Aboard the Golden-Winged Airship, Divine Lord Fengchi opened his eyes. Seeing the Nebula Boat within the Void Mirror, he suddenly broke into a delighted smile.
"I thought these juniors would have reached Yuanshi Star long ago. To think they are still on the road, haha!" Divine Lord Fengchi murmured. He performed a hand seal, commanding his ship to trail the Nebula Boat at a distance of a thousand zhang. Then, he leaned back comfortably against his jade throne, sipping spiritual tea while watching the Void Mirror. He felt quite content; finally, the last leg of his journey would not be boring.
Li Lin narrowed his eyes at the Golden-Winged Airship shown on the Void Mirror. He executed a series of hand seals and tossed several more high-grade spirit stones into the energy slot, pushing the Nebula Boat to its maximum speed.
Unfortunately, no matter what he did, he could not shake the Golden-Winged Airship. He could only keep a helpless, constant watch on the situation. Fortunately, they were nearing Yuanshi Star; he doubted Divine Lord Fengchi would dare to intercept and kill them there.
Li Xue’s heart was bleeding. Seeing the high-grade spirit stones being consumed one after another—most of which were borrowed—she cursed that damned Fengchi, that old pervert. Although the Golden-Winged Airship didn't close the gap, the Nebula Boat didn't dare to slow down. If they let the ship get too close, who knew if Divine Lord Fengchi might have a sudden fit and launch an attack? The losses would be catastrophic.
Half a month later, the Nebula Boat finally reached the transit station for Yuanshi Star. By then, the high-grade spirit stones in the group's possession were nearly exhausted.
Li Lin stowed the Nebula Boat, and the group dared not linger. They hurried into the teleportation array and calibrated the coordinates. With a flash of white light, they vanished.
Divine Lord Fengchi unhurriedly stowed his Golden-Winged Airship, his heart blooming with joy. He was so happy he couldn't even close his mouth. He walked slowly toward the teleportation array. Just then, a few people teleported in from elsewhere. With a casual wave of his sleeve, Divine Lord Fengchi sent them flying out of the array. He then calibrated the array himself and began his transmission.
Among those who had been tossed aside, one happened to recognize Divine Lord Fengchi. The curses he was about to spit out were instantly swallowed back down. Only when he saw the Divine Lord disappear into the array did he heave a sigh of relief, feeling immensely lucky to be alive.
"Senior Brother, why did Divine Lord Fengchi use the teleportation array? Why didn't he take his Golden-Winged Airship?" one of the Nascent Soul cultivators asked.
"Who knows? Perhaps the old senior wanted to experience the array for a change. Luckily, he didn't bother with us, or we would have suffered for it!" the other Nascent Soul cultivator said with lingering fear.
The others nodded in agreement. They took a moment to steady their breathing before heading toward the teleportation array.
Li Xue and the others teleported continuously without rest, finally arriving at Yuanshi Star five days later.
The surface area of Yuanshi Star was comparable to that of Jinming Star, but it was home to only one Great Sect: the Yuanshi Sect. The Yuanshi Sect controlled the entire planet and was anchored by three Tribulation Transcendence masters. Their foundation was profound, making them one of the largest Great Sects in the Hongmeng Star Domain. The millennial Magic Arts Convention was always hosted by the Yuanshi Sect.
As soon as they arrived, the group hurriedly sent out a Ten-Thousand-Mile Sound Transmission Talisman to contact Bugui Sanren. They were all feeling utterly helpless; that persistent Divine Lord Fengchi was still trailing them like a shadow. They had no way to stop him and didn't dare to rest.
Inside Yuanshi City, the planet's largest sacred city of cultivation, Bugui Sanren looked at the exhausted group of juniors in a luxurious guest courtyard with great surprise.
"How did you all end up in such a pathetic state?" Bugui Sanren asked.
The group was speechless. Finally, Li Xue said weakly, "Sigh, don't even ask. We were pursued by a Soul Transformation Divine Lord the entire way without a moment's rest. I'm exhausted to death!"
Bugui Sanren’s eyes widened in anger. "Who is so bold as to dare track my disciple?"
