Fu Manman trembled as she raised her hand, gently stroking her back, and said,

"Qingyao, there will be a day when you walk down the street and suddenly spot a familiar face in the crowd. You nervously stop him and ask if he had a junior sister named Luo Qingyao. He will smile and say to you, ’Of course, she is right in front of you.’" 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

The Milky Way shone brightly in the deep sky, the starlight illuminating the shimmering Sea of Eternal Life.

Countless rays fell onto their shoulders.

...

Mount Daiyu,

The towering mountains exude vitality, with profound and mysterious Daoist essence.

Since ancient times, many people have eagerly come to glimpse its mysteries.

A peak yet untouched by anyone.

Liu Qingqing pushed Jiang Sha slowly along a mountain path. Despite pushing a wheelchair, the rugged terrain did not affect her at all. As the wheelchair rolled forward, the path below automatically smoothed out, only to restore its original condition once passed.

Reaching a certain cliff, they stopped.

Jiang Sha, seated in the wheelchair, looked up at the cliff. It was very smooth, inscribed with numerous words. This was not actually a cliff but a grand monument, large enough to resemble a cliff.

The monument began with the words—

"The Life of Fan Wubing, the Celestial Slayer."

It recorded in detail Fan Wubing’s life, from his birth to his fall in the Sea of Eternal Life.

Liu Qingqing said, "It seems Mount Daiyu considers Fan Wubing a remarkable person of this generation." She looked older than before, with a hunched back, age spots covering her face, her eyes clouded with experience, her spirit much diminished.

Jiang Sha softly said, "Anyone who battles the heavens is surely a remarkable person, isn’t it? However, it’s best not to let others see these contents. To think it even recorded his practice of dark magic. This Mount Daiyu is so indifferent to human norms."

Liu Qingqing laughed, "Perhaps, in Mount Daiyu’s eyes, there is no distinction between good and evil."

Jiang Sha lifted her left hand, gently brushing it across the monument, erasing all the inscriptions until it became a true cliff.

After doing so, she closed her eyes for a moment, a fleeting weariness crossing her brow,

"Let’s go find that cauldron."

Liu Qingqing asked, "Is the Hall Master truly going to save him?"

"Save... not really. Just offering a little help," Jiang Sha replied, "Hiding one’s divine soul within the spirits of all beings is indeed a clever plan. But perhaps he didn’t have much time to consider what to do next. Many have set their sights on that Heaven Nurturing Cauldron, all wanting to ask the Heavenly Dao how to become immortal. If others find it first, it will be troublesome for him."

"Is the Hall Master saving him just because the heavens want him dead?"

Jiang Sha raised her eyes, her eyelashes quivering lightly, "You might not believe it, but I sense a familiarity in him."

"Familiarity... does the Hall Master see him as a kindred spirit?"

Jiang Sha laughed, "He’s not a kindred spirit. He would probably dislike someone like me. That familiarity feels like it’s from my soul, almost like a kind of fate."

"Fate!"

This word made Liu Qingqing feel a twinge of unease. Terms like fate seem too grand, almost like an illusion to ordinary people, but to someone like the Hall Master, it indeed signifies something.

Three months later.

A certain sea area close to the Daluo Continent in the Sea of Eternal Life.

Liu Qingqing and Jiang Sha dove to the bottom of the deep sea.

In a massive seabed canyon, like a wound on the earth, they saw a giant blue cauldron standing motionless. The surface of the blue cauldron was engraved with numerous intricate, esoteric patterns, depicting the complex array of all living beings, exuding an unparalleled sense of antiquity.

This was the Heaven Nurturing Cauldron, one of the thirty-three innate treasures.

Jiang Sha looked at the enormous Heaven Nurturing Cauldron and said softly, "It seems we are the first to arrive."

Liu Qingqing said, "It is said that the Heaven Nurturing Cauldron bears the will of all soul spirits. Its weight is such that ordinary people cannot move it. It’s unclear how Fan Wubing managed to do so."

Jiang Sha said, "He possesses more ingenious thoughts than anyone. His soul is far different from yours, mine, or anyone’s. This is probably why he attracts the heavens’ wrath, yet can escape it."

"The Hall Master’s praise is high indeed." Liu Qingqing felt a bit complicated. She had never seen the Hall Master praise anyone like this, not even the Jade Ancestor of the Confucian school who the Hall Master always admired.

Jiang Sha furrowed her brows, "Perhaps not enough."

She didn’t say much more, lifting her left hand and spreading out her palm, a thread of ghostly light flashing in her eyes.

The seabed in front suddenly trembled, scattering the fish and shrimp wandering there.

The Heaven Nurturing Cauldron quickly shrank to the size of a palm, transforming into a green light, shooting toward Jiang Sha, and finally landing steadily in her palm. She gazed at the abyss-like mouth of the cauldron, her eyes reflecting exhaustion,

"Alright, let’s go back."

Liu Qingqing said with reproach, "We originally came to Changsheng Continent to relax and unwind, but the Hall Master keeps intervening. This is hardly restful... staying in the Slaughter Hall would be more peaceful, at least."

Jiang Sha chuckled lightly, "We’ll just rest well once we return."

Liu Qingqing sighed.

The Hall Master always says that, but it’s never the way it turns out.