Chapter 1309: Going Their Separate Ways

Golden Child stood up from the pool without a word, his expression grave. He remained motionless for a long while, then slowly lifted his leg and stepped up, one step at a time. A flash of golden light coursed over his body, with faint golden specks flickering briefly before vanishing. The moisture within his robes evaporated instantly.

Han Li's gaze swept over him, and his heart stirred.

From Golden Child's current aura, although his cultivation base still seemed somewhat unstable, he had clearly reached the mid-Daluo stage.

What astonished Han Li even more was the aura emanating from Golden Child from within—utterly different from before, now imbued with a complex and overwhelming killing intent.

“It seems you have seen the grievances between your past life and Xuan Yuanjie,” said the Reincarnation Palace Master, his eyes fixed on Golden Child.

Golden Child turned his head sharply toward him, his gaze as sharp as a blade, fierce and biting.

“You know… my past?” Golden Child's voice rang out, now much deeper, losing its former girlish timbre.

“Golden Child, how do you feel now?” Han Li asked.

“Call me Qulin,” Golden Child said coldly, looking at Han Li.

Then his gaze softened slightly, and he sighed. “...That is my true name. I saw a vision… perhaps it was my past life.”

Han Li nodded and said nothing more.

“Qulin the Dao Ancestor was once the sovereign of all insect races, ruling over all insect-kind in the True Immortal Realm. Later, due to conflict with the Heavenly Court, he was suppressed by the Earth Dao Ancestor Xuan Yuanjie and his forces. His divine soul was destroyed, and he used his last vestige of divine thought to split into billions of incarnations, attaching them to the countless Gold Devouring Beetles formed from the disintegration of his true body, scattering them across the True Immortal Realm and even the lower realms,” the Reincarnation Palace Master said slowly.

Han Li was astonished; he had never imagined that Golden Child had such a past.

Zi Ling and the others also changed expression.

“Xuan Yuanjie… is he one of the ‘Seven Lords of the Heavenly Dao’?” Shi Chuankong asked.

“Indeed. He is the most loyal supporter of Gu Huojin. After he defeated you back then, he ordered his subordinates to mercilessly hunt down the insect race, wiping out your nine great Insect Kings. Only a small portion of the insect tribes fled to the lower realms… Over generations, those tribes gradually forgot their past and eventually degenerated into locusts, despised by all,” the Reincarnation Palace Master said.

“Xuan Yuanjie, I have remembered this debt, and I will collect it,” Golden Child said coldly, clenching his fists.

“Golden Child… no, Qulin,” Han Li said, his gaze flickering.

“Forget it, just call me Golden Child. Even though I have regained my memories, I am still not used to the name ‘Qulin.’ I will reclaim my true name only after I have slain Xuan Yuanjie,” Golden Child sighed.

“There is one thing I don’t understand. Since Golden Child has advanced to mid-Daluo, why hasn’t he severed his corpse?” Shi Chuankong suddenly asked.

The others also realized this and looked at him with confusion.

“He is different from ordinary cultivators. First, he is a celestial insect born of heaven and earth, naturally possessing supreme Dao resonance. Second, he is born with the Devouring Law, and has always advanced by devouring his own kind. Moreover, he was originally a split from a Dao Ancestor, so he does not need to sever his corpse. As long as he reunites the scattered Gold Devouring Beetles, he can restore his Dao Ancestor strength,” the Reincarnation Palace Master explained.

“What are your plans next?” Han Li asked.

“Naturally, I will find my split selves and seek revenge on that scoundrel,” Golden Child said without hesitation, resolutely.

“That is only right,” Han Li nodded.

He understood that the Golden Child before him was vastly different from the childish Golden Child of the past.

“I can no longer follow by your side. I will repay your kindness another day when I have the chance,” Golden Child said, hesitation flickering in his eyes.

“I have my own path to walk. It has been a blessing to accompany you for a part of the journey. But from now on, traveling alone, take care of yourself,” Han Li said, feeling a pang of melancholy, knowing this parting was different from before.

Golden Child nodded, said nothing more, and silently turned to walk toward the hall above.

Han Li watched him leave, ultimately not uttering words to keep him.

Only when Golden Child's figure gradually disappeared into the darkness of the underground palace did he slowly withdraw his gaze.

“Big brother, once I recover my strength and avenge myself, I will come back to find you!” At that moment, Golden Child's voice came from the darkness, already far away.

Han Li’s lips curled into a faint smile.

“A mid-Daluo Gold Devouring Immortal is a major combat asset. Won’t you keep him?” the Reincarnation Palace Master asked.

“Why should I? When he finishes his business, he will naturally return,” Han Li countered.

The Reincarnation Palace Master said no more, turned and walked inside, saying:

“The matter is done. Do as you please.”

His words carried a hint of mixed relief and release.

