Li Wudi's glorious return set the Grand-Orient Sect on the path to prominence once more. Now, he had full control, with Ye Shaoqing aiding him and the elders supporting him. While the other two sects hadn't resumed their attack, the Grand-Orient Sect couldn't afford to let up on defense. They did have fewer people, after all. Both the main front on the Flameyellow Continent and the Abyssal Battlefield front were heavily defended. Anyone passing through would have to be checked thoroughly.
Tianming, being the junior sect master, had only one mission: to continue cultivating. He wasn't at the sacred mountain, but right before Li Shenxiao's tombstone. Li Wudi had become so busy that he had Tianming stand in for him to drink with the ancestors.
Within the mausoleum was nobody but him and his lifebound beasts. It was far too uneventful. Tianming really missed Feiling after not seeing her for so long.
"That old drunkard wanted me to comprehend the Heavenly Will stage using the Grand-Orient Sword, but I'm getting nowhere." Even after his rise back to prominence, Li Wudi still hadn't quit drinking. It was a habit he could no longer change.
The sword itself wasn't just mystical, it also contained arcane powers. "Back during my previous resonance with the sword, its energy flowed into me, infusing the infernalsource with black-gold energy. That power gathered in my beast ki and greatly strengthened it. It's as if I have the power of a third lifebound beast."
Initially, his beast ki was a little weak, thanks to his low level. However, he had grown much stronger in this regard. His three great sources of power—the infernalsource, lightningsource, and Grand-Orient Vortex—were quite powerful when combined. The vortex's energies were especially fierce and infused with regal sword ki. It was most suitable for executing sword arts.
Even though this vortex alone is powerful enough, the sword should hold more mysteries for me to discover. But just like the Prime Tower, I'm still unable to directly use it. I can only passively benefit from its power.
Nowadays, he’d been observing the patterns on the sword and had grown rather familiar with it. "Master's Azureflame Empyrean has twenty-eight saintly heavenly patterns. My godfather's Crimsonblood Saber has forty-five. Saint beastial weapons were forged using ores containing saintly heavenly patterns. During the forging, all of the ores, spirit hazards, and patterns would blend together and form new saintly heavenly patterns. The more there are, the stronger the weapon is.
"Naturally, during the forging, most of them would fuse and their number wouldn't really grow. Yet the Grand-Orient Sword doesn't have saintly heavenly patterns."
Even though there were no saintly heavenly patterns, it did feel like there were some kind of patterns on it. They seemed to be even more complicated than saintly ones.
"Perhaps that drunkard wants me to figure out why and embark on my journey on the grand path. The path to Heavenly Will and heavenly patterns begins now! I have to break through to the Heavenly Will stage as soon as I can. Only then can I start cultivating the Saint stage and extend my lifetime."
A few months had passed since Aeonic Grandbane had manifested. Currently, his biological age was twenty-five years old. He had aged by five years in a few short months.
Time doesn't wait, whether I survive or not. In a few more years, I'll be older than my godfather and master. It'll be awkward then. He was facing huge pressure, but that same pressure motivated him to charge toward the next stage. Breaking through to a major stage was far harder than a minor stage.
"I will break through to Heavenly Will and fight Heaven's Elysium with my fellow sect members! Those arrogant, heartless folks will definitely get it from us! Jun Niancang, let's see how you wipe us out now."
It was only a temporary ceasefire. The real battle was still on the horizon.
"What’re you mumbling about?" someone said by his side.
"It is none of your business," Tianming mumbled as he intently focused on the sword.
"Oh? Just two months of not seeing me and you're talking to me with this kind of attitude."
"Who’re you?!" Tianming said, then looked up and froze. Who could be talking to him in the mausoleum? He didn't see anyone there.
"Oh, so you've forgotten my voice too!"
Tianming's eyes widened, then he felt utter bliss. "Ling'er!" He immediately took out the necklace. He was a little too focused on the sword, and didn't notice the voice until it got angry. It was Feiling's voice!
"You thug, why did you put the necklace there?"
When he took it out, a golden cloud formed above the necklace. She was about to wake up.
"I worried you’d be cold, so I was trying to warm you up!" he argued.
