Parting

"Phew, Middle Golden Core Stage, I've Middle Golden Core Stage realm! After more than thirty years, I've finally made another step forward. I thought I'd never have the chance to advance any further in my life. It seems I'm still very compatible with this body."

"Sigh, this body is really bad. Its Spirit Root are even worse than mine. Of the three Spirit Root —water, fire, and wood—only the Fire Spirit Root is of superior grade; the others are all of inferior grade. No wonder Old Man Wuya only achieved the Early Golden Core Stage at his advanced age."

"It's been over four years, so this war between good and evil should be over by now, right? I wonder who won?"

"Forget it, let's go out and take a look. With my current strength at the Middle Golden Core Stage, as long as I don't encounter any ridiculously powerful beings, there shouldn't be anything that can kill me."

This person was Mo Shang. During the great war between the righteous and the demonic forces, he didn't have time to join a sect. Instead, he found a secluded and hidden place to cultivate, so the battle didn't affect him at all.

Leaving his secluded training ground, Mo Shang raised his hand and flipped it open, revealing a small flag wreathed in blood-black mist in his palm. "Soul-Summoning Banner, it's time to add some fresh blood to your repertoire."

On the other side, the Hehuan Sect.

Bai Lili swung on the swing, her fair and smooth thighs swaying in the air, but unfortunately no one was there to appreciate it.

"Ugh, so boring. All I do is cultivate, cultivate, cultivate. I really want to go play with Su Liuyue. She attacked me with her sword and I couldn't even retaliate. It's so annoying."

"However, I heard that her junior brother killed an elder in the Spirit Moon Sect in front of all the elders a while ago, apparently for a woman."

"Interesting, very interesting. The fact that neither Ziyang nor Xuanguang from the Spirit Moon Sect tried to stop them makes it even more interesting."

"But that woman seems to be dead. It must be really painful to have your heart occupied by a dead person. Should we step in and snatch her heart back?"

Bai Lili suddenly shuddered, her face flushed, and she looked excited. "This is fun! Su Liuyue's junior brother is much more fun than that bastard Meng Yan! No, I have to go and save that heartbroken little brother. Then I'll take him to Su Liuyue and show him off. That'll definitely infuriate Su Liuyue."

"But where should I look for him?"

After a moment of contemplation, Bai Lili's eyes brightened even more. "Yes, that's what we'll do, little brother, your big sister is here to save you."

After figuring out her plan, Bai Lili gently pushed off the ground with both feet, and after the swing reached its highest point, she gracefully landed with a somersault, not caring whether she had exposed any skin.

"Sister Qing, could you come with me to do something? It's really fun!" Bai Lili transmitted her voice.

A moment later, a figure flew to her, dressed in a Qing Sha Yu Shang, and bowed, saying, "Holy Maiden, what brings you here?"

Bai Lili's eyebrows curved into a smile, and she breathed softly, "Sister Qing, I've set my sights on a prey, and I'd like to ask for your help."

"Brother Lü Yang, let's part ways for now. Let's keep in touch."

Lü Yang stood up and said with a smile, "Brother Shen, it's no trouble at all. Just call me if you need anything in the future, whether it's drinking or fighting, I'll be there whenever you call."

"And you too, Sister Xue, just let us know if you need anything in the future."

Li Xue nodded, smiling sweetly, and said, "Okay, just let us know if you need anything in the future."

Lü Yang smiled and said, "I'm also preparing to break through to the Golden Core stage, so I shouldn't have any trouble coming my way anytime soon."

"In that case, Brother Lü, I'll leave you a Golden Core talisman, which can withstand a Golden Core attack. This will give you an extra backup plan in a crisis, so it's not like I drank your wine for nothing."

After saying goodbye to Lü Yang, Shen Ge and Li Xue continued northward without any particular destination. Shen Ge simply wanted to stay far away from the Spirit Moon Sect. He was afraid that if he got too close, he wouldn't be able to control his mind and would keep thinking about impossible things, which would not only be dangerous but also a waste of his energy.

"Shen Ge, the North is no safe place. Disciples and elders of the Hehuan Sect frequently come and go there. Also, it's too close to the Ice and Snow Plateau, so there's a high chance of beast tides," Li Xue warned.

"That's easy to arrange. I'll just be more low-key in the future. If there's really no other way, I'll just find another place."

The two spent five days traveling to a desolate mountain a hundred miles from the Ice and Snow Plateau. There was not only a market town there, but also quite a few cultivators in the vicinity, most of whom had come to search for treasures on the outermost edge of the Ice and Snow Plateau.

After carving out a cave abode, Shen Ge settled down here and would probably not move around much in the future.

"Shen Ge, since you've decided to cultivate here, I won't accompany you. I plan to go to that sea area we went to before."

"Where are you going? That area is quite desolate," Shen Ge asked, puzzled.

Wearing a white fox fur vest around her neck and a light blue long dress, Li Xue casually said, "Yes, it's quite desolate, but it's peaceful, and I love the water, so my cultivation speed will be faster at sea."

"Didn't you say you didn't value spiritual practice? You were saying before that you'd just let things take their course, so why are you suddenly thinking about practicing?"

Li Xue her eyes at him, her crescent-shaped eyebrows carrying a hint of playfulness, yet also a touch of charm. "I didn't get this white fox fur vest for nothing. I'll have to accompany you to the Spirit Moon Sect sometime, otherwise, if my cultivation level is too low, I'll just be going to my death."

"You're thinking about this?" Shen Ge chuckled to himself, saying, "It's still a long way off. I won't even think about this for at least two or three hundred years. Besides, the vest I gave you before was just to repay you for treating me to spirit sheep last time. I wouldn't dare to expect that the pelt of a second-tier Demon Beast could persuade a Golden Core Stage expert to come."

"Think what you want, but I'll definitely be going to watch the show. You can't watch the show without the ability, like last time. I couldn't even get inside; I had to watch from the mountaintop outside. It's a good thing the Spirit Moon Sect didn't block it, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to see a single painting."

At this point, Li Xue reminded her, "By the way, I think I saw the sect leader of the Purple Qi Sect outside last time. She was right there on the cloud, making no attempt to hide herself. Do you think someone with that level of power would still enjoy watching the excitement?"

"I guess they want to see the embarrassing internal strife within the Spirit Moon Sect," Shen Ge said dismissively. "But this Purple Qi Sect Master doesn't seem to have any rumors surrounding her, and I've never had any contact with her. Do you think it would be possible for me to ask her for help in the future?"

"We're in the same boat, how come I have access to things you haven't even touched?" Li Xue rolled her eyes at him, then thought for a moment before replying, "I guess I can give it a try, but what are you going to offer her to get her to help?"

"Shen Ge, your Storage Bag is practically Qingfeng, just like yours. Let's talk about this later."

Shen gave an awkward laugh, "Indeed, I have nothing right now, so I'd better not think about these things anymore."

After chatting for a while, Shen Ge said solemnly, "Sister Xue, take care. Remember to contact me if anything happens."

"Don't worry, I won't stand on ceremony with you." Li Xue waved her hand and said, "Shen Ge, you too, take care."