Lu Qingyun and Qin Keqin were now alone in a room and they were looking at each other awkwardly.
"Keqin, you are really going tonight? Why are you leaving? Why didn't you tell me? Is it because you are upset with me? I can explain…there is really nothing between Qingyue and I…" Lu Qingyun muttered weakly.
"It isn't that. I am not upset with you. I really have an important thing to settle elsewhere." Qin Keqin quietly said.
"What can be so important that you have to leave? Isn't this place your home? You can always move your hideout here. Is it because you didn't want me to go to the Moon Demon Forest? Alright, I yield to you. I won't go there anymore so long as you're willing to stay, alright?" Lu Qingyun said with pleading eyes.
He really did not want to lose her at all.
Qin Keqin smiled, "I know your heart. Yun'Er, I'm really not angry with you, alright? Be calm. It isn't because I am unhappy either. I'm so happy to see you here but I don't belong to this place. The hideout is a temporary dwelling place for me. I have other hideouts elsewhere."
Lu Qingyun heaved a heavy sigh, "Can I go with you then?"
Qin Keqin shook her head gently, "Where I go will be extremely dangerous for you to follow."
"The Moon Demon Forest is one of the most treacherous places in the Nine Celestial Fraternity. Can it be more dangerous than that?" Lu Qingyun sighed heavily.
Qin Keqin knew that she had to think of a quick excuse fast. It was because she was going back to the Dark Divine Realms to beef up its defenses against the Valiant Arms Divine Realm that was now leading a crusade against the dark heretic celestials. After all, she was the Devil Goddess and divine ruler of the three dark divine realms.
But she did not want to tell him that she was a super villainess. In fact, as the divine ruler of the three dark realms, there were people that knew what the Devil Goddess had looked like. She had frequently rotated her identity with Feng Minyue as she shared a similar likeness to her.
"Have you heard of Saint Gao Tianshou?"
Lu Qingyun replied excitingly, "I have. Almost everyone has heard of his great name. I can say that he is the current number one hero in the Nine Celestial Fraternity. He has just recently ended the divide in the Valiant Arms Divine Realm and has become its divine ruler. Not only that, he is now a great saint. Have you heard that he had recently even attracted the six-stage golden lightning to become a great saint? Six-stage golden lightning is such a rare occurrence. Most great saints are only able to attract the three-stage silver lightning. As for the nine-stage purple lightning, it is quite impossible to see…"
Qin Keqin interrupted weakly, "You sound like he is your idol."
"He really is!" Lu Qingyun said with his eyes beaming. "All the heroes of the Nine Celestial Fraternity are now flocking to his call to get rid of the looming threat of the three dark divine realms. I have heard that three other divine realms have also formed an alliance with him and have nominated him as the alliance leader. We are now witnessing the start of a new celestial era…"
"Maybe he is just a self-righteous hero." Qin Keqin said sheepishly. "Or maybe this is the start of a new dark era."
Lu Qingyun laughed. "How is it possible? The nine patriarch divine realms are never united. Even the most powerful of the nine divine realms, the Holy Ascension Divine Realm has been so powerless against the three dark divine realms. I think the Nine Celestial Realm needs a strong celestial leader."
Qin Keqin smiled, "The dark celestials have their own cultures and way of life. We shouldn't dictate them."
Lu Qingyun shook his head gently, "Keqin, I must disagree. Some of their ways are despicable and vile. Surely you know about it?"
Qin Keqin returned a light nod and her eyes were melancholy. In the past, she had wanted to be a super heroine and had butchered hundreds of dark celestials. As the daughter of the heavens, she thought that it was her destiny to unite the entire Nine Celestial Fraternity and the Three Dark Divine Fraternity into a new fraternity.
In the end, she did not get any respect or recognition from everyone and she was the enemy of all the celestials. Instead of a super heroine, the Golden Mask Devil Goddess was the super villainess that had terrorized everyone.
It was because she had no background and the celestials had refused to accept someone that had come out of the blue. At the same time, she could not tell anyone her background either.
The price for having her three minutes of fun was that she was almost killed by the righteous celestials.
"Keqin, why are you so quiet? Don't tell me that you are going to join with Saint Gao Tianshou to fight against the dark celestials?"
Qin Keqin nodded light, "That's right. I don't know how long this will take."
Lu Qingyun was startled as he stammered, "Once I am done with the expedition to the Moon Demon Forest, I will look for you alright?"
Qin Keqin smiled as she took out a transmission stone, "Alright. But this transmission stone only works within a ten mile radius. If we are near to each other, you can use this to communicate with me."
