Chapter 1372: The Dust Settles, the Dust Rises Again, Only the Past Remains
Several days later, a streak of light entered the Broken Army Sect. When the light faded, the patrolling cultivators saw the sect’s mysterious Elder Li.
Amidst their respectful greetings, Li Yan flew into the sect. As soon as he returned to his Cave Residence, he immediately sent a voice transmission to Shangguan Tianque.
Half a tea’s time later, Shangguan Tianque didn’t appear, but Ren Yanyu came to his door instead. Li Yan was somewhat surprised by this but still invited her into his Cave Residence.
He then learned that Shangguan Tianque had officially entered seclusion to refine pills, and Ren Yanyu was standing guard outside his Cave Residence, which was why she had seen the voice transmission talisman first.
Li Yan naturally knew what kind of pills Shangguan Tianque was refining, so it was only normal for Ren Yanyu to be personally standing guard outside.
In fact, Ren Yanyu had known the moment Li Yan entered the sect. When she saw the voice transmission talisman fly over, she knew he must have something urgent to discuss.
Otherwise, given his personality, he wouldn’t have sent a transmission immediately upon his return.
After the two conversed for a while in Li Yan’s Cave Residence, Ren Yanyu flew off with a frosty expression.
Inside the Cave Residence, Li Yan sat alone in the main hall. He leaned back in his chair, his brow furrowed. A long time passed before he finally let out a long sigh.
“Why is there always an endless stream of trouble? It’s giving me a headache!”
He had sought out Shangguan Tianque to relay Donglin Qinglei’s message. This was not a matter that could be settled with a simple voice transmission; Shangguan Tianque would surely ask for the reasons behind it.
Li Yan had already pondered this on his way back. That day, after saying just that one sentence, Donglin Qinglei had claimed he was too tired and didn’t want to speak any further.
Li Yan could tell the man probably had more to say but had hesitated for some reason.
Moreover, Donglin Qinglei’s words had involved several sects. This was a matter he probably preferred to discuss in detail with Shangguan Tianque himself.
Throughout his journey, Li Yan had been wondering why the Blood Lantern Sect would possibly make a move against them, and a clandestine one at that. They were, after all, subordinate sects.
It was only after Ren Yanyu arrived that he relayed Donglin Qinglei’s words.
He then watched as Ren Yanyu’s expression changed instantly. After a long moment, Ren Yanyu finally spoke.
“Did old monster Donglin say he was ambushed while he was in the Heavenly Demon Prairie looking for a Companion Spirit Beast?”
“Indeed, he did!”
“Then some of his speculations may have a basis!”
Upon hearing this, Li Yan did not press further. At that moment, he felt like he might be learning too much, as if he had been caught in an invisible vortex.
But Ren Yanyu continued.
“The Donglin Family cultivates the Way of Beast Mastery. Every cultivator is skilled at commanding various spirit beasts, but they usually have only one Companion Spirit Beast.”
“The cultivator and beast complement each other, making their combat strength extremely formidable. When one of them attacks, it’s equivalent to two cultivators of the same rank with a perfect telepathic connection attacking together. This is far more powerful than a simple siege.”
“Their cultivation methods are also closely related to their Companion Spirit Beasts. Old monster Donglin’s Companion Spirit Beast passed away years ago, which caused his cultivation to stagnate.”
“If he wants to advance again, he must find a suitable Companion Spirit Beast. And his next realm… is Spirit Transformation!”
As she said this, a chilling light appeared in her eyes.
Li Yan’s expression also shifted slightly. Seeing Ren Yanyu look at him, he thought for a moment before speaking slowly.
“Someone is trying to stop you from advancing to the Spirit Transformation Realm!”
With Ren Yanyu’s explanation being so clear, Li Yan immediately understood the reasoning behind it.
The reason the Blood Lantern Sect could govern these smaller sects was that they had Spirit Transformation cultivators.
If one of these smaller sects produced a cultivator who broke through to the Spirit Transformation Realm, even if just one person couldn’t stand against their five Spirit Transformation cultivators, a threat was still a threat.
And where there was one, there could be two. This threat would only grow stronger. Whether it was Donglin Qinglei or Shangguan Tianque’s trip to the market this time, both were ambushed by mysterious figures right when they were preparing to break through to the Spirit Transformation Realm.
“Has this happened before?”
Li Yan felt that if this was truly the Blood Lantern Sect’s doing, then given the abundant cultivation resources in the Immortal Spirit Realm, other subordinate sects must have had members who attempted to break through to the Spirit Transformation Realm before.
“Within the territory governed by the Blood Lantern Sect, many sects have already perished. Fourth-rate sects like ours are often as fleeting as a night-blooming cactus, just like the Dragon-Catching Sect.”
“Some sects gave up their resources here and left for various reasons.”
