Traveling through time to cultivate immortality: a life and death test

"Queen, please calm down. I have no intention of enslaving Jiao Jiao, and I am willing to terminate the master-servant contract. The contract was signed so that we could successfully escape from the Sunset Secret Realm in the land of demons. This contract has always existed, one is to facilitate the communication between us, and the other is that Jiao Jiao herself is unwilling to terminate it. Jiao Jiao has mentioned to you the dream of the white-clothed flute fairy when she was a child, right?" Liu Xing saw that the queen was angry and about to go crazy, so he hurried to explain.

"Humph, of course I know what this dream is. It's just a child's dream. How can you take it seriously?" The queen said stubbornly.

"The key is that Jiao Jiao believed it to be true. After Zicheng followed me, she never had this dream again. I unilaterally and forcibly terminated the master-servant contract without her consent. I was worried that it would damage her Taoist heart and affect her cultivation." Liu Xing said again.

The queen remained silent. She had cultivated for thousands of years to achieve her current accomplishments. She deeply understood that the most difficult hurdle for a cultivator to overcome during their advancement was the inner demon. This was especially true when a human was forming a fetus or a demon cultivator was transforming, when the inner demon tribulation was even more terrifying than the thunder tribulation. She seemed to accept Liu Xing's suggestion that the master-servant contract was linked to the Dao Heart.

"Then...what should we do?" The queen didn't know what to do and asked Liu Xing.

"Don't worry, Queen. The solution to this matter ultimately depends on Jiao Jiao herself. When she figures it out and wants to cancel the contract, I will definitely agree. And before that, I can swear by my inner demons that I will never hurt Jiao Jiao in the slightest. Your Majesty can rest assured now." Seeing that the queen's emotions had stabilized, Liu Xing immediately told her the countermeasures he had already thought of.

"This is the only way for now. Swear to it." The queen pondered for a moment, as if there was no better solution. She thought to herself, if she took Jiao Jiao back this time, she could slowly convince her. Over time, her feelings for Liu Xing would fade. Then, she could terminate the contract without affecting Jiao Jiao.

Liu Xing pointed to the sky and solemnly swore a vow to his inner demons. For a cultivator, this vow was a must, otherwise they would be unable to overcome the inner demons during their advancement. The queen's expression softened after she saw Liu Xing swearing this oath.

"Jiao Jiao will go back with me to the tribe to practice in seclusion this time. Do you have any objection, fellow Daoist?" The queen said coldly again.

"Of course." Liu Xing agreed straightforwardly.

"The contract is allowed to exist first. If you dare to do anything bad and threaten Jiao'er's life, we, the Jiaolong clan, will kill you even if we have to chase you for thousands of miles!" The queen said to Liu Xing murderously, showing her love for her daughter vividly.

"Don't worry, Your Majesty." Liu Xing hurriedly comforted.

"You really don't want these spirit stones? With these resources, hurry up and improve your cultivation. Don't die midway and endanger my Jiao Jiao's life." The queen was in high spirits, having seen the important matter settled. She also knew that after a blow, there had to be a sweet treat. While the oath was there, wouldn't it be better to offer Liu Xing some sweet treats to make him willingly comply? After all, this small amount of money was no pressure at all for her.

"Your Majesty, I am truly unworthy of your kindness. However, I have a list of deep-sea specialties. If you could help me gather them, I would be deeply grateful and willing to exchange them for an equivalent value." Liu Xing still refused the generous gift, but then thought, why not take this opportunity to collect the spiritual herbs for his own alchemy? Land resources are scarce, and the spiritual herbs required to improve the Jindan level are extremely difficult to collect. With the help of the queen of the deep sea's largest clan, perhaps these difficulties will be a piece of cake.

"Oh, let me see it." Seeing that Liu Xing was unwilling to accept the gift, the queen admired him for being able to resist such a great temptation, and immediately became interested in the list of elixirs he proposed.

Liu Xing pulled out a blank jade slip, placed it against his forehead, and began to rapidly engrave. Over the years, he had accumulated a vast collection of elixir recipes, studying each one repeatedly. Naturally, he knew the ingredients by heart, and quickly compiled a long list. His philosophy was simple: state the need first, then collect as many as he could.

The queen took the list and was shocked to see that so many elixirs were needed. She glanced at Liu Xing suspiciously, but resisted the urge to ask any more questions and continued reading patiently.

"Fellow Daoist, you have asked for a lot, but most of these elixirs are used by Jindan cultivators. It is impossible to collect them all. I estimate that I can collect about 50% to 60%." After reading carefully, the queen said something that made Liu Xing ecstatic.

"Just do your best, Queen! I'm deeply grateful!" Liu Xing bowed deeply and solemnly to the Queen, his gratitude evident. Liu Xing's eagerness to seek elixirs revealed just how difficult it was for him to improve his cultivation. Without the aid of elixirs, the feeling of helplessness he felt despite diligent cultivation and yet making no progress was pitiful.

The queen was impressed by his sincerity, noble character, and strong ability, as well as his caring attitude towards her daughter. She felt like a mother-in-law looking at her son-in-law, and decided to help him.

"Okay, I will help you collect elixirs when I go back this time. I will advance the required expenses, and then I will send someone to deliver the supplies to Haibin City to hand over to you." The queen was also a decisive person and agreed immediately.

When Jiao Jiao arrived, he saw that his mother and master had stopped fighting and were communicating in a friendly manner, and he finally felt relieved.

Everything was settled, the soundproofing ban was lifted, and everyone saw that the queen and Liu Xing were getting along fine. Although their expressionless faces made it hard to tell what they were like, everyone finally felt relieved.

Liu Xing gave Jiao Jiao a reassuring look and told her the content of the conversation in his mind. Jiao Jiao felt relieved, so she went up to her mother and acted coquettishly again.

The queen looked at Jiao Jiao lovingly. She was very happy to see that her daughter was so attached to her and so well-behaved.

"Commander Lan, now that the princess has returned, there is no need to fight for Seaside City anymore. The soldiers have worked hard these days, and they should be rewarded according to their merits. We should also dismiss the useless soldiers and return to the Dragon Palace in three days." The queen called the blue dragon from a distance and arranged for the withdrawal of the troops.

"Yes." Lan Jiao took the order and left.

Seeing that everything had been arranged, Liu Xing planned to return to Haibin City.

"After this farewell, we won't meet again until a hundred years later. Jiao Jiao, you must practice well and don't slack off." Liu Xing instructed Jiao Jiao.

"Master, don't worry, I will try my best! But I will miss you after not being with you for such a long time." As Jiao Jiao spoke, tears couldn't stop falling.

Liu Xing seemed to see again the scene of his first encounter with Jiao Jiao in the Sunset Secret Realm. It couldn't break the restriction, so it sat alone on the stone and cried. Now, as they were about to part, it started crying again. What a child who never grew up.

"Jiao Jiao, don't cry. We will meet again. It will look ugly if your eyes are red from crying." Liu Xing touched Jiao Jiao's face and comforted her.

Duoduo also emerged from the storage bag and said goodbye to Jiaojiao. Jiaojiao asked him to assist his master and practice hard, and promised to bring him some delicious food when he returned.