51: get lost

The mountain path was rugged, and the three of them moved slowly. Gu Wanquan cleared the way in front, Su Yi sat on the back of the Stag in the middle, and Yin Chaoge followed at the very back.

Su Yi, sitting on the Stag's back, suddenly burst into laughter. This scene somewhat resembled the four-person pilgrimage group from 'Journey to the West' in his other world; he felt like Tang Sanzang riding the white horse.

With peaks rising and falling and lush greenery blotting out the sky, the three of them seemed to be walking through a midsummer landscape painting.

Ever since the two disciples had sent that girl away, both seemed to have something on their minds.

One kept his head down, hacking at grass to clear the path, while the other's mind was wandering elsewhere. Even the usually talkative Yin Chaoge seemed to have become a mute.

However, these two boys would steal glances at him from time to time with expressions as if they were afraid he would run away, which made Su Yi feel quite uncomfortable.

He felt that these two boys were hiding many things from him, and those things were related to him!

Gu Wanquan and Yin Chaoge were simply contemplating a doubt that had been lingering in their hearts.

Or rather, a great terror that even a Ninth-Rank Great Cultivator could not comprehend!

Why had they undergone Rebirth!

Since both Gu Wanquan and Yin Chaoge had been reborn, how many others had also come back!

That idiot Yin Chaoge hadn't realized Liu Yan was reborn, but Gu Wanquan had.

That final look—the exact same look of resentment and malice he had seen in Liu Yan's eyes before he died.

Gu Wanquan understood instantly that Liu Yan had also undergone Rebirth.

He didn't kill Liu Yan in front of Yin Chaoge simply because he didn't want that brainless oaf to notice.

If Yin Chaoge realized Liu Yan was reborn, the oaf would definitely not have let him kill her!

Crippling Liu Yan's Dantian was merely a self-injury ruse Gu Wanquan played for Yin Chaoge's benefit!

If Han She didn't solve this trouble for him later, he would return and kill her again himself!

What puzzled Gu Wanquan the most was why they had all been reborn?

As powerhouses who had stepped into the ninth rank as Great Cultivators in their past lives, they had already grasped the laws of heaven and earth and were close to touching the essence of the world.

Returning to a body or Possession were rare in this world, but they were not unheard of.

However, this kind of Rebirth that felt like a reversal of time was even more incomprehensible to them.

Whether it was Gu Wanquan, Yin Chaoge, or even Liu Yan, they had all awakened their past life memories the moment they stepped into cultivation.

If the new Junior Brother their Master was about to take in also turned out to be reborn, then it would mean their Rebirth was no accident. It was highly likely something their Immortal-realm Master had done for them!

But what kind of price would have to be paid for a Rebirth that reverses time? In Gu Wanquan's understanding, it was likely something even an Immortal would find difficult to bear.

Gu Wanquan and Yin Chaoge looked at Su Yi from time to time, their eyes filled with an indescribable complexity.

If all of this was Master's doing, it meant that even after they had died, Master was still worrying himself to death for them!

Gu Wanquan, who had been expelled from the sect, and Yin Chaoge, who was never allowed to return to the mountain gate, both felt a mixture of emotions. They knew all too well that Master had done too much for them.

Therefore, this trip to the Sword Sect was a must, and they had to go quickly. To confirm this answer, they wouldn't hesitate to tear the Sword Sect to the ground!

Because at this Sword Sect Grand Ceremony, Master would take in two more Disciples, meaning they would have two more Junior Brothers!

If these two Junior Brothers were also reborn, then their Rebirth must be inextricably linked to their Immortal-realm Master!

At this thought, Gu Wanquan, who was clearing the path ahead, swung his wooden saber faster and faster, and Yin Chaoge behind him also began to urge the Stag to pick up the pace.

The sudden acceleration caused Su Yi, sitting on the Stag's back, to lean back unexpectedly. He asked in confusion, "Hey, you two rascals said you didn't want any divine Sharp Weapons, didn't you? You brat, don't kick its rump!"

