Return to the Present

Half a month later...

Fang Xuan sat cross-legged in the room, a faint golden light swirling around his body.

The light flickered in and out, like the flow of time or the turning of the seasons.

He opened his eyes and let out a soft breath.

He had finally made some progress. Although he hadn't completely comprehended the laws, it was enough for now.

He stood up and looked toward the bed.

Ning Xian was curled up inside the quilt, looking like a tiny ball.

She only reached his waist now.

Fifteen? Or fourteen?

Fang Xuan didn't dare to think too deeply about it.

During these past two weeks, every time he finished a cultivation session, she would shrink a little more.

But she would still wake up, and she would still cling to him.

Then she would call out "Junior Brother" in that soft voice and cry while saying "I like you."

Although the silly version of his Senior Sister was quite cute, he still preferred the normal one.

He sat cross-legged again and first activated the time-based dao weapon.

Inside his dantian, the mass of chaotic light began to rotate.

Golden ripples spread out in circles, sweeping over his body, through the entire room, and finally enveloping Ning Xian.

Fang Xuan closed his eyes again, his expression becoming solemn.

Inside Ning Xian’s body, strands of weak time power were slowly being drawn out.

That was the source of her constant regression—the power of the laws from the dao weapon that had remained in her body.

The golden light grew brighter and brighter.

Ning Xian’s body also began to undergo changes along with it.

Her curled-up body gradually stretched out.

Growing longer and taller.

The youthful look on her small face slowly faded away.

Within her features, that familiar coldness began to emerge.

The aura of a True Immortal Level 6 also returned to her.

Fang Xuan wondered if this counted as witnessing his Senior Sister growing up with his own eyes. A child bride?

The light gradually faded...

Ning Xian lay on the bed, having returned to her original appearance.

The twenty-five-year-old version of her was cold, aloof, and indifferent.

Fang Xuan also let out a long sigh of relief. She was finally back.

Ning Xian’s eyelashes fluttered, and she slowly opened her eyes...

...

But...

She just looked at him without saying a word.

Fang Xuan was slightly stunned. What was going on?

He spoke up, asking, "Senior Sister?"

Ning Xian only blinked.

"Ah...?"

Fang Xuan’s heart immediately tightened.

"Senior Sister, how do you feel now?"

Ning Xian looked at him, trying to keep a serious face.

But her fingers were tightly pinching the corner of her clothes.

"Where is this?"

...

Fang Xuan suddenly understood.

He figured that since her body was small, her consciousness wasn't fully there either.

So she probably didn't remember anything now.

He cleared his throat.

"Senior Sister, do you remember what happened before?"

Ning Xian looked at him, her expression remaining cold and indifferent. "I don't remember."

Then she threw off the quilt and stood up to walk outside, her movements as swift and decisive as ever. "Junior Brother, did the laws of time change something inside my body?"

"Yeah." Fang Xuan watched her back and followed her.

His Senior Sister was indeed smart; she had immediately guessed it was a problem with the laws of time.

It was just a pity... he wouldn't be able to see that silly Senior Sister anymore.

...

In the yard.

Ning Xian stood still, a strand of sword intent condensing at her fingertip.

She gave a light stroke, and space tore open a rift.

Time and space were inseparable; this place was just another space manifested by the dao weapon.

Now that her realm had recovered, leaving was simple.

She reached out her hand, and Fang Xuan took it.

The two of them stepped into the spatial rift...

...

However, they couldn't emerge in the forbidden area, nor could they stay in the holy land.

Inside the spatial rift, Ning Xian spoke.

"According to my previous plan, there should be a large amount of aura from the laws of heavenly mechanism left there. It will mislead the holy land for a while."

"But I don't want to gamble. Your disappearance needs a reason."

Fang Xuan understood.

"So..."

"We’re going to Daotian Holy Land." Ning Xian’s eyes were calm.

"When the time comes, we’ll say you were kidnapped and taken there. We’ll also say the ancestor was killed by Daotian Holy Land for the sake of the time-based dao weapon."

Fang Xuan blinked. As expected of his Senior Sister.

He was still a bit green in this area; he had to rely on his Senior Sister to carry him.

Ning Xian continued, "Before the ancestor died, in order to prevent the time-based dao weapon from falling into the wrong hands, he sealed it inside your body. That was also the reason why you were captured."

