He patted the little white fox’s head, his tone carrying a trace of emotion,
"True Man Ye disappeared two years ago, his life and death unknown. And you drifted to the Lingyin Sect at that time..."
"If I’m not mistaken, you should be..."
The little white fox closed its eyes, waiting for the final judgment.
Come on.
Say it.
Say it’s True Man Ye, say it became this condition from being a dignified Half-Step Nascent Soul Great Cultivator...
Say that the legendary True Man Ye didn’t resemble a Golden Core Cultivator... Hmph, it was just a little fox all along, there was nothing special about it.
"You should be True Man Ye’s spirit pet, right? So, when True Man Ye disappeared, you were also wandering outside. Also, back then, during the demon calamity at the Luoli Courtyard of the Outer Sect, True Man Ye suddenly appeared like a fleeting glimpse. I suspect that was a life-saving measure True Man Ye left for you."
Chen Ye thought to himself.
Back then, when this little fox followed him to the Moon Rhinoceros Lake District, it secretly sneaked back to the Lingyin Sect midway, and the timing matched perfectly.
The little white fox suddenly opened its eyes.
Huh?
Spirit... spirit pet?
"Only the astonishingly talented True Man Ye could raise such an intelligent spirit beast."
Chen Ye sighed and gently rubbed its ears with some pity,
"When the master prospers, the servant is honored; when the master is disgraced, the servant dies. True Man Ye’s failure in Nascent Soul Formation left him missing, and you’ve wandered the world, suffering grievances... No wonder you get so agitated when hearing discussions about your former master."
"Squeak... (So you’ve discovered...)"
The little white fox blinked its eyes and quickly followed up on what Chen Ye said.
Right!
Spirit pet!
It is True Man Ye’s spirit pet!
This explanation is perfect!
It explains why it has such high intelligence and why it is so attentive to matters regarding True Man Ye!
"Squeak squeak! Squeak squeak! (That’s right, this fox is True Man Ye’s beloved pet!)"
The little white fox clutched Chen Ye’s fingers with its two paws, emitting a series of mournful cries,
"Squeak... (But the master is gone...)"
"There, there, don’t cry."
Although Qing Jun often "bullied" Little White on normal days, in her heart, she also considered it family — the reason was simple, Little White was now the master’s spirit pet. Since it’s the master’s spirit pet, it’s Qing Jun’s family!
"Good Little White, from now on, Qing Jun will never say you turned into Bai Susu again!"
Zhiwei was momentarily stunned,
She hadn’t expected that her pet would be the pet of the legendary first cultivator of Yan Kingdom,
She said gently:
"Since it is True Man Ye’s spirit pet, it should be taken care of properly. If True Man Ye returns someday, there will be an explanation."
Chen Ye watched this scene, smiling slightly.
Although he vaguely felt that the fox’s identity might be even higher than a spirit pet, but...
If it doesn’t want to say, then it’s a spirit pet.
Anyway, once it enters his door, it’s his fox.
...
Hunyuan City, City Lord’s Mansion.
The night was as dark as ink, the mansion brightly lit and heavily guarded.
Especially the Heart Cultivation Retreat in the backyard, which was now shrouded by layers of arrays, not even a fly could get in.
"Clang!"
A finely crafted purple sand stew pot was harshly smashed to the ground, hot soup splattering everywhere, the costly spiritual dish messing the plush carpet like mud.
"Senior Fang, what do you mean by this?"
Gu Tangyin stood aside, frowning, though her stunning face still maintained a respectful demeanor, a hint of impatience flashed deep in her eyes,
"This is specially instructed by this junior to have the top spirit chef of Yan Kingdom prepare for senior. Though Yan Kingdom is a remote place, it surely can’t be compared to Ruins Country, please make do with it."
"Make do?"
Daoist Miaofang sneered, kicking aside the shards of porcelain at his feet, disregarding the soup splashing onto his Taoist robe, he plopped into the chair, crossing his legs, glancing at Gu Tangyin askance,
"Gu lass, understand this clearly. Although this old Taoist is greedy for food, not any pig slop can enter my mouth. Especially when... there’s an ingrained taste of hypocrisy mixed in the food, even if it’s dragon liver or phoenix marrow, it makes this old Taoist disgusted!"
"..."
Gu Tangshuang gritted her silver teeth silently.
