Chapter 673 - The Grand Wedding of the Tang Sect, Reunion with Tang Nian - Part 1

In the darkness...there was light.

Li Yuan’s senses slowly returned. His memories surged back like the tide. He had summoned his true self to bring forth a tide of spiritual energy for Tang Eleven and Tang Nian. But whether it bore fruit, he hadn’t the faintest idea.

How many years had passed since then?

He quickly scanned his status window for updates. No notifications, nothing explicit. Only that his powers were now usable again.

To be able to wield spiritual energy in a world devoid of it, Li Yuan felt more than satisfied.

The world unfolded before him like a dense fog. The mountains and rivers were shrouded in haze, faint outlines barely discernible. Nothing else remained.

And yet, the boundaries between realms were sharp and distinct, each one appearing in his vision like distant stars.

The Underworld still orbited the Ancestral Land like a loyal moon, sometimes near, sometimes far.

Li Yuan focused again. Something had changed since his last awakening. The landscape shimmered faintly with a strange golden hue, as if the world itself was quietly coming to life.

A new extraordinary force...has it already emerged?

He stared at the golden light, but there was little more he could glean. That subtle glow told him everything and nothing.

He turned his attention to one of his divine abilities.

Divine Ability 2: Six Paths - Mortal World Transformation, Myriad Beasts Transformation, Wood Transformation, Celestial Transformation (4/4)

He could choose to be reborn as a human, a beast, or even a plant. But all those paths required entering the realm of reincarnation. And that meant going through the Soul Furnace.

That left him only one viable option, Celestial Transformation.

Alright then...time to pick a location and a form. Location, near Skyscale Mountain? Near the Tang Sect? Or head straight for the Northern Wasteland? Perhaps the Central, Jade, or Western Capitals?

These were the places he weighed most heavily.

After a moment’s thought, he chose the Tang Sect.

Before his slumber, Li Yuan and Tang Eleven had agreed upon a secret code. Tang Eleven had vowed that no matter how many years passed, every generation of Tang Sect leaders would honor it.

So long as Li Yuan gave the code, he’d be welcomed as a guest of the highest rank.

Now for the form...

His gaze drifted toward the land bathed in faint gold, and he thought of the

Qi of the Mountains and Rivers.

Then let it be a mountain...near the Tang Sect.

He focused on a quiet, secluded mountain. Wind and rain battered its peak, but one particular stone had basked in the light of sun and moon for untold years. And one night, something stirred.

Cracks formed on the stone’s surface, and from within crawled out a soft, pink-skinned baby.

The child was born with skin like bronze and bones like iron. He rolled twice on the ground and stood.

SMACK!

A sudden faceplant.

The baby toppled over, then scrambled upright again.

Two steps later...

SMACK!

Another faceplant.

His forehead slammed into a jagged rock with a

bang

, and the stone shattered.

After about the time it takes an incense stick to burn, the baby completed his miraculous evolution from

cannot

walk to

can

walk.

Yet even now, he walked slowly.

Li Yuan glanced at his status, still the same 6~8 as before. In a world without supernatural powers, that kind of number meant he could run wild without fear.

He was, quite literally, a beast born of the mountains.

But staying hidden up here held no meaning. If possible, he wanted to descend quickly. Maybe, just maybe, he’d run into a kindhearted village woman who’d take him in. That way, he could learn more about the outside world.

Of course, if instead of a kind farmer’s wife he ran into mountain bandits, well...they’d soon learn the true meaning of a 6~8 combat power

The little baby began his descent.

Step by step, his movements grew steadier. Walking turned into running.

If anyone had seen it, they would’ve been both terrified and strangely charmed by the sight.

That night, Li Yuan gnawed on some tree bark.

His teeth were tough, and his appetite as fierce as the day he’d crawled out from the water.

By the next morning, he’d reached a mid-mountain slope and spotted a village in the distance through the dense forest.

He knew this was somewhere near the Tang Sect. The exact location remained elusive in this fog-shrouded world.

It took him half a day to quietly make his way closer to the village. Once near, he prepared to lie down somewhere obvious, hoping to be discovered and taken in.

Just then, the sound of footsteps came from nearby.

He flopped down without hesitation.

Then came a small voice.

“Big Sis, I want a little brother.”

The voice was sweet but oddly vacant.

Before long, two figures emerged from the trees, a young woman in red and a little girl in matching red robes.

The air shimmered with the combat power above their heads. The woman displayed 15~20, and the girl 0~1.

A combat power of 15~20 was no small number. It far exceeded the strongest person Li Yuan had encountered in his last life, the Lord of Arms.

Could it be? Has this world already awakened its supernatural power?

he wondered.

While he was still thinking, both the woman and the girl halted. They had spotted the baby lying in the grass.

𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

“Little brother!” the girl cried out happily, rushing over and squatting in front of Li Yuan, eyeing him like a curious little scientist.

