This time, Bai Xiaosheng experienced no emotional turbulence, spitting up no gold coins.
"Come, let's head back to the Tuwu Great Realm—your master's old home."
Bai Xiaosheng flicked his sleeve, instantly scooping Wu Shi's petite frame into the fabric.
"Master, I don't want to get wrapped up in your sleeve!" Wu Shi cried out.
"Fine, fine."
With a smile on his face, Bai Xiaosheng pinched Wu Shi by the nape of her fair, slender neck from behind.
"Hey!"
Wu Shi struggled, her long legs kicking and flailing continuously, but to no avail.
The next instant, Wu Shi felt the world before her eyes shift.
The surrounding space was filled everywhere with distorted grids, splashed with all manner of bizarre hues, where patterns resembling giant sea turtles and dragons overlapped.
Strange, ethereal, yet melodious sounds rushed into her ears.
"This is the Dark Void," Bai Xiaosheng said smugly. "In this world, no one understands the Dark Void better than I do."
Generally speaking, when teleportation arrays transported someone, they always traveled through the Dark Void.
Bai Xiaosheng's innate Dao technique paved the way with money.
And this way could also navigate the Dark Void.
"Your master's strength may be utterly average, but when it comes to life-preserving skills, I am first-rate. Even against those old fellows who have survived the Three Calamities and Three Tribulations, I might not win in a fight, but as long as I can slip into the Dark Void, rest assured... not a single one can run faster than me!"
His innate Dao technique activated, spitting out countless coins that paved a shimmering, golden path through the void.
Pinching Wu Shi by the nape of her neck, Bai Xiaosheng strolled through the Dark Void.
For some reason, looking at the speckles of starlight all around, Wu Shi felt a strange touch of romance.
Of course, that was provided she wasn't being hauled around by the neck like a chicken.
"So, little Wu Shi, in this life, only one word matters most: lay low. Survival is the absolute truth, and having more life-saving means is always useful," Bai Xiaosheng lectured Wu Shi on the tenets of cultivation.
"Master, oh Master, you're way too cowardly. If I had a sword, I'd definitely slay every injustice in my heart. Running away... doesn't solve any problems," Wu Shi answered earnestly.
She recalled several occasions when her master had returned nursing wounds.
Whatever had happened, her master had never told her, but she had always kept it in mind.
Once she grew powerful, she would definitely kill those who had hurt him.
To avenge her master.
"The rigid are easily broken!" Bai Xiaosheng steadfastly believed that in life, keeping a low profile was best.
After all, he had been born a Dao God.
He had hit the jackpot with his reincarnation, clearly arriving here to enjoy good fortune.
He was still young and hadn't lived nearly enough, so naturally he wanted to enjoy that fortune for a long, long time.
Wu Shi didn't talk back any further.
Since her master was so weak, once she achieved success in her cultivation, she would protect him.
Of course, she also understood how difficult it would be to reach her master's level.
At that moment, odd, grating noises drifted into her ears one after another, prompting Wu Shi to speak up.
"Master, it's so noisy in the Dark Void. There are all kinds of bizarre sounds."
"Noisy? I don't hear a thing. You're not trying to pull my leg again, are you?" Bai Xiaosheng listened intently, but heard nothing at all.
Wu Shi froze for a moment, then broke into a sly grin. "Heehee, you've gotten smarter this time, Master."
"Did you take me for one of those fools? Your master is an innately sentient divine treasure, you know," Bai Xiaosheng declared proudly.
A dozen-odd breaths passed. This was even with Bai Xiaosheng intentionally slowing down so Wu Shi could enjoy the scenery of the Dark Void.
"Here we are in the Tuwu Great Realm."
"Ah, wonderful. The air of home is as sweet as ever, overflowing with security."
Bai Xiaosheng brought Wu Shi along, heading toward his residence within the Tuwu Great Realm.
Soon, a gleaming golden palace came into view.
Looking as far as the eye could see, every corner was piled with all kinds of coins.
Wu Shi couldn't help clicking her tongue, thinking to herself that her master truly had vulgar tastes.
Still, she especially loved having so many shiny little coins around.
"From now on, this is your home."
"Cultivate here for now. I'll forge a mask according to your blueprint to conceal your appearance."
"Thank you, Master!" Wu Shi offered a sweet smile.
Once her master left, Wu Shi inhaled deeply of the air here, her face brimming with exhilaration.
