Cloud Bamboo Mountain, above the hundred thousand Cloud Bamboo.
Yun Chen stood on the Immortal Sword, suspended in the air, watching the scenic back mountain being engulfed once more by the surging Desolate Mist from somewhere, and finally felt at ease.
The Immortal Sword transformed into a long rainbow, arriving at the front mountain in an instant.
At this moment, the originally lively and joyful scene of the Cloud Bamboo Dance Festival had turned somber; everyone had shed their festive attire for black clothing, all holding magical artifacts.
Yun Zhen was also dressed in black, holding the Cloud Pattern Star Spear, standing among the crowd.
Yun Chen stood on the Immortal Sword, hovering mid-air, and shouted down to the Cloud Bamboo people:
"Tribesmen, today may be the last Cloud Bamboo Dance Festival for Cloud Bamboo Mountain, but it will also be the last time Spirit Corpse Mountain invades othersâ homes!"
Ah!!!
The Cloud Bamboo people below shouted in unison, with expressions of tragic heroism.
They already knew they would face a life-and-death battle tonight, yet they danced joyfully and with abandon during the earlier Cloud Bamboo Dance Festival.
It wasnât that they were carefree; they simply wanted to enjoy the last Cloud Bamboo Dance Festival to its fullest.
They wanted to leave the memory of their dances in the minds of their loved ones, in the mountains they loved, under the countless stars of the hundred thousand Cloud Bamboo.
They hid their tragic emotions well; Yun Wu, Yun Xing, Yun Yan, Yun Yu, and the children didnât know they would be saying goodbye to their families today.
This was a decision made by everyone on Cloud Bamboo Mountain; they wanted Yun Wu and the children to survive, to leave here.
The hundred thousand Cloud Bamboo, though unique and beautiful, were not all there was; the Hongzhou Continent had great mountains and bustling cities, and they didnât want the next generation to be trapped here.
They were old and could only share life and death with their homeland.
But the children, they still had better futures ahead.
"Yun Zhen, youâre still young, you shouldnât stay."
Yun Chen looked at Yun Zhen in the crowd, a tall, athletic woman with short hair draped over her neck, her eyes filled with heroic spirit and fierce killing intent:
"I represent Cloud Pattern Mountain and have a question for Spirit Corpse Mountain."
Yun Chen sighed, "If you die, there will be no questions left to ask."
Yun Zhen thrust her spear into the ground, her voice clear and loud:
"If I donât ask, I might as well be dead."
"Alright."
Yun Chen nodded with a smile and then asked Yun Xingâs parents:
"Are the children all settled?"
The couple answered, "Yes, weâve sent all the children into the hidden space; no one can open it without the Spirit Key."
After a momentâs hesitation, someone asked, "Mountain Master, what if Ye Xiyue and Niantang, who are cold and aloof, leave as soon as they come out of the relics? What about the children?"
Yun Chen laughed and said, "I donât know what Ye Xiyue will do, but Taoist Friend Nian will not abandon the children."
The person didnât understand, "Why?"
Yun Chen explained, "She actually likes children very much, as does her husband."
"The Ancestorâs husband?" Yun Zhen was stunned and was about to ask when suddenly a loud roar erupted, and the ground trembled, revealing a massive rift ahead.
A burst of wild laughter echoed from within:
"A hundred thousand Cloud Bamboo, so indeed they grow in the heavens! Hahaha, Cloud Bamboo Mountain, finally found it!"
The rift expanded, and countless Spirit Corpses emerged from it.
Following that, five powerful auras appeared.
Lastly, a wooden cart pulled by four Flying Tigers emerged, and the wild laughter came from within the cart.
Accompanying the cart was a woman cloaked entirely in black robes, holding a glowing Bone Chain, which had opened the Concealment Array of Cloud Bamboo Mountain.
Yun Chen ignored Yun Moâs wild laughter, only staring at the black-robed woman, shaking his head and sighing:
"You were a Fairy, how did you become a thief?"