The older girl frowned. “Ah Ting, I came to the Tang Sect on important business. Don’t get sidetracked.”

“If we leave him, he’ll die,” the little girl, Ah Ting, said with a pout.

Her eyes were large, but slightly unfocused, as if they couldn’t quite lock onto anything. They gave off no light, no spark, but it was clear she had learned how to control her expressions.

So despite the dullness in her gaze, her face was alive with emotion, masking the oddity beneath.

“He’ll die, he’ll die,” Ah Ting repeated, swaying her body side to side, raising her hands to the sky one moment, pressing them to the ground the next, like she was dancing.

The dance itself was strange, its origins unclear. Perhaps it came from the tribes of the wilds, or somewhere even more obscure, a blend of many things.

The red-clad young woman couldn’t help but smile. Her once stern expression softened under Ah Ting’s strange little performance.

“Then let’s take him to a nearby farming family,” she said.

Ah Ting protested, puffing her cheeks. “I want a little brother! If you won’t take care of him, I will!”

The red-clad young woman glanced at Ah Ting with a complex look in her eyes, a tenderness she herself didn’t seem to fully understand.

She slipped off her outer red robe, leaving only the violet inner garment beneath. At her silver belt hung a long, slender sword.

With a practiced flick, she wrapped the red robe around Li Yuan like a blanket.

Soft silk cocooned the baby boy.

She gazed down at him. He looked up and giggled, arms flailing and legs kicking with delight.

“Looks like he was just abandoned,” she murmured. “Who could be so heartless?”

She gently brushed the dirt and grime from the child’s body, then looked back at Ah Ting. “Alright, happy now?”

Ah Ting ran up and threw her arms around the young woman, her voice full of mischief. “You’re the best, Big Sis!”

The red-clad woman shook her head with a smile, already thinking about finding something for the baby to eat.

At first, she thought maybe, just maybe, she could take on the role of a real mother.

But something was off. No matter how she tried, her body produced no milk. It wasn’t just unusual. It was entirely unnatural for someone who’d supposedly given birth.

A flicker of confusion stirred in her heart, but it passed quickly, swept away like a dream. She headed to the nearby village, bought some rice porridge, thinned it with water, and carefully fed the baby.

Ah Ting lay beside them, watching intently.

Li Yuan, full and content, promptly fell asleep.

His celestial constitution was extraordinarily robust, and even as a newborn, he wasn't so different from his adult form. Still, he was only a few days old in this life.

This time, though, his mindset was different. He wanted to change. He wanted to live seriously, to truly live.

That night, he slept nestled on the inside of the bed.

The young woman lay beside him, with Ah Ting on the outer edge.

It was early autumn. The night air held a hint of chill. The woman's sword lay beneath her pillow.

Li Yuan opened his eyes and saw his new

mother

deep in thought. There was something in her gaze, a quiet, weary sorrow that didn’t belong to someone so young.

He reached out with his little hand, five chubby fingers smacking gently against her cheek.

Her name was Liu Long.

Liu Long turned toward the baby’s touch and asked softly, “Are you hungry? Or do you need to go potty?”

But Li Yuan wasn’t like other babies. He didn’t need to relieve himself much at all.

The celestial body was a strange thing. Its digestion was incredibly efficient. To put it bluntly...very little waste was produced.

He looked at her face.

There was still some distance there, but also...something warmer. She was trying to get used to his presence.

Li Yuan cupped her cheeks in both hands and gave her a kiss.

Liu Long froze for a second, startled. Then her expression softened, a smile blooming like dawn.

“Aren’t you just the cleverest little thing?” She whispered, “Tomorrow, I’m going to ask a village woman to look after you for a bit. I have to go to the Tang Sect. But once I come down the mountain, I promise I’ll come get you.”

She’s going to the Tang Sect? Perfect.

Originally, he would’ve needed years just to make his way there. But now this unexpected stroke of luck had dropped into his lap, and there was no way Li Yuan was letting it slip through his fingers.

With a soft

plop

, Li Yuan clung tightly to the girl, wrapping his tiny arms around her like glue.

Liu Long chuckled. “Can’t bear to part already?”

Li Yuan held her even tighter.

She didn’t say anything else after that.

The truth was, she hadn’t been too fond of this mountain-found baby. That very morning, she had seriously considered coaxing Ah Ting into letting him go, then quietly handing him off to some farmer’s wife.

She had so much on her plate already. How could she spare the time or effort for a newborn?

But the child was beautiful, unexpectedly well-behaved, and perhaps most critically, not nearly as messy as she’d feared. No endless crying or mountains of poop like she’d imagined.

That alone made him...rather likable.

Now, feeling his small body pressing so trustingly against her, Liu Long was struck by a strange, unexpected warmth.

She made up her mind. If he was still this clingy come morning, then...she’d bring him with her to the Tang Sect.