Chapter 509: Not Alone
The mansion was as quiet as it normally was. A few servants were moving back and forth within the mansion, and as soon as they spotted Hui Yue, they would all bow deeply. Some out of fear, others out of respect, and a few with both feelings mixed together.
Hui Yue carried on as though he had not noticed them. After going through every chamber in the mansion, he still failed to find the ones he was looking for, and not before reaching the garden did he find Jo and Lao together with Sha Yun.
The three were seated under a tree. The gentle breeze rustled their hair and clothes, making both flutter slightly in the wind. These three were fully focused on their cultivation, and none of them even sensed that Hui Yue was nearing them. Hui Yue, seeing this picture perfect scene, had no intention of interrupting them. All the insight they had gained would become lost if they were abruptly woken up from their cultivation. Each person was so engrossed in their cultivation that it was clear their loss would be quite substantial.
Hui Yue slowly retreated again before he left the Hui mansion and entered Muchuan City. He was not walking about randomly but headed straight for the Xiao mansion. As soon as he arrived, the guards gave him a respectful salute, not daring to block him. As he entered, he swept the area with his consciousness to locate Xiao Ning in the mansion. He was in a back office, but he was not alone. With him was a beautiful lady, and Hui Yue did not keep moving forward. Instead, he found a servant and announced his arrival.
"Lord Hui, please follow me!"
The moment he introduced himself a steward of the family rushed to his side to lead him into the main building.
"Our patriarch is currently busy conversing with his wife," the steward said as he kept bowing to Hui Yue. "I have asked him to come as soon as he is free."
Hearing what the steward said, Hui Yue just nodded his head. Although he was in a hurry, he would not rush his friends when they were preparing to spend eternity by his side. If Xiao Ning were busy chatting with his wife, then Hui Yue could wait for him to finish talking.
It did not take long before Xiao Ning appeared in the chamber where Hui Yue was seated. "Yue! Sorry for making you wait." He laughed as he saw Hui Yue. He was elated to see this friend of his, but Hui Yue's expression was not energetic as he used to be. He was now very stern-looking and detached. But Xiao Ning could not blame him, had he lost his wife the way Hui Yue lost Wang Ju Long, then he was likely to have turned insane with grief.
"I am currently in the Netherworld," Hui Yue explained to Xiao Ning with a sigh. "In the Netherworld, Yanluo is currently looking for a supreme expert to become one of the Judges of Hell, and I am going to do my best to take this position. The trials are likely to be terrifying and challenging; therefore, I need to train as much as I can before the trials begin."
"I will spend my time focused on the dao. Because of this, I will only return to this world once more before the trial begins when Cai Jie becomes a God."
"I came by today to tell you that you should not expect to see me for the next many years. I don't know how long these trials will take, but I will not return until I have finished them."
"If the beast Gods return to fulfill their promise to meet up in ten years, then make them stay at the Hui mansion. I will come and pick up everyone up as soon as I finish these trials. That is hopefully after I get appointed as a Judge of Hell."
Hearing that Hui Yue truly wanted to become a Judge of Hell, Xiao Ning could not help but shiver as a chill ran down his spine. To resurrect Wang Ju Long, Hui Yue would even become such a terrifying figure.
"That is all," Hui Yue sighed as he stood up. "I know you have a lot to deal with in preparing your family for when you leave them, but remember you can always return to their side if you feel the need to do so. The Divine Beast World will always be with us so even when we go adventuring we will never be far from home."
Xiao Ning nodded his head, but determination shone within his eyes. "I think it is about time that my family gets a new patriarch. I will be their ancestor, the one who assists the family, should they be in dire need, but now I cannot deal with the daily problems of my family. I have been the Xiao Patriarch for so many years already; it's time for my sons to take over. It is time for me to go out and explore the vast galaxy."
"The only thing which saddens me is that my wife won’t be able to join me on this adventure." He sighed. "My wife will never become a Saint, and thus she cannot become a God either. But as you said, she lives in the Divine Beast World, and you have it with you at all times. This way at least I can visit her as many times as I wish to. It is not a problem at all."
There was longing in Xiao Ning's voice, a longing not for the wife but to experience and visit the many various worlds. He had a longing to experience things he had never before seen.
Xiao Ning was old. He had lived for many years already, and he who had thought he had seen everything, understood that what he had seen as but a speck of sand on the vast beach.
