Gu Han swallowed his saliva, reeling from the revelation. No wonder!

Although Zuo Yang and Yu Miao seemed ordinary on the surface, they always gave him an unfathomable, inscrutable feeling. Even their cultivation methods were unconventional.

So that’s it. They’re actually a Holy Son and Holy Maiden! That explains everything!

Murong Yuan was also on the verge of losing it. No one understood the true ameaning of Holy Son and Holy Maiden better than him. They represented the foundation of a Holy Land, and could very well contend for the position of Holy Master in the future. Countless cultivators looked up to and envied their existences.

Yet they gave it up just like that? Murong Yuan thought.

Zuo Yang shook his head. “You don’t understand. The world is vast, but the cook reigns supreme! That is my ideal!”

Murong Yuan had nothing to say. I talk about the future, you talk about ideals.

Gu Han was stunned. “How did you actually get out, Senior Brother? Didn’t you say they kept dragging you back?”

Zuo Yang looked pensive. “I owed Senior Sister for that one. She tasted the meat I roasted and heard about my ideal, then decided to keep me by her side. I don’t know what method she used, but the Holy Master didn’t stop us. I still remember how dark his face was when I left.”

Everyone was speechless. Of course, his Holy Son was being whisked away!

Zuo Yang smiled. “So you see, when Senior Sister returns, they’ll have it coming. Besides, Holy Lands differ from one another. The so-called Myriad Transformations Holy Land clearly lacks heritage, far inferior to my old Holy Land. Don’t take it to heart!”

Murong Yan appeared envious. “If I had known earlier, I would have gone to the Fengwu Court instead of the Yuqing Sect!”

Who would have thought that a nearly forgotten, despised little sect could hide such a formidable background?

Zuo Yang shook his head. “You wouldn’t pass. You don’t meet Senior Sister’s requirements.”

Murong Yan was speechless.

Gu Han was curious. “Senior Brother, for Senior Sister to snatch the Holy Son and Holy Maiden away, does she have a formidable background??”

“Probably.”

“Probably?”

Zuo Yang thought for a moment. “In those days, Senior Sister brought me here. Not long after, Junior Sister also came. We aren’t too clear on the specifics and never asked. A chef just needs to cook well, no need to worry about the rest! If you want to know, you can ask her yourself when she returns.”

Gu Han also fell silent. He felt that both Zuo Yang and Yu Miao had very big hearts.

Murong Yuan sighed with relief. “Forget it! Since that’s the case, my worries were unnecessary. It’s just a pity that the secret realm collapsed, that liquid treasure...”

“Liquid treasure?” Only then did Gu Han remember and took out that white jade bottle. “Aside from the portion Jiang Xuan used up, the rest should all be here.”

Although this was possibly the only remaining liquid treasure in the Northern Domain, friendship was priceless. He wouldn’t choose to hog it all.

Murong Yan was stunned. “Where did you get it?”

Gu Han smiled. “Master Rooster gave it to me. It’s the perfect timing, let’s divide it here. It’s just right for breaking through realms!”

***

Few dared to venture in the south of the Wild Forest, past the endless borderlands. After all, it was considered part of the forbidden zones, the life-prohibited areas.

While the lands within the borders thrived, the south was plagued by scarce and turbulent spirit qi. Hardly a living creature stirred, and an oppressive silence hung over the land. The few plants that existed were all a strange grey-brown color. A thick, almost tangible layer of eerie mist perpetually enveloped the area, writhing and twisting as if alive. Ghostly wails occasionally drifted from there, adding to the strangeness of the forbidden land.

As the eerie mist drifted, skeletal remains could be seen everywhere. Judging by their shapes, some were humans or demonic beasts, but most belonged to bizarre races with forms too alien to describe. Some of their bones still retained faint spirit light, clearly indicating they weren’t weak in life.

At this moment, amid the drifting mist, an unbelievably magnificent rooster soared through the air. Its ceaseless complaints reverberated across the silent expanse of the forbidden land.

“This nearly killed me! Nothing but bad eggs, all trying to trick me!” cursing and grumbling, Chongming kept flying forward.

The eerie mist, which seemed capable of dissolving any living being, didn’t seem to affect it in the slightest.

After some time, it slowly descended, coming to a stop before a simple thatched hut. To call it simple was being generous. The hut merely consisted of four crooked, grey-brown wooden stakes driven into the ground. A dozen or so crooked, slightly thinner wooden poles were laid atop, haphazardly covered with a layer of dried grass to form a roof. Rather than a hut, it was more like a shack.

Outside, a few dozen withered branches were randomly arranged in a circle, barely forming a fence. Within the yard, a white-haired, bearded old man stood quietly. Hunched and deeply lined, he appeared frail and fragile. Clutching a wooden rod polished by years of use, he faced the eerie mist outside in silence, eyes shut.

Sensing the movement outside, he didn’t turn around and only smiled. “You’re back? You’ve worked hard.”

Chongming stomped in angrily from outside. “Let’s get things straight first! Next time this happens, you might as well finish me off! I’m not going!”

The old man sighed. “There won’t be. This is the last time.”

Immediately after, he coughed violently. With each cough, his back hunched a little more, and the wrinkles on his face deepened.

Seemingly understanding his condition well, sorrow flickered in Chongming’s eyes. “How much longer can you hold on?”

The old man coughed for a long time. “Not many days left.”

Chongming steeled itself, about to head out again. “Wait for me! I’ll go back inside one more time!”

The old man shook his head. “There’s no need for that. That thing isn’t much use to me anymore. At best, it could extend my life a few years, but it’s pointless. Besides, you were lucky to come out last time. This time might be different.”

Chongming fell silent. Once, the man was a prodigy of unparalleled grace and talent, exuding lofty pride and an air of untouchable aloofness.

After a moment, Chongming said again, slightly faltering, “Or... shall we... go back and take a look?”

“Let’s not go back.”

“Don’t you want to see her again?”

This time, the old man was silent. His originally withered face suddenly gained a touch of reminiscence. One, a heaven-sent genius. The other, a beauty capable of toppling cities. They were a pair envied by all, now separated by endless distance. To be reunited once more was nothing but a vain hope.

After a long while, he gently shook his head. “Forget it. If I appear, it will surely bring her immense trouble. Besides, I’d rather not meet her in such a ghostly state. What a pity that the glorious Profound Heaven lineage will be cut off by me. I have failed our patriarch, failed my fallen comrades!”

Chongming burst out cursing, “That bastard! Most of his disciples and descendants have been slaughtered, and he still has the leisure to wander around outside!”

The old man’s tone held a note of seriousness. “Master Rooster, he is still our patriarch.”

Chongming sneered coldly. “When he met me, he was still a reckless young lad. What’s wrong with cursing him a couple of times?”

The old man said nothing. Chongming’s stature was high enough for it to spout such things.

Finally, Chong Ming stared intently at him, more serious than ever. “It’s not cut off! As long as the Profound Heaven Sword Chief remains, the lineage will always remain!”

Upon hearing this title that existed only in memory, the old man seemed somewhat unaccustomed. “Sword Chief? The mortal world is severed. How can I still be called Sword Chief?”

“The sword may be broken, but you are still here! The Profound Heaven Sword Chief has always been passed down through a single line. You must hold on until you find the next Sword Chief!” Chongming shook its head. It thought for a moment before saying, “Speaking of which, I did discover a promising seedling on this trip...”