Zhu Yan had returned.
Everyone wore expressions of shame, save for Mo Qi.
Mo Qi was ecstatic. He rushed forward and grabbed Zhu Yan's hand. "What you just said, is it true?"
Zhu Yan tugged her hand away. "You're hurting me."
Mo Qi immediately released her, then gently grasped her shoulders. "I'm sorry, I was too excited. But please, tell me the details."
Zhu Yan slowly explained, "I've said before that the Dark World is actually a void, capable of infinite traversal through space. When Patriarch Wuliang pushed it, it seemed to disappear, but in reality, it merely shifted to another dimension, beyond our sight."
Mo Qi's face lit up with joy. "Then how should I find it?"
Zhu Yan replied without hesitation, "From Wuliang Mountain, head towards Wuliang Peak. Although Patriarch Wuliang destroyed the five ponds, he could never destroy Wuliang Peak. I didn't know this before, but now I am absolutely certain that beyond Wuliang Peak lies a vaster world."
"Good, there's no time to waste. I'll depart immediately." Mo Qi prepared to surge towards Wuliang Mountain.
"Wait a moment." Zhu Yan called out immediately.
"What is it?" Mo Qi asked, bewildered.
"Wuliang Mountain sounds like a mountain, but it isn't. It's very far and incredibly difficult to reach. The round trip might take decades, centuries, or perhaps you might never return. Are you prepared for that?" Zhu Yan said.
Mo Qi pondered for a moment, then declared with resolve, "This journey, even if it leads through mountains of knives and seas of fire, even if it means my body is shattered, I will not turn back, unless I find my family."
Xue Nu, Murong Yanran, and Linghu Xiaoxian spoke in unison, "We'll go with you."
If it were moments before, Mo Qi, filled with despair, would have refused them. But hearing Zhu Yan's words, hope rekindled in his heart, and his confidence in life returned.
So Mo Qi readily agreed, "Together, of course we'll go together."
He then looked at the Saintess. "Sister Xiao Feng, you..."
The Saintess's pretty face flushed slightly. "I have lived for tens of millions of years and have never ventured out. I wish to see the world."
"Good," Mo Qi nodded, very pleased. "Then we shall depart now."
Zhu Yan became angry. "What do you mean? Why aren't you asking me?"
Mo Qi smiled. "You were going to run away sooner or later anyway, so I won't ask."
Zhu Yan lunged and began to hit him. "How dare you insult me! You deserve a beating."
Mo Qi dodged while saying, "If it's because of the soul contract, I will break it for you right now."
Zhu Yan stopped her assault and shook her head. "I don't care about any soul contract. Besides, you won't do anything to me. And don't forget, in the Dark World, I still have many family members. This journey is imperative for me."
"Alright, then you can be a concubine. Only a concubine, as I already have many wives."
"Get lost! Who wants to marry you?"
They bickered, causing everyone else to roll their eyes.
"You cannot go to that world!" At this moment, a silhouette flashed, and a figure appeared in the center.
It was a young maiden with a beautiful face and a graceful figure, so stunning it was difficult to look directly at her.
It was the women who found it difficult to look, while Mo Qi's eyes were fixed.
The girl wore very strange clothes. Her upper garment was extremely short, with straps connecting the front and back over her shoulders, revealing her delicate collarbones. Her lower garment was a skirt, also very short, exposing a large expanse of skin, as white as snow.
It seemed this woman was not from this world, as people here did not dress like this.
"One should not look at what is indecent!" Zhu Yan quickly stepped forward and covered Mo Qi's eyes, then turned to the maiden. "How can you be so shameless? Don't you know such attire is indecent?"
The maiden giggled. "I am from the future world. This is called a mini-skirt. Everyone in the future world dresses like this."
"The aesthetic sense of people from the future world is quite good." Mo Qi removed Zhu Yan's hands and smiled at the maiden.
"Don't you recognize me?" the maiden suddenly asked.
