Family Cultivation: Rise of the Wilderness

Chapter 536 Regret
If Su Qing hadn't said a word, Li Xiangming, cornered at the end of the passageway, might have resigned himself to his fate!
The restrictions on the bronze door were clearly very advanced, and he had no way to break them. But Su Qing's words, "desperate situation," made him realize that there was still a place to escape behind the bronze door!
So he risked his life to set a trap, having the Yellow Turban Warriors and the sinner puppets lent to him by the corpse-driver work together to break through the barrier.

And the Cliff of No Return is indeed a dead end!
But Liu Xiong Yu's Wind Escape technique added a glimmer of hope!
Regardless of whether Liu Xiong Yu will teach him Wind Release, at least Liu Xiong Yu himself will survive. This is probably the most perfect ending Su Qing could imagine under the surveillance and coercion of the Black Crow!
However.
Su Qing underestimated the burden Liu Xiong Yu was carrying.

This seemingly resolute former protector of the Mang Sect, after being struck by Su Qing's sword, had not yet fallen into despair. However, when confronted at the end of the passageway, seeing that Su Qing was still deeply troubled by the destruction of Huanyun Village after twenty years, he finally broke down.

He didn't think Su Qing would forgive him!
In his view, continuing to live would be the greatest harm to Su Qing and also torture for himself.

The man in the Taoist robe seemed puzzled by Li Xiangming's question, but still answered truthfully: "The main body will not tell me everything in detail, and I have no idea what she is thinking."

"unknown?"

Li Xiangming's face immediately contorted with rage. He grabbed the Taoist-robed man by the collar and growled, "If you had said just one more word, Liu Xiong Yu wouldn't have come to this!"

Halfway through his sentence, Li Xiangming realized he had lost his composure and dejectedly released his grip.

The Taoist-robed man was merely Su Qing's clone. Although their thought processes were the same, people change. Having been separated twenty years ago, he naturally couldn't understand how complex Su Qing's feelings were after seeing Liu Xiong Yu again.

Even though he was fully aware of Su Qing's feelings, he was not Su Qing after all.

What's the point of blaming him?
But I'm not willing to accept it!
Li Xiangming clenched his fists; he had originally respected Liu Xiongyu's choice.

Now, however, I feel a bit regretful.

If he had done more to keep Liu Xiong Yu alive, would this unfortunate chieftain have finally found his way to Su Qing and had a completely different life?
But now, it's too late to regret.

The more Li Xiangming thought about it, the heavier his anger became. He also thought of the Black Cloud Crow; if it weren't for its threat, Su Qing wouldn't have had to pretend to be deaf and dumb. If the Li family wanted to take over the Purple Yin Cave, they couldn't avoid this vicious bird.

For a moment, a long-lost hint of murderous intent flashed in Li Xiangming's eyes.
-
Underground palace.

The mist, like gauze, floated slowly on the boiling water.

Several crows stood quietly by the pond, their claws lightly tapping the stone surface, their heads slightly tilted, revealing their scarlet eyes.

Suddenly, a ripple spread across the center of the pool, followed by a surge of heat. Startled, the crows took flight, making a rustling sound.

At the same time, more crows poured in from outside the bronze door, circling and gathering, casting a constantly swaying shadow passage.

A woman in a golden dress stepped onto the "passage," her gaze piercing through the mist. Her tone held a mixture of surprise and regret: "You've broken through to the next realm in just nineteen days. It seems I was too lenient with you before."

The woman in the pool slowly rose, bowed, and said, "Disciple greets Master."

The woman in the golden dress stepped forward, circled the pool twice, and finally fell into it. She gently brushed her fingers across Su Qing's cheek and smiled with satisfaction: "Since you're willing to cooperate, I will cherish your body."

Su Qing remained silent, allowing the woman in the gold dress to touch her.

The mist flowed between the two, quickly blurring the lines between the master and disciple who were facing each other.

The woman in the golden dress stopped first, but before she could speak, Su Qing interrupted, "Master's Soul-Crossing Scripture is so well-practiced that I know I am no match for him. I am just curious about something and wonder if Master can answer my question."

The woman in the gold dress was somewhat surprised, but nodded nonetheless; "Go ahead and ask."

