Chapter 572: Fate Is Inexpressibly Wonderful

"Not me!" Ning Yan cried out in terror, his voice urgent.

"Is it this direction I'm in? It must be!"

Ning Yan quickly moved away, going to stand beside Wu Jianwu.

But as he moved, the needle on the captain's bloodline compass also shifted, still locking onto Ning Yan.

The captain's expression grew grave. He glanced meaningfully at Ning Yan and softly uttered, "Bring it here!"

Wu Jianwu's expression also changed. He sharply looked at Ning Yan and subconsciously blurted out, "An old tree blooming late, are you the forefather? A turn for the better, did you just discover your dad?"

Ning Yan's heart pounded. He wasn't in the mood to deal with Wu Jianwu. At this moment, his face showed confusion, and his mind was in turmoil.

He had thought his position might have overlapped with the tomb raider, but now, it was clear the pointer's target was distinctly himself.

Realizing the implications, Ning Yan panicked, stuttering an urgent explanation. "Senior Brother Er Niu, it's really not me. I... I don't know what's going on!"

Xu Qing's eyes showed a strange glint, but he remained silent. The captain raised an eyebrow.

"Hurry up and bring it!"

"Bring what? We truly have no blood relation!" Ning Yan replied, his face distraught and his body trembling.

The captain frowned, a look of disdain on his face. "Of course, I know it's not you. How could I have a descendant like you? I'm telling you to bring me my treasured hide!"

Ning Yan shuddered at the words. He immediately took out the captain's treasured hide from his storage bag. The item had been with him all along. The moment he pulled it out and tossed it, the compass needle under the captain's finger spun rapidly.

Seeing this, Ning Yan finally let out a long sigh of relief. He had been terrified.

Wu Jianwu felt a pang of regret deep down and muttered, "Heaven and earth collapsing, scared the birds stiff. Fate comes and goes, just a dangling hair."

Ning Yan didn't understand the words, but he could sense the malicious intent within, so he glared.

Wu Jianwu glared back, and the beasts of all sizes around him also stared in unison.

Ning Yan fell silent.

As for the captain, he paid no mind to the conflict between the two. He put away his treasured hide and once again sought a bloodline direction, quickly locking onto one.

"Let's go, it's over there!" he declared. "I want to see what kind of monstrous thing possessed my previous life's body!"

Saying this, the captain, full of vigor, headed straight for the tomb's exit.

Xu Qing took a swift step and followed closely. Along the way, he glanced at the shadow beneath his feet and sensed the fish bone in his storage bag. His wariness towards them intensified because of the captain's current predicament.

Perceiving Xu Qing's divine sense, the shadow trembled, and the Old Ancestor of the Vajra Sect inside the fish bone also shivered, both radiating a desire to please.

Xu Qing's expression remained normal, but he secretly considered learning some restraint methods to increase his layered precautions against the shadow and the Old Ancestor of the Vajra Sect.

He harbored no ill intentions, but he absolutely could not make the same mistake as the captain.

Lost in thought, they left the tomb under the captain's lead. By the time they emerged, it was already dawn.

The dawn light from the distant artificial sun dispelled the night, bringing light to the world. The mountains' green vegetation was clearly visible, its intricate patterns clear, brimming with vitality. Compared to this sorrowful world, for a moment, this vitality felt fake to Xu Qing.

But soon, as the light brightened, everything returned to normal, and the rocks on the ground no longer resembled demons or monsters.

However, under the sunlight, the captain and the others had different moods.

The captain was anxious, Wu Jianwu regretful, Ning Yan still feeling residual fear, while Xu Qing was wary of his surroundings. He didn't believe this trip would be as smooth as the captain claimed.

After all, the captain's previous incarnation had been gone for an unknown duration. Even if it genuinely remained within the Weiyang Mountain Range, there would surely be numerous arrangements in place.

"The opponent most likely knows that Senior Brother can reincarnate, meaning they can guess that one day, Senior Brother will return."

"Therefore, their caution level must be extremely high."

Xu Qing pondered, then caught up with the captain, who was leading the way, and informed him of his thoughts.

The captain nodded upon hearing this. He had considered these matters too, but he remained confident, patting Xu Qing's shoulder and speaking softly. "Junior Brother, no matter how that monstrous thing sets things up, there's one thing it can't solve: as long as I can touch it, I'll definitely have a way to subdue it!"

"I have a habit: after every reincarnation, from the moment I'm born, I refine my body, always preparing to use it as a weapon."

