.....
Looking up at Bai Hen.
“I’ve made so many mistakes in my life... I’m sorry, Hen.......”
As the old man spoke, pure Spiritual Qi surged from his body, and the vitality of heaven and earth flowed in naturally.
A lush bamboo forest spread across the entire sky and land.
This was the technique he cultivated—Bamboo Reaches the Heavens.
Among techniques capable of reaching the Heaven Observer Realm, while it wasn’t top-tier, it easily crushed the majority—no question about it.
And bamboo—once it flowers and bears fruit—its life cos to an end.
Within the illusion-born bamboo forest, seasons passed from spring to winter. Flowers blood and fell, finally bearing a single fruit.
It dropped into the old man’s deeply wrinkled hands.
He raised it and slowly held it out toward Bai Hen.
His eyes were full of hope and longing.
“This is the result of my life’s work. I don’t ask for your forgiveness.......”
A gift of severed vitality from a Heaven Observer Realm cultivator.
This thing—
If Bai Hen took it, saying he’d ascend to Heaven Observer instantly would be no exaggeration.
With his talent, as long as he accepted it, he could go from his current realm to Heaven Observer with barely any barriers.
He wouldn’t catch up to Lu Ding’s pace—
But at least he’d be able to see his back.
“I hope you can accept it. May I?”
Facing such temptation.
Bai Hen looked at the fruit.
His grandmother’s words echoed in his mind.
“My grandma said, a man should have backbone. Be confident—not arrogant.”
“I’m confident that Heaven Observer isn’t my limit. Whatever you can do, I can do too—and I’ll do it in less ti.”
“Your stuff? I don’t care for it. The one you wronged was Grandma—not .”
“But you’ve lost the chance to make it up. Because Grandma told , this life was too bitter. In the next one, she won’t wait for you again.”
After speaking, Bai Hen turned around with Lu Ding and walked off.
Leaving the Bai Patriarch frozen in place.
He didn’t move for a long ti. No one knew what he was thinking. Only the sound of hot tears falling could be heard.
Thus, the Bai Family collapsed.
Because Bai Hen needed to restore his Spiritual Qi, the two stayed in the Northwest for a few more days.
They saw all the beauty the Northwest had to offer.
......
On the Gobi Desert, two figures stood tall, gazing at the golden sea of sand. The hunting wind stirred their robes.
Under the setting sun, Lu Ding spread his arms wide, breathing in youthful pride.
A single roar echoed through the vast sky. Wind stirred the sea of sand, dyeing the heavens in color.
Beside him, Bai Hen was moved.
Eyes red, he shouted to the endless desert: “Grandma!”
“Can you see this!!”
“This is the Northwest!!”
“It’s beautiful!!”
“But I hate this place. We’re never coming back. We’re going ho!!”
The soft breeze carried tiny grains of sand, brushing against Bai Hen’s face.
Wiping away his tears.
That slightly coarse feeling made Bai Hen feel like he was back in the fields of his childhood.
Always a quiet child, he was full of curiosity when no one was around.
He’d fall accidentally, splashing the scent of soil.
His crying would summon Grandma, who’d wipe his tears with hands rough from work. In that still mont, he saw butterflies startled into flight, dancing through countless colors.
Now, Grandma was gone. Green grass, blooming fields, floral scents, butterflies—none of it remained.
Only broken stones and endless sand blending into the horizon.
He didn’t want to stay here another second.
Bai Hen looked into the distance: “When are we leaving?”
“Right now.”
Lu Ding said as he suddenly dashed off, riding the wind.
Leaving Bai Hen, a half-beat slower, standing there in a daze. He turned to glance behind him.
Grandma, I’m sorry. I’ll never cry again.
He wiped his tears, ford a hand seal, and vanished.
The two headed south.
When they passed Dingfeng Mountain, Lu Ding suddenly stopped and went in for a look—but ca out empty-handed.
Thinking about it, he realized—
Didn’t Cao Ying also co out empty-handed?
And he even had the Wind-Fixing Pearl.
If Dingfeng Mountain really had sothing good, why would he bother fighting Cripple Li over the Golden Toad Nesting on an Egg?
anwhile.
News of the two leaving the Northwest reached the Tianli Cult.
Originally, the Tianli Cult had Three Extres and Nine Pillars.
But now, because of Lu Ding, they had lost one Past Infinity and three Pillar-level Cultivators of Qi.
Was the Tianli Cult angry?
Yes!
Did they want to kill Lu Ding?
Nope!
They’d already suffered once. A deputy leader lost in the process—now they still wanted to go after Lu Ding?
Sure, they were a cult—but they weren’t idiots.
Maybe so of the underlings were fools—but the ones at the top? Never.
And according to the report from the Northwest this ti:
There was a Heaven Observer Realm expert hiding by Lu Ding’s side.
Although—
That expert wouldn’t stay around forever. Heaven Observer level people weren’t cabbages that had nothing better to do than babysit kids all day.
But!
You never knew when he’d leave.
What if they rushed in and bumped into him?
Wouldn’t that be like lighting a lantern in a cesspit—looking for death?
So, in the secret chamber, after receiving the intelligence—
The current Taiji and the future Imperial Rank Vice Cult Leaders chose to pretend they hadn’t seen it.
Still, even so—
Current Taiji felt uneasy.
“Send word imdiately. The Tianli Cult’s current priority is elsewhere. No need to bother with Lu Ding for now.”
“All Tianli Cult mbers are not to provoke any 749 Investigators—including but not limited to Lu Ding. This must be made clear.”
Logically, as Taiji, he was a Vice Cult Leader.
Saying stuff like this felt a bit beneath his station.
Kind of naggy.
But!
You have to know your own people best. What is the Tianli Cult?
A cult, obviously!
And people who join cults—how many of them do you think are smart?
If he didn’t spell it out clearly, and left it vague for “interpretation,” and soone down below misread the signal and caused a ss—then what?
Still, precaution was precaution—but face couldn’t be lost.
Was the Tianli Cult afraid of Lu Ding?
Impossible. We’re a massive cult—we’re just shifting our focus. Not avoiding Lu Ding specifically. We’re avoiding all 749 Investigators.
To ‘avoid’ attracting 749’s attention.
The future Imperial Rank said at this mont:
“And the ‘person’ inside the advanced training ground—what will you do about him?”
“Leave him be. He wasn’t ant for Lu Ding in the first place.”
“What if Lu Ding finds him?”
Current Taiji sat in the shadows, his face obscured. Only his silhouette turned.
“Even though his presence has been sowhat exposed because of Lu Ding, they still don’t have clear evidence of who our mole is.”
“Inside the advanced training ground, it’s all top talent sent in by various 749 branches. They’re not going to use high-risk thods to test them all, right?”
“As long as we temporarily cut contact, his presence will be like a shadow in the dark—unnoticed.”
To this—
Lu Ding had only one thing to say:
The deepest moles are often found with the simplest tricks.
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