Chapter 113 - 88: Four Profound Skills, Nine Calamities Demon-Vanquishing

The baby’s condition had Xu Guang and Ji Xiaolu worried sick.

The little guy was just a ball of flesh without a mouth. They had no idea how to nurse him, but fortunately, he didn’t seem to need milk.

Xu Guang suspected that the Essence of Life within the child was too overwhelming for his little body to bear, leading to a premature birth. Combined with poor development in the womb, it had resulted in this bizarre state.

After pondering for a long time, he recalled the mythological legend of Nezha from his past life. Nezha had supposedly been born as a ball of flesh as well, and it was only under the threat of his father Li Jing’s blade that he transformed into a human form.

Of course, Xu Guang wouldn’t do something like that. No matter what the child was, he was still born of Ji Xiaolu and was his own flesh and blood.

Currently only at the Refining Viscera stage, he lacked the miraculous methods of the Sensing Profound Realm. He could only let nature take its course and pray that the child was still developing.

Fortunately, as time passed, the child began to look increasingly normal and interacted more with the couple. Whenever they touched him, a sense of joy would emanate from him. Certain body parts gradually began to take shape as if he were developing—albeit rather slowly.

Xu Guang felt a sense of relief and happiness; after all, no one wanted their child to be something less than human.

Putting the matter of the child aside, Xu Guang began to contemplate their future.

Following the drastic upheaval in Feiyun City, the group was now effectively homeless, with no hometown to return to. Ever since Ji Xiaolu woke up a few days ago, a heavy gloom had settled over them.

No one willingly chose to leave their homeland behind, Xu Guang included.

He gazed at Feiyun City in the distance. The great city was as majestic as ever, but the sky above it had turned a pale yellow—like clouds, like mist.

Countless jackdaws suddenly took flight from the forest, their wings beating as they soared high. They circled in the air for a long time, as if unable to find anywhere else to go, before timidly returning to their branches.

Xu Guang didn’t know what the future held, but he figured he wouldn’t end up like those jackdaws.

"Erlang, where are we heading?" Wang Ming asked in a low voice from the side.

Xu Guang remained silent. He pulled a map from his chest, crossed out a red circle he had previously marked, and pointed to a large city at the end of the Wei River.

"Let’s go to You State. Yuan City isn’t a border town, nor is it a perpetual battleground like the Central Plains. Our family can live a good life there."

Wang Ming studied the map for a long while before suddenly pointing at a winding line on it. "Is this the Wei River?"

Xu Guang nodded.

He had no choice but to go there. Originally, he had wanted to head to Ping City, which would have been a much better fit.

He hadn’t even considered anything below the level of a County City. The Great Qian’s system was highly chaotic. A county might seem like it was a tier lower than a County City and therefore safer, but that was far from the truth. The smaller the pond, the more treacherous the turtles; the tinier the temple, the fouler the demonic winds.

Sect forces entrenched themselves in every county.

Most counties relied entirely on nearby Sects, and the lifelong ambition of the majority of their residents was to join one.

As a result, these counties were incredibly xenophobic. After all, when everyone from the officials to the commoners belonged to the same faction, excluding outsiders was inevitable.

The Great Qian Country’s dual elevation of the state and the National Sect was no empty talk, but a principle that permeated every aspect of life. Counties were governed by ordinary Sects, County Cities were jointly governed by the state and the National Sect, and only the states were directly controlled by the royal Qian family!

The county territories were practically states within a state.

Ji Xiaolu had now become a River God. It seemed like an awe-inspiring title, but just as deities were bound by the Gods’ Sealing List, she was bound to the Wei River. She couldn’t leave its waters for more than a single day; otherwise, her Divine Seal would collapse, and her Divine Power would violently backlash against her.

In truth, this was actually a blessing for Ji Xiaolu. At the very least, Xu Guang no longer had to worry that a century from now, while he remained youthful due to his martial arts, she would be reduced to a handful of dust.

Listening to their conversation, Xu Chun stared blankly at Feiyun City and asked softly, "Brother Guang, if we leave like this... do you think we’ll ever be able to come back?"

Xu Guang remained speechless.

"Mom and Dad... they’ll be lonely," Xu Chun added.

Xu Guang’s mood sank as well. "Don’t worry, we’ll be back. Once we find our third sister, our whole family will come visit Mom and Dad’s graves."

Xu Chun said no more; she was merely seeking some semblance of comfort.

No matter how fierce her temper was, she was still a woman. When faced with the sorrow of leaving their homeland, she wasn’t even as resilient as the usually soft-spoken Ji Xiaolu.

Xu Guang didn’t say anything else, simply staring at the map to find a route.

The map was actually useless. After all, their destination was the source of the Wei River. As long as they traveled upstream along its banks, they would eventually reach it.

However, traveling like this was incredibly dangerous. The Ghostly Roar was a massive Alien Species of the river, and now that the Yellow Heaven Sect had allied with the Earthly Branches Twelve Sects, there was a high chance they were capturing Alien Species along the way.

Fortunately, Xu Guang had previously tamed a few aquatic Exotic Beasts. Their combat prowess wasn’t outstanding, but they were perfectly capable of carrying luggage and supplies.

Song Tao volunteered to ride the Cyan-Scaled Horse along the riverbank, serving as a lookout for the group.

The group’s pace was sluggish, much slower than they had anticipated.

Another day passed.

A small boat drifted across the water’s surface.

Xu Guang couldn’t help but stand up, his fingers gripping his Big Spear tightly. But upon seeing the approaching figure, a look of sheer astonishment washed over his face. When he took in the man’s appearance, a sense of absurdity flashed through his eyes.

The person was... Li Zongkang!

"Marshal Li?"

Xu Guang could tell that the man had seemingly just been through an exceptionally brutal battle.

Li Zongkang leaned against the boat’s cabin, holding a jug of wine in his long arm. Having always been meticulous about his appearance since following Duan Jue, he now sported untidy stubble and looked like a total savage.

He looked at Xu Guang, gave a slight nod, and suddenly revealed a faint smile.

Xu Guang’s expression turned complicated. "You joined the Yellow Heaven Sect?"

"I am a Yang Jun," Li Zongkang replied concisely.

Xu Guang immediately understood. The man was now a Yang Jun of the Yellow Heaven Sect, a rank above the Canon Seat. Anyone who could reach such a status was either in the Sensing Profound Realm or, at the very least, a Half-Step Sensing Profound expert.