When Jun Wudi sat down again, four bold words—I was never here—appeared on the round table, spelled out with wine. Jun Wudi nodded. "I understand, my lord. You wish to remain hidden." Two cups of blazing liquor, one red and one blue, appeared in his glass. He cupped his hands in salute, preparing to drink, but the cups remained firm in place. Before he could finish, the method of using the liquor surfaced in his mind. The blue would repair his cultivation foundation, while the red would temper his spirit body. Together, they were meant for him to use when attempting another breakthrough to the Earth Core Realm and facing the Heavenly Tribulation once more. His heart pounded as he stared at the two cups. Their effects far surpassed even the Yuanyang Heaven-Union Herb. That herb could only reconnect his shattered foundation, not fully mend it. But these two liquors, taken together, would not only restore his condition but also strengthen his innate foundation and stabilize his Spirit Body. At first, Jun Wudi had only intended to reconnect his foundation and quietly head to the Deer Ridge of the Eastern Mountain to rescue his wife. But upon realizing the true power of these two cups, hope surged in his chest. With them, he could cultivate anew and openly challenge the Deer Ridge. In the coming Golden Era, he might even have a chance to contend with the other cultivators once more. "My lord, this grace is no different from granting me a new life. Please, allow me the honor of seeing you." He bowed deeply toward the cabin door. Yet no response came. When he turned back, both the words on the table and the peanuts had vanished. Blindman Lu sat cross-legged next to the cabin door. Little Pup, still in his demonic beast form of the violet-eyed sable, squatted while gnawing on a peanut. The nut cracked crisply between his teeth, scattering crumbs across the floor. While chewing, Little Pup asked, "My lord, why not erase his memory? He's not part of our plan." Blindman Lu placed another pair of peanuts at his side. "Then add him in. Don't you think that makes things more interesting?" "Interesting? I think he's dangerous," Little Pup said, grabbing another peanut. "He nearly saw through our intentions from just a trace of spirit qi." "No matter. I let him see it on purpose." Blindman Lu tossed a peanut into the air, caught it in his mouth, and shook his head with a smile. "Little Lu has already revealed too much. I worried others might grow envious. Now that Jun Wudi knows a little, he'll act with restraint." "Your turn." He flicked another peanut toward Little Pup. "If I remember right, he has a grudge with the people of the Eastern Mountain's Deer Ridge?" "That's right. They were the ones who crippled his cultivation," Little Pup muttered, shaking his head after missing the peanut and taking it squarely on the forehead. Seeing this, Blindman Lu chuckled. "Beyond the Deer Ridge lies the forbidden land of the Eastern Mountain, where we can't move freely for now. When the time comes, let him act there. That will save us the effort." Little Pup rubbed his forehead, handed another peanut to Blindman Lu, and said, "That's it? Surely he's not the only candidate. There must be another reason, isn't there?" "Perhaps. His face reminds me of an old friend." Blindman Lu's voice softened as his gaze drifted outside the cabin. "I want him to go with Little Lu to the Outside. Consider it fulfilling a wish of mine. Besides, Jun Wudi has the qualifications to ascend." "Time makes one recall too many things." He sighed, tossing the peanut in the air. "Enough. It's time we left." Little Pup swallowed the peanut whole and leapt onto his shoulder. "Yes, my lord. Where to now? Back to the young master?" "No. Little Lu will sleep for several more days; he doesn't need us yet. I intend to head to the Northern Region first." Blindman Lu shook his head and opened a rift in space. "I heard a mention of an old matter. I want to see it for myself. It may prove useful in the coming war." "Could it be the Sixth Ancestral Avatar's bloodline-conversion art?" Purple light flickered in Little Pup's eyes as their presence faded from the cabin. "I recall that when the Sixth Ancestral Avatar revealed it, they never mentioned any flaws." "The true art has none. Back when Ice River[1] collapsed, the land had not yet matured. Now, after hundreds of thousands of years, it should be fully formed. It's worth a look." Blindman Lu glanced at the portal. Within it, a phantom chessboard shimmered faintly. Three new white pieces had been set upon it—Song Ping, Nantian Xiu, and Jun Wudi. At the center sat a lone black piece, representing Lu Chen, encircled by two others—the factions of Flame Demon and Bai Ze. "The board grows crowded. The situation grows more tangled. In three days, we'll go straight to the Heavenly Mandate Hall and play a game of chess with them." With a wave, he dismissed the phantom chessboard and stepped into the rift, leaving only the laughter and clamor of the cabin behind. At that moment, Jun Wudi felt the weight pressing on his mind vanish. The stabbing pain between his brows faded. "Have you left already?" He let out a long breath, bowed once more toward the cabin door, then carefully gathered the two cups of liquor before slipping outside. Outside, the cool breeze ruffled his hair. The air should have carried a touch of loneliness with it, but Jun Wudi's eyes burned with unyielding battle spirit. This sudden turn of fate made him resolve to change his plans. He, too, would seize the opportunities of this Golden Era. Back then, the ambush at the Deer Ridge of the Eastern Mountain had cost him everything. Jun Wudi would not allow such a tragedy to happen a second time. To prevent it, he could only fight with everything he had, and end war with war. Below the ship's deck, Lu Chen lay on the bed, snoring heavily. Nantian Wan'er walked into the room with a bucket