Xiuxian: I studied abroad in modern times

Chapter 643 Qingyan's Choice, The World Is Becoming More Morally

Upon hearing about the Zhou Tian Star Formation, Mu Qingyan's heart stirred slightly. She didn't know much about Zheng Fa's whereabouts, but as Zheng Fa's disciple, she had heard of the Zhou Tian Star Formation.

Looking at the woman in front of her again, Mu Qingyan realized something and couldn't help but be a little surprised.

"Oh? You know me?"

This woman was extremely perceptive, as if she could see through people's hearts. Even though Mu Qingyan's expression didn't change much, she still managed to see through her thoughts.

"But...Senior Jellyfish?"

Upon hearing these four words, the woman was somewhat stunned. After a while, she sighed and said, "Now, I am no longer a jellyfish, and to you, I am no longer a senior."

A hint of doubt appeared on Mu Qingyan's face.

The jellyfish didn't offer much explanation, but instead asked, "How do you know about my connection to the Zhou Tian Star Array?"

Mu Qingyan pondered for a moment and honestly said, "I hope you will forgive me, senior. The matter of the Zhou Tian Star Array is a secret of my sect, and I cannot tell you."

The jellyfish paused, narrowed its eyes, and stared at Mu Qingyan.

The surrounding darkness suddenly turned cold, like a deep-sea ice cave, without a trace of light or warmth. Mu Qingyan felt as if her soul was about to freeze.

But she lowered her head and looked down, using silence to resist this cold anger.

"Never mind." The jellyfish turned its head and asked again, "How is Xuanwei doing now?"

Mu Qingyan breathed a slight sigh of relief, thought for a moment, and answered seriously, "I only came into contact with some of the profound mysteries after I followed my master. I didn't know much about what happened before."

"Just tell me what you know."

"For our Nine Mountains Sect, the most important event in Xuanwei was actually the birth of the Great Freedom Demon Ancestor. This was a major event for Xuanwei as the Great Freedom Demon Ancestor was the first Dao Fruit to appear in Xuanwei, which directly triggered the Five Sects Alliance..."

When Mu Qingyan mentioned the Great Freedom Demon Ancestor, the jellyfish paused, muttering in confusion:

"How could he be the first to attain the Dao Fruit in the world?"

Seeing that Mu Qingyan had stopped, she said, "Continue."

But as she listened, she couldn't help but ask questions again and again.

"The Heavenly River Sect is gone?" Jellyfish asked with a sigh. "So early?"

"The Underworld? This must be the power of the Nine Netherworlds, right? He's attained the Taiyi realm?"

"Can the Dao Fruit be fatal?" The jellyfish finally couldn't hold back any longer and abruptly interrupted Mu Qingyan's narration, "Really?"

Her face looked very pale.

Mu Qingyan shut her mouth, feeling that the surrounding darkness was ten times colder than before, and dared not speak.

“You… continue.”

Jellyfish took a deep breath and finally regained her composure. A trace of the calm and resilience of the Yaochi Ancestor appeared in her eyes. She listened to Mu Qingyan's story without saying anything more.

After Mu Qingyan finished speaking, the jellyfish concluded, "So it seems that now your Nine Mountains Sect, relying on the Nine Nether Emperor, is barely able to stand as one of the three powers alongside the Supreme Dao and the Thunder Sound Temple?"

Mu Qingyan said yes.

"Has Yaochi already been occupied by Leiyin Temple?" The jellyfish's tone didn't seem very surprised. "Leiyin Temple has actually activated the Great Vajra Dharma Realm."

Her expression shifted several times before she finally spoke to Mu Qingyan, saying, "Your cultivation is still somewhat insufficient, but it's too late now."

"What's too late?"

The jellyfish replied irrelevantly, "Go to the secret chamber I left behind and strive to become a true immortal as soon as possible. Then you can try to enter the Zhou Tian Star Array."

