"If I encounter someone like Lei Dong again, who is at the Half-Saint level, I should be able to easily suppress him with just my soul power!"
Gu Fei murmured to himself as he slowly stood up, his gaze turning to Ziyan.
Gu Fei felt deeply grateful towards Ziyan. For nearly half a year, she had stayed by his side without leaving, showing a remarkable change from her usual restless nature.
"Big Brother Gu Fei, if you had taken any longer, I really wouldn't have been able to stand it!"
At this moment, a trace of grievance appeared on Ziyan's pretty face as she began to complain. The long wait had indeed been difficult for her.
"Hehe, I know. You've had a hard time these past few months. When we return to the Gu Realm, I'll be sure to reward you properly!"
Gu Fei comforted Ziyan.
"No, I want my reward now!"
Ziyan pouted after hearing Gu Fei's words.
"Alright..."
"What kind of reward do you want? As long as it's something I can do, I'll make it happen!"
Gu Fei replied with a smile.
"Anything at all?"
Hearing Gu Fei's promise, Ziyan's eyes lit up as she carefully scrutinized him.
"Is this girl thinking of...?"
Gu Fei's heart tightened, and the system's notification about the emotional value confirmed Ziyan's thoughts.
Ziyan has developed affection and a desire for possession, emotional value +100
"Possessive feelings?"
"Is she really feeling that strongly?"
Gu Fei was momentarily stunned by the notification.
In truth, Gu Fei had always been aware of Ziyan's feelings, but neither of them had taken the initiative to break the ice. The most Ziyan had ever done was to ask Little Xian Yue to call her "Auntie."
"Never mind, I haven't decided yet. I'll let you know when I do. Just remember, you owe me a reward!" Ziyan eventually backed down and didn't voice her request after locking eyes with Gu Fei.
"Then let's head back to the Gu Realm. We've been away long enough..."
Gu Fei sighed in relief.
Soon, the two quietly returned to the Gu Realm, just as they had left.
...
"Daddy, you're finally back!"
On the mountain peak, Little Xian Yue was overjoyed when she saw Gu Fei return and quickly ran over to him. "Hug me!"
Gu Fei scooped her up into his arms.
Standing behind Xian Yue were Xiao Yixian and Cai Lin, both smiling with delight.
Beside Cai Lin was a tiny, toddling child, delicate and adorable.
"Wu Shuang, this is your daddy!"
Cai Lin gently led Wu Shuang over to Gu Fei.
Wu Shuang lifted his head, his big, bright eyes curiously studying Gu Fei. Although he was very young and had just started forming memories, the blood bond he felt with Gu Fei made him smile instinctively. His young voice piped up.
"Hehe... Daddy!"
"Haha, Wu Shuang can already talk!"
Hearing the child's innocent voice, Gu Fei's heart melted. He reached out and picked up Wu Shuang as well.
With one child in each arm and his wives by his side, Gu Fei felt he was enjoying the perfect family life.
"Auntie Ziyan, you're back too! I've missed you so much!"
Little Xian Yue, resting her head on Gu Fei's shoulder, noticed Ziyan approaching from behind and quickly waved to her.
Hearing Xian Yue call Ziyan "Auntie," neither Xiao Yixian nor Cai Lin were surprised. Over the past few months, aside from looking for her father, Xian Yue had often mentioned wanting to find her auntie.
Xiao Yixian and Cai Lin both understood Ziyan's feelings for Gu Fei, and they chose not to bring it up.
With Gu Fei and Ziyan back, the mountain peak was lively once more.
While spending time with his family, Gu Fei also continued his attempts to refine a ninth-tier elixir. After consuming a large amount of emotional value, Gu Fei's alchemy skills had reached the level where he could attempt to refine a ninth-tier treasure elixir.
With his soul power now at the pinnacle of the Heaven Realm, his chances of successfully refining the elixir had greatly increased.
...
The process of refining elixirs was both tedious and time-consuming.
Gu Fei did not immerse himself in it completely. Occasionally, he would take some time to be with his children and fulfill his duties as a father.
Soon, over a year passed.
The once-toddling Wu Shuang was now two years old and had begun to control the power within his body.
"Wu Shuang, you're amazing!"
As his older sister, Xian Yue clapped her hands in delight when she saw her little brother, who was so young yet already able to hover in the air.
"Haha, sister, let me take you flying!"
Wu Shuang reached out to grab Xian Yue's hand and floated into the air. Although his cultivation level had reached Dou Ancestor, his heart was still that of a child.
"What? They're only a few years old, and they can already fly? And without Dou Qi wings?"
At that moment, a figure in green appeared in the sky opposite the mountain peak, her pretty face full of surprise.
It was Xun'er. For the past two years, she had come here after each training session, taking a distant look at the mountain where Gu Fei resided.
This time, she happened to see the two adorable children playing in the sky.
A wave of emotions surged in Xun'er's heart, taking her back to memories of the past.
Suddenly, a strange fluctuation emanated from the top of Gu Fei's mountain.
"Ah! I can't control it anymore!"
"Oh no, I'm falling!"
Under the influence of that fluctuation, two-year-old Wu Shuang suddenly lost control of his power, causing him and his sister to plummet towards the ground.
"Careful!"
Xun'er's heart tightened as she instinctively moved to save them.
However, Xiao Yixian and Cai Lin were quicker to act.
"Xian Yue, Wu Shuang, no more playing for now!"
The two women each caught one child and then turned their gaze towards Gu Fei's retreat.
The strange fluctuation had come from the place where Gu Fei was in seclusion.
"What happened?"
Ziyan and Qing Lin appeared beside Xiao Yi Xian and Cai Lin, their eyes filled with surprise.
"Could it be that Big Brother Gu Fei is finally succeeding?" Ziyan wondered, a thought coming to her.
In the next moment, the world seemed to darken suddenly.
In the sky, clouds rapidly gathered from all directions.
But this time, the clouds were not just dark but an extremely deep, almost suffocating black.
The black clouds filled the sky, and though no thunder rumbled within them, anyone who gazed into the deep darkness felt as if even their soul might be drawn in, trembling with unease.
"It's so dark!"
As the sky darkened, Xian Yue and Wu Shuang, now in their mother's arms, dared not look up at the sky again.