Chapter 525: Farewell
Chapter 525: Farewell
Emerging from the top floor of the Demon Sealing Pagoda, Chen Huaian's cultivation had already advanced to the early Nascent Soul stage.
At the same time, within his dantian, alongside the adorably chubby wild boar Dang Kang, there now resided a plump qilin with its paws tucked into invisible pockets, its eyes narrowed in a perpetual smile.
"Leave the rest to me. I'll fulfill your wish," Chen Huaian sighed. Dang Kang had forged his sword path, and now this qilin would likely shape his alchemy path. This was all part of the Ancestral Dragon's arrangement, gradually molding him into a versatile master.
But to accelerate this process, these auspicious beasts had to sacrifice themselves one by one, becoming part of his power.
"Ancestor, is there anything else?" Dan Bai glanced around nervously, instinctively hiding behind Chen Huaian. The Demon Sealing Pagoda felt eerie - while the noisy qilin had been present, there'd at least been some vitality. But after its disappearance, only expressionless demons and thick deathly aura remained.
The demons didn't attack, merely watching silently from afar as they walked forward.
"Nothing else. Do you want to return now?" Chen Huaian patted Dan Bai's head.
"I should go back," Dan Bai nodded obediently. "Although this is a rare opportunity, I'm not skilled in combat. If something unexpected happened, I might just hold you back."
"That's reasonable." Chen Huaian agreed. This place was dangerous, and without his full Cangyun Realm-level power, he couldn't guarantee Dan Bai's safety.Activating the Sect Summoning Token, he sent Dan Bai back. However, nearly all the pills Dan Bai and the qilin had refined remained with him in his player's inventory, along with surplus materials. Dan Bai only took one pill back for research.
...
In the Cangyun Realm, spatial fluctuations announced Dan Bai's return to her small wooden hut. The alchemical fire beneath her cauldron still burned, but the spiritual herbs inside had long since charred.
Oh no! Had so much time passed? Weren't the timelines between worlds supposed to be synchronized?
Staring at the blackened mush in her cauldron, Dan Bai felt impending doom. Looking up, she met her mother's stormy expression.
"So you abandon your cauldron mid-refinement to wander about? How will you ever assist the Ancestor like this?"
Seeing her mother's livid face, Dan Bai panicked: "Mother! Let me explain! I was helping the Ancestor! I was only gone less than an hour!"
"Lies now too?" Dan Yun snorted coldly. "Copy the Taihua Alchemy Sutra ten thousand times! No leaving until you finish!"
With a slam of the door, Dan Yun stormed out.
"Motherrrr!"
"I'm innocent!!!"
Dan Bai's despairing wails echoed through the wooden hut.
...
"Sect Master, Elder Dan Yun requests an audience."
Behind the screen in the main hall, Li Qingran paused her meditation. Dan Yun visiting? That was rare. Using her master's world's terminology, the Alchemy Pavilion elder was the ultimate shut-in, never emerging unless absolutely necessary.
Yet here she was. And specifically asking to see her.
Li Qingran felt slightly nervous. "Show Elder Dan Yun in."
The disciple soon returned with an anxious-looking Dan Yun, who spoke urgently before Li Qingran could inquire: "Sect Master, I've discovered something strange."
Li Qingran nodded for her to continue.
"The Ancestor occasionally summons some disci... I mean, elders and disciples to that Earth Star world, yes? Previously, no matter how long passed there, our timelines remained nearly synchronized."
"Correct," Li Qingran agreed. "Our time flows almost identically to the Ancestor's world."
"But..." Dan Yun bit her lip. "My daughter Dan Bai was summoned by the Ancestor. When she returned, nearly a day had passed here - her cauldron's herbs had burned dry. The Ancestor never keeps anyone long, so... could our timelines be diverging?"
Li Qingran's heart skipped a beat. Come to think of it, she hadn't seen Chen Huaian for almost a day either. She'd assumed he was busy, but was time now flowing faster in the Cangyun Realm than on Earth Star?
Would she... age faster than her master?!
Her first instinct was to touch her face. As a cultivator - and a gifted one at that - she needn't worry about aging appearances. Like the Green Cloud Ancestor, she could revert her appearance instantly.
But mental age was different. The way she viewed things would mature. Now she could still playfully snuggle in her master's arms, but at the Green Cloud Ancestor's age, even with a youthful face, such behavior would be... embarrassing!
"I'll verify this with the Ancestor," Li Qingran said solemnly. If the time differential had increased, wouldn't that mean her master would spend even less time in the Cangyun Realm?
And she certainly didn't want to become an old maid!
"Sect Master, Rice Bucket requests an audience."
Another report came from beyond the screen. Dan Yun clasped her hands. "Then I shall take my leave. That silly girl is probably still wailing in the Alchemy Pavilion. I should supervise her copying that sutra. I've been waiting for an excuse - today's incident provided the perfect opportunity."
Li Qingran: "..."
This Alchemy Pavilion elder certainly knew how to seize teachable moments. Rather than reporting the anomaly first, she'd used it to discipline her daughter...
Noted. She'd remember this tactic for when she and her master had children. Heehee!
As Dan Yun left, Jade Compassion's middle corpse Rice Bucket was ushered in. Unlike Dan Yun's agitation, Jade Compassion appeared calm, easing Li Qingran's tension somewhat.
This was a Great Ascension Stage powerhouse after all. If she remained composed, matters probably weren't dire.
Yet...
"Sect Master Li, I came to inform you and Sword Master Chen that I likely won't remain much longer."
Rice Bucket's eyelashes fluttered, her usually bright eyes now shadowed with subtle melancholy.
"During my time at Moon Shadow Sect, I've been very happy. Thank you for accepting me, even letting me consume an entire mountain..."
That melancholy didn't escape Li Qingran's notice. She studied Rice Bucket curiously. In all the vast Cangyun Realm, who could make a Great Ascension Third Tribulation Perfection expert speak like this?