After successfully tricking Da Bai into walking the path of Artifact Refining with no return, Chen Jiuge made sure to feed him an hour’s worth of motivational talk to prevent him from giving up halfway.
As Da Bai left Chen Jiuge’s room, he was still mumbling to himself, "Work hard at Artifact Refining, Spirit Stones are endless."
Chanting this, an image suddenly appeared in Da Bai’s mind: I’m lying on a bed paved with Spirit Stones, the once gentle Sister Yue Meng calling me ’Brother Dabai’, then I casually toss out a handful of Spirit Stones, eliciting cheers from other beasts.
"HEHEHE." Da Bai, chuckling foolishly, came back to his senses and wiped the drool from the corner of his mouth. He looked determinedly at the Artifact Refining Magic Technique in his Storage Bag and said, "Da Bai, you can do it."
The previously idle Da Bai was now in seclusion for Artifact Refining, leaving Qi Daoyuan in Eden Garden with nothing to do. A few months later, thoroughly bored, Qi Daoyuan also returned to Vermilion Bird Peak, planning to go into seclusion for Cultivation.
Eden Garden entered a stable and peaceful period of rapid development.
After Chen Jiuge had finally fully adapted to his current Cultivation, a message from Zhu Yinghuang stirred his emotions.
"The batch of Outer Disciples who trained in the Desolate World years ago will soon return."
To confirm the authenticity of the news, Chen Jiuge decided to personally visit Vermilion Bird Peak and inquire with Zhu Yinghuang.
Through the Transmission Array in the Main Hall, Chen Jiuge arrived at Vermilion Bird Peak.
Seeing Chen Jiuge’s unfamiliar face, the disciples of Vermilion Bird Peak kept staring at him, which almost made Chen Jiuge nervous.
"HAHAHA, Brother Chen, what brings you to my place so suddenly?" Zhu Yinghuang said, descending from the sky riding a beautiful, large red bird.
"Brother Zhu, I came to confirm the truth of the news, of course!" Chen Jiuge was very concerned about its authenticity, as his own sister was among those Outer Disciples.
"Let’s talk in my cave mansion." Zhu Yinghuang grabbed Chen Jiuge’s arm and leapt onto the back of the large bird.
The bird also squawked unhappily. Zhu Yinghuang quickly soothed it, "Xiao Hong, Xiao Hong, this is a good brother of mine. Just this once, just this once! I’ll buy you your favorite Fire Spirit Fruit when we get back."
With Zhu Yinghuang’s promise, Xiao Hong finally, reluctantly, agreed.
Zhu Yinghuang gave a slightly embarrassed but polite smile and said, "Spiritual Beasts, Brother Chen, you understand."
Chen Jiuge nodded in agreement. Though, my own Spiritual Beast is already on the right track and basically doesn’t show such disobedient behavior. Comparing the two, my Spiritual Beast is much more well-behaved!
Zhu Yinghuang’s cave mansion was located slightly below the summit of Vermilion Bird Peak, reflecting his high status. Vermilion Bird Peak was one of the four strongest Inner Sect Mountains, its strength far superior to that of Hundred Herbs Peak.
Looking at the fiery red courtyard, Chen Jiuge joked, "Brother Zhu, it seems that both the Spiritual Beasts and the cave mansions at Vermilion Bird Peak are predominantly red."
"Naturally. The majority of disciples at Vermilion Bird Peak prefer red, and I am no exception."
"Alright, Brother Chen, since you’re here today, try Vermilion Bird Peak’s specialty: Fire Rain Spiritual Tea," Zhu Yinghuang said, taking out a canister of red tea leaves.
Looking at the fiery red tea Zhu Yinghuang passed to him, Chen Jiuge, though inwardly anxious, still tasted the Fire Rain Spiritual Tea first.
"Excellent tea! It’s like fire entering the mouth, comparable to strong liquor. After it reaches the stomach, a warmth spreads throughout the body, leaving a lingering fragrance. Truly unforgettable," Chen Jiuge praised.
"Of course. This is our Vermilion Bird Peak’s specialty," Zhu Yinghuang said proudly.
