Chapter 947: No Big Deal! (II)

In the courtyard before the tower, the Whale-Riding Immortal saw Bai Yuxian embracing Jiang Yuebai. Their features and figures were remarkably similar. His face stiffened as he watched from a distance. When he drew closer, he stopped again, unable to say a word.

Bai Yuxian looked at him, and the calm that had just returned to her eyes vanished. Her gaze turned misty again, like an autumn lake stirred by ripples.

Just as the two were about to embrace and weep in each other’s arms, a discreet cough came from nearby.

Indeed, Lu Cang had arrived before the Whale-Riding Immortal, and he was not alone. He held the Sword Emperor, tightly bound in a Demon-Restraining Rope.

Earlier, the Sword Emperor had stepped in to block Lu Cang and told Jiang Yuebai to go find her mother. Lu Cang watched as she ran away. He waited until she was far enough away before making his move, and the Sword Emperor was defeated instantly.

Even at his peak in the eighth realm, he probably would not have been a match for Lu Cang. In his current seventh-and-a-half realm state, he stood no chance at all.

When he told Jiang Yuebai to leave, he knew this would happen, but... maybe he just didn't expect it to happen so quickly.

"Jiang Tiankuo, don’t worry about me! Take your family and run!" the Sword Emperor shouted.

"No," the Whale-Riding Immortal said, shaking his head firmly.

The Sword Emperor was deeply moved. He was just about to say something noble about sacrifice and honor.

But then the Whale-Riding Immortal added, "Chu Liang is still in the Divine Ruins Monastery. Our family must stay together. Not a single one can be missing."

"Oh." The Sword Emperor nodded. Suddenly, he had nothing more to say.

So be it. I am tired.

The Whale-Riding Immortal walked up to Bai Yuxian. After more than twenty years of searching, his expression was surprisingly calm as he finally stood before his wife.

"I’ve finally found you," he said, a faint smile appearing on his face.

"It took a while, but I knew you’d come," Bai Yuxian replied. She stopped crying and smiled back at the Whale-Riding Immortal.

The two stood face to face, their daughter in their arms, and Yang Buwei dangling from one hand like a pet.

It was a beautiful moment. But then, a voice from behind broke the harmony.

"I knew you’d come too," said a square-headed, middle-aged man with three long strands of beard. He walked through the courtyard gate, looking calmly at the Whale-Riding Immortal.

"Who’s this big square face?" the Whale-Riding Immortal asked.

He hadn’t been there the night the Jiang Family was destroyed, so he didn’t know what the monastery overseer looked like.

"My father," Bai Yuxian replied.

"I knew it! Just as I imagined. Uncle, you are radiating righteous energy. You look dignified and imposing," the Whale-Riding Immortal replied at once.

"..." The monastery overseer turned silent for a moment.

The Whale-Riding Immortal had known there weren’t many people in the Divine Ruins Monastery, and that the one arriving was most likely the monastery overseer. Still, he hadn’t expected someone with such a square head to be the father of someone as stunningly beautiful as Bai Yuxian.

It was honestly a bit absurd.

"You’ve persevered for so many years and finally made it to the Divine Ruins Monastery. Your determination is commendable," the monastery overseer said in an indifferent tone. "And Yuxian has not taken a single step out of the Tower of Heavenly Secrets all these years for your sake. She never admitted that she was wrong. I suppose she has lived up to your love. If your bond as husband and wife truly runs that deep, then I will give you a chance."

"She cannot leave this place, but I am allowed to stay here with her, right?" asked the Whale-Riding Immortal.

For the first time since meeting the Whale-Riding Immortal, the monastery overseer smiled. "You figured it out?"

"I knew long ago that there was no way I could sneak her out without you knowing," the Whale-Riding Immortal said. "I’ll stay behind with her. All I ask is that you let my daughter and my son-in-law leave."

"Father..." Jiang Yuebai grew flustered and looked at him. He had never mentioned anything like this before they came.

Even though her parents had just reunited, she was about to lose them again. It was a truth far too painful to accept.

"Son-in-law?" The monastery overseer paused, then quickly understood who he meant and nodded.

He continued, "That’s only fair. If you are willing to stay here as a monastery guardian, I will allow Chu Liang to leave. However, your daughter may not. Since both her parents are in the Divine Ruins Monastery, she cannot return to the mortal world."

The Whale-Riding Immortal's brows furrowed deeply. "Then there’s nothing left to discuss."

He could give up his own freedom to stay with his wife, but he would never sacrifice his daughter’s freedom.

