On this day, a clear cloud drifted slowly from afar across the Dragon Taming Mountain Range.
Astride the cloud stood two graceful, slender figures.
A gentle breeze swept past, fluttering their strands of hair.
The one standing in front wore a serene expression, seemingly enjoying the mountain wind as it brushed past.
The woman behind her, however, constantly smoothed back her stray hairs; though her face appeared composed, her eyes darted restlessly.
"A-Xiu, your heart is no longer calm," a soft voice emerged from the Daoist nun ahead.
Hearing this, Wen Xiu could not help a bitter twitch of her lips.
When approaching one's homeland, nervousness naturally took hold—who could truly keep their heart as still as water in such a moment?
"Master, must we be so resolute?"
Lord Lushan said calmly, "Since you entered my tutelage, you must sever mortal ties and remain indifferent to fame and fortune. With your talent, you possess the aptitude for Golden Core. In particular, after switching to my cultivation method, your progress should have advanced by leaps and bounds, yet over these years you have stalled at the sixth level of Foundation Establishment, unable to advance an inch. You concealed it well before, so I merely assumed you were temporarily impeded. Only when your daughter came seeking you did I understand the reason."
Wen Xiu cast her eyes down and murmured, "Yet how can the bonds of blood be severed so easily? Xiaoqing was carried in my womb for ten months and born at the cost of my own essence and blood. I cannot do it... Master, did you not fail to do so in the past as well?"
Lord Lushan frowned slightly.
Back then, she indeed had not severed those so-called mortal ties. Instead, she had waited until her closest kin passed away, relying on the passage of time to slowly fade those attachments.
Having it pointed out by her disciple was truly awkward.
Yet Lord Lushan did not lose her temper.
She let out a faint sigh. "It is precisely because I lived through it that I know what miraculous effect taking that step in advance will have on cultivating the *Book of Forgetting*."
Wen Xiu felt bewildered and at a loss.
Lord Lushan elaborated slightly, "Unlike ordinary cultivators whose practice prioritizes resources, our Daoist branch's cultivation methods focus on cultivating the mind. In the beginning, progress may be somewhat slow, but once the state of mind elevates, one will surpass others from behind. According to the descriptions in the *Book of Forgetting*, the true wonders of this technique can only be fully realized after reaching the Nascent Soul stage."
Was that truly so?
Wen Xiu felt uneasy in her heart. Did secular Daoist sects not permit marriage and bereavement rites as well?
Could it be that their specific lineage was uniquely different?
Glancing back at the disheveled young woman, Lord Lushan shook her head.
"On this journey, aside from having you take the initiative to sever ties with the Zhang family, I also intend to visit a friend. When the time comes, accompany me to Peng Island first before returning to Cailian Island."
"Yes."
As they conversed, the clear cloud traversed thousands of layered mountains, finally descending beside the mist-shrouded, vast lake.
The moment the cloud touched down, a cultivator from the lakeside Fengbo Pavilion stepped forward to welcome them.
Lord Lushan's spiritual pressure emanated outward, instantly revealing her Golden Core cultivation, so the cultivator guarding the pavilion acted with utmost deference.
"Senior, might I ask whether you are visiting the Master of Penghu or the Cailian Zhang family... Madame Wen?"
As the elderly cultivator spoke, his gaze subconsciously fell upon Wen Xiu behind her, and the words blurted out.
Lord Lushan waved her sleeve. "A-Xiu, handle this."
"Yes."
Wen Xiu stepped forward to speak with the elderly cultivator she recognized.
She had resided at Penghu Lake for a long time and understood its rules intimately.
Especially after she explained that Lord Lushan had arrived upon the personal invitation of the Master of Penghu, Qingyangzi, the Fengbo Pavilion cultivator immediately opened the way for them without hesitation.
Once Lord Lushan departed with Wen Xiu by boat toward Peng Island, the elderly cultivator guarding Fengbo Pavilion wore a conflicted, shifting expression for a moment before ultimately heading in the direction of Cailian Island.
Aboard the small boat.
Lord Lushan's divine sense naturally captured everything behind them, and she sent a divine sense transmission straight into Wen Xiu's ear.
