"I’ll leave this here for you. If there’s a chance in the future, and if Senior Brother is still around, I’ll have him come visit."
Yu Changsheng spoke softly, his voice carried away by the wind. He let out a long breath and turned to bow to the Purple Bamboo King once more.
The Purple Bamboo King calmly watched Yu Changsheng’s actions. His gaze paused on the newly erected Sui Xian Stele. With a light wave of his hand, a purple curtain of light rose and enveloped the cenotaph, forming a protective barrier.
After doing this, the Purple Bamboo King’s expression remained calm. He glanced at the Purple Child in his arms before turning back to Yu Changsheng and said:
"If there’s nothing else, you can go. But let me give you a word of warning. Thanks to you, this Purple Bamboo Mountain is much livelier than usual. There are quite a few people waiting for you outside, looking to kill you and take your treasures. Some of them seem to have a grudge against you."
The commotion from opening the grotto-heaven’s ruins had attracted too much attention, and now everyone was waiting.
Yu Changsheng was taken aback for a moment. He replied with a hint of apology, "Understood. I’ll handle it. I apologize for the disturbance, Senior."
"It’s fine. Since you’re Ling’Er’s friend and Ling’Er chose you, I won’t make things difficult for you."
The Purple Bamboo King shook his head and gave Yu Changsheng a slight raise of his eyebrow. His gaze was profound, and his tone held an indescribable undertone.
"Isn’t that right? Beast... Master..."
Hearing the Purple Bamboo King’s words, a flicker of embarrassment appeared in Yu Changsheng’s eyes. He lowered his head further, not wanting the King to see his expression.
’I practically tricked and coerced the Purple Child into the contract. The Purple Child himself might not think much of it, but the Purple Bamboo King, with his mature intellect, could naturally see through the deception.’
That’s why the King had said that, enunciating the two words "Beast Master" with particular weight, clearly for emphasis.
And so, Yu Changsheng remained silent, his heart churning with unease. ’From the looks of it, the Purple Bamboo King doesn’t seem angry, but I can’t be sure.’
’After all, the Purple Child calls him ’Dad’... My actions feel a lot like child trafficking...’
Time seemed to pass in an instant, yet also an eternity. Just as Yu Changsheng was agonizing, the Purple Bamboo King suddenly sighed softly, patted his back, and said lightly:
"Forget it. What’s done is done. Ling’Er chose to go with you, and since you two already have a contract, I won’t say any more. Just take good care of him for me."
"Ling’Er... although he’s not my biological son, I watched him gestate bit by bit. You must treat him well. If you show even the slightest neglect..."
"The consequences will be more than you can bear."
The Purple Bamboo King’s tone paused. His gaze sharpened, turning on Yu Changsheng with a frosty glint. He directed a wisp of pressure, faint yet palpable, toward him.
Yu Changsheng’s body suddenly felt heavy. He trembled slightly and managed to look up, cupping his fist to the Purple Bamboo King. "Please rest assured, Senior. The contract is made. We are now partners, bound by life and death for a lifetime."
As he finished speaking, the pressure on Yu Changsheng’s body vanished. The Purple Bamboo King returned to his normal demeanor, shot Yu Changsheng a glance, and waved his hand dismissively.
"See that you do. Since there is a karmic tie between you, I will let it be. I won’t interfere. Protect him. That is my only demand of you."
"Understood. Unless I die, I will not let any harm come to Ling’Er."
Yu Changsheng nodded, his voice grave as he made his solemn promise. He saw the Purple Bamboo King nod in return before saying no more. The King’s body faded into an ethereal shadow and slowly dissipated, his voice alone echoing in the air.
"Remember what you said today. And if he ever wants to come back, bring him home..."
Yu Changsheng was speechless. After the Purple Bamboo King’s figure had vanished completely, he collapsed to the ground. He let out a deep breath, wiping the cold sweat from his forehead, and realized his back was soaked through.
’No wonder Purple Bamboo Mountain has stood as a forbidden zone for so long. So this is the kind of being that resides here...’
Yu Changsheng gave a wry smile. Remembering the Purple Bamboo King’s immense pressure, he shook his head with lingering fear.
’Purple Mansion? No, Divinity Transformation?’
