ETR | Chapter 49

Even though he knew Qin Lou would definitely come chasing after them, Xiao Xueman naturally wasn’t going to make it that easy for him.

He and Xiao Wan’s life… it was best not to let unrelated people mess it up.

Xiao Xueman didn’t leave right away. He stayed in the Fox Clan for a few days. Maybe because Xiao Wan had just gotten his spirit instrument and needed to practice with it, he’d been holed up in the Fox Clan’s training grounds all this time and hadn’t come out, so he hadn’t been sticking to Xiao Xueman’s side like usual.

Shen Guan would occasionally discuss clan matters with Xiao Xueman, and the whole scene looked surprisingly harmonious. Qin Lou, not daring to get too close, would still feel happy the moment he saw Xiao Xueman show up.

But… things started feeling off.

“Xiao Xueman” was appearing less and less frequently. Sometimes he wouldn’t come out of his room all day, and as for the kid, not even a shadow of him was seen.

Qin Lou hadn’t spent much time with Xiao Wan, but he could still tell that the kid was super clingy with Xueman. Even if he loved cultivation, he’d always put Xueman first.

Spending this long in the training grounds just to get the hang of a spirit instrument? That didn’t sound right at all.

The more Qin Lou thought about it, the more wrong it seemed—until he finally couldn’t help but step out from his hiding spot… only to see “Xiao Xueman” dissolve into mist right before his eyes.

All that was left on the ground was a single withered twig.

A dummy made from spiritual power—one with an expiration date. If Qin Lou had been just a little closer, he wouldn’t even have needed to see it to realize something was off.

Shen Guan didn’t look surprised to see him walk in. He rolled up the scroll he’d been reading and asked, “What brings Dijun here?”

“…Where’s Xueman?”

“He left a while ago,” Shen Guan replied calmly. “I think Xueman was very clear with his words before. Dijun should’ve taken them to heart. He doesn’t want you following him. Why are you going back on your word?”

Qin Lou didn’t know how to respond at first. He paused for a bit before explaining, “Things have been complicated in the Fox Clan lately. I was worried Xueman might run into some danger.”

Shen Guan let out a chuckle. “I’m the clan leader now. What danger could he possibly run into? Dijun, don’t use those high-sounding excuses to comfort yourself. You know what’s really in your heart.”

Yup—Xiao Xueman had run off again.

Shen Guan refused to tell him anything. In the end, Qin Lou could only take back the already-withered twig. All the spiritual power inside had been used up to make the fake, so now it was just an ordinary stick.

“Stop looking for him. And don’t interfere in Xueman’s business anymore,” Shen Guan said. “Dijun, save yourself the trouble.”

Xiao Xueman and Xiao Wan had slipped out of the Fox Clan silently a few days ago. On the way to the Middle Realm, Xiao Wan asked in a tiny voice, “Daddy, why did we leave all of a sudden?”

He even sneaked away—he didn’t get a chance to say goodbye to the little grey foxes in the clan.

“To shake off some people,” Xiao Xueman patted his head. “We can’t let random people follow us around, you know?”

Xiao Wan kind of understood, kind of didn’t.

Meanwhile, back in the Upper Realm, with Xiao Xueman gone, a bunch of gossip started spreading like wildfire.

The news that the Empress had returned couldn’t be hidden, and there was even talk of a kid—supposedly Dijun’s child. Turns out those few sects that got cleaned up earlier were only punished because they caused trouble in the Lower Realm and made the Empress mad, prompting Dijun to personally take action.

That part of the rumors was mostly accurate. Before, everyone had been tight-lipped about the Empress, but now that he was back, gossip couldn’t be contained anymore.

The sect master had suddenly started managing affairs personally and was acting ice-cold and ruthless. He dealt with a bunch of people, but on the flip side, he did start showing up more often. Even after the cleanup, his control over the sect stayed tight. Qin Lou was still seen frequently—he went from being a mysterious legend to someone more familiar—and his emotional rollercoaster became a popular topic.

Back when the Empress was around, even if Qin Lou got mad or lost his temper, he still seemed kinda human. But now that the Empress had taken the kid and left… he was back to being as lifeless as a still pond.

Got dumped again. Poor guy.

And it wasn’t just inside the sect—rumors about the Empress were quietly spreading outside too.

That time the group of black bears barged into Wangtian Immortal Sect asking for answers, they did get beaten up, but not seriously. And although they didn’t manage to bring back the ones from the demon clan, they did drag back the White Dew Peacock from the demon alliance.

After taking a hit, White Dew Peacock didn’t dare say too much to the outside world—just said they were fine. Plus, Shen Guan had already returned from the Fox Clan, so the whole incident was quietly swept under the rug. The demon clan and the spirit cultivators remained on peaceful terms.

But that slightly dumb Earth Black Bear couldn’t stop thinking about the beautiful stranger who had one-shotted a Spirit God Tier 4. He just couldn’t remember when someone like that had appeared in the sect. And that person even said they weren’t from Wangtian Immortal Sect, which made things even weirder.

This Earth Black Bear had only ascended recently, still pretty young. Although a bit slow in the head, he was actually pretty strong and knew a lot of big names. Since he didn’t know about Xiao Xueman’s past, he secretly tried asking around using his mental image of the deadly pretty boy.

It only took a few clues—wood-type, green eyes, ruthless moves, appeared at Wangtian Immortal Sect—for the higher-ups in the demon clan to confirm exactly who it was.

