Bai Xiaosheng felt a mixture of apprehension and nervousness.
A peculiar transformation was taking place within Wu Shi's body.
Apart from her chill and unconscious state, her condition had been steadily improving.
"She broke through to Void God!"
"True God..."
"It's still climbing..."
"She really is..."
The last sliver of wishful thinking in Bai Xiaosheng's heart shattered.
Evidently, his disciple was that very Dao Lord suspected to have fallen.
She had previously lingered in an unawakened daze, but now she was waking up.
Otherwise, her strength would never have soared so quickly.
Yet, once she awoke...
He felt deeply troubled.
The aura radiating from Wu Shi surged relentlessly. In a mere half a day, she rose from an ordinary mortal who was not even a Void God to a True God.
She even leaped straight to the peak of the God Lord realm.
"It stopped." Bai Xiaosheng was torn with conflicting emotions.
At the same time, he was somewhat puzzled.
Why hadn't she returned to the Dao Lord realm?
"Master?"
Wu Shi opened her eyes, her gaze drowsy with sleep.
"You're awake?" Bai Xiaosheng studied her face intently, as if trying to discern whether anything about her had changed.
"Mm... What happened to me?"
With confusion in her clear eyes, Wu Shi tightly grasped Bai Xiaosheng's hand, her own hand still slightly cold.
"I think I had a dream?"
"What kind of dream?" Bai Xiaosheng asked nervously.
"I dreamed I became a great figure, and using the sword you gave me, Master, I slaughtered all those bad people!" Wu Shi said, her eyes lighting up with delight.
Evidently, the dream had been immensely satisfying.
"Anything else?" Bai Xiaosheng asked. "...Did you remember anything?"
"No." Wu Shi shook her head. "Wait, Master, what's going on? Why did I suddenly get so strong?"
Wu Shi wore a look of astonishment mingled with a hint of bewilderment.
Judging by her expression, she was not pretending; she truly seemed not to remember a thing.
Bai Xiaosheng fell silent, pondering how to answer her.
Suddenly, Wu Shi clutched her chest with both hands, her pupils dilating in sheer disbelief.
"Master, you didn't sleep with your disciple, did you?"
"Could it be that Master's virgin essence is so potent that dual cultivating just once made me this strong?"
As Wu Shi spoke, she initially looked a little bashful, but soon her eyes shone like someone who had spotted a pile of gold coins.
"What nonsense are you spouting!"
What did she mean, he slept with her?
And virgin essence—how on earth did she know about that?!
"Master, you're blushing!" Wu Shi's eyes sparkled. "Haha, you dropped gold coins again!"
She shook her master's sleeve, and glittering coins clattered out in a steady stream, which Wu Shi swiftly scooped into her arms.
Her train of thought was as erratic as ever.
Bai Xiaosheng looked at his disciple, countless thoughts racing through his mind. In the end, he chose not to conceal the truth any longer. "Disciple, in truth..."
"Back then, people from the Nine Heavens Divine Palace sought me out, asking me to help them find Mingrixue."
"Mingrixue is the place where I found you."
"Dao God Yuantian said that Mingrixue was connected to a fallen Dao Lord. And that Dao Lord was an enemy of the Nine Heavens Divine Palace."
"So... I might be that Dao Lord?" Wu Shi asked, a multitude of thoughts flitting through her eyes.
"Mm." Bai Xiaosheng nodded.
He also let out a sigh of relief.
The secret had finally been spoken aloud.
"Heehee, so my previous incarnation was actually a Dao Lord! Master, once I regain my cultivation, I'll protect you from now on!" Wu Shi puffed up with pride, undisguised joy shining in her eyes. "After this, you can just lie low in peace. Whatever happens out there, leave it all to me!"
"..."
Even after learning she was the reincarnation of a Dao Lord, Wu Shi's attitude toward Bai Xiaosheng remained no different from before.
She still bore none of the air of a supreme powerhouse, spending her days laughing, joking, and carefree—at least on the surface.
What she loved most every day was still provoking Bai Xiaosheng's emotions so that more gold coins would spill from him.
If there was any change, it was that she seemed to cultivate more diligently and work harder than before.
Perhaps previously, reaching the fifth realm of True God had seemed far too distant to her.
Now, it felt within arm's reach.
And so she pushed herself harder than ever.
However...
Inside a palace hall, Wu Shi felt a sudden chill run through her body, her delicate brows knitting together. "Breaking through to the Dao Lord realm is simply too difficult."
Or rather, she had no clue where to begin.
"What was that other 'me' really like?"
In truth, Wu Shi felt a degree of resistance.
If her memories returned, would a second persona be born within her?
If that happened, would she still be herself?
And how would she treat her master?
After all, that was a Dao Lord. She couldn't very well shamelessly shake her master every day to rattle out coins, could she?
"If you wish to possess Dao Lord combat power, you need a sword—a supreme sword."
Just then, a voice rang out beside Wu Shi's ear.
Wu Shi's heart tightened violently.
Her instinct was to cry out for help to draw her master's attention.
