226: Visiting Tsukishima

When the group opened their eyes again, they had returned to the sword-shaped sea island.

Looking at the beautiful, picturesque scenery, they all felt as if they had returned from another life, having escaped from a cage.

"Young Master Ji Mo, thank you for saving our lives."

Little Dragon Girl and Xu You had mostly recovered by this point, returning to their youthful states, and approached Ji Mo to thank him.

Women naturally admire strength, especially an overwhelming powerhouse like Ji Mo. A strange look flashed in Little Dragon Girl's eyes.

It wasn't love, but there was definitely a good feeling.

"Sow good seeds and reap good rewards. There's no need to thank me. I sensed that Brother Xu held goodwill toward me when we first met. It was merely a small effort."

"It's just a pity that out of hundreds of powerful experts who ventured into the sea region, only a few of us returned."

"The Martial Dao is difficult, harder than ascending to heaven!" Ji Mo sighed with emotion, and the others nodded with somber expressions.

Only Elder Mu remained calm, not taking these things to heart. In the battlefields he had experienced, God Rank experts died in droves; this was nothing by comparison.

"The path of the Martial Dao fundamentally follows the Law of the Jungle—survival of the fittest. The weak are meant to perish. This is a road of no return. Instead of grieving here, you should celebrate that you managed to survive among these hundreds of people."

Hearing this, everyone felt as if they were struck by the morning bell and evening drum, and enlightenment flashed across their brows. Thinking of their gains, their faces were filled with smiles.

Originally, Ji Mo wanted to enter the Yao Beast Plane again to grind some experience, but he couldn't sense that Plane. He estimated that when An Lan's personal planet shattered, this small Plane drifted away somewhere unknown.

The group followed their original path back. The return journey was quite smooth, as Ji Mo unleashed several Qi and Blood Flood Dragons to protect everyone, charging unimpeded all the way.

Without any surprise, they returned to the Ice Island.

"Xiao Mo, are you returning with us to the Heavenly Dragon Empire, or are you staying here in the Endless Sea Region?" the Emperor inquired.

Ji Mo thought for a moment. There was still the unknown Lu Family constantly threatening him. Since two of Blood Slaughter Blade Emperor's children died in the Ruins, and only he managed to leave the Ruins smoothly, Blood Slaughter Blade Emperor certainly wouldn't let him go.

He shouldn't bring danger to the women. It would be better to stay here and resolve all the threats first.

Having made up his mind, he spoke directly:

"I need to stay here temporarily. Let's part ways here."

"Your Majesty the Emperor, please trouble you to look after Shangguan Batian of the City of Chaos and his daughter, Shangguan Yanran, when you return this time."

"Three years ago, I made a marriage contract with his daughter. The contracted time has long passed, but with the threat of the Lu Family, it is unsuitable to complete the marriage. Please arrange for someone to send some Opportunities to help my future father-in-Law Break through to the Saint Realm first!"

"If she has already married, consider this my betrothal gift."

The Emperor nodded, feeling a bit envious of Shangguan Batian for betting on Ji Mo before he had fully matured.

"Don't worry, I've noted this down and will certainly arrange it properly."

The Imperial Ancestor and the Crown Prince also clasped their hands toward Ji Mo. The three then flew away from the Ice Island, returning to the Xuanling Continent.

"Young Master Ji Mo, we also need to return to our Family to recuperate. Our Family is in the Sixth Domain. If you ever come, we will certainly welcome you warmly. We will keep your kindness etched in our hearts."

"Ji Mo, I also need to return to the Heavenly Punishment Army Headquarters. We part ways here. I have no way to repay your life-saving grace, so if you ever need anything in the future, just contact the Heavenly Punishment Army directly."

Ji Mo bid them farewell one by one, until only Elder Mu and Yan Qingcheng remained.

He looked at Yan Qingcheng, "Aren't you going with Sun Emperor?"

"Young Master, on the way to the Sword Tomb, Sun Emperor abandoned us. How could I possibly continue to follow him?"

"Young Master, you have saved my life many times. Everything I possess belongs to you."

"Young Master, the headquarters of my Moon Palace is not far from here. Why don't you and Senior come there to rest and recuperate?"

After saying this, she stared at Ji Mo with her watery, charming eyes, her peerless face filled with expectation.

"Let's go, Lad Ji Mo. Why are you hesitating when a beauty invites you? We happen to need to count our gains and Cultivate for a bit. Going to this little girl's place is also safer."

Elder Mu couldn't stand it and directly accepted the invitation on his behalf.

"Alright!" Ji Mo nodded helplessly, and then said to Yan Qingcheng:

"In that case, Elder Mu and I will be imposing on you for a while."

Yan Qingcheng was overjoyed, a look of great delight appearing on her face. The two of them then followed her lead toward Moon Island.

Upon arriving at Moon Island, Yan Qingcheng's face adopted a cold, solemn expression.

Entering the Main City, the guards were greatly startled to see Yan Qingcheng herself arrive.

"Leader, you have returned!"

"Mm," Yan Qingcheng replied indifferently. "Pass down the order: do not publicize my whereabouts. Everything continues as usual."

"Yes, Leader!" These guards were all beauties, figures highly sought after in the outside world, yet here they dared not show any disobedience.

This was the first time Ji Mo had seen Yan Qingcheng in this posture, giving orders and commanding authority, like a supreme Queen. She gave off the feeling of Empress Wu Zetian.

Yan Qingcheng led the two deeper into the Main City, heading toward her Headquarters Palace.

"Lad Ji Mo, this girl's looks would qualify her as a beauty even on a High Plane, and she's also the leader of a Faction. Tsk! Tsk! That's a perfect bonus. She is devoted to you and ready for you to pluck her. I think you should just take her in."

Elder Mu used Voice Transmission to Ji Mo, teasing him.

Ji Mo was speechless. He realized that ever since Elder Mu retrieved his Godhead, he had completely changed. The aura of old age had vanished.

Now, he was full of vitality, and most importantly, he had become somewhat—improper!

This wasn't the first time Elder Mu had said such things to him; he had said it countless times along the way.

Therefore, Ji Mo ignored his nagging and observed the large city, which was mostly composed of women.

Indeed, this large city was distinctly different from other cities. The overall architectural style leaned toward warm colors, giving it a soft, gentle feeling.

Before long, the three arrived in front of a large Palace Complex, which was the Moon Palace Headquarters.

Perhaps someone had used Voice Transmission, as a graceful, mature, and alluring beautiful woman was already waiting in front of the palace.

Ji Mo and Elder Mu received the highest level of hospitality from the Moon Palace. Yan Qingcheng was so enthusiastic that Ji Mo had to claim he needed to enter Seclusion just to get some peace and quiet.

He wasn't made of wood, and the saying that 'a woman pursuing a man is separated only by a layer of gauze' was not false. However, Ji Mo constantly felt indebted to Shangguan Yanran, so he resisted sleeping with Yan Qingcheng. Everything had to wait until he fulfilled his promise to that woman.

Inside the Secret Chamber, Ji Mo completely refined the corpses of the Tomb Guardians. The massive energy of the Imperial Rank could not be compared to the Saint Rank.

The heaven and earth furnace once again surged to 1.2 million units.

An Lan's corpse alone yielded a significant amount of Pure Essence Blood, totaling over thirty drops when combined with the previous batch.

This was a vast and extremely precious resource. Just one drop released would be enough to cause Saint Rank experts to fight fiercely until their heads bled.

Ji Mo called Yan Qingcheng in, handed her a drop of essence blood, and acted as her Protector, allowing her to successfully Break through to the Saint Rank Sixth Heaven, placing her not far from the Imperial Rank...