"So now..." Fang Xuan picked up the thread. "We go to Daotian Holy Land and cut down everyone there?"

Ning Xian nodded. "Yes. Then we wait for the people from our holy land to come and pick you up. They will have no choice but to treat you as the next Saint Child."

As she spoke, the corners of her mouth curled up slightly.

...

With a flash, the two of them appeared on the back mountain of Daotian Holy Land...

...

Meanwhile, in the sky above Daotian Holy Land.

Dozens of figures stood suspended in the air, each of their auras terrifyingly powerful.

The weakest among them was a Taiyi Golden Immortal.

Opposite them, dozens of others stood in confrontation.

Both sides were at each other's throats, the atmosphere tense to the extreme. They had clearly been in a standoff for a long time.

An Immortal Venerable from Tianxu Holy Land was the first to speak. "Do you dare to let us search your back mountain!"

On the opposite side, a white-haired old man spoke in a heavy voice.

"You are pushing us too far. But my Daotian Holy Land has a clear conscience. What harm is there in letting you look at our back mountain?"

His voice carried anger, but in truth, he was out of options...

After all, their Daotian Holy Land simply couldn't defeat the holy land across from them.

Besides, that person they were looking for couldn't possibly be in the back mountain anyway, so why not let them look?

Once they were done, he would see what else they had to say.

The white-haired old man waved his hand.

"Let them search!"

The leading Immortal Venerable narrowed his eyes slightly.

"Good."

He waved his hand, and the Immortal Venerables behind him also descended one after another...

Charging straight for the back mountain.

Outside, they were still unaware of what was happening within.

In a hidden stone room in the back mountain forbidden area.

Fang Xuan sat cross-legged, eyes closed to rest his mind.

Senior Sister had told him to wait obediently.

She said the people from outside had already arrived, saving them the trouble of making a scene themselves.

The stone room wasn't large; it was crude, resembling a place for holding prisoners.

Footsteps echoed... drawing closer from a distance.

Fang Xuan didn't move.

The footsteps stopped at the entrance of the stone room.

“Who are you? Why are you here?” a voice asked, dripping with condescension.

Fang Xuan ignored him.

The person’s brow furrowed.

He stepped into the stone room, standing before Fang Xuan and looking him up and down.

“Did you not hear this Saint Child’s question?”

Fang Xuan still ignored him. He hadn't expected his luck to be so good—hooking a Saint Child right away. This was bound to cause a significant commotion.

After all, Senior Sister wanted him to stir things up. Only if the two holy lands became mortal enemies would they stop and fail to investigate the truth properly.

The Saint Child’s expression darkened.

He was the Saint Child of Daotian Holy Land, a supreme genius who, at less than six hundred years old, could already use the laws of heavenly mechanism to split triple heavy pupils.

In the entire Daotian Holy Land, who didn't treat him with the utmost respect?

And yet, this brat who appeared out of nowhere dared to ignore him?

“I’ll give you one last chance,” he said coldly. “Who are you, and why are you here?”

Fang Xuan finally opened his eyes and glanced at him.

Then he closed them again.

The Saint Child’s face turned completely black with rage.

Fang Xuan thought to himself that it was fine to fight; he would play the victim first.

He would continue to maintain his aloof posture.

Thoroughly enraged, the Saint Child struck out with a palm.

A mere ninth-level True Immortal dared to ignore him...

Boom—!

The aloof Fang Xuan was sent flying straight into the sky by the shockwave.

The Saint Child snorted coldly. With a flash of movement, he intercepted Fang Xuan in the air.

He threw a punch, making the heavens and earth tremble!

He used seventy percent of his strength in this punch.

The aloof Fang Xuan went flying backward again, smashed directly into the mountain.

Rumble—!

The entire back mountain shook, and dust filled the air.

But amidst the dust, a figure slowly stood up.

Fang Xuan shielded his right hand. His hair ribbon had come loose, leaving his long hair to flutter in the wind.

He brushed the dust off his clothes. He was unharmed and remained as aloof as ever.

He looked up at the Saint Child, his gaze indifferent.

This Saint Child had some skill. Surely this commotion was loud enough?

...

The commotion was indeed loud enough.

Outside, the people from both holy lands sensed the spiritual energy fluctuations in the back mountain almost simultaneously.

