Dongfang Yuechu returned to the Dao Alliance research institute and casually tossed the steam engine blueprints to the members of the Li family. Then he took a magical artifact into his private chamber and began dismantling it.
Before long, strange sounds started coming from inside.
"Oh?"
"Ohhh~~"
"O!!!"
Over the next few years, all of Fengqi's clones went into hiding, waiting for an opportunity to act. None of them emerged to cause trouble.
Dongfang Dianliang had also been killed by Ren Kurogane.
With those two major troublemakers gone, no new villains appeared in the world.
As far as Ren could tell, everything was proceeding normally.
During his years in seclusion, Dongfang Yuechu had become the Dao Alliance's deputy leader, gaining considerably more influence. The alliance leader was Wangquan Baye, and under the two men's leadership, tensions between human cultivators and demons gradually eased.
More importantly, the demons were simply too powerful. There were Demon Emperors everywhere, and humans couldn't defeat them even if they wanted to. They certainly didn't dare start a fight.
The strongest human cultivators of the current generation, Dongfang Yuechu and Wangquan Fugui, both favored peace. With the leaders setting an example, those beneath them gradually let go of their prejudices. When humans and demons crossed paths, they simply pretended the other side wasn't there. Neither made the first move to interact.
As the saying went, no conflict meant no conflict!
This peaceful arrangement lasted for several years before a message from Dongfang Yuechu brought it to an end.
Inside Ren's cave.
"An expedition to Longwan?" Ren frowned slightly. He handed the letter to Honghong, who was sitting in a chair. "Sister Honghong, do you want to visit Aolai Kingdom?"
Honghong quickly read through the letter, then shook her head.
"Forget it. We're still too weak. This isn't the time to provoke Aolai Kingdom."
"Mm. I was thinking the same thing." Ren nodded.
His strength had already surpassed that of the Third Young Master. However, his current goal was to cultivate the power of the mind, and Aolai Kingdom had no knowledge of that field whatsoever.
In other words, visiting Aolai Kingdom would bring him no benefit. Why bother getting involved?
"But is Dongfang Yuechu really going to Longwan this late?" Ren frowned.
As far as he remembered, Dongfang Yuechu should have gone to Longwan not long after leaving Tushan.
Yet now he was already in his twenties and only just preparing to leave. Worse, before setting off, the brat had written to Ren, hoping to hire him as a bodyguard.
"Is that stupid cockroach getting too full of himself?" Yaya gritted her teeth beside Honghong, punching the air with her little fists as though she were beating Dongfang Yuechu to a pulp. "He actually wants to use one of Tushan's Demon Emperors as his bodyguard? Next time I see him, I'll beat him until he has to crawl away!"
In the end, Ren decided not to get involved.
Honghong also felt that comprehending the power of the Tree of Bitterness was more important, so she wrote a letter declining Dongfang Yuechu's request.
After handing the letter to a subordinate to deliver, Yaya turned to Ren.
"Stupid tiger, you've been cooped up in your cave for years. Why don't you come out and have some fun today?"
"No!" Ren refused without hesitation.
He'd spent the past few years immersed in cultivation, barely noticing the passage of time. He thoroughly enjoyed living this way and had no intention of disrupting his routine.
Yaya puffed out her cheeks, clearly dissatisfied with his answer.
"Come on! Come on! What's so fun about staying cooped up inside all day?" She grabbed Ren's arm and tried to drag him outside.
Ren didn't budge. He let Yaya rub against him as she tugged and pulled, a delighted smile spreading across his face.
"You two…" Honghong watched them, feeling a little displeased.
By now, she understood some of what Ren wanted. Men, after all, tended to have certain desires.
Especially a lecher like Ren.
Honghong was both annoyed and helpless.
What annoyed her was that Ren's original target had apparently been Yaya. She'd been the one to approach him afterward.
What left her helpless was that she could no longer bring herself to let him go. That strange power stirring in her heart had taken on Ren's shape, becoming engraved in the deepest part of her soul.
Letting him go was out of the question. But her rival was her own beloved younger sister, and under the circumstances, Honghong could think of only two solutions.
The first was to kill Ren with a single swipe of her claws.
But she knew that was impossible.
She couldn't bring herself to do it.
The second was to fulfill Ren's wish and create one big family together.
Honghong had already made her decision. Her only concern was whether Yaya would accept it.
After all, the thought of two sisters sharing the same man was still rather embarrassing.
Yaya tugged at Ren for a long time. When she realized he was still sitting there without moving an inch, she finally lost her temper.
