Chapter Sixty-Two: The Caprices of Fate

Unable to sense the other’s cultivation, for the widely renowned and learned Chu Hanyu, there could only be one explanation—the person’s level far surpassed his own! How could this not shock Chu Hanyu, who had spent years seeking allies, going so far as to painstakingly compile and publish a universal cultivation method to foster a new generation without discrimination, yet still found himself struggling, alongside a few familiar faces, to withstand each great calamity that befell the Azure Sky Realm?

For a moment, Chu Hanyu’s mind went completely blank, and he even forgot to resist or break free. In truth, had he begun to resist, with Zhang Ning’s shallow grasp of martial arts, even with the aid of his invincible mode, he would have been hard-pressed to restrain someone of Chu Hanyu’s genuine skill and learning.

It took only a few breaths before Chu Hanyu was whisked away to an uncharted spot in the Ten-Thousand Mountains, a place resembling ancient ruins. There, he was placed atop a massive boulder. With his keen eye, Chu Hanyu instantly recognized it as Snow Spirit Cold Jade—a rare treasure formed by nature itself. Wearing such jade was said to prevent one from falling into madness during cultivation, a priceless boon for those walking demonic paths. Never before, however, had he seen such a massive piece.

Chu Hanyu did not attempt to leap off, nor did he attack Zhang Ning. He simply released himself from his bindings, adjusted his robe, and sat upright.

His spell of confusion was brief; he remained silent only because he had noticed something strange within himself—the Dao of Eternity energy, which he had struggled with for so long, was now astonishingly docile. What did this imply? This mysterious figure had also cultivated the Dao of Eternity, and to a much higher degree.

The stranger, after bringing him there, offered not a single word of explanation, only saying, “Mind your own path.” The voice was indifferent, as if disdaining further comment.

What Chu Hanyu did not know was that Zhang Ning was anything but disdainful—he felt as if he might ascend to the heavens at any moment!

Though he was putting on an act before his esteemed master, his master was, after all, a true Martial Venerable—one of the supreme figures of the Azure Sky Realm! To trifle with such a person left Zhang Ning feeling as if his soul were on the verge of leaving his body; mustering the composure to utter those words was already beyond his limits. When Chu Hanyu had effortlessly freed himself just moments before, Zhang Ning’s scalp tingled with fright.

With Chu Hanyu, Zhang Ning dared not treat him as casually as Meng Meng, tossing him into a random stream. After all, there are no secrets that remain forever hidden. If he humiliated his master like this and the truth came out one day… Zhang Ning still wanted to keep his whole body intact. Although every little detail suggested his master was kind to him behind the scenes, Zhang Ning could not shake an inexplicable sense of unease.

So, expending the last of his Focus Points, saving only enough for another minute of invincible mode, he used the rest to scour the system’s library, finally finding a suitable hiding place.

Casting Chu Hanyu one final, indifferent glance, Zhang Ning turned to leave. After all, the guise he wore was about to fall away, but at that moment, Chu Hanyu called out to him.

“Such a formidable figure as yourself—I have never seen you before… Are you of the Azure Sky Realm?”

“Yes.” The mysterious one did not turn, merely nodded with reserved grace.

“With such power, why do you not walk among mortals?” Chu Hanyu had wanted to ask why he did not lend his strength to the realm, but he forced himself to stop. He, who loathed moral coercion above all, could not bring himself to inflict it on another.

Given the peril facing the Azure Sky Realm, had it been any other venerable in his place, they would not have stopped at moral censure. They would have forcefully kept Zhang Ning to demand an explanation—why was he sitting comfortably in the background while others fought and bled?

Zhang Ning thought the answer was too simple: “My strength is insufficient. I dare not meet with you all!”

With those words, he gave Chu Hanyu no further chance to detain him, vanishing without a trace.

Chu Hanyu sat atop the icy boulder for a long while, smiling wryly at himself. The difference in strength was undeniable. Beyond that, perhaps this mysterious figure simply disdained speaking with a demonic path venerable such as himself, and his assistance was only given because Chu Hanyu was, for now, a bulwark of the Azure Sky Realm.

Yet… he seemed so familiar with the Ten-Thousand Mountains. Could he have been living in seclusion here all along?

Ten-Thousand Mountains

Moon-Reflected Deep Pool

With a splash, the tranquil waters broke. The one whom Chu Hanyu had taken for a mysterious powerhouse—Zhang Ning—had leapt awkwardly into the Moon-Reflected Deep Pool. For all the twists of fate, he had never fallen in before, but destiny had a way of making things come full circle. Zhang Ning had no time to marvel at such coincidences.

Now submerged in the bone-chilling pool, he should have been shivering uncontrollably, but the system’s temporary gift of an exceptional body rendered him utterly insensitive to the cold, nor could it quench the fire burning in his heart.

Too much had happened today!

First the beast tide, then—

“Aaahhh!”

Two faces alternated in his mind, making him groan inwardly. Heaven help me, must I be tested so? Do I really have such little self-control? One was a girl of fourteen or fifteen, the other, his beloved master… If he had taken one wrong step today…

A person with any sense of integrity ought not be so agitated, yet Zhang Ning had needed to leap into the Moon-Reflected Deep Pool to calm himself, which spoke volumes about the unhealthy thoughts crowding his mind.

Only today did Zhang Ning realize how lacking in self-restraint he truly was. The problem was, he could not even say for whom his heart was beating faster—the former, or the latter? Or… No! Absolutely not! No one must ever know what happened today, or his reputation would be ruined!

Fortunately, after a few seconds, the familiar agony returned, and with the system’s prompt, Zhang Ning’s body shrank in the water with a sudden whoosh.

The Meng Family

Meng Qingchen tapped his folding fan lightly against his palm, smiling as he gazed at his eldest son across the table. “So, Xinglei, you really misunderstood the situation that badly?”

Across from him, Meng Xinglei was so mortified he could have sunk into the floor, unable to meet his father’s eyes. “It was my groundless imaginings that sullied your good names. I deserve nothing less than death!”

But Meng Qingchen merely shook his head.

Groundless? Perhaps not!

For the first time in centuries, Meng Qingchen’s calm heart rippled with emotion, though he found the notion utterly absurd.