: Return to Tianxing City!

Chapter 170 Return to Tianxing City!

Tianxing City.

Twenty years later, when the majestic city, floating above the vast blue waves like an inverted divine mountain, came into view again, Zhou Ding felt a complex emotion that was hard to describe.

The sacred mountain still towers high into the clouds, shrouded in spiritual mist, with thousands of pavilions and palaces dotting the landscape like stars. Various colored lights shuttle back and forth like a meteor shower, creating a magnificent and prosperous picture.

Everything seemed unchanged when he left, as if twenty-two years were but a fleeting moment for this ancient city that had stood for millennia.

But Zhou Ding knew that everything was different now.

He stood with his hands behind his back atop an inconspicuous cyan light, his robes fluttering gently in the wind.

Standing beside her was Xia Xiaoxing, who was already eleven years old.

The child was seeing such a magnificent fairy city for the first time. His big, clear eyes widened, his little mouth slightly open, and his face was full of undisguised shock and curiosity.

He stood at the edge of the escape light, his small hands tightly gripping Zhou Ding's clothes, his knuckles turning slightly white from the force.

The city was too big, far beyond his limited imagination. The largest building on White Sand Island was only the three-story council pavilion in the center of the town, while the city before him, with its pavilions floating in the clouds, had more buildings than he had ever seen in his entire life.

"Master————"

He tugged at Zhou Ding's sleeve, his voice tinged with a childlike amazement and a barely perceptible nervousness, "This is... Tianxing City? It's huge! A thousand times bigger than Baisha Island! Ten thousand times bigger!"

His eyes sparkled, as if stars were twinkling within them. It was a light of awe and longing, a light that came from seeing a completely new world.

Zhou Ding looked down at him, his gaze gentle, and gently patted the top of his head: "Yes, this is Tianxing City."

From now on, this will be your home.

Xia Xiaoxing nodded vigorously, her clear black and white eyes filled with longing for the future.

Although he is young, he is much more sensible than his peers.

He knew that his master taking him away from Baishafang and to this legendary immortal city meant that his life would turn a new page from this moment on.

The hardships and loneliness of Baishafang, the tears shed in the dead of night when I secretly missed my grandfather, will all become the past.

He clenched his little fists tightly and said to himself: I must cultivate diligently and not let my master down.

The beam of light passed through the layers of restrictions surrounding the sacred mountain and landed in the forty-seventh layer of flowing clouds.

When the familiar entrance to the cave, shrouded in spiritual mist, came into view, Zhou Ding paused slightly.

He stood before the stone gate, his gaze somewhat distant.

It's been over twenty years.

When he left, he was still in the late stage of Core Formation, stuck at the bottleneck of the third level of the Great Evolution Technique, with no clear path ahead and a sense of uncertainty about the future in his heart.

When he returned, he had already reached the fourth level of the Great Evolution Technique, the False Infant Realm, only one step away from the legendary Nascent Soul Path.

Twenty years of trials in the mortal world, twenty years of separations and reunions, and twenty-two years of longing for the person behind that door—all of these surged into my heart at this moment.

He took a deep breath, stepped forward, took out the guest elder token that had been sealed for twenty-two years, and gently waved it at the entrance of the cave.

A faint light flashed on the token, and the cave's restrictions seemed to sense the return of its master, emitting a soft hum, like a gentle sigh, rippling outwards like water, revealing the familiar stone door.

The stone gate slowly opened.

The moment the door opened, an elegant white figure appeared behind it, as if by telepathy.

Xin Ruyin.

Twenty-two years seem to have left few traces on her face.

She was still wearing that simple, moon-white long dress, her hair was lightly tied up, and she wore no makeup, looking exceptionally beautiful.

But those eyes were even more profound than they had been twenty-two years ago, as if they contained boundless wisdom and the mysteries of the array.

She stood there, sunlight streaming down from behind her, casting a soft halo around her, like a still painting.

When she saw that familiar figure at the door, she seemed to freeze in place.

