Chapter Forty-Two: Parting Ways

Within the stone forest, beside a massive boulder, Mo Chaoge, Barnard, and the Envoy of the Nether Moon stood with indifferent expressions, as though waiting for some news.

Before long, a Dark Star Envoy of the Nether Abyss appeared from a distant stone path and strode directly toward them. Upon arrival, he bowed to the Envoy of the Nether Moon and reported, “My lord, there is still no sign of them.”

The Envoy of the Nether Moon nodded and waved his hand. “Keep a close watch on those checkpoints. Do not relax your vigilance!”

“Yes, sir!” The Dark Star Envoy in charge of reconnaissance quietly retreated, his silhouette flickering among the rocks, vanishing in the blink of an eye.

An hour later, the imposing, one-armed Johnson emerged from another stone passage. After saluting Mo Chaoge, he reported, “There’s no sign of them.”

“Hmm.” Mo Chaoge nodded. “Keep your post. I refuse to believe they won’t show themselves eventually.”

“Third Master, could they have been killed by the beasts in the Dark Forest?” Johnson hesitated, then added, “I’ve heard that after we left, the beasts in that region became even more frenzied. Many warriors who lingered there have reportedly died. Since those few haven’t appeared, perhaps they’ve already been killed.”

“That’s possible.” Surprisingly, Mo Chaoge didn’t refute him. He first nodded before saying, “But if they weren’t killed by the beasts and managed to sneak into the Merchant Alliance while our attention wavered, we’d regret it bitterly! Do you understand my meaning?”

“I do! I’ll keep watching at once!” Johnson’s expression grew serious as he hurried off.

Mo Chaoge frowned and turned to the Envoy of the Nether Moon. “We’ll wait one more month. If they still don’t come out, perhaps they truly perished inside. What do you think?”

“I have no objections,” the Envoy replied. After a moment’s thought, he said, “I’ve received news that the Medicine King Gan Xiao and the Thunderwing Silver Wolf are still fighting in the Dark Forest. However, the beasts there are too numerous, and Gan Xiao seems to be withdrawing. Now, most of the Dark Forest’s beasts are gathered around the Thunderwing Silver Wolf, still pursuing Gan Xiao and his followers. The area where they were was actually relatively safe by comparison.”

“You mean… they might still be alive?” Mo Chaoge asked.

“There’s a strong chance,” the Envoy said. “Many warriors in that area were killed, and those who weren’t fled in terror. As long as their luck isn’t abysmal, they should be able to make it out.”

“Let’s hope they survive!” Barnard of the Fanged Mercenaries muttered with venom in his eyes. “If they do, I’ll make them regret ever coming to this world.”

The Envoy’s eyes flashed coldly. “That one named Mu—I want to take him.”

“That scrawny kid comes to me first,” Mo Chaoge stated coolly, glancing at Barnard. “He stole from the Mo family. I’ll recover what’s ours, then do as you please.”

Barnard fell silent, deep in thought.

…

Shi Yan moved cautiously among the jagged stones, never daring to relax his guard for a moment.

Ahead, Mu Yudie and Diyalan walked side by side, conversing in low voices about matters unknown.

“Ding Yan.” Suddenly, Mu Yudie halted and turned to look at him.

“Hmm?” Shi Yan was slightly surprised, letting his guard down just a little. “What is it?”

“You’re from the Merchant Alliance, aren’t you?” Mu Yudie asked casually, after a moment’s hesitation.

“Yes.”

“And you cultivate alone?”

“Yes.”

“You’ve helped me a lot along the way,” Mu Yudie said solemnly, her bright eyes fixed on him. “I’d like to introduce you to someone. If you can earn his favor, it will greatly benefit your future cultivation. What do you say?”

Shi Yan paused, then shook his head calmly. “I appreciate your kindness, Miss Mu, but I’m not one who likes to be constrained by others.”

He understood that Mu Yudie intended to recommend him to some powerful figure or influential faction.

In this world, there were lone warriors, but most such people possessed exceptional strength and needed no support. The vast majority, however, sought to join powerful factions or great families, which controlled abundant resources, offered advanced techniques and materials, and provided expert guidance—all essential for quickly breaking through bottlenecks.

Yet, truly formidable forces rarely accepted those of unknown origin. Without an introduction, joining such groups was exceedingly difficult.

