Chapter 222
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Chapter 222: The Wife is Leaving
Zhang Weiyun took out a space ring and said to Xu Fan, “Husband, this contains all the things I found in the ruins.”
“I don’t need them; just put them in the treasury and let the disciples who didn’t receive my gifts pick freely,” she added.
Xu Fan took the space ring, glanced at it quietly, and handed it to a tool puppet to deliver to the treasury.
“My wife is quite the wealthy lady. If it weren’t for your husband working hard, you might have ended up supporting me,” Xu Fan joked, noting that the space ring contained items worth at least ten small targets.
“Haha, then I’ll just have to support my husband,” Zhang Weiyun teased, playfully lifting Xu Fan’s chin with her finger and pretending to be flirtatious. “Tell me, how much silver do I need to keep you?”
Her tone was reminiscent of a spoiled rich young master.
Xu Fan couldn’t help but smile at her antics.
Her acting was a bit off, and she didn’t quite capture the essence of a wealthy lady.
“I don’t need silver; I just need my wife to warm my bed every night,” Xu Fan replied with a grin.
By then, the disciples who had come to seek favor had been stopped by the guardian puppet. This was their private moment, and no interruptions were needed.
“Husband, wait for me until I reach the Transformation Stage,” Zhang Weiyun said, planting a kiss on Xu Fan’s cheek.
“Alright,” Xu Fan replied, a hint of melancholy in his voice.
Just then, a soft whimpering sound came from behind them.
Two little deer approached Zhang Weiyun.
The Cloud Flower Deer nuzzled her gently.
“Whee~~~”
“I have to leave; I can’t stay with you,” Zhang Weiyun said apologetically to the little deer.
“Whee~~ Whee~~” The Cloud Flower Deer called out, lifting its head.
“I know you have a husband now—it’s the little deer beside you, right?” Zhang Weiyun said, placing a flower crown on the smaller deer next to the Cloud Flower Deer.
“This is the Wood Flower Spirit; it will help you grow faster. You need to grow up quickly,” Zhang Weiyun said, gently stroking the little deer.
Listening to Zhang Weiyun’s conversation with the deer, Xu Fan frowned.
“If you don’t come back soon, our baby will be born. What are you even saying? Are you trying to feed me dog food?”
“Go on, go play somewhere else,” Xu Fan said, waving his hand to shoo the two little deer away.
My wife is leaving; why are you adding to the chaos?
The Cloud Flower Deer gave Xu Fan a glance before leading its little husband off to play elsewhere.
“With these two auspicious beasts in your sect, the luck must be pretty good, right?”
“It’s decent. We’ll manage, though it’s not like the sect is in danger of collapsing,” Xu Fan joked.
By now, Xu Fan and Zhang Weiyun had reached the entrance of the Hidden Spirit Sect.
An azure divine bird had been waiting there for some time.
“Little bird, take good care of my wife. I’ll make you the Divine Beast of the Hidden Spirit Sect someday,” Xu Fan said with a smile.
Xu Fan’s words were met with nothing but a roll of eyes.
Zhang Weiyun hopped onto the azure divine bird, waved goodbye to Xu Fan, and then turned into a streak of light, vanishing into the horizon.
"Ah, my wife’s gone," Xu Fan sighed, once again left alone.
"Master, this separation is just temporary. You and the Mistress will surely be together forever," Xu Gang said, appearing beside Xu Fan out of nowhere.
"If you’ve got nothing better to do, go teach Ling Tai more. That kid’s got more potential than you," Xu Fan retorted, rolling his eyes.
"And I’m just feeling a bit down; no need for your unsolicited advice," he added.
"I didn’t come to give advice. A friend of mine wants to visit you," Xu Gang explained.
"That disciple from Qianling Sect?" Xu Fan asked.
"No, it’s Zuo Xuan, whom I met during the finals of the Talented Battle Strength Competition," Xu Gang replied.
"Wants to visit me?"
"To be precise, he’s seeking your guidance," Xu Gang clarified.
"Guidance?"
"Tell him I’m swamped with sect matters. No time to guide others," Xu Fan said, waving his hand dismissively.
"Understood."
Just then, Zhou Kailing ran up and asked, "Master, where’s the Mistress?"
"She’s gone," Xu Fan said lightly.
"Gone!" Zhou Kailing exclaimed, clearly disappointed.
She had been deep in her studies, working on a powder to enhance the techniques of the Dao. She had just made a small breakthrough and came out to find the Mistress had been giving gifts to each disciple.
Excited, she rushed over, only to find the Mistress had already left.
Xu Fan then handed her a space ring.
"This contains the techniques of the Dao your Mistress has collected from various ruins over the years. Many are rare editions," he explained.
"Your Mistress wanted you to have it," Xu Fan added.
