25: Ah, nurture, what a wonderful word... Wait? I'm the one being nurtured?

The moment the Sky Sword Flying Ship broke through the air, in the ruins on the edge below, several blood-soaked survivors finally dared to raise their heads.

Only a patch of bloody ashes drifted down from the horizon—that was the only trace of Skull Demon Lord's existence.

“Is it… over?”

A young Cultivator, covered in blood, stumbled out of the ruins. His Daoist robe was already soaked through, and his left arm was twisted unnaturally—an injury left half an hour ago when Skull Demon Lord casually swept a wave of Devilish Qi.

He stared blankly at the empty space—it should have been piled with corpses.

His Senior Brother, the honest man who always liked to ruffle his head, had just stood there, holding his Natal Magical Artifact, trying to protect his Junior Brothers and Junior Sisters behind him…

But now, not even ashes remained.

“No… it shouldn’t be like this…” The Cultivator’s lips trembled, his voice hoarse and unrecognizable.

He staggered two steps forward, then suddenly fell to his knees, his fingers digging deeply into the soil.

At least… at least there should be a complete body…

At least… he should be able to bring his Senior Brother’s remains back to the sect…

But now, nothing was left.

As if an invisible giant hand had gently wiped away all traces of existence.

“Is that Devil Head dead?” another severely injured Cultivator asked with a trembling, hoarse voice.

He looked at the gradually dissipating Devilish Qi in the sky, still unable to believe that he had survived.

The spirited arrogance when besieging the Devil Head.

The astonishment when falling into the trap.

The terror of his sect members dying tragically in an instant.

And the fear of the Devil Head about to Breakthrough.

Everything happened in an instant.

And ended in an instant.

Not far away, a white-haired old woman, clutching a broken Magical Artifact, stared blankly at the sky.

She didn't know who had made the move, nor where that carriage and flying ship came from, but the pressure that transcended heaven and earth made her instinctively prostrate herself, not daring to look up.

“It’s a great figure from the Upper Realm…” she murmured, her voice trembling, “It must be a great figure from the Upper Realm!”

And on a cliff further away, several young Cultivators slumped to the ground. One of them stared intently at the sky, muttering, “That Devil Head… just like that, gone?”

“He didn’t even have a chance to resist…” Another’s voice trembled, “What Realm is the person who made the move…?”

They didn't know who was sitting in that carriage, nor which power that massive ship, which had broken through the air, belonged to.

They only knew—they had survived.

And all of this was not because they were intentionally rescued.

It was merely because… those mysterious existences happened to pass by this place.

“Heaven above heaven…” one of them whispered, his gaze unconsciously drawn to the sky, an unprecedented longing appearing in his eyes, “What kind of place is that?”

Since childhood, they had known that the Xuanming Realm they lived in belonged to the Upper Thousand Provinces of the Three Thousand Dao Provinces.

Below it were the Middle Thousand Province and the Lower Thousand Provinces.

Compared to the Lower Realm, it was already a very good place.

At the same time, they also knew that above the Upper Thousand Provinces, there was an even vaster world.

But they had never imagined—it would be so terrifying!

A Half-step Great Emperor! That was a peerless Devil Head capable of easily destroying a Realm, yet in front of that mysterious existence, he didn't even have a chance to struggle before being casually wiped out.

“I heard that people from the Upper Realm are born standing at a height that we can never reach in our entire lives…” another said, his voice dry, both awestruck and bitter, “The Cultivation Technique they Cultivate, the Spiritual Qi they breathe, I even heard they don’t use Spirit Stones, but something even more powerful… far exceeding this Realm.”

“Does that mean…” someone swallowed, his voice trembling, “that the Supremes, Holy Lords, and Quasi-Emperors who are unapproachable in our eyes, might just be ordinary Cultivators in the Upper Realm…?”

Everyone fell silent.

In fact, there was another truth everyone knew but dared not speak.

Since a Half-step Great Emperor was not even considered an ant in the eyes of the Upper Realm’s Great Powers.

Then, would an Unsurpassed Great Emperor—in the eyes of those from Heaven above heaven—also be…?

This thought was too shocking, so much so that they didn't even dare to ponder it deeply.

If that were truly the case, then what were they, these Lower Realm Cultivators, struggling so hard to seek the Dao, considered?

Ants? Dust?

Or… even less than dust?

“We…” The Cultivator who spoke first suddenly gave a bitter laugh, “We don’t even have the right to be looked at directly by them.”

