Then I'm Leaving...

Qin Yun smiled and said, "I'm just a Mountain God worshipped in this Temple..."

Not knowing how to answer, he might as well play dumb.

Hearing Qin Yun say this, Houtu found him even more unfathomable.

"Mountain God, your cultivation must be incredibly high!" Houtu blurted out, her face full of adoration.

With Houtu looking at him with such worship, Qin Yun inexplicably felt a little embarrassed. He lowered his head slightly and said nothing, though inwardly, he was quite happy.

"Mountain God, when I go back, I'll definitely bring my brothers and sisters here to offer incense!" Houtu said.

Houtu was the youngest of the Twelve Ancestral Witches.

Hearing Houtu say this, Qin Yun nodded as well.

"Mountain God, since your cultivation is so high, do I still need to go listen to Dao Ancestor Hongjun preach?" Houtu asked.

Houtu had no particular motive in asking. She simply felt that Qin Yun was so formidable, and he had given her so many good things—did she still need to go listen to Hongjun Preaching?

"If you want to go, then go," Qin Yun said. "It doesn't matter."

In any case, it seemed to make no difference whether the Witch Clan went or not.

Hearing this, Houtu thought for a while before finally nodding.

The two still sat beside the stone table, with tea still set upon it.

"Mountain God, is there... anything else you need to do here?" Houtu asked.

Qin Yun looked at her and shook his head. "Nothing else."

Houtu continued looking at Qin Yun, her eyes shining brightly like Stars.

"Houtu..." Qin Yun looked at her too.

"Mountain God, if there's nothing else, then I... I'll... be going first..." Houtu said.

Qin Yun had given Houtu so many good things, and she needed to refine them.

Qin Yun nodded at Houtu. "All right."

Houtu looked at Qin Yun again, a trace of inexplicable irritation rising in her heart. Couldn't you at least ask me to stay?

Houtu said she was leaving, and Qin Yun simply nodded and said all right...

But Houtu could not bring herself to say anything. She looked at Qin Yun once more and pursed her lips. "Then I'm leaving..."

Qin Yun looked at her. "After you return, remember to refine the things I gave you..."

Houtu pursed her lips again, unconsciously thinking, Couldn't you at least ask me to stay?

Houtu looked at Qin Yun again, her gaze carrying a hint of grievance.

"Mountain... Mountain God... will we... still be able to meet again in the future?" Houtu asked.

At this moment, Houtu inexplicably feared that once she left, she would never again be able to meet this Mountain God...

Qin Yun looked at her and said, "Of course. We can meet anytime!"

Hearing Qin Yun say this, Houtu felt utterly delighted. Looking at him, she could not hide the joy between her brows and eyes. "Then... then it's settled! In the future... we can meet anytime..."

Qin Yun nodded. "We can meet anytime."

"You'll always be welcome whenever you come," Qin Yun added.

Hearing this, Houtu was very happy, her heart brimming with irrepressible joy.

After a while, Houtu seemed to think of something and said, "Then... what about you? Will... will you come find me?"

Hearing this, Qin Yun looked at her.

The way she looked now... it seemed she was interested in him...

But honestly, Qin Yun... was somewhat interested in her too...

"I'll come find you in the future," Qin Yun said.

Once he became a Saint and could leave this place, he would go find Houtu—as long as Houtu was still willing to see him.

Hearing Qin Yun say this, Houtu was again beside herself with joy. "All right! Then remember to come find me in the future!"

"I'm in the Witch Clan... My brothers and sisters are in the Witch Clan too..." Houtu said.

Qin Yun nodded. "I will."

A smile spread uncontrollably across Houtu's lovely face. She nodded gently. "Then I'll be going first..."

Qin Yun nodded too. "When you have time, remember to come here often to offer incense..."

"I know..." Houtu nodded.

"Then... then I'll... see you off..." Qin Yun said.

Houtu nodded again.

Qin Yun looked at her, then raised his hand and waved. The next moment, Houtu vanished from the Inner Space and returned to the Temple.

Standing in the Temple, Houtu looked around at the surroundings, then at the wooden tablet on the altar.

Looking at the wooden memorial tablet, Houtu unconsciously curled her lips.

Not long after, Houtu turned and left as well.

Hongyun and Tongtian were still in seclusion, cultivating.

Having received the things Qin Yun had given her, Houtu also planned to enter seclusion and refine them.

Houtu had received two Earth Origins, two drops of Pangu Blood Essence, and fifty Soul Fragments.

The system had rewarded a hundred Soul Fragments, but Qin Yun did not intend to give all of them to Houtu, so he gave her fifty first.

Refining Soul Fragments also required time.

Houtu found a quiet place as well and entered seclusion to cultivate.

Time slowly passed, and two days went by.

Qin Yun was still in the temple's internal space.

At this moment, Qin Yun was taking a walk through the garden.

This internal space was vast, a world unto itself, and it even contained gardens.

The garden covered a considerable expanse. Within it, flowers, grass, and trees were scattered in pleasing layers; artificial hills and strange rocks rose in harmonious arrangement; pavilions and towers boasted carved beams and painted rafters; little bridges arched over flowing streams that ran clear without end.

The scenery here looked like a painting, a sight most pleasing to the eye.

Qin Yun strolled through it slowly when the system's notification sounded in his mind.

[ Ding! Congratulations, Host. Your cultivation has risen once more, advancing from late-stage Heavenly Immortal to Heavenly Immortal perfection! ]

Perfection...

I've reached Heavenly Immortal perfection...

Qin Yun could not help feeling rather delighted.

It had only been a few days, yet he had already reached perfection...

Not bad!

Very good!

Qin Yun could feel the fluctuations of cultivation within his body. He had indeed advanced to Heavenly Immortal perfection.

The spiritual energy within this internal space was rich. Qin Yun's current Heavenly Immortal perfection cultivation was not particularly high in relative terms, and living here every day, breathing in such dense spiritual energy, caused him no discomfort.

Not only that, the food in this internal space was also rich in spiritual energy. Qin Yun ate this food every day without suffering any discomfort either.

For an ordinary person whose cultivation had yet to rise, living in a place with such dense spiritual energy and eating food so rich in spiritual energy every day would likely be unbearable. They might even explode and die.

But Qin Yun was completely fine.

Not only was he fine now—even when he had first transmigrated here, when he had still been an ordinary mortal, he had been fine.

That was because the system had altered his body somewhat, suppressing within him the spiritual energy he absorbed and preventing it from rebounding against his body.