368: Chapter 368 The Choice of Returning Home

Morning on the wasteland came quickly.

Su Changge was woken up by Zhao Tian.

"Junior Martial Uncle, it's time to go. I caught two spiritual rabbits and roasted one for you."

Su Changge took the roasted rabbit leg and took a bite. It didn't have much flavor, but it was enough to stave off hunger.

Ye Qingyao stood not far away, wiping the scabbard at her waist with a handkerchief, her gaze occasionally scanning the distance.

Zhao Tian squatted by the campfire, gesturing while gnawing on a rabbit leg.

"Junior Martial Uncle, I thought about the route last night."

Su Changge gave a hum of acknowledgment.

"If we head northwest from here for about 120,000 miles, we can exit the border of the Chixiao Dao Domain and enter the outer wasteland of the Qingming Domain."

Zhao Tian used a twig to draw a rough map on the ground.

"After passing through the outer wasteland and traveling another 80,000 miles or so, we'll reach the Lingxu Wasteland. That's our territory; once we're there, we'll be safe."

"Then we'll head to the Cangxuan Dao Domain from the Lingxu Wasteland and use the Qingming Domain's Teleportation Array network. We should be back at the Taixuan Sect in about half a month."

Zhao Tian looked up, his eyes bright.

"Junior Martial Uncle, let me tell you, the back mountain of the Taixuan Sect is incredibly peaceful. The Spiritual Qi is so dense it's like it costs nothing; it's the perfect place for closed-door cultivation."

"Once we're there, you just sit in the back mountain and don't worry about a thing. I'll guard the entrance for you."

"I won't let anyone in."

After hearing Zhao Tian's plan, Su Changge was actually quite satisfied.

[Closed-door cultivation in the back mountain, worrying about nothing.]

[This is the life I want.]

[Find a place with beautiful scenery, close the doors, and be my Qi Refining First Layer self. Let no one bother me.]

[When the hype dies down and everyone slowly forgets the name 'Dao Ancestor,' I'll be completely safe.]

Just as Su Changge was about to nod, Ye Qingyao walked over.

Her expression was different from before; her brow was slightly furrowed as if she were contemplating something difficult.

"Revered Master."

Su Changge glanced at her.

[I've seen this expression before. The last time she looked like this, she immediately dragged me into the vortex of the Ten Thousand Immortals Assembly.]

[I hope there isn't another mess coming.]

"Speak."

Ye Qingyao hesitated for a moment.

"I just received a message from the Qingming Domain's intelligence network."

"The source of the news is the Xuanhuang Domain."

Zhao Tian's ears perked up.

"Xuanhuang Domain? Isn't that the most chaotic one among the four great Dao Domains?"

Ye Qingyao nodded.

"The Xuanhuang Domain has three continents: the Dragon Vein Ancient Continent, the Kunyuan Spirit Land, and the Zhenyue Wasteland."

"Among them, the Dragon Vein Ancient Continent is the core of the entire Xuanhuang Domain's Spiritual Veins. Beneath it lies an ancient dragon vein that spans the continent. Its Spiritual Qi density is the highest among the four great Dao Domains."

"But because of this, the Dragon Vein Ancient Continent is also the place where conflict is most intense. It has always been the focus of competition between various forces."

Su Changge didn't speak, waiting for her to continue.

Ye Qingyao lowered her voice slightly.

"The news says that there have been unusual movements in the Dragon Vein Ancient Continent recently."

"What kind of movements?"

"The surge of Spiritual Qi deep within the dragon vein has become extremely irregular. Some areas on the surface have even shown signs of Spiritual Vein overflow."

"The four major forces entrenched on the Dragon Vein Ancient Continent are already making moves, each expanding their territory in an attempt to seize more dragon vein nodes."

Zhao Tian swallowed a mouthful of rabbit meat and smacked his lips.

"What does that have to do with us?"

Ye Qingyao didn't answer Zhao Tian; her eyes remained fixed on Su Changge.

Su Changge noticed the hint of hesitation in her eyes.

Ye Qingyao rarely hesitated.

As a reborn former Empress and a peerless powerhouse of the Mahayana Stage, she was always decisive and blunt in her decisions.

When she hesitated, it meant that what she was about to say involved herself.

"Whatever you want to say, say it directly."

Su Changge's tone was indifferent.

Ye Qingyao was silent for three breaths.

Then she bowed, deeper than usual.

"I have a request, and I hope Revered Master will grant it."

The rabbit leg almost fell out of Zhao Tian's mouth. He quickly shrunk to the side, pretending he didn't exist.

Su Changge's heart skipped a beat as he looked at Ye Qingyao's bowed back.

[I have a bad feeling about this.]

[Every time she performs such a formal bow, the request that follows is exceptionally outrageous.]

"Stand up and speak."

