When I woke up, the entire cultivation world was talking about my master.

After a moment of complete silence, Hua Ling had a rough idea of ​​what was going on. She pounded her chest in frustration, saying with exasperation, "You… never mind, come with me!"

Yi Chen asked her with a calm look: What are you doing?

"You came to the right place. They'll give you advice," Hua Ling said, letting out a sigh of relief as she left behind her weary figure. "This family will fall apart sooner or later without me!"

Parents often have disagreements because their children lack manners!

Every spirit present, though small, carries a great responsibility.

Perhaps it was the overwhelming sense of conviction emanating from Hua Ling that caused Yi Chen to remain silent for a moment before actually following behind her.

Yan Ling was half asleep when she opened her eyes and saw who Hua Ling had brought back. She thought she was seeing a ghost.

The four spirits and one snake huddled together in a small tent for their second tactical meeting.

The small space was already cramped, and Yi Chen sat upright in the middle, like a Buddha who had been summoned, surrounded by several small spirits.

Hua Ling floated cross-legged in mid-air, propped her chin on the back of her hand, and cleared her throat, saying:

"Tell me. What exactly happened between you and Xianlan? What happened a few days ago?"

After Yi Chen briefly explained the whole story, Yan Ling exhaled two puffs of steam from her nose: "Wow, that's a truly shocking debut!"

Compared to Yanling's carefree attitude, Hualing became melancholy after hearing the story.

She never imagined that such a serious truth was involved.

I thought it was just playful fighting.

After all, neither of them wanted to see the other suffer. It's hard to say who was right or wrong, but it created a rift between them.

Needless to say, Yi Chen rarely has the opportunity to "ask for help" from anyone.

It's no wonder that a mortal immortal who never showed his emotions was willing to listen to the opinions of these few spirits of heaven and earth; it's clear that he was truly panicked and grasping at straws in his desperation.

...You two still love each other too much.

Amidst the tangy and refreshing sensation, Hua Ling found a moment to grieve.

She said with a bitter expression, "...Yichen, you should leave your name when you do good deeds! People can understand your thoughts, but why do you have to keep it from Xianlan? You know him well, and now both of you are feeling bad. I feel terrible too."

Yi Chen pursed his thin lips and did not answer.

He didn't think it was wrong to suffer the backlash, but he couldn't deny that he had misjudged the situation.

He thought that lightening his disciple's burden was doing him a favor, and that as an elder, he should shoulder everything for his disciple. But in fact, Chu Xianlan was no longer the child who needed his protection in everything.

If you really want to protect him, then stand by his side and walk with him, instead of unilaterally walking the entire path for him.

They understand the principles, but their actions fall short of expectations.

Yi Chen himself knew that he had a problem in this area.

After his half-demon bloodline was exposed, he inevitably used his disciples' reliance as an antidote, and became even more greedy for the feeling of being needed.

That's why I was so eager to know Chu Xianlan's feelings and to confirm how much I held in his heart. Even after learning that he had no interest in me, I was unwilling to let go.

He was so afraid of losing Chu Xianlan that the fear became overwhelming.

As a result, their efforts backfired.

"Why is it like this? It makes me feel bad too." Yan Ling leaned over sympathetically, patted Yi Chen's shoulder like a brother, and sighed.

"It's all because you don't keep your mouth shut, no wonder you two broke up."

"It's alright, thankfully Xianlan is still young. Out with the old, in with the new."

Hua Ling, who was just about to praise him, remained silent.

After a moment's thought, Yan Ling quickly added, displaying her subjective rigor, "Oh wait! Actually, we weren't even together, so it doesn't count as a breakup!"

After a thorough analysis, Yan Ling had never felt her logic was so clear, and a look of pride appeared on her face.

The surrounding air was getting colder and colder.

Enraged, Hua Ling rushed forward and slapped him across the face. "Damn it! Stop talking!"

Didn't you see how dejected Yi Chen became, almost breaking down?

It would have been better if we hadn't said anything, because bringing these things up is like stabbing someone in the heart!

"Hey, sir, you're so righteous! Our Immortal Lord Jixue did this for his disciple too." After being reprimanded, Yan Ling immediately changed her tune, appearing very loyal. "Why doesn't that brat Chu Xianlan appreciate it? I'll go talk to him."

Hua Ling, enraged once again, covered her head and yelled, "Did a horse kick your brain when you were a kid?!"

A fence-sitter, swaying between two sides!

If there weren't so few creatures with long beaks here, Hua Ling would definitely kick this fire horse, whose emotional intelligence is as thin as a cicada's wing, out of the group chat!

The moment they open their eyes, they start stirring up hatred, enough to make them enemies of the whole world.

