness!

"Peacock King, why must you be so angry?"

Xu Chang'an made a judgment in his heart. 'Just as the rumors say, the Peacock King's combat power is terrifying!'

The Divine Light she had just blasted was no less powerful than a peak strike from a Late-stage Nascent Soul Great Cultivator.

'If a casual strike is this powerful, what would happen if she used her full strength!?'

Xu Chang'an was secretly astonished.

'The current Peacock King is likely no weaker than I was before my own breakthrough!'

'This is...'

'...the combat power of the Divinity Transformation Realm!'

'And if the Peacock King were to unleash her legendary Five-Colored Divine Light, which is rumored to be unbelievably powerful...'

'I'm afraid it could pose a threat to me!'

Xu Chang'an was inwardly relieved. 'Thankfully, I only revealed a Late-stage Nascent Soul cultivation base, hiding part of my power and leaving myself some leeway.'