She is a Rising Dragon of Huayue Mansion, a top disciple of the Lord of East Mountain. Even within Ruins Country, she is revered like a star, when had she ever been scolded to her face?
Yet this person has a special status, coupled with profound cultivation.
Her master once said, Daoist Miaofang’s talent is no less than his, only half a step away from Core Formation.
Though she is gifted, to reach Core Formation would take decades of work...
Therefore,
Gu Tangyin could only bear her anger in silence.
"Clap, clap, clap."
A series of leisurely claps came from behind the screen.
"Well said. After not seeing you for so many years, Miaofang, your foul temper is just like the old man’s."
With the voice.
An elder dressed in a fiery red Taoist robe walked out, his hair and beard wholly white, only the two long eyebrows were red like fire, fluttering without wind.
This person is none other than the Lord of East Mountain from Huayue Mansion!
Huayue Mansion is the state mansion of Ruins Country, within it are four mountains divided into the east, south, west, and north.
Each mountain lord holds the title of the mountain, once appointed, unless fallen, they remain the lord of Huayue Mountain for life.
Upon seeing him, Gu Tangyin immediately restrained her anger, respectfully retreating aside: "Master."
Whereas Daoist Miaofang didn’t even pay respects but instead recoiled as if seeing something dirty, expressing disgust:
"Tch, I was wondering why there was such a stench in this room. Turns out it was you, this old undead thing, hiding behind."
True Man Dongshan didn’t get angry.
He gestured with a wave for Gu Tangyin to step back, and then sat in the main seat, looking at Miaofang, a trace of complexity flashed in his eyes:
"Miaofang, about the incident back then, everyone had their own stance. The teachings of my master, Chuli remember all the time. Without the master, there wouldn’t be today’s East Mountain."
"Indeed... If the old man hadn’t had an accident, how could he have let you become the Lord of East Mountain?"
Daoist Miaofang sneered,
"Chuli, you’re just a traitor who betrayed your master and ancestors, don’t pretend to honor your master and respect the Tao in front of me!"
The old man he referred to was Daoist Miaofang’s grandfather and the previous Lord of East Mountain, who was also the mentor of the current Lord of East Mountain.
True Man Dongshan’s fire-red eyebrows trembled slightly, a hint of killing intent flashed in his eyes but disappeared quickly.
He smiled generously, "The past is over, saying more is useless. I invited you not to reminisce but for one matter."
"Speak quickly if you have something to say." Daoist Miaofang was full of impatience.
"That lamp... it’s lit." True Man Dongshan said calmly.
"What did you say?! Which lamp?! Impossible! Absolutely impossible!"
Daoist Miaofang, upon hearing these simple five words, his expression changed drastically, his voice shifted in tone.
True Man Dongshan didn’t waste words and with a wave of his wide sleeve.
Buzz!
An archaic, crack-filled, seemingly ready to shatter at any moment bronze soul lamp floated in mid-air.
In that long-dried, dust-laden lamp wick.
A flame weaker than a firefly bizarrely flickered.
That is...
"Songyang Ancestral Master..."
Daoist Miaofang muttered,
"Could he have... awakened? How could this be? My grandfather predicted before his fall that the Songyang Ancestral Master was already at the end of his strength..."
"This is what I don’t understand either."
True Man Dongshan said coldly,
"But this lamp, indeed several months ago, suddenly lit up. His Majesty personally tried to deduce, only to find a fog... but precisely, this lamp indeed lit. Songyang’s reappearance in the Lingxu Realm... this demon, if present, would surely bring a cataclysmic disaster. If he contacts True Monarch Duqing, it might even awaken her."
"Hmm... True Monarch Duqing is even more sinister than Songyang. Now with the Immortal Sect hidden, if she wakes up, the vast Lingxu Realm would have no one to control her!"
Songyang Sect is not the righteous path.
This can be seen from the heritage of Yan and Qi regions.
The two great Demon Sects in Qi Kingdom need no mention, and in Yan Kingdom, the Ten Thousand Puppet Sect’s puppet refining methods also belong to the Demon Path.
Even...
The current Refining God Sect can barely be considered half a Demon Sect.
All this, derived from Songyang Sect’s heritage.
Back then.
Songyang Sect almost turned the Lingxu Realm upside down, especially that Demoness, who was only half a step away from transforming into a god... or rather, she had already transformed!