Chapter 2698 - Vanishing Into the Distance, a Silent Return

Meanwhile, in another stretch of the River of Destiny, Yun Wuxiang held a fist-sized red wine gourd, rubbing and fiddling with it.

He looked at his companion. “Hei Ya, now do you understand what you did wrong?”

“I deserve to die!” said Hei Ya, slapping himself ruthlessly in the face. He’d rebuilt his body, but it was still feeble. It would take a long time for him to reach his former peak.

Yun Wuxiang looked askance at him, then laughed derisively. “It seems I’m still lacking in prestige. I’m far from my little martial uncle’s level.”

Hei Ya’s expression shifted, but just as he was about to explain, Yun Wuxiang waved for silence. “Those are the facts. I acknowledge that I am inferior to my little martial uncle in this regard. It’s only natural that you’d fear him hunting you down to settle the score.”

Hei Ya fell silent.

Prior to this, he’d really had no idea that Yun Wuxiang’s little martial uncle, the one famous for “brewing tea to kill, and brewing wine to entertain,” would have such feelings for Su Wanjun!

This “little martial uncle” was a progenitor-level figure of the Yao Path, a peak expert!

He delighted in brewing tea, but he did so with the intention of killing.

He loathed brewing wine, but he’d spare no effort to brew fine wines to entertain his guests.

This “little martial uncle” had a strange title known throughout the All-Profound Dominion: “Bu Shenghan” or “Lonely Heights.”

Because, as the old saying went, it was lonely at the top!

“We missed our mark this time, but Su Wanjun’s arrival ensures we can explain ourselves to my little martial uncle,” said Yun Wuxiang, stroking his jaw. He sighed to himself. “It’s just a pity that that unreasonable bitch ruined the opportunity we’ve been waiting for all this time!”

He said this, then suddenly slapped himself across the face with a loud, resounding crack.

His handsome face was instantly red and swollen, with a palm-shaped imprint.

Hei Ya looked on in astonishment, visibly flabbergasted.

But then, Yun Wuxiang glared murderously at him. “My little martial uncle can never learn what I just said. Do you understand?”

Hei Ya nodded repeatedly, but Yun Wuxiang still wasn’t fully assured. He narrowed his eyes, bared his teeth, and said, “If you dare tell him I spoke of the woman he’s infatuated with like that, I promise you a life worse than death. You won’t be able to die even if you want to!”

A chill coursed down Hei Ya’s spine. He feigned confusion. “What did you say about Su Wanjun just now, Daoist Brother? How could I possibly have forgotten already?”

Yun Wuxiang couldn’t help but laugh. He poked Hei Ya in the forehead and said, “Consider yourself clever!”

Hei Ya inwardly sighed in relief. Out loud, he said, “I wouldn’t dare to behave foolishly around you, Daoist Brother.”

Yun Wuxiang put away his red-skinned wine gourd, then said, “Come on, let’s go see my little martial uncle.”

Hei Ya couldn’t help but say, “Daoist Brother, are we really just giving up?”

They’d been waiting for this opportunity for countless years, and they’d planned meticulously for it, only to fail at the last step of their plan.

Hei Ya wasn’t willing to accept it.

More importantly, he knew that if they let Su Yi go now, it would only become increasingly harder to kill him.

“Even if we don’t give up, what can we possibly achieve?” Yun Wuxiang glanced at him. “I know you’re worried that the boss of Sword Sovereign City will return and execute you for treason, but don’t forget... I once died by the old bastard’s hand, too!”

Yun Wuxiang couldn’t help but rub his throat.

Back then, that sword cultivator thrust his sword into Yun Wuxiang’s throat, killing him before he knew what hit him.

It was far too terrifying. Even now, the thought of it made Yun Wuxiang’s heart palpitate with fright!

But then, Yun Wuxiang laughed, his smile utterly radiant. He said leisurely, “Don’t forget how I came back to life, either! So what if the former boss of Sword Sovereign City has returned? What can he possibly achieve?”

Hei Ya shook from head to toe, then smiled. “Your words have put me at ease, Daoist Brother!”

The two of them quickly traversed the River of Destiny and vanished.

Not long after, a figure silently appeared. He wore plain cloth robes, straw sandals, and a brimless cap. His aged face had eyes as bright and clear as an infant’s, but there was nothing else at all eye-catching about him.

Yet anyone who looked into his eyes would discover that their depths were like an endless starscape, full of revolving celestial bodies and manifesting endless transformations.

This was Old Lord Gouchen, the black sheep’s master.

He had numerous titles.

He liked refining stones into stars and deriving celestial phenomena from the starry sky, so some called him the Master of the Stars.

He never killed, so when he had an irreconcilable enemy, he’d suppress them, transform them into a sheep, and lock them in his livestock pen.

Thus, he was also known as “the Shepherd.”

He was one of the Four Heavenly Ministers, and his title was “Curved Array.” He presided over the Nine Illuminations Imperial Palace and controlled the Five Elements Myriad Daos Diagram.

