Chapter 296: Calming Down

With a wave of my hand, the Conscious Fish re-entered my body.

‘If I can achieve Perfection in the third volume, I should be able to smoothly progress to the fourth. But for now, I have to avoid the Masters no matter what. I wonder what changes Volume Four will bring.’

The progress cap was sixty thousand, which was actually quite fast. ‘But back in the first and second volumes, whenever I reached the cap, I’d break through to another realm and a new cap would appear. It seems cultivating the fourth volume won’t be so easy, either.’

With a thought, I poured all of my ten thousand-plus remaining Immortal Seedlings into my cultivation. My Divine Soul strengthened once more, and my senses via the Conscious Fish became even sharper, especially my connection to the True Dragon Soul.

I used the Wind Control Skill to soar through the mountains. ‘I need to find the right opportunity to familiarize myself with the Circulation Demon Suppression Star Array in this place.’

The mountain peaks that met my gaze were majestic and elegant, brimming with spiritual energy and an immense life force. Amidst the clouds and shaded groves, palaces and pavilions would occasionally reveal themselves, as if casually inlaid into the mountainsides. Viewed from below, they resembled a Star Disc scattered by an Immortal.

Golden light emanated from the top of every peak. Chen Qingyang surveyed the scene with his eyes, then sent out his Conscious Fish to probe further. With so many Foundation Establishment Masters around, he made sure to keep his distance from their residences and palaces. Even when he spotted people, he didn’t dare approach rashly.

After traveling like this for about six miles, he emerged from a valley and saw two people standing on a riverbank.

A man and a woman stood facing each other, pouring out their hearts.

It was none other than Yao Jingzhi and Jian Yu. The two had left the Fallen Immortal Platform one after the other; apparently, instead of heading back, they had come here to argue.

Chen Qingyang would never have guessed there was more to come.

His curiosity piqued, he sent his Conscious Fish over to settle right between them for a closer look. ‘After all, no one can detect it,’ he thought.

“…Junior Sister, I’ve said all I can. Why do you refuse to believe me and insist on trusting the words of an outsider?”

At that moment, Jian Yu looked utterly heartbroken, yet there was a hint of resolve in her voice. “Now that it’s come to this, there’s no point in saying anything else. I don’t think you need to go on.”

It looked like the two had been arguing for quite some time. Their clothes and hair were in disarray, and Jian Yu, in particular, seemed to have lost the energy to speak. ‘I wonder what they were arguing about to get like this,’ Chen Qingyang mused.

The Yao Jingzhi of this moment was a far cry from the cold man he’d been in front of the crowd earlier. He was now incredibly earnest, stooping slightly with an almost subservient air.

“Why don’t you understand what I’m telling you? Fine… even if what you say is true, I still did it all for you. He’s your master, not a stranger… Who do you think I’ve sacrificed so much for…?”

As he spoke of his deep feelings, his tone grew heavy with pain, his words laced with a barely-concealed agitation. To anyone unaware of the circumstances, he would have seemed like the injured party.

After a long moment, seeing that she didn’t respond, he changed his tactic. “Junior Sister, I think you’re just putting on a lofty act. All that pride of yours is fake. Otherwise, why would you treat me like this?”

As expected, that got a response from her. “Make yourself clear. What exactly do you mean?”

Yao Jingzhi continued, “In my opinion, we did the same thing today. We both wanted to go after Chen Qingyang. Regardless of the motive, the action was identical. And yet, you use it to place yourself on a pedestal above me. Tell me, what did I do that was so wrong?”

Whether from anger or something else entirely, Jian Yu simply stared at him, dumbfounded.

“…You’re just deliberately trying to find something wrong with me, claiming I only approached you to get close to your master. If you want to find fault with me, you don’t have to make it so complicated. Just say the word, and I’ll leave on my own accord…”

Jian Yu grew agitated and pointed a finger at him. “Nonsense! You were clearly the one in the wrong first! How can someone twist logic so shamelessly… You… You’re despicable…”

“Heh, I’m despicable? Think about it. Am I really the one talking nonsense? What’s right and wrong is plain to see. You were the one targeting that Chen Qingyang. I don’t understand. I just said a few words to back you up, and suddenly it’s turned into this…”

As if swayed by his masterful distortion of the facts, Jian Yu seemed somewhat convinced. Her expression softened, and she could only stare at him, speechless.

‘I’ll give him this,’ Chen Qingyang thought, ‘the guy’s got some skills.’

“I… I really need to calm down. I don’t think I can face you right now…”

Yao Jingzhi was a master of this push-and-pull tactic. He seized the opportunity, saying, “I agree, you should calm down. Calm down and think carefully: Is it really fair for you to treat me this way?”

As he spoke, he tentatively placed a hand on her shoulder. When she didn’t pull away, it seemed his words had taken effect.

…

After another wave of melodrama, the two finally separated.

Chen Qingyang felt like he’d just wasted an entire hour and was starting to regret it. But when he saw Yao Jingzhi take to the air with Wind Control, he unexpectedly found himself following.

The man’s Dao Field was built against the mountain, adjacent to a Cave Mansion. It resembled a cluster of suspended temples, all luxuriously appointed, with numerous Miscellaneous Task disciples hard at work.

The scoundrel had just stepped inside when a woman came up to greet him. “Senior Brother, you’re back!”

A closer look revealed the woman had a Second Realm Cultivation. She was quite beautiful, with a graceful figure. She wore an aquamarine Long Coat that trailed along the floor, revealing a pair of smooth, eye-catching calves.

She was utterly deferential toward Yao Jingzhi, an attitude he clearly savored. He cupped her face in his hand. “You’re still the best, not like that thorn in my side. If it weren’t for getting close to Miaoyou, who would waste their time on her!”

The woman’s eyes were truly sultry, as if they could steal a man’s very soul. She ran a hand over his chest. “Then tell me, Senior Brother, what’s so good about me? Give me the right answer, and I’ll make all your anger disappear!”

“Of course, it’s your…”