The surge in the surrounding air had gradually stopped by now. Mo Yun Yang swept his spirit sense in all directions, and his complexion darkened. A very unsightly expression peeped through his face.

　　He saw that even the last few surviving Formula magicians had fallen prey to the shockwave. They had suffered disastrous causalities. Only one person who had been standing far from the others hadn’t gotten affected by the shockwave.

　　“Transmit an order. Instruct to seal-off the Crying Crane Mountain Range. Those two people are injured. So, they shouldn’t have gone far. Bring them to me at any cost… dead or alive!” Mo Yun Yang commanded.

　　“Yes!” the Formula magician complied, and withdrew.

　　A silhouette flew over from afar, and landed on the ground at this moment; it was the girl surnamed Zhen.

　　“City Lord Mu, what happened here? Have you taken care of Zhong Xiu and Ling Chu?” the girl surnamed Zhen questioned when she saw the surrounding situation.

　　“Ling Chu was killed. However, Zhong Xiu was rescued by a stranger!” Mo Yun Yang replied.

　　“What? City Lord Mo, you do know that this plan involves major issues. Both of us will get caught up in a troublesome situation if this matter leaks out!” the complexion of the girl surnamed Zhen sank as she said.

　　“Hmm, what are you worried about? Those two people have sustained injuries. So, it’s obvious that they couldn’t have run much farther. Besides, I’ve already dispatched a group of people to close off the mountain, and track them down!” Mo Yun Yang replied in a manner that made it seem as if he was in a foul mood.

　　“That’s good! Oh, by the way… what do you think about the Zombie Art of our Dark Moon Cult? I didn’t lie to you!” the girl surnamed Zhen sized up Mo Yun Yang’s present appearance, and asked with a broad smile.

　　“It’s pretty good. It’s just that this art is a little troublesome to practice. Anyway, why hasn’t Bi Hong returned with you? What’s the situation there?” Mo Yun Yang asked.

　　“We’ve taken hold of all eight Floating Cloud Carriages without any exception. General Bi Hong found it very delightful to cooperate with us. And, I also feel the same. City Lord Mo, what’s your opinion?” she said.

　　“Dear Friend Zhen, what do you mean to say?” Mo Yun Yang was struck dumb by this unexpected question.

　　The girl surnamed Zhen pinched the magic stick in her hand, and a plume of grey smoke bubbled-up in the front. Then, a tall silhouette emerged from the smoke; it was ten-feet in height. There was a pair of black and fleshy wings on its back.

　　The grey smoke gradually receded, and revealed a pair of wings behind its body; it was a grayish-black carrion-monster that had a thin and tall stature.

　　“That’s Bi Hong! What did you do to him?” Mo Yun Yang was profoundly shocked.

　　“General Bi Hong wanted to continue his collaboration with us. City Lord Mo, you shouldn’t oppose this collaboration, right?” the girl surnamed Zhen chuckled.

　　Her voice had hardly faded when the thin and tall carrion-monster spread its wings, and dashed towards Mo Yun Yang.

　　“You have asked for death!”

　　Mo Yun Yang shouted loudly, and his entire body got shrouded in a layer of grey light. He then grasped, and raised the strange grey sword with his right hand to launch an attack.

　　On the other side, the girl surnamed Zhen turned her hand, and took out an exquisite yet unusual small silver bell. Then, she shook it a bit.

　　A dazzling brilliance burst forth on the surface of the silver bell. Then, circles of abstruse and tiny magic characters emerged from within, and issued a burst of crisp sound!

　　Mo Yun Yang felt as if a spell of dizziness had been cast on him the moment he heard the sound of this silver bell. Simultaneously, he lost control of his body.

　　Meanwhile, the thin and tall carrion-monster appeared behind his body, and wrapped its arms around him to tie him down.

　　The girl surnamed Zhen saw this situation, and took out her magic stick. She then gave the magic stick a sudden flick. An expansive mass of grey light gushed out of the magic stick, and engulfed Mo Yun Yang’s body.

　　…

　　An hour later…

　　The Crying Crane Mountain Range…

　　A clear spring was flowing somewhere in a cave. It couldn’t be said where the source of this spring was. However, it was dripping down the cliff, and issuing a burst of pattering sound in a constant manner.

　　There was a huge and flat boulder in the cave; it was covered with a white fur. A white-robed girl had been laid down on this boulder.

　　This girl had a beautiful and graceful figure… Her glowing skin was even brighter than snow. All of this constituted the mesmerizing image of a heavenly beauty. However, her eyes were closed, and her white robe looked somewhat damaged. She was none other than Zhong Xiu.

　　The girl’s long eyelashes slightly moved at this moment. Then, her eyes slowly opened, and revealed a pair of limpid and luminous eyes.

