226: Chapter 225 The battle is over, return to Great Xia

Time passed bit by bit.

From the sun hanging high in the sky to the darkening night, the formation diagram suspended in the sky showed no signs of stopping.

Six full hours had already passed.

The Drunkard sat on a rock, his wine gourd hanging back at his waist, though he didn't know when that had happened.

"Daoist, is your broken compass reliable at all?"

"Why haven't they come out yet?" Fourth Senior Brother looked at The Drunkard beside him with confusion.

"How would I know!" Zhou Chu rolled his eyes. "Do you think a fight between people like Boss Chu is child's play? Besides, neither Boss Chu nor Junior Brother Xia are ordinary people; isn't it normal for them to fight for a bit longer?"

"Alright, stop arguing." Yang Qingxuan spoke calmly; his voice wasn't loud, but it made both of them shut their mouths instantly.

Just then, the Bagua formation diagram in the sky suddenly let out a low rumble. The speed of the golden light's circulation increased abruptly, and the entire formation diagram began to shake violently.

Zhou Chu's expression changed, and he stood up from the ground abruptly. Everyone looked upwards at the same time.

Soon, two figures descended from the sky and landed in front of the group.

It was Marquis Chu and Xia Jin after their duel.

The Drunkard was the first to jump off the rock and walk up to the two of them. His gaze moved back and forth between Marquis Chu and Xia Jin, as if looking for something.

Marquis Chu stood there, and apart from his robes being a bit messy, there were no injuries on him. However, The Drunkard also noticed that there was a trace of fatigue in Marquis Chu's eyes.

Looking at Xia Jin again.

This newly arrived Junior Brother stood there bare-chested, his breath steady, his complexion normal, and his expression calm, as if nothing had changed since before he went in.

The Drunkard opened his mouth and couldn't help but ask in a low voice: "Boss Chu, Junior Brother Xia, you two... who ended up winning?"

Everyone's gaze converged on Marquis Chu.

"Hahahaha!"

Marquis Chu suddenly laughed out loud. He shook his head while laughing, his gaze sweeping over the four Junior Brothers in front of him before finally landing on Xia Jin, his eyes full of admiration and emotion.

"I lost." He said straightforwardly, without a hint of reluctance in his tone, but instead a sense of relief from the bottom of his heart. "I lost this duel against Junior Brother Xia."

"What!?"

"Boss Chu, you actually lost!?"

As soon as these words were spoken, the pupils of Yang Qingxuan and the others shook, and their expressions changed instantly.

They looked at each other, clearly unable to believe it.

Marquis Chu, the undisputed Senior Brother among the Hun-class Disciples and the recognized strongest among the Third Heaven Disciples, actually admitted he lost?

Marquis Chu looked at his Junior Brothers' expressions and laughed even more happily. He strode over to Xia Jin's side and patted him on the shoulder with such force that Xia Jin couldn't help but sway slightly.

"What kind of expressions are those? I lost, isn't that a good thing?" Marquis Chu's voice carried a hint of excitement. "The stronger Junior Brother Xia is, the more advantageous it is for us!! With Junior Brother Xia this time, we definitely cannot lose when facing that alien race team!!"

Xia Jin shook his head slightly. "At the end of the day, it was Senior Brother Chu who showed mercy."

"If it were a real life-and-death battle, I might not have won this duel!!"

At this moment, Zhou Chu finally recovered from his shock. He swallowed his saliva and asked: "Junior Brother Xia, could it be that after the tempering of the Yuanling Pool... you have already reached the Creation Realm?"

"Creation Realm!?" Xia Jin shook his head. "Of course not."

"Then how..." Zhou Chu opened his mouth, wanting to ask something more.

"Alright."

Marquis Chu suddenly spoke, interrupting Zhou Chu's questioning, because the jade pendant at his waist began to flicker, flashing on and off.

Marquis Chu frowned, looked up, and swept his gaze over everyone present.

"Everyone, go back and properly adjust your state. One day later, that alien race team will descend here."

When the words fell, the area around the Yuanling Pool went quiet instantly. Except for Xia Jin, everyone's expression carried a hint of solemnity.

