The Immortal Realm is unsafe, and the Mortal and Nether Realms are even more perilous.
Shui Miao changed his mind. Rather than leaving his loved ones and friends behind in the Mortal Realm, worrying endlessly about their safety, he decided it was better to bring them along on his journey.
The Realm of Intentions is safe; even if he himself were to be killed, the Realm of Intentions would continue to exist.
As he traveled, Shui Miao kept pondering the nature of this so-called Realm of Intentions.
From a realistic perspective, the Realm of Intentions seemed illusory, merely a figment of imagination.
However, after previously destroying Hua Yuting’s Realm of Intentions, Shui Miao realized that the world of Intentions was indeed real—it wasn’t entirely illusory.
Still, Shui Miao couldn’t quite grasp the nature of this realm that lay somewhere between illusion and reality. He even wondered whether the Three Realms he inhabited were merely someone else’s Realm of Intentions.
Such a question was difficult to comprehend.
Before he realized it, Shui Miao had arrived at the Dragon’s Lair Island.
With a sweep of his divine consciousness, he suddenly discovered that half the island had been occupied by Huide, who had brought along a massive horde of monstrous beasts.
Bailian and the others had only managed to hold onto half the island, appearing rather cramped.
Shui Miao transmitted his thoughts, summoning everyone to come out.
Upon sensing Shui Miao’s return, the others—Bailian, Baifeng, and the rest—who had been meditating, became excited and rushed out joyfully.
However, what startled Shui Miao was the sight of the two ant queens from the Realm of Rakshasa, who had already reproduced into tens of thousands of ant-like beasts. These creatures were even larger than crocodiles, pitch-black in color, and now crawled out in swarms, covering the half of the island like a massive ant colony.
On the other half, many other beasts were disturbed and flew out in alarm.
“Whoosh!”
A gust of wind sounded, and suddenly Huide emerged from the Rakshasa Sea, flying into the air to stand before Shui Miao. Bowing respectfully, he smiled and said, “Master, please rest assured—I haven’t harmed your friends. In fact, I’ve been guarding them every day. It’s just that the number of beasts I brought back was too large, and many of them couldn’t swim, so they had no place to stay. That’s why they ended up sharing the space with your friends.”
Huide wore a cheerful expression, clearly afraid of incurring Shui Miao’s wrath, and seemed completely different from his former self.
At that moment, Baifeng and the others flew over.
Shui Miao willed his mind, drawing everyone into the Realm of Intentions. With divided attention, he conversed with them while speaking to Huide, “Ao Shuang, I didn’t expect you to still call me Master?”
“Master, you’ve always been my Master. All my skills were taught by you. Without you, I wouldn’t be who I am today. I’ve come to understand everything now. From now on, I’ll be known as Huide, not Ao Shuang anymore.” Huide exhaled deeply. “Ever since we parted ways in the Immortal Realm, after I returned with this horde of beasts and heard what my father said, I gradually came to terms with things. After all, it’s just a Nuwa Stone. We were weak, and if you hadn’t come to claim it, someone else would have. At least you treated me kindly. Had I given it to someone else, they might have killed me outright.”
“…”
Seeing Huide’s sudden transformation into someone so enlightened, Shui Miao couldn’t help but feel it was somewhat insincere.
After a pause, Shui Miao furrowed his brows and asked, “What’s your real purpose in telling me all this?”
As he spoke, Shui Miao also channeled his spiritual power, enveloping the ghost generals and the ant queens and their swarm on half the island, transporting them all into the Realm of Intentions.
Seeing this, Huide realized Shui Miao was about to leave with everyone and quickly said, “Master, I don’t have any ulterior motives. I just want to ask you for a favor…”
“What favor? Speak quickly—I’m in a hurry.”
Shui Miao speculated that Huide probably wanted him to give away some magical treasures.
Sure enough, Huide spoke up, “Master, the thing is—I’m completely empty-handed now, with no treasures at all. Could you, out of our master-disciple bond, give me a couple of treasures for self-defense?”
“Unfortunately, I don’t have any spare treasures.”
Shui Miao furrowed his brows again. All his treasures had their uses—how could he just hand them over?
“No, I don’t need good ones. I just want the Fire Dragon Cannon. And if possible, Master, could you also give me a time-based protective treasure?” Huide scratched his head, feigning embarrassment.
“…”
Shui Miao didn’t respond immediately, instead falling into deep thought.
“This Huide is unpredictable, his moods and personality ever-changing, and he’s deeply scheming. Having grown up within my Realm of Intentions, he knows everything about me—my habits, my personality, my aura. I can’t just be kind without being cautious. If he secretly resents me over the Nuwa Stone and stabs me in the back, I’ll be in serious trouble! Perhaps I should sense his thoughts, test his intentions toward me, and then decide?”
After a moment’s contemplation, Shui Miao suddenly activated his spiritual power to envelop Huide.
“Master, you’re going to sense my thoughts, right? I was actually prepared for this.”
Huide smiled faintly, relaxing his mind and allowing Shui Miao to probe.
He actually guessed my intention… Shui Miao’s heart jolted.
