Chapter 488 – Return – The Truth That Couldn’t Be Told (01)
Bai Tang woke to the damp sensation on his face. The moment he opened his eyes, a black-and-white puppy happily rushed over to him. The golden retriever wasn’t nearly as enthusiastic, but it was obvious that it had finally let out a sigh of relief.
“Woof, woof, woof…” Tang Tang, you’re finally awake.
In the cultivation world, Bai Tang had staked everything on one final gamble, trading his own death for a chance at survival for all living beings.
Although the Three Thousand Worlds were separate from one another, they were also closely connected. Moved by his sacrifice, the Heavenly Dao joined forces with the Heavenly Daos of the other worlds to bless him and bestow immense amounts of energy.
As a result, Qiu’er and Xiao A were able to shed their original forms, reconstruct their bodies, and even take human shape. However, neither system had yet adapted to their human forms. Besides, human appearances were far more conspicuous, and as newcomers unfamiliar with the Upper Realm, they wanted to avoid unnecessary trouble. So, for the time being, they continued to appear as dogs.
This was the highest plane that the Announcement System had mentioned—the Upper Realm.
The spiritual energy here was richer than in any of the lower Three Thousand Worlds. Bai Tang felt as though every pore in his body had opened, greedily absorbing the pure spiritual energy. It was indescribably refreshing.
“I’m so glad you’re awake, Host.”
A little girl’s voice came from his chest.
“Hm?”
Bai Tang looked down in surprise. At some point, a teardrop-shaped jade pendant had appeared around his neck, and the voice was coming from inside it.
“That’s Bobao,” Qiu’er explained. “After you completed your mission, we all received an enormous amount of energy. The Bobao evolved as well.”
As the system upgraded, it became increasingly human-like.
There was a saying: When one person attains enlightenment, even their chickens and dogs ascend to heaven.
The Xiao Bobao had now broken free from its cold, mechanical programming. Just as Qiu’er and Xiao A could transform into humans, the Xiao Bobao had become the jade spirit residing within the pendant.
All three systems had evolved, yet their connection with Bai Tang remained intact. He immediately recognized that this was the same Xiao Bobao from before, and his eyes curved into a warm smile.
Extending his consciousness into the pendant, he saw a delicate little girl, as adorable as a carved jade doll, sitting on a swing.
Using his spiritual sense, Bai Tang gently patted her head before taking out the cultivation manuals he had collected in the cultivation world. After selecting one suitable for her, he handed it over.
“Practice diligently. Try to condense a physical body as soon as possible, and then we’ll go have fun together.”
“Okay! Okay!”
Xiao Bobao was overjoyed.
She felt incredibly lucky to have ended up with such an amazing host.
Thinking back to the previous world, all of Bai Tang’s memories had returned as he left the cultivation world.
A Yi was the Child of Destiny. With the Keystone and the True Dragon’s Aura, he should be able to successfully ascend and become an immortal.
Qiu’er had originally wanted to show Bai Tang his human form, but when he arrived with Xiao A, he found the young man wearing a lonely expression.
He knew.
Tang Tang was thinking about his master again.
Speaking of his master…
Qiu’er felt it was finally time to tell Tang Tang the truth.
“Tang Tang, let me tell you… the male lead is—”
The young man shook his head and forced a smile.
“I know. My mission is over. I’ll never see him again.”
“No, that’s not what I was trying to say…”
“I already said goodbye to A Yi. I’m fine. Don’t worry about me.”
“That’s not it. The male lead is actually—”
“Enough, I’m really fine.” Bai Tang smiled reassuringly. “See? I’m perfectly okay. By the way, how are you and Xiao A recovering? Your bodies are fine now, right?”
He picked up Qiu’er and Xiao A. They had only been apart for one world, yet both puppies had gained a noticeable amount of weight. Fortunately, they didn’t seem to have any lingering injuries, and they looked to be in excellent condition.
Every time Qiu’er tried to tell Bai Tang the male lead’s true identity, he was interrupted. In the end, the conversation was steered onto another topic altogether.
“We’re doing well. Both of us can take human form now. This is the Upper Realm, but it’s a little different from what we expected. We’ve stayed in one place for too long—we should walk while we talk,” Xiao A said in his usual calm manner.
