Chapter 114: Older Sister
Jun Mo froze the moment he saw the Godhead.
When a Godhead is born, if it isn’t integrated immediately, it will vanish within a certain period.
Back then, in his desperation, Jun Mo had swallowed the Godhead. He thought it had merged with his flesh and blood. He never expected this junior, Lou Yunxiao, to be able to extract it from his body!
What surprised him even more was that he hadn’t suffered any damage to his divine sense during the extraction!
“How did you take it out so perfectly?” Jun Mo and Qing Ru stood up with each other’s support. He took the Godhead excitedly, his dark-gold pupils turning red with tears.
As his tears fell onto the Godhead, the substance flowing inside moved even faster.
Even though he knew he had swallowed it to keep it from the deity, Jun Mo still felt guilt and pain for consuming a treasure forged from the blood and cores of his kin.
Now that Lou Yunxiao had removed it, his guilt finally eased a little.
“The Godhead found me on its own.” Lou Yunxiao recalled the scene inside Jun Mo’s body. “They said that in exchange for this Godhead, I was to save you.”
“But I believe this Godhead belongs to the Snow Dragon Clan. It should be handled by Senior.”
Jun Mo looked up at him.
He felt a sense of admiration.
This junior had a very righteous heart.
He was about to say something when a dozen dragon eggs suddenly flew out from the building!
Niao Niao and Qing Ru were both startled.
When they saw the eggs flying toward the Godhead in Jun Mo’s hand, joy instantly appeared on their faces.
“Little Father, there are souls within the Godhead!”
“The Dragon Clan is saved!”
“Why are there dragon eggs?” Jun Mo was shocked. He looked at Qing Ru, who returned a smile.
“Jun Mo, this is the surprise we prepared for you.”
“It’s the method Niao Niao and I spent three years devising to resurrect the Dragon Clan.”
With that, he made a hand seal. The dragon eggs hovered in the air one by one. The flowing substance from the Godhead flew out and entered the eggs.
Visibly, the dragon eggs began to glow.
The previously lifeless eggs suddenly emitted faint heartbeats!
Thump, thump…
One after another, the sounds reached Jun Mo’s ears.
He couldn’t help but reach out to touch them. The light reflected on his face, showing the tear tracks.
He pulled the eggs into his arms and collapsed to his knees. Looking at Qing Ru and Niao Niao, he choked out, “This is wonderful… Qing Ru, Niao Niao… truly…”
“Thank you. Thank you…”
Qing Ru and Niao Niao knelt beside him and embraced him.
They patted Jun Mo to comfort him.
“Why are you thanking us? We’re family.”
“Big Father has to be happy now. I like it when Big Father smiles!”
Ning Ke was touched by the scene.
The power of Qing Ru and Niao Niao also moved him.
If…
He thought, if one day Qing Ru and Niao Niao could resurrect Auntie Bai and the people of the Liuyun Sect, would it heal the pain in Lou Yunxiao’s heart?
Just like… Jun Mo now.
With that thought, Ning Ke subconsciously looked at Lou Yunxiao.
He found that Lou Yunxiao’s gaze had been fixed on him all along.
It was as if he had been observing him for a long time.
Only then did Ning Ke remember that his cultivation had been completely exposed.
Strength like this was rare even in the entire Qianyuan Continent.
He didn’t know what Lou Yunxiao would think of him…
Fortunately, Lou Yunxiao soon looked away because Jun Mo approached them.
“You two, it’s thanks to you that I was able to escape danger.”
He held the Godhead out to Lou Yunxiao. “Friend Lou, this Godhead cannot be exposed for too long. Since my kin gave it to you, you should keep it. This is the Snow Dragon Clan’s gratitude to you.”
“Then I will accept it with thanks.”
Lou Yunxiao took the Godhead and asked Jun Mo:
“However, Senior Jun, this Godhead is something only a God should possess. If I absorb it, what changes will happen to me?”
“Not only will your cultivation increase greatly, but you will also have the chance to become a God.” Jun Mo appraised Lou Yunxiao. “Your current cultivation is in the Integration Stage. If you absorb the Godhead, you will jump an entire major realm. Since you have an Ice Spiritual Root, you are compatible with this Godhead’s attributes. Fighting those above your level will be no problem. You might even be stronger than the top powerhouses of the Qianyuan Continent.”
