Chapter 536: Reality Is Harsh

“Everything is destined, and when the leaf falls, it seeks the wind.”

Bu Yi murmured these words, then handed the leaf to Shui Miao. “Shui Miao, what do these two lines mean to you?”

“This…”

Looking at the glowing characters on the withered yellow leaf, Shui Miao was instantly puzzled. As he hesitated, the leaf disintegrated into countless fragments, scattering with the wind and vanishing in an instant.

“This mysterious expert comes and goes without a trace. His cultivation is unfathomable. He rescued Bai Lian but left these two lines behind. Judging from his words, he clearly bore no hostility. Could this be a hidden message, a divine secret he’s revealing to me? ‘Everything is destined’ seems to tell me that everything in this world exists for a reason. But what does ‘when the leaf falls, it seeks the wind’ mean…”

Shui Miao murmured to himself, lost in thought.

Bu Yi scratched his head and looked at Meng San Niang. Poetry was like an indecipherable scripture to him—something he wanted to understand but couldn’t grasp at all.

Meng San Niang frowned slightly before responding thoughtfully, “The phrase ‘when the leaf falls, it seeks the wind’ feels more like an emotional expression, almost like a lament about life. When the leaf was on the tree, it always longed to drift away with the wind. Finally, when it withered and fell, it yearned for the wind during its descent, but the wind never came. Even if the wind had arrived, what would it have changed? But these words might also reflect a deeper understanding of worldly matters. He may be trying to tell us not to be overly attached…”

“No! This is the lie of a fraud!”

Shui Miao shook his head, clenching his fist coldly. “Clearly, this so-called expert has been secretly watching us all along. He watched Bai Lian deceive me, mock me, yet he never intervened. When I was about to kill Bai Lian, he suddenly appeared to save her. These so-called experts, spouting fate and destiny, pretend to be holy and perfect. But in reality, they’re selfish. They only care about their own feelings. In their eyes, life is not equal, and there is no distinction between good and evil. They are all just selfish liars, centered only on themselves. I won’t believe their words anymore. In this world, only strength proves everything! No matter how powerful he is, I won’t fear him!”

Shui Miao saw through the essence of these words—they were merely the self-indulgent emotions of a damn immortal.

He had rescued his enemy from my hands and still had the mood to write poetry. The more Shui Miao thought about it, the angrier he became, feeling it was a humiliating disgrace.

In his heart, Shui Miao silently vowed to make more friends, accumulate resources, enhance his strength, and seek revenge!

Meng San Niang obtained Bai Lian’s memories and passed them on to Shui Miao.

Through these memories, Shui Miao fully understood Bai Lian’s true nature and realized how she had been manipulating his father’s psychology.

She pretended to be a good person, helping Chen Yi Ren ascend to immortality and sending him to Yu Xu Sect for cultivation.

In reality, Bai Lian had long made a pact with Yu Xu Sect to oppose other immortal sects and even overthrow the Celestial Court. Her fight with Hua Tian Xiong was just an act, a ruse to investigate the Dwarven Clan and the Lu Sha Realm, aiming to seize their resources.

Bai Lian hadn’t anticipated Shui Miao’s sudden rise, which disrupted her plans.

She deeply understood Chen Yi Ren’s personality and knew Shui Miao’s weaknesses. That’s why she tried to impersonate Shui Miao’s mother to continue deceiving and manipulating him. But again, she miscalculated. She hadn’t expected Shui Miao to have Meng Mo, Meng San Niang, by his side.

However, Shui Miao also miscalculated, not expecting Bai Lian to be rescued from the Supreme Treasure.

The appearance of this expert made Shui Miao deeply aware of his own insignificance and ignited his determination to cultivate relentlessly.

“But he really is too strong!”

Bu Yi pondered for a moment, still looking fearful.

Meng San Niang nodded. “This expert is indeed very powerful—at least at the level of an Immortal Emperor, maybe even stronger. However, such experts usually share one common trait: they dislike interfering in worldly affairs.”

“No, he has already intervened, and clearly, he stands on the side of that thousand-year-old female ghost, Bai Lian.” Bu Yi’s eyes flickered as if contemplating something.

Seeing Bu Yi’s expression change, Shui Miao’s heart stirred, and he said, “Big Brother Bu Yi, you are the first expert of the Dwarven Clan and also the clan chief, bearing the honor and fate of the entire Dwarven Clan. I won’t drag you down. I’ll return the Tian Dou Four Symbols Formation to you now, along with the refining furnace.”

In truth, Shui Miao’s words were a test of Bu Yi’s attitude. Therefore, after speaking, he did not immediately retrieve the formation.

Bu Yi scratched his head awkwardly, his face full of embarrassment. “Shui Miao, thank you for thinking of me, but our strength is still insufficient. Let’s talk about this when we become truly powerful. Oh, and those three things you promised Bu Fa earlier—forget about them. To show our apologies, take this ring with some crystals inside for your use…”

“No! Big Brother Bu Yi, I’ve already received many benefits from the Dwarven Clan. I won’t take any more crystals.”

Shui Miao appeared indifferent on the surface but felt a wave of sadness inside.

With a flicker of thought, Shui Miao immediately retracted the Tian Dou Four Symbols Formation, along with the refining furnace and the Tian Yuan Ring, and returned them all to Bu Yi.

Meng San Niang sighed. She could understand Bu Yi’s feelings. As a businessman, Bu Yi could not risk the entire Dwarven Clan’s fate for him.

“Shui Miao, I believe you will succeed. I don’t have much to say, but please accept this token.” Meng San Niang handed Shui Miao a pure white jade token. “Our Meng Mo Clan has two factions: Tian Mo and Di Mo. I cannot sense the experts in the Immortal Realm, but Tian Mo can. Take this token and go to the Immortal Realm to find the Tian Mo Sect. They will teach you how to cultivate the Tian Mo Heart Method. Then, no powerful experts will be able to secretly monitor you anymore.”