The moment Xiao A spoke, Qiu’er suddenly remembered something important.
Bai Tang was still carrying the Aura of the Netherworld. The immortals of the Heavenly Realm were searching everywhere for anyone tainted with Netherworld Aura. They absolutely couldn’t let Bai Tang be discovered.
Before Bai Tang had awakened, the two of them had already encountered a pair of immortals from the Heavenly Realm. Fortunately, they had escaped in time, carrying Bai Tang into the Memory Secret Realm to temporarily evade the search. But if they stayed in one place for too long, it was only a matter of time before they were found.
“Right, right! Let’s explain everything as we walk,” Qiu’er agreed, grabbing Bai Tang’s clothes with his teeth and tugging him toward the exit.
“I can walk on my own. You’ll hurt your teeth.”
Bai Tang picked up the two puppies and headed off in a random direction.
If both Qiu’er and Xiao A considered the situation dangerous, then it couldn’t be anything trivial. They had lived and died alongside him through countless trials. Bai Tang trusted them completely—neither of them would ever harm him.
“Here’s what happened…” Qiu’er began, explaining in detail everything that had occurred after Bai Tang left the cultivation world.
That day, Bai Tang had nearly been devoured by the Evil God. Risking being struck by Pei Boyi’s Heavenly Tribulation lightning, Xiao Bobao used temporal-spatial teleportation to take Bai Tang away.
Her abilities were limited. She had no idea where they would end up, or whether they might simply escape one deadly place only to arrive in another. But if they hadn’t left at that moment, Bai Tang would certainly have died.
At the same time, because Bai Tang had completed his mission and helped the male lead ascend, the Heavenly Daos of the various worlds bestowed their blessings and immense amounts of energy upon him. Qiu’er and Xiao A absorbed that energy, allowing them to awaken just in time to escort Bai Tang and the Xiao Bobao through the barrier between worlds and into the Upper Realm.
Fortunately, Bai Tang had always been in the habit of stockpiling supplies. His small storage pouch contained just about everything imaginable, including clothing for every age group and style.
As they entered the Upper Realm, the Main System’s storage space transformed back into energy and returned to Bai Tang’s body. Thankfully, because of the clothes Bai Tang had stored away, Qiu’er and Xiao A had something to wear after taking human form instead of running around naked in the wilderness.
Not long after they arrived, dark storm clouds suddenly gathered across the sky. Beasts throughout the world let out thunderous roars.
A certain Heavenly Emperor’s divine soul had returned to the Heavenly Realm.
Before the welcoming ceremony had even concluded, they encountered a group of immortals from the Heavenly Realm. The immortals immediately sensed the Netherworld Aura lingering on Bai Tang and, without asking any questions, attempted to capture and kill them on the spot.
Xiao A might have been able to hold his own in a fight, but their opponents were no pushovers. Although Xiao A was powerful, he had only just ascended from the Three Thousand Worlds, so his strength still couldn’t compare to that of the Heavenly Realm immortals.
Qiu’er, on the other hand, wasn’t a fighter. All he could do was protect Bai Tang while desperately dodging their attacks. With Xiao A forced to fight while also looking after both Qiu’er and Bai Tang, the battle became even more difficult.
When you can’t win, you run.
Seeing that Qiu’er did nothing but dodge instead of fighting back, the Heavenly Realm soldiers assumed he was weak and lowered their guard. Seizing the opportunity, Qiu’er threw down a smoke bomb, grabbed Bai Tang and Xiao A, and fled.
The pursuers refused to give up. Left with no other choice, Qiu’er and Xiao A forcibly opened the entrance to a secret realm and brought Bai Tang inside, using it to shake off their pursuers.
The secret realm had been forced open using raw energy, so it would only remain open for a limited time. Qiu’er hadn’t had the luxury of carefully choosing one—he simply opened whichever secret realm had the strongest energy.
Even the Heavenly soldiers couldn’t casually open a secret realm without the ruler’s permission. Every time one was opened, it brought corresponding consequences. Those consequences could be beneficial… or disastrous.
Qiu’er knew that better than anyone.
But at the time, he couldn’t afford to worry about any of that. Even if it cost him his life, he would protect Tang Tang.
