After a long time.

“So that’s how it is. I never thought that our fate was connected to my childhood picture book. Fate is truly amazing,” Yuan Ming couldn’t believe that Xiying looked at him differently for this reason, and couldn’t help but sigh.

“Who has fate with you,” Xiying scolded lightly, waving his hand to form a yellow array.

A dazzling yellow light flashed, and Xiying’s figure had disappeared.

As the figure disappeared, a faint fragrance still lingered in the air.

He suddenly remembered something and looked down at his right hand.

He was still holding the book, forgetting to return it to Xiying.

“I’ll return it to her when we meet again in the future,” Yuan Ming thought to himself. Just as he was about to put the book away, he suddenly frowned.

There was a hard feeling inside the book, as if something was sandwiched in it.

He opened the book and found a thin, gray jade slip sandwiched between the last two pages.

Yuan Ming took the jade slip and his divine sense entered it, causing his body to stiffen slightly.

The jade slip contained the follow-up techniques of the Death Moon method, from the fourth layer to the sixth layer.

His Death Moon method had just recently broken through to the third layer, and the more he cultivated, the more he could deeply feel the power of the Death Moon method. He was very eager for the follow-up techniques, and he didn’t expect Xiying to give it to him directly.

“Yuan brother, what are you doing here alone?” Wu Lu said.

Yuan Ming was startled, not knowing when Wu Lu had already approached. He suddenly realized that he only had the jade slip in his hand, and the picture book was nowhere to be found.

He didn’t know if his meeting with Xiying was an illusion or reality.

“Wu Lu, you appeared so suddenly, you scared me,” Yuan Ming said calmly as he put away the jade slip.

“Brother Yuan, were you lost in thought about Xiao Ying just now?” Wu Lu laughed.

“Brother Wu Lu has sharp eyes,” Yuan Ming also laughed.

“Young people should dare to think, dare to do, and dare to take responsibility. I support you,” Wu Lu said.

“How do you support me?” Yuan Ming asked.

“Do you want me to sneak into the Xiao family to find out for you?” Wu Lu said in a low voice.

“How much will it cost?” Yuan Ming asked.

“Five thousand spirit stones and a high-grade magical weapon?” Wu Lu said.

“I can’t afford that. What about Brother Ma Xingkong?” Yuan Ming said.

“Brother Ma has already left to return to the Jin Kingdom. He asked me to bid you farewell on his behalf. Does Brother Yuan have something to find him for?” Wu Lu asked.

“Nothing. The matter of the Biluo Cave is over. I wanted to bid farewell to Brother Ma before I left. I don’t know what Brother Wu Lu plans to do?” Yuan Ming said.

“I have completed the task assigned by my family this time, and I have a rare period of free time. I want to travel around and explore. I’m going to Black Rock City in a few days, then to the Eastern Region of South Jiang, and then I want to see the sea. I’m almost fifty years old and I haven’t seen the sea yet,” Wu Lu sighed.

“Alright, then we’ll meet again if fate allows it,” Yuan Ming said.

After chatting for a while, the two bid farewell.

The Scattered Alliance had no restrictions on temporary members who joined, and they could come and go as they pleased. Yuan Ming left directly from the entrance of the Biluo Cave, heading straight into the dense forest of the Ten Thousand Mountains.

After a while, Yuan Ming arrived at a small stream in the mountains, washed his face with the cool stream water, and turned around to face behind him.

“You’ve been following me all the way. Can you show yourself now?”

The bushes behind him rustled, and a tall figure emerged from the forest, it was Long Hao who had displayed his might during the battle to take the mountain.

“So it’s Senior Long Hao,” Yuan Ming said with a look of surprise, bowing to him.

“Are you Yuan Ming?” Long Hao’s voice was like a bell, as he looked at Yuan Ming.

“Yes,” Yuan Ming said frankly.

“Did you write this letter?” Long Hao took out an envelope from his pocket, which was not signed, only with a cat’s paw print.