Yu Changsheng muttered to himself. He could clearly feel that if the King had wanted to kill him, it would have taken but a single thought. Fortunately, he held no ill will, not even after learning that Yu Changsheng had used such a nearly despicable method to form a contract with the Zi Ling Emperor.
He hadn’t been blamed for it.
’Karmic ties?’
Yu Changsheng looked up at the slightly bewildered Zi Ling Emperor, then broke into a grin and couldn’t help but rub the child’s small cheek.
’Ah, what the hell. I’ll just go with the flow. Maybe this was fate, after all?’
"Let’s go. We’ll go see the world outside this great mountain together."
Yu Changsheng chuckled, pushing the thoughts from his mind. He put the Zi Ling Emperor on his back, got his bearings, and flew toward the edge of Purple Bamboo Mountain.
Behind them, bamboo leaves rustled, falling one by one onto the cenotaph of the Sui Xian Sword Spirit...
Outside Purple Bamboo Mountain, a large crowd had already gathered. Some were in groups of three or five, while others stood alone. Most were Loose Cultivators, keeping a wary distance from one another.
However, if one were to look down from high above, they would notice that the crowd was roughly divided into two main groups.
As mentioned before, Purple Bamboo Mountain was a forbidden zone in the Martial Continent, located on its border. It served as a dividing line between the Martial Continent and Qingzhou Province. One of the two groups was on the eastern side of Purple Bamboo Mountain, which bordered Qingzhou Province, and consisted mostly of Qingzhou Cultivators.
The other group was on the western side, within the Martial Continent’s territory, and was made up of Martial Continent Cultivators.
The Cultivators from the two provinces, varying in strength, faced each other from a distance. No one made any rash moves. They remained vigilant, their voices a low murmur as they all stared into Purple Bamboo Mountain.
"Purple Bamboo Mountain has been quiet for so long. For it to suddenly erupt with such fluctuations... I wonder what kind of treasure has been born..."
"It’s a forbidden zone. With our level of strength, rushing in would be too dangerous. We can only wait out here and see if another opportunity presents itself."
"Yeah, the first few who went in were Golden Core Experts—one was even at the Peak stage! Weren’t they devoured alive by the Purple Bamboo in the inner circle? It’s better to be cautious."
"A pity... If the Purple Mansion expert from my family wasn’t busy fighting on the front lines, he’d never miss an opportunity like this..."
The crowd buzzed with hushed conversations. But by unspoken agreement, no one dared to rashly step foot into Purple Bamboo Mountain; at most, they remained in the outer circle.
What no one noticed was that among the Loose Cultivators, a trio had gathered together. They looked down at Purple Bamboo Mountain with furrowed brows, murmuring to each other in low voices.
If Yu Changsheng had been there, he would have recognized them in an instant. They were Chen Feng, Cheng Tao, and Wu Huan—the very culprits who had chased him until he had no choice but to flee into the forbidden zone.
"According to the tracking mark, Yu Changsheng must have ended up somewhere in Purple Bamboo Mountain. The guy’s smart, I’ll give him that. He knew a forbidden zone would be relatively safe, at least for a short while."
"But right after he went in, Purple Bamboo Mountain erupted with those fluctuations. Is it a coincidence, or did he do something in there?"
Of the three, Chen Feng frowned, his eyes flickering as he analyzed the situation. A trace of unease crossed his face.
"Who knows. But even if he got lucky and didn’t die in Purple Bamboo Mountain, he’ll be a bird in a cage the moment he comes out. There’s no point in wild speculation."
Cheng Tao shook his head, patting his chest with a laugh.
"Besides, Lord Wang Cheng and Lord Tang Han have already gone into Purple Bamboo Mountain to lay an ambush. They’re both at the Golden Core Peak, and they’ve even faintly touched the threshold of the Purple Mansion realm. They’re far stronger than we are."
"With them making a move, no matter how capable Yu Changsheng is, even if he didn’t die to the Purple Bamboo, he won’t escape death. We just need to wait and see what happens."
Wu Huan thought for a moment, then licked his lips. He glanced down at his empty right sleeve, his eyes filled with resentment as he spoke.
That was where his arm had been completely obliterated by the Celestial Tribulation Yu Changsheng had recklessly brought down before. And given the Power of Destruction inherent in a Celestial Tribulation, without some special means, he would likely never be able to regenerate the lost limb in his lifetime.