Return

Wei Yuan felt as though he had been falling endlessly through the void. Then, a speck of light suddenly flared before his eyes, and he tumbled out, crashing heavily onto the ground. He looked around and saw he was still inside the supermarket. But now the place was battered and fragmented; nearly half the roof had collapsed, and signs of battle were everywhere. Muted flashes lit up outside, illuminating the interior, accompanied by the ceaseless roar of explosions—a fierce battle was still raging. Wei Yuan felt as if his body were not his own; he hardly knew how to command it. His current form was his origin soul. If he couldn't even control his origin soul, it meant his soul and origin soul were showing signs of separation. This gave Wei Yuan quite a scare—if an accident happened during such a state, his soul could be captured and detained, leaving him unable to be reincarnated for eternity. Just then, another figure dropped from the air. Bao Yun tumbled out and fell right into Wei Yuan's arms. She too was momentarily paralyzed. Wei Yuan used the slight motor function he had just regained to shield her beneath him, keeping her safe from stray fire or discovery by the monsters. After a while, Wei Yuan felt his strength recover to twenty or thirty percent, and Bao Yun could move freely again. Taking her hand, he slipped out through the side of the supermarket and crept through the darkness. Before long, they came upon a fortress. Tongues of flame constantly spewed from the fortress. Atop it stood more than a dozen cultivators holding formation in defense. They defended without attacking, focusing solely on withstanding the onslaught of monsters, while flanking firepower on both sides did the killing. From time to time, a Dao soldier holding an iron barrel would charge out from the camp directly into the swarm of monsters, followed by an earth-shattering explosion. The sound was piercingly shrill, and the fire shone a ghostly blue. At the moment of detonation, the surrounding scenery warped slightly. One look was enough for Wei Yuan to recognize that the sound and flame of the explosion had been specially tuned to shake the fundamental Great Dao of this world; concussive force and shrapnel were actually of little use here. Sure enough, the monsters caught in the blast appeared to suffer intense agony, and some collapsed to the ground, never to rise again. Wei Yuan felt curious about that Dao soldier. Aside from himself, could anyone else use the Five Elements Dao Soldiers? Ji Liuli should still be at the Northern Mountain Gate, shouldn't she? Then Wei Yuan saw Jun Weizhi at the center of the cultivators' formation point a finger, summoning a Five Elements Dao Soldier before him. Another cultivator hauled over an iron barrel filled with special gunpowder and had the Dao soldier embrace it. The Dao soldier then dashed out, once more blasting the monsters back. Just what kind of saintly constitution had that kid Jun Weizhi awakened? Why did it feel a bit heaven-defying? As Wei Yuan pondered this, he suddenly felt it was somewhat ill-omened—after all, wasn't the "heaven" of this Smoke and Fire of the Mortal World none other than himself? Then Wei Yuan saw Han Li also summon a Five Elements Dao Soldier, which grabbed a powder barrel and charged out. Wei Yuan finally understood: the primary firepower repelling the monsters was actually these suicidal Dao soldiers. Seeing the monsters multiply, the cultivators were struggling to hold their ground. Then a Dao Foundation warrior strapped with numerous powder kegs charged forth, taking down seven or eight monsters in one blow. Disregarding his bodily exhaustion, Wei Yuan sent out a thought. A vast shower of azure qi cascaded from the sky, blessing the cultivators. Their combat strength surged in an instant, battering the monsters until they couldn't even raise their heads. Then, as if hearing some signal, the monsters retreated en masse and vanished into the darkness. "Realm Lord!" The cultivators in the fortress bowed together. Wei Yuan nodded and began inquiring about what had transpired during this time, only to be astonished to learn that two whole months had already passed. Over these past two months, Longying, the dragon guard warriors, and the cultivators of Smoke and Fire of the Mortal World had erected fortresses near the small supermarket and defended them at all costs. To minimize losses along the way, they had even constructed a fortress every fifty zhang and erected lamp posts. Dao Foundation cultivators manned the lamps, illuminating the route with heavenly light so the monsters had no chance to hide and stage ambushes. However, with Wei Yuan absent, Smoke and Fire of the Mortal World lost its ability to mobilize karmic luck, forcing everyone to fight on the battlefield without its blessing. When they were truly unable to hold out, Longying would send one or two Dao Foundation warriors on suicide attacks. Generally, after blowing up several monsters, the Dao Foundation warrior would also become food for the Dao Foundation. Afterward, the monsters would quiet down for a brief respite. Yet before long, they would stage another comeback. Zhang Sheng had issued a strict order: even if every last dragon guard and Smoke and Fire cultivator perished, they had to hold this outpost, ensuring that someone could always keep eyes on the supermarket—the place where Wei Yuan had vanished. This was to prevent the wraith from severing its karmic ties with Smoke and Fire of the Mortal World. As long as someone was watching, it could not leave the supermarket—unless it spat Wei Yuan back out. The tug-of-war had raged for two whole months before Wei Yuan finally returned safely. Now