"Stupid tiger! Are you absolutely sure you're not coming out?"
"Absolutely!"
"Fine!"
Yaya dashed away, leaving Ren and Honghong staring after her in confusion. Neither had any idea what the girl was planning now.
Before long, Yaya reappeared in front of them with a bundle on her back.
"What? Planning to run away from home?" Ren teased.
"Of course not! This is Tushan. It's my territory! If anyone's leaving, it'll be you, you stupid tiger!" Yaya declared loudly. "Since you refuse to go out, I'll move in here with you! I'll pester you every single day and see how you manage to cultivate then!"
Ren stared at Yaya, who looked extremely pleased with her own cleverness, and could only shake his head in disbelief.
"You really are a genius…" he muttered. "Fine. Live here if you want. Ask Qinlan to make you a bed tomorrow, then find somewhere to put it."
Thump!
Yaya dropped the bedding beside Ren. Her cheeks turned slightly red.
"I'm sleeping right here!"
She raised her chin arrogantly, making sure Ren couldn't see her expression.
"Suit yourself," Ren replied calmly.
So what if he shared a bed with a fox spirit?
He was devoted to cultivation. He didn't even sleep, so what was there to worry about?
Honghong narrowed her eyes, revising her assessment of Yaya a little.
As expected. Yaya might not seem to think much about things most of the time, but when it comes to taking action, she's always the first one charging into battle!
The three of them were together, yet Ren remained focused entirely on cultivation, completely unaware that both fox sisters had their eyes on him.
If he'd known what the sisters were thinking, he would surely have let out a mighty tiger's roar and soared into the clouds on the spot!
Unfortunately, Ren genuinely wanted nothing more than to cultivate the power of the mind. For now, he intended to increase his supernatural energy to at least twenty black holes.
Inside the Best Brothers' Space, several versions of Ren gathered to exchange their recent insights into cultivation.
Ninja Ren gave White Tiger Ren a strange look.
"Bro, you're actually turning down a fox spirit who's practically throwing herself at you?"
The Detective Conan version of Ren shot him a disdainful glance and spoke with an air of wisdom.
"What would you know? This is what a normal romantic relationship looks like. You somehow ended up with two wives who can get along peacefully after meeting each other. That's not remotely scientific!"
"You're the last person who should be talking about science!" Ninja Ren scoffed. "Besides, if my household is harmonious, that's all thanks to my own abilities. Ever heard of masculine charm?"
Capitalist Ren couldn't stand listening to them any longer.
"Enough. Stop talking about women. If you want wives, marry as many as you like. It all comes down to your stamina." He waved them off. "Now, let's figure out our next steps in cultivation. Once we're done, I still have to attend the charity gala Zhang Wei is hosting!"
In the world of iPartment, Qin Yumo's fiancé's wife had shown up a couple of days earlier, and the two women had laid everything out in the open. Qin Yumo hadn't been herself over the past two days, and Zhang Wei had already spent a fortune twice trying to cheer her up.
If he held another event, that would make it three times!
Seventy thousand each time. Zhang Wei was truly unfathomable!
Soon, the group finished exchanging cultivation insights and discussing their future paths. They reached a conclusion: they needed to develop a proper cultivation technique for the power of the mind.
At that point, Ninja Ren spoke up.
"Wouldn't the Poetry Immortal Technique be the closest thing to what we're looking for?"
"Use it as our foundation?"
They looked at one another, and the decision was made.
"All right, brothers! See you next time!"
One by one, they left the space. For the first time in a long while, it felt strangely lonely.
A few seconds after the last of them departed, another figure appeared in the dark world.
"Hm? Where is this place?" The young man, dressed in animal hides, looked around curiously.
"I remember I was cultivating just now. After I sensed the presence of qi…"
Then he'd ended up here.
Could this be my cheat ability?!
Ren was thrilled.
Is this a separate space? Or can it accelerate time, giving me several times as much time to cultivate as everyone else?
With a thought, the scenery before him changed, and he returned to the place that resembled a primeval forest.
He looked around but couldn't detect any changes.
He casually picked up a stone and flicked his wrist. The stone shot forward like a bullet!
The next instant, he focused his mind and returned to the mysterious space.
After waiting for two and a half seconds, he left the space again.
Looking at the stone, which had smashed through a tree trunk, he muttered, "It can't stop time. Time passes at the same rate inside and outside."
"No storage ability, either."
"And my physical body doesn't leave."
