First Farewell to the Women's Country

Regret, that's all he felt right now.

The next morning, Ling Xiaolan appeared before Wu Wang and Ji Mo, her face veiled. She seemed hesitant to speak, then couldn't help but press her hand to her forehead, her eyes filled with frustration.

"This, this was my mistake," Ji Mo quickly said. "I forgot to warn you about what was inside and just lifted the cloth and went in."

Ling Xiaolan asked in a low voice, "How much did I drink last night?"

"Two cups of fruit wine," Wu Wang replied. He then added, "Did they scold you? I can go explain a few things for you. Life in cultivation can indeed be a bit stifling, and releasing yourself from time to time isn't wrong..."

"Exactly," Ji Mo immediately chimed in. "What's wrong with dancing a little? Fairy, you've been working hard for so long, can't you have some fun? I'll go reason with the elders!"

"I'll go too."

Wu Wang said calmly, "No matter how high your cultivation, you still need to reason. It's good to discipline disciples' character, but what kind of reasoning is there in restricting disciples from dancing?"

Ji Mo pondered for a moment and said, "Brother Xiong, it's not convenient for you to get involved. It is true that for a fairy to start dancing midway through her immortal cultivation is a bit like indulging in trivialities. Fairy Ling carries expectations far greater than yours or mine."

"But you still need to reason, right?"

"It's not about what happened last night," Ling Xiaolan sighed softly. "I broke through."

As she spoke, she drew a rune seal in front of her with her sword finger, revealing her aura. It was clearly stronger than during the battle in the underground palace.

Silence.

Ji Mo's voice trembled slightly. "How did you break through? Mid-Leaping God Realm? Just a few steps away from the Ascend to Immortality Realm?"

"That's right."

Ling Xiaolan looked at Wu Wang, her expression dejected. "It should be related to what we did yesterday. I was a bit tipsy from the wine, and I don't know how I broke through."

Wu Wang asked, puzzled, "This is a good thing, why do you look so down?"

Ling Xiaolan couldn't help but press her forehead with her hand. The white silk gloves seemed unchanged from yesterday, but in reality... she must have prepared countless pairs of gloves as backups.

The contemporary Saintess of the Mysterious Maiden Sect sighed:

"I thought the elders of my sect were all incredibly serious. I was prepared to be scolded yesterday, and my two martial aunts were quite angry. But when they realized I had broken through, they asked me when I broke through. I told them the truth, and my martial aunts told me to... jump around more. This is simply too childish!"

"That's it?"

"That's it... what's wrong with that?"

Wu Wang and Ji Mo exchanged a look and turned towards the hall entrance.

"Brother Ji, what do you want for lunch?"

"Let my teacher decide. He also wants to try Brother Xiong's cooking."

"Mandarin duck pot?"

"Excellent!"

Ling Xiaolan blinked lightly, then squinted and smiled. She followed behind them with her hands behind her back. Though there were no lotus flowers accompanying her steps, she moved with an indescribable lightness.

With the reinforcements from the Mysterious Maiden Sect and the Ji Family arriving, Ji Mo and Ling Xiaolan found themselves with free time. Wu Wang, not holding back, directly taught the formation for gathering faith to the Mysterious Maiden Sect and the Ji Family as thanks for their assistance to the Women's Country.

Next, these Immortals and cultivators would erect thirty-six Goddess statues within the Women's Country. Using the formation, all the power of faith would be channeled to the Goddess statue in the capital. The precious materials needed to construct the Goddess statues and the 'labor costs' for these Immortals would be paid for by the Women's Country itself.

The Women's Country had been at peace for years. Although there were no precious mineral veins within its borders, it had secret trade caravans operating externally, accumulating considerable national strength over the years. Building these statues and temples was not a matter of exploiting the people or wasting resources.

