Returning from the Immortal World

Chapter 142: At the Bottom of the Ocean

Ouyang Lulu rolled her eyes at Tang Xiu as she heard his comment. Then, she took Gu Xiaoxue to enter her private jet with full enthusiasm. The interior of this private jet didn’t only have a reception room, but also a bedroom, kitchen, restroom, cloakroom, and even a luxurious bathing room.

Gu Xiaoxue had always kept her indifferent and light appearance despite seeing the luxurious cabin. Not even the slightest swings nor disturbed mood could be seen from her. It’s just that she occasionally glanced at Tang Xiu with a reverent and awed expression in her eyes.

In fact, it was not only Ouyang Lulu who was full of curiosity toward Tang Xiu, even Gu Xiaoxue was also the same. She really wanted to know as to how a Supreme who once stood aloof on the summit, above myriads of races and powerful celestial beings in the Immortal World would react? What kind of differences would such a person have, compared with ordinary people?

At Jingmen Island Airport.

It was already noon when the silver-colored private jet landed on the airport apron. The three of them went out of the airport as a big middle-aged man with a grim look then came over to greet them.

"Little Boss!"

Gu Xiaoxue slightly nodded and pointed at Tang Xiu, “Uncle Āwen, Uncle Āwu, he’s Tang Xiu. From now on he will be the Master of Everlasting Feast Hall. Treat him just like you treat my Master. Do you understand?”

"Mr. Tang?"

Both Mo Āwen and Mo Āwu looked at Tang Xiu with astonishment. They knew Tang Xiu, since he, after all, could be said to have created a huge sensation in the Everlasting Feast Hall a few days ago. They had a very deep reverence toward him. And now, although they did not understand upon hearing their Little Boss’s remarks, they still chose to be obedient and spoke in unison with a respectful manner, “Big Boss.”

Tang Xiu turned toward Gu Xiaoxue as he frowned and said, “What do you mean by this?”

“You are my Grand Master. This is what Master previously told me. I only carried out what Master had instructed me to do.”

Tang Xiu let out a helpless, forced smile. He looked at Mo Āwen and Mo Āwu, and nodded to the two brothers even though he did not say anything.

Mo Āwen respectfully said, "Big Boss, Little Boss, the car is ready. Do we go back to the Everlasting Feast Hall, or…?”

Gu Xiaoxue said, “Let’s return to the Everlasting Feast Hall.”

Ouyang Lulu looked at her and then looked at Tang Xiu. Although she really wanted to go with them to the Everlasting Feast Hall, but she realized that they must have some important things to do. Perhaps it would be inappropriate if she followed them there. After hesitating a bit, only then did she suppress the curiosity inside her heart.

“Anyway, I’ll go back to the Paradise Club.”

Gu Xiaoxue nodded and said, “If you have the time, come look for me at the Everlasting Feast Hall.”

"Alright!"

Ouyang Lulu quickly complied.

She stood still on her spot, watching Tang Xiu and Gu Xiaoxue’s backs as a helpless feeling arose in her heart. Before, she solemnly vowed that she would never become Tang Xiu’s “coachwoman” again. But with some words of praises from Tang Xiu, she found herself turning silly and becoming his “coachwoman” for a second time.

At Everlasting Feast Hall…

After the two cars had entered the parking lot, Tang Xiu, along with Gu Xiaoxue, walked side by side toward a distant cecum pathway. He could see that the direction in front was leading to the interior coastline of the sea.

At the beach...

Gu Xiaoxue untied the rope and boarded a small boat.

Tang Xiu followed her, and after boarding it, he asked with a confused expression, “We must go to the sea? Is Yan’er in the sea?”

Gu Xiaoxue nodded and replied, “Grand Master, please come with me, you’ll find it out clearly later.”

The small boat had no paddle, but when the two stood above it, it moved automatically even though there was no wind. It slowly went toward the sea, and then stopped in the middle of the sea after having traversed a kilometer.

Gu Xiaoxue lightly tipped her toe as her perfect and delicate figure floated mid-air up high, 10 meters away from the sea surface. Along with the wave of both of her arms, a powerful line of Qi created a pathway.

