Since Lu Sangjiu had already made up her mind, she wasn’t about to take it back. At his words, she simply shoved the Green Jade Lotus Lamp into Shen Yuzhao’s hands.
"If I’m giving this to you, it means I’ve already thought it through carefully."
She stated confidently, "You all know how strong I am. I’m more than capable. One more Magic Treasure won’t help me nearly as much as it’ll help you to reawaken your Abnormal Fire."
As she spoke, she winked at Shen Yuzhao. "We’re splitting up next. Master and the others are already very powerful. Right now, you’re the weakest one, Third Senior Brother. You don’t want to drag everyone down, do you?"
Her words struck a nerve with Shen Yuzhao.
’After taking the Life Crossing Pill, Master might be able to break through to the Body Integration Realm soon. After all, he had been stuck at the Divinity Transformation Stage for many years.’
’And as for First Senior Brother, after he received the inheritance from the Demon God Hall, while his strength hadn’t skyrocketed immediately, it had undoubtedly elevated his natural aptitude. With his lifespan issue resolved as well, his future cultivation would surely advance by leaps and bounds.’
’Luo Linlang, reborn in fire, had seen her strength soar to the Late-stage Nascent Soul Realm, and her Phoenix Fire was incredibly formidable.’
He was the only one who was not only just at the Golden Core Stage, but couldn’t even use his Abnormal Fire anymore. Surrounded by such monstrous talents, it was impossible for him not to feel insecure.
Seeing the sincerity in Lu Sangjiu’s eyes, Shen Yuzhao hesitated for a moment before finally deciding he couldn’t keep making a fuss. He accepted the Green Jade Lotus Lamp without further protest.
"Don’t worry, Little Junior Sister. I’ll get stronger as fast as I can and do my best to help you!"
With the matter settled, they all had dinner together, drank a little wine, and then retired to their rooms for the night.
The next morning, Lu Sangjiu and Xie Ningyuan set off for Bodhi City.
Meanwhile, Duan Xingyun and Shen Yuzhao needed a place with abundant Spiritual Energy to recuperate and resolve their issues before they could get to work.
The Western Demon Realm was obviously not a suitable place, so after seeing Lu Sangjiu and Xie Ningyuan off, Duan Xingyun tore open the void and took the others with him, leaving the Western Demon Realm behind.
They didn’t have to worry about where to go to recuperate; with Li Qiancheng and Luo Linlang standing guard, there was unlikely to be any significant danger.
Xie Ningyuan tore open the void, bringing Lu Sangjiu directly to a forest outside Bodhi City.
Since Xie Ningyuan was still wanted by the Ten Thousand Buddha Sect, Lu Sangjiu gave him the Thousand Faces of Life to use.
As for herself, she used the half-mask-style Magic Treasure that Luo Linlang had given her before leaving.
Duan Xingyun had originally procured it for Luo Linlang. It wasn’t as effective as the Thousand Faces of Life—it couldn’t change one’s appearance—but wearing it could still conceal one’s aura. Unless she ran straight into Ting Chan of the Body Integration Realm, she should be fine.
Once they were disguised and Xie Ningyuan had suppressed his cultivation to appear at the Nascent Soul Stage, the two of them discreetly entered Bodhi City.
Bodhi City was the closest city to the Ten Thousand Buddha Sect. It was large and prosperous, bustling with cultivators on any given day. Even High-level cultivators were not a particularly rare sight, so the two of them didn’t attract much attention upon entering.
After finding an inn to stay at, Lu Sangjiu contacted Gu Jue, gave him the inn’s name, and settled in to wait for his arrival.
Gu Jue came directly via a Teleportation Array and arrived by noon.
It was worth noting that he had also taken the precaution of disguising himself, to the point that the three of them almost didn’t recognize each other when they met face-to-face.
After a successful rendezvous, the three of them gathered in Lu Sangjiu’s room.