of water and gently wiped away the grime left from his earlier battles. Jun Laoye and Nantian Yijian stood nearby. They wanted to help, but with no idea how to care for someone, they could only pace about anxiously. After cleaning Lu Chen's upper body, Nantian Wan'er was about to cover him with a blanket when his consciousness suddenly stirred. Feeling that, Nantian Wan'er split off a strand of divine sense and entered his sea of consciousness, only to find utter chaos within. A violent force raged inside, threatening to shatter Lu Chen's mind. In the eye of the storm, a golden figure stood upon a solitary island, resisting the rampaging energy on Lu Chen's behalf. Sensing her presence, the figure released a gentle wave of power and forced her divine sense back out. Realizing something was wrong, Nantian Wan'er tried to reenter, but at that moment, the passage to the small world reopened. Violent spirit qi poured through the crack, ramming against the Heavenly Pool. Violent tremors shook the Heavenly Pool as savage spirit qi flooded Lu Chen's sea of qi and spilled into his meridians. Without hesitation, Nantian Wan'er guided the black and white fish to swim through Lu Chen's meridians, suppressing the turbulence within the Heavenly Pool. At the same time, she pushed the Acquired Green Sovereign Divine Tree to its limit, absorbing all spirit qi attributes it could—water, fire, lightning, wind, metal. Bit by bit, the raging spirit qi condensed into gentle spirit liquid. Some remained within the Divine Tree, but some droplets trickled down its branches into Lu Chen's sea of qi, nourishing his Heavenly Pool, meridians, and acupoints. Seeing the Heavenly Pool slowly stabilize, Nantian Wan'er let out a long breath. Her divine sense reached through the crack again, only to find that the disaster inside the small world had only worsened. Gales, torrential rain, thunder, lightning, strange flames, flying stones, and countless elemental forces erupted from the Innate Green Sovereign Divine Tree, tearing apart the laws of the small world. Bai Ze and Flame Demon led the beasts beyond the Core Breakthrough Realm, setting up a great formation around the Innate Green Sovereign Divine Tree, desperately attempting to hold the small world together. Sensing Nantian Wan'er, Bai Ze sent his voice through the crack and urged her to bring Lu Chen into the small world at once. She gave a quiet reply, then turned to look at the other two in the room with her. "Brother Yijian, Brother Jun... I'll keep watch here. You must be exhausted after the battles earlier. Go and rest first." "Boss may just be asleep, but I'm still worried," Nantian Yijian leaned against the bed and stared at Lu Chen. "I'll stay here until he wakes up." "I've looked after Lu-gege many times before. I know what to do," Nantian Wan'er emptied the bucket and tried to push them out. "You two don't know how to take care of someone. Go back." "Hm? Many times before?" Jun Laoye frowned in puzzlement. "Didn't you just meet inside the secret realm? How could you have cared for him so often?" Distracted by the turmoil in the small world, Nantian Wan'er almost let slip the truth of the illusion realm. She quickly corrected herself. "Ah... Yes, that was in the secret realm. Lu-gege was injured several times there, and I tended to him." As she spoke, the chaos inside the small world grew fiercer. The Innate Green Sovereign Divine Tree had begun striking directly at the Heavenly Pool. Nantian Wan'er struggled to endure. Spirit qi surged through her meridians, nearly making her spit some blood, but she forced it down. Growing desperate for Lu Chen to be brought in, Bai Ze urged her once more, "Miss Wan'er, hurry! We can't hold on much longer!" She pushed the two men toward the door. "Look at you both, covered in filth! If Lu-gege saw you now, he'd make fun of you." Jun Laoye caught on to her odd behavior and became convinced that Lu Chen and Nantian Wan'er shared a deeper bond. He suspected Nantian Wan'er wanted them gone, but could not say it outright. He glanced at Lu Chen, then pulled Nantian Yijian toward the exit. "Very well, we'll go wash up first." "Little Jian, look at us, we look just like beggars. If Little Lu sees us , he'll laugh at us. Let's leave first and come back tomorrow morning." "But... I want to stay with Boss—" "For what! Just look at how filthy you are!" Jun Laoye already sensed the turbulent spirit qi around Lu Chen and Nantian Wan'er, and knew for sure she wanted them gone. Nantian Yijian glanced down at his torn clothes still stained with blood and wine from the battle. I guess he's right. I really look like a beggar. Reluctantly, he finally allowed Jun Laoye to drag him out, though he glanced back at Lu Chen with every step. "Fine, I'll come back tomorrow morning." "Miss Wan'er, if anything happens, just let us know through voice transmission. We'll be here right away." With that, Jun Laoye gave Nantian Wan'er a nod and pulled Nantian Yijian away. Still uneasy, he resolved to report everything to Jun Wudi. As soon as they left, Nantian Wan'er could no longer hold on. She collapsed, sliding down against the door. She was already weak to begin with. Now, with her meridians in chaos, she could no longer endure it. Darkness clouded her vision as blood spilled from her lips onto the floor. Thɪs chapter is updated by NoveIＦire.net Inside the room, Lu Chen roared in his sleep, as if tormented by some unbearable agony. Wind Dragon's voice echoed out, helping him suppress the chaos within. Nantian Wan'er shook her head and swallowed two Heaven Restoration Pills. "Lu-gege, wait for me. I'll take you back right now." Covered in blood, she staggered to her feet, activated the room's defensive barrier, and leaned against the wall, approaching Lu Chen step by step. Forcing herself to lift Lu Chen, she carried him into the small world. 1. Referring to the Ice River Emperor here. ☜