"Be safe," Xiao Ning said as he stood up and together the two men left the room heading to the gate of the Xiao mansion. Here they split up, Xiao Ning returning to his family's home while Hui Yue headed into town.
He went by the family homes of Ye Ling, Zhu Jun, and Luo Qiang speaking with every single one of them, telling them about the Netherworld and the trials to become a Judge of Hell. All of them were at first slightly terrified when they heard just how many Gods had appeared to attend the trials, but when thinking about it, they all felt less frightened.
The reason they felt better about the situation was because of Hui Yue. He was a towering figure in their hearts. Everything impossible or dangerous that they had experienced so far, Hui Yue had managed to overcome. Their faith in Hui Yue was unwavering. Although they feared the danger, their fear was quickly replaced by the certainty that Hui Yue would succeed.
Hui Yue was not dumb. He knew what they were thinking and understood how they felt, but he said nothing. He knew that amongst the many experts who had appeared in Skydragon Fortress, he was merely an average level cultivator. There were many cultivators much stronger than him, and therefore, it was highly unlikely for him to rank the highest in the trials. His only hope was to prove that he was exceptional and that the King of Hell would notice him through his hard efforts. Hui Yue was ready to give it his all to become noticed.
Standing at the exit of Luo Qiang's home, and having visited all of the people he had to visit, he was hesitating for some time unsure if he should go straight back to the Hui mansion or if he should meet with the rest of his friends. Eventually, the desire to meet his other friends won out, and he made his way towards the smithy belonging to Cou Ling.
As he reached the smithy, Hui Yue smiled as he saw that the shop was filled with people like always. He quickly jumped past the shop and headed straight to the back where he knew Cou Ling would be busy.
As expected, he heard the sound of hammering, and he smiled as he entered her blacksmith and saw the hard working woman.
"Hello," he called out, and she quickly looked up before she smiled and put down what she was working on then walked towards Hui Yue.
"You always vanish and then reappear at the strangest times." She laughed as she looked at Hui Yue, but there was a softness in her eyes which did not match her harsh words. It was clear that she had missed him.
"After seeing your flying swords, I made my own." She said as the two sat down in the smithy. "I can't make inscriptions as complicated as the ones you make, nor am I able to make my flying swords as swift as yours, but they fly nonetheless. Because of this, I am considered the second greatest Grandmaster Spiritual Blacksmith in the world, only beaten by you." She said cheekily. Hearing what she said, Hui Yue couldn’t help but laugh, and slowly the two friends started talking about their lives.
Cou Ling had never sworn an oath to Hui Yue, but Hui Yue felt that he could trust her, and she knew what had happened with Wang Ju Long. Although he did not go into detail, he did inform her that he was working on a way to resurrect her. Hearing this, Cou Ling smiled.
Every friend of Hui Yue could feel the change that had happened to him after he had lost Wang Ju Long. His usual innocence and naivety were completely gone.
No one could blame him, though. Had they lost one of the most important people in their lives, they too would have changed, and not many of them were sure that they would be able to have held it together as well as Hui Yue had done.
Hui Yue spent a long time together with Cou Ling just chatting. He felt nostalgic as a sad smile spread on his lips. Hearing the woman talking about her daily life was enough to make him feel a little better.
A few hours had gone by before he finally stood up and left the smithy. When he returned to the Hui mansion, he found that Sha Yun, Lao, and Jo had finished their cultivation, and all of them were seated within the mansion eating dinner.
"Father!" Both Jo and Lao called out as they saw him entering the room, and even Sha Yun felt excited as well.
Seeing their faces, Hui Yue was happy. This was his family, and although Wang Ju Long was gone, he was not alone. Although he had lost a part of himself, he still had people to live for. He had someone to protect and someone who loved him. Thinking this, he felt a little better.
Sitting down, Hui Yue went through everything he had experienced and explained what he was going to do to his family. Their hearts were filled with worry, but they also knew that this was their best chance to resurrect Wang Ju Long, so none of them tried to talk him out of it. All they could do was to support him and hope for luck to be on his side.
Hui Yue felt better telling them what was going on. He felt less weighed down by his decision, and he felt relieved that they supported him. His family mattered a lot to him, and he was glad that they were on his side. He knew that they wanted to see Wang Ju Long again almost as much as he did, and he knew they would always silently support him.
As night was descending Hui Yue left the Hui mansion and looked to the sky. He did not instantly leave the Divine Beast World. Instead, he looked to the north and vanished only to reappear in Siban empire.