"I won't have to use it." Lu Qingyun smiled. "The Great Saintess Fan Yuqing is so renowned throughout the Nine Celestial Fraternity that I can surely find you within a thousand miles."
Then he sighed softly, "I've thought that Keqin you are really upset with me. But you are after all the Great Saintess Yuqing. You have a duty to defend and advance the future of the Nine Celestial Fraternity. I wish that I can join you now. It must be so wonderful to see what Saint Gao Tianshou looks like. We should call him Great Saint Gao Tianshou by now. He is really a great dragon among dragons and a titan among men."
Qin Keqin rolled her eyes and said silently, "Do you know that your idol is going to attack me?"
She forced out a smile to ask, "Do you think that Gao Tianshou can win the Devil Goddess?"
"Of course he can. Good will always triumphs over evil." Lu Qingyun smiled.
"What if the Devil Goddess isn't evil? And what if she is willing to turn over a new leaf?"
"Hmm, she has to be evil. She has been evil for so many centuries already. I don't think she will be able to turn over a new leaf. What about the people that she had killed in the past?" Lu Qingyun smiled.
Qin Keqin returned a weak smile, "Is that so. So that is what everyone thinks of the Devil Goddess…"
Lu Qingyun was sighing heavily, "Today almost everyone I know is leaving. Keqin, you will be leaving alone or with anyone else?"
"My two sister saintesses will be leaving with me. We are always together. But do not let anyone knows that we are assisting Saint Gao Tianshou, alright?" Qin Keqin said before she quickly added. "We don't want to alarm the Devil Goddess that we are there. There are many spies of the dark celestial clans around. Promise me please."
"I'll promise." Lu Qingyun said firmly. "When can I see you again?"
"Hopefully by next year." Qin Keqin said quietly.
Lu Qingyun sighed, "It will be a long wait for me…"
Qin Keqin chuckled, "So don't you die in the Moon Demon Forest. I still want to see you next year."
"With so many cultivators, I don't think I will be in any danger."
"You are wrong. This ancient ruin may be more dangerous than you think it is. I ask someone but he had no memories of it. I guess my old man is getting more and more senile nowadays." Qin Keqin sighed softly.
"Your old man? Who is he?" Lu Qingyun asked curiously.
Qin Keqin laughed softly. "Just an ordinary wise man."
"Oh." Lu Qingyun said.
Qin Keqin rolled her eyes. Her old man was her father. But her father was not the original Great God Pangu but was his reincarnation. Therefore it was not surprising that he had no memories of the ancient ruin. Before he had departed, he had bade her to look for Yue Lingxi and the Horizon of the Heavens, warning her that the Horizon of the Heavens must never fall into the wrong hands or into Lu Qingyun's hands.
She thought, "Am I such a bad daughter that I've even hoodwinked my old man and my mother consorts?"
Before she had returned to the hideout, the Heavenly Temptress Lie Qing had quietly whispered to her. "The Heaveness is not someone who can be easily fooled. Although her fighting skills are just so and so but her intellect is the best among all the great goddesses. She just did not want to expose you. But this is your choice and we wish you the best of luck. And don't die because of one man. Some of us will be extremely sad, including the Heaveness and the Great Goddess Fantian. Don't break the heart of the Great Goddess Fantian again."
She quickly put aside her thoughts and smiled to Lu Qingyun. "I have another good thing for you." In her fingers was a purple pill. "Take it quickly. This is something good that will increase your cultivation strength."
Lu Qingyun was smiling bitterly and he was rolling his eyes. It was because with a single sniff he knew that this purple pill was the Starforge Substances and from the size of this purple pill, it was twice as much as the last pill that was given to him.
This was definitely a big overdose…
But why did Qin Keqin wants him to take the Starforge Substances. Surely she knew that it would be harmful to his memories if he had taken too much, right?
Qin Keqin winked at him, "Go on, don't be shy."
Lu Qingyun decided to put on an act like the last time. So he smiled and put the purple into his mouth. He was definitely not going to swallow it, not ever…
All of a sudden Qin Keqin had tiptoed to kiss him passionately on his mouth. He was so startled that he had actually swallowed the purple pill…
But he was once again startled to see that there were silence tears that were flowing down on her cheeks as she kissed him.
"Yun'Er, I am your woman. I won't leave you. You don't leave me too…"
For a while, Lu Qingyun and Qin Keqin were just in each other tightened embrace as they enjoyed their last moments together.
"I won't leave you, Keqin…one day, I will be a hero that you will be proud of…" Lu Qingyun muttered quietly.
