Song Wanníng suppressed the thoughts stirring deep in her heart and continued the conversation half-heartedly.
Xie Qinglan's lively nature soon led her to fill Song Wanníng in on the surrounding situation.
"You mentioned Guhan Sect. It's one of the five great sects in the Southern Domain, but it's quite far from here."
This place was the Eastern Domain, and even by spirit boat, it would take almost a year to reach Guhan Sect.
That was after the spirit realm had fragmented. Before that, the distance would have been much greater.
Song Wanníng listened quietly, deciding to buy some maps and notes after reaching the next city.
The spirit realm was not like the tiny lower realm.
...
In the Eastern Domain, inside the Medicine King Sect's Medicine Chamber, Wu Qingfeng opened his eyes, a shadow of bitterness flickering across them.
He took out a nearby pearl, his gaze sharpening instantly.
He then walked to the altar and lit an incense stick.
The incense smoke curled upward, flickering in the light until it formed a human face.
It was none other than Mu Zixu, the Ancestor of the Medicine King Sect.
"Disciple pays respects to Ancestor!"
Wu Qingfeng bowed quickly, his expression full of respect.
This man was the one who had changed the future of the Medicine King Sect. Without their ancestors fleeing to the spirit realm, there would be no Medicine King Sect today.
"What is the matter?"
Mu Zixu's expression was cold as he set aside the book he was writing. He was currently working on an alchemy manual to leave behind for disciples to study and immortalize his name.
"Ancestor, the aura you asked me to watch for has grown very strong recently! I believe that person has ascended to the spirit realm!"
A murderous intent flashed across Wu Qingfeng's body. The Ancestor had told him this person had even wiped out some of their ancestors' tablets.
That was a deadly grudge with their Medicine King Sect.
Now she dared to ascend, so they would not hold back.
"What?"
Mu Zixu's eyes changed sharply. "Are you sure?"
"I am sure!"
Wu Qingfeng nodded solemnly. "She has definitely ascended, and judging by this pearl's glow, she must be somewhere in the Eastern Domain."
Otherwise, the pearl would not shine like this. Her aura could not be far from them.
"Hmph!"
Mu Zixu laughed bitterly.
"That bitch is really something. She ascended so quickly!"
That woman had once been surrounded by demonic energy, clearly on the verge of falling to madness. Now she had ascended?
Not even riding a spirit boat could be that fast!
If this news concerned anyone else, he might have praised her as a genius, but since it was an enemy, he could only say she was damned lucky.
But so what?
Now that she was in the spirit realm, she would be ground to dust by the Medicine King Sect!
"Wu Qingfeng, immediately send people to hunt her down. Capture her alive. I want to watch her bones be crushed to dust with my own eyes!"
That woman had once shattered his Primordial Soul by force. Unless he avenged this, he would never be at peace.
He wanted to see her crying, begging for mercy…
"Yes, disciple obeys!"
The smoke from the incense burned out, severing the connection between the two.
Mu Zixu stood up, losing all interest in his book, and walked out.
Soon after, he met his friend Wang Yang.
Wang Yang had witnessed that incident as well and knew all about that bitch.
He walked over happily and told him the news.
Wang Yang frowned.
"Zixu, you are a senior. Why bother holding a grudge against someone younger? Everyone has moments of youthful arrogance. The matter is done. Aren't you ruining that person's future by doing this?"
The more he thought about it, the more Wang Yang felt Mu Zixu was overreacting.
Yet over the years, Mu Zixu had changed greatly as his cultivation grew.
He no longer acted with the humility he once had.
And the original matter had been Mu Zixu's fault.
He stubbornly wanted to pass down the legacy to someone else, even though the other was better.
That was one thing. But because of the other's bad attitude, he had gone as far as to openly fight her.
Couldn't she even protect herself?
Mu Zixu refused to listen, darkening his face.
"Wang Yang, whose side are you really on?"
His expression was ugly. He had expected his friend to support him, but instead Wang Yang sided with the woman again.
"You stopped me before, now you're stopping me again. Whose friend are you?"
"Zixu, I just think it's unnecessary to trouble a junior like this…"
Wang Yang tried to speak further, but Mu Zixu interrupted.
"You don't know what it feels like to be hurt. That bitch destroyed our Medicine King Sect's ancestral tablets. That is a deadly grudge!
If you keep defending her, I will consider you no friend!"
He was truly angry.
Wang Yang kept his words to himself for a moment, then said, "Mo Yang Xiānjūn once said he would protect that girl. Aren't you afraid he'll find out?"
He still could not accept that the junior was truly good and should not be destroyed because of Mu Zixu.
Unfortunately, Mo Yang Xiānjūn had ascended from another great thousand realm, beyond their reach.
Mentioning Mo Yang Xiānjūn, Mu Zixu's expression froze briefly.
Ever since Mo Yang Xiānjūn had supported Song Wanníng, Mu Zixu's eyes had darkened whenever he saw him.
Yet due to his opponent's power, Mu Zixu could only keep his complaints inside and still had to greet him politely in person. It was infuriating.
"Recently, Mo Yang Xiānjūn has gone into seclusion for cultivation. By the time he returns, that woman will already be dead!
Besides, Mo Yang Xiānjūn is not from our realm. He won't know what's happening down here…"
Mu Zixu smiled smugly.
Since Mo Yang Xiānjūn favored her, he would be all the more determined to kill her.
"You…"
Wang Yang stared speechless, about to say more when Mu Zixu turned and left.
"My good mood is ruined. What bad luck!"
Mu Zixu walked on, blowing out a frustrated breath.
This score had to be settled.
In a few days, that bitch would pay the price.
Thinking this, Mu Zixu's mood improved quickly.
...
Spirit realm, Eastern Domain.
The Medicine King Sect's sect master soon received Wu Qingfeng's transmission and learned it was from the Ancestor.
He immediately took it seriously.
"Order sent out. Capture this woman alive at all costs!"
An image appeared on the jade communication talismans of many disciples.
Although Song Wanníng had concealed herself, to a powerhouse like Mu Zixu, she was still crystal clear.
Combined with what she had done, Mu Zixu could remember her face perfectly until his dying breath.
"Hiss, what did this beauty do to get the Medicine King Sect to put a bounty on her head?"
"Don't know. We just follow the sect master's orders."
Many disciples caught sight of the bounty amount marked above.
Their eyes lit up.
The bounty was twenty stalks of millennia-old spiritual herbs.
That was incredibly valuable!
===
At first, I was totally confused when I translate the chapter title 'Mu Zixu'—like, who the hell is this guy?!
But then I remember the Medicine King Sect chapter. Damn that was the earliest of her revenge journey, I really forgot about that name until now.