Farewell

"Your disciple obeys!"

"Once you go to the mortal world, do plenty of good deeds! Never harm the people! If I find out that you've brought calamity upon the mortal world, I won't let you off lightly!" Zhang Sanfeng's originally benevolent expression turned incomparably stern, and his voice suddenly rose by an octave.

"Your disciple will absolutely obey your command!" Zhang Hupan had never seen Zhang Sanfeng speak to him so sternly before. At a loss, he hurriedly replied in trepidation.

Seeing Zhang Hupan's panic-stricken appearance, Zhang Sanfeng felt a trace of pity rise in his heart. However, Zhang Sanfeng knew how treacherous the world was, while Zhang Hupan's heart was as spotless as a blank sheet of paper. Afraid that Zhang Hupan might stray onto the wrong path, he had no choice but to steel his heart and warn him sternly. He even used a trace of divine power to leave a deep mark on Zhang Hupan's spirit.

Seeing that Zhang Hupan still looked terrified, Zhang Sanfeng put away his stern expression and patted Zhang Hupan's shoulder. "All right, you don't need to look so nervous. As long as you remember your master's teachings today, that's enough. But if anyone bullies you, you must not tarnish the reputation of me, Zhang Sanfeng! As long as your opponent hasn't reached the Spirit Severing realm, even with your Nascent Soul Stage initial-level strength, you absolutely won't lose to them. After all, your master entered the Dao through martial arts. I'm not someone those old fossils who know nothing but cultivation can compare with!" As he spoke, Zhang Sanfeng couldn't help recalling the days when he had repaid grudges and kindness as he pleased and roamed the cultivation world. His heroic spirit soared at once. Zhang Sanfeng had every right to be proud. Back then, he had created the Martial Dao himself, founded the Wudang Sect from nothing, entered the Dao through martial arts at a young age, and dominated the cultivation world for several centuries. No one had been able to stand against him, and he had become a legend in the cultivation world. Even his four disciples, who had not reached the Nascent Soul Stage, were quite famous in the cultivation world, where experts were as numerous as clouds.

"Your disciple understands. I will absolutely not tarnish your reputation, Master!" Zhang Hupan replied firmly.

Afterward, Zhang Sanfeng gave him some more instructions about the Wudang Sect, as well as matters he needed to watch out for in the mortal world. At last, Zhang Sanfeng raised his head and looked at the sky, then glanced around the Xuanwu Immortal Realm, where he had lived for several centuries. Finally, he fixed his gaze on his only disciple beside him. His eyes grew somewhat misty. He instinctively wanted to gently caress Zhang Hupan's head, but halfway there, he realized that the disciple who had once babbled like a toddler had now grown as tall as he was. With a sigh, he changed it into a gentle pat on Zhang Hupan's shoulder. "There are no feasts that never end. Your master is leaving now. Take good care of yourself!" As he spoke, he slowly extended his right hand and opened his palm. An antique-looking ring, intricately engraved with a scene of a hundred birds singing together, appeared out of thin air in Zhang Sanfeng's palm.

Zhang Sanfeng gently took Zhang Hupan's hand and slipped the ring onto his thumb. "This ring has accompanied me for five hundred years. Now I'm passing it on to you. It's called the Universe Ring, signifying that it contains the universe within, and it can be used for storage. When enlarged, it is also called the Universe Hoop. It's an incomparably hard top-grade magical artifact, so take good care of it. This is also the highest token of the Wudang Sect. Every successive Sect Leader of Wudang knows about this ring. Before you descend the mountain, make a trip to Wudang and see how the sect has developed. If you have time, help look after it as well. After all, your master founded Wudang with his own hands!"

"Yes, Master!"

"Now I'll pass the incantation for using this ring on to you!" A series of incantations immediately echoed in Zhang Hupan's mind. Following the incantation, Zhang Hupan gently recited it with his mind, and the ring instantly vanished into his thumb. In that moment, Zhang Hupan felt as if the Universe Ring were connected to him by flesh and blood.

