In the void, Bai She traversed millions of kilometers in a second. He looked at the blurred landscape and the slumped figure of the old man.
"Where are you taking me?"
"To the Ancestral Hu Family Domain." Manesh replied to the young man beside him.
"Don't thank me." he added.
"Why would I?" Bai She retorted arrogantly.
"Hmm... The extreme chaotic Yin Qi oozing from your wounds makes me uneasy. It's impressive you survived."
Bai She remained silent. There were two reasons for his self-inflicted injury. The first was to show he had done everything he could to save Shen Xuan, and the second was that by using his power, he had reached the peak of a Nascent Soul, but it left traces of foul energy he couldn't yet disperse at his level. He had to keep the wound to hide the true reason.
But looking at the monk's expression, Bai She felt he had understood something, though he wasn't sure if it was in his favor.
*'This really hurts like hell.'*
He sighed.
"This kind of wound can't be healed, or rather, there aren't many who can help you. In the future, this energy might reach your heart, corroding your meridians and mind bit by bit."
"It's the price for my incompetence, old monk."
Manesh nodded, then removed the pearl necklace from his neck. Instantly, it grew longer. Bai She furrowed his brows, but before he could react, Manesh wrapped the necklace around his arm, which slowly began to heal as the pearls glowed with a faint blue light.
"This is only a temporary solution." He said, covering it with a bandage.
"Why are you doing all this, Blind Monk? Do you owe my mother some debt?"
"Not at all. Let's just say it's an investment for the future."
"Then I'll repay you a hundredfold."
"I doubt you can repay me. Just help my disciple seal the Abyss of Absolute Evil when the time comes."
"...Agreed."
"Good, now..."
Manesh tore through space, arriving in the middle of the hall.
...
The hall was majestic, much like the thousands of mountains and flowing rivers of the Ancestral Hu Domain. There was lush greenery, mythical beasts, and Qi so dense it formed clouds.
In the hall sat five figures, the weakest among them at the Celestial King level. On the highest seat sat a graceful woman with long silver hair and eyes. She wore a majestic white robe. Her face was cold, devoid of expression, yet as pale as snow, a striking beauty compared to her full, pink lips. On her forehead were two overlapping black Vs, one inverted.
The hall had been silent for hours when space tore, and the blind monk emerged with Bai She.
"Amitabha, this old monk greets the descendant of the White Tiger and matriarch of the Ancestral Hu Family."
Hu Sijin remained silent for thirty seconds, fixing Manesh with her gaze, ignoring Bai She as if he weren't there.
"Who gave you permission to enter my domain, stinking monk?" She asked coldly, showing her feline canines.
"Matriarch Hu truly has a sense of humor. If you didn't want me to come, how could I have gotten here?" Manesh replied with a sarcastic smile.
The two were on equal footing. Unlike Zheng Xuan, who was of the same generation as Sijin and a Celestial Emperor, Manesh, an Immortal, couldn't take Sijin lightly.
For as an Immortal, it's hard to measure the difference in levels, but Manesh knew that Hu Sijin's unique law, the Anarchy Void, was versatile and could easily seal space and instantly kill anyone traveling through the void, which was her domain.
Hu Sijin finally turned her attention to Bai She, who began to tremble. Not out of fear, but because his body reacted instinctively. In his past life, an existence like hers could easily destroy everything. And he, at his prime, had only reached the creation of an inner world. He was no different from an insect before her.
"You will be punished, Bai'er."
"May I choose my own punishment?"
The elders slightly furrowed their brows, their expressions varying. Some were shocked by Bai She's audacity—after all, it was the first time he'd spoken to his mother like this. Others were simply angry that such trash was the heir, bringing shame to them. In one sentence, Bai She was very hated in his family.
Hu Sijin didn't respond, continuing to stare at him.
Taking it as affirmation:
"I wish to be removed from my position as heir and placed in seclusion for at least five years, if you permit it, Mother." He declared, his face calm.
"This is quite unexpected..." said Hu Yaoting, the first elder, with a smile, awaiting the matriarch's reaction.
"The reason?" She asked.
"I believe I'm only the heir in name. By removing my advantage as part of the main branch, I'll become the true heir by defeating the new generation of the Hu family. As for the seclusion, my cultivation is severely damaged, and I wish to take more time to increase my strength."
The first elder snickered. His son was more talented than Bai She but had no chance of becoming the patriarch. Now, he might have a chance if the matriarch agreed.
*'Looks like, in addition to being trash, he's an idiot.'* He thought, unable to hide his excitement, like the other elders who were plotting their own schemes.
"Do you know what this means, Bai'er?"
Bai She took a few seconds to reaffirm his choice. He wasn't just losing his position but also his protection. If he didn't have an adequate level when he emerged from seclusion, he could quickly die from machinations within the family or even from the outside. After all, Bai She had used his status to kill quite a few people.
"Yes, Mother."
"Then so be it."
She waved her hand, and the void enveloped him. Before he could blink, he was in a meditation chamber, with top-tier resources.
He took a deep breath and sat in the lotus position.