Mo Qi looked closely at her face, finding it increasingly unfamiliar.
"Please forgive my bluntness, but have we met before?" Mo Qi asked, confused.
"It's understandable. After I was reborn, when you saw me, I was still very young, so you wouldn't recognize me. I am Wu Wan'er, Zhen Zhen's reincarnation," the maiden said with a smile.
She then turned to Zhu Yan. "This body you inhabit now, it is mine, or rather, it was mine."
"Wu Wan'er!" Many memories flooded back. Mo Qi slowly uttered the name.
"Yes, do you remember now?"
"I remember." Mo Qi's face broke into a smile. "You've grown up, and you've become beautiful. But why are you here?"
"I came to find you!" Wu Wan'er replied.
What a karmic entanglement!
"You said you were from the future world just now, and that I shouldn't go to the other side of Wuliang Peak. What's going on?" Mo Qi asked.
"After I grew up, I practiced witchcraft diligently, and later awakened. I saw our past, so I decided to find you. However, in the vast sea of people, I could no longer find any trace of you. Later, I continued searching for you for thousands of years without success. Then I learned temporal arts, allowing me to travel freely between the past and future. So, I thought of traveling back to see what had happened. Now I finally know what happened to you. You went to that nameless world and never returned, likely dying on the way or in some unknown realm. That's why I'm warning you, no matter where you want to go, don't go. You will die."
Mo Qi snorted. "Thousands of years, in the vastness of the Wuliang world, is but a fleeting moment. As Zhu Yan also said, the journey is long, perhaps a lifetime. Therefore, I am prepared. Once I leave, I will not return."
Wu Wan'er shook her head. "The future world has highly advanced technology, and people are exploring the entire universe. However, apart from Earth, no other inhabited places have been discovered. So, if I may be frank, your family may be beyond finding."
Mo Qi's heart trembled slightly, then he asked, "What is technology?"
"It is the use of external forces to achieve various supernatural abilities. For example, by taking an airplane, one can fly in the sky."
Zhu Yan snorted disdainfully. "Don't believe her. According to my calculations, people in the future world have progressively weaker magical powers. They cannot perceive the world of immortals, so they claim immortals do not exist. Similarly, just because they cannot find the heavens beyond the heavens does not mean they don't exist."
Mo Qi nodded. "Yes, I also have a strong feeling. I firmly believe my family is waiting for me in some world, and I will find them."
"But have you considered," Wu Wan'er said, her eyes welling up with tears, "that you are searching for your family, and I have been searching for you for thousands of years? They are so ethereal, while I am right here before you, yet you seek the distant and neglect the near, showing favoritism."
Mo Qi smiled slightly, then his expression turned solemn. "Wan'er, why must you be so persistent? Many things in this world, once missed, are missed forever. There is no need to look back. If we constantly look back, we will miss those who are beside us, and thus we will always be missing out, failing everyone."
"Then go to the Demon Realm and find the current me, and take me with you," Wu Wan'er said. "This way, no one will be missed."
"The current you, you probably haven't awakened yet, right? How could you possibly leave with me?" Mo Qi chuckled.
"Then what should I do?" Wan'er cried, tears streaming down her face.
"I have a solution," Mo Qi said after thinking for a moment. "You go to the Demon Realm now and find the current you. Tell her not to wait for Mo Qi anymore, that he is already dead."
"You might truly die. Leaving here is a vast undertaking, with an uncertain future. But if you stay in this world, you are a supreme sage, controlling everything, a powerful figure. Imagine how happy you would live. Why seek suffering?"
"Because my family is waiting for me. No matter how many mountains and rivers, no matter the dangers, I will go without hesitation," Mo Qi stated firmly. "Besides, life itself is a journey of seeking one's own troubles."
With that, under Wu Wan'er's bewildered gaze, Mo Qi, accompanied by Zhu Yan, the Saintess, Xue Nu, Linghu Xiaoxian, and Murong Yanran, departed and vanished into the void.