Chapter 525 - 532: The Changes Brought by the Spacetime Fragment

Feng Jiuxiao looked up, and when she saw Song Wanning, her expression froze.

She wasn’t surprised by the improvement in her Cultivation.

But the aura Song Wanning now carried was a complete surprise.

"You’ve entered the Immortal Washing Pool without even ascending yet?"

Her eyes widened in astonishment. It was the first time she had seen someone so reckless.

But judging by the results, Song Wanning had really hit the jackpot this time.

"Yes, I ran into a senior."

Song Wanning smiled, quite pleased with her own transformation. She was even a little eager to rush out and test her new strength.

Feng Jiuxiao noticed her eagerness, and her lips twitched.

’Looks like she’s a troublesome warmonger, not so different from me.’

’No wonder my future self will like her. We’re kindred spirits.’

The two exchanged a few pleasantries and discussed their plans. Feng Jiuxiao’s gaze then filled with regret as she looked at Song Wanning.

"If only you belonged to this time."

"We’ll meet again, and it won’t be long."

Song Wanning gave a gentle smile. She had faith in her abilities and believed she could ascend to the Immortal Realm soon.

When that time came, they would have to have a proper get-together.

"Alright. Then you’d better be quick. Don’t keep me waiting too long."

Feng Jiuxiao laughed heartily, then picked up the hairpin and once again placed it in Song Wanning’s hair.

"I’ll do everything I can to fulfill my promise to you. I hope I can be of help."

Song Wanning’s ambitions were lofty, and Feng Jiuxiao was happy to lend a hand.

"Thank you, Senior!"

Without a second thought, Song Wanning reached out and gave Feng Jiuxiao a gentle hug.

Even though Feng Jiuxiao was her senior, being with her felt more like being with a friend.

Despite only spending a short time together on each occasion, they always felt a strong sense of rapport.

The tips of Feng Jiuxiao’s ears turned slightly red. She returned the hug a bit awkwardly before quickly pulling away.

’Everyone thinks I’m bad-tempered. This is the first time someone has hugged me willingly. It feels strange.’

"I’ll take my leave now. Please take care, Senior!"

Song Wanning cupped her hands in a final farewell to Feng Jiuxiao, then turned and walked into the cluster of tombs.

Instantly, everything around her began to distort, and in the blink of an eye, all trace of Song Wanning was gone.

Feng Jiuxiao watched her silhouette fade away, a slow smile gracing her lips.

She lowered her head and looked at the copied text in her hand, a fierce fighting spirit igniting in her eyes.

’I absolutely cannot break my promise to Song Wanning!!’

...

「Central Domain, Huo Family Estate.」

The new Huo Clan Leader sat in the center of the main hall, his brow furrowed with worry.

The Huo Family had suffered a blow to its interests after losing two Integration Stage Cultivators in a row. Lately, several other families had started to provoke them, stoking their fury.

"It’s all Huo Yang and his lot’s fault! They caused so much trouble. For them, death was an easy way out, but we’re the ones left to clean up this mess!"

An elder complained.

Huo Yang and Huo Jinchuan were both dead, but the repercussions for the Huo Family lingered.

The loss of their treasures, in particular, had a significant impact on the Huo Family.

When the Ancestors found out, they flew into a terrible rage and gave them a furious tongue-lashing.

"We have to capture Song Wanning and Baili Shang now. Otherwise, there’s no telling how long we’ll be a laughingstock."

"Exactly! Everywhere we go, people use this incident to mock us. I’m about to go crazy!"

The great Huo Family, played for fools by two little cultivators and still unable to catch them, had become a complete joke.

Even after so much time, people still taunted them about it, annoying them to no end.

"Alright, alright. Have you heard anything about Song Wanning?"

The Huo Clan Leader cut off their complaints and asked.

"No. It’s like those two vanished into thin air. Do you think they’ve left the Central Domain?"

"Why don’t we just go to the Four Domains and demand they hand them over? I bet they wouldn’t dare to protect them!"

"Right, why don’t we just go straight to the Four Domains?"

The more they spoke, the more worked up they became, eager to rush out and settle the score immediately.

"You want to embarrass us even more, is that it?"

The Huo Clan Leader felt a massive headache coming on as he looked at them helplessly.

Whenever it came to Song Wanning and Baili Shang, these elders lost all composure.

But he understood. They had been pushed into a corner.

"Forget it. For now, let’s just focus on finding news of those two."

"The Ancestors contacted me yesterday. As soon as there’s any news of Song Wanning, I’m to report it immediately."

"They’re preparing to go and ’meet’ those two themselves."

The Huo Clan Leader thought of the Ancestors’ furious expressions, and a chill went through him.

’With the Ancestors making a move, those two are as good as dead.’

...

DONG—

The sound of a tolling bell echoed in her ears. With a flicker, Song Wanning reappeared inside the tall tower.

The malevolent souls being punished there saw her and reacted as if they had seen a ghost, trembling in fear.

During that great battle, they had all nearly been completely annihilated. Now, the mere sight of Song Wanning was traumatic, making them wish they could faint on the spot.

Song Wanning shot them a cold glance, and the wailing, screaming souls immediately fell silent. They didn’t dare make a sound, terrified she would finish them off with a single slap.

The Netherworld King and the Mahayana cultivator were nowhere to be seen. She strode toward the malevolent souls and asked what had happened after she left.

"After—after you disappeared, milady, the Netherworld King and that man—they kept fighting. Then reinforcements from the Netherworld arrived. The man couldn’t win, so he ran away—"

The soul recounted what it knew, trembling uncontrollably.

Song Wanning’s sudden disappearance had caught the Netherworld King completely off guard.

Fortunately, reinforcements from the Netherworld arrived not long after, and they eventually managed to drive off the crazed Mahayana cultivator.

Having gotten the gist of what happened, Song Wanning turned and headed down the tower.

Just as she stepped out of the tower, the Netherworld King appeared at the entrance.

Every generation of the Netherworld King was carefully cultivated and ultimately selected from a group of candidates.

Therefore, he didn’t resemble the Netherworld King from the time fragment, nor was he likely a descendant.

But for some reason, she felt the way the Netherworld King was looking at her was strange.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

Song Wanning felt a newfound confidence. Facing the Netherworld King, she was calm and composed, showing no fear.

The Netherworld King gazed at her with a complicated expression. "Come with me to the Netherworld Palace first."

He led Song Wanning to the Netherworld Palace. More shocking than the changes to Song Wanning’s body and Cultivation was the new memory that had appeared in his own mind.

The previous Netherworld King had been his master. Before ascending, his master had repeatedly instructed him to protect the Netherworld, and nothing more.

But now, a new memory had surfaced—one of his master telling him to wait for a "fated person."

It was supposedly an instruction passed down from an ancestor many generations ago.

Yet when he had unrolled the portrait, it was of an incredibly familiar face.

The Netherworld King was filled with questions.

’Why did Song Wanning suddenly disappear, and where did she go?’

’Why would the ancestors leave behind such an instruction?’

’What in the world happened?’