Seeking a Mount, the Immortal Deer Enters a Love Tribulation

After returning to Mount Kunlun, Li Yu went to the place where he had once cultivated in seclusion. This was his first time back since leaving.

Many years had passed. The thatched hut where he had cultivated and lived was long gone, perhaps swept away by a strong wind. Only faint traces remained. As for that ancient pine, it had withered with age, leaving behind only its trunk.

Seeing this, Li Yu swept his sleeve. Let dust return to dust, and earth to earth.

He then went to Zhen Yuanzi's cultivation ground, wanting to learn about certain matters from him. After all, by the time Li Yu had left, everyone had already departed Purple Cloud Palace.

Upon arriving at Zhen Yuanzi's cultivation ground, Li Yu found that it had changed from before. What had once been a grand immortal realm now seemed far more desolate.

"I intend to move my cultivation ground away from Mount Kunlun. The two young attendants, Qingfeng and Mingyue, have already made arrangements at the new site. Many immortal fruits and rare treasures have been transplanted there as well. Only the Ginseng Fruit Tree remains here. It is, after all, an innate spiritual root and cannot be moved lightly. I plan to begin transplanting it after the Sage's second sermon, once I enter the Quasi-Saint Realm, so as not to harm it." Zhen Yuanzi spoke with some reluctance. He had cultivated at this place for who knew how many years, so parting with it naturally stirred his emotions.

It seemed that after hearing Hongjun's first sermon, as their cultivation increased, many people had gradually become able to vaguely divine certain future trends. They were all busy making preparations for what lay ahead.

During their casual conversation, Li Yu also learned that Hongjun had accepted disciples, and that Hongyun and Kunpeng had each been bestowed spiritual treasures and divine abilities.

This already differed from the events Li Yu remembered, but the final outcome would have to wait until the third sermon ended. At that time, Hongjun would bestow upon the Three Pure Ones, Nüwa, and the two from the Western Religion one strand each of Primordial Purple Qi containing the opportunity to become Sages. The only question was whether he would also casually give one to Hongyun.

If he did, Hongyun would likely remain entangled in calamity and fate!

However, Hongyun was not currently on Mount Kunlun. He was wandering around Mount Buzhou, on rather good terms with several Ancestral Shamans. From time to time, he also paid visits to Fuxi and Nüwa.

Back at Purple Cloud Palace, Li Yu had secretly said something to Hongyun. That was why Hongyun had later firmly refused to give up his seat.

If he wanted to see Nüwa again in the future, he had to guard the cushion beneath his backside to the death!

Hongyun's later actions proved one thing: compared to Nüwa's importance in his heart, nothing else mattered in the slightest!

After learning the reason from Li Yu, Zhen Yuanzi said, "Only today do I learn of Fellow Daoist Hongyun's little thoughts. It seems his wandering near Mount Buzhou also has ulterior motives."

Speaking of this, Zhen Yuanzi found it rather amusing. "When we see Fellow Daoist Hongyun again, we can ask him face-to-face and see how he explains himself to us."

After discussing these matters, Li Yu also left Mount Kunlun. He needed to seek a new place for secluded cultivation. Even the Three Pure Ones formed from Pangu would eventually split apart, so it was perfectly normal for others to seek their own cultivation grounds.

Only then did Li Yu remember that he still had an Immortal Deer mount. When he had gone to Purple Cloud Palace, he had left the Immortal Deer alone in the Primordial World. So many years had passed; he had no idea how the deer was doing now.

Li Yu calculated with his fingers, found the Immortal Deer's location, and went looking for her. He planned to find the deer first, then head to the Eastern Sea to find an immortal island for his cultivation ground.

Yet after finding the Immortal Deer, he discovered that things seemed somewhat different.

"Little Sister Lu, look at this flower wreath I braided for you. I used forty-nine kinds of flowers and grasses from this mountain. Is it pretty?"

"Brother Ox, this flower wreath is so beautiful!"

"Then I'll put it on you!"