Yet on second thought, she held back.
This person had appeared far too abruptly—so abruptly that not even her master had noticed.
Crying out would surely be useless.
And what if... she dragged her master into danger?
"Do you know me?" Wu Shi stared at the shadowy figure before her.
Unfortunately, the shadow was far too ethereal.
Numerous guesses flashed through her mind.
Could her previous incarnation—that Dao Lord—have been an acquaintance of this shadow?
"Perhaps we knew each other in some cycle of reincarnation," the shadow replied.
It seemed unwilling to dwell on the subject.
"Reincarnation?" Wu Shi murmured.
The word took her by surprise.
She pressed on, "What sword?"
The shadow had just claimed that to attain the combat power of a Dao Lord, she needed a supreme sword.
"You have heard of that sword. It is the Sword Disciple."
"The Sword Disciple?"
Wu Shi's pupils contracted slightly.
The name caught her off guard.
She had heard her master recount the tale of the Sword Disciple and Palace Master Yunmeng.
More than once, she had mentioned to her master that she wanted to find the tomb of the Sword Disciple and Palace Master Yunmeng.
She had even once remarked that perhaps the Sword Disciple had turned into a sword.
Now it seemed her words had proved prophetic.
Had the Sword Disciple truly become a sword?
Then she... was Palace Master Yunmeng?
Palace Master Yunmeng, and the sword of the Sword Disciple...
Her thoughts grew tangled.
"Am I Palace Master Yunmeng?" Wu Shi could not resist asking.
"You once were, and it could also be said you will be in the future." The shadow seemed intent on acting profound and enigmatic, speaking in riddles Wu Shi could not fathom.
What did it mean to have been so in the past, yet also be so in the future?
Wasn't time supposed to flow steadily from past to present, and then to future?
"How can I find that sword?" Wu Shi asked the shadow.
She truly wanted to grow stronger.
Her master had told her that the Nine Heavens Divine Palace was searching for her.
They were foes, not friends.
If the Nine Heavens Divine Palace tracked her down one day, she would bring disaster upon her master.
Yet if she had the strength to protect herself, that wouldn't happen.
Furthermore, she might even be able to avenge her master and strike back at the Dao Gods who had wounded him in the past.
She yearned for power.
"That sword..." The shadow's voice grew faint, its form gradually dissipating. "Mount Wangzhou."
It vanished without a trace.
Wu Shi was left alone in the hall, murmuring, "Mount Wangzhou?"
...
A day later, the young woman had changed into traveling attire, a glittering golden mask covering her face.
"Master, I want to go to Mount Wangzhou."
Inside the palace hall, Bai Xiaosheng was taken aback, the delight on his face vanishing.
The golden sword in his hand was tucked away into his sleeve at that very moment.
"Why?"
"Your disciple wants to find a sword—a supreme sword."
"Mount Wangzhou?" Bai Xiaosheng's gaze grew calm.
He seemed to understand something.
"Very well. Go, and be careful to avoid the Nine Heavens Divine Palace," Bai Xiaosheng could not help but urge.
"Heehee, make sure you miss me, Master!" Wu Shi giggled.
"Mm." Bai Xiaosheng nodded.
"Master, don't look so glum. Even if I find that sword, I'll always be your disciple. The me right now is the real me," Wu Shi said earnestly.
Countless thoughts drifted through Bai Xiaosheng's mind, and a smile returned to his face. "Once you become a Dao Lord, so long as you don't bully these old bones of mine, your master will be immensely grateful."
"Master, before I leave, could you grant your disciple one wish?" Wu Shi blinked her large eyes, looking up at Bai Xiaosheng.
"...Alright."
"Heheh."
Wu Shi broke into a sly grin.
She grabbed Bai Xiaosheng and shook him vigorously.
*Clatter, clatter!* Coins poured from Bai Xiaosheng like running water, scattering like sparks.
"So much money!" Wu Shi's eyes turned starry. Finally, she calmed down. "Master, the thing in your sleeve... I can't shake it loose."
She looked at Bai Xiaosheng with eager anticipation.
She had known all along that her master had been working tirelessly during this period to forge a sword for her.
Right now, a sword was hidden inside his sleeve.
"Your master was thinking that once you found that other sword, the one I forged would only embarrass me. But out on your own, you still need a weapon in the meantime. This sword... is yours. If you ever run out of money in the future, just pawn it."
With those words, a gleaming golden sword appeared before Wu Shi's eyes.
It was an entirely golden blade.
It looked magnificent and opulent.
In fact, beyond 'opulent,' no other adjective seemed to fit.
"Wow, Master, you really know me best!" Wu Shi took the golden sword, growing fonder of it the more she looked.
"When you're out wandering, do not use the identity of the Sword Maiden, nor the name Wu Shi," Bai Xiaosheng cautioned once more.
"Huh? Master, you aren't worried I'll tarnish your reputation out there, are you?" Wu Shi poked out her tongue and said obediently, "Your disciple understands."
Once Wu Shi's figure had departed, Bai Xiaosheng let out a long breath of relief.