"A true immortal?" Mu Qingyan was startled. "Me?"

“…Although I originally thought that someone had attained the Dao of the Loose Immortal realm before showing up, now that someone has shaken the Star Banner, the situation in Xuanwei is developing too fast.” At this point, the jellyfish frowned, seemingly with some deep doubts. “Fortunately, you have good talent and can become a god in such a short time. One day in that great formation is almost equivalent to one year in Xuanwei, so it’s not without hope.”

"What hope?" Mu Qingyan was even more confused. "Senior Jellyfish, why me?"

"Because you are me, or rather, a part of me, the seed I left behind."

Mu Qingyan was stunned. She had actually guessed it long ago, but she still didn't want to believe it when she heard these words.

“Back then, I made a mistake in my cultivation.” The jellyfish explained to Mu Qingyan in detail, “I had no choice but to distribute my unaffected self to the myriad realms.”

Mu Qingyan suddenly realized, "Inner demons."

"almost."

Jellyfish spoke casually, but Mu Qingyan couldn't help but sigh, "Besides the former... senior, I have never heard of anyone who could do such a thing."

"Because I am originally a Ren Water Peach Tree, a top-tier spiritual root of water and wood." The jellyfish smiled, seemingly somewhat proud. "Do you know what makes the Ren Water Peach Tree different from other top-tier spiritual roots?"

"where?"

"There can be more than one. Back when I was in Yaochi, I also had a peach orchard."

"To me, you are another peach tree in my peach orchard, which is why I call you seeds."

Mu Qingyan nodded slowly, then said, "Then those memories in my mind..."

"This is a deduction of mine, so that you can go further after experiencing a lifetime of trials."

So your garden specializes in resurrected beings?
But to be honest, with that "memory," Mu Qingyan thought to herself that even without joining the Nine Mountains Sect, she should have some capital now.

"Then why don't you just pass on your memories and insights to us directly? Wouldn't that be more beneficial to us?"

The jellyfish's eyes dimmed slightly: "Because the divine way is flawed, if one cultivates to the end, one will become an evil god. If you know too much, you will be unconsciously influenced by me."

She looked at Mu Qingyan: "I separated you not so that you would follow my old path, but so that you could find a great path that can complete the divine way."

At this point, the jellyfish looked at Mu Qingyan with great satisfaction: "Judging from your aura, it is not only pure and profound, but it also seems to carry some traces of divine magic?"

Mu Qingyan nodded. She had studied the "Huangting Jing" which was passed down from Zheng Fa, and had even practiced the divine path in the mortal world for a period of time.

"Although your cultivation level is a bit low, your foundation is solid. With my help, it won't be difficult for you to become a true immortal within a thousand years."

The more the jellyfish spoke, the more satisfied she became with Mu Qingyan.

Hearing the jellyfish bring up the old story again, Mu Qingyan couldn't help but ask in her heart, "Why do you want me to go to the Zhou Tian Star Array?"

Mu Qingyan's words made Jellyfish look extremely depressed.

"I sealed that evil god in the Zhou Tian Star Array and threw you into the myriad worlds so that after your cultivation greatly improved, you could use my backup plan in the array to re-prove the Golden Immortal realm, or even break through to the Great Luo realm again."

"Backhand?"

The jellyfish glanced at her but didn't continue the conversation: "But things didn't go as I expected."

"The Great Freedom Demon Ancestor was born too early."

"The Tianhe Sect and Haori Mountain are both gone."

“More importantly, Dao Fruit can die…” Jellyfish sighed. “Originally, no matter what happened in Yaochi, as long as my plan succeeded, Taiyin and the others could eventually be resurrected, but now that’s not possible.”

At this point, Jellyfish's tone was full of anger and bewilderment: "With Jiuyou's personality, how could he possibly achieve enlightenment?"

Mu Qingyan then understood that the jellyfish's arrangements were indeed thorough, but the problem was that times were changing too fast.

