However, as Xu Qing walks in the secular world, he has already exceeded his expectations.

Who would have thought that he could truly clear all the gates of the Underworld River and also open the Heavenly Path?

"You’ve done well enough. In the future, feel free to stay and cultivate in Chishui. As your elder brother, I will come and visit you from time to time."

Xian Sheng Zhenjun patted Xu Qing on the shoulder, evidently recognizing this younger brother wholeheartedly.

Xu Qing showed an innocent smile and replied, "Second Brother, rest assured, I will cultivate diligently and will never disgrace the good names of the Great Sage and you, Second Brother."

Reputation?

Xian Sheng Zhenjun remained silent.

He and that monkey’s reputation was decent in the secular world and somewhat reputable in the upper realm, but that reputation wasn’t solely due to good deeds...

"You have no shortage of disciples in your Daluo Sect. I suppose even if you’re in Chishui, you can connect with the Goddess’s disciples. I won’t specifically come to visit, but if the Goddess’s disciples come to visit, I hope you’ll send my regards."

Xu Qing naturally had no objections.

After seeing off Xian Sheng Zhenjun, Xu Qing, standing by the Chishui River, suddenly heard the voice of Nu Ba behind him:

"You’ve been cultivating in the secular world all along. How could you have known the celestial deities of the upper realm and be so close with them?"

"..."

Xu Qing turned and approached Nu Ba, then briefly told a story, skipping the beginning and the end, about receiving inheritance at the Temple of Two Sages, meeting his honorary master at the Sea Meeting Temple, and becoming sworn brothers in a small water curtain cave with the monkey.

Nu Ba listened, feeling something was off but couldn’t pinpoint it.

She looked at Xu Qing several times, wanting to speak but stopping herself.

Such a strange feeling, she hadn’t experienced it with anyone else before.

Only after meeting Xu Qing, Nu Ba often sensed this feeling that seemed logical yet left her utterly confused.

It was like everyone else was in on some consensus, leaving her out in the open, completely clueless.

"Xu Qing, do you know something about me and are hiding it from me?"

"How could that be!" Xu Qing said with a face full of sincerity, "I know less than one ten-thousandth about Heaven’s Maiden, so how could I possibly know things even Heaven’s Maiden doesn’t, let alone hide them!"

Nu Ba stared at Xu Qing for a moment, she wanted to voice her doubts but felt it was too forward. At the same time, she was embarrassed to speak up due to her status.

Could she, a dignified Heaven’s Maiden, really accuse a junior based purely on assumptions?

But then again, were these strange feelings really just her imagination?

No matter how it seemed, those celestial deities had no reason to believe she had any romantic involvement with Xu Qing.

That simply couldn’t be.

Nu Ba shook her head, dismissing it as her overthinking. Those talks of a perfect match or achieving positive outcomes, perhaps what the deities said was nothing but casual remarks.

Or maybe being stuck in Chishui for so long left her out of touch, and perhaps this was just how deities exchanged greetings nowadays...

Nu Ba never thought about the phoenix crown and wedding robe she was wearing.

The red wedding dress seemed like an announcement pinned to her back, proclaiming she was already married.

The deities generally avoided talks of romance, naturally avoiding direct commentary on the two’s relationships.

Consequently, the parties involved often felt a lurking strangeness in every corner.

Xu Qing pretended to be oblivious, acting as if he missed the nuances in the celestial deities’ words.

Nu Ba treated Xu Qing as a junior and wouldn’t directly question him.

Subtly and gradually, Nu Ba began to get used to this strange feeling.

"Ying Gou was buried within the realm of the Taodu Mountain in Shu. We can follow the Ancient Yin River Dao, avoiding detection by the celestial deities, and we’ll be fine."

"Once you achieve the Rui Ba Dao Fruit and leave Chishui, as long as you don’t step into the human world, I suppose they won’t dare to say anything either."

Nu Ba led Xu Qing all the way south.

Upon reaching the Demon Exorcism True Monarch’s bone temple, Xu Qing saw the Xuantan True Monarch, Marshal Zhao Yuan, who was hiding within the bone temple and unwilling to return to the upper realm, as well as the black divine tiger raised under him.

"The Heavenly Path is open. Isn’t True Monarch considering resuming the immortal position?"

Xuantan True Monarch responded mournfully, "Go back for what, to receive punishment? Black Tiger, do you wish to return?"

The black divine tiger shook its head vigorously like a rattling drum.

It was living freely in the Underworld River and had no desire to return to the upper realm only to be confined every day.