"The Mistress is so kind," Zhou Kailing said, holding the space ring.
"Isn’t the Master good?" Xu Fan asked, glancing at her.
"Of course the Master is good!" Zhou Kailing exclaimed loudly.
Xu Gang nodded, impressed by Zhou Kailing’s quick response. She was indeed a sharp disciple.
Xu Fan nodded in satisfaction, pleased with Zhou Kailing’s reaction.
……………….
On the central continent, in Fairy City, Xu Yuexian looked at the messages on her Communication Artifact and sighed, "The Mistress came and left after just two days. I didn’t even get a chance to talk to her properly."
Just then, her Communication Artifact buzzed with another message.
After a quick glance, Xu Yuexian paid for her tea and headed towards the city gates.
"This ruin is finally opening! This time, I must get the Heart of the Earth Flame."
As she left, Xu Fan handed her a list of materials needed to craft her own unique artifact.
This list was now her main focus.
Outside the Fairy City, Xu Yuexian flew towards her destination on her Flowing Cloud Shuttle, a wild area 600,000 miles north of the city.
Inside the shuttle, she pondered over the spirit ores listed.
"Half of these materials can be bought, so no rush there."
"Out of the remaining half, I have leads on four; the rest will have to wait for updates from the Tianluo Palace," Xu Yuexian said, looking ahead.
The shuttle slowed down as they moved away from human fairy cities and mortal capitals, entering the territory of beasts.
In the cultivation world, human settlements and empires cover only half the land; the rest is dominated by beasts.
Xu Yuexian made a hand seal, cloaking herself and the shuttle in invisibility.
Just as the shuttle vanished, a massive bolt of lightning struck it.
“Screech~~~”
A loud cry filled the air as a giant eagle, with a wingspan of a hundred meters, burst through the clouds, crackling with electricity.
Using her powers to escape to a safe distance, Xu Yuexian frowned at the sight of her destroyed shuttle, vowing to heed her Master’s advice and avoid flying under clouds in the future.
What she thought was a jest from her Master had come true today.
Two formations appeared behind her and flew off in different directions.
Suddenly, a net of lightning covered the area, trapping both of Xu Yuexian’s avatars.
Looking up at the thunderclouds and the playful giant eagle, Xu Yuexian sighed deeply.
"I didn’t want to bother Master, but I have no choice now," she said, summoning twelve Transformation Stage heavy armor puppets and one standard Transformation Stage puppet.
One heavy armor puppet stepped forward, wielding a Giant Shield.
“Master, someone is bullying your disciple!”
Xu Yuexian quickly contacted Xu Fan using her communication artifact.
Xu Fan, fishing on the Ten Thousand-Mile Giant Lake, was startled.
“What the hell, someone is bullying my disciple?”
“Grape, assist me,” Xu Fan commanded.
The puppets in front of Xu Yuexian lit up with a spiritual glow.
Controlling the standard puppet, Xu Fan surveyed the surroundings, focusing on the thunderclouds above and the wrecked shuttle below.
“You got ambushed under the clouds! Didn’t I tell you?” Xu Fan scolded through the puppet.
“I thought hiding would keep me safe,” Xu Yuexian replied meekly, still getting scolded by her Master despite being at the Nascent Soul stage.
“We’ll talk about your training later.”
Xu Fan controlled the heavy armor shield puppet to block a bolt of lightning shot by the giant eagle.
“Boom~~”
The lightning exploded against the Titanium Heart Giant Shield, and Xu Fan quickly gathered the remaining energy, scattering a handful of purple powder that fused with the residual energy to form wind and thunder wings on Xu Yuexian’s back.
“Stay close and watch the show. I’ll turn that little eagle into your mount,” Xu Fan said, controlling the puppet.
“Okay.”
Xu Yuexian nodded obediently and concealed herself.
The distant giant eagle, seeing its prey disappear, became furious and lunged toward the puppet controlled by Xu Fan.
“Oh, so you’re getting feisty now,” Xu Fan remarked.
Xu Fan formed a hand seal with the puppet, and countless threads appeared in the surrounding space as numerous seeds floated in the air.
A red cloud formed in the sky, which then transformed into a blazing red dragon that soared above.
“Let’s go all out.”
Seeing everything ready, Xu Fan commanded the puppet to press the attack.
Xu Yuexian hid at the edge of the thundercloud, smiling as she watched Xu Fan’s dazzling maneuvers, her eyes sparkling with admiration.
She had always admired her Master the most, and even after meeting many legendary great beings, her feelings hadn’t changed.
“Master is still as incredible as ever, as calm and composed as always.”
At that moment, a sky-piercing sword descended toward the bound giant eagle below.
“Chirp~~~”
A mournful cry echoed as the giant eagle instantly transformed into lightning, vanishing into the heavens.