“Thank you, Sister Meng!”

Shui Miao’s heart stirred, and he hurriedly thanked Meng San Niang. Being secretly watched by others was a painful experience.

Therefore, Meng San Niang’s jade token perfectly resolved Shui Miao’s inner turmoil.

“Farewell, I must be off now!”

Meng San Niang patted Shui Miao’s arm and immediately vanished.

Bu Yi looked awkward, said nothing, and also left.

With the formation retracted, the four injured Dragon Lords were no longer bound. Unable to defeat Wu Chang Yi Dao, they fled into the Lu Sha Sea.

However, Wu Chang Yi Dao pursued relentlessly, killing down into the depths of the Lu Sha Sea.

The Demon Dragon Island returned to its previous state.

Shui Miao stood alone on the island, feeling a deep sense of loss. He couldn’t help but smile bitterly. His team was just too weak—it had been nothing more than a fleeting moment!

The experts were terrifying. Just appearing and leaving in less than a second completely dismantled his alliance.

They didn’t even want him to craft time artifacts for them anymore!

“Shui Miao, you must be heartbroken, right?”

Suddenly, from a nearby magical artifact, Luo Tong’s soul appeared.

Shui Miao smiled faintly and retrieved all the artifacts of the Ten Yin Kun Yuan Formation into the Sheng Yuan Ring. “You’re still here? While your soul is still intact, you should hurry back to the Immortal Realm to find your true body. Honestly, I somewhat regret trapping your soul back then.”

“Haha! I’d rather stay! You know, for someone like me who crafts magical artifacts, the greatest joy is breaking formations. Hehe, besides, why rush to the Immortal Realm?” Luo Tong’s soul paused, then comforted Shui Miao. “Shui Miao, you’re a genius beyond compare. Their leaving is their loss, not yours. Your current situation isn’t that bad. At least you still have many magical artifacts obtained from my formations. You can restore the Ten Yin Kun Yuan Formation. At least you still have me with you, right?”

“Have me? Aren’t you afraid of being dragged into trouble and then eliminated by that expert?”

Shui Miao suddenly found Luo Tong’s soul quite amusing.

Luo Tong grinned. “Afraid? Not a chance! I’ve hidden my life talismans in many treasures. I can reincarnate again and again. No one can kill me so easily. I’m just a craftsman of magical artifacts, with no enemies. I sell all the good things I make immediately. Plus, my real body still has a half-ruined holy artifact passed down from the Pangu era for protection. No one in the Three Realms can do anything to me!”

“A half-ruined holy artifact?”

Shui Miao frowned. “How does your half-ruined holy artifact compare to the Supreme Treasure? Could it withstand the person who entered the Supreme Treasure and rescued Bai Lian?”

“Pfft! He’s not even worth mentioning. My artifact is a holy artifact, do you understand? It’s a magical item beyond rankings in the Three Realms. Anyone who enters it can never come out. Killing an Immortal Emperor would be as simple as crushing an ant.” Luo Tong’s soul spoke with great confidence.

Shui Miao blinked, then suddenly smiled. “Don’t exaggerate. I don’t believe you.”

“Haha! You’ll see eventually whether you believe me or not.” Luo Tong’s soul looked around mysteriously. “Shui Miao, aren’t you planning to gain some benefits here before leaving?”

“What benefits could there be here?” Shui Miao looked at Luo Tong’s soul in surprise. “Hey, you really don’t want to return to the Immortal Realm? Following me might bring you bad luck. Don’t blame me later. Those four evil dragons might capture me, and Wu Chang Yi Dao might take me to Yu Xu Sect. Don’t let them destroy you along with me.”

“Hehe, don’t worry. They can’t capture you. In the end, they’ll end up in mutual destruction. I know this place better than you. Come on, let’s go down to the depths of the Lu Sha Sea first to gain some benefits.” Luo Tong’s soul pulled Shui Miao’s arm toward the lakeside. “Inside my Ten Yin Kun Yuan Formation, there’s a supreme spirit artifact called the You Ming Hai Luo. Take it out, and we’ll hide inside it to descend into the sea.”

“Oh, I get it. You just want to retrieve the magical artifacts from the Ten Yin Kun Yuan Formation, right?” Shui Miao stopped. “Senior Luo Tong, if you really want them, I’ll return them to you now. Please don’t play any tricks with me. I’m really tired, and I’ve been scared of conspiracies.”

Shui Miao took off the Sheng Yuan Ring from his hand and extended it toward Luo Tong’s soul.

At this moment, Shui Miao felt indifferent, as if everything had become insignificant to him.

Luo Tong’s soul seized the Sheng Yuan Ring, pulled out a spirit treasure shaped like a seashell, then handed the Sheng Yuan Ring back to Shui Miao’s palm and spoke quickly, “Who do you think is playing tricks on you? I’m helping you. Let me be honest—I truly admire your intelligence and wish to become brothers with you. I admit I once had ill intentions toward you, but since you created the Time Magic Pearl, I realized you’re genuinely talented. Let me speak plainly: I sincerely want to assist you in becoming stronger and then help me restore that half-destroyed holy artifact. That is my greatest wish. If any of my words are false, may I be struck down by lightning, my soul shattered by experts, and never be reborn throughout eternity.”

After saying this, seeing that Shui Miao still looked skeptical, Luo Tong was about to kneel and swear a deadly oath!

“Alright, I believe you. So, how do you plan to help me?”

Shui Miao sighed helplessly, stopping Luo Tong’s soul from kneeling. At this point, who else could he trust?