Chapter 1 The Encounter

The situation for Man Yaoyao and her group was dire. Out of their party, only Yue Lingxi was a Nascent Soul cultivator; the rest were in the Core Formation stage. The giant ape they faced possessed combat power at least at the late Nascent Soul stage, making it far stronger than the two spiders Wan Lei had encountered previously.

Yue Lingxi, despite her injuries, was desperately fending off the ape's attacks. The other women provided support, locked in a fierce struggle with the beast. Qi Manyao, with blood on her lips and a pale face, wielded a heavy ruler taller than herself, continuously unleashing lightning attacks on the great ape.

Seeing her, Young Master Lei felt a stir in his heart. That girl still loved wearing tight black clothing, her figure outlining perfect curves. Her physique had developed wonderfully over the years. Coupled with her pale, delicate face and furrowed brow, she exuded an air of pitiable beauty.

Young Master Lei quickly regained his composure. It wasn't that he didn't want to continue admiring Man Yaoyao's figure, but rather the murderous aura emanating from beside him was growing more intense. Damn it, how could his jealous little wife encounter Man Yaoyao? What was he going to do?

Young Master Lei vaguely recalled that in recent years, whenever they argued, his wife Xiao Yu would bring up Man Yaoyao. The moment she did, his own imposing presence would falter by half. What was he to do now? Save them? His wife would be angry. Not save them? How could he not? If he let the ape continue, the people from Kui Lian Sect would surely perish. Who died didn't matter, as long as Man Yaoyao didn't die. Man Yaoyao was the most important... Bah, bah, bah, his wife was the most important. However, even if his wife was angry, he had to go save them.

"Let's go, save them!" Fang Xiaoyu said sternly.

"Ah? Wife, you..." Young Master Lei tentatively probed.

"Hmph," Fang Xiaoyu turned and shot Wan Lei a glare. "If your Man Yaoyao dies because of me, you'll probably hate me forever."

"I'll hold it off, you guys get out!" Yue Lingxi roared. The factions entering the Wood Immortal Secret Realm this time had not only sent their younger disciples but also their sect's powerful cultivators. However, due to the immense size of the secret realm, it was impossible for everyone to stay together; they were bound to split up in search of opportunities. This group was the personal disciples of the Kui Lian Sect Leader, led by Yue Lingxi. Qi Manyao had joined the latest and had the lowest cultivation and youngest age, so the elder sisters all took good care of her. They were also vaguely aware of the relationship between her and Wan Lei.

This time, the demon ape they encountered was far too powerful, and they were no match for it. Their sect elders were too far away to come to their rescue. "No, Senior Sister, you can't deal with it alone. If we leave, you'll surely die!" Here, a melodramatic scene unfolded: "You go quickly, I'll cover the retreat!" "You don't go, I won't go either, we go together!"

"Stop talking nonsense, hurry and leave... Ah!!!" With a moment's distraction, Yue Lingxi was sent flying by a slap from the great ape, spitting blood in mid-air. Her being sent flying completely exposed Qi Manyao to the front of the great ape. The great ape's speed was extraordinary, and it immediately swung a fist towards Qi Manyao. Qi Manyao had no time to dodge, but she did not cower or close her eyes. She was merely a Core Formation cultivator facing a cultivator two major realms higher in the Nascent Soul stage; she had no room to resist.

Was she going to die? What a pity. She had waited five years but he never returned. I am truly useless, unable to do anything, only dragging him down. I once solemnly swore to help him, but in the end, I am still so useless... It's fine if I die. If I die, I should be able to find him in the underworld... Qi Manyao did not dodge, and a smile of relief appeared on her pale, delicate face. Come on, kill me.

With a thunderous boom, the giant ape was sent flying backward. Qi Manyao's eyes widened. She saw a figure in white armor appear before her. The figure had a pair of large wings behind it, and the entire person radiated a blinding light. It was very bright, blindingly bright.

Following that, a figure in blue armor appeared and smashed the great ape to the ground with a hammer. The great ape roared in fury and got up to fight desperately, but suddenly a formation descended, trapping it within. The figure in blue armor emanated a dazzling glow, brighter than the figure in white armor. Brighter to the point of being unrivaled. In this dark forest, making oneself so bright was itself an act of courting death. But they still did it, which was enough to show how flamboyant and how much they loved to show off.

Before, there was also someone who loved to show off like this, wanting to be the brightest person on the street wherever he went. He was like the person in front of him, wielding a hammer... A hammer?!!! Qi Manyao's eyes suddenly widened as she looked at the approaching figure in blue armor, her heart shaken. The style of the hammer, the runes, the patterns... The figure in blue armor was moving slowly, as if deliberately allowing people to admire its blinding figure.

Qi Manyao leaped forward, throwing herself into the arms of the figure in blue armor, sobbing profusely. "You're not dead... That's great, where have you been these past few years? I've been looking for you everywhere, asking around, but no one knew. Everyone said you were dead, but I didn't believe it. How could someone as stubborn as you die? Sob sob sob... Do you know how much I missed you? Where have you been? You haven't come back in so many years. Do you know how I've been these past five years? I've cultivated desperately, but my talent is too poor. I'm only in the Core Formation stage now, still so far behind you. How can I be so useless..."

The little beauty in his arms was crying sorrowfully, and crying with immense joy. Young Master Lei felt deeply touched. This girl cared about him so much. While touched, he also felt a strong sense of frustration. The script was wrong. According to his plan, he would have come, unleashed a flurry of attacks to defeat the great ape, and then they would have said words of thanks to him. Then, he would have taken off his armor, and they would have stared at him in stunned silence, only to exclaim after a while, "My heavens, Wan Lei is back!" "How is it possible? How did he become so strong?!" "After five years, the God of Thunder returns!"

This was the kind of plot he had envisioned. How could he have been recognized the moment he appeared? Was his disguise so poor? Where was the pretense he had planned, where was the satisfying feeling? He had worn armor for several days just to disguise himself for this moment. Couldn't this girl have recognized him a little later?

Wan Lei gently placed his hand on the slender waist of the beauty in his arms, feeling the perfect curve of her figure. He really wanted to go a little lower. To pat it, see if it bounced, and feel that long-lost sensation of comfort. But he dared not. Opposite him, the figure in white armor was staring intently at him. He could imagine the fury on that pretty face behind the helmet.