With a flick of her small feet, she kicked off her shoes, hitched up her skirt to reveal a glimpse of fair, slender calves, and frolicked about barefoot, lively and adorable.
"This is my home."
"Wu Shi's home!"
***
The Tuwu Great Realm had no winter all year round.
Snow never fell from the sky, and even if it did, the flakes took the shape of gold coins.
"Master, don't people say that no two snowflakes in this world are identical?"
"Why is all the snow in the Tuwu Great Realm... exactly the same?"
Wu Shi stood atop a mountain peak, her hair cascading down to her waist, swaying with the breeze.
Her silhouette alone was enough to stir the hearts of ordinary mortals.
Money-snow drifted down upon Wu Shi's tresses, sparkling and gleaming as though adorning her dark hair with glittering luminescent gems.
"That no two snowflakes in the world are identical is an analogy meant to show that all living beings in the world are unique, with no two beings being completely alike," Bai Xiaosheng answered.
Even across the Yang Realm, Yin Realm, and Rebirth Realm, where living beings possessed counterparts, those counterparts shared connections, yet were fundamentally distinct individuals.
"What if a person reincarnates?" Wu Shi asked then.
Bai Xiaosheng was clearer on such matters than anyone.
"There is no true reincarnation in this world."
"So-called reincarnation is merely the true spirit enduring without perishing, rebooting a second life."
"Thus, when a mortal is killed, their true spirit is weak, drifting across the wilderness until it dissipates within seven days, with no reincarnation."
"When a cultivator reaches the limit of their lifespan or meets a great enemy, their true spirit is obliterated, also leaving no possibility of reincarnation."
"Therefore, people die when they are killed, and when the true spirit is extinguished, there is no second life."
"Naturally, exceptions exist in this world. If one enters a Dao God's divine kingdom, or enters a Dao Lord's lineage, they become trapped within a Cycle.
"Even if their true spirit is extinguished, they can reappear in the next Cycle, or be fished out of the Cosmic Mother River."
Of course, the prerequisite was dying within the lineage or inside the divine kingdom.
Dying elsewhere, most could still be fished out, but unexpected accidents could happen; it was never as safe as dying within a lineage or divine kingdom.
Bai Xiaosheng was an innate divine treasure.
His divine kingdom was barren and empty, devoid of people, filled entirely with coins.
Nor had he transferred the living beings of the Tuwu Great Realm or Wu Shi into his divine kingdom.
Granted, if he did, so long as he did not perish and his divine kingdom did not collapse, Bai Xiaosheng could resurrect them even if they recklessly courted death.
Yet if that happened, their lives would terminate at the moment they entered the divine kingdom, followed by an endless, looping Cycle.
"Master, do you think the Rebirth Realm we reside in might be one giant Cycle, and that I might have met you before?"
Wu Shi turned her head, revealing a shimmering golden mask.
The mask was as thin as a cicada's wing, golden and translucent, bearing the insignia of a sword at its very center.
"How could that be? I am a Dao God. If I were caught in a Cycle, I would naturally sense it," Bai Xiaosheng replied dismissively.
It would be one thing if ordinary people couldn't detect a Cycle.
He, however, was a Dao God.
"Master, when are you going to help me find Sword Disciple's tomb? Your disciple already calls herself Sword Maiden, yet I still don't have a sword of my own," Wu Shi muttered.
She was always quick to switch topics.
"Better not go looking for it. The Zhoushan Great Realm... is very dangerous, and many people have their eyes on it," Bai Xiaosheng said thoughtfully.
He feared that if Wu Shi went to the Zhoushan Great Realm, she would be discovered by people from the Nine Heavens Divine Palace.
If a Heavenly God descended, even with his supreme running skills, he would likely be heavily injured if not killed outright.
After all, a Heavenly God was a terrifying existence of whom even Dao Lords were immensely wary, and before whom Dao Gods who had survived the Three Calamities and Three Tribulations had to lower their heads.
Aside from the Nine Heavens Divine Palace, other Dao Gods might also be watching the Zhoushan Great Realm, seeking the remnants of that fallen Dao Lord to forge into a rare treasure to smooth away the spatial nodes.
"Alright, Master." Wu Shi, who was usually carefree and loved nothing more than talking back, was as obedient as an exemplary young lady this time.
"You, just stay properly in the Tuwu Great Realm for now.
"In three more years, the Innate Spirit Assembly will take place. Some Dao Gods who, like your master, are innately sentient divine treasures will gather here for a reunion.
