"Master, didn't you say you were dead back then?" Gu Mu asked, unable to contain himself after finally calming down.
Xu Ning was imdiately enraged. "You unfilial disciple, when did I ever tell you I was dead?"
Gu Mu quickly retorted, "Master sent a ssage saying you were gone!"
Xu Ning corrected him, "Nonsense. What I said back then was that I was no longer in the mortal realm!"
Gu Mu looked confused. "Isn't that the sa thing?"
Xu Ning explained patiently, "No longer in the mortal realm! Gone to the immortal realm, understand?"
Gu Mu was stunned. "Ah! Is that what you ant? I always thought..."
Xu Ning raised an eyebrow. "Thought what? You thought that since I was dead, no one could control you anymore?"
"No, no, Master!" Gu Mu panicked, waving his hands frantically.
Xu Ning waved his hand dismissively. "Alright, enough of that. You ca here to pay respects to your master, right?"
Gu Mu finally rembered his purpose and quickly went to retrieve the items he had dropped before properly offering his prayers.
Xu Ning had brought Gu Mu here before when they traveled the world together, and Gu Mu had continued the tradition, coming often to pay his respects over the years.
"Alright, go get the donkey. We're leaving," Xu Ning urged from the side.
Gu Mu quickly got up, went over to take Tie Dan's rope, and greeted him politely, "Uncle Donkey, long ti no see!"
But Tie Dan's eyes remained dull and unchanged; he seed like an ordinary donkey, showing no recognition.
Gu Mu was startled, and a bad feeling suddenly arose in his mind.
At this mont, Xu Ning suddenly spoke, his voice heavy. "Your Uncle Donkey died a long ti ago. This is a new one."
Gu Mu's heart skipped a beat, a wave of sadness spreading through him. Then he couldn't help but ask, voice trembling, "What about my Uncle Bird? Did he...?"
Xu Ning nodded solemnly. "He died too. He was killed by cultivators while trying to save ."
Upon hearing this, Gu Mu staggered, almost falling. Then he said dejectedly, his voice filled with sympathy, "Master, you must have suffered greatly in the cultivation world."
Xu Ning shrugged. "Didn't you also go to the cultivation world? Don't you know what it's like?"
Gu Mu fell silent after hearing this. How could he not know? However, he had been lucky enough to join the mysterious and unpredictable Heavenly Mystery Pavilion, and his life there had not been too bad.
Then, Gu Mu led the donkey, and the master and disciple headed off into the distance.
"Master, have you ever heard of the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion?" On the way, Gu Mu couldn't help but ask Xu Ning.
Xu Ning replied casually, "I've heard of it. It's especially famous in the cultivation world."
Gu Mu brightened. "Master, your disciple has joined the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion!"
Xu Ning feigned surprise. "You've joined the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion? Are they hiring? Can I join too?"
Gu Mu nodded eagerly. "When we get to the Ancient Chen Mountain Range, your disciple will ask for you. They're opening a branch there and need manpower!"
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Xu Ning smiled approvingly. "You're such a filial and obedient disciple."
Gu Mu continued, excitent in his voice, "Master, let tell you, the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion is incredibly mysterious. I've been there for so many years, and I still haven't seen its true face!"
Xu Ning played along, looking surprised. "You haven't even seen its true face? That's too mysterious!"
Gu Mu nodded seriously. "Yes, and I feel like there's soone above , soone even higher up."
Xu Ning asked curiously, "How so?"
Gu Mu explained, "Every ti we need to ask for instructions on important matters, they don't reply imdiately. They always wait a while before responding. It seems like they're consulting with soone else before replying."
Xu Ning nodded thoughtfully. "In that case, it might be as you say."
Gu Mu went on, "Master, although the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion is very mysterious, the treatnt is really good. Do you know about top-grade Qi Gathering Pills? We use them as our standard cultivation resources!"
Xu Ning's eyes widened in shock. "Using top-grade Qi Gathering Pills for regular cultivation? That's too extravagant!"
Gu Mu grinned. "Yes, I didn't believe it at first either, but it's been like this for so many years!"
