159: Long-lost leisure

Ji Lanzhi's body trembled almost imperceptibly, not entirely from fear, but more from the rapidly surging surprise and deliberation in her mind.

She quickly thought, 'The "Artificial Heavenly Dao Saint Body"... that was merely a crazy concept the Family poured all its resources into, only to fail in the end, an unrealizable ambition...'

'To exchange a flawed record, destined to be unachievable, for a tangible Chuanliu Pavilion that can bring countless Cultivation Techniques and possibilities? The price... is too light. So light... it's unsettling.'

Ji Lanzhi suddenly realized that this might not be an equal trade at all.

The Divine Son asking for that records book, like a piece of waste paper, might just be an excuse, a stepping stone.

Behind this seemingly benevolent "trade" might be a deeper intention that she couldn't see through.

Ultimately, all her struggles, doubts, and unwillingness transformed into an incredibly difficult whisper, tinged with submission, from her throat:

"Yes..."

No arguments, only obedience.

This was the fate of the vanquished.

Qin Wangchuan looked at her slightly trembling shoulders and that "Yes" which was almost squeezed through her teeth, knowing that she clearly hadn't fully understood his intention.

But that didn't matter.

The seed had been sown; whether it would take root and sprout, or be crushed by a stubborn rock, depended on her and the Ji Family's own fortune.

"Go," Qin Wangchuan's voice remained calm, devoid of any emotion, "Take my will back to the Ji Family."

There was no threat, no urging, as if he were just giving an ordinary instruction.

Ji Lanzhi stood up and melted into the crowd, quickly disappearing.

Li Qingluan's gaze retracted from the direction Ji Lanzhi disappeared, falling on Qin Wangchuan's profile, and she said calmly:

"It's time to go in."

Qin Wangchuan nodded and stepped forward with her, walking towards the shimmering entrance of the Immortal Path.

The surrounding clamor once again rushed into their ears; the brief and solemn confrontation just now seemed like an insignificant interlude before the Immortal Path opened.

However, only Qin Wangchuan himself knew that a chess piece, perhaps profoundly influencing the future, had already been placed.

Qin Wangchuan and Li Qingluan stepped into the Immortal Path entrance, and a kaleidoscope of bizarre sights instantly enveloped them, a rich Spiritual Qi interwoven with faint spatial fluctuations.

However, Qin Wangchuan did not immediately move forward, but suddenly looked back, his gaze falling precisely on the figure behind him—

There, a thin young man wearing a tattered star-patterned cloak was subconsciously pulling down his hood, trying to conceal himself.

Their gazes suddenly collided in the air.

Shen Xinghe stiffened, as if struck by an invisible lightning bolt, his heart nearly leaping out of his chest.

'I've been discovered?!' Immense fear instantly overwhelmed him, his blood seemingly freezing.

Shen Xinghe instinctively wanted to turn and flee.

However, the anticipated scolding or capture did not come.

That unapproachable Divine Son merely nodded slightly at him across the bustling crowd, his gaze calm, without any hostility.

Shen Xinghe froze, blinking incredulously, and even subconsciously pointed at himself, his face filled with confusion and surprise—'Is he calling me?'

Qin Wangchuan gave another affirmative look.

A massive emotion, mixed with bewilderment and a faint glimmer of hope, replaced the fear.

Shen Xinghe took a deep breath, suppressing his wildly beating heart, and gathered his courage, quickly squeezing through the crowd to stand before Qin Wangchuan.

His fingers still trembled with nervousness, but he respectfully bowed as per etiquette, his voice a little dry from tension: "I... I am Shen Xinghe, greetings, Divine Son."

As he spoke his name, his heart grew even more anxious, wondering if this Divine Son, who had annihilated the Ji Family, would react to this surname.

Qin Wangchuan observed him; the young man before him was still a far cry from the ruthless and resilient figure in the simulation after enduring hardships, but the stubbornness deeply ingrained in his bones was already beginning to show.

"Your Shen Family has studied this Immortal Path for a long time; you should be more than familiar with it," Qin Wangchuan's tone was calm, showing no emotion, "Let's go together. And while we're at it, show us around."

Li Qingluan frowned as she listened from the side; she wasn't annoyed by the addition of another person.

It was just that... she had never heard of the Shen Family before.