Hearing this, Lou Yunxiao looked at Ning Ke.
He asked Jun Mo, “Does Senior mean that if I devour the Godhead, I might even be able to defeat a Tribulation Transcendence cultivator?”
“Yes.”
Receiving that answer, Lou Yunxiao held the Godhead between his fingers and waved it toward Ning Ke, saying pointedly:
“That really is… wonderful.”
Ning Ke felt a chill in his heart.
He felt as though Lou Yunxiao had said those words specifically for him to hear.
…
The Godhead could be kept outside for five hours, so Lou Yunxiao didn’t absorb it immediately.
The group sat together and shared information.
Now that his heart was healed, Jun Mo told them everything that had happened ten thousand years ago.
Ning Ke asked, “So, it’s very likely the Demons originated from the toxin brought by that deity? And his goal was to control this world to reshape his Godhead?”
“Mm, I think that is the most likely possibility,” Jun Mo said. “Since he didn’t get the Snow Dragon Clan’s Godhead, he likely used the Demons to slaughter the Qianyuan Continent to forge a new one.”
“I fought him back then. Without a Godhead, we were evenly matched. I snatched the Godhead and fled. I don’t know where he went.”
“You said his Domain was spatial manipulation,” Ning Ke said. “We just happened to see a Demon that could manipulate space, hiding in the Demon Realm.”
“That deity must have given that Demon spatial power!” Jun Mo said. “As I thought, he won’t give up. He must be planning a massive conspiracy in the shadows.”
“Now that my poison is gone, I must return to the Qianyuan Continent with you. I must make that deity pay!”
“Wherever Jun Mo goes, Niao Niao and I will go,” Qing Ru said to Ning Ke. “Besides, you helped us, so we will do our best to help you.”
Niao Niao raised her small hand. “Mm-hmm! I want to help Big Brother destroy that bad deity and all those bad Demons!”
The plan was set. They agreed that once Lou Yunxiao finished absorbing the Godhead, Jun Mo would tear through space to lead them back to the Demon Realm.
Although Jun Mo didn’t have precise spatial positioning, if they tried a few times, they would eventually find the Demon Realm.
…
After Jun Mo, Qing Ru, and Niao Niao left, only Lou Yunxiao and Ning Ke remained in the room.
Ning Ke said, “I’ll stand guard for you while you absorb the Godhead.”
“Are you in such a hurry to leave?” Lou Yunxiao called out to him.
Ning Ke turned back and met Lou Yunxiao’s eyes.
He heard the man ask: “Do you have nothing you want to say to me? My…”
“Benefactor Older Sister.”
Chapter 115: Ning Ke Admits His Feelings
Ning Ke’s body stiffened.
He never expected that while his identity as the Yao Venerable remained safe, his cover as “Older Sister” would be blown because of this exposure of his cultivation.
Even so, he struggled to maintain his composure and said, “You must have lost your mind. How could I possibly be that ‘Sister’ of yours?”
“You claimed to be a body cultivator, yet you know alchemy and can use a sword. Furthermore, every time you release your fire, the flame within my own body is drawn to react,” Lou Yunxiao replied.
“Back in the forest outside Beiyou City, I asked you where that fire came from. You panicked and told me it was from the Fire Lion Clan. When you saw I didn’t press further, you quietly breathed a sigh of relief behind my back.”
“I saw all of that.”
“Then there is your profound cultivation. You never told me who your master was or where your family resided. Everything about you is a mystery; one lie follows another, exactly like A-Ke.”
“But more importantly… it’s the scent.”
Lou Yunxiao suddenly pressed closer. Ning Ke retreated until he hit the door. He watched as the young man lifted a strand of his hair and spoke.
“Do you know why I asked you in Ning Family Village if you were wearing a sachet?”
Ning Ke’s thoughts drifted back to that night, and for a moment, he actually became a bit dazed. Then, he heard Lou Yunxiao continue.
“Because even then, I had detected it. The scent on your body is identical to the scent on Sister.”
“But back then, I only thought your cultivation was so low that you couldn’t possibly be Sister.”
“Now, I finally realize how tragically wrong I was.”
