This is the freaking sky

When Elder Qian arrived, he was cautious, carrying the modest possessions of the Qingyuan Sect and his unremarkable fourth-realm Inner Landscape cultivation.

But when he left, he strode with the confidence of a dragon and tiger—though only five feet tall, his aura loomed over eight.

"So this is the boredom Xiao Li mentioned," he mused.

As soon as Li Mo stepped ashore, he saw Elder Qian standing with his hands behind his back, his silhouette exuding a hint of solitude.

Noticing his demeanor, Li Mo first offered congratulations before asking, "Elder Qian, you seem in high spirits today?"

"How did you know I’ve broken through to the first layer of the Outer Scenery realm?" Qian Bufan feigned 'astonishment.'

"Uh..." Li Mo was momentarily speechless, but he knew how to humor an old man. He promptly put on an exaggerated look of shock. "You broke through last night? Ah, what a pity! I was training underwater and missed it. Otherwise, I could’ve gained so many insights. This was so sudden!"

"Indeed, the process was like treading on thin ice, full of unexpected twists. But thanks to my perseverance, I successfully reached the other shore—my strength has soared."

Elder Qian recalled his sudden windfall with a calm expression.

Perhaps years later, when interviewed by the Yantian Sect, he would still describe it this way.

The reason for his fortune? A lifetime of diligence and persistence...

Until finally, a junior of his rose to prominence and passed down a fraction of their wealth...

Ahem. But in any case, the current Qian Bufan was brimming with excitement.

"Now that I’ve reached the Outer Scenery realm, I finally feel like a proper elder. At last, I can protect my juniors properly. By the way, Xiao Mo, how deep did you go into the abyss yesterday?"

The abyssal depths exerted immense pressure, subjecting the body to crushing gravity—so intense that even one’s Inner World couldn’t be summoned.

"Not too deep," Li Mo replied with a modest smile.

"The ocean is wondrous, but also perilous," Qian Bufan nodded, about to share his hard-earned wisdom on diving. "When you feel it’s too deep, when you’re beyond your limits, you must retreat immediately—"

"Just around thirty thousand feet, give or take."

"...?"

Qian Bufan leaned back slightly.

He remembered that beyond thirty thousand feet, the water was considered "Heavy Water."

"I could’ve gone deeper, but dawn was approaching. Maybe next time."

Li Mo sighed, his tone tinged with regret.

His dive wasn’t just for tempering his physique—he’d also brought the "Guixu Tome" to search for traces of the mythical Guixu Abyss.

Unfortunately, even at thirty thousand feet, the tome showed no reaction.

"By the way, Elder Qian, have you ever ventured that deep?"

"Ah, yes, I have... heh heh..."

Qian Bufan’s laughter was strained, his previously proud posture now slightly hunched.

Damn it...

Is Li Mo even human?

Even as an Outer Scenery cultivator, thirty thousand feet would be his absolute limit—his body would collapse before his cultivation faltered.

And for Li Mo, that was just where the pressure started?

Add to that his towering Inner World...

Qian Bufan suddenly realized something.

Breaking through to the fifth realm didn’t mean he could actually protect this junior. In fact, now that he’d advanced, he could sense even more clearly the terrifying, abyssal aura coiled within Li Mo’s body.

So... had he merely gained the privilege of understanding just how monstrous his junior was?

"Elder Qian? Elder Qian? Why are you drooling?"

Li Mo noticed Qian Bufan’s vacant, 'wise' stare, a glistening strand of saliva trailing from his lips.

"Xiao Mo, Shang Wu may be your master, and respect is due..."

Qian Bufan’s gaze suddenly sharpened, his tone grave. "But you must never follow in her footsteps!"

Shang Wu alone was enough to make children across the Eastern Wasteland Domain cry at the mention of her name.

A stronger version of Shang Wu?

He didn’t even dare imagine it!

"To be honest, I don’t respect her that much..."

Li Mo coughed lightly, then smoothly changed the subject. "Who wants to spend their whole life in a rebellious phase like her? I’m about to get married, with a son and a daughter on the way. Elder Qian, you really don’t trust me, do you?"

"That’s true, that’s true... you have Little Bing'er."

Qian Bufan smiled warmly—then paused.

"How do you know it’s both a son and daughter? Wait... did Old Xue tell you something...?"

"Let’s talk on the cloud, up we go!"

"Wait, I feel like there’s something I forgot..."

"My wedding robes are already made. What else could there be?"

Li Mo summoned his Somersault Cloud, carrying them both into the sky.

The cloud moved leisurely—after all, Elder Qian had just broken through and needed to stabilize his realm. And with a passenger, Li Mo couldn’t just teleport through the void.

---

In a giant seashell cottage in the backyard of the Eastern Pearl Pavilion, Lan Tian was having sweet dreams.

Her 'golden sponsor' had promised her yesterday that he’d personally cook for the engagement banquet, meaning endless delicacies every day.

"Steamed bear paws, braised deer tail..."

"Roast duck, roast goose..."

"Snow Ginseng stew, royal jelly cake... gulp..."

Lan Tian squirmed, biting into her pillow before blinking awake in confusion.

She wiped her drool, yawned, and a single tear rolled down her cheek—plinking onto the floor as a pearl.

"I’ll gift Sponsor’s wife a pearl necklace later."

She pulled out a small box from under her bed, already filled with pearls, and added the fresh one before heading out.

Stretching lazily under the clear sky, she hugged the box and eagerly knocked on Li Mo’s door.

But after several attempts, no one answered.

"The boss left already. Didn’t he tell you?" a passing worker said.

"Eh?!"

Lan Tian’s beaming smile froze. Her eyes glazed over, her entire body struck by lightning.

---

"News on Li Mo—he’s left the Rare Treasures Bazaar."

Blackwind Mountain, a notorious no-man’s-land between the Eastern Sea and the Eastern Wasteland Domain, was a den of bandits, rogues, and rival factions.

The Lingxi Sect had chosen this place precisely for its lawlessness—to avoid drawing attention.

After all, the Qingyuan Sect’s rise, the engagement of the "Profit-Seeking Sword Hero" and the "Frost Fairy," were all decreed by the Great Yu Emperor. They couldn’t act openly.

But scouting the location wasn’t enough.

Qiao Ziyu pondered, "If we disguise ourselves as horse bandits, the Great Yu will still track us down..."

"If we’re going to disguise ourselves, we must go all the way," the Elder Steward said thoughtfully, as if well-versed in such schemes.

"Why not raise the banner of the Demon-Calling Sect?"

"Oh?"

Qiao Ziyu considered it.

As everyone knew, Li Mo had a blood feud with the Demon-Calling Sect.

Back in the Heavenly City, he’d personally thwarted their ancestral god’s resurrection. So if the cult sought revenge, it would be perfectly logical.

"Good. Then that’s our plan!"