Volume 8: Asura Path

"After you sent your wife to the Fusang Divine Tree, the master began to teach me cultivation."

Standing at the bow of the Spaceship, Lin Rui recounted to Bai Qiuran, "In the fiftieth year, I successfully Shapeshift. From then on, my master and the Book of Questions bestowed upon me a name and made me her maidservant."

"Oh."

Bai Qiuran nodded, then pointed to the enormous, undulating Black Tortoise in front of the Spaceship and asked, "And this one? I just heard Kazama call you 'Grandma' and then 'Grandpa'."

"This is my husband."

Lin Rui lowered her head and replied, "He is from the Black Tortoise clan. He received the Immortal Emperor's teachings and cultivated into a demon. His name is Jia Xuan. The Immortal Emperor originally sent him to roam near Fusang to protect the safety of my master, the Goddess Xi He, and the Three-Legged Crow goddess."

Then you two developed feelings for each other over time and ended up together.

Bai Qiuran added in her mind.

"I see."

Upon hearing that Lin Rui was married, Su Xiangxue breathed a sigh of relief, and her expression softened.

The practice of having maids accompany one's spouse is still common in the present Ten Lands of Jiuzhou, let alone in ancient times.

Lin Rui had lived a long time, and although Su Xiangxue wasn't one to easily show her emotions, she still managed to discern Su Xiangxue's thoughts. So she smiled and said, "Back when that old man and I went to beg our master, relations between Human Race and Monster Race were tense. We were even preparing to elope. Luckily, I had a tolerant master."

"I understand."

Su Xiangxue glanced at Bai Qiuran, then replied, "I would have agreed too."

The Black Tortoise was incredibly fast. Amidst the lively conversation, it had already brought the Spaceship close to the location of the Fusang Immortal Palace. The surrounding space began to fluctuate, and sensing the familiar changes, Li Jinyao exclaimed in surprise, "What is this?"

"That's right, it's a change in space."

Bai Qiuran nodded and said, "The Fusang Immortal Palace has been folded into another layer of space... Was this technique used by Lan'er or Li?"

Lin Rui replied, "It is Immortal Emperor Bai Li."

"Not bad, the student has surpassed the master."

Bai Qiuran quickly analyzed and memorized the technique, then scolded Tang Ruowei, who was watching the sea of clouds, "Did you hear that? Learn from your junior brother."

"What?"

Tang Ruowei was completely baffled.

"Who is that? When did I get a junior brother?"

"Dull-witted."

Bai Qiuran shook her head and sighed.

"The Fortune Body Forging Technique stops at the thirty-fifth level, my disciple. You must know that the final five levels, starting from the forty-fifth, are the last Absolute Wall to defying fate."

Tang Ruowei glared at him angrily without saying a word.

Although her talent was not bad, it was still far inferior to Bai Li, the first person in history to possess Immortal Spirit Body. Of course, Bai Qiuran maintained that talent could not determine everything, but the key issue was that Bai Li's ambition, perseverance, and awareness all surpassed Tang Ruowei's.

His goal is to lead Human Race to rise to prominence, while Tang Ruowei's goal is merely to grow her breasts longer. Perhaps the only area where the two can compete is their determination to pursue their goals.

The Cloudmist formed a Spatial Tunnel. After the black Black Tortoise carried the Spaceship through layers of space, the Cloudmist dispersed, and the group finally arrived at the Fusang Immortal Palace.

What appeared before everyone was a huge tree branch stretching across the Cloud Top. The branch was so thick that it was impossible to tell how many miles it was. It meandered through the clouds like a mountain range in the clouds, and the legendary Fusang Immortal Palace was built on this tree branch.

What kind of tree branch is that?

Su Xiangxue looked at the tree branches that resembled a mountain range and exclaimed in surprise.

"Those are branches from the Divine Fusang Tree."

Lin Rui explained, "When the Immortal Emperor moved the Divine Fusang Tree away, the Goddess Xi He left a branch for her master, who then transformed it into a palace. This is the origin of the Fusang Immortal Palace."

The Black Tortoise pulled the Spaceship to the shore. Lin Rui cast a spell to lower the steps, and she led everyone up the steps to the tree branches. The black Black Tortoise also leaped up from the clouds, transforming into an honest-looking middle-aged man, and followed Lin Rui.

There were many people coming and going in the palace, but they were all women. Seeing this, Bai Qiuran said, "There are so many women here."

"Besides my husband, there are no other men in the Fusang Immortal Palace."

Lin Rui replied, "Moreover, to avoid suspicion, my husband and I reside far away from the palace complex and beyond."

Why?

"Because the owner said she was a married woman and it was inappropriate for other men to be too close to the Book of Questions."

Lin Rui glanced at Bai Qiuran replied, "Most of the women living here are orphans that our master occasionally picked up when he was bored and went down to the mortal world, or students who were fortunate enough to come here to study. There have been male students before, but our master did not accept them into his sect, only as nominal disciples. However, our master still taught them quite a lot."

"What if these women want to get married?"

Bai Qiuran looked at her and asked.

"Male students had to leave after completing their studies, while the women living here could leave with their husbands after bidding farewell to their masters."

Lin Rui replied, "To them, the Fusang Immortal Palace is like their maternal home. Of course, men cannot settle here at will. My husband and I were allowed to stay here because we have gained the master's trust and are required to serve him."

Lin Rui led everyone inwards to the very center of the palace complex, where there stood a grand hall that looked exactly like the Bedchamber where he and Jiang Lan had lived when he served under Eastern Emperor Taiyi.

There were several maids outside the hall. Bai Qiuran recognized them; they were some of the maids that Eastern Emperor Taiyi had given him. The maids also recognized him and knelt down in surprise, saying, "Master is back! Greetings, Master."

These maids seemed to have extraordinary status within the Immortal Palace; in any case, after seeing them kneel before Bai Qiuran, Kazama Haruka's face turned even paler.

"Xiaoyao, you should go back now."

Lin Rui instructed Kazama Haruka, then turned to face Bai Qiuran, bowing her head and saying, "Master, please come in. The master is inside... she has been waiting for you for a long time."

"I see."

Bai Qiuran looked at the palace before her and took a deep breath.

He strode forward, while Su Xiangxue reached out and grabbed Li Jinyao and Tang Ruowei, who wanted to follow.

"Let them be alone for a while."

The Sect Master of the Hehuan Sect shook his head at them.

Bai Qiuran climbed the steps and pushed open the palace door. Inside, the familiar furnishings were exactly the same as those in the divine Divine Palace he had once lived in the Eastern Lands.

And that petite yet familiar figure sat on the carpet in the center of the hall. She was dressed in an elegant white robe, with long sleeves and a skirt spread out on the ground. Her long black hair was swept in front of her, revealing her snow-white nape.

Hearing the door open, she turned around and smiled slightly at Bai Qiuran.