Chapter 36: Homecoming
Mingyan didn’t have much to pack. The Sun and Moon Scripture was in his Qi Sea, its mysteries awaiting further exploration.
Other than that, he had nothing else.
Huang Qingfei visited him in the morning. In the afternoon, Huang Feiyan, having heard of his impending departure, rushed to see him.
“Are you leaving already?” she asked, her voice filled with guilt. “I’ve been so busy these past few days and haven’t had time to spend with you. Why don’t you stay a bit longer? I’ll entertain you properly after I finish my tasks.”
Mingyan shook his head, smiling. “There’s no need. I came here to help. Now that I’ve done what I can, it’s time for me to return.”
“…” Seeing his determination, Huang Feiyan fell silent for a moment, then produced a red token from her Qi Sea. “This is a Huang family teleportation token. Second Aunt will be escorting you back. Although you’ll be able to use the gates for free after joining the Wind Spirit Moon Shadow Sacred Land, this token is also a symbol of your friendship with the Huang family. If anyone tries to harm you, you can show them this token. But use it cautiously. They might be afraid of the Huang family’s retaliation and decide to silence you permanently. You’ll have to judge the situation yourself.”
Mingyan accepted the warm token and nodded. “I understand. Go and attend to your matters, Feiyan.”
“…The Wind Spirit Moon Shadow Sacred Land will surely be invited to the Peach Banquet at Yaochi, but the number of attendees will be limited. I hope to see you there. Since you’re interested in Feixuan, you wouldn’t miss this opportunity.” Huang Feiyan seemed to have more to say, but she hesitated, then stopped.
Mingyan nodded seriously. “You’ll definitely see me at Yaochi in a year and a half.”
“Good.” Huang Feiyan smiled. “It seems you’re determined to leave. My mother has already sent a letter to Holy Master Yue Ying. After returning to Rain Terrace Blessed Land, you can go directly to the Wind Spirit Moon Shadow Sacred Land… I wish you a smooth journey and a bright future.”
Mingyan smiled at her well wishes. “We’ve made a promise to meet at Yaochi. I won’t miss it. A year and a half will pass quickly. Go and attend to your matters, Feiyan.”
Huang Feiyan was silent for a moment, then nodded. “Then I’ll be going… Remember, we’re friends. If you have any trouble, don’t hesitate to contact me. I’ll never forget your kindness to the Huang family.”
“Alright, alright, there’s no need to be so sentimental. It’s not like we’ll never see each other again. A year and a half will pass in the blink of an eye.” Huang Junyi’s words lightened the mood. Huang Feiyan chuckled. “You’re right… Then… I’ll be going now.”
“Go ahead.” Mingyan nodded. Huang Feiyan pursed her lips, turned, and walked away. Halfway there, she looked back, waved at him, and smiled, then finally left.
Mingyan sighed. “Sister, let’s go…”
Huang Junyi nodded, then paused, a thoughtful expression on her face, before smiling. “My sister asked me to thank you and said the Huang family will remember your kindness.”
Mingyan scratched his head. Did this mean the Family Head considered the Huang family indebted to him? This debt was too heavy. He felt unworthy. He nodded silently.
“What’s wrong? Do you feel unworthy?” Huang Junyi smiled playfully, leaning closer.
Mingyan shook his head. “Nothing. Let’s go, Sister.”
Huang Junyi stared at him for a moment, then smiled, placing a hand on his shoulder. He felt enveloped by spiritual energy, and his vision blurred as he was lifted into the air.
“…” When he regained his focus, he was flying high above the ground, the Phoenix statue and the surrounding mountains appearing small and distant.
Huang Junyi flew swiftly. With her cultivation level, flying consumed very little spiritual energy. If she didn’t push for extreme speed and used a special movement technique, she could even fly all the way back to Dragon Ridge with him. But there was no need to waste time. Using the teleportation gate was much faster.
Mingyan tried to find a reference point, but they were too high above the ground, and there were no tall mountains nearby, so he couldn’t tell how fast they were going. He only had a vague sense of the world rushing past below.
He glanced at Huang Junyi. He was enveloped by her spiritual energy, shielding him from the cold wind, but her hair flowed freely, enhancing her allure.
“Want to experience freefall?” Huang Junyi’s voice echoed in his mind, even though she hadn’t spoken. This surprised him. Huang Junru must have communicated with her this way as well.
“Freefall?”
“If you want to, I can release you, and you can fall towards the ground. Want to try?” Her voice, although emotionless, carried a playful undertone, which he could imagine in her actual voice, judging by the teasing smile on her face.
“Sure.” Mingyan nodded. The spiritual energy around him dispersed, and he began falling, propelled by inertia.
He tumbled uncontrollably for a few moments, then regained control of his posture, relying on his strong physique. The air at this altitude was frigid, and the wind, amplified by their speed, felt like icy blades against his skin. The sensation of falling freely, without any support, made his heart race. It was exhilarating.
He tried to envelop himself with his own spiritual energy, but it was too weak, unable to withstand the force of the fall. It was no match for Huang Junyi’s energy.
“How is it? Exciting?” Huang Junyi appeared beside him, arms crossed, smiling.
