Chapter 689: Chapter 682 Arrival

Chen Hai’s words carried a tone of gentle refusal, which Shi Qingying naturally understood.

Her expression was complex, she sighed lightly, stared at Chen Hai for a long time, and said, “Here in the territory of West Barbarian Mountain, the spiritual energy is scarce, a desolate and remote place.”

“Moreover, the heritage here is incomplete. Without going out to explore and broaden your horizons, staying in such a place makes it very hard, almost too hard, for your strength to break through.”

“Back when we first met, in terms of strength, we were almost equal.”

“After I joined the Demon Palace and became a disciple of the Master, with her guidance in my Cultivation, I have already advanced further and stepped into the Earth Immortal Realm.”

“Protected by the Master and backed by the Demon Palace, my path of Cultivation will be smooth from now on.”

“You are my man, and on the path of Cultivation, I wish to proceed together with you, not leave you far behind.”

“I know you’re rather proud and reluctant to accept my help, but hiding away in this small place like West Barbarian Mountain, if your strength can never reach a higher realm, would you be content?”

“Letting you join the Demon Palace is for your own good too. I can introduce you into the Demon Palace, and if you feel embarrassed, you could also try to join other major powers based on your own strength.”

“Only in this way can you expand your knowledge, broaden your horizons, and smooth your future path!”

At this point, Shi Qingying paused, sighing deeply.

Although she and Chen Hai had had an exhilarating confrontation previously, it wasn’t really about combat.

Under these circumstances, she could not tell what level Chen Hai’s strength had actually reached!

Within the territory of West Barbarian Mountain, reaching True Immortal was already considered the limit.

In Shi Qingying’s eyes, the Chen Hai before her was probably still in the True Immortal Realm.

After all, when they first met, although their combat power was almost equal, in terms of realms, she was at True Immortal Perfection, while Chen Hai was merely in the Mid Period of True Immortal.

After joining the Demon Palace, with her powerful Master’s backing, she had everything she needed for Cultivation, and any confusion in her practice was thoroughly guided.

With these conveniences, she had advanced to Earth Immortal more than a decade ago.

Her speed of Cultivation was astonishing compared to other cultivators, considering that, at the level of True Immortal, advancing even a small realm often took hundreds to thousands of years.

“This… I’ll think about it!” With a slightly awkward expression, Chen Hai hesitated and responded.

He saw that Shi Qingying’s suggestions were indeed well-intentioned.

Thus, he was not in a position to outright reject her, only able to give a few non-committal responses.

He had already reached Earth Immortal Perfection, and was just a step away from Heavenly Immortal, a fact he had considered telling Shi Qingying directly.

However, after hesitating for a moment, he ultimately kept it to himself.

After all, from what Shi Qingying had said, succeeding in stepping into the Earth Immortal Realm within these hundred or so years seemed to have made her quite proud.

If she were to learn that, dwelling in a desolate area like the territory of West Barbarian Mountain, Chen Hai’s Cultivation speed was so much faster than hers, and he had already reached Earth Immortal Perfection, wouldn’t she be utterly disheartened?

And if her fragile heart couldn’t withstand such a tremendous blow, and she impulsively decided to do something drastic out of despair, then Chen Hai’s fault would be grave!

“Forget it, everyone has their own aspirations. I just casually mentioned you joining a power. If you really don’t want to, I won’t force you!” Seeing Chen Hai’s obviously perfunctory attitude, Shi Qingying showed a helpless expression and sighed.

It was rare for her to come to the West Barbarian Mountain territory and have a meeting with Chen Hai, and since she had already said what needed to be said and Chen Hai was unwilling, she didn’t bother to mention it again.

“My body has already recovered, even the wounds on my knee are completely healed…” Snuggling up to Chen Hai, Shi Qingying deliberately changed the topic to something more uplifting.

“Your knee is healed, so does that mean we can proceed?” Instantly understanding the blatant hint, Chen Hai reacted.

“Um!” Her face blushing like peach blossoms, Shi Qingying nodded lightly.

In the next moment, Chen Hai flipped over, pinning her beneath him.

…

In the southwest direction of Black Water Immortal Mountain, over a thousand miles away, there lay a vast barren land.

Almost half a person tall, lush wild grass filled the area, with blossoms of wildflowers blooming fiercely in vibrant colors.

Belonging to the same barren land, this particular region of several tens of miles appeared more fertile compared to its surroundings; the wild grass grew denser, and the wildflowers seemed even more vivid.

Two tunneling lights flew from the distant horizon and descended into this region, transforming into two slender figures.

These two people were naturally Shangguan Hong and Jiang Bieli.

Ever since Zuo Yunxiao’s death, more than fifty years had passed.

The passage of time could erase many things.

Before his death, Zuo Yunxiao pursued Yang Shaoqing and others, leaving traces that, after so many years, had become difficult to find.

Both Shangguan Hong and Jiang Bieli were Heavenly Immortal level formidable beings. Utilizing various secret techniques they mastered, they had come from overseas and, after several years of detours, finally arrived here.

“Brother Shangguan, are you sure that Zuo Yunxiao died right here?” With a hint of doubt, Jiang Bieli scanned the surroundings and inquired.

“Absolutely,” Shangguan Hong nodded with certainty.

After a slight pause, he continued, “This barren land, elsewhere, is all just loam, the only exception is the fertile black soil under our feet.”

“If my guess is correct, it’s precisely because Zuo Yunxiao died here, his flesh and blood integrated with the earth, that this place has become so fertile.”

While speaking, he crouched down, grabbed a handful of black soil from the ground, and sniffed it close to his nose.

An indescribably bizarre odor rushed to his brain. In the next moment, Shangguan Hong had realized something.

With an unfortunate expression, he tossed aside the lump of soil, which was distinctly different from the surrounding black soil, and cursed, “I’m so fucking sure, where did this wild dog randomly shit!”

Beside him, Jiang Bieli burst out laughing, unable to hold it back.

“Brother Shangguan, to grab dog shit with a casual grab, your luck is truly unmatched!” he said, his face full of amusement.

Although temporarily cooperating, it was purely out of mutual interest. This man’s relentless pestering, which annoyed him, was something he always kept in mind.

If they actually found the murderer who killed Zuo Yunxiao and successfully seized the Gathering Spirit Stone, it might just be the time when he and Shangguan Hong turned on each other.

“Even an old horse stumbles, that was just a fluke.”

“I am very familiar with Zuo Yunxiao’s aura; I can assert that a trace of it remains in this land.”

“Brother Jiang, let’s search this area carefully to see if we can find any clues.”

With a somewhat grim expression, Shangguan Hong spoke.

As he spoke, he had already started to move, examining here and there within the region, crouching down in one spot, and digging around in another.

Seeing him like this, Jiang Bieli naturally could not just stand idle and followed suit.

Their search lasted for over a half two-hour, after which they reconvened.

Since Zuo Yunxiao had died quite a long time ago, even though both were Heavenly Immortal level strong beings, they couldn’t find any useful clues at the moment.

“Brother Shangguan, although we successfully found the place where Zuo Yunxiao died, with just this little clue, it’s hardly enough to find his murderer, right?” Looking at Shangguan Hong, Jiang Bieli questioned.

“It’s better to err on the side of caution than to let the guilty escape. Since Zuo Yunxiao’s death occurred within the borders of West Barbarian Mountain, the local Sects here might know something.”

“Let’s go. We’ll start by heading to the closest Sect from here and subdue them!”

Frowning, Shangguan Hong pondered for a while and then waved at Jiang Bieli, signaling him to follow.