I've already become an immortal lord, and only now is the spiritual energy reviving?

The private room was steaming hot, and the table was laden with delicious dishes.

Qingyuan picked up a crystal shrimp and glanced at Shen Yumei's feet.

It was empty, with only a pair of worn-out old cloth shoes and no new shoe boxes in sight.

Auntie.

Qingyuan poured tea for his uncle and casually asked him a question.

"Didn't you go pick out shoes? Where are your spoils? Were they left on the counter?"

Shen Yumei was busy preparing braised lion's head meatballs, her chopsticks still moving, her tone casual and nonchalant:

"Ugh, don't even mention it. The shoes these days are too flashy and not suitable for someone my age."

"I looked around but didn't find anything I liked. Plus, those sales assistants were so persuasive and their sales pitches were giving me a headache, so I decided not to buy anything."

"Besides, shoes are ridiculously expensive. With that extra money, I could buy several pairs to rotate back home. It's not worth it."

Qingyuan's hand, holding the teapot, paused slightly.

It's not that they didn't like it; they just saw the price tag and couldn't bring themselves to pay for it.

My heart ached, like I'd chewed on a raw, unripe apricot.

He didn't call him out on it, and picked up a large piece of meat: "It's okay if you didn't buy any. The shoes from my hometown are good for your feet. Here, eat them while they're hot. Braised pork gets greasy when it's cold."

With toasts and laughter, the meal was lively and warm.

After a satisfying meal, everyone slumped in their chairs to digest.

Shen Yumei grabbed a tissue to wipe her mouth, looked at Qingyuan, and adopted a parental authority:

"You've traveled quite a distance. You were both the driver and the tour guide this morning, which must have been tiring. You don't need to worry about me this afternoon. Go do whatever you need to do."

"Yes, cousin."

Guo Qiang was also picking his teeth and chiming in.

"I can hardly keep up with my mom's legs anymore. You should go back. We'll just stroll around this area this afternoon."

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Qingyuan wanted to be polite, but seeing the determination in his aunt's eyes, he swallowed back the words he was about to say.

He knows his aunt too well.

Straightforward, short-tempered, and utterly annoyed by rambling and insincere pleasantries.

She said no, and she really meant no.

"become."

Qingyuan stood up and stopped making excuses.

"Auntie, you can shop around. Call me anytime if you need anything. Let me know if you can't get a taxi."

After paying the bill, we saw the elders off in the pre-arranged car.

Shen Yumei had just stepped into the car.

Guo Qiang, with a constipated expression, finally couldn't hold it in any longer and hesitated to go.

"What are you dawdling for? Asking for a beating?"

Shen Yumei frowned and flicked her son's forehead with her hand.

"Mom! Be gentle!"

Guo Qiang rubbed his head, grinned, pulled out a bank card, and stuffed it into Shen Yumei's hand.

"What the heck?"

Shen Yumei was stunned.

"My cousin gave it to me; he practically forced it on me in the bathroom just now."

Guo Qiang looked completely innocent and handed over another folded piece of paper.

"They said you absolutely had to accept it."

Shen Yumei was stunned, and unfolded the note:

"Auntie, I don't have parents anymore, you and Uncle are my closest relatives."

"It's not much money, but I'll buy some clothes for you two to wear during the new season. My nephew is all grown up now, it's my turn to take care of you. Don't be stingy, we have to spend it."

Shen Yumei stood by the car door, clutching the thin card, and remained motionless for a long time.

After a long pause, he cursed, "You brat...you're so disobedient."

His voice, however, had a very strong nasal tone.

......

The curtains in the rented room were tightly closed, and the light was dim.

Qingyuan sat cross-legged on the chair.

On the screen, a faint point of light was moving inch by inch along the steep mountain path toward the back of Guanhua Gate.

"They're here."

Qingyuan's eyes were burning.

A carefully laid-out chess piece, the sharpest sword for the sect in the future.

Today, the sword is sheathed.

......

Dark as ink.

Xu Sixing stepped onto the last stone step.

He gasped for breath, his damaged meridians making each step feel like walking on a knife's edge, yet the stubbornness in his eyes remained undiminished.

Raise your head and look straight ahead.

The scene before me is no longer of this world.

Under the cover of night, the mighty river flows silently and without a ripple on its surface.

A pavilion stands out in the middle of the river, surrounded by ancient trees with gnarled roots, weathered by time.

In the center of the pavilion, a white ape sat cross-legged with its eyes closed, resembling an old monk in meditation or dozing off.

