Chapter 123: The False Deity Transformation

Three years passed in the blink of an eye.

Qu Yiqiu felt an overwhelming sense of joy as she caught sight of the world outside. A streak of white light flashed past her with incredible speed, leaving behind a chilly gust of wind and the icy words of Su Xichen.

"I have urgent business. I shall depart first."

Only after he had moved far away did Qu Yiqiu dare to grumble. "I am his savior, after all! The moment we stepped out of the Abyss Prison Palace, he turned his back on me!"

"Indeed. Who would have thought the master's key would be so important!" Xiao Yan chimed in, echoing her sentiment. He did not like that "ice block" either.

"Ice block" was the nickname Qu Yiqiu had given him. Over the past three years, they had never seen him display any other expression; he was always a cold, heartless statue. Recalling the three years spent face-to-face with Su Xichen, Qu Yiqiu could not help but hug herself.

"No wonder Sect Leader Luo doesn't like him; the man is simply too cold!" What kind of bad luck had she encountered to be trapped with him?

"Master, let’s go back quickly. You must resume practicing your cultivation technique!" For the past three years, Qu Yiqiu's cultivation level had fluctuated wildly. At her lowest, she was only at the first level of Qi Refining, unable to even cast a basic Fireball spell. Xiao Yan was constantly worried that the five-year deadline Su Xichen had mentioned would arrive prematurely. Qu Yiqiu’s situation was far from optimistic.

"Don't worry, Xiao Yan. Your master is blessed with great fortune; I won't perish just because of one cultivation technique!" Qu Yiqiu comforted him.

After exchanging a few more words, the girl and her spirit companion hurried away. Setting their course, they traveled day and night until they finally returned to the Tianyan Sect. To keep her master and junior brothers from worrying, she had sent several sound transmission talismans along the way.

Mo Qingli was still absent from Xiaoping Peak. When Mu Yunjin and Zhou Chen received the talismans, they were overjoyed for a long time, so much so that they found it hard to focus on their cultivation. When they finally awaited Qu Yiqiu’s return, the two stood at the foot of Xiaoping Peak, beaming with excitement.

"Senior Sister, you’re finally back!" the boy’s clear, crisp voice reached her ears.

Qu Yiqiu looked at the handsome boy running toward her and laughed. "Junior Brother Mu is a head taller than me now."

Mu Yunjin stopped before her, his eyes filled with concern. "Senior Sister, have you been well these past three years?"

"Senior Sister, it’s not just that Brother Mu has grown taller; his cultivation has already reached the middle stage of Foundation Establishment!" Zhou Chen added from the side, grinning from ear to ear with undisguised pride.

Qu Yiqiu scanned him from head to toe, surprised. "Junior Brother’s cultivation has progressed with astonishing speed!"

Mu Yunjin lowered his head, smiling shyly. He looked up with clear eyes and asked, "This is all thanks to Master's guidance. Senior Sister, have you reached Foundation Establishment?" He could not discern her cultivation level; it seemed as if a thick cloud was obscuring her.

Qu Yiqiu’s smile faltered for a moment. She hesitated, then nodded. "I have reached Foundation Establishment." Remaining a mere Qi Refining novice would only leave her feeling constrained and bullied; it was better to simply reveal her Foundation Establishment status.

Zhou Chen looked on in shock, while Mu Yunjin, seemingly having expected it, said happily, "Congratulations, Senior Sister! We will be able to be together again for this trip to the secret realm!"

"Secret realm? What secret realm?" Qu Yiqiu was stunned. Having just been released from the Abyss Prison Palace, her only thought had been to return home and report her safety; she had had no time to inquire about anything else.

Mu Yunjin looked slightly surprised and explained, "A year ago, You Ruoying and Brother Zou Peng from the Wuhui Peak of the Xuanyi Sect accidentally triggered the Feiling Secret Realm, which had been drifting at a spatial node. After combining the strength of both sects, they finally managed to open it recently. However, due to disputes over the allocation of resources, the harvest of the disciples from both sects during this trip will determine the final ownership rights of the secret realm."

Qu Yiqiu nodded in understanding. "So that’s how it is. But, why haven't I seen Master?"

Mu Yunjin shook his head. "I don't know what Master has been doing these last few years; he is rarely at Xiaoping Peak."

Zhou Chen frowned. "At first, I thought the Peak Master had gone to look for you, Senior Sister, but now that you've returned, there is still no sign of Peak Master Mo..."

Qu Yiqiu furrowed her brows slightly, then gave a faint smile. "It’s fine. Cultivation is the priority."

Mu Yunjin and Zhou Chen nodded in unison. After chatting happily for half a day, the three returned to their respective dwellings as the sun set.

Qu Yiqiu sat cross-legged on her stone bed and slipped into her internal space. She had not entered it for three years. The spiritual seeds she had planted back then had all grown up. A brilliant bead materialized on her shoulder. Xiao Yan sat cross-legged atop it, his delicate, miniature face glowing with a faint, overflowing spiritual light.

"I never imagined that swallowing the Heavenly Demon Silver Key would cause such a change in you," Qu Yiqiu remarked, staring curiously at his face.

Xiao Yan blushed and cupped his cheeks. "I know, I’m not sure what happened either. After we escaped with that silver key, it just seemed to become different."

"In any case, your power has become much stronger." Qu Yiqiu looked delighted. With Xiao Yan’s power to assist her, she would no longer worry about anyone noticing the strange fluctuations in her cultivation.

When she had spoken to Su Xichen in the tunnel about keeping secrets, he had been indifferent. She really didn't know if he might expose the fact that she was practicing that technique. Xiao Yan nodded adorably, and together they admired the scenery of the space.

"These spiritual plants have grown so well."

Qu Yiqiu agreed. "The spiritual energy in this space has become even more concentrated. Practicing that incomplete technique here, I will surely be able to control the massive spiritual power within me."

Xiao Yan’s eyes held a hidden, faint worry as he gazed at Qu Yiqiu’s face, lost in thought. Qu Yiqiu did not notice. In her own space, she felt much more relaxed. During the three years with Su Xichen, she had never found an opportunity to act alone. Only now, in a safe place, could she finally open the Universal Immortal Cultivation Mall.

Although she hadn't been able to practice the other parts of the incomplete technique over the past three years, she had pondered why she hadn't been able to find it in the Universal Immortal Cultivation Mall earlier. The technique was not called the "Dayan Samsara Technique" at all. It had another name: the "Ancient Yellow Star Rotation Immortal Method."

Qu Yiqiu waved her hand to summon the mall. Her personal cultivation experience points on the page flickered, jumping up to over a million before returning to the figure she had reached after advancing to the late stage of Foundation Establishment. Her heart skipped a beat. She wondered if the fact that the mall did not recognize her Spirit Severing cultivation meant that all of this was merely an illusion.

When she had absorbed the energy of the Yin Nether Realm, she had broken through to the late stage of Foundation Establishment very quickly, and her experience points had risen accordingly. However, the Spirit Severing cultivation she had inexplicably obtained from the Red Pagoda—even though she could exert such power in daily life—could not be recognized by the mall. Her cultivation experience points remained exactly as they were.

As these thoughts raced through her mind, Qu Yiqiu pondered deeply. "No matter. I will complete the technique first and see!"

Perhaps it was because her practice was not yet profound enough. Qu Yiqiu sat cross-legged beside the spiritual spring, cast aside all her worries, and immersed herself in cultivation.