"Therefore, this previous incarnation of mine cannot escape my grasp."

Xu Qing glanced at the captain, scrutinizing him from head to toe. "This time too?"

"Of course, little A-Qing. That day in Feng Hai County Capital, I was ready to unseal and summon all my previous incarnations. I'm not bragging, but if all my previous incarnations descended, even deities would have to call me 'brother'." The captain said proudly.

Xu Qing smiled. He had long known about the captain's habit of bragging, but he could clearly sense the concern for him embedded in those words.

So he nodded seriously.

Just like that, time passed, and soon seven days had gone by.

During these seven days, their group followed the captain's bloodline compass, reaching the depths of the Weiyang Mountain Range.

Here, peaks stood tall, vegetation was even more lush, and many wild beasts could be seen.

Like cultivators and mortals, the wild beasts of the Sacrifice Moon Grand Territory also carried curses, so mutations and increased ferocity were inevitable.

At that moment, a group of tiger-headed butterflies, about half a *zhang* long, whistled past at low altitude, scattering a lot of highly toxic dust.

Xu Qing raised his hand and caught some of it. After feeling it, a strange look appeared in his eyes, and he looked up, glancing a few more times in the direction they had departed.

"The poison dust contains the Red Moon Curse... and it's very active, as if it was just generated."

Xu Qing found it somewhat strange, burying the thought in his mind as he continued forward with the captain.

Gradually, as their group delved deeper into the mountains, the bloodline sensing made the captain cautious. His body gradually blurred, entering stealth.

Wu Jianwu and Ning Yan also had their auras concealed by his actions.

As for Xu Qing, he put on the mask given by his master, his body became ghost-like, losing all traces.

"Little A-Qing, the place about a day's journey ahead is where my bloodline power is strongest, but those are just remnants; the source isn't there."

"Instead of continuing to pursue, it's better to wait here for the other party to return. Furthermore, my previous incarnation's combat power, due to some special reasons, cannot recover to the Gui Xu realm. It should be at the Spirit Depository realm, specifically the physical body Spirit Depository."

In a valley hollow, the captain crouched on a treetop, speaking softly towards the seemingly empty space beside him.

"Okay." Xu Qing's voice came from another direction, away from the captain.

The captain blinked, thinking to himself that little A-Qing's stealth had reached such a level, so he should also put more effort into this aspect. However, at the moment, he wasn't in the mood to consider these things too much and remained crouched there, unmoving.

Wu Jianwu and Ning Yan were likewise beside him, hardly daring to breathe.

After all, no one knew the current identity of the captain's previous incarnation. As for its cultivation level... the captain spoke lightly, but even if it was just Spirit Depository, for them, it was an enormous existence.

Thus, with each of them being cautious, days passed.

Four days later, the captain suddenly transmitted a message. "They're here!"

Xu Qing narrowed his eyes, not looking at the sky, but instead at the space in front of the captain.

There was an eye there, reflecting a scene of the world.

Wu Jianwu and Ning Yan also reined in all their aura. After initially focusing their gaze on the sky, they quickly reacted, swiftly shifting their sight to the eye in front of the captain.

At the same time, in the mountains a day's journey from here, the sky began to change.

A large group of people arrived from the distance. As soon as their figures appeared on the horizon, melodic music echoed in all directions. Over a hundred people played flutes, their melodies beautiful and joyful.

Moreover, maidservants flew through the air, scattering flowers in all directions. For a time, floral fragrance permeated the air, and the music drifted.

As the newcomers approached, the vibrant colors of their attire resembled blooming flowers across the sky.

Amidst this myriad of floral colors, a sedan chair made from a giant's skull was carried by thirty-two burly men, striding confidently through the air.

These thirty-two burly men were not human, but Lion-kin. Their golden fur made them appear like heavenly soldiers and generals under the sunlight, magnificent in their imposing presence.

Such a display might be nothing remarkable in Feng Hai County, but within the Sacrifice Moon Grand Territory, especially in the Weiyang Mountain Range, it was exceedingly extravagant.

Inside the skull sedan chair they carried, a man and a woman could be seen seated.

The woman wore a cloud-patterned red dress. She appeared to be twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, her skin was fairer than snow, exceptionally delicate and beautiful, her countenance peerless, impossible to gaze upon directly.

At this moment, half of her delicate body leaned against the man beside her, placing his hand on herself. Her eyes held tenderness, as if in her gaze, only the person before her existed in this world.