Li Yu watched from not far away as Lu Xue shyly lowered her head. The fellow called "Brother Ox" before her was the Azure Ox in transformed form, placing a wreath woven from wildflowers upon her head.

Clearly, during this time, Lu Xue had developed feelings for this Azure Ox.

Azure Ox?

Li Yu seemed to recall something.

After calculating, he could not help but laugh. What a fine Azure Ox indeed!

Since he was here, Li Yu had no intention of leaving without a word. He did not intend to interfere in the matter between Lu Xue and the Azure Ox. If the Immortal Deer chose to remain, he naturally would not stop her.

"You wretch, what are you doing here?" Li Yu pretended to arrive from the heavens atop a cloud, standing upon it as he loudly rebuked Lu Xue.

"Ah!"

Lu Xue cried out in alarm. "Greetings, Great Master!"

Having said that, she immediately knelt on the ground, trembling all over and not daring to raise her head.

"Hey! You Daoist, why are you here? What business is there between me and Little Sister Lu that concerns you?" The Azure Ox was quite domineering, actually roaring at Li Yu in anger.

Thinking of the future Ox Demon King's licentious nature, Li Yu felt it was necessary to teach this fellow, also a bovine, a lesson. Otherwise, he might repeat his old habits in the future and betray Lu Xue.

Standing atop the cloud, Li Yu lightly pressed his palm downward through the air. The Azure Ox immediately felt as though the entire world had fallen upon him.

The Azure Ox was merely in the Heavenly Immortal Realm. How could he resist? At once, he was pressed flat against the ground like a four-legged toad, unable to move.

Seeing this, Lu Xue hurriedly pleaded, "Great Master, Little Deer knows her mistake. Please show mercy and spare Brother Ox! I beg you!"

Hmph!

Li Yu gave a cold snort and said, "If you dare speak so recklessly again, be careful that I do not chop off your ox hooves and pull out your horns!"

"Yes, yes, yes! Little Ox knows his mistake!" Having witnessed Li Yu's methods, the Azure Ox indeed became much more obedient.

"You wretch, will you follow me overseas to cultivate in seclusion, or remain here? Choose one." Li Yu demanded.

Upon hearing this, Lu Xue raised her head to glance at Li Yu. Seeing his displeased expression, she quickly lowered it again and looked toward the Azure Ox kneeling beside her.

"Do not delay. Make your decision at once!" Li Yu rebuked her again.

"Great Master, Little Deer wishes to remain here and spend her life with Brother Ox. I hope Great Master will grant it!" Lu Xue said in a choked voice.

"Please grant it, Great Master!" the Azure Ox echoed from the side, continuously kowtowing until he made a pit in the ground.

"So be it. Since this is your choice, take care of yourselves in the future!"

After saying that, Li Yu rode away upon the clouds. Only after a long while did Lu Xue dare rise to her feet.

"Little Sister Lu, your Great Master has left. He was truly formidable!" The Azure Ox helped Lu Xue up, speaking with lingering fear.

"Of course. My Great Master is an important figure who heard the Dao at Purple Cloud Palace. If you ever dare betray me, Great Master certainly will not spare you!"

Lu Xue felt as though she had survived a calamity. Just now, she had truly feared that Li Yu would act and punish her.

"Little Sister Lu, I swear before the sun that I'll treat you well for the rest of my life!"

After leaving, Li Yu headed straight for the Eastern Sea. As for the matter between this deer and that ox, he would let fate decide.

The Wild Continent was unimaginably vast. Likewise, the seas were no less expansive than the Primordial Wilderness.

However, compared to the Wild Continent, which gathered the spiritual beauty and essence of heaven and earth, the seas, though vast, were far more barren. There were scarcely any heavenly materials or earthly treasures worth noticing.

Perhaps this was the main reason why the great Sage sects and the Heavenly Court could later allow the Dragon Clan to occupy the Four Seas. Setting aside the Human, Chan, and Jie sects as well as the Heavenly Court, even the Western Religion, with its nature of wishing to scrape the ground three feet deep, would never have allowed the Dragon Clan peace if the seas had truly been rich.