Chapter 286: I'm Back

Actually, the little flame is still better than his ‘father’.

In the demonic path, there is a deeply ingrained admiration for strength, and submitting to the stronger is a common practice. And now, Yan Qianli is clearly a formidable figure that even his master can’t comprehend.

So, sometimes Yan Qianli still appears quite imposing.

In the Flameheart Palace, a lava stone platform was set up. Yan Qianli was dressed in robes, standing on the stone platform, and offering wine to the Creator God, saying, “Try our Hellfire Wine, Creator God. How does it compare to Xie Jiuxiao’s girly wine?”

A woman stood by his side, like a maidservant.

Chu Ge and Qiu Wuji sat side by side, and they couldn’t help but look at them from top to bottom. Chu Ge chuckled, “Qianqian, you’re quite something.”

Yan Qianli waved his hand grandly, “Naturally, when men entertain, what place do women have at the table?”

As he spoke, his fierce gaze swept over Qiu Wuji, who placed her sword on the stone platform with a “clang,” expressionless.

“Tsk…” Yan Qianli clicked his tongue, “Alright, alright, your cultivation is high, I’ll acknowledge your worth. It’s just that our Creator God can’t control you, which is quite embarrassing.”

Chu Ge also clicked his tongue, “Qianqian, are you feeling a little itchy?”

In his heart, he thought that Yan Qianli was being difficult today. How could he be so tough?

“No, no…” Yan Qianli coughed, “Apart from that, Creator God is still great and all-powerful, illuminating the world…”

“Cut the crap.”

“No, no, this is purely to express gratitude to Creator God. The resurrection of my master is entirely your grace. I intentionally had her come to thank Creator God…”

With that, he gave a signal, and the woman immediately knelt down, bowing deeply, “I, Qingyan, pay my respects and thank the Creator God for saving my life.”

“Qingyan is your name?”

“Yes.”

“Your name wasn’t given by me. Strictly speaking, you can’t be considered part of the clan like Qianqian, who is truly my son. So at least you’re not mixed up in this…”

Yan Qianli: “?”

Qingyan: “…”

“Cough.” Chu Ge’s face stiffened, “Stop beating around the bush with me. You want to ask her about her lifespan, right?”

Qingyan bowed and knelt once again.

Yan Qianli forced a smile, “Creator God indeed sees through everything. If she were a normal cultivator now, I… I would have a way to help her break through the Nascent Soul stage; it shouldn’t be a problem for me. But her current state is a bit strange. Even with my cultivation, I can’t locate her Qi Sea. It’s as if her cultivation has scattered. I really don’t know how to help her advance and maintain her existence. If she truly disappears in three years, I…”

“What will you do?” Chu Ge smirked, “Isn’t it supposed to be no problem without women? Wasn’t it women who only slow down your cultivation speed?”

Yan Qianli felt that Chu Ge’s words contained some personal emotions, and he was just picking on him, so he could only smile without responding.

Chu Ge pretentiously took a sip of the Hellfire Wine, but he wasn’t prepared and was choked by it. He maintained a stoic Creator God demeanor, saying, “Her current condition is unsolvable with the current cultivation methods in the mortal realm.”

“Why is Creator God smoking when he talks… I mean, your ears are emitting smoke…” Yan Qianli gloated at Chu Ge’s discomfort.

Qingyan, who was kneeling on the ground, turned her head slightly and gave him a glare.

Yan Qianli’s face changed drastically, and he quickly sat down obediently, coughing, “Ahem, Creator God, you’re truly full of wisdom and grace. Um, the cultivation methods in the mortal realm are ineffective, so does that mean we need to ascend to the heavenly realm?”

“Her current state should actually be called ghost cultivation, and its methods are incompatible with normal Golden Core and Nascent Soul cultivation. I didn’t set up any concepts of the underworld, so there’s no such thing in the mortal realm, you’re just not understanding it correctly. But it does exist in the heavenly realm, and the beings who practice it are not called ghosts but spirits.”

Yan Qianli felt a little nervous, “Can she ascend to the heavenly realm within three years?”

Chu Ge smiled faintly, “She can. It won’t take three years.”

Yan Qianli was overjoyed, “Creator God, what else do you need? Whose head should I chop off? The loyal lackey of the Heavenly Dao is ready to offer his head to you!”

Chu Ge struggled to suppress the alcohol rushing through his body and exhaled a puff of white air, “It’s nothing. I ran out of my pills, you know.”

“Hey…” Yan Qianli was a bit annoyed, “I’m following your lead now, and you can’t just use me like this… I, Yan Qianli, am a dignified…”

Before he could finish, Qingyan whispered, “Willing to refine pills for Creator God.”