Looking at the angry jellyfish, Mu Qingyan felt embarrassed—the culprit who caused the jellyfish to miscalculate was perhaps, probably, likely her master.

Without her master's meddling, the Great Freedom Demon Ancestor wouldn't have been born so early, the Nine Nether Emperor would have had a harder time attaining enlightenment, and Mount Haori would never have disappeared.

“Someone has now entered the Zhou Tian Star Formation.” The jellyfish, oblivious to Mu Qingyan’s expression, spoke with a somber tone, “That formation took me hundreds of thousands of years to comprehend. How could someone break it so quickly?”

Mu Qingyan lowered her head, not daring to look at the jellyfish.

“I don’t know who’s in the formation, but this is definitely not a good thing,” Jellyfish frowned. “If that person is too strong, what I left behind will be taken away.”

"If the strength is too weak, then an evil god will be born."

Mu Qingyan asked again, "Senior, what did you leave inside?" The jellyfish glanced at her and suddenly laughed, "The Investiture of the Gods."

"Gods List?"

"It's not the kind of Investiture of the Gods in the Divine Path Grotto-Heavens, but a supreme treasure of the Divine Path that can cover all the heavens and myriad realms," the jellyfish said. "This is a supreme treasure that I created to prove my Dao as a Great Luo Immortal."

Mu Qingyan remembered that her master had told her back then that the Investiture of the Gods seemed to have been created by the jellyfish.

"Come with me, and you can quickly improve your cultivation, master the great formation, and ultimately use the Investiture of the Gods to prove your Dao as a Great Luo Immortal."

Mu Qingyan pursed her lips.

"You don't want to leave?"

"I have important business to attend to at Jiushan."

"Important matter?" The jellyfish couldn't understand at all. "You must understand that the evil god is also one with you. Without you, He cannot achieve the Great Luo. If He is born, you, you will definitely not be able to escape!"

Mu Qingyan's expression tightened, and after thinking for a long time, her eyes suddenly lit up:
"This disciple can tell Master."

The jellyfish seemed not to have heard her clearly and asked, "...What did you say?"

“I said, senior, tell me the backup plan you prepared in the formation, and I will tell my master… then the evil god will be unable to be born.”

Looking at Mu Qingyan, who looked like she wanted to call her parents, Jellyfish's face showed confusion for the first time.

She stared intently at Mu Qingyan, all traces of the satisfaction and appreciation she had shown earlier vanished. Her face seemed to say, "Could this be my child?"
Seeing Mu Qingyan's calm expression, Jellyfish gritted her teeth and spoke.

"The Great Luo Opportunity... Investiture of the Gods, the Zhou Tian Star Array."

You mean you're going to tell outsiders?

Mu Qingyan retorted, "Master is not an outsider."

"..."

The jellyfish's lips twitched, and it immediately retorted, "Foolish! Your own father and your Daoist partner are outsiders in the face of this opportunity!"

Mu Qingyan remained silent, her expression still showing resentment.

"You've forgotten all the memories I left you? What is the Xuanwei Realm?" The jellyfish felt only disappointment and frustration. "How did you cultivate to the Nascent Soul stage?"

"Under the guidance of my master..."

Seeing her stubbornness, the jellyfish looked like her head was buzzing, and her voice became weak: "Fine, even if you're willing to give this opportunity to an outsider, what's the use? The backup plan I set up in the great formation isn't something everyone can use!"

Mu Qingyan remained silent for a moment before revealing her thoughts.

"This disciple did not give up the opportunity to Master. Our Nine Mountains Sect will distribute the rewards according to the contribution."

She was actually very familiar with this matter. She provided information and benefited from the archaeological discoveries made by Xiao Yuying and her team. Now she has accumulated a considerable fortune.

The jellyfish simply said, "That's a tremendous opportunity!"

