The Return of Xiao Hei

Just as Mo Yu was filled with gratitude and high spirits, preparing to swallow the Primordial Chaos Origin Liquid and temper his foundation, an almost imperceptible crack silently split open in the space above Violet Bamboo Peak.

A dazzling golden light plunged straight down!

As it neared the mountaintop, the golden light suddenly contracted and shrank, ultimately transforming into a magnificent miniature Golden-Winged Roc.

It landed lightly before the stone table in front of Gu Changge. It was Little Black, who shook out its feathers.

“Master, I’m back!”

Little Black’s voice was clear and bright, carrying a hint of excitement after having thoroughly shown off its skills.

“Mm, you’re back.” Gu Changge smiled. “Did you have a good time?”

“It was all right. The ancient Xumi temple in the Western Regions has been destroyed. Everyone burdened with karmic sin, from top to bottom, has been executed.

“As for its three inherited Imperial Weapons, I sent them into the Godfall Ruins to self-detonate. At least they managed to provide a little more value before the end.

“The remaining trivial matters have been handed over to Huixin of the Great Thunderclap Temple.”

Its tone was casual, as though it had merely brushed away a speck of dust that had offended its eyes.

Yet those words fell upon Mo Yu’s ears—he who had just experienced the completion of his bloodline and whose mind was still surging with emotion—and sounded no different from thunder crashing down from the Ninth Heaven!

“Boom—!”

The vertical pupils of Mo Yu’s scarlet-gold eyes expanded to their limits, and his enormous qilin body trembled violently.

The ancient Xumi temple in the Western Regions had been destroyed?!

As a former supreme prodigy of the Southern Domain’s demon race, Mo Yu possessed a certain understanding of the strength of the top forces throughout the Xuanhuang Great World.

The Buddhist sects of the Western Regions—especially the ancient Xumi temple, which held undisputed authority among them—were colossal entities of what magnitude?

Their foundations were unfathomably deep. Ancient Buddhas slumbered within their ranks, Imperial Weapons suppressed their holy land, and the power of faith from countless billions of believers supported them. They had inherited their legacy for who knew how many tens of thousands of years and had always stood among the strongest forces of the current age!

Even at the height of its power, the Southern Domain’s demon race had been wary of the Buddhist sects of the Western Regions.

But what had he just heard?

In this short span of time, that colossal force which had given the entire demon race a headache had simply ceased to exist?

It had been erased so casually by the little bird before him, which looked like nothing more than His Excellency’s pet?

And judging from Little Black’s words, even the other side’s supreme Imperial Weapons had been sent to a forbidden zone as gifts?!

What kind of overbearing power was that?

What kind of overwhelming dominance?

Mo Yu felt as though his blood were about to freeze. A chill shot straight from his tailbone to the crown of his head.

Wait!

The one who had destroyed the ancient Xumi temple was this vicious bird before him—not His Excellency personally?!

In other words, His Excellency had not even needed to act himself. By sending out just one subordinate, he had accomplished a heaven-shaking feat powerful enough to rewrite the balance of power in the Xuanhuang Great World?!

Then just how powerful was His Excellency himself?

A terrifying thought that made even Mo Yu’s soul tremble began to grow wildly in his mind like weeds.

All his previous guesses regarding Gu Changge’s strength now seemed to have found their only possible conclusion, converging into a possibility that left him dizzy and nearly suffocating.

An Emperor?!

A living Emperor?!

An Emperor of the current age who walked through the present world and looked down upon the ages?!

My goodness!

What had he seen?

How had Mo Yu earned such virtue that he could actually meet a living Emperor in person?!

And the Emperor had casually purified and completed his bloodline?!

Mother! Ancestor Qilin above! I’ve made it!

Never in his entire life had Mo Yu achieved anything so glorious!

He had actually become a disciple under a living Emperor!

Although he was merely following one of the Emperor’s disciples, if one rounded things up, he could still be considered to be under the Emperor’s tutelage!

Excitement, elation, and boundless awe surged through Mo Yu’s mind like a tsunami.

His enormous body began to sway slightly, and his four hooves weakened. He nearly collapsed on the spot.