Now that the demon clan knew, the news spread even faster.

And so, the rumor that Xiao Xueman had returned slowly started making its rounds both inside and outside Wangtian Immortal Sect.

To those who hadn’t lived through the past, the name “Xiao Xueman” seemed like it was only famous because of the “Empress” title and the connection to Dijun.

But for those who had lived through it… Xiao Xueman was way scarier than Qin Lou.

The reason no one dared talk about him wasn’t out of respect for the sect. It was pure fear.

The only wood-type killing god in the entire Spirit Realm—who wouldn’t tremble just hearing the name?

And now he was back, with a kid, no less.

A kid who was his and Qin Lou’s. Just the thought of that sent chills down people’s spines.

So lately, a strange unspoken understanding had spread among the big shots in the Upper Realm. Everyone started behaving a lot more cautiously, and a few even began quietly poking around for more info.

Xiao Xueman, of course, knew none of this.

After ditching the unwanted tails, he headed to the Twelfth Heaven in the Middle Realm.

The main reason for coming here was actually Xiao Wan’s growth.

The line between the Middle and Lower Realm was marked by the Great Spirit Master rank. Even though Xiao Wan was still just a Spirit Knight, he had dual-type spiritual power and now a handy spirit instrument. His pair of twin swords were originally top-tier Six-Star spirit instruments—just right for him right now. While not a big deal in the Upper Realm, in the Twelfth Heaven, where most people used only Two- or Three-Star spirit instruments, they were a big deal. Plus, Xiao Wan still wore Xiao Xueman’s necklace—meaning if he went up against a regular Great Spirit Master, he’d be on even footing.

Also, Xiao Xueman was teaching Xiao Wan how to make pills. Xiao Wan had just learned how to refine Three-Star pills. The Twelfth Heaven produced lots of ingredients for Three-Star pills, so just like before, he could train both combat and alchemy at the same time.

One- and Two-Star pill refining was just the starting point. With Xiao Wan’s talent, learning quickly in the beginning was normal. But after hitting Three-Star, things started requiring solid foundational skills, so the pace would slow down—which was also normal.

Of course, Xiao Wan’s “slowing down” was only slow compared to himself. Compared to other spiritual alchemists, he was still at the envy-inducing level.

Life in the Middle Realm was totally different too.

Here, spirit beasts with evolved intelligence formed their own clans to fend off invaders, and spirit cultivators could no longer treat them like resources. With denser spiritual energy, the world consciousness in the Middle Realm created a new way to obtain resources—called “mines.”

“Mines” were condensed, concentrated clusters of spiritual energy. They usually had fixed entrances, though a few required luck to access.

They varied in size and quality. Inside, cultivators would defeat guardian spirits formed by the mine’s own will to collect resources.

But guardian spirits were just the basics. Mines also had traps and mazes. Each mine was like a mini world, with its own energy cycle. If over-mined, they would shut down until they naturally replenished their energy again.

The Upper Realm’s upgraded version of mines was called “secret realms.”

The Taixu Secret Realm—where Xiao Xueman and Shen Guan first ran into Qin Lou fighting over the Eternal Heart Lotus—was one of the top-tier secret realms. These rare places sometimes even held ancient ruins or legendary treasures. But really, they were just high-level versions of Middle Realm mines.

So coming here wasn’t just about dodging Wangtian Immortal Sect and Qin Lou. Each of the Eighteen Heavens had their own quirks. While they might seem worlds apart, they were all interconnected. A cultivator who climbed layer by layer would gain experiences and insights totally different from someone who stayed at the top the whole time.

Xiao Xueman had been through that himself—he understood completely. If Xiao Wan wanted to become a powerhouse one day, these kinds of experiences were absolutely necessary, even priceless.

The mine worlds were parallel to the outside. Some were huge—bigger than the current Heaven. Others were tiny—maybe just a small house or lonely island. Size didn’t equal quality. And because the mine worlds were sealed off, fights between spirit cultivators and demon clans over resources became even more brutal.

Xiao Xueman knew this too. It was harsh, but if Xiao Wan didn’t experience it now, the world would be even harsher to him later.

Xiao Wan understood this better than even Xiao Xueman. The Ning Ling incident might be over now, and luckily didn’t turn into a disaster—but to Xiao Wan, it was a shadow that would never fade.

Forget protecting Daddy—he couldn’t even manage to keep Daddy from worrying. He needed to work even harder at cultivation.

Back in the Thirteenth Heaven, Xiao Xueman had already looked into the famous towns of the Twelfth Heaven, so now they could head straight there.

He suppressed his spiritual power to Great Spirit Master Level 1, then applied a special ointment to both his and his son’s face. This was a souped-up version of a disguise salve he’d personally refined—much harder to detect or wear off. Ordinary spirit cultivators wouldn’t see through it. Blending into the crowd, and using a guild badge he brought from the Lower Realm, Xiao Xueman and Xiao Wan easily entered Tianyin City.

Tianyin City was kinda like the Frostwind City he’d lived in before—chaotic and full of all kinds of people. It was huge, packed with millions. As long as they stayed low-key, it’d be hard to get found.

There were plenty of mines nearby, rich in resources—just what Xiao Xueman needed.

How long they’d stay here… depended entirely on how fast Xiao Wan grew.

⸻

Author’s Note:

Time to change maps~