Night fell.
In the Land of Lawlessness.
Within the Hundred Herbs Garden, the chirping of insects was pleasant to the ear. Each stalk of Spiritual Medicine exhaled a misty essence, giving back to nature, while fireflies danced among them, creating a scene like an Immortal Realm.
Luo Xiu sat cross-legged in the middle of it all, quietly meditating on the four clusters of white light that had condensed from divine oracles within his left eye. Whenever he closed his eyes, he could see them. However, while the four clusters of white light seemed to be within arm's reach, they also felt as distant as the edge of the horizon. Luo Xiu simply could not penetrate the mystery they held.
Amid the tranquility, a rustling sound suddenly came from a patch of herbs nearby. A graceful figure snuck over and, with the speed of a thunderclap, covered Luo Xiu's eyes.
"Guess who!"
"Snow Kirin?"
"Wrong. Guess again."
"Yan'er?"
"Nope!"
"Xiao Li?"
"You… ah, you're doing it on purpose!" Lin Shanshan stomped her foot in frustration. No longer in the mood to play, she stalked off to the side, sat down, and hugged her knees, burying her face between them and ignoring Luo Xiu.
Luo Xiu slowly shuffled over to her and nudged her with his shoulder. "Didn't I tell you to rest and recover? Why are you running around so late at night?"
"I don't want to talk to you."
Luo Xiu gave her a strange look. "You're the CEO of a publicly-listed company, yet you're acting like a little girl. Isn't that childish?"
Lin Shanshan rolled her eyes dramatically. "No wonder Mom always says you're such a dense man. Don't you know a woman is a girl at heart until the day she dies?"
Suddenly remembering Lin Xiyue, Luo Xiu asked, "Speaking of which, when Uncle Ping sent you to the Stunning Phoenix Swan State, did you see your mother and the others?"
"Mmhmm, I saw them."
"How are they doing now?"
Lin Shanshan smiled. "Everyone's doing great. Mom's busy with her business, and the aunts all have their own things to do. All in all, they're doing very well for themselves in the Stunning Phoenix Swan State."
Luo Xiu smiled. "That's good to hear."
Lin Shanshan's expression turned serious. "But I didn't tell them about you."
"Why not?"
"Because back in Jucui State, that person said you had died," Lin Shanshan explained. "Even though I didn't believe it, I wasn't completely sure. I was afraid of making Mom and the others worry, so I kept it to myself."
Luo Xiu chuckled. "How could I die so easily? Not even the Great Cataclysm could kill me."
Lin Shanshan smiled sweetly, hooking her arm through his and resting her head on his shoulder.
"But they're all coming to the Boundless Heavens, so we'll be able to reunite then."
Luo Xiu asked curiously, "By the way, when did you realize I was your dad?"
Lin Shanshan held out her hand, revealing the Green Lotus Petal on her bracelet. "Do you take me for a fool? I am the CEO of a publicly-listed company, after all."
Luo Xiu shook his head with a smile. "Just as I expected." Then he asked, "But why did the Heaven Azure Empire start targeting you?"
Lin Shanshan rolled her eyes again. "You have it backward. I was the one targeting the Heaven Azure Empire. They crossed me, so I decided to go after them."
Luo Xiu reached out and ruffled her hair. This temper of hers is just like mine, he sighed to himself. She really is my daughter.
"It was because of me, wasn't it? You wanted to get revenge for me."
Lin Shanshan remained silent.
"Don't be so foolish from now on," Luo Xiu said gently.
Lin Shanshan gazed into the distance. "I wanted to do something for you."
"If you really want to do something for me, then start by protecting yourself," Luo Xiu said. "Lie low and build your strength. Don't make me worry."
"Hmph, now that you're back, it doesn't matter. I don't have to worry about a thing. I can just live off you in peace."
Luo Xiu suddenly remembered something. "Actually, there is something I need you to handle."
"What is it?"
"Are you interested in being an empress?"
"Huh?"
"I've acquired my own territory, Yan Huang Star, and it needs someone to manage it."
"..."
After a moment, once Lin Shanshan had heard all about Yan Huang Star, she was exasperated.
"You run around all day playing the absent boss, and now you want to dump this mess on me? You're just like Mom."
Luo Xiu said seriously, "Weren't you the one who said you wanted to live off me?"
"Besides, how is this a mess? This is the foundation of the Old Luo's Family! You're skilled at management and, more importantly, you're my daughter. If I don't give this domain to you, who else could I give it to?"