“You are her. You have been the same person all along.”
“This cultivation of yours is the best proof.”
Ning Ke froze completely. He had never noticed a scent on himself. Even less did he expect Lou Yunxiao would use this to distinguish his identity.
Was this guy’s nose that of a dog?
“The Qianyuan Continent is full of talented people and strange abilities. You cannot judge that I am that ‘Sister’ of yours based solely on my cultivation,” Ning Ke said.
As soon as he finished, he felt something wrap around his wrist. Looking down, he saw it was the silk ribbon he had given to Lou Yunxiao. Upon touching his hand, the formation engraved upon it emitted a faint light.
“…”
“As I thought, the formation on this was also made by your hand.”
“…………”
As Ning Ke remained silent, a small flame manifested from Lou Yunxiao’s hand, which was still holding Ning Ke’s hair. It touched Ning Ke but caused him no harm; instead, it displayed an affectionate posture, circling around him.
“Look, even this fire recognizes you.”
“………………”
For the first time, Ning Ke was backed into such a corner. He opened his mouth to continue his rebuttal. “You said you gave the jade pendant to that Sister, but I do not have it in my hand.”
Just as he spoke, Xiao Yuan reminded him in his consciousness:
[No, Host, you have it now.]
[???]
[During this time, I’ve analyzed it. Your time regression repairs the plot and holes, but it also adjusts and connects the past and future. For example, during the first time regression, you obtained that jade pendant and threw it to Lou Yunxiao in the future. Since you are currently in the past and have not yet reached that future, that half-jade pendant is still in your hands.]
[Previously in the Demon Realm, when you traveled back ten thousand years, you were stabilizing the past plot; that was an established fact and could not be changed. After that ten-thousand-year dream ended, everything you do now is already driving this world toward completeness. Once the time regressions are all finished, the future should also undergo a small-scale adjustment.]
[After all, the final scene of the plot was you being locked in the dungeon by Lou Yunxiao. Whatever happens next is a future created by your intervention, a future supplemented by the people of this world themselves. Naturally, it will be different.]
Finally, Xiao Yuan added one more thing:
[So before the time regression ends, that jade pendant is lying at the very bottom of your storage ring. You can take it out at any time.]
[It all depends on your own decision, Host.]
In the past, Xiao Yuan would have been excited for Ning Ke’s cover to be blown, but now, Xiao Yuan only felt worry. She knew deeply the harm these missions brought to Ning Ke. Having come alone to a foreign world of swords and shadows, filled with so many violent and bloody memories, how could he possibly stay clear-headed forever?
Even more painful was the fact that his ultimate goal was to go home; he had to abandon the people of this world. Thus, to minimize the harm to each other, Ning Ke was forcing himself to become cold, struggling to withdraw those feelings.
Yet the more he acted this way, the more urgent those who cared about him became. For instance, Lou Yunxiao. He pressed closer and closer, giving Ning Ke no room to breathe. He forced Ning Ke to respond to him.
But he didn’t know that for Ning Ke, who was already trapped in a dead end of self-blame, this was actually like stabbing him in the heart. Each strike drew blood.
After hearing Xiao Yuan’s words, Ning Ke remained silent for a long time. Meanwhile, Lou Yunxiao’s eyes were filled with absolute determination. “I know that jade pendant must be hidden by you. You’ve just had your identity exposed and are afraid to admit it.”
“I admit it.”
Lou Yunxiao froze. He looked at Ning Ke in shock as he suddenly spoke.
He watched as the latter looked back at him and said, “I admit that I walked out of the Moyuan for you. Part of it was to repay a debt, but another part is because I’ve fallen for you—you brat who is younger than me.”
“The reason I’ve never said it is because I didn’t dare believe I had actually been moved by you.”
As if giving up, Ning Ke gazed at the young man with his weak-sighted eyes. He gave a tragic smile and said:
“Lou Yunxiao, if this is what you wanted to hear, then I’ll tell you everything.”
“I like you. You are someone I cannot let go of.”
“These are my true thoughts.”
Having said that, before Lou Yunxiao could react, Ning Ke reached out and shoved the stunned young man aside, opening the door and walking out.
“Go absorb the Godhead. I’ll stand guard outside.”
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