Wu Wang no longer needed to bother with these arduous tasks. He also declined the banquet invitations from those Immortals, communicating with them only through Ji Mo. Wu Wang was well aware that premature contact with these forces from the Human Domain would not benefit him. Immortal Cultivation in the Human Domain emphasized law, wealth, companions, and resources. Aside from the 'companion' aspect, which was tricky, what else was he lacking? He had overflowing wealth, the Flame Emperor's Art, and abundant places with rich spiritual energy in the Northern Plains. What he sought in the Human Domain now was its cultivation atmosphere, as well as various Five Elements techniques and artifact refining methods.

The Women's Country had opened the door for the Mysterious Maiden Sect to recruit disciples within its borders, and the new Queen had written a heartfelt letter of thanks to the Ji Family. The three parties were getting along harmoniously.

The sun was shining brightly, and several parasols had been set up outside the hall. Figures lay on lounge chairs covered with soft cushions and silk, sipping chilled fruit wine and listening to the music played by the Women's Country's royal orchestra. The male cultivators had changed into short shirts and loose trousers that revealed their chests. The only imperfection was that the sole female cultivator still wore her Immortal Dress, tightly covering herself from neck to toe.

From left to right, Wu Wang, Ji Mo, Ling Xiaolan, and Xu Mu uniformly raised their crystal cups, took a sip of fruit wine, swished it around, and spat it into a basin held by a nearby maid. Seeing a group of valiant female guards walk by, the four of them reached for the obsidian goggles placed on a low table beside them, tossed their heads with a flourish, and put them on. Thwack.

"Ahhh!"

Xu Mu clutched his left eye, writhing in discomfort, causing the maids in the row behind to cover their mouths and giggle.

Ji Mo sighed, "Ah, it's so comfortable to have fun with Brother Xiong."

Ling Xiaolan said, "So happy I forget the Human Domain, so happy I forget the Immortal Path."

Xu Mu calmly smiled, "The path of cultivation is long and arduous. You three youngsters haven't become Immortals yet, so you can't slack off."

"Teacher, what's wrong? Why are you so sad? You're even crying?"

"I have to leave."

Wu Wang rested his arm on his elbow and said, "There are no major matters here anymore. I need to go to the Great Wilderness to seek the True Scripture that will save the Northern Plains from suffering. I won't be staying here any longer."

"Brother Xiong, where are you going?"

Ji Mo immediately sat up, took off his glasses, which were polished from black crystal, and his eyes were filled with a blazing light. "Why don't we travel together and have a grand adventure in the Great Wilderness!"

Wu Wang tried to express it tactfully, "Brother Ji, you haven't become an Immortal yet. Traveling together might be a bit dangerous."

Ji Mo smiled sheepishly and sighed, "That's true. Ever since I met Brother Xiong, I seem to have only caused trouble."

"Is Brother Xiong going to the Human Domain?"

Ling Xiaolan asked softly, turning to look at Wu Wang. Behind the dark glasses wrapped with several layers of silk, her almond-shaped eyes held a hint of reluctance.

Unfortunately, these almond eyes were not the ones in Wu Wang's dreams.

Wu Wang said:

"I might go there in the near future, but this place is quite far from the Human Domain. I'll probably travel and explore along the way.

The Western Plains are different from the Northern Plains. The only Deity in the Northern Plains is the great Star God. The Western Plains have many Primordial Deities, and I want to search everywhere to see if I can find any trace of the True Scripture."

Ji Mo asked, "What kind of scripture is the True Scripture?"

Wu Wang smiled inwardly...

He hadn't written it yet.

Wu Wang said he would leave in three days, but he actually played a trick on them.

He packed his bags that night and brought some local specialties from the Women's Country—wine, fragrant powder, embroidered clothes, and so on.

He didn't go to say goodbye to the National Teacher, nor did he wave to the new Queen.

Wu Wang went to the entrance of the Underground Palace, which had already been filled in.

A stone tablet stood there. The front was blank, with no name; the back was engraved with over a hundred names, the names of the warriors of the Women's Country who died fighting the Fierce Beast that night.