Her breathing stopped, her heart skipped a beat, and the jade scroll in her hand silently slipped from her grasp, falling to the ground with a crisp sound that was particularly clear in the quiet courtyard.

She stood there, motionless, as if afraid that if she moved, the illusion before her would shatter and vanish like the moon reflected in water.

Zhou Ding also stopped and quietly looked at her.

Eyes facing each other.

All the words seemed to freeze in this moment.

Twenty years of longing and waiting flowed slowly in this silent gaze.

Then, Xin Ruyin was moved.

She didn't rush over like a young girl, but walked quickly forward, each step carrying a longing and concern that had been suppressed for twenty-two years, a mixture of disbelief, trepidation, and anticipation.

She walked up to Zhou Ding without saying a word, but simply reached out and gently, as if afraid of touching a phantom, stroked his cheek.

Her fingertips were slightly cool and trembling as they touched the new fine lines at the corners of his eyes and the new gray hairs at his temples. Those lines and those gray hairs were marks left by time, testaments to his twenty-two years of life.

"Zhou Lang————"

Her voice was soft, tinged with a sob, as if she had called out those two words a thousand times in her heart: "You—I miss you so much."

Zhou Ding held her slightly cool hand and pressed it against his face, feeling the warmth of her palm.

Her palms, calloused from years of drawing patterns, remained soft and warm.

He lowered his head, looking at her tenderly, his voice gentle yet husky: "You—have lost weight."

The next moment, Xin Ruyin could no longer suppress the emotions that had been building up in her heart for twenty-two years.

Her eyes instantly reddened, and tears streamed down her face silently like pearls from a broken string.

She threw herself into his arms, wrapping her arms tightly around his waist and burying her face in his chest with such force that it seemed she wanted to embed herself into his body, as if she wanted to fill the void of the past twenty years with this one embrace.

She didn't cry out loud, but Zhou Ding could feel that the front of her clothes was being quickly soaked with warm tears.

Those tears contained longing, joy, and so many other complex emotions, all transformed into silent tears that soaked through his clothes and his heart.

He lowered his head, his chin resting on the top of her head, the familiar, delicate fragrance of her hair lingering around his nose.

With his eyes closed, Zhou Ding hugged her tightly, as if trying to make up for the twenty years of separation in this embrace.

"I'm back."

He whispered in her ear, his voice gentle yet firm: "I'm sorry to have kept you waiting so long."

Xin Ruyin didn't speak, but buried her face deeper into his chest and hugged him even tighter.

Her body trembled slightly, a natural reaction as long-suppressed emotions were finally released.

Zhou Ding stopped talking and simply held her quietly, gently stroking her back with one hand, as if soothing a frightened kitten.

"Young Master—!"

A cheer tinged with tears broke the tranquil warmth.

Xiao Mei rushed out of the cave like a gust of wind. She still looked as charming and lovely as ever, but she had matured a lot in the past twenty years, and there was a hint of composure between her brows.

She rushed forward, and seeing the two tightly embracing, her eyes reddened. Without thinking, she threw herself into Zhou Ding's arms from the side, pressed her face against his arm, and sobbed, "Son-in-law! You're finally back! I thought—I thought you didn't want us anymore! Waaaaah—"

Her cries were much louder than Xin Ru's, filled with an undisguised mix of grievance and joy, tears and snot streaming down her face and smearing all over Zhou Ding's sleeve.

She cried as she said, "Do you know how worried Miss and I were about you! When you left, you said you'd be back in ten years at most, but you've been gone for twenty! Twenty years, my dear son-in-law! My hair has turned white from waiting! Look, look, aren't there gray hairs already!"

Zhou Ding was both amused and exasperated by her crying. He reached out and ruffled her hair, saying, "You're such a grown-up, why are you still crying? Aren't you afraid of being laughed at? Besides, you're a mid-stage Core Formation cultivator, how could you possibly grow white hair so easily?"

"I don't care! I'm just happy!"

