After clearing the level, the fairies were reborn!

If Xu Ze were just a rogue cultivator with no background, would the Song family have tolerated him so much? They would have sent someone to grind him to dust long ago.

In contrast, Xu Ze was always in the public eye, taking the stunningly beautiful little girl with him on sightseeing trips, exploring every corner of Donghua City.

Wherever he went, the people welcomed him with open arms. Whether they were merchants or monks, they all greeted him with smiles and were very warm and attentive.

Finally, the identity of Mu Qinghe, who was by his side, was discovered and quickly spread throughout the city, even reaching small vendors.

"...The Ninth Princess of the Central Continent Dynasty?!"

Inside a teahouse, a young monk cried out in surprise, but his companion immediately covered his mouth.

"Shh! Keep your voice down!" The other person nervously looked around, and only let go of his hand after making sure no one was paying attention.

"The Song family sent word yesterday that no one is allowed to talk about this young lady in the street. If they displease her, who can bear the wrath of the Empress Dowager?"

"The Empress Dowager? Is she the one who, a hundred years ago, single-handedly suppressed the rebellion of the three sects in the Central Continent, causing rivers of blood to flow?" The young cultivator's voice trembled.

"Who else could it be but her?" the third person interjected. "Don't even mention the Song family, even the most powerful and influential 'Shenji Sect' in Beiju Luzhou wouldn't dare to offend her."

"The one who was with the Ninth Princess...?"

The young cultivator looked out the window and saw Xu Ze and Mu Qinghe walking out of a pastry shop across the street.

Mu Qinghe was holding a bag of newly bought spirit fruit cakes and happily stuffing them into her mouth.

"Is there any need to ask? To be able to walk side by side with the Ninth Princess of the Central Continent Dynasty, chatting and laughing freely, and even having the Ninth Princess follow him like a little follower... he must have an even greater background!"

"My goodness," the young cultivator gasped, "He even brought that little girl... Ninth Princess to my uncle's steamed bun shop to eat steamed buns today."

"Just keep it to yourself, don't make a fuss," his companion warned. "Even the Song family wouldn't dare mess with someone like him, let alone us lowly cultivators."

"If you see it, pretend you didn't see it, just do what you're doing, and definitely don't try to get close to them."

"I understand, I understand..."

For a moment, everyone knew the truth, but pretended to be clueless.

The voice gradually lowered, and even the gazes directed at the two people in the distance lessened.

No wonder Song Yubai swallowed his anger and suffered in silence!

He's not even the heir to the Song family, how dare he offend someone like that?

Even if Song Xunzhen saw it, she would have to think twice before speaking.

As for Xu Ze, he found it very strange.

He clearly wanted to spend a lot of money recently and experience the thrill of consumption.

Anyway, these spirit stones were obtained from the raid on Biyang Sect. They're just sitting in my storage bag anyway, so I might as well spend them. That's what money is all about.

How come all these vendors are offering discounts or buy-one-get-one-free deals, and they're all so cheap?

It's even cheaper than in South Africa.

"Could it be that the cultivation world is the opposite of the real world, where things are cheaper in more developed areas?"

Xu Ze thought, "Hmm, that makes sense."

He successfully convinced himself.

As he walked down the street, suddenly, the little girl next to him tugged at his sleeve.

"What?" Xu Ze looked down at her.

"I want to eat that." The little girl stretched out her fair finger and pointed to a small stall on the street corner.

Following Mu Qinghe's finger, Xu Ze saw a vendor selling sugar figurines.

It was an elderly man with gray hair, and in front of him was a simple wooden frame with dozens of lifelike sugar figurines on it.

There are dragons soaring through the clouds, phoenixes spreading their wings as if about to take flight, swordsmen standing with swords in hand, and fairies with flowing robes.

The sugar figurine gleams with an amber luster in the sunlight, and its aroma is enticing.

It seems this place is quite similar to my hometown; they even sell these ordinary foods.

A sense of familiarity welled up in Xu Ze's heart.

It is the warmth and vitality of everyday life that truly shines.

In the world of cultivation, even those who attain great cultivation levels in the future always start as mortals.

Many people, even those who have reached the Mahayana stage and are only one step away from ascension, can never let go of their worldly attachments—a taste of home, a childhood memory, a beloved person.

"Boss, two skewers, please."

He stepped forward.

The vendor was slightly taken aback when he saw the newcomer's appearance.

The man and woman before me were strikingly handsome and refined, with an extraordinary air about them. The woman was charming and adorable, radiating a captivating spirit; they were clearly no ordinary people.

