Chapter 202: Chapter 91: Yu Lian’s Parents

The moment the True Thunder fell, Wang Ping took Yu Lian and the unconscious Female Knight, diving into the Wood Spirit Qi. Following a pre-planned route, he flew rapidly toward Gray Water Pond.

Above the Water Forest, as lightning flashed, Wulang’s figure once again vanished into the void. Just then, a figure from the distance approached, landing where Wulang had disappeared. As he stabilized himself, Wood Spirit Qi surged around him as well.

"What happened?"

"Fellow Daoist Liu Jizi was careless and fell into a trap," a voice said from the void.

"A junior who just entered the Second Realm, even if he did it with the Taiyan Talisman... you guys are in a pretty sorry state, aren’t you?"

"You saw. He can also set up a Yuqing Sect Thunder Law Altar."

"If you two keep talking nonsense, he’s going to get away," a neutral voice interrupted their conversation.

Hearing this, the Wood Cultivator who had just arrived snorted coldly. Like Wang Ping, he dove into the Wood Spirit Qi and gave chase in the direction Wang Ping had fled. His speed was considerably faster than Wang Ping’s. As he passed, he would use a pitch-black metal cylinder to shoot gray energy into the void, seemingly marking spatial nodes. Every time he marked a spot, the Wood Spirit Qi surrounding him would darken slightly.

About ten breaths later, Wang Ping, who had fled first, was now faintly visible in his sights.

"Seize the opportunity and strike!"

The Wood Cultivator’s voice traveled through the spatial nodes he had marked, reaching Wulang’s ears in the void. He then increased his speed slightly more, causing the swamp below to distort in his vision. When he was a few miles from Wang Ping, he formed a hand seal for a Spell, connecting all the Spirit Veins in his body to his Qi Sea and communicating with the surrounding Wood Spirit Qi.

Then, the Wood Spirit Qi in the area began to tremble rhythmically.

Wang Ping, who was flying with the aid of the Wood Spirit Qi, suddenly faltered. He was forced out of the Wood Spirit Qi and tumbled across the water’s surface before steadying himself.

"Don’t be hasty. It’s an illusion..."

The Wood Cultivator stopped Wulang, who was about to strike. His rapidly advancing figure suddenly spun at high speed, triggering a violent surge in the surrounding Wood Spirit Qi. This shattered the illusion of Wang Ping and his surroundings up ahead, revealing a massive wave over ten zhang tall, filled with highly corrosive Water Spirit Qi.

"Tough bastard!"

The Wood Cultivator took out an azure pearl and crushed it. The shattered pearl formed a vacuum around his body, within which water-repelling runes appeared, warding off the entirety of the oncoming wave.

"This was a huge expense. You’d better keep your promise when this is all over." He glanced nearby, at the flickering figure within one of the spatial nodes he had marked.

After speaking, he flipped through the air and chased after another Wang Ping that had appeared in the Wood Spirit Qi on the horizon.

「Several minutes later.」

The Wood Cultivator estimated the time and used his superior affinity for Wood Spirit Qi to forcibly eject Wang Ping’s fleeing figure from it. This time, the feedback he received from the Wood Spirit Qi felt real.

"This one’s real!"

He gave the reminder in a low, certain voice, yet he felt a hint of doubt, though he himself didn’t know why.

"Then this is our chance..." Wulang’s killing intent flared.

"Indeed... it counts as a chance!"

"Then let’s not waste it..."

Just as Wulang replied and was about to move, the Wood Cultivator’s eyebrow twitched. "Wait, something’s..." He didn’t finish his sentence. He felt a strange sensation, as if his Qi Sea had been pierced. Looking down, he saw a grayish-white snake tail running through his Qi Sea.

Without the suppression of his Qi Sea True Essence, the Spirit Veins in his body immediately mutated, devouring his consciousness and body in the blink of an eye. In the final moment before his consciousness was consumed, the Haoze Land beneath his feet changed. It transformed into a beautiful Moon Pond surrounded by a dense forest. A pair of enormous, apricot-yellow vertical pupils stared coldly at him, looking as if they would devour him in the next instant.

On the distant horizon, several airborne Cultivators watched him with looks of disbelief, seemingly unable to comprehend his suicidal act.

’Is this another illusion?’

This was his final question before his consciousness was devoured by the mutated Spirit Wood within him.

Hidden in the void, Wulang broke out in a cold sweat. He looked at Wang Ping, who was hovering a hundred zhang away, and then met the apricot-yellow eyes of the Spirit Snake beside him. He felt the barriers of the void tremble as Water Spirit Qi began to erode the space. Sensing danger, he turned and fled without hesitation.

Wang Ping watched Wulang retreat and thought it was a shame. ’If I could have finished him off here, it would have been a huge win.’

Just as Wang Ping was feeling regretful, a pair of enormous vertical pupils looked up at him. They belonged to a giant Spirit Snake over twenty zhang long. To this creature, Wang Ping was like a mole to an elephant.

"It’s a girl?" the giant snake spoke in a human tongue. His voice was that of a middle-aged man, tinged with pleasant surprise.

"You know me?" Yu Lian met the giant snake’s eyes.

"Of course. I was the one who received that kid, Yu Cheng, back then." The giant snake shrank its body until it was the same size as Yu Lian. Its tail held a gray storage pouch—likely the one that had belonged to the Wood Cultivator.

Hearing this, Wang Ping silently put away the token his master had given him. The reunion scene he had mentally rehearsed countless times would not be needed. 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

"You’ve already transformed twice. Your luck is really quite good. That kid Yu Cheng was right, his disciple was born with great fortune." The giant snake’s gaze finally fell upon Wang Ping. "And your Dao Heart is reasonably stable..."

Just then, Yu Lian said in her Spirit Sea, "I can’t beat him."

"..."

"Let’s go down. Your mother will be overjoyed." As the giant snake spoke, he glanced at the Cultivators on the distant horizon before plunging headfirst into the Moon Pond below.

Wang Ping and Yu Lian were silent for two breaths before following the giant snake down.

As they neared the pond, a dense wave of Water Spirit Qi washed over them. A clear sense of joy bloomed in Yu Lian’s emotions.

Before long, the Spirit Snake in the lead approached the pond’s surface. An enormous head emerged from the water. After the two snakes communicated rapidly in their Spirit Seas, the Spirit Snake from the pond also shrank its body, becoming roughly the same size as Yu Lian. It then flew over on a cloud to inspect her closely.

"You must be Yu Lian, right?" a gentle woman’s voice asked.

"Yes."

"You’ve grown up quite healthy," she said. As she spoke, several more Spirit Snake heads of varying sizes popped out of the Moon Pond, all looking curiously at Yu Lian and Wang Ping.

"Are you my mother?" Yu Lian asked directly.

"I am!"

Upon hearing this, Wang Ping quickly clasped his fists in a salute. "Senior..."

"My name is Purple Pearl. I’m quite fond of the name."

"Senior Purple Pearl." Wang Ping saluted again.

"Mm..." Purple Pearl turned her head toward the Spirit Snake who had led Wang Ping down. He was currently rummaging through the Wood Cultivator’s storage pouch with great interest. "His name is Lan Yang. He is your father."