Mu Qingyan continued, "On the other hand, informing the sect of this information will maximize its value and prevent the emergence of the evil god to the greatest extent, which will be of the greatest help to me."

"No matter what, I can never beat the entire Jiushan sect working together when I fight alone."

The more confident Mu Qingyan spoke, the stranger the jellyfish looked at her with increasing unease, as if it were questioning its own choice.

After speaking, Mu Qingyan stared intently at the jellyfish.

"Wishful thinking," the jellyfish sneered.

Mu Qingyan pouted and remained silent.

"If you want to secretly reveal..."

Mu Qingyan felt as if the darkness was a whirlpool, pulling her deeper into it. She looked up at the jellyfish in horror.

"Then stay here with me forever."

The two fell silent. After a long while, the jellyfish finally spoke: "I never expected you to make this choice. I've lived for several epochs, and I've never heard of anyone like you."

"I think my thoughts are quite normal."

"madness!"

Just as Mu Qingyan was about to answer, a man's voice suddenly came from around her:

"Junior sister? Is junior sister there?"

"Who is that?"

"My senior brother came to see me." Mu Qingyan was startled, then remembered the important matter. "We had made an appointment."

The jellyfish nodded and waved.

Mu Qingyan felt someone push her on the forehead, and she tumbled through the air and flew out of the dream.

She hurriedly stood up, preparing to go to the courtyard gate to greet Gu Chang, but suddenly paused, watching the jellyfish phantom slowly appear in the corner of the room.

The jellyfish nodded and smiled at her, as if warning her.

Mu Qingyan curled her lips and quickly walked out of the room, the jellyfish phantom floating beside her.

"Brother!"

Gu Changzheng was standing at the courtyard gate when he heard her call out. He looked over with concern and asked, "Junior sister, are you alright?"

Mu Qingyan noticed that his gaze flickered over the spot where the jellyfish phantom stood, and knew that he hadn't seen the jellyfish. Suppressing her thoughts, she shook her head and said, "It's nothing. I just had some insights into cultivation and forgot about my promise to my senior brother."

Gu Chang laughed upon hearing this: "Is there such a good thing? Then I must congratulate Junior Sister on her great progress in cultivation."

As the senior brother, his cultivation level was actually a little lower than Mu Qingyan's.

Mu Qingyan had reached the Nascent Soul stage earlier than him and had a deeper cultivation level, but the smile on his face was extremely sincere, as if he was genuinely happy for Mu Qingyan's progress.

The jellyfish watched from the side, thinking to itself, "No wonder Mu Qingyan is so foolish and ignorant of the ways of the world; she dares to talk about such a great opportunity."

Mu Qingyan led Gu Chang into the room, glanced at the jellyfish, and suddenly asked, "Senior brother, I have a question for you."

"Well, I will answer what I can, but there are some areas I am not familiar with, so I may not be able to give my opinion."

Gu Chang spoke very cautiously.

"It's not academic; I just want to ask, what if you knew about a great opportunity?"

"A great opportunity? How great?"

Gu Chang is very meticulous.

"It's worth more than all of our Nine Mountains Sect combined."

Gu Chang nodded, indicating that he understood.

"So what would you do?"

"Is that even a question?" Gu Chang replied without hesitation, "Of course, it should be handed over to the sect!"

"Working together on research and development to maximize value might even bring some benefits to our project."

Mu Qingyan nodded repeatedly as she listened, and said, "That's what I think too."

After saying that, she glanced at the jellyfish phantom, her eyes conveying a clear message—my thoughts are perfectly normal!

Jellyfish looked at Gu Chang. Having cultivated divine arts for many years, she was best able to see through people's hearts. She could tell that Gu Chang hadn't thought much about what he was saying; it was just a natural and heartfelt answer.

Looking at Mu Qingyan's face full of approval, Jellyfish looked around blankly.

How many years have I been asleep...? Has the atmosphere of this Xuanwei Realm changed so much?
(End of this chapter)