Chapter 6: Master and Disciple, Traveling Through Wind and Snow

Once again, on this visit, Fang Che hadn't revealed to his family any of the difficulties and hardships that he had faced.

If his story were to be taken at face value, then the entire world was a wonderful paradise filled with great people and completely risk-free opportunities for rapid cultivation progression.

No one knew just how much he had been through in the past few months.

He was a stalwart wall, keeping out the harsh reality of the outside world while simultaneously providing warmth and insulation to his family.

Ye Meng couldn't help but heave an internal sigh.

For the umpteenth time, she couldn't help but think to herself how great it would be if he wasn't a demonic church member.

The two of them remained stationary on horseback, buffeted by the wind and snow.

Finally, Fang Che composed himself, and he said with a faint smile, "Let's go. Traveling in the snow like this is kinda poetic, don't you think?"

Ye Meng silently nodded in agreement, and the two of them departed.

***

Meanwhile, Sun Yuan was also traveling through the wind and snow toward the White Cloud Prefecture, accompanied by Wang Yun'er and her two guards.

Sun Yuan had already informed Yin Shengong of the situation that he was in, but there was nothing that Yin Shengong could do.

The Wang Clan was simply too powerful for him to oppose, and even if he had been in Sun Yuan's shoes, he would've also had no choice but to allow Wang Yun'er to follow him.

However, both of them knew that they absolutely could not allow her to get her wish of meeting Night Demon. That would place Night Demon in far too much danger.

Hence, Yin Shengong changed his instructions to Sun Yuan.

"Don't worry about protecting Night Demon. Just try and get away from them when you can, and once you do, return to the headquarters."

Unfortunately, this was much easier said than done.

Sun Yuan had tried to slip away on countless occasions, but the trio constantly kept a very close eye on him, making escape impossible.

Wang Yun'er had already lifted the hardwood screen on her Unicorn Dragon Horse so that she could bask in the falling snow.

She had even done away with her reclining chair, and both the chair and the hardwood screen vanished into thin air with a wave of her hand.

Sun Yuan's eyes were immediately drawn to a black ring on her finger upon seeing this.

A branch lineal descendant like her has a spatial ring? On top of that, both of her guards are sixth-rank Emperors... Is she really just a branch lineal descendant of the Wang Clan?

Sun Yuan fell into deep though as he led the way forward.

On the entire way back, he had constantly been plagued with a very eerie feeling, as if there were many people following him, and even though he wasn't able to detect anything amiss with his spirit sense, he was highly suspicious that there were more than just these three people following him.

Should I really take them to the White Cloud Prefecture? Wouldn't that tip them off to the fact that Night Demon is in the White Cloud Prefecture?

With that in mind, he intentionally took a wrong turn at a crossroads.

All of the landsmarks as far as the eyes could see had been covered in a thick blanket of snow, creating a world of pristine white.

"Where are we going, Elder Sun?" Wang Yun'er casually asked.

"The White Apple Prefecture," Sun Yuan replied. "It's the area that I've been tasked with overseeing by Pope Yin."

Wang Yun'er exchanged a glance with her two guards, then said, "I see. Is Night Demon in the White Apple Prefecture as well?"

"That's right," Sun Yuan replied with a smile.

𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

"I'm really looking forward to meeting him!" Wang Yun'er said with an elated smile, but a subtle hint of killing intent was gleaming in her eyes.

"Night Demon is Pope Yin's disciple, and Pope Yin holds him in very high regard, so I'm not sure if I'll be able to meet with him, but I'll do my best to fulfill your wish," Sun Yuan promised.

"Thank you, Elder Sun! By the way, what's Night Demon's personality like?"

"Well... You can probably imagine that he's a little unapproachable, given that he's the pope's disciple."

"It's only right for someone so talented to be a little proud. What does he look like? I heard that he's really well-built and has a thick beard. Is that true?"