If things really come to the point where the human and demon races go to war, it would be better to send Yan Ling to the front lines. The two races would likely put aside their grudges and join hands to punish this foul-mouthed traitor.

After a chaotic and frantic discussion, zero results were achieved.

During halftime, the Earth Spirit lay on the ground, slowly wriggling.

"To put it bluntly, it's just a case of good intentions gone wrong. It's not a big deal. Why don't I apologize on Yi Chen's behalf?" Yan Ling's patience was running out, and she was starting to get annoyed.

Annoying as he may be, he's actually quite helpful.

"No, I apologize," Xue Ling suddenly said.

"Yes, Xianlan is already feeling guilty, like he's dragging you down. Apologizing to him would only make things worse." Hua Ling nodded and added, "Besides, neither of you really did anything wrong."

Hua Ling suddenly realized, and clapped her hands with renewed energy: "Ah! I know what to do now!"

"Let's all work together to think of a way to cheer Xianlan up again, won't that solve everything!"

No sooner had the words left his mouth than a deafening thunderclap boomed outside. The earth spirit trembled in fear and huddled in a corner, cowering in terror.

Amidst the sounds of lightning and thunder, a minor incident occurred at the other end of the Wanderer's Camp.

The warm sunlight of early morning has vanished, and now lightning crackles in the dark clouds. Even more strangely, countless white cracks have appeared in those clouds.

A cold wind blew through the gaps between the tents, chilling one to the bone.

The demons, who were about to set off on their journey, sensed something was amiss.

The bear demon from the tribe rushed to Qionglan, saying anxiously, "Young chieftain, come quick! The beasts are causing trouble and are not behaving!"

Qionglan followed him around the camp. Whether it was the large demonic beasts used as mounts or the spirit pigs and birds used as food, they were all lying on the ground without moving, their tails swishing wildly as if they were very agitated.

The same was true of the white tigers that Qionglan had tamed; they buried their heads in their front paws and refused to get up and move forward no matter how much they were driven away.

Qionglan squatted down and stroked the head of one of the white spirit tigers, her brows furrowing slightly as she gazed at the sky.

Monsters have keen senses; their reluctance to travel indicates that something bad is about to happen.

The climate in Beiming is much harsher than that in Nancang. The border is remote, and sandstorms, snowstorms, and thunderstorms are commonplace. In addition, there are weather phenomena that can be called unusual phenomena.

Judging from the current situation, it seems that a major catastrophe is about to occur.

Simply put, the "Sky Rift" is extremely dangerous. After the clouds in the sky gather, lightning comparable to thunder will surge out. These lightning bolts are not just ordinary strikes that end there—they will chase after living things.

This would be enough to make cultivators with lightning spiritual roots suffer, let alone other human, demon, or beast races.

When Yi Chen arrived, a strong wind was blowing outside. Just then, Qiong Lan was explaining the danger of the Heavenly Rift to Chu Xianlan, Wei Jin, and Xiao Huandu.

"It shouldn't take long. Let's head to the nearby mine to take shelter. There are natural caves there that lightning can't strike."

The demon tribes were experienced in dealing with unusual phenomena, so listening to their advice was definitely a good idea. However, Wei Jin was still worried about Chu Xianlan's condition and turned to ask, "Are you alright? Are you still affected by the forbidden technique?"

This morning, they passed through the great barrier that separated the two realms and were already in the territory of the Northern Underworld.

"Junior Uncle, the shaman's judgment was correct. I no longer experience spiritual energy dissipation," Chu Xianlan replied steadily.

No sooner had she finished speaking than a large hand covered her cheek.

Chu Xianlan's heart skipped a beat, and she stared blankly at the person, who exuded a cool yet familiar aura.

Yi Chen focused intently on feeling the warmth emanating from his fingertips.

Soft and warm.

He thought to himself, everything is going smoothly. Next, all I need to do is find a place with abundant spiritual energy to rebuild my spiritual root.

At this moment, Yi Chen was completely focused on his disciple's recovery, having forgotten that their relationship was in an awkward phase. He did whatever he wanted.

It was only Chu Xianlan, whose body was stiff with pain, who suffered the most.

Having hidden from his master for several days with a disheveled appearance, he was somewhat apprehensive about returning home. When his face was suddenly touched like this, he didn't know where to put his hands and feet and stood there stiffly.

Wei Jin glanced at his junior apprentice several times, noticing the child's increasingly contorted expression as he was being rubbed, and couldn't help but complain:

"Yi Chen, do you have thorns on your hands?"

Yi Chen paused for a moment, then withdrew his hand.

"...Master." Chu Xianlan didn't dare to look up and said in a low voice, "This disciple will go back and pack up the tent."

Wei Jin looked left and right, raising an eyebrow in confusion. What was going on now? Was this some kind of melodramatic act?