Xu Qing clicked his tongue, then inquired about the yin-yang boundary stele.

"Why is the boundary stele missing? Was it destroyed by the river’s water?"

Beside him, the Demon Exorcism True Monarch explained, "That boundary stele is the monument of King Yu’s flood control, carried by a Bixi. Recently, the water filled the Ancient River Dao, awakening the buried Bixi, which, driven by the water’s aura, reactivated its consciousness and drifted south along the river course."

Xuantan True Monarch added, "Bixi belongs to the water element and possesses the ability to control water. That Kong Ren is recognized as a water god but is still a bit inferior to the Bixi."

"Otherwise, King Yu would have mounted the boundary stele on Kong Ren instead of on the Bixi."

Upon hearing of the Bixi’s departure, Xu Qing felt little impact.

But leaving the bone temple to continue towards Taodu, Nu Ba felt somewhat regretful, saying:

"I thought the Bixi had died here, never realizing it was severely wounded, lingering in this dormant state. Had I known, I would have seized its spirit pearl for your use."

"With that water-aligned spirit pearl, perhaps we could have avoided going to Taodu and achieved the Water Fiend Dao Fruit here."

Xu Qing smiled, not feeling the slightest bit of regret.

The Three Lights’ sun, moon, and star water embody the essence of heavenly waters, a true treasure of the universe, much beyond what a Bixi’s spirit pearl could offer.

In the following days, Xu Qing shared the journey south with Nu Ba. Along the way, Nu Ba occasionally searched for traces of Bixi. Unfortunately, the Bixi had long submerged into the river’s depths, making it impossible to trace.

Upon reaching Taodu Mountain’s borders, Nu Ba finally released her concerns over that ’big turtle.’

"Xu Qing, don’t disappoint my expectations."

Nu Ba gazed toward where Ying Gou was buried. In that vast, barren land, traces of Azure Gold Qi drifted, though mostly overshadowed by the towering resentment tied closely to Ying Gou’s remnants.

If Xu Qing refined the fortune of Ying Gou’s testament without dispelling the growing resentment, he would surely become a true corpse monster under the influence of Ying Gou’s lingering will!

"What potent resentment!"

Xu Qing furrowed his brows, understanding that this resentment, even if Nu Ba personally tried to separate and contain it, would require a significant price to pay.

If he wished to refine it after separation, even an entire Era might not be enough!

After much consideration, Xu Qing intended to ask the Heaven’s Maiden to stop when he heard her say, "Ying Gou didn’t cultivate the paths of Drought Fiends or Water Fiends but honed his body by integrating a strand of Heaven-and-Earth-created Azure Gold Qi, achieving an indestructible, vajra body."

"If you can acquire this strand of Azure Gold Qi, you can enhance your bones, organs, and flesh, refining them to the level of a Rui Ba."

"Such Rui Ba has no elemental attributes, only sheer physical power, not to be easily extinguished even by the divine hand of one who has attained the original Dao Fruit."

Nu Ba gestured for Xu Qing to look at the absolute domain before them: "See those corpse energies converging toward the center? If I’m not mistaken, give it a few more Eras, and Ying Gou could reform into a corpse god."

"Azure Gold Qi..."

Xu Qing previously assumed Ying Gou was a Drought Fiend, Water Fiend, or Fur Demon type, never imagining he descended from zombies who aligned with metal and earth, achieving the Rui Ba Dao Fruit through body cultivation.

This was rather similar to when he had refined Yin Metal Qi to break through as a Golden Armored Corpse using buried money.

If he obtained this tune of Heaven-and-Earth-born Azure Gold Qi, wouldn’t it provide an extra layer of security beyond the Water Fiend, Drought Fiend, and Fur Demon?

Understanding the connections, Xu Qing once again looked at the dire straits before him, not only with no trace of hesitation but also with an exhilarating excitement!

The Heaven’s Maiden might find it hard to separate Ying Gou’s resentment alone, but what if, with the Lotus Treasure Lamp in hand?

Ying Gou perhaps...

If he obtains this strand of Heaven-and-Earth-born Azure Gold Qi, wouldn’t it provide an extra layer of security beyond the Water Fiend, Drought Fiend, and Fur Demon?

Understanding the connections, Xu Qing once again looked at the dire straits before him, not only with no trace of hesitation but also with an exhilarating excitement!

The Heaven’s Maiden might find it hard to separate Ying Gou’s resentment alone, but what if, with the Lotus Treasure Lamp in hand?

Ying Gou perhaps...