"He does have a beard, but it's definitely not as thick as the rumors suggest," Sun Yuan chuckled. "He's a little short and rough around the edges, but he's very masculine. Having said that, give him a few years, and his beard will probably become just as impressive as the rumors claim."

"I love thick beards!" Wang Yun'er giggled. "They feel so nice and itchy against my face."

Sun Yuan gave an awkward chuckle in response.

Wang Yun'er's two guards were riding along on either side of Sun Yuan, glowering at him out of the corner of their eyes.

They knew that he had been lying to them this entire time, and he had even led them the wrong way!

The killing intent in Wang Yun'er's heart was growing by the second. Clearly, Sun Yuan had no intention of leading her to Night Demon at all.

The four of them continue onward, each absorbed in their own thoughts.

They weren't able to travel very quickly through such heavy snowfall, and they also had to constantly worry about falling into a ditch. Of course, such a fall wouldn't be enough to injure warriors of their caliber, but it was still an inconvenience that would ideally be avoided.

The White Apple Continent was situated to the southeast of the White Cloud Prefecture, not far away from Green Wave City.

In fact, a section of the route between the White Apple Prefecture and the White Cloud Prefecture overlapped with that between Green Wave City and the White Cloud Prefecture.

Sun Yuan was feeling very pleased with himself. Finally, he had managed to lead Wang Yun'er's trio down the wrong path.

From here, he would waste some time with them in the White Apple Prefecture, and they would leave once they got sick of their fruitless search for Night Demon.

Alternatively, he would find an opportunity to slip away in the White Apple Prefecture.

It would be far easier to make his escape in a crowded city than out in the open like this.

***

Meanwhile, Fang Che and Ye Meng were also traveling through the snow roughly 150 kilometers away.

They had already entered the section of the Myriad Spirit Forest that had been completely burned to the ground, but the charred and ravaged landscape had been concealed under a blanket of snow.

For some reason, Fang Che was feeling a little distracted.

"What's wrong, Young Master?" Ye Meng asked in a concerned manner. "You've been really quiet this entire time."

Fang Che raised his head slightly, allowing a flurry of snowflakes to fall onto his face, and he was instantly feeling a bit more conscious and alert as he replied, "Maybe it's because I didn't sleep so well last night."

However, he knew that wasn't the case.

He had been bogged down by a strange sense of foreboding this entire way.

"It could also be because one of the most powerful warriors in the history of the Church of the Self-Righteous was buried here."

"Are you sure it was here, Young Master?"

"No. I can't really tell, given that everything's been covered by snow, but I recall it was somewhere around this area."

As they continued onward, Fang Che could feel his own pulse inexplicably quickening.

"So many people have lived and toiled away on this continent since the beginning of time. Some among them have committed heinous atrocities, taking countless lives, but there are also saints who've made it their life's mission to save as many people from suffering and hardships as possible. Ultimately, all of them returned to the earth, and all of their feats, reputations, contributions, and crimes were gradually forgotten. Do you think it was all worth it for them in the end?"

"I don't know how to answer that question, but perhaps it was all worth it to them," Ye Meng replied after some thought.

"I agree," Fang Che said with a smile.

He looked on at the dense flurry of snow falling from the heavens, and in his eyes, the falling snowflakes were like microcosms of all of the mighty figures to have once walked this continent, ultimately falling to the earth from great heights.

He took in a deep breath, sucking in a mouthful of snow and ice, then smiled as he reaffirmed to himself, "It's definitely all worth it! Let's go!"

The two of them continued onward, and Fang Che suddenly seemed to be in much higher spirits, spreading his arms wide to embrace the snow like a child reveling in the wonders of nature.

Ye Meng trailed along behind Fang Che, feeling as if something within him had changed.

For some reason, he seemed particularly vulnerable and emotional today, and the words he had just spoken were also rather interesting.

They seemed to have come from someone who had experienced an entire lifetime of hardship and toil, life and death, rather than a boy who was still yet to reach the age of adulthood.