"You see, that is how the affairs of the mortal world are.
"Back when you took charge of the Cailian Island Zhang family on Zhang Jiadi's behalf, you were gentle toward the clan and bestowed many favors. Even when you left later on, you never mistreated them.
"Yet now upon your sudden return, those who once received your benevolence, after hesitating briefly, still chose to tip off the people on Cailian Island.
"The tea cools as soon as the guest departs—nothing exemplifies it better than this.
"Family ties and love may run somewhat deeper, but they cannot withstand tests either. Severing them early is the true path."
The woman behind her showed pain in her eyes, biting her lip, seemingly unwilling to accept the truth.
Or perhaps, she had understood these truths long ago.
It was merely that before, she had only thought of yielding; when yielding failed, she had sought escape, until finally entering Lord Lushan's sect under the banner of longing for the Grand Dao.
Yet at the end of the day, it was still running away!
Lord Lushan had seen through her thoughts, which was why she chose to bring her back to face all of this squarely.
If Wen Xiu still could not let go, Lord Lushan would not mind arriving as a pair and leaving alone.
Before long, a gentle laugh reached Wen Xiu's ears.
"Fellow Daoist, please!"
"Qingyangzi is too courteous. There was no need to come so far to greet this humble Daoist."
"Haha, it was merely walking a few extra steps, hardly a grand reception. Come, this way, please. I heard earlier that you enjoy sightseeing. My Penghu also has a mountain with a Lake Viewing Pavilion, offering a panoramic view of the lake and mountains. Let us go there to discuss matters while admiring the scenery."
"Then this humble Daoist shall defer to the host. A-Xiu, wait here for a moment!"
Wen Xiu nodded. Once the two walked away into the distance, she stood alone at the shore of Peng Island, gazing toward a distant direction, her expression shifting continuously.
...
Roughly half a day later, Luo Chen and Lord Lushan returned together side by side.
Both wore smiles, indicating that their discussion had proceeded smoothly.
When Lord Lushan landed beside Wen Xiu, she smiled slightly at Luo Chen. "The exact departure time is up to you. I will rush to craft the necessary talismans and certainly will not delay your major affair."
Luo Chen smiled and nodded. "No rush, it will still take a while. I also need to invite another fellow daoist to accompany us."
Lord Lushan was somewhat surprised. Aside from Sang Jiugong, another person was still needed?
From the looks of it, Qingyangzi truly considered Purple Spirit Island something he must obtain at all costs!
Yet on second thought, having more people was good; if they truly ran into trouble, it would be safer.
After all, it was deep within the Demon Sea where demon beasts held sway.
"Since that is so, this humble Daoist will disturb you no longer." Lord Lushan offered a bow and prepared to leave with Wen Xiu.
Luo Chen spoke up, however: "Would you require Luo to act as a mediator?"
Lord Lushan hesitated for a moment before ultimately agreeing.
The Cailian Island Zhang family was nothing to fear—merely a Foundation Establishment clan.
Yet behind them stood the Nascent Soul force, the Coral Sea Zhou family.
As a mid-stage Golden Core cultivator, she could not suppress them, though she had never intended to resort to force in the first place.
Luo Chen, however, was different. He was an honored guest of the Zhou family and also the master of the Zhang family's land. If he stepped forward, everyone would grant him face.
Next, it depended on Wen Xiu's own thoughts.
"A-Xiu, have you made up your mind?"
...
Cailian Island.
Luo Chen's gaze fell upon this island dense with spiritual energy, and his eyebrows twitched slightly.
He remembered clearly that this small island originally held only a Tier 2 low-grade spirit vein. Yet now, observing it with the Spirit Eye Art, the intensity of spiritual energy reached Tier 2 mid-grade, faintly even approaching the high-grade tier.
Yet strangely, this surplus spiritual energy was not drawn entirely from Penghu Lake's main vein.
Letting his gaze wander across the increasingly sparse lotus leaves and blossoms, and onto the emerald-blue coral spread across the lakebed, Luo Chen felt a flicker of contemplation.
"Previously, I only heard Tianxuan mention that ever since Zhou Shanshan married in, the Zhang family had grown increasingly prosperous. Back then, I assumed it was merely a change in wealth and population.
