Azure Wind Sword Sect Outside the mountain gate, Ren Pingsheng slowly came to a stop. It had been half a month since he left here to seek revenge on the Evil Sect, and now he was back. Fortunately, he had accomplished everything he set out to do, and with the Evil Sect destroyed, it wasn't a wasted trip.
Thinking about it now, there should be no forces left to trouble the Azure Wind Sword Sect, so he had nothing to worry about. He was contemplating the upcoming Rising Dragon Conference in three years and was preparing to elevate his strength to the Perfected State, so that he would have enough confidence to compete with those geniuses from the Eastern Region for one of the ten spots in the Rising Dragon Pool.
“Ren Pingsheng, you’re finally back! We’ve been on edge these days, afraid something might happen to you,” Kong Zhan said, his worried expression instantly brightening into a smile upon seeing Ren Pingsheng.
“Exactly! We haven’t been able to eat or sleep well these past half month. It’s great that you’re back,” Liu Wuyun sighed in relief and patted Ren Pingsheng on the shoulder.
“It’s good to be back. Let’s head inside! The Sect Master and the others will be very happy if they find out,” Cheng Batian said as he pulled him along, and the three of them made their way to Canglan Main Peak.
At this moment, several Elders of the Azure Wind Sword Sect were present. Zhu Tianchao and Bai Qi were also closely watching Ren Pingsheng, and after a while, Zhu Tianchao spoke up, “You’re finally back. I heard news that the Evil Sect has been wiped out. Was that your doing?”
“That’s right, it was me. The mastermind is dead, and many of their Zong-level Martial Artists have also perished; the remaining disciples and elders have fled,” Ren Pingsheng nodded without denying it.
“It really was you? That’s a third-tier force; it’s truly unbelievable,” the other Elders looked at Ren Pingsheng in shock as if he were a monster.
“However, there’s one thing I learned when I got there: the Evil Sect had two King-Level Experts. I only managed to eliminate one; the other seems to have left decades ago, and I don’t know where they are now. If I encounter them again in the future, it could be problematic. This is not good for the Azure Wind Sword Sect, so you all need to work hard to improve your strength.”
As Ren Pingsheng said this, he glanced at Zhu Tianchao and Bai Qi. They nodded in understanding; they knew what he meant. Among them, only those two had integrated the Inheritance Seed, allowing them to break through to the King Level Boundary most quickly. Three or four decades would suffice. However, with a hidden threat of a King-Level Expert, Ren Pingsheng naturally hoped they could break through sooner.
“This is what I gained from my time at the Evil Sect. There are countless resources inside; I’ve kept some for myself, but these can be left for the sect!” Ren Pingsheng flipped his hand and took out two Spatial Rings, handing them to Zhu Tianchao.
“Ah, seeing you back makes me feel like I’m not fit to be this sect master!” Zhu Tianchao said with some emotion. Over all these years, he hadn’t truly led the Azure Wind Sword Sect to greatness, but now that Ren Pingsheng had returned not long ago with a steady stream of resources, it could be said that he laid a solid foundation for the rise of the sect. Given enough time, they could become a fourth-tier force or even a third-tier force.
Isn’t this what he had longed for all these years? Looking at the two Spatial Rings, his heart surged with excitement; his previously suppressed ambitions reignited. As long as he could make the Azure Wind Sword Sect stronger, he was willing to put in every effort.
“Hehe, I just got lucky; such opportunities don’t come twice. For the next two years, I’ll be cultivating in the Back Mountain. Unless it’s urgent, don’t come looking for me. You all should also focus on improving your strength! You may not know this yet, but while I was in the Southern Region, I received news that within three to five hundred years, a great calamity will descend upon us; at that time, chaos will erupt across the continent.”
“If we lack strength then, we’ll only be bullied and swallowed up by others. So during these few hundred years, we must seize every moment to cultivate. Without reaching the King Level Boundary, we might not even be able to stand our ground,” Ren Pingsheng said with some concern.
“A great calamity? Chaos across the world? Is this news reliable?” The crowd in the hall asked in surprise.
“You should have seen those recent Heaven and Earth Anomalies. They are omens; this news is no secret among some major forces. Not just you as sect masters but even our disciples need to be trained vigorously. After all, we have resources; we cannot waste them.”
"That's all for now, you can decide for yourselves. I'm leaving first," Ren Pingsheng said before turning to leave. This left everyone in the hall deep in thought about what to do next.
"Since Ren Pingsheng has said this, it must be correct. Let's all focus on our cultivation from now on. If anyone needs techniques or martial skills, you can come to me to collect them. Don't be stingy with resources; we should actively nurture the disciples below," Zhu Tianchao made a decision.