Su Yi scolded Yin Chaoge irritably as he watched him kick the Stag's rump because he felt it was moving too slowly.

Because they were so eager to find the answer to the Rebirth and were in such a hurry, the three of them inevitably got lost in the deep forest.

There were no paths in the deep, ancient forest to begin with, and with the two boys rushing while Su Yi lost his sense of direction the moment he stepped out, it was bound to happen.

After bumping around all afternoon, by the time the sun set, the three of them had circled back to where they started that morning.

Gu Wanquan, who had been leading the way, felt the most awkward, and what was even more lethal was Yin Chaoge's playful mockery from the side.

Looking at the campfire that had only gone out that morning, Yin Chaoge looked at the embarrassed Gu Wanquan and said considerately, "Master, I saw Senior Brother running so fast in front that I thought he knew the way. Turns out he was just taking us for a walk to help our digestion!"

On the surface, he was making excuses for Gu Wanquan, but the words sounded like pure mockery to Gu Wanquan's ears.

The usually gentle Gu Wanquan could hardly keep his composure, but since it was his fault, he still apologized to Su Yi.

Su Yi waved his hand and said nonchalantly, "It's no big deal. Traveling far has no fixed destination anyway; we'll just go wherever we end up."

Though Su Yi didn't mind, Gu Wanquan, feeling he had failed in his duty, was full of self-reproach. Under Yin Chaoge's extreme pressure, his usually smiling face now looked quite dejected.

Su Yi looked at his discouraged eldest disciple and suddenly remembered something. He said, "Wait, didn't you two take that girl to a town? How can you still be lost?"

Su Yi's words gave Gu Wanquan and Yin Chaoge a start. Gu Wanquan hurriedly replied, "I felt that since she had started a new life, it wasn't appropriate for us to disturb her. So I thought of taking a different route, and we ended up getting lost."

Yin Chaoge quickly added, "Getting lost in the deep forest is unavoidable. But since there were villages, there should be Earth Deities and Mountain Gods stationed here. Why don't we call them over and ask where the road is!"

Hearing Yin Chaoge's words, Gu Wanquan snapped his head up, his eyes brightening.

That's right, in this world, there weren't just Cultivators, but also countless Mountain Gods and Earth Deities officially enfeoffed by the imperial family.

In his past life as a Cultivator, he had never spared a glance for these ghostly spirits and false deities who survived on incense and cast spells through faith.

Reminded by Yin Chaoge, he finally remembered these lonely mountain spirits!

Gu Wanquan stood up abruptly, then sat back down, looking even more embarrassed.

In his past life as a Sword Cultivator, he had focused solely on the Dao of the sword. Those so-called Mountain Gods and Earth Deities were just lonely ghosts living on incense and faith, so he naturally looked down on them. Gu Wanquan had never learned any Art of Inviting Gods!

Gu Wanquan looked at Yin Chaoge, who shook his head pridefully. What a joke—as the Demon Venerable, why would he need help from such low-level nether deities?

If you, Gu Wanquan, didn't learn it, how could I possibly have learned it?

"May I ask, Master, do you have a Method for Invoking Deities?" Gu Wanquan asked Su Yi helplessly.

"Ah? You need a technique for this?"

Su Yi was also stunned by Gu Wanquan's question.

Su Yi had agreed with Yin Chaoge's suggestion; Mountain Gods and Earth Deities were a major feature of this Immortal Martial World.

Traveling the world, one could save a lot of time with the help of these beings.

Though he hadn't cultivated himself, he had seen others call out those Mountain Gods and Earth Deities.

A technique?

Don't they just show up if you stomp your foot?

Having not seen a Cultivator in centuries, are they getting more pathetic by the day?

Su Yi coughed lightly and said with feigned composure, "The way of techniques is fundamentally about manifesting one's thoughts into the world. Why be constrained by specific techniques?"

The surface meaning of this sentence was that the methods of cultivation should not be restricted by form, but should stem from one's own comprehension of heaven and earth.

The deeper meaning was: I don't know it either, so you guys figure it out yourselves.