Return Journey

Zhou Yuan had wanted to share the joy of his Eight Meridians appearing with his father, but why did it feel like Mu Chen was the one's real son? I'm standing right here—didn't you notice me at all?

The more he thought about it, the more aggrieved Zhou Yuan looked, and resentment began to radiate from him.

"Yuan'er, it's good that you're all right."

Zhou Qing smiled awkwardly, knowing that he had neglected Zhou Yuan, and patted him on the shoulder.

When Zhou Yuan had vanished earlier, aside from hoping that he would find an opportunity to cultivate Meridian Opening, Zhou Qing had also been deeply worried. What if the place Zhou Yuan had gone to was dangerous? What if he got hurt or met with an accident?

Now that he saw Zhou Yuan was intact and hadn't lost any limbs, he finally let out a sigh of relief.

Zhou Yuan rolled his eyes. My dear father, you finally noticed you still have another son here.

"Father, my Eight Meridians have appeared." Zhou Yuan wore a helpless expression, as though he felt a little superfluous standing there.

"Good, good, good! The ancestors have truly blessed us. Heaven has not forsaken the Zhou Clan." Zhou Qing examined Zhou Yuan's body, his voice trembling with excitement. The secret words passed down through the Zhou Clan truly had not been groundless.

Zhou Yuan smiled faintly and patted Zhou Qing on the back. He knew just how much Zhou Qing had worried over his affairs these past years.

"This must be Su Youwei. Mansion Lord Chu mentioned you before—the genius girl of Great Zhou Mansion." Zhou Qing had heard Chu Tianyang speak of Su Youwei. Among people her age, she was exceptionally outstanding.

He was not worried that Su Youwei would enter Yi Academy after the Grand Examination. With how close she was to Mu Chen, she was naturally one of Jia Academy's people.

"I wouldn't call myself a genius. There are many people stronger than me," Su Youwei said modestly. Mu Chen was stronger than her, so she still needed to keep working hard.

Zhou Qing smiled faintly. Su Youwei's speed in Meridian Opening was the most astonishing he had ever seen.

"And this is?"

Zhou Qing looked at Yaoyao. He had never heard anything about her, and she seemed to be a very mysterious girl in green.

"This is Yaoyao, my senior sister. Mu Chen is now my senior brother, and we share the same master."

Zhou Yuan told Zhou Qing about everything that had happened during the time his Eight Meridians had appeared.

Zhou Qing nodded. Now that Mu Chen was Zhou Yuan's senior brother, their relationship had become even closer. They could be considered family. Whether it was him or Qin Yu, both had a very favorable impression of Mu Chen.

"Let's return to Great Zhou City. Nephews, why don't you come to the royal palace for a banquet as well?" In high spirits over his son's Eight Meridians appearing, Zhou Qing planned to celebrate and extended the invitation.

"Uncle Zhou, Youwei and I have been away for so long that the old man at home has been quite worried too. We won't be going this time. We'll visit the royal palace another day," Mu Chen said.

"Very well. You're welcome to come to the royal palace anytime."

After giving it some thought, Zhou Qing did not insist. There would be plenty of opportunities in the future.

With the Imperial Guards in tow, Zhou Qing and his group returned to Great Zhou City. Zhou Yuan could not wait to try Meridian Opening; the time left to him was truly running short.

Mu Chen and the others borrowed a carriage from Zhou Qing and prepared to head to the Black Forest Mountain Range. They had left some things there, which had not been brought along during the spatial teleportation.

Mu Chen drove the carriage while Su Youwei and Yaoyao sat inside. The curtain was drawn aside, revealing two lovely faces of distinct beauty. Tuntun lay beside Mu Chen, its pale yellow fur gently swaying as it closed its eyes and enjoyed the breeze rushing toward them.

"Whew, we finally left that place. That old man was terrifyingly strong."

Only now did Little Marten dare to poke his head out and speak. The pressure Cangyuan had given him far surpassed even the old monsters of the Heavenly Demon Marten Clan. If he had dared to show himself, he would have been discovered immediately.

With Cangyuan's strength, he might even have noticed that Little Marten was not a creature of this world. By then, Little Marten could not be sure whether Cangyuan would want to study such a special existence as him.

"Master is indeed very strong. He's also the strongest person we can come into contact with at present," Mu Chen said.

Yaoyao did not count for now. She had not yet awakened and could not wield the strength the Third God should possess. Otherwise, why would the Ancestral Stone and Ancestral Symbol inside him have shown no reaction when they met Yaoyao?

Cangyuan, on the other hand, was a genuine Twin Lotus Saint, and one at the peak of that realm. In Cangxuan Heaven, where there were no Saints capable of standing against him, he could sweep through everything without issue.

"He truly is incomparably powerful. I can't sense just how strong he is at all. A Samsara Stage cultivator wouldn't even be qualified to carry his shoes," Little Marten said in complete agreement.

The Samsara Stage experts he had seen were like ants before Cangyuan.

"Your master—is he in the Law Domain Realm, or... the Saint Realm?"

Based on the rough comparison of realms Mu Chen had described, Little Marten's peak cultivation had been equivalent to the late Heavenly Sun Realm of this world. The Origin Infant Realm should not have placed such immense pressure on him, leaving only the Law Domain Realm and Saint Realm above it.

"Master is in the Saint Realm, and he is quite renowned throughout the All Heavens as well," Mu Chen said.

Little Marten could not help clicking his tongue. Mu Chen's luck was truly good. Becoming the disciple of such a supremely powerful expert was an opportunity anyone would envy. Wouldn't he soar straight to the heavens in the future?

Little Marten was envious, but Mu Chen only wanted to complain about this cheap master of his. He had given them a few things, then vanished without a trace, leaving Mu Chen at a loss for words.

"Mu Chen, did Grandpa Hei tell you which enemies he would be fighting?" Yaoyao's cool voice drifted over.

"He didn't. How could Master possibly tell a Meridian Opening Realm kid like me? Even if he did, it would only add to our worries. But Master is so strong. All we can do is believe in him." Mu Chen shook his head.

He knew who Cangyuan's enemies were. They were not only Saints from the Holy Clan, but also Saints from the Lower Five Heavens—among the top experts of the All Heavens beneath the gods.

"Mm... but if anything happens to Grandpa Hei, I won't let those people off. Not a single one of them will escape." There was an indescribable chill in Yaoyao's cool voice.

If she truly wanted to deal with Cangyuan's enemies, Yaoyao would have to break her seal. If that happened, it would be the worst possible situation.

"Yaoyao, believe in Master. And welcome to the world outside."

Yaoyao froze slightly, then a captivating smile bloomed across her face. She gave a slight nod, and the carriage seemed to brighten. But since Mu Chen was driving with his back to them, only Su Youwei saw it. Even she, another girl, found it breathtakingly beautiful, like a startled swan in flight.

When Su Youwei came back to herself, her pretty face flushed slightly. Getting so absorbed in looking at another girl—how embarrassing.

Yet a sense of crisis suddenly rose in her heart. Even she thought Yaoyao was beautiful. If they were going to live under the same roof in the future, would Mu Chen be able to resist?

Forget it. I'll take things one step at a time. Yaoyao's personality is so aloof; making her develop favorable feelings for someone won't be easy.

If Mu Chen knew what Su Youwei was thinking, he would definitely say she was overthinking it. Chasing an icy beauty would be far easier than chasing Yaoyao. Winning Yaoyao's heart was not something he could accomplish just by flexing his imposing presence.