Above the pavilion, a bright, round moon hangs alone, so large it seems unreal, its clear light spreading across the river.

Xu Sixing subconsciously lowered his eyes and looked down at his feet.

His ragged figure was reflected in the river, looking utterly disheveled.

"Glug, glug."

Suddenly, a strange sound arose from the stagnant water, and a figure gradually emerged from the previously empty bottom.

Old, playful, and slightly sleazy.

Zhu Ming!

Before the exclamation could be uttered, the water rippled again, and beside Zhu Ming's reflection, a face of Wen Xianyun, both effeminate and ruthless, appeared.

Countless faces appeared one after another.

The peddler from Blackwater City, the demonic beasts that perished under his sword, the fellow disciples who bullied him in his youth...

What's even more chilling is...

The reflections in the water all turned their heads in unison, their lifeless gray eyes piercing through the water's surface and fixing on him!

A chill ran straight to his head, and Xu Sixing gripped the broken hilt of his sword tightly at his waist.

"Clatter".

The strange phenomenon vanished without a trace.

The river has dried up, the pavilions have collapsed, and the white ape has vanished without a trace.

In the open space ahead, a beautiful figure stood with her hands behind her back, gazing up at the cold moon in the sky.

Xu Sixing stood frozen, only four words remaining in his mind.

Master of Foundation Establishment.

He dared not delay and stepped forward, standing still three zhang away.

Bow, clasp hands, and perform the junior's greeting:

"Junior Xu Sixing greets the Venerable One."

Bathed in moonlight, Shu Yan's figure appeared somewhat ethereal.

"Please feel free to ask if you have any questions."

Xu Sixing's Adam's apple bobbed, and his doubts, growing wildly like weeds, poured out all at once:

"Senior, why is my physical body so strange? Why does my cultivation level fluctuate so much?"

What was Wen Xianyun's fate in that battle?

"Also, Zhu Ming...is he...?"

"Your physical body is destroyed, and it is only maintained by my Water Moon Illusion. However, your entire Dao Foundation level is sealed in the sword. One day it is not impossible to restore it."

"In that battle, both sides were severely injured. You 'died,' and Wen Xianyun was taken away by your sect elder."

After a pause, mentioning "Zhu Ming," Shu Yan bluntly pointed out:

"As for the remnant soul residing in your sea of ​​consciousness? I know."

Xu Sixing was not surprised.

Given Miss Su's methods and the circumstances at the time, it's not hard to deduce that.

Xu Sixing gave a bitter smile, his expression somber: "This junior is incompetent, causing him to be utterly destroyed..."

Shu Yan suddenly spoke.

"Who said he was gone? The adults thought he was still useful, so they kept him."

Thunder on the ground!

Xu Sixing suddenly raised his head, his pupils dilating violently.

"He's...he's not dead?!"

Overwhelmed by a mixture of ecstasy and astonishment, the [Zhenli] sword, connected to his mind and spirit, went out of control.

A powerful sword cry resounds!

Xu Sixing's body was in disarray, and the ancient sword gate was playing in the void.

The azure dragon extended its claws from the Thunder Marsh, and the Emperor emerged from the tremor. The dragon's form surged and churned, majestic and fierce.

The golden crow, its feathers gleaming, burns the sky, dazzling and violent, its light shining in all directions.

Thunder and fire clash, yin and yang surge.

Driven by the flow of qi, the weather behind the mountain changed color.

A delicate hand gently pressed down on Xu Sixing's shoulder.

"Calm your mind."

The raging thunder and fire were suppressed back into his body, subsiding completely.

Xu Sixing was panting heavily, his body swaying unsteadily.

"Thank you..."

For Zhu Ming, living was more important than achieving the Purple Mansion Golden Elixir.

Xu Sixing straightened his back and asked the key question:

"Miss Su, you have saved my life and given me a second chance at life. I wonder what I can do for you?"

Shu Yan waved her sleeve.

The hazy moonlight shone down, enveloping the two of them.

"In Langche and Zhuxuan's eyes, Xu Sixing of the Imperial Sword Sect is already a dead man."

"When they return to their clan, Yu Zhang and Yuan Lian will also know that 'Xu Sihang will never exist again.'"

She added:

My family thinks highly of you.

That's all for this.

Xu Sixing remained silent.

In the eyes of the world, he has vanished into thin air.

Imperial Sword Sect?

After a fierce battle with Wen Xianyun, Wen Xianyun saw through Yu Zhang's scheme...

All that remains is hatred; all hope is gone.