Beneath her slender, jade-like neck, her plump chest was like solidified white jade, half-covered, half-exposed. Her plain waist was so slender it couldn't be encompassed by a single hand. A pair of long, lustrous, well-proportioned beautiful legs were revealed, and even her lovely lotus-like feet silently swayed seductively, extending an alluring invitation.

She was indeed a peerless beauty.

As for the man, he was tall and rugged in appearance, his skin grayish-white as if devoid of life. His eyes were mismatched, one large and one small, highly asymmetrical, as if something had gone wrong during his creation.

Especially with each breath, wisps of black qi emanated from his mouth, giving off a turbid sensation.

The whites of his eyes were not normal, tinged with a sickly yellow, and many parts of his body were decayed, with turbid corpse fluid oozing from some areas, making people unwilling to look for long.

Compared to the woman beside him, the man's appearance was very ill-matched. However, it must be said that the sharpness emanating from him carried a menacing aura. Especially in his mismatched eyes, there was a callous indifference to life. Sitting there, he exuded an inherent majesty that no one dared to underestimate.

They arrived from the horizon. Upon reaching this point, the man stood up, and the woman followed suit.

The two looked at each other, one cold, one affectionate.

Finally, they even kissed. It was unknown how the woman could endure the black qi emanating from the man's mouth. When their tongues touched, it was a truly shocking sight.

In short, their intimate display revealed an immense love between them.

Afterward, the man took a step into the air, heading straight for a distant mountaintop, while the cultivators in the sky quickly bowed in farewell before carrying the sedan chair away.

It was a long time until the sky here returned to normal. On a leaf of a plant on the ground, an eye that had appeared at some unknown time quickly closed, melting into dew.

In the valley hollow a day's journey from here, Xu Qing watched everything reflected in the eyeball before the captain, his expression changing.

Wu Jianwu and Ning Yan were alright; they didn't recognize either of the two people in the reflection.

"Little A-Qing, doesn't that female cultivator look a bit familiar...?" The captain looked at Xu Qing, his expression somewhat bewildered.

Xu Qing found it unbelievable. The woman he remembered was extremely fond of beauty, pursuing it to the extreme, yet now she could be so intimate with someone whose body was covered in corpse fluid.

This left Xu Qing unable to comprehend. Hearing the captain's words at that moment, he nodded. "She looks exactly like You Jing, the one whose home you stole and who hates you to the core."

After speaking, Xu Qing added another sentence. "Captain, do you still have her clothes on you?"

The captain's expression was peculiar, at times ferocious, at times incredulous. Xu Qing understood all his changes.

"The man beside her..." Xu Qing hesitated.

The captain grimaced, letting out a long sigh. "That person... probably, perhaps, possibly... is my previous incarnation."

Even though Wu Jianwu and Ning Yan didn't know You Jing, hearing Xu Qing's and the captain's words, they more or less made their own guesses, so they each took a breath.

"Congratulations on the marriage!" Ning Yan hesitated, then spoke softly.

"This sight makes my heart uneasy, the ox bewildered, his mind grown cold. Yesterday we fought until our heads bled, today we're meant to grow old together!" Wu Jianwu was moved. Many stories of fate and karma surfaced in his mind, and he couldn't help but feel inspired to compose poetry.

Xu Qing remained silent, the captain was speechless.

"Then if they have a child, Senior Brother Er Niu, what should the child call you?" How could Ning Yan miss this opportunity? He asked in a low voice.

Veins bulged on the captain's forehead.

Seeing this, Wu Jianwu temporarily put aside his dislike for Ning Yan. After pondering for a moment, he looked meaningfully at the captain. "My son's father is not *his* father, yet my son's mother *is* his mother. If you ask what my son calls me, 'former dad,' 'latter dad,' or simply 'dad'!"

No sooner had Wu Jianwu finished his poem than the captain threw a punch. With a roar, Wu Jianwu wailed, his body landing a hundred *zhang* away.

Ning Yan was about to flee when the captain kicked him, sending him to join Wu Jianwu. Afterward, the captain's eyes were bloodshot as he looked up at the sky.

Xu Qing's eyes showed sympathy. He knew the captain's emotions at that moment must be extremely complex, so he patted his shoulder.

A moment later, a mournful cry escaped the captain's lips. "What the hell is going on?!"

"How could that You Jing take a liking to my previous incarnation?!" The complexity in the captain's expression was beyond words.

