Chapter 4841 The Feather Spirit Race
“I’m sorry for not being able to greet you sooner. I was in seclusion when you came. Please excuse my impoliteness,” the woman said, her voice like a cleansing spring breeze. Despite her status as the leader of her race, she bowed respectfully to Long Chen.
Long Chen hastily returned her greeting. “Senior, I’m sorry for disturbing you from your seclusion by coming here so suddenly.”
The leader of the Feather Spirit race exuded an aura that seemed to harmonize with nature itself. While her power was unfathomable, Long Chen was certain her power surpassed even that of the Violet Palace Sect’s vice palace master.
“You are too courteous. The Feather Spirit race is the protector of the Butterfly Spirit race. As you have been blessed by the Butterfly Spirit race, we will protect you as well. Whatever request you have, the Feather Spirit race will do our utmost to help you,” answered the race leader sincerely.
Long Chen hadn't anticipated that saving one woman from the Butterfly Spirit race would lead to such profound karma. Even after ascending to the immortal world, this act of kindness continued to yield benefits, leaving him deeply moved and at a loss for words.
“Come, please be ready for the welcome ceremony!” declared the race leader. When she clapped her hands, countless young men and women walked out of the depths of the forest, singing.
They held hands and danced gracefully, their eyes twinkling with starlight. Their warm gazes seemed to exude a sense of trust and openness, allowing one to let down their guard and fully embrace the enchanting atmosphere.
“Big Brother Long Chen, Big Brother Mo Nian, let’s dance!” Yu Tong held Long Chen and Mo Nian’s hands. She had an innocent and pure smile on her face.
“Ah... I don’t know...”
Long Chen and Mo Nian tried to escape, but another woman walked over and brazenly grabbed Mo Nian’s hand, starting to dance with him.
Lu Ziyu and Lu Ziqiong were also made to dance with other members of the Feather Spirit race. The cheerful rhythm, sweet singing, and pure smiles were enough to make a person completely forget about the world’s vexations.
At this moment, all they could feel was this world’s beauty. Here, they didn’t need guard and vigilance; they could fully relax.
One pure face after another flashed by as Long Chen danced with countless people. After what felt like an eternity, the singing gradually came to a halt. The members of the Feather Spirit race started to retreat, waving goodbye as they disappeared into the depths of the forest.
Not only had the Feather Spirit race departed, but so too had Yu Tong, Yu Fei, Lu Ziyu, and Lu Ziqiong. Only Long Chen and Mo Nian remained behind.
Their surroundings were different now. At some point, they had appeared beneath a giant tree, and specks of divine radiance enveloped them. Immersed in this light, they felt incredibly relaxed.
The divine radiance on Mo Nian was constantly flickering, helping him to rapidly recover. During a normal time, Mo Nian would be shouting in excitement, but at this moment, he couldn’t say a word, his eyes slightly red. After a long time, he finally sighed.
“I really envy you.”
“You envy me for having such good relationships with other people?” Long Chen smiled.
Mo Nian shook his head. “I envy you for having better luck than me.”
Long Chen looked at him oddly. “That’s the first time I’ve heard someone say that they envy my luck.”
Mo Nian sighed, “Well you might be unlucky in other regards, but you always encounter people who can trust you with their whole hearts, whether it is your lovers or your hot-blooded brothers. On the other hand, other than you and Zongying, in this vast immortal world, there is no one else I can trust.
“You once told me that what sustains a person isn’t necessarily power, but the bonds of the heart. At the time, I thought you were just posing, but now I understand. The feeling of wanting to protect something can guide a person even in the darkest times.”
Long Chen was startled, and then he smiled bitterly. “It seems that you’re also not doing too well in the immortal world. Looks like we are sailing in the same boat.”
Long Chen hadn’t expected Mo Nian to have spent so long in the immortal world without making a single friend. That was truly disheartening.
“I always felt that befriending someone stronger than me would seem like I was trying to suck up to them, like I was seeking to climb socially. My pride did not permit me to do so. And as for people who were weaker than me, they were shackles that slowed me down. My rational side did not allow that either. I didn’t quite understand your actions before, but today I see that in matters of the heart, there’s no weak or strong side. In this exchange of hearts and souls, status and cultivation base don’t matter. As long as you have a pure, sincere spirit, you can connect with each other... It’s a beautiful feeling that I can’t quite describe, but it truly is beautiful,” Mo Nian said, smiling as he looked at his own hands.
It was rare for him to smile without any of his usual wretchedness. Today, it seemed that he was truly moved by the Feather Spirit race. The feeling of not needing to be vigilant, of unconditional trust, greatly shook him.
It was a warmth he had never experienced before, so it had a huge impact on him. Perhaps it had even toppled his wretched principles.
Long Chen patted his shoulder. “Now do you understand? Some things in this world are sacred and cannot be defiled. To protect them, we can bleed to the last drop of blood. Even if our souls are broken, our remaining wills must protect them.”
“You’re right. If anyone dared to harm them, I’d protect them even at the cost of my life,” said Mo Nian. He then rubbed his own face, smiling bitterly. “I definitely wouldn’t have even thought of that before. Ah, it’s over. Have I been bedeviled?”
“No, not bedeviled. You’ve reached the Dao. Under my guidance, your mind and soul have opened. How about you leave your immoral master and come under my wing? When others are around, we’ll be brothers. When no one else is around, we can be master and disciple—hehe, don’t attack me!” Long Chen laughed and dodged Mo Nian’s punch.
“I treat you as my brother, but you dare to treat me as a disciple? If I wasn’t injured, I’d show you my real power and crush you,” snorted Mo Nian.
After that joke, Mo Nian’s emotions settled. Furthermore, this simple jab of his showed Long Chen that his injuries had mostly recovered.
“Brother, we can’t stay here too long. We should leave. Otherwise, we’ll owe them too much. I’m also afraid that if we stay too long, I won’t want to leave again. My grand ambitions will be wasted then,” remarked Mo Nian nervously.
At this moment, the race leader appeared once more. Seeing her, Long Chen and Mo Nian hastily rose and bowed to her.
“I’m sorry, but I had to disturb you. It’s almost time.”
“Oh, right!”
Long Chen and Mo Nian slapped their legs. They had almost forgotten about this matter.