After finishing the tea, it was, of course, time to inquire about his little sister.
"Brother Zhu, is the news you received true?" Chen Jiuge asked eagerly.
"It is, Brother Chen. Surely you don’t distrust me?" Zhu Yinghuang feigned dissatisfaction.
"Of course not." Receiving confirmation, Chen Jiuge relaxed a little.
"I know Brother Chen cares deeply about your sister, so I specifically inquired about her," Zhu Yinghuang said leisurely.
Chen Jiuge quickly poured him some tea. "Brother Zhu?"
Watching Zhu Yinghuang’s demeanor, my sister must not have encountered any trouble. She probably even had some good gains. Otherwise, Brother Zhu wouldn’t look so confident.
"HEHEHE, Brother Chen, your sister is quite remarkable. As for the specifics, let’s keep it a surprise. In any case, she’ll be back in about a month or so. No need to be too anxious," Zhu Yinghuang said with a mischievous smile.
Hearing this, Chen Jiuge was no longer anxious. As long as my little sister is alive, that’s all that matters. My current resources are more than enough to support a Cultivator without affecting my own Cultivation.
At Zhu Yinghuang’s strong insistence, Chen Jiuge stayed for dinner before returning to Eden Garden.
"Big Sister, in half a month, we can return to the Sect!" a cute Female Cultivator with a mushroom haircut said emotionally.
With a delicate face and a solemn, almost dangerous, air, Chen Xiaoyu glanced at her little follower. A smile tugged at the corner of her mouth as she said, "We’re finally going back. I’ve truly had enough of that dreadful place."
"Absolutely, absolutely!" the mushroom-haired Female Cultivator nodded in agreement.
Standing at the bow of the ship, Chen Xiaoyu’s heart was filled with unease. How is Big Brother doing after all these years? Has he encountered any mishaps? Does he still remember me? Would he even recognize me now?
That experiential training was far too dangerous. Not long ago, during the final wave of tests, the Great Sect Disciples who had entered barely survived until the end. Then, a mere roar instantly killed or injured most of them. It was truly despairing. Fortunately, the Golden Immortals from the Sect intervened in time; otherwise, perhaps no one from the Myriad Beasts Sect would have returned this time.
「Inside Eden Garden.」
Chen Jiuge had been constantly keeping track of the time and hadn’t rested well recently. It’s been over a hundred years of separation. I wonder if my little sister will still recognize me when she returns. Will she resent me for not searching for her?
While Chen Jiuge was feeling apprehensive, the Flying Boat carrying Chen Xiaoyu successfully returned to the Main Hall of the Myriad Beasts Sect.
The disciples who survived that Secret Realm were mostly at least at the Nascent Soul Cultivation. All of them had emerged from a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood. The strongest among them were at the Divinity Transformation Cultivation, and one of these formidable Female Cultivators, with a delicate face, was none other than Chen Xiaoyu.
Having just disembarked from the Flying Boat, Chen Xiaoyu was eager to find her big brother. Unfortunately, she had to formally become a disciple to her Master first, as this Master was the leading Golden Immortal Elder of the expedition, and she couldn’t leave yet.
After the simple disciple-initiation tea ceremony, the leading Golden Immortal, Luo Shuitian, said considerately, "Seeing how eager you are, you must want to meet the big brother you’ve mentioned so often. Go ahead. Just remember to come back here afterward."
"Thank you, Master, for your understanding," Chen Xiaoyu said gratefully.
After using the Transmission Array in the Main Hall to travel to Hundred Herbs Peak, Chen Xiaoyu asked the disciples she met along the way about Chen Jiuge’s whereabouts.
To her surprise, the disciple looked at her as if she were a suspicious person. "Which peak are you from? You don’t even know the Third Elder’s Direct Disciple?"
Hearing this, a wave of joy surged in Chen Xiaoyu’s heart. After repeated explanations, the disciple reluctantly believed that Chen Xiaoyu was Chen Jiuge’s sister. He pointed towards Eden Garden and said, "It’s the courtyard at the summit with the ’Eden Garden’ plaque. Senior Brother Chen is usually there."