Meanwhile, Mu Bai flew east through the sky, taking in the scenery he had been too hurried to appreciate on his way here. Great rivers surged, green wilderness stretched on and on, and flowers bloomed in glorious profusion-a truly splendid spring landscape of the Eastern Ridge. If Chen Qi could see it, she would surely love it. It was not that Mu Bai was pining for her; he simply hoped the Chen Household could truly break away from the Sword Sect. Coming to the Eastern Ridge would be good too. At least he would have another family of kin nearby.
After gazing down at the scenery for several days, Mu Bai settled his mind and sat cross-legged on the Golden Roc's broad back, meditating and regulating his breath. Sure enough, as he traveled east away from the Spirit Taming Sect, the Heaven and Earth Essence Qi he absorbed leaned more toward the vegetation attribute, brimming with seemingly inexhaustible vitality.
The journey there had taken half a year, yet the return took fewer than ten days. Clearly, Mu Bai was no longer the weak youth he had once been. With the Green Python Mountains coming into view, the Golden Roc kept squawking. Who knew whether its two sweethearts in the Silver Frost Forest were leaning tearfully against branches, waiting for its return, or had long since married other rocs and become their wives?
"I wonder how Elder Qing Mao is doing now?" Mu Bai murmured, flying toward the Canyon beside the Silver Frost Forest. Then he chuckled. "How ridiculous. He's already dead-how well could he possibly be doing?"
As he chattered away to the Golden Roc, the Canyon where they had once sheltered appeared before them. With a piercing cry, the Golden Roc swooped toward the cliff cave where it had