“Of course, we’ve heard of some who broke through to the Spirit Transformation Realm, but they usually relocated afterward. This has also caused the Blood Lantern Sect’s overall strength to decline for a period.”
“And sects like ours will also strike at the Blood Lantern Sect’s rival forces. We can’t handle the big ones, but we can deal with the likes of the Green Goat Temple to maintain a balance.” Ren Yanyu replied.
Li Yan understood the meaning behind her words. The destruction of the Dragon-Catching Sect was likely something the Blood Lantern Sect deliberately allowed. They, too, had produced a Late-stage great cultivator, so the Blood Lantern Sect let the two sects wear each other down first.
As for those who gave up their resources and left, they had probably seen the underlying problem and preferred to abandon their original sect’s foundation to find another path.
But allowing some cultivators to break through to the Spirit Transformation Realm seemed inconsistent with the Blood Lantern Sect’s methods. This was something Li Yan couldn’t figure out.
He wondered if perhaps they felt they couldn’t be too obvious, so they allowed some to advance and then forced them away.
But this approach clearly required knowing the other party’s character. If they encountered a stubborn one, they might end up facing real resistance.
“Senior Brother once attempted to break through to the Spirit Transformation Realm, but he failed. That time, someone interfered in secret, causing a violent fluctuation in the Heavenly Tribulation…”
As Ren Yanyu pondered the possibilities, the memory of what happened in the past caused a sharp, cold glint to appear in her beautiful eyes, and she told Li Yan of another matter.
After listening to Ren Yanyu’s detailed account, Li Yan was also moved. It turned out that Shangguan Tianque had also tried to break through to the Spirit Transformation Realm before, and someone had sabotaged his breakthrough.
For a moment, Li Yan didn’t know what to say.
“Since they don’t want other experts to emerge in their territory, why doesn’t the Blood Lantern Sect just drive away the other small sects and expand their own?” Li Yan then thought of another question.
“Do you think an emperor would expand his palace to cover his entire dynasty? And occupy vast territories of cultivation resources all by himself?”
“That is a completely different concept from having smaller sects submit to him while keeping his own sect’s size within reasonable limits.”
“Their strength hasn’t reached the point where they can expand like that. They can’t produce so many Nascent Soul cultivators so quickly on their own.”
“Moreover, the Blood Lantern Sect also has a more powerful sect that it is subordinate to. That sect wouldn’t just sit by and watch them expand without limit…”
Long after Ren Yanyu had left in a state of shock and anger, Li Yan was still deep in thought.
From Ren Yanyu’s words, he could analyze a few things, but in some aspects, it seemed a bit far-fetched. When he tried to explain it to himself, it didn’t seem to quite add up.
Nevertheless, Li Yan was already considering whether he should leave this place. But for the moment, the matter was not too urgent.
Even if Ren Yanyu’s speculation was correct, Shangguan Tianque was still refining his pills. As long as he didn’t attempt to break through to the Spirit Transformation Realm, this place was still relatively safe.
…
At a certain moment, on the Desolate Moon Continent, within the Malevolent Spirit Sect, on the plaza behind Little Bamboo Peak, several figures appeared. They were standing before a stone stele in the center of the plaza.
The figures were Mo Qing, Wei Zhongran, Li Yuyin, Zhao Min, Gong Chenying, as well as Baili Yuan and Li Wuyi. Through diligent cultivation, the latter two had successively faced their Nascent Soul Heavenly Tribulations and successfully formed their Nascent Souls.
This brought the Malevolent Spirit Sect to an unprecedented level of power once again.
Decades ago, when Gong Chenying returned at the Nascent Soul Realm, the entire sect was in an uproar. Little Bamboo Peak’s fame reached its zenith, unrivaled for a time.
Little Bamboo Peak had few people, but for a period, it almost became a golden pond for Nascent Soul cultivators, with one peerless talent after another transforming into a dragon.
Even Zhao Min was considered by many to be a person of Little Bamboo Peak, as her husband and parents were both from there.
With Gong Chenying’s return, a matter known only to a few people on Little Bamboo Peak and the other Nascent Soul cultivators of the Malevolent Spirit Sect was revealed by Gong Chenying herself.
They all learned the true purpose of her return this time: Li Yan was missing, and Gong Chenying had come back to personally verify the status of his Soul Lamp!
At the same time, Gong Chenying brought back even more shocking news, plunging them into a state of immense shock.
In just a few short decades after leaving the sect, Li Yan’s cultivation had reached the Late-stage Nascent Soul Realm. His speed was terrifying.
And the reason for his disappearance was that he had joined forces with three other great cultivators to fight a Spirit Transformation cultivator. The result was that, in their battle against the Spirit Transformation cultivator, none of their side had died except for Li Yan.
The crucial point was that at the critical moment, Li Yan had used a secret art to drag the Spirit Transformation cultivator into the Chaotic Flow Space with him. Both had vanished without a trace since then.
