I hope it's not a sinkhole.

On the Jian Lai Flying Ship, Phoenix Aotian looked at the essence of fortune before him, his heart stirred.

The preciousness of this item was something even he, at his peak, rarely encountered.

"Thank you, Master!"

He carefully and respectfully accepted it, thanking Zhong Qing, his mind greatly agitated.

On this day, Phoenix Aotian led the entire Three-Eyed Phoenix Hound Clan away.

Zhong Qing and his group continued deeper into the Void Domain.

As they passed through, they left behind a field of Chiyang Clan high-level corpses.

This matter, for Zhong Qing, was not a big deal; in fact, it caused little ripple or shock in his heart from beginning to end.

But for the entire Chiyang Clan, it was undoubtedly a catastrophe.

The loss of high-level combat power would inevitably lead to the decline of the entire Chiyang Clan.

Considering the past actions of the Chiyang Clan, what awaited them next was likely to be division and annexation by surrounding forces.

The cultivation world was undoubtedly cruel.

Cases of a clan or force being strong yesterday, prosperous today, and annihilated tomorrow were commonplace.

Clearly, the Chiyang Clan would become one of these many examples.

And the source of all this misfortune originated from the Chiyang Clan's high-level members developing an inappropriate greed.

...

After entering the Void Domain, Zhong Qing put away the Flying Ship.

The rest of their journey would primarily be for sightseeing.

To experience the customs, culture, and magnificent landscapes of the Void Domain.

He was not in a hurry to take over as the Domain Lord.

Nor did he force the matter of taking on a Disciple.

All things gather by fate.

When the time was right, his precious Disciple would naturally appear by his side.

This was an experience he had summarized from his many true Disciples.

The moonlight was like water, and stars dotted the sky!

Thin mist swirled, melting into the moonlight.

In the mountains, Zhong Qing and his group set up camp in the wild.

A bonfire blazed, and the aroma of roasted meat spread.

A group of people gathered around the bonfire, drinking wine, eating meat, gazing at the starry sky, and chatting about life—it was indeed a form of enjoyment.

With the entire Three-Eyed Phoenix Hound Clan having retreated, the Twelve Demon Generals once again entered seclusion to improve their strength, while Qilin and Little Ga transformed into totem imprints, resting on Zhong Qing's arm, cultivating diligently within the totem mark.

Currently, gathered around Zhong Qing were Ye Ji, Fire Enchantress, Shen Jinkuo, and even Zhao Yu, whom they had rescued along the way.

When Zhong Qing and the others left the Void Domain earlier, it was early spring, the season of melting snow.

After traveling all the way to the Void Domain, it was now deep autumn.

The lush mountains carried the withered yellow of autumn.

Under the illumination of the myriad stars, the entire mountain range was filled with an autumn desolation.

Shen Jinkuo sat by the bonfire, gazing at the moonlight.

Perhaps the moonlight was too beautiful, or perhaps his melancholy was too deep; looking back at the past, it gave him a sense of blurriness and disarray.

A gulp of strong wine went down; the wine didn't intoxicate, but he was already self-intoxicated.

With a slight tipsiness, he awkwardly spoke to Zhong Qing: "Master, Disciple has a request!"

Zhong Qing took a light sip of wine: "What is it?"

"Disciple previously had an encounter with Holy Maiden Fang Yi of the Fang Family in Wanren City, Void Domain."

"We two, under the flowers and moon, once swore an oath to be together for life."

"However, at that time, her family experienced a major upheaval and needed to form a marriage alliance to gain a powerful force as a patron ally to help their family overcome the crisis."

"As the Holy Maiden Fang, she naturally became the first political pawn for the family's marriage alliance."

"Fang Yi once sought Disciple and asked if Disciple was willing to marry her?"

At this point, a hint of bitterness appeared in Shen Jinkuo's heart.

At that time, upon learning of this matter, he was naturally extremely willing deep down.

But he was then in the midst of contending for the position of family head of the Shen Family's branch, and it was at a critical juncture.

The struggle for power was always cruel and filled with bloodshed.

He simply couldn't afford to be concerned with matters of love.

Between love and power, he ultimately chose power.

The result was that the woman he once loved was married off in the blink of an eye.

This incident was Shen Jinkuo's lifelong regret.

After clarifying the whole story to Zhong Qing, he said somewhat awkwardly: "Disciple knows that in this life, I have no face to see her."

"But I still want to tell her personally—I'm sorry!"

"If... if Master has time, may Disciple be so bold as to ask Master to accompany me on a trip, to embolden Disciple."

As he spoke, he was both hopeful and anxious.

Zhong Qing glanced at this Disciple, wanting to say something.

Since they had already missed each other, why bother each other again for the rest of their lives?

But he opened his mouth, and it turned into silent contemplation.

Do not persuade others to be kind without having experienced their suffering.

Zhong Qing had not suffered the bitterness of love, so he naturally could not empathize with the sorrow of the person involved.

Since he wasn't planning to take office immediately anyway,

going on a trip with this Disciple was not impossible.

After a moment of thought, Zhong Qing nodded.

"Then, I'll accompany you tomorrow!"

As soon as these words came out, Shen Jinkuo's face lit up with joy: "Thank you, Master!"

At this moment, Zhao Yu, who had been silent beside them, showed a strange expression on his face.

"Brother Shen, are you talking about Fang Yi of the Fang Family in Wanren City?"

Shen Jinkuo looked surprised: "Brother Zhao also knows her?"

Zhao Yu's expression was unreadable, and after a moment of thought, he said: "I know a little!"

Upon hearing this, Shen Jinkuo eagerly said: "Then, then Brother Zhao, could you tell me how she is doing now?"

Since he and Fang Yi had their last meeting a thousand years ago, they had completely lost contact.

There had been no further exchange of information.

Now, suddenly hearing news of the 'white moonlight' in his heart, Shen Jinkuo's heart was undoubtedly stirred with endless waves; he could no longer remain calm.

Zhao Yu opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but he was afraid the truth would be too cruel for Shen Jinkuo.

Moreover, based on his one-sided account, if he spoke it, the other party might even think he was stirring up trouble.

He then said with a strange expression: "Regarding this Holy Maiden Fang, it would be best for Brother Shen to investigate it himself."

"But the outcome might be very different from what you imagine."

"I hope Brother Shen is mentally prepared!"

These words left Shen Jinkuo completely puzzled.

"Brother Zhao, could you be more specific?"

However, no matter how much he inquired, Zhao Yu was unwilling to reveal any more information.

This scene made Zhong Qing's eyes also grow strange.

His Disciple's former 'white moonlight,' his lingering regret, seemed to be hiding quite a big secret!

Hopefully, it wasn't a huge pitfall.

Originally, Zhong Qing didn't care much about matters of love between men and women.

But now, with Zhao Yu's secretive demeanor, even he couldn't help but feel a bit curious.

Just then, a huge sound suddenly came from the sky above.