"This man seems to harbor a sliver of hostility toward me?" Teng Qingshan didn't give it much thought; at the level of the Innate Golden Core, he was now confident enough to handle any formidable expert.

"Are you the Fifth Divine General?" A cold, clear voice cut through the air.

Beside Teng Qingshan stood Li Jun, clad in a purple fur coat, looking with cool detachment at the slightly portly man. "I wonder what business the Fifth Divine General has visiting me here?"

Hearing this, doubt surfaced in Teng Qingshan's mind: What rank of master were these Divine Generals?

The Fifth Divine General, 'Erizier,' fixed a deep gaze upon Li Jun before speaking. "Goddess! This Huhe is Arada the 'Demon,' whose ill repute spans the Great Grasslands! Our Heavenly God Mountain is bound to deliver punishment! What, does he perhaps have some connection to the Goddess?"

"He is my friend!" Li Jun frowned. "Fifth Divine General, what demon 'Arada'? The Demon Arada is just a legend... Even if my friend has killed some people! It was only because those people deserved to die! In this Great Grasslands, survival of the fittest reigns supreme. Which one of you Divine Generals hasn't had blood on your hands? Killing many people makes one the Demon 'Arada'? How truly amusing!"

Li Jun's gaze, sharp as a sword, swept toward the Fifth Divine General. "Fifth Divine General, I do not wish for you to disturb my taming of spirit beasts here."

The Fifth Divine General, 'Erizier,' remained silent upon his horse.

"Very well, I shall not trouble the Goddess and... your friend." Erizier finished, then spun his horse around, sharply kicking its flanks! "Hiyah!" The Blood Dragon Horse, 'Crimson Wind Beast,' shrieked once and then accelerated madly.

It transformed into a streak of blood-red afterimage, soon vanishing into the distant edge of the vast Great Grasslands.

Teng Qingshan and Li Jun watched the other party depart.

"Xiao Jun, who exactly is this Fifth Divine General?" Teng Qingshan asked, surprised. In truth, he was even more perplexed by the title 'Goddess.'

Li Jun smiled lightly. "On Heavenly God Mountain, aside from the lofty Heavenly God himself, the Divine Generals serve beneath him. Every Divine General possesses the strength of the Innate Golden Core level! As for this Fifth Divine General, I have been on Heavenly God Mountain for a short time, having only met him once upon arrival. I don't know him intimately... but I do know that this Fifth Divine General, 'Erizier,' is the strongest among the current eight Divine Generals, second only to the First Divine General."

"Eight Divine Generals? Each at the Innate Golden Core level?" Teng Qingshan gasped in shock.

Based on the situation in the Northern Grasslands, Teng Qingshan had already guessed that the strength of Heavenly God Mountain would likely be no less than the Eight Great Sects of Jiuzhou! But to know it for certain still left him awestruck!

"Brother Teng, my sect's power is truly immense. If you were to join my sect, even the Eight Great Sects of the world couldn't touch you." Li Jun looked at Teng Qingshan. "Join my sect, Brother Teng. I will speak for you; it will be absolutely fine."

Seeing the look in Teng Qingshan's eyes, Li Jun instantly understood his decision.

Although Teng Qingshan had publicly renounced the Guiyuan Sect in the past... that was out of necessity, done for the Guiyuan Sect's sake. Deep down, Teng Qingshan still considered himself a member of the Guiyuan Sect.

"How strong is your sect, really?" Teng Qingshan asked curiously.

"That is a huge secret," Li Jun replied with a mysterious smile. "But I can leak a little to you... Heavenly God Mountain is merely one branch lineage of my sect!"

Teng Qingshan's expression changed drastically upon hearing this.

A lineage?

The strength of Heavenly God Mountain alone was comparable to the Carefree Palace or Azure Lake Island! While perhaps not as formidable as the Ying Clan or Emperor Yu's Gate, it was already overwhelmingly powerful. Yet, Heavenly God Mountain was merely one branch!

"That's why I say, as long as Brother Teng joins my sect! You absolutely won't need to worry about anyone hunting you." Li Jun explained.

"I don't worry now, either."

Teng Qingshan smiled faintly. "Xiao Jun, no need to say more. Looking across the entire world... at the Innate Golden Core level, there is likely no one who can kill me!" Although his offensive capabilities had a weakness.

His defensive technique, 'Primal Chaos One Qi,' Teng Qingshan was confident no one could break! If the battle dragged on, Teng Qingshan could completely exhaust his opponent's true essence and then kill them! In terms of sustained combat endurance, perhaps not all Innate Golden Cores in the world combined could surpass Teng Qingshan!

"You mentioned 'Goddess' just now?" Teng Qingshan asked Li Jun with a smile.

Li Jun chuckled. "I was ordered by my Martial Uncle to come here to look after these spirit beasts, and to find a way to tame them... In the sect, I am regarded as the future foremost Beast Tamer. Although those Innate Golden Cores hold high status, currently in the sect, those who can truly tame spirit beasts are only myself, Senior Brother Wan, and Martial Uncle Wu Hou. So, my status is rather high. Those Divine Generals, hmph... I simply can't be bothered with them."

Teng Qingshan instantly grasped the significance of Li Jun's position!

The ability to converse with spirit beasts—that was an incredibly terrifying capability!

The world held too many powerful spirit beasts. Many human experts could defeat them, but—because communication was impossible—it was almost impossible to tame even one. Only by being able to converse, understanding what the beast desired, and meeting its needs could one secure the beast's help and integrate it into one's own power structure!