"If you really don't want to go, that's fine too. When I find your mother, we can give you a little brother or sister. Then I'll just dote on them instead."
"You dare!" Lin Shanshan glared at him, then relented. "Fine... but I'll only go after we leave the Boundless Heavens. I want you to spend some time with me."
"Deal!"
Lin Shanshan muttered, "I've only ever heard of children tricking their fathers. This is the first time I've seen a father trick his daughter."
Luo Xiu poked her on the forehead and asked, "Why didn't you stay with your mom in the Stunning Phoenix Swan State? Why did you have to run off and wander around?"
"Ugh, don't get me started. She's always controlling me. She dictates everything, from what I eat and when I sleep to what I wear. I can't even wear a skirt that shows my legs. Who could stand that? So, Snow Kirin and I ran off, planning to make our own way."
Luo Xiu chuckled, bemused. "That doesn't make sense, though. You're in your forties, aren't you past your rebellious phase?"
Lin Shanshan's face instantly turned frosty. "Hey, Mister Luo, do you even know how to hold a conversation? Could you please not mention my age? Do I look like I'm in my forties?"
Luo Xiu laughed heartily and changed the subject. "Tell me what happened after the Great Cataclysm."
"Then you have to tell me how you were resurrected. How did a fine, mature man like you turn into a young hottie?" As she spoke, she suddenly pinched Luo Xiu several times, grinding her teeth. "Back at the Earth Cemetery, you clearly saw me but still pretended you didn't! It's infuriating! The more I think about it, the angrier I get!"
"Ouch! You unfilial daughter, I'm your father! How dare you pinch me! Just you wait until I find your mother. Believe me, we'll team up on you for a mixed-doubles beating!"
"I think it'll be Mom and me teaming up on you!"
"..."
The father and daughter chatted for a long time. They talked about the past, old acquaintances, and all the trials and tribulations they had faced on their journeys, talking late into the night.
"Dad."
"Hmm?"
"I'm hungry."
"Funnily enough, so am I."
"I want your green pepper and egg fried rice."
"..."
Because he wanted to spend time with his daughter, Luo Xiu ended up staying in the Land of Lawlessness for three full days. But the journey had to continue.
「Three days later.」
Luo Xiu and his party left the Land of Lawlessness, continuing their exploration deeper into the Boundless Heavens. By now, they had entered the inner regions.
The deeper they went, the heavier the deathly aura became. Occasionally, powerful Wandering Spirits would appear, taking lives. Many of the cultivators who entered the Boundless Heavens searching for fortuitous encounters had their lives claimed by these Wandering Spirits. Thus, along the way, Luo Xiu saw many gruesome corpses.
However, for a Necromancer like Luo Xiu, a place like this posed no danger. On the contrary, the Wandering Spirits had to flee the moment they saw him.
...
"Dad, are all those mounds of earth over there tombs?"
While they were walking, Lin Shanshan suddenly leaped onto a colossal skeleton and pointed ahead as she asked. In the direction she indicated, the vast landscape was densely covered with countless mounds of earth, a spine-chilling sight to behold.
Mei Ji glanced over. "Those are the Celestial Soldiers and Generals who died in battle in the Boundless Heavens. After they die, their Battle Armor creates a tomb, burying the body on the spot. They are known as 'Corpse Nests'."
Luo Xiu smiled. "Well, that Battle Armor sounds quite advanced, and thoughtful too." With that, he leaped onto the giant beast's skeleton to stand beside Lin Shanshan, noticing many cultivators in the distance digging into those Corpse Nests.
"These people must have come to the Boundless Heavens for these Corpse Nests."
"Why don't we go dig one up?" Lin Shanshan suggested. "Maybe we'll find some treasure."
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
But her words had barely left her lips when a deafening roar erupted from a range of hills in the distance, so loud it made their eardrums ache. Countless cultivators scattered in terror like a startled flock of birds, as if they had encountered something horrifying.
Luo Xiu slowly rose into the air and focused his gaze. He saw a massive, mountain-sized Exotic Beast bursting forth from the earth! Eerily, the creature was not a living thing but a carcass that had long ago rotted to the bone. Its two hollow eye sockets glowed with a faint green light, which was unsettling even from such a great distance.
Master Ping flew to Luo Xiu's side. "That's a Soul Devouring Beast from the Celestial Realm. In life, it must have been the mount of some Heavenly General."
Luo Xiu narrowed his eyes slightly. "I feel a familiar aura inside it."
"Well, shall we go take a look?" Master Ping asked.
"Since we've already run into it, we have to check it out."
"..."