"Seeing it now, they have transformed in every conceivable way."
Wen Xiu's heart clenched even tighter.
Once, the infinite green lotus leaves had touched the sky; now, only withered roots and wilted leaves stood amidst the desolate autumn chill.
Things remained, but people had changed!
For a moment, her tight knot of emotion inexplicably broadened with a touch of open-minded clarity.
The people had changed, and the surroundings had changed—why should she continue clinging bitterly to the past?
Perhaps having learned in advance of Wen Xiu's return, coupled with the fact that Luo Chen and Lord Lushan's escape lights were completely unmasked, a crowd of people had already assembled on the jade square in the center of Cailian Island by the time they arrived.
As Luo Chen descended, the Zhang family cultivators led by Zhang Jiadi and Zhou Shanshan bowed in unison with lowered heads.
"Greetings, Master Qingyang!"
Over a hundred cultivators gathered together, their voices echoing like the roar of a surging sea.
Accustomed to grand spectacles, Luo Chen paid it little mind.
He waved his hand. "Today concerns your family affairs. This seat is merely acting as a mediator; it is best to resolve it harmoniously."
With that, he walked straight toward the Zhang family's main courtyard, completely unceremonious and acting as though he were not an outsider at all.
Behind him.
Zhang Jiadi looked with eyes full of tenderness at Wen Xiu, who looked straight ahead without glancing back.
Zhou Shanshan pursed her lips and glared fixedly at Wen Xiu, as if someone were trying to steal food from her plate.
Having gradually come to terms with things, Wen Xiu felt surprisingly calm instead, following behind her master, Lord Lushan, into the courtyard.
Zhang Jiadi waved to disperse the clan cultivators and followed inside, taking only Zhou Shanshan along.
...
Throughout this so-called Zhang family affair, Luo Chen watched from the sidelines, essentially enjoying the drama.
It was nothing more than Wen Xiu seeking an amicable separation from Zhang Jiadi and taking back the portion of assets that rightfully belonged to her.
Zhang Jiadi was naturally unwilling.
Yet his reluctance stemmed not from the wealth, but from sentiment.
He even uttered melodramatic laments like "abandoning husband and daughter" and "how cruel a heart."
The more she watched him perform, the more disgust welled up in Wen Xiu's heart. How had she ever fallen for such a man in the past?
Thus, her resolve to part ways grew firmer still.
Having pleaded in vain, Zhang Jiadi finally agreed to sign the separation agreement under the witness of the two Golden Core Masters.
Zhou Shanshan was somewhat reluctant. The property Wen Xiu was taking away was no small sum; even though it would not cripple the present Zhang family, in her eyes, that was "her money"!
Yet with Master Qingyang present, she dared not make a scene.
Ordinarily, when facing other Golden Core cultivators—or even Fairy Tianxuan—she could carry herself with poised confidence.
Master Qingyang was different. Even the ancestor of her maternal Zhou family held him in great esteem, having specially instructed someone to send Master Qingyang an invitation for the ancestor's eight-hundredth birthday feast.
Once the deed of separation was signed and the equivalent spirit stones were handed over to Wen Xiu:
From that moment on, she had no further ties to the Cailian Island Zhang family!
By now, the night had grown deep, and the dew hung heavy.
Declining Zhang Jiadi's attempts to detain them, Lord Lushan departed with Wen Xiu to return home.
Yet just as they stepped out of the small courtyard, everyone halted in their tracks.
Beneath the moonlight, a slender young maiden stood on the verge of tears.
"Mother, do you no longer want me?"
...
"Is this the way of cultivation for your Daoist practitioners?"
"Not entirely. Other orthodox Daoist practitioners have no such qualms. It is simply that this humble Daoist's lineage is rather peculiar."
"Isn't that placing a bit too much emphasis on formalities?"
"Wen Xiu has not reached that realm yet, so she naturally cannot rise above trivial constraints. Be it formalities or deliberate acts, at least it cuts off any path of retreat."
"Haha, you are quite a dedicated master."
"You flatter me, Fellow Daoist."
Beneath the moonlight, atop a white cloud, a man and a woman stood side by side, conversing casually.