Dozens of divine senses immediately swept over.

“Stop! This is all a misunderstanding!”

An Immortal Venerable from Tianxu Holy Land was the first to send a voice transmission, his voice booming like thunder.

But the Saint Child was already seeing red.

He heard the transmission, but he didn't care.

No matter what, he was going to teach this person a lesson today!

Otherwise, where would his dignity as a Saint Child go?

Furthermore, he could feel his father’s aura approaching.

More importantly... this person was very powerful.

So powerful that he felt threatened.

He had been a Saint Child for six hundred years and had seen countless geniuses, but none had ever been as inscrutable as this ninth-level True Immortal.

If such a person couldn't be brought to heel, they had to be eliminated.

And they had to be eliminated before his father arrived!

A ruthless glint flashed in the Saint Child’s eyes as he attacked again.

Fang Xuan simply raised a hand, preparing to block.

Beating the opponent too badly wouldn't be good; it might arouse suspicion. “I advise you to stop.”

“Who do you think you are?!” The Saint Child pushed his laws of heavenly mechanism to their limit.

Triple heavy pupils surfaced in his eyes, and a flash of the future flickered past.

He saw Fang Xuan raising his hand to block. With just that one movement...

He threw another punch, simultaneously shifting the angle to bypass Fang Xuan’s block.

Bang! The punch landed squarely on Fang Xuan’s right hand.

The white bandages disintegrated into the air, and the entire right hand was shattered to pieces.

Fang Xuan’s pupils shrank slightly as he stood there in a daze.

Senior Sister’s hand was fragile to begin with. He had been protecting it with spiritual energy, but it was still shattered by that punch...

The Saint Child stood nearby, a smug smile playing on his lips.

He spoke proudly, “This is the laws of heavenly mechanism, ranked twenty-sixth on the Heaven Ranking! It can predict your every move. What do you have to fight me with?”

Fang Xuan simply reached into the void and manifested Yunchang.

The black sword left its sheath.

There was no sword light, no sword qi.

It was a plain, unremarkable horizontal slash.

But the Saint Child’s eyes suddenly widened.

He saw the sword growing larger and larger in his vision.

So large it blotted out the sun and sky.

He wanted to dodge, but his body couldn't move at all.

He tried to use the laws of heavenly mechanism to predict the outcome, but he could see nothing.

The vision of the future was a complete blank.

Why? Why was this happening?!

Boom—!

The sword strike fell.

The entire forbidden area was shattered by that single strike.

Rocks tumbled, and the earth shook.

The Saint Child spat out a large mouthful of blood and was sent flying.

He crashed into the ruins, covered in blood and his face pale.

If he hadn't desperately shifted at the last second, that strike would have killed him.

But before he could catch his breath...

A foot stepped onto his head.

Pressing his face into the crushed stones.

The Saint Child struggled desperately, but that foot was as heavy as a mountain; he couldn't move a muscle.

He looked up out of the corner of his eye at the person stepping on him.

Fang Xuan stood before him, looking down. “And who do you think you are?”

The Saint Child trembled all over.

It wasn't fear; it was humiliation!

He was the Saint Child of Daotian Holy Land! A six-hundred-year-old supreme genius!

The successor of the laws of heavenly mechanism! And now, he was being stepped on!

“You...!”

He tried to speak, but with his face pinned down, he couldn't form a complete sentence.

Just then, dozens of figures descended from the sky.

Everyone from both holy lands had arrived.

The Immortal Venerables of Tianxu Holy Land were stunned by the sight.

The faces of those from Daotian Holy Land changed instantly.

“Saint Child!”

Someone cried out in alarm.

A white-haired old man, the Great Elder of Daotian Holy Land, turned ashen when he saw his son being stepped on.

“Stop!” he roared. “Let him go!”

Fang Xuan didn't move, only looking down at the Saint Child beneath his foot.

Seeing his father arrive, the Saint Child’s courage returned.

He gritted his teeth and let out a sinister laugh.

“Go ahead! Kill me! Hahaha—I am the Saint Child! Do you dare to kill me?!”

Fang Xuan listened to his laughter, and then he laughed as well.

“As you wish.”

Yunchang fell, severing the head in a single stroke as blood geysered out!

Fang Xuan raised his hand again, and the laws of space surged forth, directly shredding the divine soul.