Then, he suddenly remembered the portrait he had seen that morning, and his face instantly broke into a wide smile, his wrinkles crinkling together:

"Young master, what kind would you like?"

After glancing at the pattern, Xu Ze randomly chose a small figure holding a sword, and then looked at Mu Qinghe beside him.

This little girl has promised me a great opportunity; I have to coax her well.

Moreover, he had seen her in the fragments of the Primordial Cauldron, so her identity should be genuine.

What kind of one do you want?

Mu Qinghe was overwhelmed by the variety, her mouth slightly agape, her face full of surprise: "Are there really so many kinds?!"

She has never had her eyes light up like this before, no matter how beautiful the jewelry or how rare the gemstones.

Although those jewels and ritual objects were precious, they had been seen so often in the palace that they had long lost their novelty.

But these little sugar figurines, with their varied shapes and vivid, interesting designs, were novel things she had never encountered before.

"It's made of sugar to resemble little people, you've never tried it?" Xu Ze looked at her curiously.

The little girl shook her head like a rattle drum, her two ponytails trembling back and forth.

"No, I've never seen him, whether at home or when I go out."

She carefully selected two.

One is a fairy from the moon palace, resembling Chang'e, with flowing dresses, holding a jade rabbit, exuding an ethereal aura.

Another one is an adorable little rabbit with its ears standing up high and its eyes decorated with black sesame seeds, making it incredibly endearing.

It's as if after eating, she can turn into a fairy or a carefree little rabbit.

Escape the constraints of the palace, escape the identity of a princess, and be a free and ordinary person.

Xu Ze paid the money, but the old man initially refused to accept it. In the end, Xu Ze forced a spirit stone into his hand and then took Mu Qinghe away.

Afterwards, the little girl ate one in each hand, taking a bite from the left and a bite from the right, her mouth covered in sugar stains, and then happily followed Xu Ze to go shopping.

Sunlight shone on her, and the sugar figurine gleamed in her hands. Her satisfied smile was more dazzling than any treasure.

"Hey! These two taste different!" Originally, Mu Qinghe thought that these little figures were just different in appearance, and that they all tasted like sugar.

As a result, the Chang'e fairy was noticeably sweeter, while the little rabbit was sour.

"Let me have some of yours!"

She also wanted to try Xu Ze's.

"Oh? Are you sure you want to eat this?"

"...I'm talking about the sugar-eating man!!"

Before long, she was amused and her face turned bright red.

However, in the end, she didn't finish any of the three sugar figurines.

Each one had a bright red rouge mark on it, and they were all handed to Xu Ze.

"Hehe~ I can't eat anymore."

Looking at the cute yet slightly mischievous little girl in front of him, Xu Ze smiled and shook his head, then accepted the sugar figurine.

If she met Xiaobai, the two of them would probably get along very well, right?

This thought suddenly popped into Xu Ze's mind.

Xiao Bai is also the kind of person with a simple and kind personality. Although she can be a little cunning at times due to her Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox bloodline, she is still pure at heart.

She and Mu Qinghe are about the same age and have similar personalities, so they should be able to become good friends.

I just don't know when Xiaobai will wake up.

He may not know that sometimes, two people who could have become good friends can become 'lifelong enemies' for certain reasons.

……

It is a hundred miles outside Donghua City.

A vast glacier stands majestically, reflecting a dazzling light under the sun.

The glacier is thousands of feet high and stretches for dozens of miles, like a sleeping white dragon lying across the vast snowfield.

At the foot of this glacier lies a massive stone gate.

The stone gate is about ten zhang high and five zhang wide. It is carved entirely from an unknown black rock and its surface is covered with traces of time.

The stone gate is marked with an ancient magic array pattern. It is a complex circular array composed of countless fine runes, with a Tai Chi symbol in the center and patterns of the sun, moon and stars surrounding it.

Although it has lost its original golden brilliance and the formation has long since failed, its former extraordinary nature can still be seen.

Standing before the stone gate, one can feel a vast and ancient aura, as if traversing countless ages and facing that glorious ancient era.

Tens of thousands of years ago, this place was home to one of the most renowned sects in the entire world—the Xuanling Sect.

However, prosperity inevitably leads to decline, and the Xuanling Sect was not spared in the great calamity that swept across the entire Tianyuan Continent at the end of ancient times.

The sect was destroyed, its lineage severed, its mountain gate collapsed, and it was eventually covered by ice and snow, disappearing into the long river of history.

The original mountain gate has been transformed into a magnificent glacier, and the magnificent palaces are buried under the ice and snow. The glorious past has become a legend.

All that has passed seems to have been buried by time, but this secret realm is proof that it once existed.

It is also an opportunity left for future generations of cultivators.