Xiaomei raised her tear-filled face, pouting, her eyes red like a rabbit's. "Young master, you've been gone for twenty years without a single word! Do you know how worried we were? Miss doesn't say it, but I see her standing at the door for a long time every day, sometimes for an entire afternoon, just staring at the horizon, I don't know what she's looking at—"

"Xiao Mei".

Xin Ruyin lifted her head from Zhou Ding's embrace, her cheeks slightly flushed and her eyes still streaked with tears. She gently stopped her. Although her voice carried a hint of reproach, there was no blame in her eyes, only tenderness and shyness.

Looking at Xin Ruyin, whose eyes were red and swollen, in his arms, and then at Xiao Mei, who was still sobbing beside him, Zhou Ding felt a surge of warmth and apology in his heart.

He gently patted Xin Ruyin's shoulder and ruffled Xiaomei's hair, his voice gentle: "It's my fault for making you worry. I'm back, everything's alright. I won't be gone for so long again."

"7

He carefully sensed the two women's auras, and a hint of relief appeared in his eyes.

Xin Ruyin's aura was even more serene and restrained than it had been twenty years ago, and her magical power was perfectly integrated. She had clearly reached the peak of the mid-stage of Core Formation, and was only one step away from the late stage.

Moreover, her magical power faintly revealed a sharp golden aura and profound array fluctuations, clearly indicating the presence of the "Nine Treasures Mystic Golden Technique".

He has already achieved considerable mastery in the cultivation and comprehension of the "Qiankun Array Manual," which exudes an aura of cultivating both inner and outer strength and following the natural way.

Xiao Mei's aura has also reached the mid-stage of Core Formation. Her foundation is solid, and her magic power exudes a kind of agility and liveliness. Obviously, she has not slacked off over the years, and her mastery of talismanic arts must be quite different from before.

"Not bad, they've both broken through to the mid-stage of Core Formation."

Zhou Ding nodded approvingly: "It seems you haven't been slacking off in these past twenty years."

Xin Ruyin smiled slightly, her gaze sweeping over Zhou Ding, a hint of surprise and joy flashing in her deep eyes.

She could sense that Zhou Ding's aura was completely different from what it had been twenty years ago.

It was a profound and unfathomable feeling, as if one were one with the universe.

If Zhou Ding in the past was a sharp sword drawn from its sheath, its edge gleaming and making people afraid to look directly at it, then he now is a divine weapon returned to its sheath, restrained, calm, and unfathomable. He may seem ordinary, but he contains the power to split the heavens and the earth.

What alarmed her even more was that when her divine sense swept over Zhou Ding, it was like a mud ox sinking into the sea; she was completely unable to detect his depth.

"Zhou Lang, your cultivation level—"

Xin Ruyin's voice carried a hint of surprise and disbelief: "You've already broken through to the Nascent Soul realm? And you also have the Great Evolution Technique—"

"Um."

Zhou Ding nodded, not hiding anything: "I have broken through to the fourth level of the Great Evolution Technique, and my cultivation has also reached the False Infant Realm. This time, my transformation into a mortal has been quite fruitful."

His tone was calm, but Xin Ruyin could hear a hint of relief and emotion beneath that calm.

Twenty years of transformation into an ordinary person, and then one day breaking free from the cocoon—only he knows the hardships and trials he endured.

Upon hearing this, Xin Ruyin's beautiful eyes instantly shone with an incomparably dazzling light—a joy that came from the bottom of her heart, even greater than her own breakthrough.

She gripped Zhou Ding's hand tightly, her voice tinged with excitement: "That's wonderful! Zhou Lang, I knew you could do it! You've never let me down."

Her eyes reddened again, but this time they were tears of joy.

Xiao Mei cheered and jumped around like a little sparrow, shouting, "My son-in-law is awesome! He's the best in the world! Let's see who dares to bully us now!"

Zhou Ding smiled but didn't reply.

Then, he turned to the side and pulled Xia Xiaoxing, who had been standing quietly behind him, curiously observing everything, to the front.

The child was a little nervous, his little hands unconsciously gripping the hem of his clothes, but he still straightened his back and tried his best to look less timid.