that Wei Yuan was back, there was no longer a need to guard this outpost. Yet Wei Yuan sensed that the anomaly inside the supermarket had disappeared, and monsters would no longer gather in hordes around it. Thus, he said, "Maintain this outpost. Leave a contingent here to garrison it for now." Longying nodded and continued surveying the surroundings. Wei Yuan and Bao Yun arrived before the portal. Bao Yun suddenly shoved something into Wei Yuan's hand and said, "Here, this is for you." Wei Yuan looked down to find a crystal-clear, pitch-black stone in his hand. It somewhat resembled black jade, yet was far more translucent. It exuded an obscure aura of the Great Dao—it was Dao Profound Jade, a grade above Dao Profound Qi! Dao Profound Jade could enhance the aptitude of a Dharma Idol, making it an invaluable treasure. He hadn't expected Bao Yun to possess one. "Where did this come from?" "It's yours! After you burned that annoying bastard to death, he left behind a piece of Dao Profound Jade. You didn't notice it back then, so I picked it up first." "Then you take it," Wei Yuan said, pushing it right back into her hands. Bao Yun chuckled softly. "It's already useless to me. And not just me—Eldest Senior Sister doesn't need it either. Keep it; when Teacher ascends to Dharma Idol, she might find a use for it." Considering Zhang Sheng's Dao Foundation at present, Wei Yuan felt she probably wouldn't need it in the future either, but having an extra safeguard was always good, so he put it away. The two of them then stepped through the portal and returned to Qingming. When Wei Yuan awoke, he found himself lying in bed. A tray of immortal orchids was arranged beside him, and a water-aspected spirit ginseng rested on his chest, nourishing his entire body with ginseng qi to ensure the spiritual nature of his Dharma body remained undamaged. He moved his limbs, felt that everything was fine, and got out of bed. Just then, Zhang Sheng's voice sounded by his ear: "Since you're awake, come over and greet Senior." Wei Yuan left the room and went next door to Zhang Sheng's residence. Bao Yun had arrived as well. The two entered the main hall together, only to see Zhang Sheng seated below the dais, while the two seats of honor above were occupied: one by Patriarch Xuanyue, and the other by an exceptionally tall, beautiful woman with soaring eyebrows, radiating wild vibrancy from head to toe. Even seated, she was more than half a head taller than Xuanyue; Wei Yuan estimated that if she stood up, she would be at least half a head taller than even himself. At the sight of her face, Wei Yuan was stunned. "Xuanlu?" The woman smiled faintly. "Someone asked me to look after you. Seeing what a rare opportunity it was, and seeing how thick-skinned and black-hearted you are—thriving like a fish in water and adapting so well to that place—I didn't intervene much. I just let you look around and explore. What you encountered weren't illusions, but souls detained there one by one, which is why that temporal-spatial fragment was preserved so authentically. I sense it should be of great benefit to you." "It was indeed of immense benefit! Thank you, Senior!" Xuanlu turned to Xuanyue and said, "When I first met you, you were just a brat who loved to boast. Now, in the blink of an eye, your granddisciple has become a pillar of talent." Patriarch Xuanyue's old face flushed red for once, and he remained silent. The woman rose leisurely to her feet. "All right, it's time for me to head back. The spiritual nature I expended this time won't recover without three to five years. If you don't bring along some supreme tonic, don't bother visiting." Both Xuanyue and Zhang Sheng stood to pay their respects. Seeing that even Xuanyue was so reverent, how could Wei Yuan not realize this woman possessed an immense background? His heart skipped a beat, wondering whether this woman had witnessed his reckless antics in that school. The woman cast Wei Yuan a half-smiling glance, then beckoned to Bao Yun. Bao Yun stepped forward at once, somewhat perplexed. Xuanlu suddenly sighed softly. "Your personality is identical to Xiaobao's back then. I only hope you won't be as foolish as he was. That fellow had a stubborn mouth to the very end, claiming he never regretted a thing." Bao Yun was completely bewildered, not understanding what she meant. Zhang Sheng suddenly felt an uneasy foreboding and hurriedly asked, "Patriarch, are you acquainted with Bao Yun?" Xuanlu said indifferently, "My master back then was her ancestor. However, when the prodigy of their generation abandoned the Bao family and fled to the Palace of Grand Beginning, it was such a great embarrassment that they probably never told her." With that, Xuanlu said, "Time is running short. Xuanyue, ready the vessel and escort me back." True Monarch Xuanyue released a flying boat. He and Xuanlu boarded it and sped away in an instant. Once they were far away, Wei Yuan finally asked, "What is the background of that senior just now?" Zhang Sheng was visibly distracted as she replied, "She is a sentient immortal artifact left behind by the fifth-generation Palace Master of the Palace of Grand Beginning, kept at the main mountain all this time. When you were trapped in danger, I returned to the main mountain to request Senior Xuanlu's help in rescuing you. Strange... I clearly asked Senior to retrieve you as quickly as possible, so why was there such a long delay?" Zhang Sheng looked up and cast a glance at Wei Yuan. For reasons unknown to him, Wei Yuan felt guilty. Hurriedly offering up the Dao Profound Jade, he said, "Disciple obtained a treasure over there; you might find it useful once you attain your Dharma Idol."