Chapter 42: Parting Ways

Inside the stone forest, next to a massive rock.

Mo Chaoge, Bernard, and Mingyue Shi stood with indifferent expressions, seemingly waiting for some news.

Not long after, a Dark Star Messenger from the Dark Star Sect appeared from a distant stone path and walked straight toward them.

After this Dark Star Messenger arrived, he bowed to Mingyue Shi and said, "Sir, there is still no trace of them."

Mingyue Shi nodded and waved his hand, saying, "Continue monitoring those checkpoints, do not relax!"

"Yes!"

The Dark Star Messenger responsible for gathering information quietly retreated, his figure flashing past the rocks and disappearing in the blink of an eye.

An hour later.

The towering figure of the one-armed Johnson appeared from a stone path. After walking over and saluting Mo Chaoge, he said, "I haven't seen anyone."

"Hmm." Mo Chaoge nodded and instructed, "Continue to keep watch. I don't believe they won't come out."

"Third Master, could they have been killed by beasts in the Dark Forest?" Johnson hesitated for a moment and said, "I heard that after we left, the beasts in that area became even more frenzied. Many martial artists who were active there have been reported dead. They haven't come out for so long, they might have been killed by the beasts."

"There is a possibility."

To everyone's surprise, Mo Chaoge did not refute this. He nodded and said, "But if they weren't killed by the beasts and instead slipped into the Merchant Alliance while we weren't paying attention, we will regret it! Do you understand what I mean?"

"Understood! I'll continue to keep an eye on it!" Johnson's expression turned serious, and he hurriedly turned to leave.

Mo Chaoge frowned and said to the Mingyue Shi beside him, "Let's wait another month. If they still haven't come out, they might really be dead inside. What do you think?"

"Agreed, I have no objections." Mingyue Shi nodded and pondered for a moment, then said, "I received news that Medicine King Gan Xiao and the Thunderwing Silver Wolf are still battling in the Dark Forest. However, there are too many beasts in the Dark Forest, and Gan Xiao seems to have started to retreat. The beasts in the Dark Forest are now gathered around the Thunderwing Silver Wolf, still hunting Gan Xiao and his followers. The area they were in is relatively safe now."

"You mean... they might still be alive?" Mo Chaoge asked.

"The possibility of survival is high." Mingyue Shi said, "Many martial artists in that area have been killed, and those who weren't killed have already fled. As long as they aren't too unlucky, they should be able to survive and come out of the Dark Forest."

"I hope they are alive!" Bernard of the Fangtooth Mercenary Group, his eyes full of resentment, said coldly, "I will make them regret ever being born."

Mingyue Shi's eyes flashed with a cold light, and he said calmly, "I want to take the one surnamed Mu."

"That skinny kid should be handed over to me first. He stole something from our Mo family. I need to get the item back, and then you can do as you please." Mo Chaoge glanced at Bernard, his tone neither warm nor cold.

Bernard remained silent, not responding, his thoughts unknown.

...

Shi Yan cautiously walked among the jagged rocks, not daring to relax for a moment.

Mu Yudie and Dyalan were talking in low voices ahead, their conversation unknown.

"Ding Yan." Suddenly, Mu Yudie stopped and turned to look at him.

"Hmm?" Shi Yan was surprised, slightly relaxing his vigilance, "What's up?"

"Are you from the Merchant Alliance?" Mu Yudie hesitated for a moment and asked casually.

"Yes."

"Do you practice alone?"

"Yes."

"During this journey, you've helped me a lot. I want to introduce you to someone. If you can gain his favor, it will greatly benefit your future cultivation. What do you think?" Mu Yudie's expression was serious, her bright eyes fixed on him.

Shi Yan was taken aback and, after a moment, shook his head and said calmly, "I appreciate your kindness, Miss Mu, but I don't like being constrained by others."

He understood that Mu Yudie intended to recommend him to a powerful figure or a major force.

In this world, there are martial artists who go it alone, but most of them are highly skilled and do not need to rely on any force to do as they please.

However, the majority of martial artists choose to join major forces or powerful families.

This is because these major forces and powerful families control abundant cultivation resources, have complete martial techniques and materials, and have experts to guide them. These things can help a martial artist break through bottlenecks and reach higher realms more quickly.

However, truly powerful forces and families rarely accept people with unknown backgrounds. Without a recommendation, it is very difficult to join these major forces for cultivation.