Xu Ning pretended to be envious. "No wonder your cultivation is already at the twelfth level of Qi Refining, while mine is only at the fifth level. So you're using such good resources to cultivate!"
Gu Mu nodded. "Master, you know that the martial arts you taught , once mastered, increase the foundation for immortal cultivation, right?"
Xu Ning replied, "Of course I know. Otherwise, I wouldn't still be stuck at the fifth level of Qi Refining after all these years, despite my own efforts."
Gu Mu assured him, "Once you join the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion, with more resources, your cultivation will speed up!"
Xu Ning's expression suddenly turned serious. "Have you ever thought about cultivating demonic arts?"
Gu Mu was taken aback. "Demonic arts? Master, absolutely not! That's unthinkable!"
Xu Ning nodded inwardly after hearing this. Sure enough, the classic protagonist archetype—stubbornly righteous, always believing that good is simply good and evil is simply evil.
Only when they finally discover that the righteous sects are doing hypocritical things while the so-called evil sects are doing genuinely righteous things will they truly wake up. That will be the turning point for the protagonist, a crucial mont when their strength increases dramatically.
Xu Ning pressed further. "Then how co I heard you were flirting with the Holy Maiden of the Demonic Sect?"
Luo Xiu had already reported this, so Xu Ning naturally knew all about it.
Gu Mu was startled. "Master, how did you know?"
Xu Ning replied calmly, "Everyone knows. It's already spread throughout the entire Qingdong Mountain Range."
Gu Mu muttered, disbelief in his voice, "It spread that fast? I've never even heard of it!"
Xu Ning sighed. "My good disciple, actually, there's nothing inherently wrong with cultivating demonic arts. Power is just power."
Gu Mu quickly said, his voice firm, "Master, please don't say anymore. I absolutely will not cultivate demonic arts!"
Xu Ning sighed again. "Fine, I'm too lazy to argue with a stubborn person like you."
In the following ti, the master and disciple seed to return to the past.
The disciple led the donkey, carrying the master on his journey through the world.
However, Gu Mu was unaware that Xu Ning was pondering a serious problem.
Gu Mu had grown to a certain level of power and notoriety. If Xu Ning continued to stay by his side, trouble was inevitable.
Especially with such a classic, tragic protagonist archetype, it was no joke. Wherever such protagonists went, destruction followed. Sacrificing their master was often the least of their worries; usually, their entire sect would be wiped out.
After thinking for several days, and observing the nurous minor troubles they encountered along the way, Xu Ning beca determined. He had to get away, to distance himself from this jinx as soon as possible!
But he couldn't just leave so easily. He had to stage a convincing death to show Gu Mu, to add fuel to the fire for this kid's inevitable protagonist journey.
Yes, he needed to set him up with another powerful goal. Perhaps a grudge against a top-tier power in the Demon Realm would do nicely.
After so recollection of the information he had gathered, Xu Ning felt that the Kunpeng clan of the Demon Realm was quite suitable.
After several more days of thought, a perfect plan ford in Xu Ning's mind.
Two months later, the master and disciple were not far from the Ancient Chen Mountains.
Xu Ning felt that the ti had co to put the plan into action.
That night, the master and disciple stopped to rest and lit a campfire.
Gu Mu roasted two rabbits, and they ate together.
"Master, we'll reach the Ancient Chen Mountains soon. Then we can continue cultivating properly!" Gu Mu said while eating.
Xu Ning nodded. "If we don't get there soon, my cultivation will start to dissipate."
This was also a reality of the mortal realm. Cultivators couldn't stay there for long; over ti, their cultivation would begin to leak away into the world.
This was due to the suction force generated by the extre scarcity of spiritual energy in the mortal realm, like a vacuum encountering air.
For a short ti, one could withstand it with one's cultivation, but in the long run, serious problems would arise.
Gu Mu took out so spirit stones and handed them to Xu Ning. "Master, I have so spirit stones here. You can use them first to supplent your energy."
Xu Ning was about to take them when suddenly, a massive figure blotted out the sky above them, radiating a terrifying aura and overwhelming pressure.
"This is the Kunpeng clan of the Demon Realm! Disciple, run!" Xu Ning shouted, leaping to his feet and pushing Gu Mu away.
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