Chapter 408: Time Flows Like Water
"However, your idea is actually quite good."
"With the growing reputation of Hanyu Mountain, we will also encounter an increasing number of adversaries in the demonic path. Incidents like the recent attack on the sect's gates by evil demons, while I was away from Hanyu Mountain, are bound to occur in the future."
"For example, the evil demons of the Arctic Skyark Palace, after the conclusion of this incident, may not be willing to remain silent. Perhaps they are already planning how to launch an attack on Hanyu Mountain."
"While the powerful friends from the Wind Strike Department of the Li Tribe have protected Hanyu Mountain for many years, they cannot possibly reside there indefinitely."
"According to the customs of the Li Tribe, in another year or two, they will have to relocate and move on to the next anchor point."
"Once they have departed, the safety of Hanyu Mountain will rely solely on ourselves. Therefore, it is indeed a wise idea to recruit disciples and strengthen our own power."
"In any case, since you desire to do it, then go ahead and do it."
"Although the Tao Scripture cannot be casually imparted, I do possess a top-tier cultivation method called Divine Skill. You can recruit some virtuous mortals or cultivators with good character and impart the Divine Skill to them."
"Now, although you haven't reached the innate realm yet, your strength is already impressive even among those who have. With you present, I feel at ease."
Lu Heng smiled and encouraged Xiao Ai's idea, supporting her actions. He intended to sponsor a top-tier ancient-era cultivation method as start-up capital for Xiao Ai.
He didn't tell Xiao Ai that, although she could rely on her disciples to protect the sect, she would also bear the responsibility of protecting and educating those disciples.
If Xiao Ai indeed establishes her own sect and accepts disciples, in the future, it will most likely be Xiao Ai herself, not Lu Heng, who goes after and rescues the captured disciples.
However, Lu Heng didn't pour such cold water on Xiao Ai.
Because he was happy to see the little girl have her own path in life to follow.
Since being resurrected by Lu Heng, Xiao Ai has been constantly by his side, almost becoming a mere appendage to Lu Heng, never having her own independent life.
The previous Lu Heng didn't care about such a situation, because he believed he could spend his whole life with Xiao Ai.
However, the present Lu Heng is no longer certain of that.
Everything seen and heard within the dimensional space has placed a tremendous burden on Lu Heng's heart.
He must quickly attain the realm of ascending to the Heavenly Palace in the mortal world, and then seek Sister Yuanjun in the so-called celestial realm beyond the heavens.
In other words, Lu Heng is destined to leave this world sooner or later. However, at that time, whether he can depart together with Xiao Ai and whether Xiao Ai will still be alive, Lu Heng dares not make any guarantees.
After returning from the dimensional space, Lu Heng had a faint intuition that if he continues his steady cultivation, he probably won't have to worry about issues of age.
However, Lu Heng's lack of worry regarding his lifespan doesn't imply that Xiao Ai doesn't have to worry.
Cultivators in this world actually have relatively short lifespans…
For the majority of human cultivators, reaching a few hundred years of age is considered ancient. Those who can live for over a thousand years are known as innate cultivators.
Those who can live for several thousand years, like Elder Tao, are undoubtedly extraordinary individuals who have obtained the ancient inheritance.
However, even if one were to acquire ancient inheritance and have various extraordinary experiences, ordinary cultivators can never possess a lifespan as long-lasting as that of ancient divine beasts.
Concerned that he has not yet reached the day when he ascends to the Heavenly Palace, Lu Heng fears that before that happens, Xiao Ai's lifespan will have exhausted, turning her into mere ashes.
Therefore, he supports Xiao Ai's aspirations, hoping that she can leave behind some bright hues in the journey of her life, rather than perpetually being seen as a mere appendage to his existence as Lu Heng.
At the very least, if Xiao Ai truly turns into mere ashes in the future, Lu Heng, living a solitary life, can take solace in the fact that he witnessed the sect that Xiao Ai had once founded, preserving a poignant memory…
The journey of returning home, heading south, commenced within this wordless silence.
Xiao Ai furrowed her brow, contemplating various ideas regarding accepting disciples, while intermittently studying the "Divine Skill" that Lu Heng had bestowed upon her.
Meanwhile, Lu Heng silently cultivated his own spiritual cultivate, refraining from interrupting Xiao Ai's train of thought.
Soon, they caught sight of the mountain range of Hanyu Mountain emerging amidst the desolate plains ahead.
When tracing Sun Yan, they spent a good half year's time.
However, when retracing the same path back, it only took them two days.
Returning to the mountains, Lu Heng was dismayed to find that Jiu Mie, who should have been guarding the mountain, was nowhere to be found, and Huo Feng had also descended into the depths.
After a brief conversation, Lu Heng learned what had transpired when Lian Cangqing made her way to his doorstep upon his descent from the mountain.