This kind of opponent was hard to guard against!
Perhaps Huide was trying to use reverse psychology, thinking that I would spare him out of pride?
The more Huide acted this way, the more cautious Shui Miao became.
Without hesitation, Shui Miao immediately summoned the power of two Emperor-Divine Artifacts, forcefully and decisively probing Huide’s mind.
“Damn it!”
“You actually dared to scheme against me!”
Moments later, Shui Miao’s heart jolted again as he discovered that deep within Huide’s mind lay an abyss of darkness and malice, brimming with sinister plots.
Yet, there was still a sliver of sincerity—a genuine desire to befriend Shui Miao.
However, under certain circumstances, Huide would betray Shui Miao without hesitation.
The reason he was now flattering Shui Miao was simply because he still feared his power. If not for his fear of Shui Miao, he would have already slaughtered everyone on the Dragon’s Lair Island.
The celestial realm is unsafe, and the mortal and underworld realms are even more perilous.
Shui Miao changed his mind. Rather than worrying about his loved ones and friends in the mortal realm, he decided to bring them along on his journey.
The Planet of Artistic Conception is safe. Even if he were to be killed, the planet would continue to exist.
Throughout the journey, Shui Miao pondered what the Artistic Conception truly was.
From a realistic perspective, the Artistic Conception is illusory, a product of imagination.
However, after the last incident where he destroyed Hua Yuting’s Artistic Conception space, Shui Miao realized that the world of Artistic Conception is real, not entirely illusory.
Yet, Shui Miao couldn’t comprehend the nature of this world that lies between illusion and reality. He even wondered if the three realms he inhabited were someone else’s Artistic Conception.
This question was difficult to unravel.
Before he knew it, Shui Miao had arrived at the Isle of the Evil Dragon.
With a sweep of his divine sense, Shui Miao suddenly discovered that half of the Isle of the Evil Dragon had been occupied by Hui De and a large number of demonic beasts.
Bai Lian and the others had only taken half of the island, and it looked quite crowded.
Shui Miao sent a telepathic message, calling everyone out.
Bai Feng and the others, who were meditating and cultivating, were thrilled to hear that Shui Miao had returned and quickly came out.
To Shui Miao’s surprise, the two ant queens from the Raksha Realm had already bred tens of thousands of ant beasts. These ant beasts were larger than crocodiles, pitch black, and crawled out in droves, making half of the Isle of the Evil Dragon look like a giant ant nest.
On the other side, many demonic beasts were startled and flew out as well.
“Whoosh!”
A gust of wind sounded as Hui De suddenly flew out from the Raksha Sea, standing in mid-air before Shui Miao. He clasped his hands and said with a smile, “Master, rest assured, I haven’t harmed your friends. I’ve been protecting them every day. It’s just that I brought back too many demonic beasts, and many of them are landlubbers with nowhere to stay, so they had to squeeze in with your friends.”
Hui De grinned, seemingly afraid that Shui Miao would blame him, a stark contrast to his previous demeanor.
At that moment, Bai Feng and the others flew over.
With a thought, Shui Miao brought everyone into the Planet of Artistic Conception, multitasking by communicating with them while speaking to Hui De: “Ao Shuang, I didn’t expect you to still call me Master?”
“Master, you are indeed my master. All my skills were taught by you. Without you, I wouldn’t be where I am today. I’ve come to realize that I will now be called Hui De, not Ao Shuang,” Hui De sighed deeply. “After parting ways in the celestial realm, I returned with a large number of demonic beasts. After hearing some words from my father, I gradually understood. It’s just a piece of Nüwa Stone. We are weak. If you didn’t come to take it, someone else would. By giving it to you, you might treat me better. If I gave it to someone else, they might have already killed me.”
“…”
Seeing Hui De’s seemingly profound realization, Shui Miao couldn’t help but feel it was somewhat insincere.
After a pause, Shui Miao raised an eyebrow and asked, “What is your purpose in telling me this?”
As he spoke, Shui Miao also used his magic to envelop half of the Isle of the Evil Dragon, moving the ghost generals, ant queens, and ant beasts into the Planet of Artistic Conception.
Seeing this, Hui De knew Shui Miao was planning to leave with everyone and quickly said, “Master, I… I don’t have any ulterior motives. I just want to ask for your help…”
“With what? Speak directly, I’m in a hurry.”
Shui Miao wondered if Hui De was going to ask for a couple of magical treasures.
Sure enough, Hui De spoke up, “Master, it’s like this. I’m empty-handed now, without any magical treasures. Could you, for the sake of our master-disciple relationship, give me a couple of treasures for self-defense?”
“But I don’t have any extra treasures.”
Shui Miao frowned again. The treasures he had were all in use; how could he just give them away?
“No, I don’t need anything fancy. Just the Fire Dragon Cannon will do. If possible, could you also give me a Time Protection Treasure?” Hui De scratched his head, looking somewhat embarrassed.
“…”
Shui Miao didn’t respond immediately but fell into deep thought.
