Although the timing felt a little too coincidental, he did not care anymore. All that mattered was that the chance to go home was finally here.
"Darling, are you going now?" Rose asked, her voice soft but filled with a quiet longing.
"Of course. I will fetch my group first and then head straight to the northwest region. I might stay in Bellion's territory until the portal fully stabilizes," he replied.
"What about me, Darling?" Rose asked, her eyes wide and pitiful.
"You? Don't you have your faction to take care of?" Leyvi said, trying to keep his tone neutral.
Rose pouted charmingly. "I don't care about them anymore... I just want to stay with you..."
Leyvi blinked. This is bad. She isn't going to end up wanting to follow me back to the Cloud Continent, is she?
Although his animosity toward her had faded, he still did not want to remain entangled with her after the expedition ended.
"Fine, do as you like. But make sure to put on your disguise all the time," Leyvi relented, a hint of resignation in his voice.
Rose was about to dance with joy when Leyvi continued speaking.
"But after the expedition is over, you and I will return to our respective continents. I don't want to hear that you wish to follow me again."
He knew this would sound harsh to someone under the influence of a love spell like hers, but he felt he had to set the boundary clearly and early, before her hopes grew any stronger.
But contrary to his expectations, Rose let out a gentle, understanding smile.
"Don't worry, Darling. I know my place. Although I truly want to abandon everything and stay with you, I can't do it. I am, after all, a Holy Maiden of my sect. I don't want to put you in danger by acting so recklessly." Rose explained, her voice carrying a soft, genuine sadness.
Huh? I would be in danger if she followed me? Don't tell me this is one of those scenarios from novels where our statuses are too far apart. Or maybe abandoning her sect would brand her a traitor, hunted down at all costs, and I would be implicated as well.
Whew. It is good that she is acting reasonably. It looks like this love spell of hers didn't cause her to lose all logic and reason, as I initially feared. Perhaps that only happens if I give her a direct order. It is a relief that in her default state, she still considers my well-being first and foremost.
Leyvi nodded slightly to himself, processing her words quietly.
Rose's eyes then turned incredibly determined before she continued speaking, her voice steady and full of quiet resolve.
"That is why I will do everything I can to cultivate until I become the Supreme Holy Matriarch of our sect. At that level, nobody can interfere with my decisions anymore. It might take a very long time, or it might never happen at all. But until then, please wait for me, Darling."
Leyvi was taken aback by her declaration, his thoughts spinning.
This girl... Is she that determined? Supreme Holy Matriarch. She would probably need to be the absolute strongest in her entire sect to assume that position.
Isn't that goal far too difficult? Just because she is determined doesn't mean she will achieve it. Meaning, she likely won't be able to come see me for her entire life. That is actually... good for me.
Also, if her cultivation level reaches a high enough realm, the love spell might even undo itself, freeing her from this artificial devotion.
Hmm... This might be for the best. I should encourage her so she doesn't change her mind.
Leyvi smiled warmly.
"Hahaha. Sure. I will be waiting for you. You can take your time," he said with a nod.
"Fufufu~ Thank you, Darling. It is a promise." Rose's eyes burned with quiet determination. She would do whatever it took to reach that distant goal, no matter how long the journey might be.
Afterwards, Leyvi and Ava waited while Rose, Lily, and Liyan applied their subtle disguises. Once they were all transformed into ordinary-looking travelers, the group finally departed from the Waniwani Commerce Plaza.
Even after the news of the portal's emergence had spread, most people in the plaza showed no excitement at all. It was a deeply unsettling sight, one that felt almost unnatural. Leyvi could not wait to leave this place, not wanting to risk being influenced by whatever mysterious force was affecting those who stayed too long.
The five of them would travel along the same path they had taken when they first arrived. That meant they would stop at Rose's territory first before making their way back to the cave mansion.
---
Northwest Region, Bellion City.
Among all the cities occupied by cultivators within the colossal shade, only this city possessed a sophisticated, grand formation that covered the entire settlement, making it the safest place to live.
All other occupied cities relied on smaller or medium-sized formations to protect only key areas.
Because of this, many weaker cultivators had flocked to join Bellion's faction. Most of the surviving cultivators from the Cloud Continent who had reached this part of the shade were gathered here.
Bellion's incredible skill in assembling a wide variety of complex arrays and formations with startling speed, and the grand city-wide formation he had personally erected, had quickly earned him the title of Formation Prodigy.
Originally, he had no intention of leading anyone whatsoever. He was a lone traveler by nature.
He had been one of the earliest people to reach the colossal tree, traveling completely alone. After confirming that he could not climb the tree, he began wandering from one ancient city to another.
One day, he discovered that the ancient city where he had stopped possessed a type of special metal that was extremely suitable for crafting array films, array disks, and array plates. In fact, it was far superior to any material he had used before. This was a huge discovery for him.
He could not believe that this metal had been used in the past simply to make large ornaments and statues unique to that city. So he decided to stay and harvest the material.
Eventually, he discovered a vast deposit of the special ore beneath the ancient city. The unique metal came from this source. And so, the area covered by his defensive formations began expanding steadily.
As time passed, people began gathering in the same city, seeking his help for protection against rogue cultivators who were robbing and attacking others in the surrounding area. In return, they offered their services for any task he needed.
Bellion accepted them because he genuinely needed more manpower to gather the special metal for him. This way, he could focus entirely on his arrays and formations.
The rumor about him slowly spread, and before he knew it, more and more people came requesting his protection. To save time, Bellion assembled many array plates with complete inscriptions using the special metal he had obtained and erected a single, vast formation to protect the entire city.
Without realizing it, he had become the undisputed leader of hundreds of cultivators gathered there.
More time passed. More and more people arrived at the colossal tree. Many small groups formed, and they began fighting and robbing one another for resources and territory.
Meanwhile, Bellion's group remained completely unaffected by the chaos outside. His grand formation kept them all safe, creating a haven within the shade.
Later, larger groups began emerging one after another, absorbing many smaller factions and declaring their own territories. These eventually became known as the eight major factions.
Bellion could not help but feel utterly dumbfounded when he heard that he was considered one of the faction leaders. All this time, he had only focused on his formation research and crafting. He had paid little attention to the power struggles unfolding outside.
The people who regarded him as their leader even began calling him Formation Prodigy Bellion, a title that only added to his growing fame and mystique.
Because of this, both Prince Charles and Prince Ozan had once sent a few of their Royal Guards to test the formation of the so-called Formation Prodigy. The results truly astonished them.
As princes of their respective kingdoms, they were well aware of what a formation expert at the Core Formation Realm was typically capable of.
But Bellion's formations were far beyond their expectations. His skill had already reached a level comparable to what a Nascent Soul Realm formation master could achieve, and not just the average ones, his abilities surpassed even that benchmark.
With their acknowledgement, the title "Formation Prodigy Bellion" was no longer just an exaggeration, but a statement of fact.
At the center of Bellion City, Bellion stood watching the preliminary portal that had suddenly appeared a few days ago, his expression clearly annoyed.
Energy from the surrounding area was constantly being sucked into the small purple distortion hovering above the ground. The vicinity had quickly become barren due to the intense energy drain.
"Why did this portal have to appear here? I just wanted to gather as much of the special metal as possible. Now it is going to attract endless trouble. Sigh." Bellion lamented, already sensing that his peaceful days here might soon come to an end.