Xu Fan sighed as he watched the direction in which the giant eagle had disappeared.
“Yuexian, your little bird has flown away.”
With the wind and thunder wings on her back, Xu Yuexian quickly appeared beside Xu Fan.
“It’s fine; Master driving it away is already amazing,” Xu Yuexian said with admiration.
Controlling a Transformation Stage puppet to scare off a Core Formation stage beast was an achievement that overshadowed all other prodigies.
“The puppet’s strength is still a bit lacking. As your cultivation improves, the places you go will become more dangerous.”
“Transformation Stage puppets are indeed a bit weak,” Xu Fan admitted.
“This is already more than enough,” Xu Yuexian said, touched by Xu Fan’s words.
“Why are you so moved? I have to protect such a talented disciple.”
“Otherwise, who’s going to protect me in the future?”
“Remember, you must always protect yourself,” Xu Fan said while patting Xu Yuexian’s head with the puppet.
After that, Xu Fan divined for Xu Yuexian again.
“In the coming month, there will definitely be a disaster of bloodlight. You should return to the sect and skip this ruin,” Xu Fan advised.
“Okay,” Xu Yuexian nodded.
“By the way, Master, my riding precious artifact got destroyed.”
“I’ve already sent a clone to make you a new one,” Xu Fan said.
“Thank you, Master.”
Xu Fan cut the connection with the puppet and gazed at the lake in the distance.
“Grape~”
“Is the plan for the Void Refinement Stage Puppet ready yet?” Xu Fan asked.
“I’m still running the best possible simulations. Please be patient, Master,” Grape replied.
“What are the options so far?”
“First, forge the Dao artifact, the Beast Palace. Second, enslave the beast race, human cultivators, and beasts—though that’s high-risk.”
Grape laid out two plans, neither of which Xu Fan liked.
The Beast Palace was a mid-level Dao artifact he’d designed, but his current cultivation level wasn’t enough to forge it.
As for the second plan, enslaving the beast race? That was even less reliable.
With his current methods, any beast race, human cultivators, or beasts he controlled could turn on him.
Xu Fan wasn’t about to dig his own grave like that.
“These troublesome disciples of mine,” Xu Fan muttered.
He couldn’t shake the feeling that his disciples, not yet at the Great Ascension stage, were always at risk when they ventured out.
“I need to step up their safety measures,” Xu Fan thought to himself.
Just then, the lake in the distance began to churn.
A human-shaped pangolin climbed onto Xu Fan’s spiritual boat, carrying a crystal squid.
“Master, I caught this rare beast in the giant lake.”
“It’s perfect for pan-frying or glazing.”
“Thought you might be interested,” the pangolin said.
Xu Fan glanced at it. The Hidden Spirit Sect had nearly hunted this creature to extinction, and it was still under the protective barrier for catching beasts.
“Let it go. Let it breed for a few generations before we eat it,” Xu Fan ordered.
“As you command.”
The pangolin quickly tossed the crystal squid back into the Ten Thousand-Mile Giant Lake.
“Anything unusual during your recent patrols of the Ten Thousand-Mile Giant Lake?” Xu Fan asked, baiting his fishing hook.
“Besides a few underground rivers and dozens of exotic treasures absorbing the essence of heaven and earth, nothing much,” the pangolin replied respectfully.
“You didn’t touch those exotic treasures, did you?”
“No, no. I know those are treasures you’ve already marked, so I left them alone,” the pangolin assured him quickly.
“Good thinking.”
Bored, Xu Fan struck up a conversation with the pangolin about the Demon Spirit Realm.
“How’s your pangolin clan doing in the Demon Spirit Realm?” Xu Fan asked.
“We’ve got a beast king in charge. Life’s manageable there,” the pangolin said modestly.
“Not bad. At least you’re better off than the Thick-Shell Honey Badger clan,” Xu Fan chuckled.
“Do you have any ties to the Thick-Shell Honey Badger clan?” the pangolin asked curiously.
“They tried to invade the Ten Thousand-Mile Giant Lake once, but they left with nothing,” Xu Fan explained.
“Back in ancient times, our pangolin clan was a vassal of the Thick-Shell Honey Badger clan.”
“At that time, our clan’s strength was about the same as mine is now.”
“Actually, the decline of the Thick-Shell Honey Badger clan is partly our fault,” the pangolin added.
“Interesting. Tell me more,” Xu Fan said, intrigued.
“During the ancient wars against the human race, the Thick-Shell Honey Badger clan, once a powerful clan, went completely mad after hearing something our clan leader said.”
“They started hunting down human great beings like they’d killed their parents.”
“In the end, all their beast kings died in battle, along with our clan leader at the time,” the pangolin recounted.
“What did your clan leader say to make them so furious?” Xu Fan asked, leaning in with curiosity.
“I don’t know.”
“…………..”