Li Lin said helplessly, "Well, he was also coming to Yuanshi Star and just happened to stay behind us the whole time. We can't strictly say he was 'tracking' us. Oh, it was Divine Lord Fengchi of Golden Wing Star."
Upon hearing the name, Bugui Sanren’s brow furrowed. Having spent many years in the Hongmeng Star Domain, he naturally knew who Divine Lord Fengchi was. He asked suspiciously, "He followed you the entire way?"
Yu Ming gave a brief account of the journey, naturally highlighting Divine Lord Fengchi’s various eccentric behaviors.
Bugui Sanren’s frown deepened. Seeing that everyone was mentally and physically drained, he said, "Go and meditate first. We will discuss this later."
The group bowed and took their leave, heading to the guest courtyard assigned to the Yunjing Sect to find their respective chambers for recovery. The Yuanshi Sect had prepared individual courtyards for every sect from every star, though this privilege was reserved for the Great Sects. Middle and lower-tier sects, as well as rogue cultivators, had to find their own inns or caves.
Bugui Sanren sat in a corner of the courtyard’s main hall, sipping spiritual tea and tapping the table as he pondered. He couldn't understand why Divine Lord Fengchi would track a group of juniors. If it were for the uniqueness of the Nebula Boat, someone of Fengchi’s status would surely not care for it. Just as he reached this thought, he sensed a Soul Transformation cultivator approaching the entrance. Looking closer, it was indeed Divine Lord Fengchi.
"Fellow Daoist Bugui, what a pleasure!" Divine Lord Fengchi said, waving his feather fan. Dressed in snow-white robes, he looked elegant and unrestrained.
The corner of Bugui Sanren’s mouth twitched. He stood up and strode forward to greet him. "Fellow Daoist Fengchi, I have long heard of your name!"
The two proceeded to exchange pleasantries and nonsense, talking from the southern heavens to the northern lands, from the primordial era to the ancient times, and from cultivation methods to magical arts. The more they talked, the more they found each other agreeable. Both were unrestrained, eccentric men with a touch of the "wicked" about them. They were birds of a feather, eventually developing a mutual appreciation as if they were old friends meeting late in life.
"Brother, I heard from my disciples that you’ve been following them. You must be quite idle; what fun is there in a group of kids?" Bugui Sanren finally asked.
"Brother, to be honest, at first I only thought the Nebula Boat was unique. Later, seeing them run the moment they saw me... it was a bit amusing. It was mostly out of boredom, but there was a secondary reason," Divine Lord Fengchi said, setting up a soundproofing barrier around them. He continued, "I saw your disciple’s mother; she is quite beautiful, and I wish to dual cultivate with her. Brother, do me a favor and ask her if she agrees?" Divine Lord Fengchi spoke with total honesty, showing no embarrassment whatsoever.
"That?" Bugui Sanren frowned. "I know a bit about that girl’s situation. Her husband—my disciple’s father—is still around. It seems the two of them signed a Soul Contract long ago. Dual cultivating with someone else might be difficult to arrange."
Hearing about the Soul Contract, Divine Lord Fengchi also frowned slightly. That was indeed a bit troublesome, but not impossible. He said, "As long as she is willing, there is no problem that cannot be solved."
Bugui Sanren curled his lip. "Why would she agree? With your playboy reputation and all those wives and concubines, I wouldn't agree either if I were her!"
Divine Lord Fengchi said dismissively, "What’s so hard about that? I’ll go back and dismiss all my wives and concubines immediately. I have decided to dual cultivate only with her. If she truly cannot bear to be apart from her husband, I don't mind co-cultivating together!" That momentary flutter of the heart had left a deep impression on him. He was a man who would not rest until his goal was achieved, and he cared only for the result. As long as he could be with her, he didn't care who else was in her heart.
Bugui Sanren was stunned. He was well aware that "co-cultivation" involving multiple partners was not uncommon in the cultivation world, especially for those with special constitutions. However, he still didn't have high hopes for Fengchi and that girl.
"I think it’s a long shot," he said. "That girl might not even want to dual cultivate at all!"