"Stupid Tianming! I will pinch you!" The moment she said that, a beautiful girl formed above the necklace. Eventually, the beauty he yearned for in his dreams appeared before him once again.
Her skin was pure white and her long, flowing hair was like a waterfall. Her eyes currently shone with embarrassment and anger. Her chiseled nose and teeth, not to mention a faint blush that further accentuated her alluring pout.
"It's a misunderstanding, Ling'er!" Before he finished, she pounced on him.
"What kind of misunderstanding? Don't you know how weird it felt when you were touching the necklace nonstop for the past two months?" The longer she went on, the more flushed her face got. Despite what she had said, she didn't actually pinch him.
"Come on, I was only touching the necklace!"
"That was me!" She didn't know how to react. Who wouldn't be annoyed at being felt up constantly like that?
"It's my fault, Ling'er, but you can't blame me for not knowing. Just look the other way, won't you?"
Seeing him still trying to be sleazy, she felt both anger and embarrassment. But when they finally calmed down, they did nothing but stare at each other. He had truly missed her too much. Tianming couldn't resist and hugged her tight around the waist.
"Big Brother, there’ll be no next time," she said as she buried herself into his chest. Her face was so red that it looked like they would pop with the lightest touch. However, she was still sitting on him. Tianming couldn't resist her beautiful lips and couldn't control his mouth.
"Ahem. Meow Meow, this isn't suitable for kids. Look away," said a sudden voice.
Tianming looked up and almost vomited blood. Ying Huo and Meow Meow were standing just inches away. Their four little eyes were glued onto the humans, curiously watching. Ying Huo was enjoying the view and had brought its wing up to shield Meow Meow's eyes, making it move its head around to continue watching. No matter how hard the little chick tried to block it, the cat was moving so quickly that afterimages formed.
"Quick, go on. Let us little ones learn from your precious experience," Ying Huo encouraged.
"Boss, please don't stop. It was just getting good. You can't leave me hanging, or I'll scratch your balls!" the black cat impatiently said.
"Damn it!" Tianming was fuming with rage. He leapt up, placed Feiling on the ground, and drew the Grand-Orient Sword. The two critters immediately ran, Ying Huo even using Infernal Haze to get away.
"Don't run! If I don't roast you today, my surname isn't Li!"
It was too frustrating. Who messes with other people like that? He was just going in for a kiss! Did they have to put their faces so close to watch?
Thus, he began chasing those two critters down with the Grand-Orient Sword in the mausoleum, causing quite a lot of chaos in the process while the beauty quietly put on Ling'er's Love in front of Li Shenxiao's tomb. Then, she watched Tianming and the two small beasts and laughed nonstop. Her laughter sounded like the blissful ringing of a bell.
"Being alive sure is nice."
She even teared up from all the laughing. Throughout the past two months, she had experienced those events just as Tianming himself had. She watched him kill Yueling Long, retrieve her seals, and trade his life away once more back at the sect. And now was their long-awaited reunion. The only thing that embarrassed her was how Tianming had put the necklace in his pants pocket. The mere thought of it caused her face to flush.
"Ling'er! Tianming flirted around while you were away with that Weisheng Ruosu girl! He even saved her like a hero would a damsel, making her unable to resist him!" Ying Huo chirped.
"That's right! I saw it all! He even looked so badass in front of that girl. Cheating scum like him truly go to crazy lengths," Meow Meow said with a straight face.
"Ling'er, go pick some mushrooms. We're having steamed chicken tonight. And you, cat, your balls are mine!" he yelled as he passed through.
"Big Brother? Where do you suppose I can find mushrooms?" Feiling asked.
"There's one growing between Tianming's legs!" Ying Huo said.
"Damn you!" Tianming was running so fast he crashed into the tombstone. "Ling'er, don't listen to his crap. I didn't look at any other beauty but you!"
"How would you know they're beauties if you didn't look at them?" Feiling destroyed him with facts and logic.
"Hmph, love doesn't exist after all," she said, feigning anger. But when she looked at Tianming's dumbfounded expression, she couldn't help but glow with laughter. She was too beautiful for this world.