The Tribulation Deliverance Sect, Immortal Rosy Cloud Peak.
Chu Mo guided his fleshly body from the Present World down before the peak. He looked up and saw a figure standing atop the mountain, hands clasped behind his back, seemingly having waited for quite some time.
Yichu turned around, his gaze lingering on Chu Mo for a moment. The corners of his mouth rose slightly in an almost imperceptible smile.
"As expected, the Sect Master failed to keep you there."
Chu Mo smiled. "Thank you for the treasure, senior brother. Without that Change Coin, the odds would have been stacked against me."
Yichu waved a hand. "You are now a Source-Wielding Dao Lord, in the same realm as me. Just call me fellow Daoist."
"Fellow Daoist Yichu," Chu Mo readily obliged.
Yichu nodded and led him into the hall. Once they were seated, a disciple served them spirit tea. Yichu lifted his teacup and began slowly:
"Our Sect Master may have poor luck, but his strength must not be underestimated. His control over [Netherworld] runs so deep that he is nearly ready for Dao Integration.
"It was already quite a feat to escape from him."
Chu Mo's eyes stirred. "You seem to know the Sect Master rather well?"
"I wouldn't say that," Yichu said mildly. "We've merely belonged to the same sect for many years, so I've heard a few things. I heard that when he advanced to Spirit Transformation, he spent a long time laying his plans and took every possible precaution. Yet something still went wrong at the last moment. All his efforts came to nothing, and he obtained only [Netherworld].
"So the other root origin near his Heavenly Register Realm back then was actually [Death]?"
The corners of Yichu's mouth lifted slightly, his smile turning somewhat odd. "Ever