Oh well, you can't have two kinds of people sleeping in the same bed.

Chu Xianlan walked out like a wooden doll for more than ten steps, squatted in the tent and rubbed her face hard. The place where Yi Chen had touched her gradually became very hot, and the temperature did not come down for a while.

I was also very anxious.

Before long, the group, each with their own thoughts, arrived near the cave with the main force.

Qionglan had timed the timing of the rift in the sky perfectly. The moment the group stepped into the cave, countless bolts of lightning struck down one after another, illuminating the entire wasteland as if it were daytime. Spiritual energy surged wildly, and the air itself trembled.

Each bolt of lightning targeted a lucky one, while countless creatures scattered across the wilderness perished.

Xiao Huandu took shamelessness to the extreme, tugging at Wei Jin's sleeve and whispering, "Master, it's thundering, your disciple is so scared."

Wei Jin: "..."

He put on a stern face and coldly shook off Xiao Huandu's hand.

Xiao Huandu persisted, this time transforming into a wolf and leaning against Wei Jin, his fluffy tail brushing against Wei Jin's hand.

"Stop sweeping!" Wei Jin closed his eyes, veins throbbing on his forehead.

"boom!"

Another thunderclap flashed, and the blinding white light illuminated Wei Jin's beautiful face clearly.

It's said that looking at a beautiful woman under lamplight can be quite unsettling, but it turns out that looking at a beautiful woman under thunder can be quite a different experience.

Xiao Huandu was so frightened that he shrank in size and jumped into Wei Jin's arms, burrowing his head into his clothes and sniffing around, his head spinning from the fragrance of his master.

If you're going to be a rebel, then go all the way.

A small, black, fuzzy ball that looks innocent and harmless, but actually harbors wolfish ambitions.

Wei Jin never expected that his complete abandonment of face would lead to such a crazy outburst. While busy dealing with the mad dog, he glanced sideways at the corner—Yi Chen seemed to be talking to Chu Xianlan about something.

Chu Xianlan nodded nervously.

Then... the two walked side by side into the depths of the mine?

What's going on?

The mine is pitch black and the conditions are filthy and chaotic. What's the point of going there?

"Master, that lightning is huge!"

"I wonder how long the rift in the sky will last."

"Master, are you there? Can you talk to me? Can you touch me?"

Annoyed by the noise, Wei Jin picked up the chubby little wolf and shook it, looking it over with a displeased expression. "You're so heavy! Have you gained weight lately?"

What?! Xiao Huandu was struck dumb.

Yanling was also struck dumb.

He looked at Hua Ling with a face full of suspicion: "Is this terrible idea you gave Yi Chen really going to work? I feel like it's... particularly unreliable."

Hua Ling was extremely excited: "Of course it will work! Our Xianlan loves mining the most! Let Yichen take him to Sweet Double Mining, and then without Xiuzhou blasting open a mine pit with one move, how could Xianlan not be happy?! He'll definitely be rolling on the ground laughing like a clown!"

Whether or not to mine is another matter; Yi Chen really wanted to find a quiet place to chat with his disciple.

As they went deeper into the tunnel, the noise from the outside world gradually faded away, leaving only the sound of two footsteps that gradually synchronized.

"Your teacher..."

"I……"

They all spoke at the same time, and were taken aback.

Chu Xianlan blinked a few times, then decisively said, "Master, please speak first!"

Yi Chen also spoke at the same time: "You speak."

The two fell silent again.

Darkness can give one the courage to examine their own heart. Chu Xianlan straightened her back, her expression softening. "Master, I was wrong these past few days!"

Yi Chen frowned. "...It's not your fault."

"Disciple knows that Master is afraid of me being in pain and suffering, I understand all of this..." Chu Xianlan paused, then smiled bitterly, "But knowing it is one thing, not being able to get over it in one's heart is another."

"Let's just say it's my pride acting up. I know my master is doing this for my own good, but..."

"It's not all for your own good," Yi Chen interrupted him, his voice hoarse and his breathing rapid.

"...and for myself too."

Yi Chen is usually rational and reserved, but he often loses his composure when it comes to matters related to Chu Xianlan.

"Chu Li, listen carefully."

"You taught me that there are things in this world more important than cultivation." Yi Chen's words struck the other person's heart. "I have never liked anyone before, I don't know how to keep someone in my heart, and I don't know how... to love someone."

Chu Xianlan slightly widened her eyes.

"I haven't done well in this regard, and I may continue to do so in the future. But at least..." Yi Chen leaned forward, "but from now on, I will no longer hide anything from you."

In the darkness, we couldn't see each other's expressions.

Yi Chen lowered his head and gently brushed his lips against Chu Xianlan's lips, saying earnestly, "I love you."