In contrast, look at Guanhua Gate.

They pulled him back from the brink of death, helped him establish his Dao foundation, and even saved Old Man Zhu Ming.

He's not stupid.

This is my thigh, and my only home.

Xu Sixing solemnly swore an oath to Heaven:

"I, Xu, am unworthy, but I now humbly wish to join the Guan Hua Sect! I will become a sword, serving you, my lord! If I break this oath, may I be struck down by heaven and earth, my soul scattered to the nine netherworlds!"

In the darkness, a grand will descended.

An invisible contract has been formed, and the wandering and rootless destiny has finally found its footing, firmly bound to Guanhua Gate.

A restless mind, yet a strange tranquility.

perhaps.

Is this the ending that old Zhu Ming wanted to see?

Seeing his expression, Shu Yan smiled faintly.

"Once you've entered my door, you're family."

With a flick of his wrist, a jade bottle and a jade box appeared.

"The elixir in the bottle, the elixir in the box, one dose per day."

"Your physical body is still empty, so nurture it first. Don't rush to practice swordsmanship. Wait until your body can support the foundation of the Dao before discussing anything else."

After giving her explanation, Shu Yan's figure became ethereal and vanished from the world.

Xu Sixing held the jade box and jade bottle, gazing into the distance at the open mountain peak, bathed in the cool mountain breeze.

He gripped the broken sword and muttered a sinister whisper:

"Yu Zhang..."

"Wash your neck clean, and wait for me!"

......

Cuiping Peak, a courtyard nestled in the mountains.

Beside the stone table, Shu Yan held a teapot and pushed a cup of fragrant tea to the person opposite her.

Chai Wu disregarded the proper etiquette of tea tasting, tilting his head back and gulping it down, exhaling hot steam.

"Excellent! Junior sister, the tea is flavorful!"

He put down his glass, smacked his lips, and sighed:

"I never imagined that your foundation of the 【Consciousness-Only Image Mind Monkey Platform】 would be so wondrous. You have finally lived up to the Holy Furnace's decree and brought such a fine talent under your wing."

Shu Yan poured herself a cup and said softly:

"The manifestation of the Dao is merely a way of reflecting the human heart through the moon."

"The mind is like a restless monkey, and it is the most difficult to subdue. My foundation is to cultivate 'Consciousness-Only,' which evolves in countless ways between truth and falsehood."

She looked up at Chai Wu and sighed helplessly:

"In terms of supernatural abilities, who can compare to my senior brother?"

"I observe that the Qi and blood in your body are as fiery as a blazing sun in a furnace, yet as restrained as gold hidden in thick soil. This truly reflects the creation of 'blood like mercury, from which one can be reborn with a single drop of blood.'"

"Ordinary cultivators struggle to reattach severed limbs, and Senior Brother's head is probably gone now. As long as he's not completely cold, he could probably be back to chopping people up as soon as it's put back on, right?"

Chai Wu chuckled, clenched his fist, and his knuckles cracked.

"That's right! With this body now, as long as there's a drop of warm blood left, I can live on my last breath! And this is only the tip of the iceberg."

"When I have some free time, I'll show you my trump card, the 'Mount Sumeru King Contemplation,' and it'll scare you to death!"

Shu Yan chuckled and rolled her eyes at him:

"Alright, stop showing off. Now that you've reached a certain level, why aren't you heading home?"

"How much has it been for Sister He Qin, who has been both a father and a mother all these years?"

The tone suddenly shifted to a mischievous one, carrying a deeper meaning:

"Also, regarding Peak Master Qin, I heard you used the Yang Fiend Qi to aid your cultivation, while he's still in seclusion in the Molten Pool digesting it? Have you figured out how to explain this?"

"I... um..."

Chai Wu hesitated for a long time:

"I'm here to heal! To save lives! Yes, saving lives is the most important thing!"

"Well, I'm heading back now!"

Watching Chai Wu flee in disarray, Shu Yan swirled her cup.

"Senior brother, please settle in quickly."

"We have both broken through the boundaries of Qinglu, and Guanhua Gate fears no one anymore."

"And then there's the Imperial Sword Sect."

"Wen Xianyun has suffered a defeat, and Yu Zhang will not let this go so easily."

"He probably can't sit still for more than a few days; he'll have to come in person."

"At that time..."

A faint, almost imperceptible sound echoed in the empty courtyard:

"We should also talk to Elder Yuzhang about 'reason' and calculate the compensation over the years."

On the stone table.

A cup of leftover tea, its surface rippling gently.