"I'll ask around for you to see if anyone has a good sword."
"Master is the best!" Wu Shi dashed over, tumbling straight into his embrace.
He stood frozen on the spot, his body stiffening slightly.
Though he was a Dao God, in truth he was still quite young, not having reached his station through painstaking cultivation. Holding a warm, soft beauty in his arms—who happened to be his disciple—gave him a tiny twinge of moral guilt.
*Pfft.*
His emotions stirred.
"Haha! Master, you burst with gold coins! Now I have more private savings to stash in my vault!"
Wu Shi deftly caught the gold coin, her peach-blossom eyes brimming with a mischievous, triumphant grin.
Evidently, she had bumped into his chest on purpose.
"You..."
"Master, I'm really curious. If you ever find a wife in the future, when she kisses you, will you spit coins straight into her mouth?" Wu Shi's train of thought leaped wildly.
"What nonsense are you spouting!" Bai Xiaosheng snapped, feeling a little helpless.
"Master, it's better if you don't look for a wife at all. Otherwise, having you spit coins into her mouth would break your disciple's heart too much." Wu Shi's eyes sparkled like stars, seemingly aching for her master's wealth.
Lately, the high priestesses of the Tuwu Great Realm had come to pay respects to her master several times, dressed exceptionally scantily, paying audience entirely unclad beneath their robes.
Wu Shi had seen plenty of such scheming vixens. They were simply taking advantage of her master's youth and innocence in worldly affairs.
If it were any other Dao God, would those priestesses dare seduce him so blatantly?
***
The Innate Spirit Assembly was grand and magnificent.
A total of sixteen Dao Gods who were innately sentient divine treasures attended.
The Tuwu Great Realm was chosen as the venue precisely because Bai Xiaosheng was the youngest, most newly born Dao God.
These sixteen Dao Gods all possessed extraordinary bearing and profound auras, among whom White Dao God stood out as the strongest.
Rumor had it that White Dao God had already survived the Three Calamities and Three Tribulations, reaching an unfathomable realm of power.
All the Dao Gods revered White Dao God as their head.
One could even say that it was solely thanks to White Dao God's presence that sentient divine treasures turned Dao Gods were able to live decent lives.
In the past, newly born sentient divine treasures might very well have been hunted down.
After all, a sentient divine treasure was still a divine treasure. Devouring one... could allow someone to step into the realm of a Dao God.
The Innate Spirit Assembly lasted for seven-times-seven, forty-nine days.
Bai Xiaosheng spent the entire time idling along.
After all, he was young, and his strength was modest.
However... a single sentence from White Dao God had left Bai Xiaosheng, who had initially been slacking off, somewhat dazed.
Presently, Bai Xiaosheng sat upon a bronze throne, resting his cheek on his hand, seemingly lost in thought.
"Heehee, Master Youqian?"
Just then, clear, bell-like laughter rang out.
Clad in a crimson dress, Wu Shi walked inside. Even through the mask, Bai Xiaosheng could still sense that teasing tone.
It was only during this Innate Spirit Assembly that Wu Shi had learned her master's honorable title.
Dao God Youqian—The Rich Dao God.
Indeed, simple, crude, and rather tacky.
No wonder her master had never been willing to tell her his name.
Who knew her master was so thin-skinned?
"Master, your penniless disciple has no money. How about lending me some?" Wu Shi spread open a fair, tender palm, smiling faintly, her vixen-like face overflowing with charm.
Only when she was alone with her master would she remove her mask.
Looking at Wu Shi, Bai Xiaosheng recalled White Dao God's words and asked in a low voice, "Wu Shi, how many years have you followed me?"
The smile on Wu Shi's face gradually froze. "One hundred and twenty-seven years and three months."
"Wu Shi, you have always had a spirited temperament, fond of roaming the outside world.
"Your master is naturally lazy, cowardly, and always hides away in the Tuwu Great Realm.
"Staying here all these years has suppressed your nature. You've been wronged.
"Yesterday, White Dao God spoke, expressing his desire to accept you as his true disciple.
"An exalted being like White Dao God is not someone an amateur Dao God like me can compare to.
"Following him, you will have a bright future, and you won't have to suppress your nature anymore.
"Most importantly, didn't you want a sword? In White Dao God's hands is a sword that is a legendary rare treasure.
"Wielding it, one can slay a Dao God.