"Senior Brother, you don't need to be sad. Actually, if You Jing knew the truth, she would probably be even more conflicted." Xu Qing was good at comforting people, and offered this consolation from the side.

These words indeed had an effect. The captain paused upon hearing them, then recovered and gritted his teeth. "It's fine. After that glance just now, I've confirmed that my previous incarnation's body was possessed by a spirit that emerged from one of my funerary objects from back then."

"As for which funerary object, I still can't be certain at the moment."

"But that doesn't stop me from reclaiming it, as long as I can touch it!" The captain's eyes showed madness as he pulled Xu Qing aside to discuss.

However, achieving this presented considerable difficulty. Firstly, You Jing's aura, upon sensing, was clearly at the Great Completion of the Spirit Depository realm.

This matched the war reports Xu Qing had read previously, concerning You Jing's severe injury and disappearance on the battlefield. "Her escape was a deliberate act by the Grand Elder of Yinghuang Prefecture to restrain the Seventh Prince. I originally thought she had been secretly restrained by the Grand Elder, but now it seems she was truly set free."

"However, the Grand Elder must have other arrangements within this."

"It's a pity this place is too far from Feng Hai County, otherwise we could inquire about it," he mused aloud.

The captain narrowed his eyes, slowly speaking. "As for that previous incarnation of mine, it's permeated with death qi and shows no magical fluctuations. This aligns with my judgment; after all, it's been dead for so long, and the monstrous thing that possessed it is merely occupying the shell."

"However, the physical body power of my previous incarnation is comparable to a Spirit Depository Great Completion."

The captain frowned. One previous incarnation was already enough to make him unable to deal with it, and now with You Jing also present, touching his previous incarnation was practically impossible.

"Judging by the intimacy between You Jing and your previous incarnation, your previous incarnation's identity should be Xuan Mingzi, the strongest cultivator in the Weiyang Mountain Range."

"It's just a bit strange. Why is You Jing here? And how could she fall in love at first sight, to such an extent?" Xu Qing still felt something was off about this matter, so he looked at the captain. "We need information about this Xuan Mingzi."

"I have his information. Although I didn't pay much attention to these 'little sparrows' before, I did collect some incidentally," the captain said, opening his storage bag to search. He quickly found a jade slip containing some introductions about Xuan Mingzi.

The other party had established a sect in the Weiyang Mountain Range called Xuan Ming Sect.

This person constantly cultivated in seclusion within the Xuan Ming Sect, rarely venturing out. It was conceivable that their seclusion chamber would be heavily guarded, and attempting to infiltrate it would be too risky.

Furthermore, there would only be one chance; once discovered by the opponent, Xu Qing's group would be in extreme danger.

Therefore, after Xu Qing and the captain discussed it, they decided they could only resort to some clever tactics.

"Senior Brother, your previous incarnation and You Jing are getting married soon..." Xu Qing mused, a plan inexplicably forming in his mind.

Upon hearing this, the captain had a bad premonition.

"Senior Brother, isn't You Jing going to the Yin-Yang Blossom Sect's Spirit Pool for a month-long baptism? If we could find a way to trap her at that time, preventing her from getting married..."

"Then, Senior Brother, you could disguise yourself as You Jing."

Just as Xu Qing said this, the captain's eyes widened. Wu Jianwu and Ning Yan also ran back, and upon hearing this, their eyes gleamed with curiosity. Ning Yan, in particular, couldn't help but grin happily, but then, fearing a beating, he forcibly restrained himself.

Xu Qing continued. "Senior Brother, you know your previous incarnation best, and you also know You Jing quite well, seeing as you've been to her home. Moreover, you're particularly skilled at disguising yourself as the opposite sex and have experience. Do you remember the Sea Corpse Tribe princess back then? You were incredibly lifelike and convincing."

Xu Qing gazed at the captain, took out an apple, and handed it over, speaking softly. "So I think, if you disguise yourself as You Jing and marry your previous incarnation, wouldn't that allow you to make contact with it?"

"Of course, the premise is that we have a way to trap You Jing, and you can also fool your previous incarnation."

The captain instinctively took the apple, his expression hesitant.

He felt that Xu Qing's plan was feasible, but the thought of marrying his own previous incarnation filled him with a sense of absurdity, leaving him bewildered.

"Senior Brother, this is the only method we can think of right now. It's just too crazy, you might not be able to accept it." Xu Qing sighed, patting the captain's shoulder.

The captain gritted his teeth, his expression ferocious, breathing rapidly. Finally, a look of madness appeared in his eyes. "I can do it!"

