A moment later, Wen Xue calmed down.
"Life, more often than not, is about choices outweighing effort."
"I believe I made the right decision."
She seemed to have reached a compromise with herself. She turned to Wuma Hanshuang and formed hand seals.
In the next instant, Wuma Hanshuang — who had been as lifeless as a statue — had light return to her eyes.
She was dazed at first, somewhat confused.
But once she locked onto Wen Xue, a powerful killing intent erupted from her.
However, before she could make a move, the space around her body shattered entirely.
It was caused by an overwhelming pressure — but not hers.
It was Wen Xue's.
"Master, you are no match for me," Wen Xue said.
"What kind of monster are you?"
"What did you do to me earlier?"
Wuma Hanshuang fired off questions one after another.
Her expression was quite complicated. There was anger, but more than that, a deep wariness toward Wen Xue.
"I used your body to accomplish a few things."
"Those things are done now, so I've decided to set you free. After all, I am a person who knows gratitude."
"Although you also used me to your own ends, I can still tell whether you treated me well or not."
"So, Master, you may go."
"But you'd best not return to the Prison Sect, because as things stand now, you are a traitor to the sect."
With those words, Wen Xue vanished without a trace.
Only Wuma Hanshuang remained, standing in place with a conflicted expression.
She knew something must have happened, but she had absolutely no memory of what had taken place after Wen Xue took control of her body.
She examined her Dantian and could still sense the faint aura of the Gu worm that Wen Xue had previously planted there.
But she could also confirm that the Gu worm was gone.
She was truly free.
After deliberating for some time, she still headed toward the Immortal Star Domain.
…
Relying on the Nine Heavens Secret Ground in conjunction with Qin Jiu's bamboo boat, Chu Feng quickly arrived at the hidden dwelling of the Martial Arts Commerce Association's President.
The moment Chu Feng stepped inside, the figure of the Association's President appeared before him.
"Finally decided to come back, have you?" the President said.
"Well, I haven't been gone all that long, Senior," Chu Feng replied with a smile.
"Maybe not all that long, but quite a few things have happened in the Martial Cultivation World during that time."
"Why does it feel like your shadow is everywhere I look?"
Chu Feng scratched his head awkwardly. "There were indeed a few places I visited."
He could hear the President's implied meaning — that he was too much of a worry.
"Ah…"
The President let out a sigh. After all, Chu Feng was the future of the Sleeping Dragon Martial Sect. How could she not worry?
But she also knew that the path of a martial cultivator was never smooth sailing.
The problem was that Chu Feng's path was especially nerve-wracking — he seemed to dive headfirst into danger wherever it appeared.
"In any case, it's good that you're safe."
"I know why you've come back this time."
"Follow me."
With that, the President led Chu Feng, flying deep into this particular stretch of heaven and earth.
Before long, a stone tower came into Chu Feng's view.
"So that anomaly really was caused by Zi Ling," Egg Egg's voice rang out, brimming with joy.
A smile also appeared on Chu Feng's face.
That stone tower was where Zi Ling had entered secluded cultivation.
But now the tower was enveloped by a blood-red lotus formation.
Though small in size, its aura was immensely powerful — clearly the very same phenomenon that had covered the entire star domain earlier.
If this anomaly had indeed been triggered by Zi Ling, it meant that the harvest from her secluded cultivation this time would be extraordinary.
"You came back because you saw the anomaly Zi Ling caused, didn't you?" the President asked.
"Yeah." Chu Feng nodded.
"The fortune upon Zi Ling is truly heaven-defying. This seclusion of hers is completely different from anything before."