"If you take him as your master, that sword will become your personal blade," Bai Xiaosheng said slowly.
Wu Shi's identity was mysterious. If it were exposed, Bai Xiaosheng's strength would make it very difficult to keep her safe.
If Wu Shi took White Dao God as her master, even if the Nine Heavens Divine Palace came looking for trouble, they would have to give White Dao God face.
After all, the Palace Master of the Nine Heavens Divine Palace had once traded blows with White Dao God and been defeated by his hand.
Therefore, following White Dao God, Wu Shi would be exceedingly safe.
Moreover, the terms White Dao God offered were extraordinarily generous.
Among the dozen-odd Dao Gods present at the gathering, most probably dreamed of becoming White Dao God's disciple.
"Old fool, what are you babbling about!" Wu Shi glared at Bai Xiaosheng furiously. "A dog never scorns its home for being poor, and a child never scorns their mother for being plain!"
The deep master-disciple affection and tearful reluctance Bai Xiaosheng had anticipated never materialized.
He had assumed his disciple might clutch his sleeve, looking pitiably endearing as she pleaded, *Master, please don't drive me away.*
Instead...
He couldn't help pressing a hand to his forehead. "Could you perhaps choose a more elegant analogy?"
"No," Wu Shi shook her head. "Never bring this up again. Otherwise, I'll make you burst with gold coins every single day!"
"Sigh, looks like I'm stuck with you for this lifetime." Bai Xiaosheng couldn't tell whether he felt happy or worried inside.
"Master, who told you to be so rich?"
"Your disciple... loves being rich the most."
"Master, it's out of your disciple's filial piety, beauty, and kindheartedness! I can't bear leaving you all alone and miserable. If I took White Dao God as my master, who knows—maybe when I came back to visit, I'd find you being wrapped around the fingers of those busty priestesses.
"It took immense willpower for me to reject White Dao God and forfeit such overwhelming fortune.
"Your disciple lost a sword because of this, Master, so you must compensate me with one!
"It doesn't need to be as flashy as White Dao God's rare-treasure sword—a sword forged of coins will do!"
Wu Shi rambled on endlessly, her mouth running non-stop.
Bai Xiaosheng looked at his disciple and said seriously, "Fine. Your master will definitely forge a good sword for you."
He felt some concern, but also made up his mind that he had to forge a slightly better sword.
He couldn't let his disciple feel wronged.
Of course, vanity might also have been at play.
White Dao God was offering a rare-treasure sword; if what he gave was low-grade, how embarrassing would that be?
"Thank you, Master!" Wu Shi offered a sweet smile. "Doesn't Master like to lay low? In the future, your disciple will wield a sword and slay your enemies for you."
She still remembered the Dao Gods who had wounded her master in the past.
One day, she would pay them back in full.
***
The matter regarding White Dao God came to a close.
Yet many people caught wind that White Dao God had wished to accept Dao God Youqian's disciple, Sword Maiden, into his tutelage, offering a rare treasure as a gift.
In the end, Sword Maiden had turned him down.
The world felt Sword Maiden was utterly ungrateful and blind to good fortune.
After all, White Dao God was more than qualified to be Dao God Youqian's master.
The world sighed in lamentation, while others wondered what kind of aptitude that Sword Maiden possessed to move even White Dao God to take her as a disciple.
At the center of the whirlpool of public opinion, Wu Shi carried on just as she always had.
Practicing her swordsmanship, cultivating, and teasing her master into bursting with a few gold coins for her private vault.
Until one day, when money-snow fell from the sky, Wu Shi fell ill.
"Master, I'm so cold... and so hungry."
Wu Shi curled up in her master's embrace, her body icy and her face pale.
Bai Xiaosheng looked at Wu Shi with deep worry written across his face, his hands clasping her icy little hands.
Spells and divine abilities were powerless to warm her up.
He could only clumsily rub her small hands over and over, or press closer to help Wu Shi get warm.
*A Dao fruit... is reshaping her body.*
*Will she remember the past?*
*Will she still acknowledge me as her master?*
He deduced in his heart that Wu Shi was the Dao Lord of the Devouring Dao whom Dao Lord Black Crow had mentioned.
Such an extraordinary prodigy would achieve heights no lesser than White Dao God in the future.
Aside from having plenty of money, he possessed few redeeming qualities.
If his disciple's true spirit awakened, would she still acknowledge him as her master?
Chapter 615