Yue Liu’s recovery speed far exceeded Mo Fan’s expectations.
After just one night of quiet cultivation, her aura had recovered to about eighty or ninety percent, and even the colour in her face had improved considerably.
This made Mo Fan view her in a new light, while also secretly becoming more wary of this woman.
Last night, he had personally witnessed the commotion during her cultivation. She could actually draw in lunar essence like a demonic cultivator, and it was not ordinary absorption. Instead, the lunar essence formed a cascade, like a waterfall hanging down from the moon in the sky. This truly astonished Mo Fan.
Mo Fan knew the “Moon Heaven Scripture”, and even had it in his memory now, so he understood that this technique indeed focused on absorbing the power of the heavenly moon. However, it was far from this exaggerated.
After thinking it over, Mo Fan finally reached a conclusion: this was most likely related to Yue Liu’s constitution.
Although curious, he was not so tactless as to ask.
Early in the morning, the three of them officially set off, leaving Nanyang Island directly. They boarded a ferry and headed north all the way.
At first, Mo Fan worried that Yue Liu intended to take him to the Sun Moon Holy Sect, but after more than a month of life at sea, he realised that was not the case.
Upon careful inquiry, he learned some details from Yue Liu.
The Tianlu Sacred Land was located in the southwest of the Divine Domain, established within the Jing Kingdom.
Thus, the sea route was the shortest way to reach it. Travelling north along the southern coast of the Divine Domain would suffice, while also avoiding inspections by some righteous cultivators.
If they took the land route, they would inevitably encounter cultivators from righteous sects. If their identities were exposed then, they would truly become rats in the street.
More than three months passed in the blink of an eye.
When Mo Fan once again set foot on solid ground, he felt a great deal of emotion.
In those three months, Yue Liu had long since recovered her cultivation and become aloof once more.
It is worth mentioning that, during this time, Xiao Huang left the two of them. Under Mo Fan’s secret instructions, it went to the Divine Domain mainland to set up the heavenly net.
Yue Liu did not question Xiao Huang’s departure at all.
In her eyes, Xiao Huang was merely a minor half-demon who had not even stepped into the King Realm. It was beneath notice!
Several days after coming ashore, the two entered the territory of the Jing Kingdom and met two figures atop a high mountain.
Mo Fan and Yue Liu descended from the sky. His gaze swept over the pair, discovering an elderly man with crane-white hair and an ordinary-looking young cultivator.
The elderly man’s cultivation was at the late Core Formation stage, while the youth was only half-step Core Formation.
Upon seeing the two descend, the crane-haired elder immediately bowed respectfully to Yue Liu and said gravely, “Liu Zhengde pays respects to Your Highness the Saintess!”
“Master, what did you just call this woman?”
“Saintess?”
The youth beside Liu Zhengde changed complexion slightly, subconsciously taking a small step back.
Because the term “saintess” existed only in demonic paths. Righteous sects had no saintesses or saint sons, only the unified title of “personal disciple”!
“Elder Liu, is this your disciple?”
Yue Liu’s gaze immediately turned to the youth, a playful glint flashing in her eyes.
“Reporting to the Saintess, this child is named Zheng Dao. He is indeed a disciple I accepted, and he has followed me for several decades!”
Liu Zhengde smiled as he spoke, then looked at the wary Zheng Dao and said indifferently, “Dao’er, why do you not hurry and pay respects to the Saintess!”
“Master, is not the title ‘saintess’ used only in demonic paths?”
Zheng Dao’s face was serious. Not only did he not step forward, he retreated another half step and said gravely, “Who exactly are they?”
“You seem not to have told your disciple?”
Yue Liu’s lips curved slightly upon seeing this, a trace of interest appearing on her face.
“It does not matter, because I brought him here without intending to take him back!”
Liu Zhengde chuckled lightly. His words caused Zheng Dao’s pupils to contract. He immediately turned, sacrificed a flying sword, and prepared to flee into the air.
“Good disciple, where do you think you are going?”
Liu Zhengde’s voice sounded beside his ear. At the same time, he waved his hand casually, and a streak of golden light shot out abruptly.
Zheng Dao’s figure froze. Disbelief mixed in his eyes as he looked down at his left chest, only to see his robe already stained red with blood.
“Master, wh… why?”
Zheng Dao turned, looking at his master with a face full of pain.
A trace of sorrow flashed in Liu Zhengde’s eyes upon seeing this, but it soon turned into madness.
“Disciple, do not blame your master. This is cultivation!”
“To walk further on this path, to achieve immortality and ascend, your master is willing to pay any price!”
“From the moment I chose you, your fate today was sealed. I just did not expect this day to come so soon.”
Liu Zhengde smiled bitterly, then beckoned with his hand. The distant golden light returned, this time directly severing Zheng Dao’s head.
As Zheng Dao’s body fell, a jade pendant at Liu Zhengde’s waist also cracked.
He took it off, looked at it in his palm for a while, then crushed it casually into powder.
“Elder Liu is as decisive as ever!”
“Yue Liu admires you!”
Yue Liu smiled faintly upon witnessing this.
Mo Fan also took a deep look at this Liu Zhengde, who had killed his own disciple without hesitation.
“Decisiveness comes at a cost, so the benefits you promised me must not be lacking a single one. After all, this was my obedient disciple. I have always valued him greatly!”
Liu Zhengde looked at Yue Liu, his gaze turning somewhat cold.
“Rest assured, I will naturally fulfil what I promised. He is entrusted to you!”
Yue Liu said, then added a warning, “Do not let him die. If he dies, you will not live long either!”
“Are you threatening me?”
Liu Zhengde’s eyes narrowed immediately.
“You may think of it that way!”
Yue Liu chuckled lightly, completely unconcerned whether her words would anger Liu Zhengde.
“Hahahaha… Worthy of the saintess of the Sun Moon Holy Sect!”
Just as Mo Fan suspected the two might start fighting, Liu Zhengde suddenly burst into loud laughter.
“Your Highness the Saintess may rest easy. Since I accepted your benefits, I will certainly bring this child safely into the Tianlu Sacred Land.”
“However, I must say in advance: if this boy courts death himself after entering, you cannot blame me!”
Liu Zhengde spoke gravely.
“That is only natural!”
Yue Liu nodded, then looked at Mo Fan and said calmly, “This Elder Liu is an inner sect elder of the Tianlu Sacred Land. From now on, he will take you into the Tianlu Sacred Land, so you must follow his arrangements!”
“Although the Tianlu Sacred Land is not exactly a dragon’s pool or tiger’s den, if you cause trouble there, there will only be a path to death!”
Yue Liu looked deeply at Mo Fan, her tone carrying a hint of warning.
“Rest assured, I value my life greatly!”
Mo Fan smiled faintly at her.
Yue Liu nodded, then soared into the sky and soon vanished without a trace.
“Fellow Daoist, from now on you may have to aggrieve yourself by becoming my disciple!”
At this point, Liu Zhengde smiled at Mo Fan. In his hand was a bloody human skin.
Mo Fan looked closely and saw it was precisely the facial skin of the recently deceased Zheng Dao!
“I possess a secret technique called ‘Skin Painting’. I relied on this technique to reach my current position step by step, so I ask for your cooperation next!”
Liu Zhengde looked at Mo Fan with a beaming smile.
Mo Fan frowned slightly, but he did not refuse, allowing Liu Zhengde to proceed.
In just a short moment, Mo Fan had donned Zheng Dao’s face.
“From this day forward, as long as you are within the Tianlu Sacred Land, you are Zheng Dao, disciple of I, Liu Zhengde!”
“Yes, Master!”