　　She swept her gaze over the unfamiliar things around her with a blank expression on her face. But then, her eyes drew toward a familiar silhouette that stood not far from her.

　　“Big Brother Shi?” Zhong Xiu murmured in her dazed state.

　　“Miss Xiu, you are awake?” Shi Mu turned around, and walked to the side of Zhong Xiu as soon as he heard her voice. Then, he asked in a delighted tone.

　　“Big Brother Shi, it truly is you!” Zhong Xiu didn’t seem to feel the tingling pain in her body. She instead grabbed Shi Mu’s arms, and flew into his bosom. A line of tears rolled down her face the next moment.

　　However, Shi Mu had no idea what kind of heart-warming words he should say in this situation. He simply held the girl close to his bosom, and stroked her luxuriant hair in a gentle and affectionate manner.

　　“Big Brother Shi, can it be that Xiu is still in her dream? I had been looking for you for so long, but I just couldn’t find you. So, I thought that I’d never see you again…” Zhong Xiu broke into tears as she said.

　　“But, you found me; didn’t you? Miss Xiu, don’t cry. I wouldn’t know what to do if you keep crying like this.” Shi Mu felt completely at a loss when he saw her crying.

　　“Hmm, Hmm, I’m not crying. It’s just that I’m very happy today,” she replied with a giggle. But, tear stains could still be seen on her face.

　　“You are a very silly girl. Didn’t I tell you to go back to the Wonderful Sound Sect? Why are you so disobedient?” Shi Mu pretended to be angry as he said.

　　“Big Brother Shi, I… I was very worried about you,” Zhong Xiu replied in a soft voice.

　　“Okay, okay… Don’t take it too seriously. But, don’t repeat this kind of foolishness in the future. You set out on a long journey to this Western Continent by yourself. I don’t know how I would’ve faced your father if something had happened to you,” Shi Mu said.

　　“Big Brother Shi, you… are you truly concerned about me?” Zhong Xiu asked with a pleasantly surprised look on her face.

　　Shi Mu was struck dumb for a moment. He had only cared about Ximen Xue from the beginning to the end. In fact, he had even made a firm resolve to strive hard, and become much stronger so that he could be a good match for his dream girl. However, Zhong Xiu had still been half of the reason behind his decision to become stronger. Shi Mu had been acquainted with this girl since they were young. He had always treated her as his younger sister. He had always wanted to protect her, and cherish her. But, he had never had any special kind of feelings for her.

　　Shi Mu still remembered the time when an order to chase and kill him had been issued by the two big sects. Only Zhong Xiu had placed her trust in him at that time. Also, she had desperately tried to look for him regardless of everything. She had even renounced the Path to Immortality even though it was something which many people yearned for day and night. Only then had he realized that the person he loved the most was her – the girl whom he knew since they were young.

　　Perhaps, this girl had made her way into his heart at that time without him noticing. And then, she had gradually occupied a very important place in his life.

　　Shi Mu had been in a foreign country for a long time now. But, fate had brought these two people together again when he was engulfed by these kinds of stirring scenes and feelings. The past memories also sprang up in his heart, and stirred up a kind of warm feeling.

　　Shi Mu wasn’t an indecisive person. So, he immediately made some kind of decision in his heart.

　　“Of course,” Shi Mu looked at Zhong Xiu, and a hint of tenderness suddenly appeared on his firm and resolute face. He then said.

　　“Big Brother Shi… Don’t even leave me from now on, okay?” Sparkling and translucent tears oozed from her eyes once again.

　　“Well? Pretty Elder Sister, you finally woke up?” Shi Mu was about to give her a reply when Cai interrupted. The two hadn’t even noticed when he had flown into the cave through the cave’s opening.

　　“Oh, Pretty Elder Sister, you have no idea how worried Shi Tou was about you over the past few days. It’s good that you’ve regained consciousness. Otherwise, he might’ve rushed out to slaughter people…” Cai didn’t look at them as he said. He just switched to a clamorous sound from aside.

　　“Well, shut up. Go and keep a watch on the surroundings now!” Shi Mu flicked off Cai before he could finish his words.

　　“Shi Tou, this is not right. You do know that my extraordinary contribution has helped you in rescuing the Beautiful Elder Sister without a hitch. You can’t abandon your benefactor after achieving your goal…” Cai shouted while flapping his wings.

　　Zhong Xiu broke into laughter. She then felt a spurt of warmth gushing into her heart as she realized that Shi Mu was deeply concerned about her. Then, she said in a soft voice that only Shi Mu could hear, “Big Brother Shi, thank you.”

　　“You can rest assured that we’ll never separate again,” Shi Mu no longer paid attention to Cai. He embraced her in his arms a bit more tightly, and said in a soft voice.

