The Portal of Wonderland

“Brother Shi Mu, it’s no contradiction. Although the sacred bird in my family is equivalent to the Holy Order, it has lived for tens of thousands of years now. The original family thought they lost the sacred animal, but who knew Ma Lie and I would have met you and Cai here in the Holy Land.”

Ma Lie’s tone got more shaky and unstable as she went on.

“The sacred animal’s bloodline came to an end, so what does this have to do with Cai? Would it be even possible for him to save this sacred animal of yours?” Shi Mu asked.

“Not so. The sacred animal is a foregone conclusion, but if we can bring Cai back, he might be able to inherit almost all the power of the sacred birds and awaken his original bloodline,” Ma Long suggested.

“What is his original blood? Isn’t Cai a parrot? Shi Mu wondered.

“Indeed, but he’s no ordinary parrot. He possesses the bloodline of the emperor of parrots. Truth be told, I was unsure at first, but I learned that he can directly swallow a spirit stone and loves to devour fire essence. Only then I understood what this really meant. After reporting to my family, it was finally ascertained,” Ma Long explained.

Hearing this, Shi Mu understood what was going on.

“After awakening the bloodline, it’s not necessary to stay in the clan,” Ma Long quickly added, seeing that Shi Mu was not saying a word.

“I can’t just agree with this. I must stress the fact that Cai is my spirit pet, not a slave, The decision is for him to make.”

Before Ma Long could say another word, Cai suddenly spoke up.

“Shi Mu, the giant bird in the flame had a very subtle connection with me. I could feel it calling to me. I think I should take a trip with them.”

“Since this is your decision, I’ll fully support it. You shall go back with them.”

Although Shi Mu was somewhat sad and did not want Cai to leave his side, he could not be that selfish. After all, if Cai were to follow the Ma siblings back, it would be of great benefit to him.

“Thank you for your cooperation. After this, you are the benefactor of our family. This is where my clan is located and you’re welcome to drop by anytime any day,” Ma Long said while hanging Shi My a jade scroll. Both siblings bowed respectfully.

“I’m only doing this for Cai. So, when are you going to leave then?” Shi Mu took the jade scroll and asked.

Ma Lie’s face showed slight hesitation.

“We won’t hide anything from you. There was news from our clan last night reporting that our sacred bird may not be able to hold on anytime soon. Hence, we need to leave with Cai immediately.”

“That quick?!” Shi Mu was shocked.

“This isn’t something we could avoid. Please forgive us, brother Shi Mu,” Ma Long said apologetically.

Shi Mu paused for a moment then said “This… I can understand.”

“Shi Mu, will you follow us then?” Cai asked.

“This is insanity. You know I can’t leave. There are some things I have to deal with,” Shi Mu said with a smile.

“Well when you’re done, you can come to visit me. Anyway, the connection between us is strong and it will never break.”

“Alright then.” Shi Mu nodded.

Just then, Ma Lie suddenly spoke up, breaking up the moment between Cai and Shi Mu.

“Since brother Shi Mu has agreed, we must go now.”

Hearing this, Shi Mu’s brows wrinkled in frustration and annoyance.

He knew that Ma Lie was afraid of Shi Mu going back on his words, so he was eager to leave. He said nothing, but he was highly annoyed and upset.

Of course, Ma Long seemed to catch on to her brother’s actions.

“Ma Lie, enough with your nonsense. Let brother Shi Mu and Cai have a moment to themselves. We’ll be waiting outside.”

Ma Long shook Shi Mu’s hand before leaving with Ma Lie to wait for Cai outside of Shi Mu’s residence.

As soon as the Ma siblings walked out of the residence, Shi Mu turned around and addressed Cai.

“Cai, this is such a huge opportunity for you. However, you must take precautions. Remember, don’t trust others too easily. If you sense that the situation is not right, you must immediately escape and contact me.”

This was the first time Shi Mu used such a tone to speak to him, so he was not used to it.

“Shi Mu, what are you so worried about? It’s always been dangerous around you but have you seen me getting hurt even a single time? There’s no enemy in this world that could be stronger than me!”

“That’s true but I have yet to see a parrot that is as timid as you, afraid of death and greedy for food and money.”

“Shi Mu, don’t say that! After I’m gone and you reach the second floor of the Holy Land, you must hold on!”

“Hold on to what?”

“Hehe, I mean control your urges… If you get what I’m trying to say. There are a few beautiful female disciples but they’re thousands of years old. I wouldn’t be around so I’m telling you to hold on for now,” Cai said with a smirk.

“You’re such a fool,” Shi Mu was speechless.

“Well, take care of yourself. I’m leaving now!” Cai patted his wings on Shi Mu’s shoulder one last time and said.

“Stop nagging like a grandmother. Get going now.”