"Ah, an array pattern?"

Tang Xiu’s complexion moved as he spontaneously released his Spiritual Sense.

"Whizzz…”

The sea surface was as though being split open by a sword as the seawater spread to the sides. Observing with his Spiritual Sense, Tang Xiu could see the fluctuation of an array pattern transmitted outward from the bottom of the sea.

“Heaven Earth Jadeite Ocean Array!”

Tang Xiu sighed and lamented. He had this Heaven Earth Jadeite Ocean Array in his Library Pavilion before.

Gu Xiaoxue floated down as she stood side by side with Tang Xiu. An excited expression flashed on her face when she spoke respectfully, “Grand Master, this is precisely the Heaven Earth Jadeite Ocean Array that Master has arranged. And Master is 100 meters at the bottom of the sea. Please come along with me!”

"Alright!"

Tang Xiu followed behind her and jumped down to the seawater toward the channel pathways.

100 meters at the bottom of the sea...

An exquisite pagoda, with a height of more than 10 meters, exuded a shining and lustering light as the spiritual qi influx from all directions of the seafloor was as though the tides that overflowed toward its interior. With only a glance, Tang Xiu could recognize that this was a magical device he had granted to Gu Yan’er in the past. It could be used to attack and also to guard the treasures of the Immortal World.

Gu Xiaoxue stopped in front of the pagoda’s door as she turned to look at Tang Xiu and said, “Grand Master, you are the one who granted this magical device to Master. You should know the method to open this pagoda’s door. In that case, you can open it!”

Tang Xiu nodded. His fingers pinched the lotus flower engraving and shouted in a low voice.

"Of the Heaven and Earth Profound Emperors, Only I Alone Am the Sole Revered Sovereign!”

However, the pagoda’s door did not even produce the slightest sounds or movements after Tang Xiu’s voice had fallen.

Tang Xiu stared blankly as he only revealed a forced smile expression afterward. He shook his head and said, “I’ve lost my magical power. My strength is far inferior than it used to be, so I can’t open the door of this pagoda with the normal method.”

After having said that, he went to the wall next to the pagoda’s door as his fingers pinched the golden dragon carving on the wall in an orderly beating for nine times. Suddenly, the previously unmoved pagoda door, slowly opened.

"This is?"

Gu Xiaoxue looked at Tang Xiu’s method with a surprised expression. She did not have any doubts for Tang Xiu’s identity, but she did have a slight intention to test Tang Xiu when she asked him to open the exquisite pagoda’s door. Besides, as people say, it was better to personally prove it.

When Tang Xiu chanted the mnemonic chants, she perfectly knew that Tang Xiu’s identity had been verified. But, what made her secretly surprised was that she did not know the other method Tang Xiu had shown her.

“Grand Master, how did you do that?”

Tang Xiu said with a smile, “I’m the one who gave this exquisite pagoda to Yan’er in the past. Naturally, I have other means to open it, and Yan’er also knows about it.”

Gu Xiaoxue suddenly understood. With eyes filled with respect, she said, “Grand Master, Let’s go inside! Master, she… she’s in the inside.”

Tang Xiu nodded and stepped through the pagoda’s door.

“Huh?”

In the split second he entered, Tang Xiu felt a piercing cold bite from the air. The temperature inside the pagoda was ten times colder than the outside world. Despite also being a cultivator, he was still unable to endure it and could not help but tremble.

"Who is it?"

A voice full of vicissitude echoed inside the pagoda. An old woman in a golden cloak with a dragon figurehead walking stick, instantly appeared in front of Tang Xiu.

“Elder Ji, don’t be rude.”

Gu Xiaoxue floated forward and spoke with a solemn tone.

The old woman’s expression slightly changed. She faced Gu Xiaoxue and nodded as she spoke in a sinking tone, “Young Master, Master has once said that aside from you, nobody can enter this exquisite pagoda. But you come with an outsider this time, what’s your purpose?”

Gu Xiaoxue pointed at Tang Xiu and said, “He’s the person Master has always been looking for!”

“What?"

The old woman’s pupil contracted violently as she looked at Tang Xiu with an overwhelmingly shocked expression.

