26: Chapter 26 If it weren't for Father...

Ning Yuan had always thought she had recovered, if not to her peak, then at least most of her strength.

That's why he was needed as a helper, just in case.

He never expected to go from being a helper to the main force, and he was the only one.

Mu Qingyao also realized at this moment that he must have misunderstood something, otherwise he wouldn't have reacted this way.

She reiterated, "You have to do this whole thing yourself. At most, I'll just guide you from the side!"

Do I need guidance?

No, I need you to be at the front, not me!

Ning Yuan's face darkened even more. No wonder she said his cultivation was weak and told him to improve it.

So she was waiting for me here. It turns out I'm the only one charging into battle, while you're cheering me on from the back!

After thinking back, Ning Yuan realized that he hadn't asked Mu Qingyao if her strength had recovered at all.

He wished he could slap himself a few times. He hadn't thought about such an important matter at all.

It was all his preconceived notions, being mesmerized by Mu Qingyao's appearance, making him assume she had recovered her strength and thus not considering this question.

Ning Yuan sighed deeply, reluctantly accepting this cruel reality.

Immediately, Ning Yuan roused his spirits. Since he couldn't change it, he could only do it himself.

Then Ning Yuan asked, "How do I preserve your Physical Body?"

Mu Qingyao quickly replied, "Just soak it in the thousand-year stone milk, and my remnant soul will attach to you!"

After speaking, she secretly glanced at Ning Yuan, afraid he wouldn't agree.

Although Ning Yuan felt a bit awkward about her possessing him, it wasn't impossible. Anyway, if a girl wasn't afraid, why should a big man like him be afraid?

So Ning Yuan nodded in agreement for her to possess him. After receiving his consent, Mu Qingyao's remnant soul transformed into a streak of light and entered Ning Yuan's body.

The moment she possessed him, Ning Yuan felt Mu Qingyao's presence, but nothing else.

After possessing him, Mu Qingyao was too shy to even speak. If there hadn't been no other way, she would have died rather than possess a man.

Then Ning Yuan used local materials, intending to make a stone pool out of stone to preserve Mu Qingyao's Physical Body.

After selecting the stone material, Ning Yuan immediately began working. After a series of hammering and chiseling, the stone coffin was finally completed.

"Hahaha...! Is this... a pool?"

"How did you make something so ugly?"

But upon seeing the finished product, Mu Qingyao couldn't help but burst into laughter, the kind that wouldn't stop.

Ning Yuan's face instantly darkened upon hearing her laughter. His hard work was being ridiculed like this; it was truly infuriating.

But as soon as he thought about Mu Qingyao lying inside, his mood immediately brightened. He decided not to bother with her.

When Mu Qingyao finally managed to stop laughing, the thought of herself lying inside instantly made her feel unwell.

"Remake it! You must remake it! Otherwise, I'm not done with you!"

"Protest invalid!" Ning Yuan replied indifferently, showing no intention of remaking it.

"If you dare to use this thing, I'll..."

"Don't put it! Don't put it! Don't..."

"Ahhh! You just wait!"

Ning Yuan remained unmoved, directly picking up Mu Qingyao's Physical Body and placing it into the stone pool.

In Ning Yuan's opinion, it wasn't ugly at all!

It was just a large stone hollowed out in the middle, with a rough surface, and a polygonal shape... well, fine!

Even Ning Yuan couldn't continue. It really wasn't very good-looking, but practicality was the most important thing; everything else was superficial!

Ning Yuan could only comfort himself this way. He hadn't expected to do such a poor job, which only meant he had no talent in art.

Then Ning Yuan collected all the thousand-year stone milk from the pond, poured it into the stone pool to nourish the Physical Body, and then put it into his storage ring.

He then returned to the rear hall via the Teleportation Formation. Next was to go to the Treasure Pavilion to obtain the array core.

Following Mu Qingyao's directions, Ning Yuan sped towards the Treasure Pavilion, pushing his speed to the limit.

If it weren't for the need to raise his cultivation, he wouldn't have waited until now; he would have gone to the Treasure Pavilion long ago.

Along the way, he encountered many Cultivator corpses or skeletons, which made Ning Yuan uneasy.

Ning Yuan didn't know exactly how many Cultivators had entered, but he had personally seen no fewer than several thousand corpses.

Who knows how many more he hadn't seen!

Feeling the pressure rushing towards him, Ning Yuan quickened his pace again.

Mu Qingyao looked at everything around her, feeling very bitter, and all of it was caused by her father.

If not for her father, her mother wouldn't have lost her life to save her.

If not for her father, the Sect wouldn't have suffered such a great catastrophe.

If not for her father... Mu Qingyao's heart was in extreme pain at this moment. Everything around her reminded her of the past she didn't want to recall.

Her father used to be so spirited, so unrestrained, so... In Mu Qingyao's eyes back then, her father was the most reliable person in the world.

She remembered shortly after she had just achieved the Golden Core Stage, her father made her go out for training alone. At the time, she felt resentful.

But during a later training, she encountered a Nascent Soul Cultivator seeking revenge against her, the reason being to avenge his wicked disciple.

If her father hadn't appeared in time, she would have died long ago.

She would never forget that figure who appeared before her, that figure who shielded her from wind and rain.

Later, such revenge incidents gradually increased. Whenever she couldn't resolve them, her father would always step forward.

As her father appeared more often, she couldn't help but become suspicious, and then she learned the truth from her mother.

It turned out that every time she went out for training, her father would secretly follow behind her, protecting her Dao.

Fearing she hadn't experienced enough, he made her train alone, yet also feared she would suffer even a slight injury, so her father secretly followed and protected her.

And similar incidents were countless, all revealing her father's love and care for her.

At the same time, he was equally thoughtful towards her mother, always considering her in every aspect. In her memory, her father rarely argued with her mother.

The only argument was because of her; her father wanted her to train alone, which her mother naturally disagreed with as it was too dangerous.

And the final result was that, on the surface, her mother compromised, but in reality, her father compromised.

Because her father was secretly protecting her Dao!

She had a father who loved her, a mother who doted on her, and her maternal grandfather, and her Senior Sister and Senior Brother... If not for her father... all of that would still exist, instead of just in her memories.