Meanwhile, the Ten Thousand Races Alliance was also officially declared concluded by the Daoist of Heavenly Water, and the other espers in the land of a hundred races dispersed.
Most people left the Divine Continent directly, and only a few with severe injuries stayed in the Holy City to recuperate.
The Wine Immortal Daoist coughed twice and patted Xu Mu's shoulder, teasing,
"It's gone, yet you're still looking?"
Xu Mu sighed and shook his head, his eyelids heavy, saying, "I'm not looking anymore."
"Qiongqi, let's go too."
"I'm here," a slightly immature boy's voice echoed from below. Then, it flew up from the vast clouds and transformed into a large calico cat, pouncing into Xu Mu's arms.
"Brother Hao Han, I'm so glad you're alive!"
Hearing this, Xu Mu smiled bitterly and rubbed Qiongqi's cat head. "I lost that battle. Surviving was pure luck."
The Wine Immortal Daoist bid farewell to Heavenly Water, who was still handling the remaining matters of the Ten Thousand Races Alliance. The Wine Immortal then took Xu Mu and Qiongqi away.
Above the Divine Continent, among the clouds, the Wine Immortal couldn't help but ask out of curiosity,
"What exactly happened just now? What was that esper's ability, and why did you suddenly wake up?"
Xu Mu sat on a cloud, his long hair being blown by the breeze mixed with mist. He tilted his head back, took a gulp of wine, and said bitterly,
"I don't know what those reds were. After Wulan used his esper ability, those reds invaded my body, making me unable to resist, unable to exert any strength. My limbs and bones were all sealed."
"Even more terrifying was that in the face of those reds, all my resistance was futile. Neither the will of the Great Dao of Death nor the blade intent of the Demon God's Horn could stop it. I could only watch myself lose everything."
As Xu Mu spoke, his mind replayed the scene from the previous moment, and he fell silent.
The moment he lost everything, only that single glazed heart did not stop beating. At most, it was affected and slowed for a moment.
And it was precisely because of this heart's existence that he was able to seize the opportunity amidst the red invasion and summon the long-restless Goblin's Bow from the spatial ring.
Xu Mu said hoarsely, "I suspect Wulan's bloodline is related to the legendary goblins."
"Just before I lost consciousness, I felt the Goblin's Bow becoming restless, so I released it."
"This bow has a life of its own. Facing the reds that I couldn't resist, it opened the dozens of eyes on its body, devoured all the reds in my body, and let out sharp, joyous laughter. This is how I was able to wake up."
"And because of this, I was able to face those reds fearlessly in the subsequent battles."
After hearing Xu Mu's words, the Wine Immortal and Qiongqi also fell silent, as neither of them knew what goblins were.
The Wine Immortal frowned and pondered for a long time, then said, "Regarding goblins, I have indeed seen some ancient texts in the sect. I only know they were creatures that existed many epochs ago, and they did not belong to this land of ours."
Xu Mu nodded, not surprised. "I guessed it would be like this. And not just goblins, I suspect those elves are the same."
"These tribes clearly did not thrive on our Eastern Continent. Instead, they are somewhat similar to the civilizations of the Western Continent."
"And I believe that if our Eastern Continent had an ancient human era countless years ago, the Western Continent should have had one too. Wulan's esper ability might have originated from the gods of the Western Continent, which is why it could counter my sacred relic."
The Wine Immortal nodded at Xu Mu's analysis and said,
"That makes a lot of sense, but we can't verify the specific facts now because the civilization of the Western Continent was destroyed by the Apocalypse, and the entire continent was polluted by darkness. Finding any clues would be as difficult as ascending to heaven."
Xu Mu nodded and sighed, "The Apocalypse again. That's not something I should be thinking about at my level."
Little Qiongqi also yawned and said, "Yes, yes. As for goblins, this divine beast doesn't know much either. I've only heard my second uncle mention once that they are a very powerful tribe."
Xu Mu fell silent, casually tossed away the wine jug, and lay on the white clouds, closing his eyes, quietly recalling everything that had happened during this period.
The Wine Immortal glanced at Xu Mu, sighed softly, and said no more.
He knew why Xu Mu was in low spirits, but he couldn't comfort him.
Qiongqi licked its paws, its eyes calm. It was clear that it also knew the problem.
Xu Mu's cultivation journey had been too smooth.
Although he had experienced several life-and-death ordeals, he had always managed to turn danger into safety, even obtaining incredible opportunities. Sacred relics were acquired easily, and his cultivation realm advanced rapidly, surpassing anyone in the world.