Qin Keqin muttered almost incoherently, "Just be yourself and…forget the past…"
"Keqin, did you say something?"
"I am just wondering why your hands are so honest today?"
"Erm, I've forgotten to be dishonest…"
"What are your hands doing now? I decide to take back my praise for you, hmph!"
"Haha…"
"Where is Yan'Er? I need to talk to her as well. After all, I won't see her after tonight."
Lu Qingyun sighed softly as he called out aloud to his inner spiritual sea, "Where is my cute little Yan'Er? Come and say good bye to your Big Sister Keqin…"
Little Yan'Er was sobbing when she had appeared, startling Lu Qingyun.
Lu Qingyun did not know that Yan'Er could sense the throbbing heartbreaking ache that was in Qin Keqin's heart. It was because Yan'Er was also bonded closely to Qin Keqin as she was the one that had retrieved the golden roc's core for Lu Qingyun.
"Big Sister Keqin, Yan'Er don't want you to go…"
Whenever Qin Keqin was around, Yan'Er was super motivated to do better. When she was not around, she had always felt a little empty and had become lazy.
Qin Keqin smiled to Yan'Er, "My cute little Yan'Er, be strong. Your master will need you to take care of him in the future. Please remember our little secret."
Yan'Er nodded many times, "I will. If Yan'Er remembers our little secret, will I see Big Sister Keqin soon?"
"You will." Qin Keqin lit a faint smile.
Lu Qingyun was startled, "What secret?"
Qin Keqin merely smiled. "If you know then it won't be our little secret."
Lu Qingyun: …
Qin Keqin averted her eyes before she sighed softly. The Horizon of the Heavens was now inside Lu Qingyun's inner spiritual sea. There was nothing she could do about it now. She had made Yan'Er promise her not to tell Lu Qingyun that he had injured her and that she must never tell Lu Qingyun anything about the Horizon of the Heavens.
At the same time she had said to Yan'Er back then, "Don't let him become a golden celestial until he has reached the inside of the ancient ruin."
–
–
–
After Lie Xingyuan and Leng Qiuyue had left with the entourage of Fragrance Herald Yufeng , it was now time for Qin Keqin to leave the Heavens Ridge Villa.
The news that Qin Keqin was leaving had completely caught all the grand elders by surprise.
Although she had long stated that she would not be staying for long, they did not think that it would be so soon. After all, they knew that she was in a relationship with Lu Qingyun.
Shi Guanyin was the saddest among the six grand elders. It was because today was not only the day that her favorite core protégé had left but also that of her secret confidant.
The other five grand elders, Ouyang Xue, Yun Xing, Mu Han, Wang Ming and Kong Guxin were also equally sad.
It was because the arrival of Qin Keqin had not only changed the Heavens Ridge Villa but had also changed New Empyrean City. Never before had the four powerhouses of New Empyrean City had so little rivalries compared to the past. As a matter of fact, the once disunited and weakest of the four powerhouses the Heavens Ridge Villa was now the number one celestial clan in New Empyrean City.
After Qiuxiang Huan's wedding, all four of the powerhouses had actually sat down together and had even nominated the Heavens Ridge Villa to lead them, had Qin Keqin to lead them but she had politely declined it.
Mu Han sighed softly, "Our acting sect leader has left, things will be so quiet now…"
"You mean no gossips for you to spread?" Yun Xing teased quietly.
Mu Han frowned lightly, "You know that I will never spread any gossips."
"Like real…" Yun Xing stared coldly at him.
Ouyang Xue smiled, "Master, why don't you and Grand Elder Mu Han be together?"
Yun Xing was suddenly flustered as she quickly said, "Xue'Er, you are now a grand elder. Do not call me your master now and also, who will like him?!"
Mu Han stammered, "What is wrong with me? I have more strengths than weaknesses…"
Kong Guxin sighed heavily as he saw Lu Qingyun and Qin Keqin disappearing beyond the heaven gate of the Heavens Ridge Villa before he whispered softly to the rest of the grand elders, "It will be so quiet now."
Wang Ming nodded with a heavy sigh, "To think that we have the Great Saintess Fan Yuqing is our midst all this while and yet we do not know for such a long time. This is really so stupid of us."
Shi Guanyin nodded quietly, "I wonder if we will ever see her again. Even this farewell seems so short. I wonder where she will be going."
Mu Han heaved a heavy sigh, "If I were Lu Qingyun, I will surely go after her and never let her go…"
Yun Xing stared at him, "Are you even half as dashing as him? Dream on!"
Mu Han: …