Those who respected him called him Old Lord Gouchen, while those who hated him called him “the Sheepdog.”

Old Lord Gouchen stood over the flowing River of Destiny, watching Yun Wuxiang and Hei Ya leave. His gaze was inscrutable.

After a while, he thought to himself,

So, that demoness Su Wanjun is back. It seems it won’t be long until that swordsman truly returns.

But the Eternal Pact he put in place has been ripped apart, and the far reaches of the All-Wonder Dominion have changed dramatically.

As they say, when the city burns, the fish of its moat are first to suffer. The changes in the All-Wonder Dominion led to earth-shaking changes in the All-Profound Dominion, too. Even Sword Sovereign City has fallen.

I wonder how he’ll feel when he sees the devastation for himself.

Given the circumstances, even if he returns... how much longer will he live?

He silently performed some divinations. In the end, he finally decided to make his move.

His next play would be a huge gamble!

We’ll just have to see whether or not you can bear the waves of the River of Destiny and make it to the Far Shore...

As he pondered, Old Lord Gouchen vanished in place.

Atop a hill.

A woman in a pomegranate skirt stood beside a white deer. A hat and veil obscured her face.

The deer’s fur was pure white, and it flowed with a rain of light. Its eyes shone with intelligence, and from time to time, it affectionately bumped the woman’s arm with its nose.

An old man with graying hair and youthful features stood on the other side of the deer, dressed in an apricot yellow feather coat.

These were none other than the Qiongqi Mountain Lord and Sovereign Venerate Ling Ran.

The Qiongqi Mountain Lord carried a blue-green jade mirror shaped like a lotus leaf. Its surface emanated chaos mist and reflected the God Domain across an endless expanse of time and space.

When Su Wanjun gripped her sword, shot into the endless expanse of time and space beyond the God Domain, and fought her way into the River of Destiny, the scene faded away.

“Young Mistress, the outcome is already clear. It’s time we left,” the Qiongqi Mountain Lord said with a laugh. “Master sent word that he’ll personally enter the kitchen and prepare you a sumptuous feast of the finest delicacies the River of Destiny has to offer.”

Sovereign Venerate Ling Ran shook her head slightly. “Let’s wait a while longer. Uncle Qiongqi, could you tell... who that woman was?”

The Qiongqi Mountain Lord narrowed his eyes, a strange look on his face. “There’s no one like her to be found on the River of Destiny. As for her specific identity... forgive me, but my knowledge and experience is too limited to say.”

He paused, then said, “Young Mistress, it seems to me that Master will be able to uncover some of the secrets you’re after. If you want to know, why not ask him?”

Sovereign Venerate Ling Ran nodded slightly. “Uncle Qiongqi, are you completely certain that Su Yi will successfully Bring Order?”

The Qiongqi Mountain Lord froze, then said, “Yes, unless something big and unexpected...”

Before he could finish, Sovereign Venerate Ling Ran said, “Uncle Qiongqi, I’d like to watch a while longer. We can resume our journey after Su Yi has succeeded in becoming the Bringer of Order.”

“Young Mistress, Master has been preparing for this meal for a long time,” said the Qiongqi Mountain Lord. “This is the first time in all these years I’ve seen Master personally enter the kitchen. If you keep Master waiting...”

Sovereign Venerate Ling Ran said firmly, “Let’s wait a while longer. I trust that the Master you speak of will forgive me.”

The Qiongqi Mountain Lord laughed bitterly.

Master won’t be upset no matter how long you keep him waiting.

But if he finds out how much you care about Su Yi’s business... that’s an entirely different story.

But the Qiongqi Mountain Lord considerately said no more on the matter.

Sovereign Venerate Ling Ran, meanwhile, took out a jujube date, took a bite, and recalled her first meeting with Su Yi, when she’d shared the fruit of her jujube tree with him.

“Uncle Qiongqi, is your master a match for the Heavenly Sovereigns?” Sovereign Venerate Qiongqi froze.

I wonder what Master would think if he heard you refer to him that way?

A moment later, he smiled and nodded. “That’s right!”

Inwardly, he thought,

Who do you think Master is? How could he not be a match for them?

Sovereign Venerate Ling Ran seemed to have anticipated this answer, and she didn’t find this at all surprising. She asked, “Then don’t you think he’ll be curious to see how the God Domain’s Battle for Order ends?”

The Qiongqi Mountain Lord burst into laughter. “Master said it himself: he’s more interested in cooking a sumptuous feast for you than in the Battle for Order!”

Sovereign Venerate Ling Ran finished her jujube date, then responded with a perfunctory, “Oh.”

Inwardly, she said,

A meal, that’s all. How could it possibly be more important than Fellow Daoist Su’s Battle for Order?

...

Meanwhile, Su Wanjun floated onto the Five Elements Altar.

𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

The yellow finch, the black sheep, Lin Jinghong, and A’Cai immediately noticed that the mysterious woman from the Far Shore of Destiny had returned.

She’d vanished into the distance, then returned in silence, with no mention of her accomplishments.