As divine light gathered around him, the sky above stirred with wind and clouds. Within the swirling mist, the silhouette of a massive bronze vessel began to appear. His call to the Mount Shu Sect’s Vessel of God had begun, and in the blink of an eye, it would tear through the void and descend.

If battle was the only way forward, then so be it. He would not flinch.

The monastery overseer remained calm, watching him without the slightest hint of fear. He gave a faint smile. "It’s pointless. You cannot defeat me."

"I have to try," the Whale-Riding Immortal said as he held Bai Yuxian in one hand and Jiang Yuebai in the other. He pinned Yang Buwei beneath his foot and continued, "For the sake of my family, I must see whether the Mount Shu Sect’s Vessel of God can land in the Divine Ruins Monastery."

Rumble.

The deafening sound filled the heavens as the Vessel of God shattered the void. It was about to descend!

But then, thunder roared across the sky. A colossal shadow began to take shape behind the monastery overseer. It was a tree so massive it seemed to pierce the heavens. He stood in front of it like a god, and the pressure radiating from him was suffocating.

The towering tree lashed out with a single vine.

Boom!

With one strike, it repelled the half-descended Vessel of God, sending it hurtling back where it came from!

The Whale-Riding Immortal suddenly coughed up a mouthful of blood.

He had not expected that even summoning the legendary artifact into the Divine Ruins Monastery would be so difficult. Under the crushing force of the great tree, he could no longer remain standing.

At this moment, Bai Yuxian stepped forward and stood beside him. With a flick of her fingers, a projection of an ancient scroll rose above the Tower of Heavenly Secrets, appearing colossal and ancient.

She eased the pressure bearing down on the Whale-Riding Immortal, allowing him to stand tall once more and meet the monastery overseer’s gaze. As Whale-Riding Immortal stared at the monastery overseer before him, he finally realized the terrifying strength of the strongest opponent he had ever faced.

"You’re helping him fight me?" For the first time, the monastery overseer truly looked angry. "Do you not understand why the Divine Ruins Monastery exists?"

"I don’t care," Bai Yuxian said as she locked eyes with her father. "If you strike him, I’ll strike you."

The standoff escalated at once. Divine might surged as the power of multiple artifacts clashed. Thunder crackled across the sky, as if the heavens themselves were about to break. Even with the scroll and the Vessel of God combined, their power still seemed small in the face of the towering tree’s oppressive force.

Just then, a voice called out from beyond the courtyard. "Stop!"

"Hm?"

Everyone turned to see Chu Liang streak into the courtyard and land lightly.

He had been looking around from the top of the tower, and when he saw the battle brewing, he hurried over at once.

"This has nothing to do with you. Stay out of it," said the Whale-Riding Immortal.

"Says who?" Chu Liang replied. He looked at Jiang Yuebai, walked over, and took her hand. "Aren’t we all family?"

Bai Yuxian looked a little surprised as she looked at him.

Jiang Yuebai blushed slightly and whispered, "Stop messing around. This isn’t the time for jokes. You should leave."

"Of course we’re leaving. Together," Chu Liang said with a smile. He turned to the monastery overseer. "Esteemed Senior, does your earlier promise still stand?"

The monastery overseer hesitated for a moment before replying, "Of course it stands."

"Great," Chu Liang said and immediately tossed over a segment of bone. "Then my request is that the four of us leave peacefully and have nothing more to do with the Divine Ruins Monastery. Is that acceptable?"

"

Ahem.

" A quiet cough came from the side.

The Sword Emperor had cleared his throat at just the right moment.

"Oh, right. Esteemed Senior Chen Erniu too," Chu Liang added quickly. "You can’t make things difficult for the five of us."

The monastery overseer caught the Deity Pan's Bone and stood with his brows furrowed, as if Chu Liang had presented him with a difficult choice.

After a long silence, he let out a quiet sigh. "Very well. But Deity Pan's Bone is a peerless treasure of the mortal world. Is it really worth giving it away so easily?"

"You think it’s valuable. I think it’s just alright," Chu Liang said with a shrug. "I’ve got plenty of treasures that are worth even more."

The monastery overseer folded his hands into his sleeves and gently closed his eyes.

"You all may leave."

The sudden change left Bai Yuxian, the Whale-Riding Immortal, and Jiang Yuebai stunned. The three of them stared at Chu Liang in astonishment.

Chu Liang waved his hand nonchalantly and acted relaxed as he said, "I just tossed him something small to get him off our backs. No big deal!"