Ren Pingsheng and Kong Zhan gathered in a small courtyard before heading to Back Mountain, the Little Mountain Valley where he had spent nearly two years. Kong Zhan and the others began to immerse themselves in their cultivation at Azure Wind Sword Sect. They had obtained Emperor-Level Techniques and a wealth of martial skills to learn, which would take them a long time to digest.
"Qingyi, do you recognize this place?" Ren Pingsheng said gently as he stood in Little Mountain Valley.
Little White Fox jumped out of Ren Pingsheng's arms and ran around Little Mountain Valley excitedly, letting out a couple of joyful cries. Then, it darted into a small cave, seemingly inspecting this new resting place. Its little nose sniffed around, as if it had discovered something, wearing a puzzled expression.
"Haha, this is the place where you used to live; there's no need to be confused. You'll be living here from now on," he said with a smile, then took out a piece of Demon Beast fur and spread it inside the Small Cave. It really looked like a nice resting spot.
Little White Fox comfortably lay on top of it, squinting its eyes in satisfaction with the place.
Ren Pingsheng glanced around and quickly built a small wooden house in the Mountain Valley as his future resting place. He planned to stay here for two years, so he naturally needed to prepare.
"You little ones really are those who love to eat!" That evening, Ren Pingsheng set up a fire and roasted meat while watching Little White Fox feast happily, unable to help but laugh.
Yet his expression seemed somewhat dazed. Many years ago, they had spent time like this together. But now that they were back, they had both changed significantly. He was no longer the naive boy who knew nothing; she was no longer just an ordinary Little White Fox.
"Awoo..." Little White Fox let out a soft cry, circling around Ren Pingsheng's feet and scratching at him with its little paws. Ren Pingsheng came back to his senses and realized that the meat was gone. Unfortunately, she couldn't reach what was on the fire and could only anxiously scratch at his robe.
"Hehe, you little glutton, here you go!" He cut off a piece and handed it to her, watching as she happily ran off to continue eating.
Thus, man and beast settled down here as time flew by; two months passed in the blink of an eye. It was now deep winter, and the weather grew colder. The grass and trees had turned yellow and appeared desolate.
One morning, Ren Pingsheng woke up early and suddenly noticed snowflakes drifting down from the sky. At first, they were small, but gradually more snowflakes began to fall, accumulating on the ground. The distant yellowed grass and trees slowly transformed into white.
"We promised that you would accompany me to watch the falling snow; you can't go back on your word!"
"Can we stay here forever?"
Such familiar words were spoken by someone who was no longer present. Ren Pingsheng wore a sorrowful expression as he recalled everything that had happened not long ago. Although Azure Dragon mentioned there was still some chance of becoming a Divine-Level Expert and saving Yi Qingyi, she had already lost her mind; would she still be herself then?
"Sigh..." He sighed lightly and came back to reality only to find that a thick layer of snow had already settled on the ground. Even his body was covered in snow; he hadn't realized how much time had passed while he was lost in thought.
"Qingyi, come out quickly. It's snowing, let's go watch the snow together!" Ren Pingsheng shook off the snow on his body and approached the Small Cave, looking at the curled-up Little White Fox with a smile as he picked her up.
"Awo..." The Little White Fox, still sleepy, opened her eyes and saw Ren Pingsheng sticking out his crimson little tongue, licking a couple of times before nuzzling into his embrace.
"Don't sleep anymore, it's snowing. We promised to watch the snow together," he said softly, then used True Qi to control a snowflake that gently landed on her little nose.
The cold snowflake immediately stimulated her. She shook her little head vigorously a couple of times and jumped up, looking around warily.
"It's okay, it's just a snowflake!" Ren Pingsheng pointed at the snowflakes falling from the sky and gently told her. Then he pointed at the ground, "This is snow! It's really fun."
As he spoke, he placed her on the ground. "Awo," she let out a small cry and cautiously walked around in the snow. Seemingly adapting to the cold snow, she started to run on it. No longer restrained like at first, she completely let loose.
Having fun, she accidentally fell to the ground and turned into a big snowball. In the continuous falling snow, it was hard to distinguish who was who from afar.
"Awo..." She occasionally let out excited cries, running around Ren Pingsheng a few times before darting off into the distance. In short, she was having a blast.
After playing in the snow for a while, she ran back to Ren Pingsheng's side with a bit of grievance. Her small body curled up as she kept using her little paws to brush off the accumulated snow on herself. It seemed she had played too hard; once she stopped, some of the snow melted away and made her feel a bit cold.
"Then let's stop playing for now; I'll roast some meat for you soon," Ren Pingsheng said with amusement as he picked her up. With a turn of his True Qi, all the snow on her body disappeared along with the surrounding cold.
"Awo..." She seemed to have heard about the roasted meat and her eyes sparkled with excitement. Her little head nuzzled against Ren Pingsheng's chest as if urging him to hurry up and roast meat for her to eat.
Comment 0 Comment Count