Upon hearing those words, Alin abruptly lifted her head from Lu Ning’s chest.
Her large, black eyes, still stained with tears, were filled with unbelievable surprise.
“Sister… Sister Lu Ning, are… are you really going to take me out of here?”
“Yes.”
Lu Ning nodded firmly.
“That is great!”
Alin excitedly jumped straight out of Lu Ning’s arms.
The grievances she had felt earlier were instantly swept away by this immense joy.
She grabbed Lu Ning’s hand and said happily, “Sister Lu Ning, let us leave right now! Do not worry, Alin will definitely be good and listen to you from now on. I will never cause trouble again.”
“Alright.”
Looking at her restored innocence and playfulness, Lu Ning could not help but let a doting smile grace her lips.
She knew that the cute, clingy, and silly girl had finally returned.
Although the process had been a bit winding, the result was good.
They did not delay any longer.
Lu Ning held Alin’s hand and walked quickly toward the black stone gate.
….
Meanwhile, at the Tianmo Sect’s Sovereign Hall.
Gu Qinghuan was sitting cross-legged on a wide jade bed, eyes closed as she regulated her breathing.
Ice-blue frost, visible to the naked eye, swirled around her, shrouding the entire Sovereign Hall in a world of ice and snow.
Since Liu Ningshuang had taken Lu Ning away, she had stayed here without moving a single step.
She practiced desperately every day.
She needed to become stronger.
She had to become stronger than anyone else.
No matter what, she would reclaim her Master from the hands of others.
“Master…”
Gu Qinghuan murmured to herself, a determined light flickering in her cold eyes.
“Please wait for this disciple a little longer.”
“It will be soon. Very soon, I will personally step into the Forbidden Land and bring you back.”
As she finished speaking, the Power of Taiyin around her suddenly surged!
The temperature in the Sovereign Hall plummeted once more, and even the air seemed to freeze.
Right then, Gu Qinghuan seemed to sense something.
She snapped her eyes open and looked toward the back mountain’s Forbidden Land.
A flash of bewilderment crossed her beautiful eyes, followed immediately by endless joy.
‘Master! It is Master’s aura!’
‘She is back!’
In the next instant, Gu Qinghuan’s figure flickered.
Like a teleportation, she vanished directly from within the Sovereign Hall.
….
On the path of the Tianmo Sect’s back mountain, Lu Ning and Alin had just emerged from the massive black stone gate.
At that moment, a figure appeared before them without any warning.
The newcomer was Gu Qinghuan.
When her gaze landed on the black-robed figure she had thought of day and night, her eyes were instantly filled with boundless joy.
‘Master… she really is back…’
Furthermore, that mysterious and powerful Supreme Sect Master had not appeared with her.
This realization caused Gu Qinghuan’s heart to throb wildly.
She no longer had any reservations.
She rushed forward instantly.
Under the surprised gazes of Lu Ning and Alin, she threw her arms out and tightly pulled the figure who haunted her dreams into a firm embrace.
“Master!”
“This disciple has finally seen you again!”
Her voice was thick with the joy of recovering something lost.
Lu Ning was a bit dazed by the sudden hug.
She could feel Gu Qinghuan’s body trembling slightly.
“Qing… Qinghuan…”
“Master, I missed you so much…”
Gu Qinghuan buried her face in Lu Ning’s chest, feeling that long-lost softness.
“There has not been a single day that I have not thought of you.”
“I was so afraid… so afraid that I would never see you again…”
Hearing these words of true emotion, many thoughts crossed Lu Ning’s mind.
She knew that this rebellious disciple truly cared for her.
Although this sincerity was somewhat obsessive and morbid, after two months of “imprisonment,” feeling this warmth again caused a trace of emotion to stir in Lu Ning’s heart.
She hesitated for a moment before reaching out to gently pat Gu Qinghuan’s back to comfort her.
However, right at that moment, a voice full of anger and hostility rang out from behind them.
“You bad woman! Let go of my Sister Lu Ning right now!”
Alin watched Gu Qinghuan refuse to let go of her Sister Lu Ning, and her watery black eyes were instantly filled with enmity.
She felt as though the “treasure” she had just recovered was about to be stolen again.
No! Absolutely not!
The atmosphere on the mountain path instantly became tense, as if swords were drawn.
A terrifying power erupted from Alin’s petite body.
Although she did not reveal the pressure of the Tribulation Transcendence Stage, the violent aura originating from an ancient beast still caused the surrounding air to solidify.
However, just as she was about to rush at Gu Qinghuan, a warm hand pressed gently against her shoulder.
“Alin, stop.”
Lu Ning’s voice was soft, but it brought Alin’s forward momentum to a sudden halt.
“Sister Lu Ning?” Alin turned her head.
Her angry eyes now held a hint of confusion and grievance.
“She… she is bullying you…”
“Do not be impulsive. I will handle it.”
Lu Ning shook her head gently.
Then, she turned her gaze toward Gu Qinghuan, who was still holding her.
Her voice carried a hint of helplessness.
“Qinghuan, let me go first.”
Upon hearing this, Gu Qinghuan slowly released her arms, though her heart was full of reluctance.
“Master.”
Gu Qinghuan took a step back, her eyes filled with complex emotions.
She felt that the current Lu Ning was somewhat different from two months ago.
Looking at the Master who was both familiar and strange, she had far too many questions.
But she knew now was not the time.
“This is not the place to talk,” Lu Ning’s voice sounded again.
“Whatever it is, we will discuss it after returning to the Sovereign Hall.”
After saying that, she began walking toward the Sovereign Hall on her own.
Soon, the three of them returned to the familiar hall.
Lu Ning looked at the Black Jade Bed, and the corner of her mouth could not help but twitch.
Suddenly, Gu Qinghuan moved.
She walked slowly to the jade bed, and then, under the stunned gazes of Lu Ning and Alin, she lay down upon it with natural ease.
Resting her head on one hand, she looked at Lu Ning with interest in her cold eyes, a playful curve hooking the corner of her mouth.
“Master,” Gu Qinghuan’s voice carried a hint of teasing.
“During the two months you were away, I missed you terribly.”
“Now that you have finally returned, should you not properly compensate me for the suffering of my longing during this time?”
Hearing this, Lu Ning was completely dumbfounded.
This rebellious disciple… what was she trying to do?
She was trying to revolt!
Beside them, Alin was instantly filled with hostility upon seeing this scene.
“You bad woman! Get off Sister Lu Ning’s bed right now!”
Alin puffed out her cheeks like a provoked kitten, glaring at Gu Qinghuan.
However, Gu Qinghuan ignored her completely.
From beginning to end, her gaze remained fixed on Lu Ning.
In the next moment, a pressure 100 times more terrifying than the one on the mountain path erupted from her body!
That pressure was vast and boundless, as if it intended to shroud the entire world.
Great Completion Stage!
Gu Qinghuan’s cultivation had actually reached the terrifying level of the Great Completion Stage!
In just two short months, her progress had been incredibly rapid.
The moment Lu Ning felt this pressure, her expression changed drastically.
She could feel that Gu Qinghuan’s current strength was even a bit stronger than Jing Linglong’s after her return from the Divine Phoenix Ancestral Land.
This rebellious disciple’s talent was simply heaven-defying to the extreme!