"This is Xia Xiaoxing, a disciple I took on during my mortal transformation."

Zhou Ding introduced them, then looked down at Xia Xiaoxing and said, "Xiaoxing, greet them."

Xia Xiaoxing took a deep breath, stepped forward, and respectfully performed a junior's salute to Xin Ruyin, clasping her hands in a fist salute and bowing at a ninety-degree angle. Her voice was clear and earnest, still carrying a hint of childishness, yet already showing the demeanor of a little adult: "Disciple Xia Xiaoxing greets Master's Wife! Master's Wife is so beautiful!"

He then turned to Xiaomei and bowed in return, saying, "Greetings, Aunt Mei! Aunt Mei is beautiful too!"

The word "Master's wife" made Xin Ruyin's cheeks blush slightly, but her eyes were full of joy.

She crouched down and carefully examined Xia Xiaoxing, growing to like her more and more with each look.

This child has delicate features and clear eyes, exuding a cleverness, yet also possessing a maturity beyond his years; one look is enough to tell he is a promising talent.

More importantly, with the keen perception unique to array masters, she could sense a pure and rich wood-attribute spiritual energy fluctuation emanating from the child.

That is the aura of a Heavenly Spiritual Root!

She felt a slight jolt in her heart, and her gaze toward Zhou Ding held a hint of understanding and surprise.

She reached out and gently patted Xia Xiaoxing's head, her voice tender: "Good child, now that your master has accepted you as his disciple, you are now a member of our Cloud Mist Cave. If you need anything in the future, just tell your master's wife. Your master can be careless at times, so if you are wronged, come and tell your master's wife, and she will take care of him for you."

She took out a small jade pendant from her storage bag. It was pure white and smooth to the touch, with a mysterious protective array engraved on it, emitting a soft spiritual light.

The jade pendant was clearly no ordinary item; the flowing runes on it seemed to possess a life of their own, shimmering faintly in the sunlight. "This is a gift from your master's wife, a protective jade pendant with a small Five Elements Reversal Array engraved on it," she said. "In a critical moment, it can withstand a full-force attack from an early-stage Core Formation cultivator and can automatically absorb spiritual energy from heaven and earth to replenish its energy. Keep it safe and wear it close to your body; never let it out of your sight."

Xia Xiaoxing glanced at Zhou Ding, and seeing her master nod slightly, she took the jade pendant with both hands. It felt warm and smooth to the touch, as if she were holding a piece of warm jade.

He carefully hung the jade pendant around his neck, placed it close to his body, and bowed respectfully again: "Thank you, Master's wife!"

Not to be outdone, Xiao Mei grinned and pulled a thick stack of talismans from her storage bag, stuffing them into Xia Xiaoxing's hand. There were at least twenty or thirty talismans, each radiating spiritual energy, clearly of excellent quality: "Xiaoxing, this is a gift from Aunt Mei for you! I drew them all myself, including 'Swiftness Talismans,' 'Vajra Talismans,' 'Fireball Talismans,' and a few 'Invisibility Talismans'! If you encounter bad guys outside, don't be afraid, just throw these talismans at them! After you've used them all up, come back to Aunt Mei for more; Aunt Mei has plenty here!"

Xia Xiaoxing looked at the thick stack of talismans in her hand, her eyes sparkling as if she were holding some rare treasure.

When he was in Baishafang, he saw too many rogue cultivators risking their lives for a low-level talisman. Now, any one of the talismans in his hands would be enough to cause a fight in Baishafang.

He knew that all of this stemmed from the love and care he received from his master's wife and Aunt Mei. He nodded vigorously, his voice slightly choked with emotion, "Thank you, Aunt Mei! I will definitely cultivate diligently and live up to the expectations of my master, master's wife, and Aunt Mei!"

Seeing the two women's affection and care for Xia Xiaoxing, and witnessing the rekindled warmth of home in the child's eyes, Zhou Ding felt very gratified.

He knew that this child, who had lost both parents at a young age and had lived with his grandfather, had finally found his place in this new "home".