Wu Wang didn't think much of it. He placed two apples there.

He didn't feel any self-blame. He was simply there to visit these friends from that battle.

He had arrived a bit late then, busy gathering information and making judgments. Forcing himself to protect everyone would not make him a warrior, just a fool.

"Those who bravely sacrifice themselves for the future of a nation are immortal."

Wu Wang murmured, placed a hand over his heart, and performed a Northern Plains salute. He gazed at the stone tablet for a while, then turned and disappeared into the night.

A moment later, at the foot of the Goddess statue.

This was on the other side, far from the Spirit Nurturing Pool. Tall palace walls stood here, and it was a leisurely courtyard between two great halls, where one could see the back of the Goddess statue's heel.

Wu Wang said, "I'm leaving."

A soft sigh echoed from his heart. Wu Wang seemed to see a faint light appear ahead, condensing into a blurry outline.

Wu Wang quickly said, "Your Majesty, please don't force yourself to reveal yourself. It's not easy to gather this bit of faith power. Don't waste it."

"Mm."

Jiayi's voice sounded from Wu Wang's heart, and the outline turned into flowing light and returned to the statue.

Then, there was silence.

"If you get tired on your journey, come back here to rest," Jiayi said softly. "Bear."

"Just call me Wu Wang."

"Wuwang..."

"Ah, that's my Daoist Name," Wu Wang cautioned. "You must remain optimistic and not have any negative emotions. This path is not easy, and one cannot become a later-born god simply by condensing faith power.

Logically speaking, the fewer distractions one has in their heart, the purer they are, and the less likely they are to make mistakes.

Otherwise, it could be a disaster for the Women's Country."

"Then don't think about whether you become a god or not."

Jiayi chuckled softly and said gently, "It's quite amazing, actually. I can see everyone's prayers, feel their joys and sorrows, and see so much of the lives of countless citizens, from the border to the capital.

I feel that this is already the greatest happiness.

Bear... Wuwang.

Perhaps I am inherently a weak person, but I will do my best to protect my country."

"Then I can rest assured."

Wu Wang smiled and said gently, "I look forward to our next meeting, when you'll be able to come out and about."

Jiayi said, "I want to brew a jar of wine for you myself."

"Then I'll be waiting to drink it."

Wu Wang heard a slight noise and turned to look at a corner to his side.

He sighed slightly, fumbled in his sleeve for a moment, and took out two pills that emitted a faint fragrance, placing them in a porcelain bottle at the foot of the divine statue.

Then, he bowed slightly and said, "I'm leaving." Star Wings spread out behind him, and his figure disappeared into the night sky.

Not long after, a white-haired old woman walked out from the corner.

She wore heavy shackles on her feet, her body was somewhat withered, and she held a broom in her hand, sweeping the fallen leaves in the area.

After a while, she walked to the pills and bowed tremblingly.

She didn't take the porcelain bottle, but instead walked to the divine statue and swept away the dust that had fallen at its feet.

"Your Majesty..."

"Why didn't you use the pills?"

The old woman showed a slight smile, slowly sat down, leaned against the divine statue, her thick short eyebrows relaxed, and she murmured softly:

"This guilty minister is not worthy."

A faint golden light gathered beside her, condensing into a hand that gently stroked her cheek, humming a gentle melody.

'Fengge, you'll be my great general from now on! When I go to fulfill my mission, you must also help my child take good care of our people.'

'Fengge~ Fengge'er~ What should the men described in books sound like when they speak? Should they have a deep voice, like this?'

'Fengge, I can't sleep, comfort me!'

'Then, can I call you Fengge from now on? I'm Jiayi, please guide me.'

The old woman seemed lost in a dream, a faint smile on her lips.

In the latter half of the night, at the border of the Women's Country.

A figure looked left and right, sneakily running out from the jungle by the river, flying close to the ground, and speeding across the surface of the long river protecting the country.