Imagine if it were someone else. A cultivator so young, while others of his age were still fighting for a name among geniuses, he was already mingling among the top existences in the esper world, competing for opportunities that they couldn't obtain, and participating in battles where a mere glance would turn others to ashes.
And in the end, the victors were not the mighty figures on the world rankings, nor various demons and monsters, but this young man in his early twenties. How would his mindset change?
It was obvious that, unconsciously, Xu Mu had already separated himself from cultivators of the same age.
Although his cultivation realm was indeed higher than most, and his strength could be called the strongest, he was essentially still a young man in his early twenties.
The Wine Immortal looked at the Divine Continent below. The mountains looked like ants, and the beauty was laid out before him, but he was constantly pondering how to comfort Xu Mu.
The key was that, just as Zuo Mingqiu could not accept Xu Mu reaching the top of the Holy Ladder, Xu Mu also possessed a pride that did not allow him to fail, or rather, not to fail to his peers.
Although Xu Mu had never said it, never shown it, and perhaps even he himself was unaware of this thought, it truly existed.
And he was not invincible like Ji Chang in the past. Therefore, he had just lost, and that was why he was in such low spirits.
"I know you're feeling terrible, but being defeated by Wulan is truly nothing to be ashamed of," the Wine Immortal Daoist said softly after holding back for a long time, trying to comfort him. "Besides, you didn't lose in the end. If Agudamu hadn't intervened, Wulan would have already been killed by you."
"Without the Goblin's Bow, and without him and it, I would have died long ago."
Xu Mu's voice was hoarse as he pointed to his heart and head, saying tiredly.
The Wine Immortal Daoist didn't know what Xu Mu meant by "him and it," but he knew he seemed to have said the wrong thing.
Pursing his lips, the Wine Immortal was about to say something to make amends, but was stopped by Qiongqi waving its paw.
"Stop causing trouble."
"Alright," the Wine Immortal Daoist chuckled bitterly and smacked his lips. He was indeed not good at comforting people.
The Wine Immortal fell silent, and Qiongqi also said nothing, only curling up on Xu Mu's chest, letting out snores that added a touch of warmth to the cool clouds.
The mountains below overlapped, and the scenery was continuously passed. Xu Mu, who had had some wine, seemed to have fallen asleep. The weariness on his handsome face gradually faded, leaving only the peace of being slightly tipsy.
"Wine Immortal, I miss home."
The Wine Immortal heard this and fell silent for a moment, then calmly replied, "With your current identity, it should be very difficult to return to the domain of the Ghastly Night."
"Once Mu Xu and Xu Mu are linked, what awaits you might be the pursuit of all forces in the world. Except for the White Cloud Taoist Temple, there will be no place for you to take refuge."
Hearing this, Xu Mu opened one eye and stared blankly at the sky, sighing, "Yes, so I'm just thinking about it."
"However, I believe there are still good people in the Demon Extermination Division, like Yin Zhongxiu who helped me before, as well as Yan Yu, Yin Shuier, and perhaps that fisherman I've never met?"
"If that fisherman and the Emperor are willing to protect me, I should not die, right?" httpδ:/m.kuAisugg.nět
The Wine Immortal nodded and said with emotion,
"If that person intervenes, you definitely wouldn't die. All the esper forces in the world combined probably couldn't kill you."
Hearing this, Xu Mu opened his eyes in slight surprise, "That powerful?"
The Wine Immortal nodded solemnly. "Of course. He was the first to awaken his esper ability and saved the entire human race from dire straits."
"The Governor of the Demon Extermination Division, that fisherman, his strength is probably much stronger than my senior brother's."
"As for the other Human Kings, don't even compare them to him. In terms of status and strength combined, they are not on the same level as him."
"That's truly terrifying," Xu Mu clicked his tongue and sighed. "After my identity is exposed, I hope he won't come to kill me. After all, I'm kind of his subordinate."
The Wine Immortal shook his head, "He won't. Even if it's a sacred relic, he would probably only be slightly interested."
"Because in recent years, he has been exploring the Western Continent and has no time to pay attention to this side."
"Is that so? That's truly amazing. He did what I wanted to do but didn't have the ability to do."
Xu Mu clicked his tongue, then closed his eyes again and slumped back on the white clouds, saying comfortably,
"Alas, since there's someone tall to bear the burden when the sky falls, there's no point in me agonizing over it. I won't rush it for now."
"What Apocalypse, victory or defeat, has nothing to do with me for the time being."
Xu Mu said, closing his eyes and smiling faintly, his voice relaxed,
"I'm going to sleep."
"We've arrived. Remember to wake me up."