Yuan Ming raised his eyebrows and nodded.

Back in the Ten Thousand Mountains, after reaching an agreement with the King of the Renegade People, Long Xi, Yuan Ming wrote this letter to inform his people of his experiences, according to Long Xi’s wishes.

“Since you wrote the letter, my son’s body should have been buried by you. Take me there,” Long Hao said.

“Senior, please follow me.” Yuan Ming had no intention of hiding anything and ran in a certain direction.

Half a day later, the two arrived at the valley where Yuan Ming buried the head of the King of the Renegade People. “The people of the Biluo Cave were investigating very strictly at the time, and I didn’t have time to take away Long Xi’s body, so I could only take his head. Please forgive me, Senior,” Yuan Ming said to Long Hao as he led him to Long Xi’s grave.

Long Hao did not speak, looking at the unmarked tombstone in front of him. His tall figure suddenly became somewhat stooped, and his hands and feet trembled slightly.

Yuan Ming sighed inwardly and quietly retreated to the outside of the valley.

After a long time, Long Hao walked out of the valley, his expression had returned to calm, and said, “Thank you, Yuan friend, for burying my son. I wonder what reward you want?”

Yuan Ming had promised Long Xi, took the risk of writing the letter, and Long Xi, on behalf of his family, had made a promise to Yuan Ming, which was already written in the letter.

“Thank you for your kindness, Senior, but I don’t want any reward,” Yuan Ming said.

“Alright, you already know the position of my clan, you can come at any time. This is a token of passage.” Long Hao took out a dark gold token with the word “Dragon” written on it. Long Hao’s clan seemed to be a special existence that rarely appeared in the cultivation world of the Southern Frontier.

“Thank you, Senior,” Yuan Ming accepted the token and thanked him.

Long Hao’s mood was low, he collected his son’s remains, said nothing more, and left.

“Yuan Ming, Senior Long Hao, please stay,” a green falcon flew over and landed nearby.A figure leaped down; it was Fang Ge.

“Fang Ge Senior Brother, it’s great that you’re unharmed. How come you are here?” Yuan Ming exclaimed with joy.

Long Hao also looked towards Fang Ge, his face showing a hint of confusion.

“I am here under the orders of Ancestor Li Zhui and the three cave masters to invite you both to their dual cultivation celebration.” Fang Ge took out two red invitations and handed them to Yuan Ming and Long Hao.

The dual cultivation ceremony of the three cave masters! Yuan Ming had not heard of her having a Dao companion, and he vaguely guessed the identity of this Li Zhui.

“Ancestor Li Zhui is still alive?” Long Hao exclaimed in surprise, his voice so loud that Yuan Ming couldn’t help but glance sideways.

“Of course, I hope you both will honor us with your presence,” Fang Ge said.

“Ancestor Li Zhui was of great help to me in the past. I will naturally attend his dual cultivation ceremony,” Long Hao immediately said.

“I naturally cannot miss the ceremony of the three cave masters either,” Yuan Ming said.

“Good, please mount the hawk falcon,” Fang Ge said.

The azure hawk falcon quickly soared into the sky, heading towards Bi Luo Cave, and soon arrived.

Inside the gate of Bi Luo Cave, it was deserted. Neither the captured disciples of Bi Luo Cave nor the members of the Dawn Scatter Alliance were to be seen.

Not long ago, this place was filled with the sounds of battle, but now it was eerily silent, prompting a sense of reflection.

The azure hawk falcon dived down, landing near a secluded valley close to Fire Refinement Peak.

Yuan Ming had been here before; it was where the Fisherman lived. The valley was shrouded in thick fog, obscuring the view inside.

This place confirmed Li Zhui’s identity.

The hawk falcon flew straight into the valley, passing through a certain void with a faint cracking sound, as if it had pierced through something.

Yuan Ming’s vision blurred, and all the fog disappeared, revealing the quiet valley once again.