Su Qing's expression turned serious: "Master, how many bodies have you possessed over the years? I don't know how you resolved the hidden dangers of the Soul-Crossing Scripture, but your cultivation level has plummeted from the Nascent Soul stage all the way down to the Foundation Establishment stage. Do you regret it?"

"Nascent Soul?" The woman in the golden dress paused for a moment, then her face darkened. "You know my identity?"

"After twenty years of living and working together day and night, how could I not have noticed a single clue?"

Su Qing's face was obscured, but her tone remained calm: "Unfortunately, the Soul-Crossing Scripture is not a path to immortality. Two hundred years from now, which 'good disciple' will Master choose?"

The woman in the golden dress remained silent for a moment before snorting, "I didn't want to possess those of you with weak magical power, but the spiritual energy in the Purple Yin Cave Secret Realm is becoming increasingly thin. There's no longer any possibility of attaining immortality here, so I had no choice. However, you should be the last one!"

The woman in the golden dress spoke, a mysterious smile appearing on her face: "That boy in the green robe called my creation a puppet, which is quite fitting. I must say, the skills of you humans are truly profound. I have devoted myself to this art for thousands of years before I have achieved anything. Now that you have successfully broken through to the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, you are qualified to receive my transformation. Rest assured, I will make you ten times, a hundred times more perfect than Miaoyin. From now on, we will be one, immortal for ten thousand years!"

Puppetry

Su Qing muttered something, gently closed her eyes, and then opened them again: "Master, you've gone to great lengths to prolong your life. Don't you feel tired and lonely?"

"Loneliness? That's an emotion unique to humans. I have no need for it."

"Having betrayed the Purple Yin True Lord and ruined the Purple Yin Cave like this, don't you feel even a little bit of regret?"

Su Qing's tone finally softened slightly: "Xuan Chang, I originally thought that you always had feelings for True Lord Ziyin, that he regarded you as his own child. If he knew your true nature, he would definitely regret taking you under his wing."

"Old Man Ziyin?"

The woman in the golden dress frowned: "I have already severed all ties with him, but I didn't expect you to still be able to find my roots."

She suddenly remembered something, her expression turning gloomy: "That's it, it must be because of Su Wan. I spared her life back then, but instead of being grateful, her descendants sided with you."

"But it doesn't matter."

The woman in the golden dress changed her expression rapidly, then suddenly chuckled, "That's right, I wronged that old man! But what is he? Just a thousand-year-old skeleton in a tomb! As for me—I've lived for tens of thousands of years, ten times his lifespan. After I turn you into a 'human puppet,' I can live for another ten thousand years!"

"Does living give you the right to trample on other people's lives at will?"

Su Qing's tone suddenly turned cold, and her long-suppressed anger, along with the aura of a mid-Foundation Establishment cultivator, erupted, causing the already boiling pool water to splash everywhere.

Seeing this, the woman in the golden dress narrowed her eyes: "You want to rebel against me? Don't forget how you survived! You promised me yourself that this body would be used by me!"

Su Qing remained silent, only creating distance between them until she reached the edge of the pool. Then she gently bit her thumb, saying, "Qing'er doesn't regret this body, but if you succeed, more members of the Su clan will enter the Purple Yin Cave and suffer your wrath. Today, I will avenge my ancestors and eliminate this scourge of yours."

"Just you?"

The woman in the golden dress sneered, "You don't actually think you can deal with me by controlling the Yellow Turban Warriors, do you? I'm quite wary of them, but I just don't want to waste my magic power. Since you're so stubborn, I'll make you realize your mistake."

As soon as she finished speaking, a pair of black wings sprouted from her back, and the surrounding crows immediately swarmed and flew towards Su Qing.

Su Qing's expression remained unchanged as she continued to perform hand seals, and a gust of wind blew violently from behind her.

The crows that came towards us were blown into a frenzy.

However, the woman in the golden dress was not affected in the slightest. Her black wings tore through the air and she rushed to Su Qing's side in the blink of an eye. A mocking smile appeared on her lips: "My speed is indeed not as fast as Old Man Ziyin's wind escape, but it is more than enough to deal with you."

(End of this chapter)