"She's finally gone."
He had originally estimated that the sword would take another three hundred years to finish forging.
Yet during this recent period, he had continuously accelerated the pace.
All just to finish forging the blade.
Even if Wu Shi hadn't chosen to leave, he would have handed her the sword and sent her away.
Because the Tuwu Great Realm was no longer safe.
Information regarding Tianqian Valley had already leaked to the Nine Heavens Divine Palace.
This meant the Nine Heavens Divine Palace had set its eyes on him, this wealthy Dao God.
It was only out of respect for Dao God Baitang's formidable reputation that the Nine Heavens Divine Palace had not yet officially made a move against the Tuwu Great Realm, biding their time.
Yet Bai Xiaosheng knew that the time remaining to him was running out.
...
Years flowed by, and a century passed.
A young woman walked alone through the wilderness, where heaven and earth stretched out in vast, boundless silver.
"Mount Wangzhou... where on earth is it?"
Over the course of this century, she had traversed the entire Zhoushan Great Realm in search of any trace of Mount Wangzhou.
She had scoured all manner of ancient texts and unofficial histories, yet she had never found anything regarding Mount Wangzhou.
"Palace Master Yunmeng shattered Mount Wangzhou and fell into Yunmeng Mountain... yet to this day, I haven't even found Yunmeng Mountain."
The Zhoushan Great Realm was unimaginably vast.
As for Mount Wangzhou, it had likely been reduced to fragments, leaving behind only scattered ruins.
"I wonder how Master is doing. It's been so long since I shook coins out of him... I really miss it."
"Master hasn't been swindled by that scheming priestess, has he?"
"I wonder how he's faring right now..."
"That heartless old man hasn't even sneaked over to see me once in a hundred years."
Wu Shi let her thoughts wander aimlessly.
Just then, a voice called out from behind her.
"Fairy Luoxue, what a coincidence! We meet again."
A handsome, dashing man appeared. At his waist hung a wooden plaque bearing the insignia of the Nine Heavens Divine Palace.
Hearing the voice, Wu Shi furrowed her brows. "What is a coincidence for you is terrible luck for me."
While roaming around Mount Wangzhou, Wu Shi had encountered this True God named Yu Hei.
Yu Hei had stuck to her like a plaster, pursuing her relentlessly with shameless persistence.
Wu Shi knew that what Yu Hei truly coveted was that glittering golden sword of hers.
Seeing Wu Shi rebuff him, Yu Hei was not in the least discouraged.
"Is the fairy also here to try her luck exploring the ruins of Mount Wangzhou? Why not travel together?" Yu Hei invited.
The ruins of Mount Wangzhou were tied to two powerful Dao Gods.
As such, people frequently came to explore the site.
"No," Wu Shi refused flatly.
At that moment, Yu Hei suddenly remarked, "Last time, I heard the fairy mention that you have a friend in the Tuwu Great Realm."
"Oh? And what of it?" Wu Shi asked coolly.
"The Tuwu Great Realm hasn't been very safe lately," Yu Hei continued.
"The Tuwu Great Realm has a Dao God presiding over it. How could it not be safe?" Wu Shi's tone was dismissive.
"A Dao God is indeed powerful, but if..." A smile touched Yu Hei's eyes, and he held his tongue. "Why doesn't the fairy accompany me? I can slowly explain the details along the way."
He was trying to get leverage over Wu Shi.
"If you won't say it, then don't. Hmph."
Wu Shi let out a cold snort and vanished directly into a streak of light.
She left Yu Hei standing in place, looking thoroughly dumbfounded.
"Does she truly not care about the Tuwu Great Realm?"
"Then again, it's just a friend. If they die, they die. Aside from stepping up to save face, who would actually care?"
Failing to bait Wu Shi did not anger Yu Hei.
There would always be another chance.
Elsewhere, Wu Shi's expression shifted slightly.
*Master... is in danger.*
*No wonder he let me leave so readily.*
*And no wonder he hasn't come to see me once in these hundred years.*
With her previous doubts cleared up, Wu Shi now felt intensely anxious.
In truth, she had always possessed a unique ability: she could hear people's heart-voices.
She had listened to the inner thoughts of all sorts of people in the world.
To her, the gentlest and purest of them all was her master.
Just now, Yu Hei had tried to manipulate her, and naturally, she had eavesdropped on his heart-voice.
The Tuwu Great Realm was currently in dire peril.
The Nine Heavens Divine Palace was watching it like a hawk, preparing to strike.
Multiple Dao Gods had been dispatched to oversee the assault.
Her master was adept at fleeing, but his combat prowess was mediocre at best.
How could he possibly match several Dao Gods from the Nine Heavens Divine Palace joining forces?
*No, I have to go see Master.*
She suspected that the Nine Heavens Divine Palace might have caught wind of her and intended to find her through her master.
She didn't want to bring harm upon him.
Though she knew her master probably didn't want her to return...
She had to go back.
Her life had been given to her by her master.
Her money had been given to her by her master.
Her mask and her sword had all been given to her by her master.
Chapter 616