Xiao Bai happily wagged its head, as if answering Ze Fang's words.
Ze Fang sighed, "No, if I take her back, she will become a target of public criticism. Everyone will know she is my weakness. Not only will I not be able to help her, but I will also bring her endless trouble. Before she reaches the Golden Core stage, she cannot appear before those people."
Xiao Bai immediately deflated, rubbed Ze Fang's palm, and looked at Ze Fang with a pair of watery eyes, pitifully.
Ze Fang gave a wry smile, "I don't want to leave either, but the longer I stay, the higher the possibility of her exposure. How about this, after she enters the Seven Great Sects, I will go to the Seven Great Sects to cultivate with her?"
Xiao Bai flicked its snake tongue and hissed.
Ze Fang pursed his lips, "Yes, I know I can't always stay by her side. Then I can only wait for her to find me in the sect?"
Old Qin tore open the barrier, and Xiao Man instantly transformed into a stream of light, darting into the Land of No Return. Her speed was so fast that only an afterimage was left.
Furthermore, the City Lord's Mansion was very confident in its barrier and rarely stationed guards. Therefore, no one noticed anyone passing through the barrier into the Land of No Return.
The old City Lord was in his mansion. As if sensing something, he rushed to the outside of the barrier. He found the barrier intact and couldn't help but wonder. He clearly felt a disturbance in the barrier, but when he arrived, he found no abnormalities. Could his senses have been mistaken?
The old City Lord sensed it again, and there were still no problems with the barrier. However, too many things had happened recently, which made the old City Lord very uneasy. He checked the barrier carefully again before walking back with peace of mind.
The old City Lord had not walked outside for a long time. If he hadn't felt the abnormality of the barrier tonight, he would never have come out. On his way back to the mansion, he encountered a small noodle stall and involuntarily walked over.
"I'll have a bowl of Yangchun noodles."
"Coming right up, please wait a moment, sir."
The noodle stall was run by a middle-aged couple, one pulling the noodles and the other cooking them, working together with great tacit understanding. The couple were clearly ordinary people. Time had left marks on their faces, but it hadn't extinguished their passion for life. Even in this world of cultivation, where ordinary people were the most looked down upon, it didn't affect their positive attitude towards life.
Soon, the woman brought over the cooked noodles. On top lay a fried egg, golden on both sides, exuding a strong aroma. Even the old City Lord, who had already abstained from eating, felt hungry.
The old City Lord picked up his chopsticks, took a bite of the egg, slurped a mouthful of noodles, and then took a sip of soup. Many cultivators, upon reaching the Golden Core stage, began to abstain from eating, believing that grains would contaminate spiritual energy and hinder their cultivation. They always ate elixirs, unaware that no matter how good elixirs were, they were far less delicious than food.
Soon, the old City Lord finished the bowl of noodles, and even felt a little unsatisfied. The couple, seeing this, smiled broadly, "Sir, would you like another bowl?"
"Yes, another bowl, with an extra egg."
"Right away, please wait a moment."
Xiao Man entered the Land of No Return and headed straight for Yangming Valley. Her target was Yangming Valley. She had to use the poisonous creatures in Yangming Valley to deal with cultivators above the Golden Core stage. Her current cultivation was ultimately too weak. The strongest in this place was at the Nascent Soul stage. A powerful being at the Nascent Soul stage could destroy a city with a wave of their hand, and she didn't even have the qualification to challenge them.
Yangming Valley was a special place in the Land of No Return. Everything inside was a spiritual item full of spiritual energy, but every item was extremely poisonous. Even though people knew they were spiritual items, the people in the Land of No Return couldn't use them. Therefore, Yangming Valley was a forbidden area in the Land of No Return, a forbidden area that few dared to tread.
"What is this place?" Old Qin had never been to the Land of No Return before, so he naturally didn't know about Yangming Valley.
"Yangming Valley. Everything inside is highly poisonous and full of spiritual energy. There are even treasures that are tens of thousands of years old," Xiao Man said slowly. "This is a forbidden area for people from outside, but for me, it is a treasure trove."
"There's such a good place in the Land of No Return?" Old Qin was somewhat puzzled. Wasn't the Land of No Return a place of exile where nothing grew? How could there be such a paradise?
"Ancestor, I want to move Yangming Valley into the Tongtian Tower," Xiao Man said with excitement.
Old Qin stretched his neck, appearing incredulous. Such a large area. Moving it into the Tongtian Tower was not impossible, but did Xiao Man have the ability to move it?
"Your spiritual energy might not be enough for you to move Yangming Valley in."
"Didn't you say that I could move mountains and fill seas?" Xiao Man asked innocently. She had already reached the Foundation Establishment stage and was getting more and more proficient at transplanting things she liked into the Tongtian Tower, all for the purpose of incorporating Yangming Valley into the Tongtian Tower.
"Why don't you try it?" Old Qin rubbed his nose and let Xiao Man try.
Xiao Man didn't waste any words. She stepped forward and released her spiritual energy, intending to move the entire Yangming Valley into the Tongtian Tower. However, Yangming Valley didn't budge. Xiao Man thought she was using the wrong method, so she tried to move a single tree into it. The tree went in. Then she tried to move a small patch of flowers into it. The flowers also went in. But when she tried to move the entire Yangming Valley in, she couldn't.
Old Qin watched Xiao Man sweat profusely, while Yangming Valley remained unmoved. He burst into laughter. Seeing Xiao Man persist in her attempts, he actually laughed so hard that he fell to the ground, holding his stomach and beating the ground, unable to get up!
Xiao Man was too tired to move it. She had no choice but to transplant some of the useful flowers and plants into it before walking out resentfully. She had intended to move the entire Yangming Valley away, but her ambition was too great for her ability. She could only watch a treasure trove but couldn't take it.
Old Qin saw Xiao Man come with high spirits and return dejectedly. He was overjoyed. "Don't be discouraged. When your cultivation improves and you can move mountains and fill seas, you can come back and move this away."
Xiao Man glanced at Old Qin and continued walking back. She didn't know when it would be if she waited until her cultivation improved. Moreover, she would have to go to the Seven Great Sects to cultivate and find Nangong Yu and Mo Mo. Where would she have the time to come back here!
"Didn't you already take some away? These, once cultivated, won't be any worse than Yangming Valley, only the years won't be as long. When your cultivation improves, you can move it in an instant whenever you want," Old Qin said with a smile. It was rare to see Xiao Man frustrated, and Old Qin was overjoyed.
"Ancestor, you're not laughing at me, are you?"
"How could I be? How could I laugh at you? I'm comforting you. The sky is about to dawn, and we need to hurry back to the city. If you are discovered appearing in the Land of No Return, it will cause another uproar." Old Qin suddenly stopped. Someone was coming, and he immediately whisked Xiao Man into the Tongtian Tower.