Meeting Tianyuan

In the blink of an eye, another year had passed, and the shackles had tightened once more.

Wu Xinwu stood atop a small mountain made from the bodies of the Divine Curse Sect's disciples, his body bearing a few fresh wounds.

He was no match for the enemy's strength. He had fought alongside the others, but in the end, only four of them had managed to escape.

Xia Bu looked at the dazed, seemingly lost Tianyuan and let out a quiet sigh.

A faint smile touched his face, but his eyes were filled with deep worry.

He knew this was only the beginning. The real battle lay ahead, and he would have to be even more cautious from now on.

Jia Meng and Jia Ruo had also reunited with Xia Bu.

Taking advantage of Tianyuan's dazed state, Jia Meng stepped up beside him and carefully took a vial of spiritual liquid from his sleeve, his movements practiced and smooth.

Then he swiftly pulled Jia Ruo away, heading in the direction of the Star Realm.

According to the plan, the four of them had split into two groups. Jia Meng and Jia Ruo would disguise themselves as Star Realm cultivators and keep watch, while Wu Xinwu and Xia Bu would meet with the other two people.

On the mountain path leading to the cave where Tianyuan had been staying, Jia Ruo followed closely behind Jia Meng.

"Only Wu and the other two are left. This really is a terrible situation."

She once again complained to Jia Meng. After all, even Wu Xinwu and Xia Bu had no chance of winning, let alone standing up to the enemy's attacks.

The Divine Curse Sect's formation had proved unbreakable. They had simply been too short-handed.

Jia Meng chuckled and patted Jia Ruo on the shoulder, gently reassuring her.

"Even if you saw how strong they were, you saw the best the Divine Curse Sect had to offer. They were all defeated by Tianyuan."

"Strength varies greatly from one person to another. No matter what, there's always some use for it."

His voice was calm and confident, and the words seemed to infuse Jia Ruo with renewed strength.

Thinking back to the destruction of her home, Wu Xinwu and Xia Bu had worked together to defeat the Divine Curse Sect, which had tried to destroy the Celestial Daoist. They had given the Celestial Daoist a brief spell of peace and happiness.

Back then, the smile on his face had been as warm as sunlight. For a moment, he had forgotten his duties and the ritual of assimilation.

But the final outcome had been tragic. His efforts had come to nothing, and the Celestial Daoist had fallen into the hands of Mo Hei Shen Zai. The assimilation of Tianyuan had failed, and everything had turned to nothing.

At the thought, Jia Meng's gaze grew determined.

He knew that, if he wanted to stop the plan to bring Mo Hei Shen Zai back, the best course was to make the Celestial Daoist's assimilation succeed as soon as possible.

Once the Celestial Daoist's assimilation was complete, Mei Chu's scheme would no longer be able to cause trouble.

Along the way, Jia Meng had absorbed the spiritual liquid from Tianyuan's vial. All he had to do now was wait until they reached the Celestial Realm, then use the ritual to create another Star Realm cultivator.

After a long journey, Jia Meng finally arrived at the Star Realm.

As soon as he entered the Star Realm's boundary, he put away the Celestial Daoist's disguise.

"Jia Meng? Weren't you supposed to be guarding the Star Realm? Why have you come here? Has something happened at Star Peak?" Tianyuan asked.

Jia Meng looked at Jia Ruo, who had just arrived behind him, then turned and spoke calmly.

"Lord Tianyuan, I know you have to sacrifice a person every hundred years. It must be painful, but for the sake of the whole cultivation world, it's something that has to be done."

Jia Meng understood Tianyuan's way of thinking. If he had been in Tianyuan's position, he might have made the same decision.

He knew Tianyuan had no choice.

First, Tianyuan stood at the summit of the human world. Second, his duty made it clear that he had to fulfill the expectations of the Star Realm's people. The ritual was Tianyuan's arrangement.

"Even so, things have come to this. I'm afraid I can't ask you to spare the Celestial Daoist."

Tianyuan sounded somewhat embarrassed, but he wasn't angry.

"I know. But I have another plan. If that plan fails, then I'll ask you to make the decision."

Jia Meng didn't beat around the bush. He went straight to the point.

After all, he was within Tianyuan's domain. If Tianyuan lost patience and simply killed him, he would never get to see the Celestial Daoist again.

"Oh? You actually have a plan to resolve the ritual that has continued for a thousand years? Go on, then. There's no harm in hearing you out."

Tianyuan was surprised by Jia Meng's idea. At first, he hadn't believed him, but Jia Meng's earnest expression didn't seem like a bluff, so he let him continue.

Tianyuan knew little of the outside world, but he still had a general understanding of certain important people. Jia Meng was one of them.

Among those important figures were Wu Xinwu and Xia Bu. They were people who could influence the future of the cultivation world, and Tianyuan had been keeping an eye on them.

Jia Meng waited with Jia Ruo at the boundary entrance. Following Tianyuan's directions, he had come deep into the Star Realm, where he encountered the old woman who had been following him.

Jia Meng took a deep breath and began to explain how his ritual worked.

As he explained, he activated the ritual. Before Tianyuan's eyes, a new Star Realm cultivator appeared, bearing the same face as the Celestial Daoist.

Tianyuan stared at the brand-new Star Realm cultivator in surprise, then reached out and used the ritual to sense him, inspecting him for quite some time.

Jia Meng waited quietly at his side, confident in his ritual.

"I never imagined this technique could be put to such use. I've lived for over a thousand years and never seen anyone in the Jia Meng Family turn a mortal into a cultivator, much less create a new body for you in another realm. You really are an extraordinary young man."

Tianyuan's voice echoed through the room. His eyes were full of admiration and surprise as he looked at Jia Meng.

"I have a feeling this Star Realm cultivator can also be assimilated through my ritual."

His voice carried a note of excitement. After all, every hundred years he had to assimilate a human, and as a human himself, there were times when he wondered whether he was still human.

He could tell himself it was for the greater good, but after all these years, it had become harder and harder to convince himself.

Now, with Jia Meng here, he could finally put that troublesome excuse to rest.

Thinking of this, Tianyuan sighed deeply.

Jia Meng bowed slightly, accepting Tianyuan's compliment.

"Now we just have to wait for the night of the full moon, then carry out the assimilation."

Jia Meng sighed too, his voice full of anticipation.

Suddenly, Jia Meng turned and made a request to Tianyuan.

"When the assimilation is over, could you teach me something about the realms? If that's all right, I'd be extremely grateful."

Tianyuan smiled, then gave him a firm answer.

"You're helping me with a great deal. Of course I can."

Tianyuan also wanted to learn more about Jia Meng. The young man before him had already succeeded in attracting his interest.

It was rare for anyone to catch his attention over the course of a thousand years.