Nothing remained.

...

The people of Daotian Holy Land were utterly stunned.

The white-haired old man’s eyes widened, staring at the scene in disbelief.

“You... You dare!”

He trembled violently, his aura exploding as he prepared to strike!

But another hand barred his path.

The lead Immortal Venerable of Tianxu Holy Land, Xing Fa, stood before him, looking at him with a faint smile.

“What, you want to make a move?”

The white-haired old man roared, “He killed my son!”

Xing Fa raised an eyebrow. “Oh? Your son attacked first. We all saw it.”

The white-haired old man choked on his words.

Xing Fa continued, “Besides, your son just said with his own mouth, ‘Kill me.’ We all heard that, too.”

He smiled and looked back at Fang Xuan.

“Martial Nephew Fang was merely fulfilling his wish. He’s quite the philanthropist.”

The white-haired old man shook with rage.

But he was speechless.

Because what Xing Fa said was the truth.

Everyone had seen his son attack first.

And most importantly, this person had truly appeared in their back mountain!

The white-haired old man’s eyes were bloodshot, his spiritual energy surging wildly.

“I don't care! He killed my son; he must pay with his life!”

He threw a palm strike toward Fang Xuan!

But Xing Fa was faster, meeting him with a palm of his own!

Both men were pushed back three steps.

Xing Fa narrowed his eyes. “Old man, did you ask me before trying to touch someone from my holy land?”

The white-haired old man gnashed his teeth. “Xing Fa, do you truly intend to protect him?”

Xing Fa laughed.

He shook his head. “Protect? I’m not protecting him. I just want to say...”

He raised his hand. “Today, Daotian Holy Land—shall be extinguished!”

At these words, dozens of figures soared into the sky.

The Immortal Venerables of the Tianxu Holy Land let their auras climb to their peaks!

A one-sided slaughter began.

The people from the Daotian Holy Land resisted desperately, but the gap in strength was too vast.

In the first exchange, several of them fell!

The white-haired old man roared in a frenzy, but he was pinned down by Xing Fa and couldn't escape at all.

His eyes grew redder and redder.

Finally, he let out a long howl toward the heavens: "Tianxu Holy Land! Today's grudge will be repaid in the future!"

As soon as he finished speaking, his entire being transformed into a streak of blood-light and shot into the sky.

He had burned his blood essence to escape!

Xing Fa watched the blood-light vanish into the horizon and did not pursue.

He turned back and looked down at Fang Xuan.

Fang Xuan stood where he was, blood dripping from the stump of his right arm onto the ground.

His act of playing the victim had been quite successful, but he didn't like it. His Senior Sister's hand was something he had worked hard to keep until now.

Xing Fa walked over and sized him up.

"Are you Fang Xuan?"

Fang Xuan nodded.

Xing Fa smiled. "Good."

He reached out.

"I am Xing Fa, Taiyi Level 9."

He omitted the title of "Immortal Venerable," treating Fang Xuan as an equal.

As for Fang Xuan's realm and the strength he had just displayed, he didn't see any problem with it at all.

After fusing with a time-based dao weapon, it would be strange if his strength hadn't surged.

"Let's go. Back to the Holy Land."

The members of the Tianxu Holy Land also descended one after another.

One Immortal Venerable walked over with a smile and said to Fang Xuan, "I am Li Changqing, Taiyi Level 7. If you need anything in the Holy Land in the future, come find me."

"I am Zhang Yuan, Taiyi Level 5. Martial Nephew Fang's sword strike just now was truly magnificent!"

"Martial Nephew Fang, your right hand... do you want to tend to it first?"

Fang Xuan looked down at his severed arm.

At his current realm, regrowing a hand would only take an instant, but he wasn't in the mood...

...

Back at the Holy Land...

Fang Xuan passed through many palaces and finally stopped before a magnificent hall.

Xing Fa walked at the front without stopping.

"Give him a Saint Child token."

An Immortal Venerable nearby was stunned for a moment. "Senior Brother Xing, isn't this... a bit too fast?"

Soon, a dark golden token was handed to Fang Xuan.

The character for "Saint" was carved on the front, and the back was covered in complex array patterns, faintly radiating the power of laws.

The Upper Realm was different from the Lower Realm. A sect in the Lower Realm could have tens of thousands of disciples, but a Holy Land in the Upper Realm had a few hundred at most.

