Coincidence, Chance Encounter, Tieling Town is Close at Hand

"Alright, you can go now." Jie Ning released his control over the unfamiliar Saint Realm before him.

Qiu Li, trembling with fear, felt as if he had heard heavenly music at these words.

Especially when, after the other spoke, he could finally regain control of his own body—for a moment, he was even moved.

"Thank you, sir, for sparing my life." Qiu Li quickly expressed his gratitude for the stranger's mercy.

Then, seeing that the other said nothing more, Qiu Li—a Saint Realm powerhouse normally held in awe by ordinary people—immediately fled as if his life depended on it.

With a monster like this around, forget about the Divine Spark—just get out of here...

Jie Ning sensed the direction the other had fled, his expression somewhat inscrutable. Did he just give up entirely?

Arannis, who had watched the whole thing, smiled and said to Jie Ning, "You really scared that Saint Realm out of his wits."

Jie Ning shook his head in response. "If his attitude hadn't been so terrible, I wouldn't have gone that far to frighten him."

Ever since parting ways with his grandfather in the Death Desert, Jie Ning and Arannis hadn't planned to linger there long.

So, after tidying up a bit, they set off on their journey back to Tieling Town as planned.

But the road always had a few small surprises in store.

Starting about two hours ago, Jie Ning had noticed Saint Realm experts flying overhead from time to time, all heading in roughly the same direction.

Driven by curiosity, when he encountered yet another Saint Realm about to fly past, Jie Ning stepped forward to ask what was going on.

But this Saint Realm seemed to have a bad temper—after being stopped by Jie Ning, he immediately became irritable. So Jie Ning had to help him adjust his disposition first.

Life Fluctuation

Unlike his usual crude application, this time Jie Ning only temporarily severed the connection between the Saint Realm's spirit and his body's life fluctuations, taking over with his own mental energy for a moment.

I have to say, purely in terms of physical strength, this Saint Realm's body isn't bad. While controlling the other's body, Jie Ning subconsciously assessed it.

Qiu Li, the moment he lost control of his own body, felt certain he was doomed. He bitterly regretted never breaking his habit of running his mouth—now he'd offended someone he couldn't afford to mess with. It was over...

In Jie Ning's eyes, after this 'friend' lost the influence of his 'violent body,' his spirit instantly became 'calm.'

Especially when Jie Ning wanted to ask a few questions, the other 'sincerely' and 'voluntarily' told him and Arannis a great deal of information.

Jie Ning realized he really had a knack for running into Divine Sparks.

The Divine Spark his grandfather had mentioned being fought over was nearby. A Saint Realm named 'Qina' had snatched it, but had been pursued ever since, and had recently fled into this area.

After learning what he wanted, Jie Ning magnanimously let the other go.

"Jie Ning, what do you think? Do you want to join the fun? I can wait here." Arannis was also a bit curious, but she knew her limits—a battle between Saint Realms was far too dangerous for her.

Jie Ning was tempted, but still shook his head. "Anyway, the Divine Spark isn't much use to me. Let's forget it."

"We should just—"

"Oh?" Mid-sentence, Jie Ning turned his head in surprise toward the west, sensing some familiar auras.

Coincidentally, Jie Ning's location was right in their path. Soon after, the other party seemed to sense his presence too, and quickly approached.

"Jie Ning, it really is you." Jie Ning saw a familiar group flying over from afar, with the leader greeting him from a long way off.

As the words fell, the group landed before him. It was the familiar Duke Darut's party, though this time the leader had changed from Duke Darut to Gru, and there were a few unfamiliar faces in the group.

"Senior Gru." "Duke."...

Jie Ning and Arannis greeted each of them in turn.

After some pleasantries.

Jie Ning looked at the group. "Senior Gru, are you here for the Divine Spark too?"

Gru let out a "haha" and pointed at Duke Darut. "I wasn't planning to come, but Grandfather was worried he couldn't handle the people fighting over the Divine Spark and might be in danger, so he made me come along. Can't do anything about the old man."

Looking at Duke Darut's youthful face, Jie Ning honestly still couldn't get used to thinking of him as an 'old man.'