“…I, Yan Qianli, am the dignified Yang fire, and she is the Yin fire. Together, we can guarantee that Creator God’s pills will ascend to a higher grade, and even the most difficult pills can be refined!”

…

Chu Ge, accompanied by Qiu Wuji, left the Flameheart Palace, having successfully concluded this matter.

Yan Qianli’s issue was also resolved.

“In the demonic path, they admire strength, and I thought that Qingyan was completely conquered by Yan Qianli,” Qiu Wuji said as she flew on her sword. “After all this, it turns out that she admires you! Her unwillingness to sit at the table is because of you, her prostration is also because of you. It has nothing to do with Yan Qianli’s dominance… She’s your true loyal follower, and Yan Qianli seems to be reluctantly following her.”

Chu Ge sat behind her, hands on his hips. “It’s normal to think this way. You guys may have rebellious intentions, but a mere Nascent Soul cultivator who can’t break through, of course, will only revere the Heavenly Dao, especially the Heavenly Dao that just resurrected her. That magnifies the reverence infinitely. Qianqian is also also going to suffer. It’s quite pitiful.”

“Are you feeling proud?” Qiu Wuji sneered. “I suspect you might even be willing to have her serve you in bed. Do you want to give it a try?”

Chu Ge’s hairs stood on end, “You’re like an eternal jar of vinegar, always jealous of everything. You really have a vivid imagination.”

“Hmph. Are you saying you don’t have such floating thoughts?”

“Of course not. She’s a demoness who collects essence and energy. Do you think I’m crazy? And do you really think Qianqian has no temper? If I overindulge myself, I…”

“Are you saying that if the background were different, you’d be willing to take a concubine, right?”

“You’ve used this logic several times, can’t you give it a rest…? Stop watching too much melodrama!”

“Not until my tarnished reputation is restored!”

“There’s no such thing as a tarnished reputation,” Chu Ge chuckled, “Didn’t Qingyan also say, the will of heaven likes to see masters and disciples going against the norm?”

“Do you want to learn from Qingyan and Yan Qianli?” Qiu Wuji sneered and hummed, “Yan Qianli’s behavior is fake. In fact, he suffers under Qingyan, do you want to learn that?”

“Do I need to learn that? I do.”

“… What about your dignity as Creator God?”

“Dignity? How much does that thing cost per pound, and does it come with autumn fragrance?”

Qiu Wuji rolled her eyes.

In fact, she thought Yan Qianli was the one who was truly like that, while Chu Ge didn’t quite fit the bill.

In many situations, Qiu Wuji in the real world automatically acted as a silent assistant, not because she was overly self-aware, but because Chu Ge was too dominant.

She thought that in the real world, she was in a position of attachment and learning, which made her mindset different. Qiu Wuji had intented to bring Chu Ge into this world and show him who was the Master.

As a result, when Chu Ge came to the Xinxia world, she discovered the Heavenly Dao was even more dominant.

The Heavenly Dao was, after all, the Heavenly Dao. Sometimes, Qiu Wuji felt quite stifled, as there was no room for her martial arts skills. She longed for a battle like the one against the Buddha, to test the sword of the mortal world. It would be such a liberating experience.

She sighed softly, “Heavenly Dao, could you please stop being so persistent? Show some magnanimity. Even in front of Qianqian, you’re almost losing your dignity.”

“Well, in fact, Qianqian doesn’t really care about dignity. He prefers it when things are more casual. He feels less awkward and more comfortable when he’s being himself,” Chu Ge explained.

Qiu Wuji thought about it and remained silent. He understood everyone here better than anyone else.

“By the way, Qianqian’s behavior might be fake, but his relationship with his master is real,” Chu Ge said as he wrapped his arms around Qiu Wuji from behind. “That’s what’s truly worth learning from…”

“Get away from me, don’t touch me!”

“No, I’ve had my fill of Qianqian’s dog food. Qiuqiu, I’m hungry, let’s eat…”

“You can manifest whenever you want and yet you insist on riding on my sword pretending to be all dignified!” An annoyed Qiu Wuji kicked the Heavenly Dao off her sword.

Chu Ge spiraled away playfully, saying, “I’ll be back!”

Around the same time, a formidable and unparalleled streak of light was flying across the distant sea, approaching at an astonishing speed. It seemed that within that streak of light, Chu Tiange’s determined face could already be discerned.

If anyone were to witness this, they would be shocked by the terrifying speed at which this person’s cultivation had advanced.

But it had only been a mere two or three years. He had left as a Nascent Soul cultivator and returned as a Divine Transformation cultivator.

A true Son of Heaven.

Chu Tiange looked far out at the coastline, a hint of nostalgia in his gaze, and muttered softly to himself, “I’m back.”