He also came to know the falsehood spread by Jiu Mie…
At the thought of Jiu Mie deliberately telling a lie to provide him cover, only to coincidentally head north and run into Lian Cangqing… Lu Heng couldn't help but raise his hand to his forehead, sighing repeatedly.
This person, when it comes to being unlucky, is truly unlucky.
While Lu Heng was away from Hanyu Mountain for the past six months, Gu Yan had already been brought back by the Water God of Pang River.
Nowadays, Hanyu Mountain rests in tranquility and harmony, and upon Sun Yan's return, several disciples in the mountain gathered once again.
However, Sun Yan, upon his return, seemed somewhat different from before.
This perpetually lazy monkey has now become the most diligent person within Hanyu Mountain, second only to Xiao Ai. He diligently cultivates every day, no longer afraid of the monotony of cultivate, and ignores even Gu Yan's calls to play.
Observing his diligent and hardworking appearance, Lu Heng was taken aback and even probed Sun Yan's soul several times consecutively, ensuring that this disciple had not been possessed or taken over by another spirit. Only then did Lu Heng finally breathe a sigh of relief.
While attempting to communicate with the Moluo Evil Spirit residing underground, Lu Heng made several attempts to pry some secrets from the mouth of this ancient demon.
However, it is unfortunate that this individual remains unresponsive and completely disregards Lu Heng. It bluntly stated that unless Lu Heng releases it, there is no chance of obtaining any information from it.
Regarding this matter, Lu Heng, who had made multiple unsuccessful attempts, could only reluctantly abandon his plan to obtain information from the Moluo Evil Spirit.
His primordial spirit merged into the calamitous clouds in the sky, engaging in uninterrupted cultivation day and night, unwilling to waste even a moment, constantly absorbing the celestial might of the heavenly thunder within the clouds to strengthen himself.
Desiring to swiftly dispel the enigmatic haze enveloping the Cloud Sea Sky Palace.
However, although Lu Heng's cultivation speed is significantly faster than ordinary individuals, there is no mention of any bottlenecks. Nevertheless, aiming to break through to a higher realm in a short period of time is nothing more than a foolish dream.
And as Lu Heng immersed himself in such seclusion and clandestine cultivation, time passed day by day.
The deadline set by Lu Heng, Jiu Mie, and Candle Dragon, known as a period of ten years, is drawing closer day by day. The day when Lu Heng will embark on his quest for ancient secrets is also approaching rapidly.
However, before the arrival of the ten-year deadline, another event occurred earlier- the Wind Strike Department, which had been stationed outside Hanyu Mountain for ten years, is now preparing to depart.
According to the customs of the Li Tribe, after residing in a given anchor point for a full period of ten years, they are obligated to depart from that location. Accompanied by their fellow tribesmen and the iron-clad beasts within the tribe, they migrate amidst the melancholic autumn winds. Leaving behind all the gold and iron implements crafted during the past decade, they distribute them among the nearby populace. Then, guided by the spirits of their ancestors, they embark upon the journey to the next anchor point.
And as the Wind Strike Department prepares to depart, it is only natural that they cannot leave without bidding farewell.
When the venerable high priest arrived at the door to bid farewell, Lu Heng, who had been absent for a long time, departed from the cloud of calamity and appeared in front of the mountain gate.
The Li Tribe, who had been neighbors with Lu Heng for a decade, could be considered one of Lu Heng's friends in this world. Lu Heng has always harbored great affection for the wise and dignified high priest and the playful yet charming "young girl" Qian, who remains youthful and adorable even in her forties.
He stood outside the mountain, bidding farewell to the Wind Strike Department, and remained in place, watching as the people of the Li Tribe departed.
As he gazed upon the departing figures of the Li Tribe, a sudden realization washed over Lu Heng, as if he had once again witnessed the day they arrived at Shuisheng Village, treading upon the glistening white snow.
Unbeknownst to them, so much time had passed. Even the children of Shuisheng Village, who were once of the same age as Xiao Ai, have now grown into adults, getting married and starting families, outside the mountains.
From a distance, Lu Heng could see the lifeless body of an old hunter, covered in wounds and blood, being carried out of the forest by the strong youths of the village. He caught snippets of anxious conversations among the villagers, carried by the wind, and learned that this aged hunter had been attacked by a monstrous tiger while venturing into the mountains in search of prey.
And this elderly hunter happens to be none other than Wang Laoliu, who once lived a solitary life for many years, known for his outspokenness and a penchant for speaking without restraint.
The passing of ten years has imprinted distinct marks upon him.
Once considered a robust middle-aged hunter, he has now become elderly and frail. After a lifetime of hunting in the mountains, he met his demise under the merciless claws of a fierce tiger…
Lu Heng, who stood outside the mountains, watched that scene from afar, silently and wordlessly.
A certain melancholic emotion emerged in his heart.
Unbeknownst to him, he had already spent more than a decade in this world…
Recalling the former homeland, Earth, it now feels strangely unfamiliar, as if it were a world never visited before.