"All right, your master should be leaving now. I look forward to seeing you in another dimension!" At that moment, the sky suddenly twisted. A visible rift appeared in the air overhead, and dazzling white light made it impossible to look directly at it. The sudden radiance caused even Zhang Hupan, who already possessed the cultivation of the Nascent Soul Stage initial level, to suffer a brief loss of sight. When his vision returned, Zhang Sanfeng had already disappeared beside him. All he saw was the rift overhead slowly shrinking before gradually vanishing. Tears immediately streamed uncontrollably down his face, and a heart-rending roar echoed over the valley for a long time. The animals in the valley and the birds in the sky seemed to understand that the Zhang Immortal who had always guarded them had shattered the void and departed. They all threw back their heads and roared. Their cries pierced the clouds and passed through the ancient immortal formation, becoming peals of thunder that were rarely heard even once in a century by mortal ears.

After Zhang Sanfeng left, Zhang Hupan's emotions remained unsettled for a long time. Whenever he had free time, he would touch the chair his master had once sat in and refine the Universe Ring his master had left behind. The Universe Ring contained many treasured immortal pills, miraculous medicines, immortal magical artifacts, and cultivation techniques. Every time Zhang Hupan saw the Universe Ring his master had left him and the treasures Zhang Sanfeng had collected over his lifetime within it, he couldn't help thinking of the deep affection his master had shown him.

One year later, at dawn, an ordinary-looking young Daoist reluctantly glanced at the plain thatched cottage before him, the mountains surrounded by immortal mist, and the waterfall cascading down. Then he let out a long howl. All the birds and beasts in the valley gathered before the young Daoist and quietly remained there. If a beast tamer had witnessed this scene, they would certainly have been astonished and would surely have begged to take the young Daoist as their master.

"Friends who cultivate here, I'm leaving. My master ordered me to go to the mortal world to cultivate my Dao Heart. I'll leave this place in your care. Later, I'll have several Wudang disciples come here to cultivate as well, so please look after them too!" After speaking, Zhang Hupan bowed deeply to the birds and beasts before him.

"Master, the mortal world is dangerous, so you must be careful. If you encounter trouble, send us a signal. Even if we have to risk these old bones of ours, we'll go help you!" A mighty, snow-white tiger, the king of the forest, spoke in a deep voice.

Zhang Hupan wasn't surprised in the slightest to hear the tiger say this. The birds and beasts before him had more than enough qualifications and ability to make such a promise, because every one of them was an old monster that had cultivated for over a thousand years. Some had even reached the Spirit Nurturing realm, equivalent to that of humans, and were only one step away from Shattering the Void. The tiger was an expert who had already cultivated to the Spirit Nurturing realm.

Tears blurred Zhang Hupan's vision once again, just as they had a year ago. Zhang Hupan knew that these monsters regarded by humans as extremely ferocious were actually not bad at all; some were even kinder and more innocent than humans. Zhang Hupan had grown up riding on the tiger's back and traveling atop immortal cranes. It could be said that all the "monsters" before him were his seniors. Although Zhang Hupan considered them his seniors, they would never dare claim such a status for themselves. These beast demons had all been rescued by Zhang Sanfeng at the cost of his life from cultivators who considered themselves above worldly concerns and regarded exterminating demons as their duty. Zhang Sanfeng had also brought them to this spirit-filled immortal mountain to cultivate. Not only could they cultivate here in peace because of Zhang Sanfeng, they had also received the careful instruction of the Grandmaster Zhang Sanfeng. In a sense, they were half his disciples. Now that Zhang Sanfeng had passed the Universe Ring to Zhang Hupan, he was telling them that from this day onward, Zhang Hupan was the master of this valley—the representative of Zhang Sanfeng in this world. Although Zhang Sanfeng had never regarded them as disciples or servants, these grateful beast demons had long since considered Zhang Sanfeng their master in their hearts. Of course, their master was now Zhang Hupan.