"Because of your nature," she said softly. "You’re kind and humble, no matter the circumstances. I’ve been watching you for a long time. Your kindness is what attracted me. It’s why I protected you when we met, and why I want to stay with you now."
Tian Lei was speechless for a moment before he found his voice. "I... I also like you, Yuyan. You’re beautiful, strong, and you’ve always supported me. I would be honored to be your Dao Companion," he said, his words sincere.
In this world, a Dao Companion meant marriage. Though Tian Lei never expected to marry at such a young age, he accepted it wholeheartedly, especially after how she had protected him earlier instead of running away on her own.
Yuyan’s cheeks turned a deeper shade of red, but she smiled. "Then it’s settled. After we return to the sect, we’ll register as Dao Companions." Her expression then turned serious. "But first, we need to deal with those bandits and traitors."
Tian Lei’s eyes glinted with anger as he nodded. "Yes, we will make them pay."
Together, they buried Murong Yue’s physical remains with respect, ensuring her rest in peace.
Just as they finished, Murong Yue’s voice echoed in Tian Lei’s mind. [ Now that you’ve buried my remains, let’s find the treasure powering this formation here.] She continued, [ Formations require more than just spirit stones to activate. Though my mastery in formations is not high, after countless years of living here, I know exactly where its source is.]
Tian Lei nodded, considering her words. "Yuyan, let’s find the source of the formation, and once I advance in cultivation, we can go outside," he said.
Yuyan tilted her head. "I don’t think any remaining spirit stones will be here after all this time," she said, pointing at the newly gained spirit storage ring.
"Just check it and cultivate using the resources inside," She suggested, feeling a slight sense of urgency.
"It’s not just spirit stones," he continued, his expression serious. "The memory I gained tells me this formation is called Reverse Heaven Formation, and it’s a high-level formation. To activate it, powerful treasures are needed, not just spirit stones."
Yuyan’s eyes lit up with understanding. "Then what are we waiting for? Use that knowledge and find us the treasure!" she said, jumping in excitement and hugging his hand.
Tian Lei felt the softness of her touch and almost got distracted, but he focused on the task at hand.
He moved to a corner, where he placed his finger against a stone and began channeling his Qi. With concentration, he traced the intricate formation and whispered to Yuyan, "I’m breaking the formation. Only then can we find the hidden source."
After several minutes of careful manipulation, Tian Lei succeeded in breaking a key part of the formation. He placed his hand on the stone, and the wall, which had previously been concealed, shifted. As he did it the whole formation broke as Yuyan also sensed the presence of Spirit Energy, it was now returning here as now that the formation is no longer here.
As Tian Lei looked at the wall where the skeleton was bound, he channeled his Spirit Qi and punched out. The wall shattered, revealing a hidden chamber behind it.
"It’s here," he said as he stepped inside, with Yuyan following closely behind him. As she looked around, she noticed that the space was not much different from a normal cave, except for a large pool of milky white liquid in the center. Beautiful herbs and plants were growing around it.
Seeing Tian Lei staring at the pool, Yuyan asked, "What is it?" She identify some herbs as they are good cultivation resources but not this pool, but her instinct were screaming for her to devour it.
"It’s called Sun and Moon Nectar," Tian Lei replied, pointing at the pool. "It forms in places where Spirit energy is concentrated and where the Sun and Moon rays continuously strike the same area."
He gestured toward the ceiling, where a hole allowed sunlight to shine through, while the moonlight also filtered in from another angle. Even when the sun moved, the positioning of the hole ensured both the sun and moon rays stayed aligned.
Yuyan blinked, amazed by the sight. "So, this is where the nectar comes from?"
Tian Lei nodded. "Yes, it’s a rare phenomenon. The Sun and Moon rays have been striking this place for million of years, and over time, they’ve created this huge amount of nectar."
He then paused, remembering the words Murong Yue had said in his mind.
[This is great. With this, you can re-cultivate fastly and this time with the Divine Grade Cultivation Techniques]
’ Re-cultivate it?’ he asked mentally as Yue nodded.
[ Yes, Body forging realm is an important step, it also defines your future path]
[ At first I was just going to give you marrow cleansing pill to help you fix some of your problems but now with this amount you can re start your cultivation and build a powerful foundation even perfect, without wasting your one year cultivation ]
Hearing her Tian lei nodded.
"What’s that?" Yuyan asked, tilting her head slightly. "Is this some kind of special energy?"
Tian Lei smiled and explained, "It’s one of the purest source of Yang and Yin Qi, naturally formed over countless years."
Yuyan’s eyes widened as she realized the significance. "It can be used for Yin and Yang-based cultivation, right?"
"Exactly," Tian Lei confirmed. "This nectar can be absorbed to strengthen one’s body and spirit. It’s an essential resource for those practicing Yin-Yang cultivation techniques, and it will help accelerate once progress in the Yin and yang Arts."
’Give me those arts,’ Tian Lei inwardly said, and Murong Yue nodded in response.
[ I have a peak Divine-grade Heavenly Body forging Art for your girl. As for what Divine-grade means, it is two ranks above Heaven-grade. This art is called the Moon Phoenix Divine Body. It is a cultivation method I obtained in a secret realm but never used myself, as I already possess my own Heavenly Body from Birth, So I never needed any extra art to build a good foundation. ]
Hearing this, Tian Lei nodded and asked, ’What about mine?’
[ Hmm, for you, I also have a Divine-grade art called the Imperial Sun Dragon Art. However... there is another one I found in the secret realm I told you about. Its grade is Ancient, one grade above Divine. ]
Tian Lei raised an eyebrow. ’What’s the problem then?’