546: Chapter 546 Returning to the Wilderness

["Could it be related to your clan lands?" you asked.]

[Yu Hong took over the conversation: "It's more than that. Away from our clan lands, we cannot even reproduce."]

["Why is that?" You frowned.]

[Yu Tiankuo was silent for a moment before slowly speaking:]

["Our clan land is an ancient tree called the Tree of Life."]

["The lives of the Elf Race are connected to the clan land from birth."]

["Therefore, when every clansman is born, they leave a wisp of a Soul Mark on the tree."]

["As long as the Soul Mark exists, the person lives. If the Soul Mark is destroyed, the person dies."]

["The further one is from the clan land, the weaker the connection to the Soul Mark becomes, and the harder it is for one's cultivation to progress even an inch."]

["So, it's not that we don't want to move," he gave a bitter smile, "it's that we can't."]

[After hearing this, you fell silent.]

[You thought about it carefully—a thousand years later, someone would split the Chaos Sea with a single sword strike?]

[Calculated this way, it really could be you.]

[But you knew in your heart it wasn't the current you.]

[Seeing you lost in thought, the three of them also looked worried.]

[They knew your strength and didn't believe you could split the Chaos Sea.]

[That was the junction of three domains, magnificent and vast, not inferior to any single domain.]

[Wouldn't someone capable of splitting the Chaos Sea with one sword be equivalent to someone who could destroy the Zixiao Immortal Domain with a single strike?]

[Such terrifying power was beyond their wildest imagination.]

[However, since the elf Old Ancestor had sent many clansmen to investigate everywhere, they could only hold onto a glimmer of hope.]

[Looking at their worried faces, you couldn't bear to dash their hopes and said, "How about this? Once I achieve a Body Integration Breakthrough, I'll go take a look?"]

[Yu Tiankuo's eyes lit up. "Really?"]

[You nodded.]

["That's wonderful, thank you, Brother Qin!" Yu Tiankuo said with great joy, cupping his hands.]

[You waved your hand with a smile and, after some pleasantries, saw the three of them off.]

[Just as you stood up, Lu Xihe arrived with Murong Zhaozhao.]

["They think you're the one who splits the Chaos Sea?" Lu Xihe got straight to the point.]

["Ah—!?" Murong Zhaozhao's mouth hung open. "Split the Chaos Sea?"]

[You just smiled and didn't respond.]

[No matter how you heard it, this matter seemed preposterous.]

[Lu Xihe spoke again, "Regarding our marriage, don't worry about it. I will find an opportunity to talk to my father."]

[You looked at her.]

[You understood in your heart that she didn't like you—to be precise, she didn't like anyone; she only had the Great Dao in her heart.]

[Over the years, she had come to see you from time to time, testing the waters intentionally or unintentionally, and today she finally worked up the courage to say it.]

[You waved your hand with a smile. "It's fine. We're friends, and friends should use each other... bah, help each other!"]

[Lu Xihe's face remained calm, but the corners of her mouth curled slightly. "You are quite honest."]

[Murong Zhaozhao couldn't stop grinning as she listened to you two. She leaned in with a smile and asked, "Then when will you publicly call off the engagement?"]

[Lu Xihe gave her a serious look. "Once I achieve a Body Integration Breakthrough."]

[You didn't respond, but in your heart, you fully agreed with her decision.]

[Murong Zhaozhao suddenly pulled out a stack of pastries from her robe and held them out to you. "Here, eat these."]

[You looked down and froze.]

["Purple Ginseng Cakes?" you exclaimed. "How do you have these?"]

[Murong Zhaozhao covered her mouth and giggled. "Won't you try one?"]

[You raised your hand, your fingertips trembling slightly, and picked up a piece to put in your mouth.]

[The taste was so familiar it made your nose tingle.]

["My mother made these?"]

["That's right," Murong Zhaozhao said, her eyes curving into crescents. "Guess who's come to find you?"]

[Before her voice had even faded, a figure suddenly appeared.]

[It was actually Qin Yu.]

[By now, she was already at the Early Stage of Void Refining, and what had come was a Clone.]

[Looking at that familiar face, your nose tingled, and your eyes reddened.]

[You opened your mouth to say something, but not a single word came out.]

["Yo—" Qin Yu tilted her head at you, sat down on the stone table, and swung her legs. "My Genius brother, do you still remember you have a sister like me?"]

[You steadied your mind, your expression turning serious. "Why are you here? Didn't I warn you not to leave the academy and not to be associated with me?"]

["I didn't want to either—" Qin Yu drawled, pouting. "It's because your mother missed you and insisted I come find you."]

[Lu Xihe looked at you and added, "Don't worry, only Zhaozhao and I know she is your sister."]

[Murong Zhaozhao immediately leaned over and hooked her arm through yours, her eyes shining. "Come on, take me to see your mother!"]

[You looked at Qin Yu, your voice softening. "Are Mom and Dad okay?"]

[Qin Yu understood what you meant and glared at you. "Don't worry, they are both Great Grandmasters now."]

[You breathed a sigh of relief.]

[It made sense. With Qin Yu around, even though your parents had no Spiritual Roots, a Great Grandmaster's two-hundred-year Lifespan meant they wouldn't be dying of old age anytime soon.]

[Thinking of this, the weight on your heart finally lifted.]

[In the future, they might even Breakthrough to Deva, the Supernatural Power Realm, or even become Earthly Immortals—who knows.]

[Looking at Qin Yu, you suddenly felt your eyes stinging again.]

[Lu Xihe looked at you and then at Qin Yu, suddenly saying, "I truly envy you, two Supremes from one family."]

[Qin Yu covered her mouth and giggled, her eyes curving. "Sister Xihe, what are you saying? You're the one to be envied—entering Body Integration in just six hundred years; there aren't many like that in the entire Immortal Domain."]

["Compared to you, I'm still far behind." Lu Xihe smiled rarely. "When there's a chance in the future, shall we spar?"]

[The sparring she spoke of was, naturally, an exchange of Daoist techniques.]

[You glanced at Lu Xihe and then at Qin Yu, your brow furrowing slightly.]

[This Lu Xihe seemed particularly interested in your sister?]

[Noticing your expression, Lu Xihe said plainly, "I have some business to attend to, so I won't disturb your sibling reunion. Feel free to come to me if you need anything."]

[Before you could respond, she moved and vanished.]

[Qin Yu didn't delay either, immediately taking you and Murong Zhaozhao into the Tianhuang Continent.]

[Three figures hung high in the sky.]

[You looked down; clouds flowed slowly beneath your feet, and in the distance, a mountain range stretched across the clouds—Fengyun Pavilion.]

[You took a deep breath.]

[It was still that same scent—peaceful and serene, like a late autumn afternoon where the sun shines lazily and even the wind is slow.]

[It lacked that anxiety found in the Immortal Domain—where even taking a breath feels like rushing to be reincarnated.]

[You closed your eyes, and it was as if you could hear the wind passing through the valley, the stream flowing over the rocky shore, the laughter of children in the fields, and the sound of someone stir-frying at a stove, the spatula clinking against the iron wok.]

[Qin Yu hovered beside you, not saying a word, just quietly watching you.]

[Murong Zhaozhao looked around and whispered, "Is this where you grew up?"]