“Very…” Mingyan tried to answer, but the wind caught in his throat. Huang Junyi chuckled, placed a hand on his shoulder, and enveloped him in her spiritual energy again, resuming their normal flight. “When you reach the Qi Sea Realm, you’ll be able to fly yourself and experience this whenever you want.”
“Even if I reach the Qi Sea Realm, I won’t be able to fly as fast as you, Sister.”
“Then wait until you reach half-step Human Gateway.” Huang Junyi smiled playfully.
As if reaching half-step Human Gateway was easy. There were so many realms between them… He was only at the Great Brook Realm. He still had Illuminating Sea, Yin Tomb, Yang Tomb, Qi Sea, Divine Gate, Tai Yi, Divine Seal, and Rotating Core to go through. He would probably have to reach the peak of Rotating Core before reaching the threshold of Human Gateway and becoming a half-step Human Gateway cultivator. That would take many years.
After flying for a while, Mingyan saw a faint shape on the horizon. As they drew closer, he realized it was the teleportation gate.
In the blink of an eye, the distant shape grew larger, revealing the incredible speed at which they were traveling. They had covered hundreds of miles in an instant. Mingyan was stunned. This distance would have taken him over an hour to travel on foot…
Huang Junyi approached the gate rapidly. Mingyan felt the teleportation token vibrate slightly, resonating with the gate. Before he could examine it closely, they plunged into the gate.
The space within the gate swirled with changing colors, shifting from pale blue to crimson and other hues. Ancient laws flickered within this spatial tunnel, serene and mysterious. Each teleportation gate required the assistance of a Great Emperor to construct, consuming vast amounts of resources and time, often taking hundreds of years. They were usually only built during the reign of a Great Emperor, adding to their mystique.
Soon, they emerged from the gate. It was nighttime, and the ground below was shrouded in darkness.
After flying for a while, Mingyan saw the ground approaching. Huang Junyi descended and landed on what he recognized as Rain Terrace Mountain.
No… it was the former Rain Terrace Blessed Land. The current inhabitants must have relocated. This place should be deserted.
Huang Junyi released him, and the spiritual energy around him dissipated.
“You must have left some belongings behind when you left in such a hurry. Gather them. I’ll take you to the new Rain Terrace Blessed Land.” Huang Junyi knew he had left hastily and might have left some things behind in this abandoned Blessed Land.
Mingyan nodded. He did have a few small items here.
His residence had been on the mountainside, which was now just below the new summit, since half the mountain was gone. He quickly found his former home, but his room was empty. His master or junior sister must have taken his belongings.
After confirming he hadn’t left anything important behind, he returned to the summit. “Sister, let’s go to the new location.”
Huang Junyi lifted him into the air again.
It was too dark to see anything below, which was a pity.
After flying for a while, dawn broke, and the sun rose on the horizon. Mingyan was surprised. It was already morning?
They had been flying for a long time. It must be quite far. If he had traveled on foot, it would have taken him days.
As the sky brightened, Huang Junyi slowed down and began descending towards a tall mountain range in the distance, shrouded in mist, with several floating islands nearby.
She flew towards the mountains and descended rapidly.
Mingyan saw many disciples moving about on the mountains, which were covered in buildings. Rain Terrace Blessed Land must have settled in here.
“Who dares trespass?!” An elder noticed their arrival and flew towards them, blocking their path.
“Master.” Mingyan recognized Liu Yunfeng and waved.
“Mingyan? You’re back?!” Liu Yunfeng had been surprised to sense a cultivator approaching so closely without him noticing. He had thought it was trouble, then he saw the woman in red and Mingyan.
Huang Junyi landed, setting Mingyan down, and smiled silently.
“Master, I’m back,” Mingyan nodded. “Is this the new location of our Blessed Land?”
“Yes. The Wind Spirit Moon Shadow Sacred Land arranged this for us. Thanks to you, this place is even more suitable for cultivation than Rain Terrace Mountain.” Liu Yunfeng’s face was filled with joy. He then looked at Huang Junyi. “This Celestial…”
“Master, this is Feiyan’s second aunt, Huang Junyi, younger sister of Family Head Huang.”
“Celestial Huang, welcome to our humble abode…” Liu Yunfeng was surprised by her identity and bowed respectfully.
Huang Junyi smiled faintly and waved her hand. “There’s no need for formalities.”
This sister is quite proper and dignified around others… Mingyan thought, glancing at her.
Huang Junyi winked at him discreetly, making his heart skip a beat…
“Celestial Huang, please wait a moment. I’ll inform the Sect Leader…” Liu Yunfeng didn’t dare look directly at her and missed their exchange.
Huang Junyi waved her hand dismissively. “There’s no need. Mingyan, do you want me to take you to the Wind Spirit Moon Shadow Sacred Land?”
“No need, Sister. I’ll be staying here for a while. I don’t want to waste your time. Thank you for escorting me back.” Mingyan shook his head. “I’ll rest for a bit. Come in and have some tea.”
“If you don’t need me to escort you, I’ll be going then.” Huang Junyi declined politely.
Sister? Liu Yunfeng’s expression turned strange… He glanced at Mingyan, bewildered.
“Thank you again, Sister.” Mingyan bowed, and Huang Junyi smiled at him charmingly. “Sister is waiting for you to thank me properly. Alright, I’m leaving now.”
She then rose into the air and vanished in a flash of red light.
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