"Gru, don't just blurt everything out..." Duke Darut noticed Jie Ning's gaze and quickly stopped Gru from continuing.

"Grandfather, Jie Ning isn't an outsider. Your nickname 'the Cautious Duke' has long since spread..." In the end, Gru shut up under Duke Darut's murderous glare.

So Gru pointed at the Saint Realms Jie Ning didn't know and said, "But it worked out—a few of my friends were also interested."

The group exchanged greetings with Jie Ning.

"After that, we all decided to come watch the show together. So except for a few guys out on ascetic training, practically all the Saint Realms from Duke Darut's Territory have mobilized." Gru changed the subject, then asked Jie Ning, "Jie Ning, what are you doing here? Thinking of grabbing the Divine Spark too?"

Jie Ning sighed. "I'm not here for the Divine Spark. I was planning to head back to Tieling Town and happened to run into you all on the way."

"I only just found out the Divine Spark appeared nearby."

After catching up, Gru invited Jie Ning, "Want to come along and join the fun?"

But Jie Ning had already made up his mind, so he naturally declined Gru's invitation.

"No thanks. We've been away from Tieling Town for a while, and I'd like to go home first."

Gru didn't insist, so he waved goodbye to Jie Ning. "Then we'll be off, or we'll miss the excitement."

"Take care, kid." That was Duke Darut.

The group bid farewell to Jie Ning and departed.

Watching Gru and the others leave, Arannis nudged Jie Ning. "Why aren't you going?"

Jie Ning glanced at Arannis beside him and shook his head. "This kind of excitement isn't worth watching."

"Besides, compared to such trivial matters, I think going home is more important."

"Oh, impressive. Our Lord Jie Ning actually thinks this is all trivial now." Arannis teased.

"Heh, Lan Ni, you underestimate me." Jie Ning played along with Arannis's teasing, putting on a 'proud' expression. "Soon you'll be calling me Lord Jie Ning, the god."

"Are you serious this time?" Arannis initially thought Jie Ning was joking as usual, but suddenly noticed his tone seemed unusually certain, and asked with some suspicion.

"Did I not tell you?" Jie Ning blinked, looking innocent. "When we left the Death Desert, I was already not far from becoming a god."

Arannis shot Jie Ning a 'fierce' glare. "You've always said you're not far from becoming a god. How am I supposed to know which time is real?"

Faced with Arannis's complaint, Jie Ning could only chuckle. "As long as you comprehend the Laws and Profound Mysteries and reach a certain level, every Saint Realm can say they're not far from becoming a god. I wasn't wrong."

Jie Ning felt that ever since he comprehended the Life Rule, his mindset had been growing younger, and he enjoyed teasing Arannis more and more.

Arannis directly bit Jie Ning's arm. "You liar..."

"Hey, hey, hey, this time it's real." Feeling the pressure of her teeth on his arm, Jie Ning quickly explained for the sake of Arannis's teeth.

"I can become a god at any time now."

"I don't believe you. Then why haven't you become a god yet?"

Arannis looked at Jie Ning with suspicion.

Feeling like he had lost the trust of his little wife, Jie Ning had to continue. "The rule I comprehended for becoming a god this time is the Life Rule. I have a premonition that when I do, the life around me will gain some benefit."

"So of course I have to return to Tieling Town before becoming a god."

Arannis first looked suspiciously into Jie Ning's eyes, as if checking whether he was teasing her again.

Jie Ning's gaze was naturally as sincere as could be.

Then, suddenly, Arannis threw herself into Jie Ning's embrace. "Let's go."

"Huh?" Jie Ning didn't react for a moment.

Arannis patted Jie Ning's arm. "What are you standing there for? You're about to become a god, so why are we still wandering around out here?"

"Hurry up and fly back." Arannis was even more excited than Jie Ning himself, her pretty face flushed red, as if she was already imagining the scene of Jie Ning becoming a god.

Jie Ning had originally planned to travel back slowly, as a way to wrap up their honeymoon.

But clearly, Arannis had no interest in a slow trip now. Jie Ning could only smile helplessly.

"Alright, taking off now."

Jie Ning picked up Arannis and flew swiftly toward home.

And so, Tieling Town, which would have taken months to reach, appeared before them in just a few days.