Several days had passed since they entered the secret realm and Bai Tang finally woke up. Qiu’er feared that the Heavenly soldiers might obtain permission from their superiors to enter the secret realm as well. To avoid being tracked down, the three of them had no choice but to keep moving from place to place.
After hearing the explanation, Bai Tang was still somewhat confused.
He understood that righteousness and evil could never coexist, but what exactly was the Aura of the Netherworld? Could it be the demonic aura he had acquired after falling into demonic cultivation in the previous world?
“Tang Tang,” Qiu’er said seriously, “the most important thing right now is to wait. Before my master finds us, we just have to stay alive. As long as my master arrives, we’ll be completely safe.”
Xiao A had already noticed that Qiu’er had mentioned his master several times.
“Qiu’er, who exactly is your master? And what does he have to do with our host?”
The conversation had finally come full circle.
Bai Tang also looked at Qiu’er expectantly, his eyes filled with anticipation.
The sight moved Qiu’er to the verge of tears.
I finally have the chance to explain everything to Tang Tang! Wuwuwu… This is so touching. No, wait—not touching… system-touching!
“My master is the one who awakened my consciousness and gave me my powers. My mission is to protect Tang Tang and bring him back safely. My master is the wisest and mightiest person in all the world, unmatched under heaven, elegant, heroic, extraordinary, noble, graceful—”
Qiu’er rattled off a long string of glowing compliments.
But just as he was about to say his master’s name…
His voice suddenly disappeared.
He froze.
Panic filled Qiu’er’s face. He opened his mouth wide, trying desperately to speak, but all that came out were meaningless sounds.
“Ah… Ah… Ah…”
Bai Tang and Xiao A exchanged bewildered looks.
“???”
“Qiu’er, are you okay?”
Noticing something was clearly wrong, Bai Tang immediately activated his healing ability to examine him.
To his surprise, he found nothing unusual at all.
According to the results, Qiu’er was perfectly healthy.
Xiao A was experienced and well-informed. He quickly calmed down and said,
“If there’s nothing physically wrong with him, then the only explanation is that the time isn’t right yet. Qiu’er simply isn’t allowed to reveal the truth.”
Suddenly, a thought struck him.
“Wait… you said this is the Memory Secret Realm. Does that mean it’s a secret realm connected to memories?”
Unable to speak, Qiu’er could only nod to confirm that Xiao A was correct.
Xiao A continued,
“I think I understand what’s going on. Since it’s called the Memory Secret Realm, it’s obviously related to memories—events that have already happened in the past. I don’t know exactly which point in time we’re in, but it should be before Qiu’er gained sentience.”
“Back then, before his consciousness awakened, Qiu’er wouldn’t have known anything. If he didn’t know something at that point in time, then naturally he can’t reveal it now.”
After Xiao A finished explaining, Qiu’er suddenly spoke again.
“So that’s what it is.”
“Huh? I can talk again!”
His eyes lit up with delight.
The fact that Qiu’er had regained his voice only further confirmed Xiao A’s theory.
Still unwilling to give up, Qiu’er tried once more to “reveal” the future by telling Bai Tang the truth.
The instant he attempted it, he lost his voice again.
He tried writing it down instead, but his paws immediately cramped up, making it impossible to hold a pen.
Then he attempted to communicate with Bai Tang through their mental link.
He fainted on the spot.
Bai Tang wove a bamboo basket, lined the bottom with dry straw, and carefully placed the unconscious Qiu’er inside together with the still-awake Xiao A.
“If you can’t say it, then don’t.”
He smiled gently at Xiao A.
“Keep an eye on Qiu’er. Once he wakes up, don’t let him try to tell me the truth anymore. I’ll learn it sooner or later. There’s no need for him to sacrifice his health just to reveal a truth that can’t be changed anyway.”
The young man’s voice was soft and gentle.
He slung the bamboo basket onto his back and set off once again in search of a new hiding place.
According to the map Qiu’er had provided, there was a forest to the north.
A forest…
That was familiar territory for Bai Tang.
If the Heavenly soldiers caught up with them, he could use the terrain to his advantage. In a place he knew well, escaping would be much easier.
Having decided on their destination, the young man set off toward the northern forest with the two puppies in tow.