Clearly, Mu Yudie knew someone important within a major faction and wished to do Shi Yan a favor.

“Cultivating alone is difficult,” Mu Yudie said, surprised by his refusal. “Only by relying on a strong faction can you progress swiftly and have allies to watch your back during training. A lone warrior in unfamiliar territory easily becomes a target. Do you understand?”

“She’s right,” Diyalan added. “It’s a generous offer, and you can decide afterward whether to refuse.”

“No need,” Shi Yan replied firmly. “I have my own matters to attend to. I don’t wish to become a servant for some family.”

“As you wish,” Mu Yudie said, her brows knitting, feeling he was being ungrateful. She did not press further.

Diyalan sighed, a hint of sadness in her heart. She would follow Mu Yudie, which meant parting from Shi Yan at last—a thought that filled her with sorrow, for his presence had left a deep impression on her.

“Ding Yan, I’m going with Yudie. You…” After a long hesitation, Diyalan could no longer keep silent, her gaze pleading.

“You can come with me too,” Shi Yan said after a stunned pause. “If you wish.”

“I…” Diyalan hesitated, her expression bitter. “The power behind Yudie can not only protect her but will help me advance as well. She’s promised me not just rich cultivation resources, but a profound-grade weapon, and even the chance to learn spirit-level techniques in the future. I…”

“Then forget it.”

Shi Yan cut her off coldly. “You have your ambitions, and I have mine. What you want… I can’t give you. When we reach Silent Town, we’ll part ways.”

Clearly, Diyalan believed the power behind Mu Yudie offered her more for her future, with conditions too tempting to refuse.

“Ding Yan…” Diyalan murmured, heart aching. “I’m sorry.”

“There’s no need,” Shi Yan replied, shaking his head. “We both agreed to travel together. Once it’s over, we owe each other nothing.”

“You!” Diyalan’s face darkened, a hint of resentment in her eyes as her chest trembled slightly. At last, she sighed. “Think what you like. I have my reasons. You’re still young—you wouldn’t understand…”

Shi Yan curled his lip, his expression cold and disdainful, saying nothing.

“Doesn’t know what’s good for him,” Mu Yudie snorted.

“Too many words between people who don’t get along,” Shi Yan said, shaking his head. He couldn’t be bothered to answer, nor even look at them. He strode toward another path, his back to the two women, his voice cold: “We’ll never meet again.”

“Ding Yan!” Diyalan cried. “Weren’t we supposed to part ways only at Silent Town?”

“Miss Mu is already at the third tier of the Human Realm, and there are experts waiting in the stone forest. You’ll be perfectly safe. I won’t impose myself.” Shi Yan’s voice drifted away as his figure vanished.

“That arrogant fool will suffer for it someday,” Mu Yudie said, shaking her head. “In this world, you sometimes have to yield, or you won’t survive long—especially for us martial artists.”

Diyalan felt lost and sad. “I just worry about him. Wouldn’t it be better to travel together? Why did he refuse?”

“Let it go. We’re all in the Merchant Alliance; perhaps we’ll meet again,” Mu Yudie consoled her. “We’re women, and we both bear the mission of revitalizing our families and avenging Uncle Luo and the others. We must rely on powerful forces and strong people—only then can we realize our dreams.”

Mu Yudie’s bright eyes softened with complex emotion as memories of her time with Shi Yan surfaced—his domineering kiss in the cave… Yet she shook her head forcefully, as though trying to banish his image from her mind, murmuring, “…as for him, let him be a beautiful memory in our lives.”

It seemed she spoke as much to herself as to Diyalan.

“He’s not bad, really—he’s on the verge of breaking through to the Human Realm, and he’s so young…” Diyalan muttered.

“If he wants to reach the Hundred Tribulations or Earth Realm, it’ll take ten years at least. As for Nirvana or Heaven Realm—who knows how long? We can’t wait that long. Besides, he’s just one man, with no power behind him…”

“Ah, let’s hope we made the right choice.”

“I can’t be wrong!”

…

PS: It’s Sunday. I went to the hospital this afternoon and came back late. Sorry, the new book has no manuscript backlog. This chapter was written just now. Please bear with me. I humbly ask for your recommendations and member clicks tomorrow. Thank you all in advance.