Tokens were mostly for outsiders to see; they weren't used much within the Holy Land itself.

After everyone left, Fang Xuan was the only one left in the hall.

It was very large...

But it wasn't nearly as comfortable as the bamboo-lined courtyard in the Qingyun Sect.

He looked down at his right hand.

The bleeding at the stump had stopped, but the empty sleeve hanging there looked particularly jarring.

A sudden, inexplicable irritability rose in his heart...

Just then, the space behind him fluctuated slightly.

A small hand reached out from a rift and gently took hold of his left hand.

Fang Xuan knew who it was without turning around; he simply tightened his grip on that hand.

Ning Xian stepped out of the spatial rift and stood behind him.

She didn't speak either, merely staring at his empty right sleeve.

"Why haven't you grown your hand back?" her voice sounded fierce.

But Fang Xuan could hear the heartache hidden within it.

Ning Xian raised her hand, condensing two drops of blood essence at her fingertips.

Then, she gently pressed them against Fang Xuan's stump.

The blood essence merged, flesh began to regenerate, and a right hand slowly solidified.

Finally, a fair, small hand reappeared on Fang Xuan's right arm.

It was exactly the same as before.

It was still her hand.

Ning Xian looked at the hand and continued to speak fiercely, "Don't ever do this again."

However... even though she said that, she felt inexplicably happy in her heart...

Fang Xuan raised his right hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.

It was a familiar feeling. The corners of his mouth curved up slightly before he quickly suppressed the smile.

He looked up at his Senior Sister again.

She still had her small face set, trying hard to maintain a cool expression, and hadn't noticed him.

"Cough, Senior Sister... I was planning to fix it later."

He certainly hadn't left it like that on purpose until now.

Ning Xian didn't call him out.

Sometimes her Junior Brother was like a child, though he was quite young to begin with.

"There are eyes all over this hall. It's not convenient for me to come out directly right now."

Fang Xuan nodded. "Then Senior Sister, should I just go into the spatial rift to find you next time?"

"Mm..."

Only then was Ning Xian satisfied.

Her Junior Brother was really well-behaved and even knew to come looking for her. She just couldn't help but feel happy...

Then she cut through space and stepped inside.

The rift closed and vanished...

Fang Xuan was once again the only one in the hall.

But he was no longer irritable.

Pulling his thoughts back, he prepared to charge toward the Golden Immortal realm.

During this time, he needed to familiarize himself more with the application of the laws of time.

It was difficult, but if he truly mastered it, his strength would grow to an unimaginable level.

He wasn't in a hurry with his Senior Sister; after all, he now possessed the laws of space, so she could never truly escape him.

Besides, Senior Sister was even reluctant to erase the mark... down there. How could she bear to run away?

Putting those thoughts aside, he began to meditate earnestly...

...

The Golden Immortal realm was a watershed in the Upper Realm.

The True Immortal realm was just the beginning of being an "immortal," while the Golden Immortal realm was where one became a true celestial being.

Fang Xuan closed his eyes and looked within his dantian.

Inside his dantian, the time-based dao weapon floated quietly, emitting a faint golden light.

Around it, the laws of lust had transformed into a crimson mist, tenderly enveloping it.

The laws of destruction were gone, completely swallowed by the laws of lust.

The laws of space circulated in his right hand, forming their own system.

The three strands of laws did not interfere with each other, yet they were faintly connected.

These laws of time... were still difficult. It seemed he would need to spend a lot of time comprehending them in the future.

He took a deep breath and began to circulate his spiritual energy.

Breaking through to the Golden Immortal realm was difficult for ordinary cultivators.

It required comprehension, the accumulation of opportunities, and so on.

But for him, all he needed was a very delicious, super large, milky-fragrant bun.

He opened the system:

【Very Delicious Super Large Milky-Fragrant Bun x1】

【Effect: Immediate cultivation increase (no bottlenecks, no side effects, no comprehension required)】

He had forgotten when he had obtained it.

Regardless, he hadn't used it, saving it until now.

Later on, eating buns to increase cultivation would be too slow.

So, he rarely used them except during breakthroughs.

Now, if he still couldn't break through after eating this, he would just have to find his Senior Sister for some dual cultivation.

It was all for the sake of cultivation... that's all.