"Tsk tsk... There are many spirit beasts in this world. If someone could defeat a Void Realm spirit beast and make it their subordinate," Teng Qingshan mused, a wave of emotion sweeping over him.

Void Realm spirit beasts!

Most possessed lifespans longer than humans, some even stretching into thousands of years. If a Void Realm spirit beast could become a partner or friend! One could truly walk the world unopposed.

"Last time, the Void Realm spirit beast 'Thunder Divine Eagle' attacked Carefree Palace, could that Thunder Divine Eagle have been subdued?" Teng Qingshan couldn't help but connect the dots.

"Subduing a Void Realm spirit beast is extremely difficult! Given their inherent arrogance, one must at least surpass them in martial might first. To defeat a Void Realm spirit beast..." Teng Qingshan shook his head.

He was still far from that level for now. Perhaps in the future, once he also reached the Void Realm, he might stand a chance of fighting a Void Realm beast.

"Xiao Jun!"

Teng Qingshan looked at Li Jun, who had blossomed into a young woman, and sighed deeply. "Seeing you now, unafraid even of Divine Generals at the Innate Golden Core level, haha, I am relieved! But I have matters to attend to... perhaps we should part ways here."

Li Jun's expression shifted slightly.

"Brother Teng, in such a hurry? What is it?" she inquired.

"I wish to fully immerse myself in understanding the world, break through these shackles, and reach a higher plane! So, I plan to roam the world freely... I want to set out to sea and wander aimlessly for a good while," Teng Qingshan said with a faint smile. "It could be two or three years, or perhaps as long as ten."

As for matters on the Northern Continent, Teng Qingshan preferred not to complicate things further.

"So long?" Li Jun smiled persuasively. "Brother Teng, this need to comprehend the heavens and break through in martial arts—it doesn't necessarily require going to sea... Isn't the boundless Great Grasslands just as suitable?"

Teng Qingshan shook his head, saying nothing.

Seeing his demeanor, Li Jun understood that Teng Qingshan's mind was made up; no one could persuade him now. The current Li Jun was no longer the frail girl of the past. Her status was exalted as the 'Goddess' of Heavenly God Mountain; only the Heavenly God stood above her. She held no regard even for the Divine Generals. With such exalted status, her perspective and vision had also changed.

"Why must he wander alone..." Li Jun clearly recalled the intelligence reports she had regarding Teng Qingshan, a pang of distress hitting her heart, but outwardly, she nodded. "Going to sea... that is fine. But Brother Teng, if you go for two or three years, or even ten, aren't you worried about your parents?"

Teng Qingshan froze.

This was indeed what weighed most heavily on his heart.

"Furthermore, Brother Teng has been fleeing for over half a year; I fear you have no news whatsoever of your parents," Li Jun pointed out.

Teng Qingshan's expression changed dramatically, and he stared at Li Jun. "Xiao Jun, have my parents... met with trouble?"

Li Jun shook her head and smiled. "Actually, I just said that hypothetically... I don't know much about the specifics regarding your parents and family. But I thought perhaps Brother Teng should first ascertain the current situation of your parents before heading out to sea."

"Yes," Teng Qingshan nodded. For the past half-year, he had constantly worried about his parents, sister, the Teng Family Estate, and the Guiyuan Sect... but he was constantly fleeing. He had no opportunity to learn what had truly happened.

"Xiao Jun, Heavenly God Mountain must have intelligence reports, right?" Teng Qingshan's eyes lit up as he looked at Li Jun.

"Brother Teng, what I meant earlier was that you accompany me to Heavenly God Mountain. I will order my subordinates to bring forth all the information regarding your relatives and the Guiyuan Sect. That way, you can set out to sea with peace of mind! Moreover, I can spend an extra day or two with Brother Teng," Li Jun added with a slight smile.

Teng Qingshan listened, then shook his head helplessly.

He could sense Li Jun's intentions... A Goddess who was cold to Divine Generals treated him with such exceptional kindness. She even shared secrets of her sect. Most importantly... her suggestion to obtain intelligence was also a way for her to keep him near for an extra day or two. Back when he first saved Li Jun, Teng Qingshan sensed the reliance that frail little girl, who had no relatives to turn to, placed on him—the only one who could help her! Now that her status was elevated, that reliance was hidden more deeply.

But Teng Qingshan could feel it!

Yet...

"She only looks like Xiao Mao; she is not Xiao Mao at all," Teng Qingshan understood clearly. When facing Xiao Jun, even though his emotions occasionally stirred, it was only because of Xiao Mao.

"The ones I loved, Xiao Mao, Qingqing, are all dead!" Teng Qingshan sighed inwardly. "In this life, perhaps I am meant to walk alone... that is probably for the best!"

"To avoid troubling Xiao Jun further, I should minimize contact with her from now on." If the death of Xiao Mao had struck Teng Qingshan severely, and Qingqing had melted the ice around his heart with her purity and sincerity... then Qingqing's death had frozen an even thicker layer of ice over his heart.

"Heavenly God Mountain?" Teng Qingshan looked at Li Jun. "If I go with you, it won't cause you trouble, will it?"

"No!" Li Jun replied confidently with a smile. "No one dares cause trouble."

Teng Qingshan nodded. "Very well, I will accompany you to Heavenly God Mountain for a trip!" Although he wished to limit his contact with Xiao Jun, the news of his parents and sister was something he couldn't let go of. He would find out about their situation, and then set sail alone...