After spending several minutes testing his abilities, Ren was thoroughly disappointed with his cheat.
He'd tested every ability he could think of, and none of them worked.
It was almost as if the only purpose of this damned place was to let him lock himself in a dark room whenever he felt like it.
"Forget it. If this cheat exists, it must serve some purpose. Maybe I'm just not strong enough yet. Once I become more powerful, I'll figure out how to use it properly."
After reassuring himself, Ren began examining the changes in his body.
Earlier, while cultivating, he'd unexpectedly comprehended a mysterious, indescribable state of mind. His whole body had suddenly felt clear and refreshed. Then he'd sensed tiny particles in the surrounding air entering his body and being absorbed.
After that, he'd entered the mysterious space and spent several minutes going back and forth.
Now, when he examined himself, he felt as though his eyes could see straight through his flesh and observe the inside of his body!
Could this be the legendary ability to look inward?!
Ren was delighted.
It seemed his efforts over the past few years hadn't been wasted. He wasn't even ten years old yet, and he could already look inside his own body!
And these strange energies in the air… They must be spiritual energy! According to the cultivation stages of an immortal cultivation world, I've entered the Qi Refining stage!
Ren had been reincarnated into this world nearly ten years ago, but he actually knew very little about it.
When he was young, a blind old man had found and raised him. But when Ren was five, the old man reached the end of his life and passed away.
After that, Ren had survived alone in the primeval forest, carrying a long spear he'd sharpened to a point.
When thirsty, he drank dew. When hungry, he ate wild fruit. Then, two years ago, he accidentally ate a spiritual fruit that made his whole body burn with heat. His strength increased dramatically, allowing him to start eating meat.
Today, he'd broken through once again and reached a new level of existence.
Ren twirled the spear in his hand. A flash of golden light passed along its length.
Sharpness!
He'd clearly felt that the spear was more powerful than before. It seemed that, as long as he wished, he could use it to pierce anything in the world!
Piercing absolutely everything is probably impossible, but there's no doubt it's more useful than before.
Ren was delighted.
Just then, he suddenly heard someone speaking nearby.
"Hahaha! Azure Void Snake, you've fallen into my grand formation! No matter how powerful you are, there's no escaping now! Submit obediently, and I might spare your life!"
A man's voice rang out.
Ren immediately grew alert.
He'd lived in this area for years without encountering another person. Why had someone appeared today? And judging by the man's tone, he certainly didn't sound like a good person!
Let's take a look.
His eyes gleaming, Ren concealed himself among the trees and cautiously made his way toward the source of the voice.
When he got close, he stopped and watched the beast intently, his gaze as sharp as an eagle's.
A thick bank of mist lay in front of the beast. From within it came a series of agonized screams.
Then, suddenly, the screams stopped.
Looks like the fight inside is over, Ren thought.
A question arose in his mind. Since when could the beasts in this primeval forest use such strange abilities?
He continued watching.
The mist dispersed, and an ugly-looking man emerged, holding a black whip. His expression was extremely gloomy.
When the beast saw him, it immediately transformed into a man dressed in black and approached with a fawning smile.
"Master! Since the Azure Void Snake refused to submit, it deserved to be killed by you!"
Tie Muzhan's face darkened.
"I didn't kill it. It escaped! That thing actually comprehended the innate divine ability, Void Traversal. Now I have no idea where it's gone!"
"What…?"
The black-clothed man was horrified.
They'd offended a divine beast that had mastered Void Traversal. It was only a matter of time before the two of them met their deaths.
Both men looked as though the world had collapsed around them.
Suddenly, Tie Muzhan cursed furiously.
"It's all that bastard from the Ji clan's fault! His strength was about equal to the Azure Void Snake's, and the two of them have been competing constantly lately. That helped the snake grow stronger, and then it went through a life-or-death trial and comprehended Void Traversal! Damn that brat from the Ji clan! I'll kill him!"
Flames of fury burned in Tie Muzhan's eyes.
He'd been absolutely certain that he would capture the Azure Void Snake today. Who could have predicted such a disastrous turn of events?
Not only had the prize he'd practically had in his grasp escaped, but now his own life could be in danger at any moment.
"Don't worry, Master. I left some Iceflower Liquid on that brat. No matter how far he runs, I'll be able to track him!" the man in black said with a grin.
Just as Tie Muzhan began to smile, a streak of golden light shot toward the two men at incredible speed!
In the next instant, it pierced straight through Tie Muzhan's skull.
With his life slipping away, his final thought was still that he would be able to kill Ji Ning!