Only after Xie Ningyuan had set up several protective Arrays around the room did Lu Sangjiu and Gu Jue remove their respective disguises.
Xie Ningyuan and Lu Sangjiu sat together, with Gu Jue seated opposite them.
After removing his mask, Gu Jue’s gaze fell upon Lu Sangjiu. A gentle smile touched his coolly handsome features. "Mr. Lu, it’s been a long time."
Lu Sangjiu sized him up as well, smiling and clasping her hands in a salute. "Congratulations, Mr. Gu. Your cultivation has progressed so much. I imagine you must have had some kind of fortuitous encounter?"
When they had last parted ways, Gu Jue was at the Late-stage Golden Core. His next breakthrough should have put him at the Early-stage Nascent Soul, but he was now already at the Late-stage Nascent Soul.
Making progress during the Nascent Soul Stage was not so easy. ’He must have had a fortuitous encounter of some kind.’
Gu Jue nodded without any attempt to hide it. "I did have a fortuitous encounter. My luck has been ridiculously good, you could say. After parting with you all, I stumbled upon an Immortal Mansion on my way back. I gained a few opportunities after going inside."
"As a result, my seclusion took much longer, but the rewards were immense. I advanced all the way to the Late-stage Nascent Soul."
"If I weren’t worried that progressing too quickly would destabilize my Realm, it might have been possible to push straight for the Divinity Transformation Stage."
But Gu Jue wasn’t a greedy person; he knew when to stop. Besides, he had a vague premonition that if he advanced to the Divinity Transformation Stage, something irreversible would happen...
The feeling came out of nowhere, but it forced him to be cautious.
’And if I have this feeling, it probably means the time isn’t right to attempt a breakthrough to Divinity Transformation.’
Lu Sangjiu was a bit surprised. ’I thought that since Gu Jue has clearly taken my side, effectively abandoning his role as the story’s protagonist, the Pseudo Heavenly Dao would no longer grant him the usual perks.’
’But from the looks of it, his luck is still as good as ever?’
’Or maybe, even without the Pseudo Heavenly Dao, Gu Jue was always a favored child of the true Heavenly Dao?’
Her mind wandered for a moment before she pushed the thought aside.
’In any case, Gu Jue’s good fortune isn’t a bad thing. I’m genuinely happy for him.’
She and Gu Jue chatted for a few more moments, while Xie Ningyuan, beside her, remained silent.
It wasn’t until Gu Jue’s gaze shifted to him that he spoke, his voice filled with surprise. "You..."
Before he could continue, Xie Ningyuan nodded. "I’ve found a way. There’s no longer a backlash."
Hearing Xie Ningyuan say the word "backlash" so openly in front of Lu Sangjiu, Gu Jue froze for a second and couldn’t help but glance at her.
Lu Sangjiu didn’t think much of it and just smiled. "He told me about it. You said you’d help look for a solution when you left, so regardless, thank you!"
Gu Jue was a sharp man. Hearing her words, he knew there was no need to ask anything further.
’Even though I’ve already come to terms with it,’ he thought, ’knowing that the two of them have likely confessed their feelings and are now together... an unavoidable bitterness still bloomed in my heart...’
’But at the same time, I’m genuinely happy for them. I used to think that with her feelings for Xie Ningyuan, the path ahead would be fraught with hardship.’
’But that wasn’t the case. The things I worried about weren’t as insurmountable as I’d thought... Judging by the easy smile on her face, she must be happy, right?’
’Her happiness is a good thing.’
’I’ll just have to deal with this bitterness myself.’
With that thought, he turned to Xie Ningyuan with a smile. "Congratulations."
It was a congratulations for solving the backlash problem, and also a congratulations for... him and Lu Sangjiu.
Lu Sangjiu didn’t catch the deeper meaning in his words, but Xie Ningyuan did.
His initial feeling of smugness soured a little as he looked at Gu Jue’s sincere expression. For some reason, it left a strange taste in his mouth...
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