Everyone fell silent again, looking at the sky that had long returned to peace, their hearts filled with both awe and an indescribable complex emotion.

Longing? Fear? Unwillingness?

Perhaps all of them.

But no matter what, what they had seen today had completely subverted their understanding.

Would they reorganize their feelings and turn what they had seen, heard, and felt today into stepping stones on their Cultivation path?

Or would they be completely crushed by this, their Dao Heart shattered?

It was up to them.

——————

On the deck of the flying ship, a sea of clouds surged beneath their feet.

“My grandfather told you I would come to the Xuanming Realm, so he asked you to protect me?” Qin Wangchuan stroked his chin thoughtfully.

But it didn’t make sense…

The Qin Family had many experts, so why would they ask an outsider to protect him?

There was a conspiracy!

As he was pondering, a sudden weight settled on his shoulder.

A snow-white cloak embroidered with a subtle azure phoenix pattern was gently draped over his shoulder.

He looked up and met Li Qingluan’s face—

Her slender eyelashes trembled slightly, but her porcelain-white earlobes visibly flushed crimson.

“The flying ship is too fast, the wind is strong,” Li Qingluan explained stiffly, yet her fingertips casually reached up to help him straighten his collar.

At the other end of the deck, several Li Family Elders exchanged smiles, a knowing glint in their eyes.

(It’s a sure thing!)

(It seems this marriage arranged by the Old Ancestor is even more suitable than imagined.)

That's right, a marriage.

Regarding Qin Wangchuan's marriage, Li Qingluan of the Li Family currently had the loudest call.

Her status matched, and her talent far surpassed others.

It was just that Li Qingluan was not only aloof but also possessed the same temper as all Sword Cultivators in the world.

Stubborn! Arrogant!

If she wasn't satisfied, even if the Heavenly Emperor himself arrived.

There were only four words.

Prefer death to surrender!

But now it seemed…

The eldest gray-robed Elder stroked his beard, revealing a mysterious smile, not even noticing the tea overflowing.

In all these years, when had he ever seen this ice queen actively care for others?

“It seems Young Miss has also reached that age…”

Suddenly, a joking remark made the younger Elder with the sword beside him cough violently, frantically winking at his companions, hidden by his sleeve—

The Sword Attendants on the other side were shaking their shoulders, trying to suppress their laughter.

Don’t laugh, you idiots!

Laughing now could mean death!

After all, no one had expected it.

The Young Miss, who usually found even speaking an extra half-sentence annoying, was now acting like a clumsy new bride!

She was even covering her future husband with his clothes; how precious~

Li Qingluan obviously noticed the commotion behind her.

She tensed her jaw, and a Sword Qi suddenly swept across the deck, interrupting everyone’s conversation.

Only her reddened ear tips completely betrayed her inner feelings.

“Absurd…” Li Qingluan inwardly chided, but she didn’t know if she was referring to the gossiping clan members or her own inexplicable actions just now.

Before leaving, she had sworn to the Old Ancestor, “If that Qin Wangchuan is merely an empty name, don’t blame me for severing this engagement on the spot…”

But at this moment—she slightly turned her head, her gaze possessively looking at the young man beside her.

(He has a handsome appearance, monstrous talent, and his personality seems not bad either.)

(It’s just that he’s too young, still a bit childish…)

“At least seven or eight years,” Li Qingluan calculated in her mind, and when her gaze swept over the young man’s still slender shoulders, a rare patience emerged, “By then…”

As this thought arose, the Spiritual Qi in her spiritual platform suddenly surged.

Only then did she realize that she was actually seriously considering the absurd idea of “raising a Dao Companion.”

“Wait… is it absurd?” Li Qingluan suddenly reacted, then asked herself.

“In the Cultivation world, most Dao Companions are formed for the purpose of Cultivation or Family, with little emotion.”

“But if one were to raise him from a young age…”

Once this thought arose, it lingered, truly terrifying.

Even more terrifying was that when she imagined the scene of the young man standing beside her as an adult, her usually cold Dao Heart actually… felt a hint of anticipation?

Qin Wangchuan was unaware of the dangerous thoughts in the mind of the person beside him.

He only felt the atmosphere was subtle—

Although Li Qingluan’s expression was cold, her subtle gaze always clung to him, like a spider’s silk, difficult to break free from.

Her actions also exuded thoughtfulness everywhere.

First, the cloak, then food, and finally, she even personally peeled a spirit fruit and offered it to him.

No!

Nine-tenths of it was wrong!