"However, this plan needs thorough preparation. Little A-Qing, I'll need to borrow your World Shard; it's the foundation for trapping her."

"To trap You Jing, ordinary methods won't work. I'll also need to set up a peerless grand array within your World Shard, and even personally go to undo some seals. Then, combined with the power of my treasured hide and the might of the sun, and yes, your Ghost Emperor Mountain Nascent Soul must be inside too."

"Only then can the World Shard be closed to trap her inside!"

"As for fooling my previous incarnation, I'll figure that out!"

The captain's eyes were bloodshot. To reclaim his body, he seemed determined to take a gamble. He then discussed the details with Xu Qing, such as how to set up the trap and how to avoid attracting the attention of the Yin-Yang Blossom Sect.

During this time, Xu Qing also raised his own doubts: was it possible that the other party was deliberately doing this, luring them into a trap?

After all, some matters cannot be judged by appearances.

The captain nodded upon hearing this, a peculiar glint flashing in his eyes for a fleeting moment. But he quickly regained his confident demeanor, patting his chest and declaring that he had a way to resolve it.

Xu Qing glanced at the captain. Since entering the Weiyang Mountain Range, the captain's words and actions seemed slightly different from his memories, though his confident pronouncements had indeed been frequent throughout.

Several days later, after numerous consultations, they finally finalized their plan and set off towards the Southern Yin-Yang Blossom Sect, located in the Weiyang Mountain Range.

The Yin-Yang Blossom Sect was a major sect in the Sacrifice Moon Grand Territory. Due to its affiliation with the Divine Temple, serving as ritual dancers, it held certain privileges, thus having numerous branch sects across the east, west, north, and south.

Its disciples varied in quality, and obtaining false identities was quite easy.

This was one reason the captain had chosen a Yin-Yang Blossom Sect identity when they arrived.

As for the branch sect in the Weiyang Mountain Range, it was merely one of several branches in the Southern Grand Territory. Its Old Ancestor was at the Gui Xu realm, and resided year-round at the Red Moon Divine Temple's headquarters in the Plain of Repentance.

The Sect Master of this branch was a bloodline descendant of the Old Ancestor, possessing Spirit Depository cultivation, and oversaw this sect.

However, due to the large number of branch sects, the Yin-Yang Blossom Sect was not entirely harmonious internally. Even with occasional interactions, they weren't particularly close, appearing to somewhat repel each other and be wary.

Even though the captain and Xu Qing had Yin-Yang Blossom Sect disciple identities, they were still stopped at the sect's entrance after presenting their tokens.

The Yin-Yang Blossom Sect's mountain gate was located on a Twin Peaks mountain in the Weiyang Mountain Range. Inside, there were carved railings and jade architecture, making it quite luxurious. The spirit lake behind the mountain was particularly famous, as it was a confluence point for a spirit river in the Weiyang Mountain Range.

At this moment, beneath the Twin Peaks, a light screen appeared in front of Xu Qing and the captain, blocking their path. Simultaneously, three disciples guarding the sect's gate materialized from within.

"Your tokens do not belong to our Weiyang Southern Sect. According to sect rules, you cannot be easily permitted entry. So, please return to wherever you came from." The middle-aged man in the center of the three, with his hands behind his back, spoke calmly.

Xu Qing and the others already had a countermeasure for this on the way. So, the captain smiled, took a few steps forward, raised his right hand to his storage bag, and was about to retrieve an item.

But at that very moment, a ripple spread across the sky, and a soft exclamation echoed from the horizon. This was followed by a Spirit Depository realm fluctuation, sweeping across all directions.

Xu Qing's expression tightened, and the captain also paused his movements.

As Wu Jianwu and Ning Yan secretly thought "this isn't good" from behind, a figure descended from the sky, instantly arriving in mid-air.

It was a middle-aged woman wearing a Daoist robe, quite attractive in appearance. The moment she appeared, the expressions of the three gate-guarding disciples changed, and they immediately knelt down. "Greetings, Sect Master."

Xu Qing and the captain also quickly clasped their fists, their expressions respectful. However, as Xu Qing paid his respects, a doubt arose in his heart: the other party seemed to have arrived a little too coincidentally.

The middle-aged woman's gaze, however, did not fall upon Xu Qing or the captain at all. The moment she appeared, a smile graced her face as she looked towards Wu Jianwu, speaking softly. "Young master, this is our second meeting. Your poem from last time is still fresh in my memory."