Ye Qingyao straightened her body and looked directly into Su Changge's eyes.

"Does Revered Master still remember me saying that in my past life, I once attained the Dao as a Great Emperor?"

"I remember."

"During my journey to attain the Dao in my past life, I once established a Foundation on the Dragon Vein Ancient Continent of the Xuanhuang Domain."

Ye Qingyao's voice grew slightly lower.

"That Foundation was one of the key pillars of my path to the Dao. I left a remnant of a Great Emperor's Will within it."

"However, I was unable to fully finalize that Foundation in my past life. After my Rebirth, my cultivation fell, leaving me even more powerless to deal with it."

She paused for a moment.

"Now that the dragon vein is acting up, I'm worried that the Foundation will be discovered and plundered by the forces on the Dragon Vein Ancient Continent."

"If the remnant of the Great Emperor's Will I left behind falls into the hands of others, the consequences will be unimaginable."

Su Changge finished listening.

He didn't answer immediately.

He quickly weighed the pros and cons in his mind.

[Dragon Vein Ancient Continent, four forces competing, ancient dragon vein unrest.]

[This sounds like a super high-level dungeon.]

[Going to a place like that as a Qi Refining First Layer, isn't that just seeking death?]

[But if someone else really gets the remnant of the Great Emperor's Will Ye Qingyao left behind, that would be nurturing a potential arch-enemy.]

[More importantly, Ye Qingyao is my biggest backer right now. It's hard for me to refuse her request.]

[If I refuse, what if her attitude toward me changes?]

[Her admiration and obedience are built on my identity as her Revered Master.]

[If a Revered Master won't help his Disciple solve a problem, what kind of Revered Master is he?]

Su Changge pursed his lips.

"What are the cultivation levels of those four forces on the Dragon Vein Ancient Continent?"

Ye Qingyao replied, "As far as I know, the leaders of the four forces entrenched on the Dragon Vein Ancient Continent are all at the Tribulation Transcendence Stage."

"One is called Blood-Patterned Dragon Demon Tu Lie, Middle Stage of Tribulation Crossing, skilled in controlling the power of the Blood-Fiend Dragon Vein."

"One is called Withered Vein Immortal Elder Liu Can, Late Stage of Tribulation Crossing. He was originally a renegade Elder of the Alchemy Sect, skilled in absorbing the Spiritual Qi of the earth veins to refine poison pills."

"One is called Mystic Water Dragon Princess Ao Xi, Middle Stage of Tribulation Crossing, a remnant of the ancient Water Dragon Clan, skilled in water control and formations."

"One is called Mountain-Breaking Barbarian King Shi Lie, Late Stage of Tribulation Crossing, leader of a Wilderness Tribe. His Physical Body is incredibly strong; a single punch can crack the earth veins."

Zhao Tian gasped as he listened.

"Four Tribulation Transcendence Stages? Isn't that lineup a bit too luxurious?"

Ye Qingyao nodded.

"The resources of the Dragon Vein Ancient Continent are too abundant, so it naturally attracts the top powerhouses."

Su Changge's heart sank halfway as he heard these names and cultivation levels.

[Four Tribulation Transcendence Stages.]

[Two of them are at the Late Stage.]

[At the Ten Thousand Immortals Assembly, I already exhausted all my strength dealing with four demon dragons. Now there are four more?]

[And these four are different from the four demon dragons. Those dragons were scared witless by the Great Emperor's pressure and knelt. These four haven't been intimidated yet.]

[What do I have to fight them with?]

But Su Changge's expression did not change.

He looked into Ye Qingyao's eyes and saw something in those clear pupils that he rarely saw in her.

A plea.

Not an order, not a suggestion, but a genuine plea.

Ye Qingyao was asking him for help.

Su Changge was silent for ten breaths.

Zhao Tian didn't even dare to breathe, squatting there motionless.

"Where is that Foundation located in the Dragon Vein Ancient Continent?"

Ye Qingyao's His eyes lit up for a moment, but quickly restrained herself.

"In the core area of the Dragon Vein Ancient Continent, in the deepest part of the Dragon Spine Mountain Range."

Su Changge hummed in acknowledgment.

He didn't agree immediately, nor did he refuse.

"Let me think about it."

Ye Qingyao bowed.

"I am in no hurry. I will leave it entirely to Revered Master's decision."

Su Changge turned back to gnaw on the rabbit leg, but his mind was in turmoil.

[Should I go?]

[If I go, I might die. If I don't, Ye Qingyao's problem won't be solved. If her past life's Great Emperor's Will is taken, the future troubles will be endless.]

[And I've just accumulated a huge wave of emotion points; I can use all the top-tier special effects.]

[If I'm going to go, now is actually the best time.]

[But the key problem remains: special effect damage is zero.]

He took a bite of the rabbit leg and chewed for a long time.

No answer.