　　“Aw! This is amazing! You’ve finally understood! Shi Tou, you’ve finally started to understand things properly. I’m truly glad for you. Miss Zhong is far stronger than that Miss Leng. But, I must say…” Cai had immediately grasped the situation. So, he again turned into a boisterous mode, and said with a touch of complacency.

　　Shi Mu looked impatient as he listened to his words. He loosened Zhong Xiu, and gently put her back on the boulder’s fur. Then, he walked in the direction of cave’s exit while dragging Cai along. Cai felt extreme pain due to the pulling, and started to squeal in pain.

　　“Cai has become all the more interesting,” Zhong Xiu said in a soft voice when Shi Mu returned. But, a flush of bashfulness could be seen on her face at this moment.

　　“But, he’s very talkative. And, that sometimes gets very irritating,” Shi Mu twitched his mouth as he said.

　　“Oh, that’s right… Big Brother Shi, how did you reach here? All I remember is being attacked by the Wing Crane Tribe’s people. Oh, that batch of goods!” A train of thoughts flashed across her mind in an instant. Then, she struggled to get up.

　　“Miss Xiu, don’t move. You just stay lying there for the time being. The Wing Crane Tribe has colluded with the Dark Moon Cult. They’ve mounted an attack on the inn that was our temporary residence in Cloud Wing city. In fact, they’ve completely annihilated it. Also, all eight Floating Cloud Carriages have long disappeared without a trace,” Shi Mu explained.

　　“So, we’ve lost the batch of goods. But, Big Brother Shi, you…” Zhong Xiu revealed a dejected look for a moment. Then, something crossed her mind, and she stared at Shi Mu in astonishment.

　　“Shi Tou had been hiding in the caravan this entire time in order to protect you from the sidelines,” Cai didn’t wait for Shi Mu’s reply, and promptly interjected. It couldn’t be said when Cai had stuck out his furry head from the cave’s mouth. But, he quickly retracted his neck, and escaped after speaking a few words.

　　“Is it true? You were in the caravan since the beginning?” Zhong Xiu looked pleasantly surprised when she asked.

　　Shi Mu nodded with a smile on his face. Then, he recounted the course of events to her in detail.

　　“Miss Xiu, how did you come to the Western Continent? And, why did you join the Heavenly Wu Chamber of Commerce, and become their Guest Elder?” Shi Mu thought of a few questions, and asked.

　　“Speaking of this matter… it’s a long story…”

　　The fact was that Zhong Xiu had received the letter that Shi Mu had entrusted the Heavenly Wu Chamber of Commerce to deliver to her. And, she had become even more anxious about Shi Mu after that. Therefore, she had rushed straight to Quyang City in spite of having returned to the Wonderful Sound Sect.

　　A large-scale invasion had been mounted by the Heavenly Demon Sect and the Transcending Heaven Immortal Cult on the Ancient Xixia Country at that time. So, the many towns and cities she had come across along the way had only portrayed the image of the disastrous aftermath of war.

　　Therefore, she had delayed her travelling schedule in order to avoid getting drawn into the chaos of war. She had taken a long route through some wilderness to reach her destination. But then, she had encountered a lot of attacks by the Dead Spirit creatures en route. However, she wasn’t a feeble girl. So, she had forced her way through these daunting attacks without any mishap.

　　She had passed through countless battles, and had eventually arrived at the Quyang City.

　　Quyang City had already changed beyond recognition when she had set foot in it. And, only Xu Lu of Heavenly Wu Arms Shop had given her a cordial welcome at that time. She had then come to know that she was still a step behind since Shi Mu had already set out on a voyage. He had gone to the Western Continent… an area which was on the other side of the sea!

　　The Western Continent was completely unknown to her at that time. But, she had still felt relived in her heart since she knew that Shi Mu must be safe this time. It was because the people of the Transcending Heaven Immortal Cult couldn’t chase him to that continent.

　　But then, Xu Lu had informed Zhong Xiu about the tumultuous situation in the Western Continent. Moreover, this situation had grown far more dangerous than that of the Eastern Continent. It had happened because the Demon race and the barbarian race had gone on a rampage there. Zhong Xiu had felt overwhelming anxiousness when she had heard that news. Consequently, her heart had begun to beat faster.

　　She had then taken a firm decision to go to the Western Continent and look for Shi Mu no matter what happened.

　　Then, she had again turned to Xu Lu for help. She had asked him to show her the way to pass through the Yellow Sea since she wanted to go to the Western Continent. However, Xu Lu had put forth a proposal in return. He had allowed her to follow the merchant ship of the Heavenly Wu Chamber of Commerce. But, there had been a condition – she had to serve as the Guest Elder of the Heavenly Wu Chamber of Commerce for fifty years!