Volume 3 - Chapter 420: Li Hao’s Departure (Part 4)
Su Jiuzhe raised an eyebrow, then immediately realized how pointless his question was. Of course she had everything prepared.
“That brat made quite a stir outside earlier, defeating those demons. That damn emperor among them is probably still skulking around, waiting to ambush you. Be careful,” he warned.
Shi Miao replied, “That’s exactly why we need you to send us.”
Su Jiuzhe’s mouth twitched. Talking to women was never enjoyable. That dumb kid was more fun.
“Where am I taking you?”
He added, “Do I need to bring you back afterward?”
“No need,” Shi Miao said. “Once I retrieve my body, we’ll head straight to the Primordial True Realm.”
Fine. Just pretend I didn’t ask…
Su Jiuzhe let out a small snort and took a deep swig from his wine gourd before saying coolly, “Where to?”
“Yellow Springs Shattered Valley,” Shi Miao answered.
Su Jiuzhe’s gaze flickered. He stared at Shi Miao for a long moment.
“To bury your body there… it must be one terrifying vessel. Forged for this life, specifically to slay ancient demons?”
Shi Miao grinned, revealing pristine white teeth. As if to say: You’re absolutely right.
Su Jiuzhe fell silent.
Only those who had fought in the war ten thousand years ago could understand how loathsome the ancient demons truly were.
He and Shi Miao had been comrades of that same era.
Though they fought in different regions—she in the Southern Domain, he in the Northern—they had battled for the same cause.
“Alright. I’ll see you off.”
Su Jiuzhe nodded, finally setting down his wine gourd. Rarely, he rose to his feet.
As he stood, his long, gray-white hair flowed like a waterfall across his shoulders. He reached into the void, and a weathered, mud-streaked sword emerged, falling into his hand.
The Spring Severing Emperor Sword.
Its blade was ancient and pale, like decayed bone.
“You’ve got good pastries, kid.”
Suddenly, Su Jiuzhe commented.
Li Hao froze, then straightened up seriously. “When I return from the Primordial True Realm, I’ll bring more for Senior.”
“Good!”
Su Jiuzhe laughed heartily. His voice was strong, full of vitality. At the same time, the Spring Severing Emperor Sword tore through the air.
Above the Su family ancestral grounds, a deep fissure split the sky, leading toward the Primordial True Realm.
A cold, lifeless aura spilled from the crack—barren, deathly still, reeking of decay.
“Let’s go.”
Shi Miao’s primordial spirit reached out with a delicate hand, soft and boneless, and clasped Li Hao’s. Her gaze, besides its warmth, now held a playful glint.
“I’m taking you to the Yellow Springs.”
Li Hao blinked—then broke into a smile. “Let’s go!”
Temporal power surged around them, enveloping their forms. Shi Miao tugged Li Hao toward the rift in space. Just before crossing the threshold, she turned and waved farewell to Su Jiuzhe.
Su Jiuzhe, sword in hand, said nothing. He only watched them silently as the rift closed behind them.
Only then did he spit.
“Bah. Go if you must, but do you have to hold hands? Can’t you leave a man in peace?”
With that, he flung the sword casually into the void and let it vanish.
Then he raised his wine gourd again and gulped it down. After wiping his mouth with satisfaction, a trace of loneliness flickered in his eyes.
Old comrades departing one after another… only the wine remained faithful.
…
Li Hao and Shi Miao’s departure stirred no attention. It wasn’t until Su Zhenyuan came to the ancestral grounds that he learned from Su Jiuzhe that Li Hao had already left.
He asked cautiously about Shi Miao’s identity. Su Jiuzhe didn’t hide it—but forbade him from spreading the news.
When Su Zhenyuan learned that Shi Miao was a disciple of Immortal Emperor Tianyang, one of the brightest prodigies of the True Realm ten thousand years ago, he was shocked.
Though most of the Su family’s archives focused on the Northern Domain, the dazzling legends of the Southern Domain had occasionally reached them. Shi Miao’s brilliance had left a vivid mark, even in Northern records.
No wonder the name had felt familiar—she was once peerless under the Emperor Realm, dominating the True Realm in her time.
“Will they return?” Su Zhenyuan asked.
“If they do, it won’t be for many years. They’re headed for the Primordial True Realm,” Su Jiuzhe replied casually.
When next they met, that boy would likely have broken through to become a titled king. As for Shi Miao—once she regained her past strength—she would once again become one of the great forces of the True Realm.
There was something to look forward to, at least.
“…And the engagement?”
Su Zhenyuan couldn’t help but ask.
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