He took out a jade token engraved with the words 'Women's Country' and 'National Teacher', and a barrier in front of him automatically expanded to create an entrance taller than a person, allowing him to dart through.

Instantly!

His breathing became incredibly clear!

Wu Wang let out a long breath, silently complaining in his heart.

Truly, within the Women's Country's barrier, there was a strange sense of restraint, always having to be mindful of not being touched, and the ice crystal film on his body had even been upgraded with a water circulation effect...

These magical techniques were all forced out of him.

He left without saying goodbye, and Brother Ji and Fairy Ling probably wouldn't be too surprised. It was just that the date they discussed had been moved up by three days.

This way, he could reduce procrastination, improve efficiency, and incidentally shake off the surveillance of those Heavenly Immortals and True Immortals from the Mysterious Maiden Sect.

Why were those old seniors looking at him so... strangely recently?

It was as if they had a grudge against him, their eyes filled with displeasure, trying to find fault with him no matter what.

Had he provoked them or offended them?

Wu Wang shook his head and was about to take out the two disguise masks to put them on, preparing to go to the West Sea to blend in with merchant ships and continue towards the Human Domain.

He was leaving so secretly, there was no reason for his whereabouts to be exposed, he would definitely...

"You did well in the Women's Country."

That familiar voice suddenly sounded in his mind. Wu Wang's forehead instantly broke out in cold sweat, and he immediately felt the aura of a certain Great Emperor.

Did this... fortune-telling predict it?

Just then!

A sword's whistle suddenly cut through the night sky, followed by two figures flying rapidly and blocking Wu Wang's path.

It was an old man and a woman in black.

Looking at the woman, she wore tight clothing, her figure was alluring and charming, and she held a treasure sword half an inch out of its scabbard. Her face was hidden behind a black veil, and her phoenix-like eyes shone with intimidating immortal light.

And looking at the old man...

Forget it.

Wu Wang immediately gripped two crystal balls and said calmly, "Who are you two? Why are you blocking my path?"

"Young Master Xiong," the old man said with a smile, "Someone from above has requested your presence. Please come with us to the Human Domain."

Wu Wang asked in confusion, "From above? Who?"

"Four Seas Pavilion. Don't tell me you haven't heard of it," the woman said coolly.

The old man chuckled and continued, "Please, Young Master Xiong, don't make things difficult for us. This trip will only bring you benefits, no harm."

Wu Wang asked, "Doesn't the Four Seas Pavilion only handle external procurement? Since when did it become so forceful?"

The old man smiled, "We are inviting you with courtesy. Please consider carefully, Young Master Xiong, and don't force this Daoist priest to resort to force."

"Resort to force?"

Wu Wang let out a light laugh. In front of your biggest boss, you're going to act tough here?

He knows this one.

Wu Wang chuckled, "I really didn't know the Four Seas Pavilion had such great authority, to be able to disregard my identity as the Young Master of the Northern Plains Great Clan and Divine Envoy of the Northern Plains Star God, and directly abduct me to the Human Domain."

The woman in black stepped forward with her sword, her voice cold:

"Our Four Seas Pavilion is the pillar of the Human Domain, gathering the talents of the Human Domain. We don't speak of authority.

However, the Four Seas Pavilion can interfere in any matter of the Human Domain. What the Immortal Sects can manage, the Four Seas Pavilion manages. What the Immortal Sects cannot manage, the Four Seas Pavilion must manage even more.

Exorcising demons and protecting the Dao is a special decree from the Human Emperor.

This is the Four Seas Pavilion."

As soon as she finished speaking, a sharp immortal light flashed in her eyes. She didn't notice at all that the old man behind her had already been knocked out by a large hand. The owner of that hand, clad in a straw cloak and with bare feet, was looking at her retreating back with a dark expression, silently raising his other large hand.

Wu Wang: ...

Senior, he really didn't hire this person to smear the Four Seas Pavilion.