"Disciple, go help them. Leave these two to me!"
Yuan Kong and Shen Yuefu faced the Spirit Realm cultivators together.
Mu Jialing hesitated for a moment, then hearing the screams of the other disciples, his resolve pierced the miasma as he charged forward.
"Master, I will find Fairy Ranran!"
A flash of spiritual light appeared in his mind as he raised one hand in a vertical palm and recited the incantation.
On the flying boat,
Yao Ranran suddenly lowered her hands and reached for her waist.
The entire flying boat rocked violently. Bai Qingwu, caught off guard, was thrown to the bow, stars dancing in her eyes as she looked around.
"What is happening? Is there an enemy attacking? Did the Spirit Realm elders find you?"
She shouted in a panicked, incoherent manner.
Mu Xin swung a fist, immediately silencing her.
Sect Master Han Huijun hurried to her side. "Fairy Ran Ran, why have you stopped so suddenly?"
If it had been any day before today, he would never have imagined that as sect master of Wuxiang Sect, he would be showing such attentiveness to a disciple who voluntarily left the sect.
And that his life would now rest in her hands.
Their brief time together had clarified the harsh reality. Pei Xianqiao's blood could not save the people of Qingshui County, nor could it save Central Domain.
Only by keeping a close eye on the young woman before him could he protect the people of Central Domain.
Yao Ranran held the shattered jade pendant in her hand, stunned. "Why did it suddenly break like this?"
Han Huijun stepped closer, examining the pendant. He suddenly exclaimed in shock, "Isn't this the Heartbound Jade held by Fózǐ? When did the Xiānzhǔ acquire it?"
Yao Ranran looked at the pendant, puzzled. "This is the Heartbound Jade?"
"Yes, it is. Although I have never seen one personally, its depiction is recorded in the scriptures. Only a Fózǐ of Guan Fan Temple could nurture one!"
Fairy Yao Ranran clutched the shattered pendant tightly, confused. "Does the sect master know what it means that this jade is broken?"
Han Huijun frowned gravely. "It likely means the Fózǐ of Guan Fan Temple is in danger. He is using the jade to find you, to confirm your safety!"
Fairy Yao Ranran's eyes brightened with understanding.
"It seems Mu Jialing is quite considerate. Even in danger, he worries about my safety. What should I do to repay him?"
Han Huijun was stunned by the unusual logic in her mind, staring at her in disbelief.
Mu Xin raised his hand to retrieve a piece of the jade, holding it between two fingers for inspection.
"You need not repay anything. He already knows where you are."
Yao Ranran held the shard of the Heartbound Jade, a little pained. "So this jade can only remain broken?"
Mu Xin's lips twitched. "This piece cannot be restored. But if you like the Heartbound Jade, the Fózǐ would surely be willing to nurture a new one for you."
"How do you know he would be willing?" Yao Ranran looked at him in surprise.
He has never met Mu Jialing, right?
Mu Xin gave a mysterious smile. "Because the Heartbound Jade is extremely important to him. If he is willing to give you the first one, he would give you a second, the third is…"
Yao Ranran remained confused.
Han Huijun urged, "Xiānzhǔ, the flying boat has stopped. Let us head to Wuxiang Sect and discuss the Heartbound Jade on the way!"
"Yo yo yo, you are sect masters chasing our Xiānzhǔ on a flying boat. Don't you know if she wants to fly, she could reach Wuxiang Sect in an instant?"
Mu Xin, nonchalantly chewing on a piece of withered grass, appeared indifferent.
Han Huijun froze, astonished. "Wuxiang Sect is still over ten thousand kilometers away. The Xiānzhǔ is not even a Divine Transformation cultivator. How could she reach there in the blink of an eye?"
"Yes, I am not even a Divine Transformation cultivator!"
Yao Ranran looked contemplative.
Mu Xin glanced at her skeptically.
Han Huijun wiped the sweat from his forehead. "Xiānzhǔ, you must not be careless. Do not waste time on the way…"
Yao Ranran nodded. "You are right. No time to waste."
She produced a magnificent teleportation staff.
Han Huijun opened his mouth. "Another immortal artifact!"
Yao Ranran planted the staff at the bow. A supreme spirit stone appeared in her hand. Mu Xin and the others widened their eyes.
"This is a waste of a supreme spirit stone! You aren't going to use it to power the flying boat, are you?!"
The supreme spirit stone was embedded in the staff. Before they could react, the entire flying boat spun violently, levitating amidst the thick fog, as if entering an immortal realm.
Han Huijun flailed in panic, trying to disperse the fog. But it surged toward him, the miasma infiltrating his internal organs.
Mu Xin's astonished voice sounded in his ear, "Isn't this the Heavenly Punishment miasma?"
"What? This is the Heavenly Punishment miasma?"
Han Huijun's pupils dilated. His hands dropped, abandoning all resistance.
"No, no, no! I cannot let this miasma corrupt me! I refuse to be controlled!"
Bai Qingwu rolled in the clouds and fog, covering her eyes in fear, unwilling to face what was happening.
Mu Xin smiled coldly. "Give up. Once this miasma reaches the Lower Realm, no one can escape its punishment."
"There must be some way to save me!" Bai Qingwu roared in defiance.
Han Huijun ignored her, grasping the thick fog in the void to locate Fairy Yao Ranran.
"Xiānzhǔ, why has the flying boat stopped? Is the miasma affecting your sense of direction? Should I pilot it for you?"
Yao Ranran did not turn, sweeping the thick fog aside with her sleeve, clearing a path.
"Sect Master Han, we have arrived."
Han Huijun stared blankly ahead. "What… we've arrived?"
Boom!
Beneath the void, four palms clashed, shaking the earth itself.
Yuan Kong's mouth was streaked with blood, his eyes full of pity yet powerless.
The former sect master of Miaoyun Sect sneered in triumph. "Old bald donkey of Guan Fan Temple, today I will have you die here!"
"And the first Jiànjūn of Wuxiang Sect. Both must die!"
The Yuchi ancestor struck with force, rainbow light flashing through the mist.
Han Huijun's eyes widened. He leapt from the flying boat, shouting, "Do not harm my Junior Brother!"
Yao Ranran murmured, "Master Han certainly cares for Shen Yuefu."
"Indeed. The bond between these brothers is deep. Normally it is not apparent, but in danger, Master Han would risk his life for Shen Yuefu."
Bai Qingwu, crouching beside Fairy Yao Ranran with her head in her hands, added,
"I can see that without you pointing it out."
Yao Ranran twitched her lips. "Can you tell me something I don't already know?"
Bai Qingwu looked at her for a moment, shaking her head silently.
"No. Your power now is immense. What I know, you know. What I don't know, you still know…"
Yao Ranran looked at her despondent expression and encouraged her. "You are right. That is exactly the situation now."
Bai Qingwu: "…"
===
The third is because he love her? because she was 'important' for him?
-Scoff-
I think I really have deep 'prejudice' about him.