Their gazes rested on the mother and daughter leaning against each other outside Cailian Island.
Lord Lushan suddenly remarked, "In truth, our paths lead to the same destination. Those whose hearts yearn for the Grand Dao are destined for solitude! Qingyangzi, centuries or millennia from now, how many will truly remain by your side?"
Luo Chen's smile gradually faded.
Qi Refinement cultivators have a lifespan of a century, with the longest-lived barely reaching one hundred and twenty-five.
Foundation Establishment True Cultivators double that lifespan, yet even those versed in longevity arts cannot breach the limit of three hundred years.
And for Golden Core cultivators like them, passing away at four to five hundred years of age is the norm.
To ordinary mortals, this was already extraordinarily long-lived.
Yet for those aspiring to the Grand Dao, time still felt scarce.
In this journey of scaling the peaks, someone would always fall behind.
Even if someone could keep pace for a certain stretch, across the vast span of time, one would ultimately end up completely alone.
If one spent their days slumbering in the past and brooding over old acquaintances, it would hamper one's cultivation, ultimately making them one of those left behind.
Only by growing accustomed to loneliness can one press forward through hardship!
What Lord Lushan was doing now was merely helping her disciple Wen Xiu take that step ahead of time.
What about himself?
Luo Chen pressed his lips together, a flicker of bewilderment in his eyes.
Without him noticing, Lord Lushan had already departed with Wen Xiu.
Zhang Jingqing, now grown into a young woman, stood by the shore of Cailian Island lost in thought. When the moon hung high overhead, she plunged into the lake, diving into the depths like a swimming fish.
...
"Tianxuan, do you know how old you are?"
Inside the Alchemy and Forging Hall, Luo Chen asked this question while waiting for the spirit pill's medicinal properties to settle.
Holding the Snow Blowing Fan to manage the furnace fire for Luo Chen, Tianxuan looked somewhat surprised.
Then she offered her answer.
"I should be around three hundred-odd years old!"
Luo Chen paused. "So young?"
Tianxuan smiled faintly. "Not young at all. Though people say demon beasts are naturally long-lived, it depends on the tribe. We Battle Gulls are fierce and bellicose by nature, practically a short-lived race among demon beasts. As far as I know, a Tier 3 Battle Gull can live eight hundred to a thousand years at most."
"That is still very long, comparable to our human Nascent Soul Perfected Persons." Luo Chen shook his head, then asked about her family and friends.
To this, Tianxuan seemed at a loss.
The Battle Gull tribe was excessively pugnacious, making it difficult for them to live in flocks; anyone with Tier 2 strength would leave the flock to live in solitude.
To her, things like family and friends truly evoked no sentiment.
At last.
Tianxuan sighed with emotion, "If I hadn't met Master, I would have either died at the hands of other demon beasts or muddled my way to Tier 4 in ignorance."
Luo Chen could not help asking, "Did you never consider the meaning of living?"
"Meaning?"
Tianxuan blinked, then asked in return, "Isn't the meaning of living just to be alive?"
Luo Chen was stunned.
Right at that moment, an unusual sound came from within the Hunyuan Cauldron.
Luo Chen struck out with magic power, and instantly a stream of light flew out like a river of stars.
The modified Tier 4 Poison Warding Pill had finally succeeded!
Clasping the medicinal pill, Luo Chen turned Tianxuan's words over in his mind. Gradually, the corners of his lips curved upward.
The meaning of living is to be alive.
In other words, wasn't the goal of cultivation simply longevity?
Why was he troubling himself with needless worries?
Had that not been his aspiration all along?
As for so-called mortal ties and so-called loneliness?
So long as they did not hinder his cultivation, why bother fretting over them?
Just leave it all to time!
For now, it was best to take each step steadily on solid ground!
Holding the Poison Warding Pill in hand, Luo Chen asked:
"Where is Duan Li now?"
Tianxuan stood up. "He should have finished his mission and returned to the Demon Hunting Department to report."
The Demon Hunting Department?
Luo Chen nodded, flapped his wide sleeves, and walked outside.
"He owes me a favor—might as well have him repay it this time!"
Chapter 630