Tang Xiu observed her a few times and said with an indifferent tone, “The Mesmer Clan’s bloodline dares to act unbridled in front of this Venerable? If I remember correctly, if this Anatta did not act to protect your clan in the past, the entire Mesmer Clan would have been completely massacred by Qian Yanshen Monarch without anyone of you left.” [1]

“Puff, puff…”

The old woman’s body trembled and directly knelt in front of Tang Xiu.

Just like Tang Xiu had said, if it were not because the fortunate coincidence that he encountered the massacre toward the Mesmer Clan and helped to protect them, perhaps the Mesmer Clan’s name would have been removed from the Immortal World. Not even a soul on Earth aside from her Master—Gu Yan’er—knew about this matter.

“Ji Chimei pays the respects to Venerable Lord.”

Tang Xiu spoke indifferently, “Stand up! Your injury is very serious. If you are not treated promptly, perhaps you won’t last for more than a few years.”

Ji Chimei replied with a bitter expression, “This Junior knows. But Earth is scarce of resources and it doesn’t have any panacea to take. To last until the present is already a huge blessing for this one. Young Master is really capable of being able to find the Venerable Lord. If Master is awake, she certainly will be very happy.”

Wake up?

Tang Xiu’s brows slightly pressed as he asked with a sinking tone, “How is Yan’er now?”

"This…"

Ji Chimei’s complexion slightly changed. She lowered her head and did not dare to speak even a word.

With a bit of bitter and pained expression, Gu Xiaoxue said, “Grand Master, Master’s state of injury is much more serious than Elder Ji’s. She has lost consciousness for numerous times in the past 10 years. Even if she is to waken, at the most, she can only hold up for half a day before she loses consciousness again.”

The Twilight Nightmare?

Tang Xiu recalled the time when Gu Xiaoxue said about it. His heart was struck with an earthquake and immediately dashed forward toward the stairs without hesitation.

The exquisite pagoda had a total of 7 floors. Apart from the first layer which functioned as a vault to store a lot of refining materials, the remaining 6 floors were completely empty.

Tang Xiu’s speed was extremely fast. When he arrived and appeared on the 7th floor, the freezing air in the surroundings was much more severe. His eyes then fell on a jade-like body on the cold ice bed; with white skirt, black hair, and a heart-stirring beautiful face. Her appearance looked like she was in her 20s as she quietly lied on the bed.

‘It’s her!’

After clearly seeing that stunningly beautiful appearance, the trembling and heartbeat that struck Tang Xiu’s heart intensified for several folds. Even though Gu Yan’er’s appearance was much different compared to the past, but that familiar appearance was not something he could ever forget even after a number of millenniums.

"Disciple!"

Tang Xiu came next to the bed of ice. With trembling hands, he gently picked up Gu Yan’er and carefully hugged her in his arms. Such a familiar face, familiar fragrance and flavor. Never once in his dreams had he ever expected that he would be able to see the disciple he had brought up again.

Scenes of the past reappeared inside his mind:

—“Master, Yan’er is hungry. Could you pick that Green Jasper Immortal Fruit for me, please?”

—"Master, Yan’er has learned the Flying Butterfly Fairy Dance, could you please to look at my dance?”

—"Master, Yan’er has broken through a cultivation level, it won’t be long before Yan’er reaches the True Immortal Realm. By that time, Yan’er would have the ability to protect you.”

—"Master, you bought me a beautiful streamlined fairy gauze which I’m fond of, Yan’er really likes white clothes…”

—"Master ..."

Tang Xiu's eyes turned a bit moist. He gently stroked Gu Yan’er’s face and down to her cheek, after which, he slowly sat on the edge of the ice bed as he looked at Ji Chimei and Gu Xiaoxue and asked with a sank tone, “Tell me everything.”

Note:

[1] I used the term Mesmer Clan for Elder Ji’s clan, because the word refers to some kind of forest demon/elf, for which the beings are the user of enchantments and illusions. I also used Buddhism’s term of Anatta (selfless soul) which Tang Xiu used to refer himself in the dialog. The name of Qian Yanshen itself means Thousand Eyes Deity.