The black-robed woman lowered her head without speaking. The curtain of the wooden cart opened, and Mo Sha leaped out. Seeing the Cloud Bamboo peopleâs formation, he sneered coldly:
"Seems you knew I would come, interesting. Kill!"
...
Back mountain of Cloud Bamboo.
Shrouded in Desolate Mist.
Deep within the valley, behind a stone door.
Before the giant Divine Statue, the Haitang Colorful Bone in Mo Xiaolanâs arms flew out, connecting with the Lotus Colorful Bone in the air, emitting brilliant light.
The Lotus Colorful Bone flew out from Liu Suâs body, handed to her by Qiu Zhihe before leaping off the No Regrets Cliff.
Now, in front of the Divine Statue that closely resembled Mo Xiaolan, the two Colorful Bones connected again, creating a light curtain in the air.
This scene Qin Gengyun, Mo Xiaolan, and others had seen before.
In the broken Taoist Temple on Zhentang Mountain outside Xingluo Town, in the Bone Marrow Cleansing Spring on Cloud Pattern Mountain, the Colorful Bones had emitted similar light curtains.
Now the same happened, in the light curtain appeared scenes from the past.
"My love, Iâm pregnant with your child!"
The scene began with a beautiful face filled with joy.
This face had also been seen before in previous light curtain scenarios; in the watery town of small bridges and flowing water, it was delicate and charming, bright with heroic spirit.
In the Bone Marrow Cleansing Spring of Cloud Pattern Mountain, it was full of deep affection, tender and sweet.
But in this scene, the face bore the mature charm of a young matron, the once brisk long hair now styled in a ladyâs bun, with softer expressions in her eyes, filled with attachment and trust as she looked at the man before her.
"Sheng Tanglian!"
Liu Su murmured, then couldnât help but glance at Mo Xiaolan.
The resemblance was uncanny.
Could Mo Xiaolan truly be the reincarnation of Ancestor Master Sheng Tanglian?
At this moment, the man in the scene also spoke, equally gentle:
"My dear, the Sect Leader has recently tasked me to the Northern Wilderness, so I canât accompany you. When I return, Iâll give you a surprise."
This man was naturally Zhenyang, no longer in the faded plain clothes of the past; he now wore a Purple Sun Brocade Robe, exuding a more authoritative presence.
It seemed that by leveraging Sheng Tanglianâs connection, he had already established a high status in the True Yang Sect of that time.
"Rest assured, my love, the child and I will wait for your return."
The two embraced and kissed, sweetly inseparable.
The scene shifted, months had passed, and Sheng Tanglianâs belly was now prominently large, clearly ready to give birth at any moment.
Zhenyang returned from the Northern Wilderness, ready to give her a surprise:
"My dear, Iâve prepared a gift for you in the Northern Wilderness."
"Youâve been thoughtful, my love, I will follow you to the Northern Wilderness."
So Zhenyang took Sheng Tanglian to the southernmost part of the Northern Wilderness, into a bamboo mountain.
"Wow, it looks like our Cloud Bamboo Mountain?"
Yun Wu curiously exclaimed at the scenes in the light curtain.
"Yes, but that must have been five hundred years ago when the Cloud Bamboo Tribe had not yet settled on Cloud Bamboo Mountain, right?"
Qin Gengyun said.
Ye Xiyue saw such a scene for the first time, somewhat surprised.
Was this truly Ancestor Zhenyang?
He was known for exterminating the Demon Sectâs ancestor Sheng Tanglian, driving the Cyan Lotus Sect out of Eastern Cultivation, a feat that ascended him to Sect Leader.
The sectâs classical records indeed described Zhenyang as having endured hardship when dealing with the demon Sheng Tanglian, driven by a resolve to annihilate the Demon Sect.
However, there were never records of Sheng Tanglian having a child with the ancestor!
In the scene, Zhenyang led the heavily pregnant Sheng Tanglian to a deep valley, where a familiar giant stone door appeared ahead.
Zhenyangâs face was tender with genuine affection: "My dear, this Spirit Vein Immortal Mansion was built specially for you. After you give birth, the three of us can live here in seclusion and enjoy family bliss together, what do you think?"