But he forcibly steadied himself with the last shred of his reason. The expression on his massive qilin face shifted repeatedly before he finally forced out an expression that said, I knew this all along. I’m perfectly calm.

“Exactly, exactly. Keep a low profile, keep a low profile!”

Mo Yu frantically repeated those words in his heart, trying to soothe his heart, which was about to burst.

“His Excellency is already keeping such a low profile. The sect looks completely ordinary, and the disciples even have to disguise themselves when they go out. As someone who just joined, I have to keep my tail tucked even tighter and behave myself! I absolutely cannot get carried away. I must never embarrass Master or His Excellency!”

“Stay calm, Mo Yu. Stay calm! So what if you’re following a living Emperor? What’s the big deal? Just look at how calm Master and the others are! That’s the bearing of true experts!”

“I’m holding on to this thigh for sure! And I have to say, my judgment was impeccable. What an enlightened decision it was to follow Master back then!”

In the span of just a few breaths, countless scenes of raging emotional turmoil had already played out within Mo Yu’s heart.

When he looked at Gu Changge again, his gaze held more than mere reverence. It now contained an almost fanatical, believer-like devotion.

There was also a sense of mission—as though he knew a heaven-shaking secret, yet would rather die than reveal it.

Nearby, Xiao Ruobai, Fang Hanyu, Ling Xi, Fatty Wang, and the others also felt their hearts tremble when they heard Little Black’s casual words.

They gained an even deeper understanding of Little Black’s and their master’s strength.

“Good! That was well done!”

Fatty Wang suddenly slapped his thigh, his face brimming with excitement and satisfaction. Even his voice grew louder.

“Those bald monks were always spouting nonsense about compassion, yet behind the scenes they did plenty of bullying the weak and seizing resources! Senior Little Black did beautifully! That was truly satisfying!”

At that moment, Little White, coiled around Gu Changge’s wrist, slightly raised its dragon head. It stared at Little Black’s smug, self-satisfied appearance, and a trace of undisguised envy flashed through its eyes.

“Damn it, that little bird got to show off again and steal all the limelight!”

“When will I get the chance to go out and strut my stuff?”

Little Black seemed not to notice Little White’s gaze. It opened its beak and spat out a streak of golden light.

The golden light transformed on the stone table into a palm-sized Qiankun Bag covered in mysterious Buddhist patterns.

“Master, these are some things I casually collected from that ancient temple. Please take a look.”

Gu Changge did not even bother to inspect it. He casually picked up the Qiankun Bag and tossed it to Xiao Ruobai beside him.

“You four, take a look and see if there’s anything you need. Take whatever you want. As for the rest, leave it for your Martial Uncle the Sect Master later to enrich the sect’s treasury.”

“Yes, Master!”

Xiao Ruobai hurriedly accepted the Qiankun Bag with both hands, his heart once again stirred into turmoil.

This was the accumulated essence of a supreme Buddhist holy land built up over countless ages! Yet Master had simply tossed it to them to deal with?

Fang Hanyu, Ling Xi, and Fatty Wang also gathered around, their eyes filled with curiosity and anticipation.

The collection of a holy land was enough to drive the entire outside world into a frenzy!

Mo Yu watched everything from the side, gaining a far more direct understanding of just how extravagantly powerful Violet Bamboo Peak was.

Little Black tilted its head slightly, its gaze sweeping over Mo Yu’s robust body, now filled with vigorous life force and boundless potential after his origin had been completed.

“So this is the little qilin newly accepted by Ruobai? His bloodline seems to have been completed quite well. His origin is rich, and his vital essence, spirit, and vitality are all abundant. He’s a promising young talent.”

Hearing this, Gu Changge cast Mo Yu a casual glance.

“His foundation is passable, but it still needs to be tempered.” His tone was indifferent, revealing neither joy nor anger.

But to Mo Yu’s ears, those words sounded like heavenly music!

His Excellency had said that his foundation was passable!

That was practically the greatest recognition he could receive!

He cautiously swallowed the Chaos Origin Fluid, then began circulating his cultivation technique at full force to temper his foundation.

First, here’s one updated chapter.