"Alright! Everyone smile; isn't it just dealing with a small alien race team? On our path of cultivation, these are just a small stumbling block! In the future, our goal is to completely eradicate these alien races and return a peaceful world to our Human Race!" Marquis Chu said huffily.

"Senior Brother Chu."

Xia Jin looked at Marquis Chu and suddenly asked, "May I leave the shrine first and go back down?"

Marquis Chu was slightly stunned. Before he could answer, Yang Qingxuan, who was beside him, had already walked over and reached out to pat Xia Jin on the shoulder.

"Junior Brother Xia, if it were anyone else, it naturally wouldn't be allowed." Yang Qingxuan's face showed a hint of a smile. "But we Hun-class Disciples have this privilege; we can leave the shrine at any time."

A hint of surprise flashed in Xia Jin's eyes.

He really hadn't expected this.

Marquis Chu also nodded. He looked at Xia Jin and reminded him in a deep voice: "Junior Brother Xia, although you can leave the shrine freely, at this special juncture, go and return quickly!"

Xia Jin nodded, his expression serious: "Don't worry, I only need half a day."

Marquis Chu said no more and reached out to point at the token hanging at Xia Jin's waist.

"To enter and exit the shrine, you can use this token."

"Go back, all of you." Marquis Chu waved his hand and turned first, walking out of the Yuanling Pool. "Rest well; after tomorrow, we will face our greatest challenge."

Yang Qingxuan, The Drunkard, Fourth Senior Brother, Zhou Chu, and the others looked at each other, nodded, and turned to leave one by one.

Xia Jin stood on the shore, watching their backs disappear into the night.

He lowered his head, his gaze falling on the token in his palm.

Spiritual power surged from his palm and poured into the token.

A Void Gate suddenly appeared silently in front of him.

...

Inside the void passage, Xia Jin was flying at high speed, watching the flowing light occasionally passing by his side, but his thoughts had long drifted elsewhere.

It had been almost three months since he left Great Xia.

Three months.

It was neither long nor short.

He didn't know how Yue Xi and the others were doing.

In Xia Jin's mind, the image of his wife Leng Yuexi appeared, followed by the image of Su Xuanji.

And Emperor Xia Yu.

The corners of Xia Jin's mouth curled up slightly, and a rare, gentle smile appeared on his face.

...

Great Xia Imperial Palace, Jin Wang Palace.

Leng Yuexi sat on the soft couch by the window, holding a book in her hand, but her gaze had not fallen on the pages for a long time. Instead, she was looking at the bright moon outside the window, wondering what she was thinking about.

Three months later, she seemed a bit thinner, with a faint sense of fatigue between her brows.

Su Xuanji sat opposite her. Her long hair, which was usually meticulously tied up, was loose, draped over her shoulders, losing a bit of coldness and gaining a bit of gentleness.

"What is Sister thinking about?" Su Xuanji put down her teacup and asked softly.

Leng Yuexi came back to her senses, placed the book on her lap, and shook her head slightly. "Nothing. Just thinking... when exactly will Husband come back? It's been almost three months since he left!"

Who this "Husband" referred to went without saying.

Su Xuanji said with a hint of dissatisfaction: "This bastard, he's been gone for almost three months. He hasn't even sent any news back."

There was a bit of complaint in her tone, but more than that, it was an unconcealable longing.

Leng Yuexi looked at her, a hint of mischievous smile flashing in her eyes: "Is Sister Xuanji missing him?"

A flush of red quickly streaked across Su Xuanji's cheeks. She turned her head away and said with feigned calmness: "Who is missing him? I just... I just think he..."

Su Xuanji didn't come up with a reason, and Leng Yuexi just looked at her sister and shook her head with a smile.

The two women sat there quietly, one looking at the moon outside the window, the other looking down at the cold tea in her cup, neither of them speaking again.

Just then, a slight ripple suddenly came from the void in the great hall.

Leng Yuexi and Su Xuanji raised their heads almost at the same time. They saw a Void Gate suddenly appear.

Immediately after, a slender figure stepped out of the gate.

Bare-chested, long hair loose, exuding a noble air.

It was Xia Jin.