At this moment, Yi Feng had already leisurely returned to the Nine Realms.
As for leaving without saying goodbye, Yi Feng simply wanted to avoid trouble.
What if that girl woke up and insisted on repaying his life-saving grace by offering herself to him?
Though he wouldn’t exactly mind, he was, after all, a man marked for death…
Piaomiao Hong stood atop a mountain peak, gazing into the distance.
"Young Mistress, there’s no need to be so troubled. We’ll definitely catch the Dragon Fish," Luo Chen, her guard, approached and comforted her softly.
At the mention of this, Piaomiao Hong let out a bitter laugh.
"Young Mistress, don’t lose heart. Even if we can’t catch it ourselves, there are plenty of people watching Yun Lake. Someone will eventually hook one. Even if we have to trade everything the Sword Valley owns for that Dragon Fish, we won’t let anything happen to you," Luo Chen said firmly.
"The time has already passed."
Piaomiao Hong spoke expressionlessly.
"What time has passed?"
Luo Chen didn’t understand.
"The curse has reached its final stage. What I mean is, even if we had a Dragon Fish now, it wouldn’t break the curse. The outcome is already decided. There’s no need to waste any more effort on me." Her voice was calm, as if she had long accepted her fate.
"No… that can’t be. How could the time have passed…"
Luo Chen shook his head violently, his eyes reddening.
"Well, since there’s nothing else to do, let’s go to Yun Lake and try our luck."
"Even if it’s useless for me, gaining some opportunities would still benefit the Sword Valley."
Piaomiao Hong spoke softly.
Yi Feng’s appearance had led to the dissolution of the Hong Sect, completely disrupting her plans.
Now, without a clear path forward, she could only take things one step at a time.
Thinking of Yi Feng, he had gone to the only known Level Six Forbidden Zone in the human realm. Even with his immense strength, survival there was nearly impossible.
Though she knew his suicidal tendencies wouldn’t actually lead to his death, she also understood that they would likely never cross paths again.
Given the power he had displayed, there was a slim chance he might one day reach Sainthood. A miracle wasn’t entirely out of the question.
If that day ever came, she hoped Yi Feng would remember their brief connection and look after the Sword Valley for her sake.
Her jade slip flickered.
She took it out and was stunned to see a message from Yi Feng.
"Hey hey, Miss Hong, it’s me."
Yi Feng had actually returned from the Level Six Forbidden Zone alive?
Beside her, Luo Chen was equally dumbfounded.
He had witnessed Yi Feng abducting Piaomiao Hong before, and later learned the full story from her.
With wide eyes, he stammered, "Young Mistress, that guy went to a Level Six Forbidden Zone… and didn’t die?"
As the two stood in shock, Yi Feng’s grumbling voice came through again.
"That place you mentioned did have a lot of demons, but they were all weaklings! I didn’t even get a scratch, let alone die. What a wasted trip!"
Hearing this, Piaomiao Hong’s face twitched slightly.
Luo Chen trembled, pointing at the jade slip. "Y-Y-Young Mistress, did you hear that? Is that even human?"
After a long silence, Piaomiao Hong took a deep breath.
She accepted the fact that Yi Feng was still alive.
She couldn’t help but sigh—she had underestimated him yet again.
"Where are you now?" she asked.
"Just tell me your location, and I’ll come to you," Yi Feng’s voice replied.
After giving him her coordinates, she waited.
A giant snail descended from the sky, landing beside them.
Yi Feng clasped his hands in greeting.
Piaomiao Hong returned the courtesy.
After exchanging pleasantries, Yi Feng noticed Luo Chen.
Seeing Yi Feng again, Luo Chen was terrified and immediately hid behind Piaomiao Hong. He hadn’t forgotten how his full-powered strike had left Yi Feng unharmed while nearly killing himself.
"Miss Hong, that place couldn’t kill me."
Yi Feng didn’t hold it against her.
After all, she hadn’t lied—the demons there were just too weak.
"Though, I must say, the people there were quite hospitable!"
Yi Feng remarked cheerfully.
Piaomiao Hong frowned, assuming he was joking, and didn’t press further.
"If Master Yi could leave that place unscathed, then… at least within the Nine Realms, there’s likely nothing left that can threaten your life. Perhaps only in the Heavenly Domain could we find a way," she said. "However, you’ll need to wait a while."
"The Heavenly Domain?"
Yi Feng’s eyes gleamed with interest.
He had heard of it before.
Rumors said many of the later factions in the Nine Realms originated from there. He was quite curious about it.
But hearing that nothing in the Nine Realms could kill him now was surprising.
Had he really grown that strong?
This was his own fault.
Back then, in a fit of bloodlust, he had slaughtered too many demons and leveled up way too fast.
Even worse, this time he had wiped out an entire city, gaining an absurd amount of experience—so much that he couldn’t be bothered to check.
He really needed to restrain himself from now on.
With this kind of power, Yi Feng should have been content—living like a king in the Nine Realms, indulging in leisure, maybe finding a few female cultivators to "cultivate" with. Wouldn’t that be the life?
But the system had warned him—in less than a hundred years, a world-ending calamity would arrive.
And there was also that unfinished task about taking on a final disciple. The system hadn’t mentioned it since. Did he still need to complete it?
"A little delay is fine. I can wait," Yi Feng nodded. With over ninety years left, there was no rush. If he controlled his demon-slaying and avoided leveling up too much, he’d eventually die.
"Thank you for understanding, Master Yi. Would you like to leave first and wait for my summons when it’s time to go to the Heavenly Domain?" Piaomiao Hong asked.
"What about you? What are your plans?" Yi Feng inquired.
"The emergence of the Saint has reshaped the world, giving rise to countless perilous yet opportune lands. Yun Lake is one such place of great fortune."
"Aside from the Dragon Fish, Yun Lake holds many rare and valuable fish. But now, the whole world knows of it, and countless people are flocking there."
"Still, I’d like to try my luck."
She then glanced at Yi Feng with a hint of anticipation. "Would Master Yi care to join me?"
"I love it. Of course I’ll come."
Yi Feng grinned eagerly. "Besides, I did promise you—if you helped me find death, I’d help you with any trouble that might arise. Even if no trouble’s shown up yet, who knows? Maybe we’ll run into some."
"You actually remembered that."
Piaomiao Hong covered her mouth with a light laugh, touched. "Then I must thank you for keeping Hong’er’s words in your heart."
After a brief exchange of greetings, the group set off on their journey toward Yunhu Lake.