Han Li and the others walked out of the underground palace and stood outside the hall, finding that the blood clouds and the opposing cyclones over the Yellow Spring Marsh outside the island had vanished.

“Let’s go too,” Han Li said, glancing back at the hall behind him.

Zi Ling and Shi Chuankong nodded, about to leave with Han Li, but Ti Hun remained where she was.

“Master, I wish to stay in the Netherworld for a while,” Ti Hun said, looking at Han Li.

“Why is that?” Han Li asked, puzzled.

“During this time, following by your side, I have witnessed the might of too many powerful beings. I increasingly realize how weak my own strength is. Staying by your side might not be a help but a burden. This Netherworld aligns with my Dao. I wish to stay here and cultivate, hoping that one day my strength will grow enough to return to your side,” Ti Hun said solemnly.

“Since we reunited in the Immortal Realm, you have helped me more. How could you be a burden? But for you, staying in the Netherworld might indeed be better. I agree, and I hope our reunion will not be too far off,” Han Li said with a smile.

“Thank you, Master, for your understanding,” Ti Hun bowed deeply, sincerely.

Han Li walked up to Ti Hun, raised a hand, and gently pressed it against her forehead, transmitting his voice:

“I will leave a wisp of my divine thought on you. If you encounter danger, activate it, and no matter where I am, I will come to you as fast as I can.”

“Master, I wanted to act independently precisely to stop relying on your protection. How could I…” Ti Hun replied via voice transmission, but was interrupted by Han Li.

“Don’t be stubborn in life-and-death situations. As long as the green hills remain, there will be no shortage of firewood,” Han Li said with a smile.

Ti Hun’s heart stirred, and she nodded firmly.

Han Li, along with Zi Ling and Shi Chuankong, parted ways with Ti Hun on the island, each going their separate ways.

…

Several months had passed in the blink of an eye.

It was early morning in the Black Wind Sea. The sea surface was calm, but a layer of mist like smoke had risen, shrouding thousands of miles of sea, making everything hazy and indistinct.

Adjacent to this sea area, separated by no more than a thousand zhang, was a completely different scene.

There, dark clouds gathered, and enormous black gales connected heaven and earth, the smallest the size of a house, the largest ten thousand zhang, looking like colossal tornado columns.

Within them, yin winds rolled, waves surged, and the sounds of ghosts wailing and wolves howling came incessantly.

Just then, a spirit boat enveloped in a golden spiritual domain light slowly emerged from the dark clouds and turbid waves, sailing out from among the massive black tornado columns.

On the spirit boat stood three figures. At the helm was a handsome white-haired youth, behind him a tall young man in a green robe and a stunningly beautiful woman in purple.

This trio was none other than Han Li, Zi Ling, and Shi Chuankong, who had returned from the Netherworld to the Immortal Realm.

Gazing at the vast misty waves on the sea, each lost in their own thoughts, they remained silent.

Just then, Han Li’s brow twitched almost imperceptibly. Zi Ling noticed immediately and transmitted her voice:

“Han, what’s wrong?”

“We are surrounded. There are many of them, and the leader is at least a late-Daluo stage cultivator,” Han Li said calmly, immediately informing the two via voice transmission.

Zi Ling and Shi Chuankong, both seasoned in storms, showed no sign of alarm.

“Tell us what to do,” Shi Chuankong transmitted.

“Not yet. Keep going straight. When the time comes, follow my signal. Then, Brother Shi, you and Zi Ling take to the air and try to break the formation. If you can, get out. If not… stay as far from me as possible,” Han Li transmitted.

“Understood,” Shi Chuankong replied decisively.

“Be careful,” Zi Ling cautioned softly.

Shi Chuankong stared straight ahead. The spirit boat’s遁光 (escape light) flared, and in a flash, it flew thousands of li, plunging into the thick fog.

“Go!” At that moment, Han Li suddenly shouted.

Shi Chuankong and Zi Ling abandoned the spirit boat, their figures soaring into the sky, heading straight upward.

The next instant, the calm sea beneath them erupted into violent waves. A massive black shadow, a full hundred thousand zhang in size, suddenly surged up from below the surface, rising like a mountain from the sea, its momentum overwhelming.

The shadow had lurked beneath the sea for a long time. Now bursting forth, it opened a bloody maw, splitting the vast sea in two, creating a colossal abyss in the center.

Han Li’s spirit boat, unmanned and directly above the chasm, plummeted straight down into it.

“Quite a big fish…” Han Li hovered above the sea, gazing at the shadow below, admiring.

What had broken through the water was a gigantic black-scaled whale. Its mouth was filled with jagged, fine scales and sharp teeth, and within it, a massive black vortex exuded a stench of decay.

On the whale’s head grew a black spiral horn, reflecting a metallic sheen.

A slender young man in white scale armor, holding the horn with one hand and a water-blue spear in the other, a smile curling at the corner of his mouth, was looking at Han Li.