Shen Xinghe's heart tightened; although he had a mission, he dared not refuse and could only brace himself and say, "Yes."

He walked half a step behind Qin Wangchuan, leading the way while carefully choosing his words, his voice still tinged with nervousness: "Actually... the Immortal Path wasn't called the Immortal Path a long time ago..."

He carefully selected the information he could reveal, avoiding everything about the Shen Family's mission, but he did not hide the existence of the World Devouring Beast.

Li Qingluan listened quietly from the side, a hint of surprise and realization flashing in her clear, cold eyes.

She nodded slightly and whispered, "At the end of this Immortal Path, there is actually a World Devouring Beast."

Although called a World Devouring Beast, a terrifying name, in reality... this ancient relict not only possessed no destructive power but also had the ability to 'create worlds,' capable of nurturing a faint light in desolation and stabilizing the universe in nothingness.

It should have roamed freely in the outer Chaos, but for some unknown reason, it had long remained here... After speaking, Li Qingluan subconsciously looked at Qin Wangchuan beside her.

She saw that he still looked calm, his gaze quietly fixed on the bizarre scenery deep within the Immortal Path, as if all the ancient secrets Shen Xinghe spoke of were already within his expectations, unable to stir the slightest ripple.

Li Qingluan's heart stirred, 'Something is strange...'

Shen Xinghe walked at the front, leading the two through a bamboo forest shrouded in a thin mist.

The bamboo leaves were verdant and dripping, with crystal clear dew drops hanging from their tips, refracting fragmented halos in the Void Realm.

"This is the 'Azure Nether Bamboo Sea,'" Shen Xinghe whispered, "Legend has it that the dew on the bamboo leaves can reflect one's past life..."

The scenery here was indeed extraordinary, discovered by the Shen Family's ancestors when they accidentally entered this place while traversing the Immortal Path.

At that time, the Immortal Path was still under the control of the Ji Family, and let alone wandering in the middle of the Immortal Path, even how to enter was a problem.

Before he finished speaking, Qin Wangchuan had already raised his hand to pluck a dewdrop, flicking it with his fingertip, and the water bead flew towards Li Qingluan's glabella.

"What did you see?" he asked.

Li Qingluan's eyes flickered; a blurry sword light was reflected in the dewdrop—it was how she looked when she first held a sword at three years old.

"Just some boring things," she turned her head away, and the dewdrop fell to the ground, shattering into tiny points of light.

Passing through the bamboo forest, the view suddenly opened up—

A boundless lake lay quietly in the Void Realm, its waters clear as a mirror, yet tinged with a faint blood color, and a giant red lotus bloomed in the center of the lake, its petals swaying like flames.

"This is 'Crimson Glow Lake,'" Shen Xinghe said in a low voice, "From afar, the lake water looks like blood, but up close, it is actually exceptionally clear."

Li Qingluan leaned against a bluestone, her fair hand lightly raised, and her jade foot emerged from beneath her skirt, her toes slightly hooked, as white as snow.

Suddenly, as if sensing something, she raised her eyes and coldly swept them in Shen Xinghe's direction.

Shen Xinghe immediately understood and hastily turned away.

Her embroidered shoes were placed on the bluestone by the shore, and Li Qingluan stepped into the water barefoot, the clear lake water covering her ankles.

She bent down and scooped up a handful of clear water, then suddenly splashed it towards Qin Wangchuan on the shore.

The water droplets refracted tiny light in the sunlight. Qin Wangchuan sat on the bluestone by the shore, initially raising his hand to block it with disinterest, but when the second scoop of water came, Li Qingluan grabbed his sleeve.

"You—"

With a splash, he was pulled into the water. Although his robe's Dragon pattern activated and it wasn't soaked, he still looked somewhat disheveled.

Li Qingluan curled her lips in triumph, then turned to go deeper, but Qin Wangchuan grabbed her wrist with a backhand, splashing a handful of water on her face.

Li Qingluan was caught off guard, water droplets slid down her cheeks, and a few strands of her hair were wet.

Her eyes narrowed slightly, with a hint of petulance, "You're cheating, I'm not playing anymore."

However, Qin Wangchuan ignored her, becoming a ruthless water-splashing machine.

"The one who ambushed has no right to say that."

Shen Xinghe stood with his back to the lake, counting the pebbles on the ground, pretending to be deaf.