Shi Mu smiled as he reached out and flicked Cai’s head slightly.

“That hurts!” Cai called out as his two wings flapped a few times and he flew out from the living room to the courtyard.

He still could not help but turned around and look at Shi Mu one last time. Shi Mu stood still and he still had a warm smile on his face as he waved goodbye.

As soon as he turned around, he flew out of the mansion and disappeared from Shi Mu’s line of sight.

Shi Mu regained his gaze and stayed in the same place for a long while. His heart felt slightly awkward.

Cai had been with him for many years. Although he was noisy and greedy, he had a big role in his life. The two of them had formed a kind of understanding. Though their separation would only be temporary, he could not help feeling somewhat discomforted.

He stood for a moment before he turned and walked back to his residence. On his way, he took out a token and muttered something into it.

After a while, Qi Feng walked in hastily. His face showed slight excitement and as he spoke.

“Young master, how may I be of assistance to you?”

“How many are willing to go with me to the second floor? Please calculate the total list and send them to me.”

“Young master, I’ve already asked on your behalf and everyone is willing to follow without hesitation.”

“That’s good. Please tell the others to prepare. I’ll head over to the service hall first, then I’ll take all of you with me to the second floor in a few day’s time.”

“Thank you, young master!” Qi Feng was overjoyed and he quickly bowed before retiring.

Shi Mu immediately left for the service hall.

Like before, several wooden frames were placed inside. The old man with a white robe and white beard sat behind the long bank in the middle of the temple. His eyes were shut tightly as he took multiple deep breaths. It was none other than Elder Hou, the same elder he had seen when he first came here.

Hearing footsteps approaching, Elder Hou opened his eyes and two blazing lights shot out of them.

Shi Mu was stunned by his eyes, and his body gradually became numb. He knew that Elder Hou did not show off but he was indeed a hidden master, so Shi Mu not shocked by this.

“Disciple Shi Mu is here to see Elder Hou,” Shi Mu said as he took a bow.

“Oh, you’re Shi Mu, the one who challenged the Enchanted Road. Yes, I last saw you about twenty years ago,” Elder Hou’s eyes lit up and looked deep into Shi Mu’s eyes as he spoke.

“It’s an honor to be remembered by Elder Hou,” Shi Mu said laughingly.

“Hehe, you’re quite a celebrity now. It wouldn’t be a surprise if the higher-ups knew about you as well.”

“Elder Hou, I’m here today because…” Shi Mu said halfway but his heart turned on his mind. He sighed deeply as he knew he might need to do something drastic next.

There was no way to advance to the second floor except to go through the Enchanted Road.

“You don’t have to tell me. I understand that this is the way to get through the second floor of the Holy Land.”

“This is exactly the case.” Shi Mu said as he took out a new Xuanling Wall.

Seeing the Xuanling Wall of a millennium disciple, Elder Hou nodded and waved out a roll of cyan scrolls.

A piece of blue light spewed out of the reel. Under a roll in midair, the green awnings condensed into an image of a map.

This was not strange to Shi Mu. It was somewhat similar to the first time when he came into the Holy Land of Qinglan. However, this map looked much bigger compared to the first floor.

“The second-floor space is huge!” Shi Mu said with amazement.

“Naturally. The space on the third floor of the Qinglan is the largest, and with the highest number of disciples as well. This is the real backbone of the Holy Land.”

“What?! There were tens of thousands of millennium disciples?”

Shi Mu was shocked.

The number of century disciples was only in the thousands.

However, even if he thought about it more, he was still somewhat confused.

Although the century-old disciples have been replaced every ten years, the inheritance of the Holy Land has not been known for many years. As they progress to millennium disciples, it was natural that their number would increase.

He once questioned the number of disciples in the Holy Land for a hundred years. It seemed that the millennial disciples and the ten-thousand disciples may represent the true strength of the Holy Land.

Taking a glance at Shi Mu, Elder Hou began to chant and drew a charm spell.

The map slowly expanded and a part of the spiritual area emerged on the map. Some were bright while some were dark.

“These bleak areas are now uninhabited. You can choose one as your new residence,” Elder Hou said.

Shi Mu nodded and was about to look at the map.

Besides the clear display of the middle area, there was a large blank area around the map which was not shown at all.

“Elder Hou, what are these blank areas?” Shi Mu asked curiously.

“The second-floor space is a bit special. The higher-ups have yet fully mapped out the grounds those bleak areas that you pointed out are the areas that have yet to be explored. He blank areas were originally occupied by demons and monsters.”

Shi Mu was shocked. The location of the treasures of the white azure appeared in his mind. Corresponding to this map, it should be somewhere in the blank space.

However, the treasure has been hidden there for quite some time now. What if the treasure had already been discovered by the other millennium disciples.

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