Clearly, Mu Yudie knew an important figure in a major force and wanted to do Shi Yan a favor.

"Practicing alone can be very troublesome." Mu Yudie was somewhat surprised and did not understand Shi Yan's refusal, "Only by relying on a major force can you progress quickly. When you train in certain areas, you can also have support. A lone martial artist in unfamiliar territory can easily become a target for others. Do you understand?"

"Yes, practicing alone has many drawbacks. Little Butterfly means well. Why don't you meet the person and then decide whether to refuse?" Dyalan also tried to persuade him.

"No need, I have some things to do and don't want to become a slave to a family." Shi Yan firmly shook his head.

"Suit yourself." Mu Yudie's eyebrows furrowed, thinking Shi Yan was ungrateful, but she did not insist.

Dyalan sighed, feeling a bit disappointed.

She was going to be with Mu Yudie, and now that Shi Yan had refused Mu Yudie's invitation, it meant she would be separated from him, and they might not see each other again.

Over these days, Shi Yan's image had been deeply imprinted in her heart. The thought of parting made her feel uneasy.

"Ding Yan, I'm going to be with Little Butterfly, you..."

After thinking for a while, Dyalan finally couldn't hold back and spoke, her eyes pleading.

"You can come with me too." Shi Yan was taken aback for a moment and then added, "If you want to."

"I..."

Dyalan stammered, her expression full of bitterness, and said softly, "The force behind Little Butterfly can not only protect her from harm but also help me continuously improve my realm. Moreover, Little Butterfly has assured me that I will get abundant cultivation materials and a mystic-level weapon there. In the future, I might even be able to practice spirit-level martial techniques. I..."

"Then forget it!"

Shi Yan was very straightforward and said coldly, "You have your goals, and I have mine. The things you want... I can't give you. When we reach the Silent Town, we will part ways."

Clearly, Dyalan believed that the force behind Mu Yudie would be more beneficial to her future realm, and the conditions offered were very tempting. She had no reason to refuse.

"Ding Yan..." Dyalan's heart ached, and she murmured, "I'm sorry."

"You don't need to say sorry." Shi Yan shook his head and said calmly, "We both agreed beforehand, and now we part ways. We owe each other nothing."

"You!" Dyalan's face changed slightly, looking at him with a hint of resentment, her chest heaving slightly. In the end, she sighed softly and murmured, "Do as you please. I have my plans. You are still young, you won't understand..."

Shi Yan sneered, his expression cold, his eyes showing disdain, and he said nothing.

"Ungrateful." Mu Yudie snorted.

"When words don't match, even a few sentences are too many." Shi Yan shook his head, not bothering to respond, not even looking at her, and walked straight to another fork in the path, his back to the two women, and said coldly, "Farewell."

"Ding Yan!" Dyalan exclaimed, "Didn't you say we would part ways when we reach Silent Town?"

"Miss Mu is at the third level of the Human Realm, and there are powerful figures to assist in the stone forest. You can rest easy, I won't take advantage of it." Shi Yan's voice faded away, and his figure disappeared.

"Such a proud guy will definitely suffer in the future." Mu Yudie shook her head and said, "In this world, sometimes you have to learn to yield. Otherwise, it's hard to survive for long, especially for martial artists like us."

Dyalan felt very disappointed, "I really worry about him. Sigh, wouldn't it be better to follow us? Why did he refuse?"

"Forget it, don't think too much. We're all in the Merchant Alliance, and we might meet again in the future." Mu Yudie consoled her, "Sister Lan, we are women and bear the mission of revitalizing our families. We also need to avenge Uncle Luo and the others. We must rely on powerful forces and powerful people. Only then can we achieve our goals."

After a pause, Mu Yudie's beautiful eyes showed complex emotions. She also recalled the moments she spent with Shi Yan, the霸道吻 in the cave...

But in the end, she shook her head forcefully, as if trying to erase Shi Yan's image from her mind, and murmured, "As for him, let's just consider him a beautiful memory in our lives."

Her words seemed to be for her own ears.

"He's not bad, almost breaking through to the Human Realm, and he's still very young..." Dyalan murmured.

"To reach the Hundred Tribulations and Status realms, it will take him a dozen years. To reach the Nirvana and Heaven realms, who knows how many years it will take. We can't wait that long. Besides, he's just one person, with no powerful force behind him..."

"Sigh, forget it, I hope our decision is right."

"I won't be wrong!"

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