“This Hui De is unpredictable, with a complex personality and deep scheming. He grew up in my Planet of Artistic Conception and is familiar with everything about me—my affairs, my personality, my aura… I can’t just be kind-hearted without being cautious. What if he holds a grudge over the Nüwa Stone and stabs me in the back? That would be troublesome! Perhaps I should sense his thoughts and test his wariness before making a decision?”
After some consideration, Shui Miao suddenly enveloped Hui De with his magic.
“Master, you’re trying to sense my thoughts, aren’t you? I was already prepared.”
Hui De smiled, relaxing and allowing Shui Miao to sense his mind.
He actually guessed my intentions… Shui Miao was startled.
Such an opponent is hard to guard against!
This Hui De, he might be using reverse psychology, thinking I would save face and not probe his thoughts?
The more Hui De acted this way, the more Shui Miao couldn’t afford to be careless.
Immediately, Shui Miao summoned the power of two Immortal Emperor-level artifact spirits, forcefully and decisively sensing Hui De’s thoughts…
“Bastard!”
“You’re actually playing mind games with me!”
Moments later, Shui Miao was shocked to find that Hui De’s heart was filled with extreme darkness and malice, brewing all sorts of sinister plots.
However, there was also a trace of genuine kindness in him, a sincere desire to befriend Shui Miao.
But if certain special circumstances arose, he wouldn’t hesitate to betray Shui Miao.
The reason he was now ingratiating himself with Shui Miao was because Shui Miao was still powerful. If not for his fear of Shui Miao, he would have already gone on a killing spree on the Isle of the Evil Dragon.
Hui De, under Shui Miao’s mental control, couldn’t move his body, only his thoughts were active. Hearing Shui Miao’s anger, he immediately knew that his little schemes had been completely exposed. He panicked and begged for mercy, “Master, spare me! This is just childish thinking. You know, people have two sides to their thoughts. I was just resentful, which led to these chaotic ideas. Please don’t kill me! I still have to take care of my elderly father and lead these demonic beasts to survive. I can’t die! I don’t need the treasures anymore. I promise to reform, I swear I will change my ways. If I ever dare to have even the slightest disrespectful thought towards you, may I be struck by heavenly lightning, never to be reincarnated…”
Hui De kept begging for mercy, and in his panic, he sent a telepathic message, calling for his father to save him…
“Great Immortal, Great Immortal, my child is ignorant. If he has offended you in any way, please don’t hold it against him…”
From the Raksha Sea, Ao Shuang’s father, sensing his son’s call, was startled and quickly transformed into human form to plead for mercy.
“…”
Seeing Ao Shuang’s father, old and frail, with a pitiful appearance, Shui Miao couldn’t help but sigh deeply.
Shui Miao thought, forget it. Since he had already taken his loved ones and friends away, and there was some connection between him and Hui De, he couldn’t bear to kill him. He decided to give him one last chance.
“Ao Shuang, you must behave yourself. This will be the last time I spare you.”
Shui Miao, in a generous mood, also gave him the Fire Dragon Cannon, hoping he would change his ways and no longer oppose him.
Then, Shui Miao activated the Time Protection Pearl and left the Raksha Sea at full speed.
On the way, Shui Miao had a foreboding feeling that Ao Shuang wouldn’t let things end here.
Shui Miao flew swiftly, reaching the Raksha Sea dock in moments.
“Amitabha, friend, please stay!”
Suddenly, a solemn and powerful voice rang in Shui Miao’s ears.
Shui Miao was startled and immediately noticed a burly monk with a fierce expression, wearing a golden kasaya, holding a staff, and wearing a necklace of white skull beads, riding a giant beast, blocking his path.
Huide kept begging desperately, and in his panic, he even transmitted his thoughts, crying out for his father’s help.
“Great Immortal, Great Immortal! The child doesn’t know any better. If he has offended you in any way, please forgive him…”
In the Rakshasa Sea, Ao Shuang’s father, sensing his son’s call, was startled and quickly transformed into human form, rushing over to beg for mercy.
“…”
Seeing Ao Shuang’s aged and pitiful appearance, Shui Miao couldn’t help but sigh deeply.
He thought to himself that since he had already taken away his friends and family, and since he and Huide had shared some connection, killing him would be too harsh. He decided to give him a chance.
“Ao Shuang, you must be cautious from now on. This will be the last time I spare you.”
Moved by compassion, Shui Miao even gave him the Fire Dragon Cannon, hoping Huide would change his ways and no longer oppose him.
Then, Shui Miao immediately activated the Time-Protective Spirit Bead and left the Rakshasa Sea at full speed.
As he traveled, a sense of foreboding crept into his heart—he felt that Ao Shuang wouldn’t let this go so easily.
Shui Miao flew swiftly, and within moments, he reached the dock of the Rakshasa Sea.
“Amitabha, friend, please wait!”
Suddenly, a solemn and mighty voice rang in Shui Miao’s ears.
Startled, Shui Miao immediately noticed a massive monk blocking his path. The monk had a broad back and a bear-like build, a yellowish face, fierce eyes, and wore a golden kasaya. Clutching a monk’s staff, he rode a gigantic beast, and around his neck hung a string of white skull prayer beads.
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