Chapter 25: Primitive Planet

Mu Tong had clearly become an obstacle for Yun Feng. As his mother, she felt compelled to clear away anything that might hinder his path to godhood. However, since Mu Tong had once done her a favor, she stopped short of taking the girl's life; she would simply send her away, far removed from Yun Feng's world.

To compensate Mu Tong and appease her own conscience, Auntie Pang decided to give her the spirit-treasure dagger.

Fearing that Mu Tong might possess some unique ability to return to Hidden Immortal Town, Auntie Pang gritted her teeth and used her divine power to seal Mu Tong’s dantian, then sealed what appeared to be a pocket dimension hidden in her sleeve—which was, in fact, Mu Tong’s primary storage space.

As for the storage ring on Mu Tong’s finger, Auntie Pang had inspected it with her divine sense and found only unremarkable trinkets, so she left it for self-defense. Auntie Pang could not guarantee where the space-time turbulence would cast Mu Tong, but she ensured the girl would be protected from the turbulence itself. As long as Mu Tong survived, she would not be guilty of returning evil for good.

Hadn't she already given her plenty of relatively high-grade materials? And the spirit-treasure dagger would serve as compensation. Of course, Auntie Pang had thoroughly scavenged every bit of gourmet food from the storage ring. Regardless, Mu Tong was an excellent cook and could easily fend for herself wherever she landed.

After sealing Mu Tong’s dantian and storage space—fearing that this legendary young girl might have some formidable secret weapon hidden away—Auntie Pang left only the ring. She placed a protective barrier of divine energy around Mu Tong and cast her into the flow of space-time.

Naturally, she was unaware that Mu Tong’s storage equipment consisted of more than just that ring; there were also the bracelets on her wrists and the six studs in her ears. Since even a divine general like herself could not detect the secrets of the bracelets and studs, one could only imagine how advanced Mu Tong’s craftsmanship and techniques truly were.

Watching Mu Tong get swept away, Auntie Pang nodded in satisfaction, transformed into a shooting star, and flew back to Hidden Immortal Town.

When Yun Feng emerged from seclusion to find that Mu Tong had been absent from the town for a long time, his rage was predictable. How could his little bride have vanished without a trace? He had secretly taken a drop of Mu Tong’s blood to create a soul-bond tablet, and since it remained intact, she was clearly not in mortal danger. But where had his lovely bride gone?

Seeing her son searching frantically for Mu Tong, Auntie Pang became even more determined to keep them apart and naturally refused to tell him where she had sent her. She had known all along that her son had secretly crafted the soul-bond tablet, which was another reason she hadn't taken Mu Tong’s life. As long as Mu Tong lived, her son would not truly descend into madness; instead, he would throw himself into his cultivation with desperate fervor.

***

On Earth, at Mu Tong’s home.

The moment Mu Tong was swept into the space-time turbulence, the Mu family collectively shivered, as if something terrible had occurred. Then, a white light appeared before Mother Mu, who was working in the kitchen; Father Mu, watching television in the living room; Mu Chang, reading book reviews on his computer; and little Mu Sheng-han, who was playing with his toys.

Long after the light faded, the Mu family remained in a state of shock. Was it real? Was what their daughter (sister, aunt) had said in that light true?

In disbelief, the four of them focused their minds, using the method Mu Tong had taught them, and looked into their rings and bracelets. Heavens! The piles of firearms, ammunition, gold, jewelry, clothing, food, manuals of secret arts, and countless unrecognizable items—were they dreaming?

Father and Mother Mu wept as they looked at the deeds and savings books in their hands; these were the treasures their daughter had left them, enough to ensure they would live without want for several lifetimes.

Mu Chang stared blankly at the massive stacks of manuscripts in his ring. How many novels had his sister written? She couldn't publish them all even in several lifetimes! And those legendary spells—it was all too fantastical!

Mu Sheng-han swallowed hard as he looked at the piles of delicacies in his bracelet. "Auntie is the best! She gave me so many yummy things! But why is there a daily limit? Can't I eat more?"

Father and Mother Mu held a long family meeting with Mu Chang: everything Mu Tong had left them must remain a secret.

Gazing up at the vast starry sky, the family prayed: No matter which space-time you are in, we hope you are happy! The soul-bond tablet Mu Tong had left at home remained intact, proving their loved one was merely lost in time and space, and still had a chance to return.

***

In the Comet Bear star system of the Foggy Galaxy, countless billions of light-years from the Milky Way.

After a flash of gray light, Mu Tong appeared in the middle of a dense forest. She had regained consciousness shortly after entering the turbulence, and the fierce, howling storms of space-time had left her both awestruck and terrified.

Fortunately, she had been shielded by a powerful barrier of divine energy, or she would have been reduced to dust. Mu Tong guessed that the barrier must have been set by Auntie Pang. She just couldn't understand why Auntie Pang had gone to such lengths to cast her into the turbulence. If she had wanted her dead, she could have crushed her in an instant—why go through all this trouble?

Unable to fathom the motive, Mu Tong could only attribute it to Auntie Pang having a mental breakdown.

After drifting for an unknown duration, and just as the divine barrier was on the verge of collapsing, the space-time storms finally ejected her through a rift. As she appeared in the forest, the barrier slowly vanished.

Mu Tong rummaged through her storage ring, which contained no food, and gave a bitter laugh. "That crazy Yang Yuan-yuan. Not only did she seal my dantian, turning me from a cultivator into a mortal, but she also used her divine power to lock my storage space."

Was she trying to dump her somewhere just to let her starve to death? If you want to kill me, just do it—why go through all this bizarre theater?

Her stomach let out a rebellious growl, and she pulled out a pack of biscuits to eat. During the days of drifting in the turbulence, her supply of fasting pills had been completely exhausted. The only things left in her storage ring related to food were utensils, tableware, and various spices. Fortunately, when she had confiscated supplies from various countries, she had kept a small portion for herself in addition to what she gave her family.

Among that small portion were some snacks, water, and drinks. It was these items—what she usually considered junk food—that had saved her life. Otherwise, she would have starved long ago.

Now, even these were running low, and the water was nearly gone. If she couldn't escape this forest, she would starve sooner or later.

Mu Tong scanned the woods. Since she had arrived here, she shouldn't have trouble finding something to eat—or drink.

Having been used to the life of a high-and-mighty cultivator, being dragged back to the status of a mortal was deeply uncomfortable. Without the support of spiritual energy, her body felt tired and hungry much more easily. Still, the magical artifacts in her storage ring remained, and compared to a pure mortal, she still had a significant advantage in dealing with the unexpected dangers of the forest.