He looked back and understood that the valley was covered by an illusionary barrier, which made it appear foggy from the outside.

The hawk falcon landed, and the three of them leaped down, approaching the thatched cottage where the Fisherman lived.

Inside the valley, many new houses had been built, adorned with red silk lanterns, creating a festive atmosphere. Many people were bustling about, all disciples of the Fire Refinement Hall. Yuan Ming watched with joy.

Seeing Yuan Ming, the disciples of the Fire Refinement Hall, who had reunited after the calamity, were also very pleased.

The three of them came to a spacious courtyard deep in the valley, where more than a dozen banquet tables were set up. In addition to the disciples of the Fire Refinement Hall, there were also some unfamiliar faces who were likely friends of the three cave masters and Li Zhui.

At that moment, the three cave masters, dressed in red robes, and the Fisherman, also in red, were entertaining guests.

“It really is the Fisherman,” Yuan Ming thought to himself.

Fang Ge seated Yuan Ming and Long Hao at a table, and soon the three cave masters and the Fisherman came over.

“Ancestor Li Zhui, I didn’t expect you to still be in this world,” Long Hao said as he stood up.

“Long Daoist friend, it’s been over a hundred years since we last met. It’s really good that young friend Yuan Ming could come as well,” the Fisherman warmly greeted Long Hao and Yuan Ming.

The three cave masters and Long Hao were not well acquainted.

“How did you two come to be together?” the Fisherman asked.

“It was a chance encounter. I still owe young friend Yuan Ming a favor,” Long Hao said.

“Three cave masters, congratulations on your wedding today. Please accept this jar of clear wine,” Yuan Ming said, taking out a jar of wine he had intended to give to the Fisherman.

“You are thoughtful, but Bi Luo Cave no longer exists, so there’s no need for the old title. Just call me Ling Songhua,” the three cave masters said with a smile, accepting the wine.

“Yes, Elder Ling,” he replied, going with the flow.

“Young friend, not only do you have good fortune, but you also have a clever heart,” the Fisherman said with a laugh.

“My opportunity was Elder Ling’s willingness to take me in back then. Otherwise, I wouldn’t know where I would be now. Congratulations again to both elders on your double happiness,” Yuan Ming said, bowing respectfully to Ling Songhua and the Fisherman.

The two helped Yuan Ming up.

Afterward, the Fisherman and Long Hao went aside to catch up on old times.

The auspicious time arrived.

The dual cultivation ceremony of cultivators was not much different from the marriage ceremonies of the mortal world, except that Ling Songhua and the Fisherman were both cultivators who had practiced for over a hundred years and were in the Core Formation stage. Their mortal parents had long passed away, so they skipped the traditional kneeling and bowing. After paying respects to heaven and earth and drinking a cup of wine together in front of the crowd, the ceremony was complete.

Being with the disciples of the Fire Refinement Hall, Yuan Ming felt very comfortable. During the banquet, they talked about how someone had finally met with retribution for their accumulated misdeeds, and some grieved for the fallen brothers and sisters. That night, everyone drank to their heart’s content, happy for their liberation.

After the banquet, Yuan Ming took his leave.

“Yuan Ming, the master asks that you do not leave yet. Wait for her in the side hall,” Fang Ge called out to Yuan Ming.

Yuan Ming had a vague idea of why Ling Songhua wanted him to stay, and he followed Fang Ge to a nearby thatched cottage.

Half an hour later, Ling Songhua arrived, saying, “I’ve kept you waiting.”

“It’s alright. Elder Ling, you have many things to attend to on such a joyous day. I have nothing pressing, so waiting is no trouble,” Yuan Ming said.

“When did you join the Dawn Scatter Alliance?” Ling Songhua sat down and asked directly.

Yuan Ming was taken aback, not expecting Ling Songhua to also think he had joined the Dawn Scatter Alliance, and for a moment, he didn’t know how to explain.