The news they received later was that the Spirit Transformation cultivator had perished, and subsequently, his top-tier sect had been annihilated…
Every piece of information Gong Chenying revealed shook them to their core.
They couldn’t imagine how Li Yan had cultivated from the Initial-stage Nascent Soul Realm all the way to a Late-stage great cultivator in just a few decades, and even fought against a Spirit Transformation cultivator.
This could no longer be described as merely “fierce.” Back then, at the Devil’s Cliff Crevice, First Sir had single-handedly fought against the Late-stage great cultivators of the Four Great Sects and had driven them into a desperate situation in a short amount of time.
If not for the appearance of Gu Jiuqi, all the great cultivators would have died that day.
The mention of Li Yan using an art to drag the enemy away with him brought to mind an image: an ant trying to shake a great tree.
After their shock subsided, Wei Zhongran, Zhao Min, Gong Chenying, and Li Wuyi entered the Soul Lamp chamber on Little Bamboo Peak. After a careful inspection, they found nothing unusual.
But this situation was the same as when Li Yan and Zhao Min had gone missing before. Li Yan had once again entered the unknown Chaotic Flow Space, and it was uncertain whether the Soul Lamp could even sense him.
Although the Soul Lamp was intact, it didn’t necessarily mean Li Yan was still alive. Of course, Gong Chenying and the others still firmly believed that Li Yan was alive.
The main reasons were the existence of the two demons and the Heart-Entangling Twin Gu that Zhao Min had planted.
However, Wei Zhongran and the others were also aware that whether it was a contract or the Heart-Entangling Twin Gu, they were still limited by distance and the different rules of heaven and earth. But they chose to disregard these factors.
After this matter was dealt with, everyone soon learned something else, something that left everyone except Zhao Min dumbfounded or stunned.
Gong Chenying and Li Yan had also become Dao Companions. This was also stated by Gong Chenying herself.
Li Wuyi and the others were all stunned on the spot. Even Wei Zhongran fell silent. Yun Chunqu, in particular, turned as pale as a sheet in an instant…
This matter only gradually subsided after several days.
From then on, Yun Chunqu left the Malevolent Spirit Sect and all news of him was lost. His whereabouts were unknown!
Wei Zhongran, through Zhao Min, learned the reason why Gong Chenying became Li Yan’s Dao Companion was related to the Navel Ring. He, more than anyone else in the sect, knew the clan rules of the Tianli Clan, and could only let out a long sigh.
Li Wuyi, Wei Chituo, and the others merely felt sorry for Yun Chunqu but didn’t say anything. Both were their junior brothers.
Moreover, Gong Chenying had repeatedly stated that it was her own choice, that she liked Li Yan.
The two were in love. Even though they were fellow disciples from the same master, no one could speak of any injustice on Yun Chunqu’s behalf. Those who knew were also aware that Gong Chenying had long ago rejected their third senior brother’s affections.
At the same time, Zhao Min also stood by Gong Chenying’s side. Although she didn’t say much, anyone could see her, dressed in white, standing shoulder to shoulder with Gong Chenying in her blue, arrow-sleeved attire. Silence spoke louder than words.
Under such circumstances, what could they say?
When Li Changting learned of this, her beautiful eyes blinked, and she finally said to Zhao Min:
“Just like my Wuyi, your Li Yan is quite impressive, getting two female cultivators to… to… mmmph…”
Before she could finish, Zhao Min reached out and covered her mouth. Li Wuyi shot Li Changting a fierce glare.
Even Miao Wangqing, who had been feeling sorry for her third senior brother, blushed and spat lightly…
After handling this matter, Gong Chenying decided to stay in the Malevolent Spirit Sect for a while before planning her return, as crossing realms was too troublesome.
She stayed in the Malevolent Spirit Sect, hoping that Li Yan would suddenly return, just like last time.
Especially after seeing Li Zhaoyan, she wanted to stay here for a while even more. Li Zhaoyan had some of Li Yan’s shadow in her. Although she resembled Zhao Min more, she was, after all, the continuation of Li Yan’s bloodline.
Gong Chenying herself was not pregnant. It was not easy for cultivators to have offspring, especially since Gong Chenying was also a powerful dual dharma-body cultivator.
For this reason, she doted on Li Zhaoyan even more when she saw her. She would often call her over to ask about her cultivation and then give her things.
As for Li Zhaoyan, she was still a little afraid of this “mother” who had suddenly appeared. She had, of course, heard many stories about Gong Chenying on Little Bamboo Peak.
She was a person as cold as her own mother. But after a few days of getting along, she felt that this “mother” was very easy to talk to and had given her many precious and exotic artifact refining materials.
This made some of Li Zhaoyan’s long-stagnant research begin to stir in her mind again.
Thus, Li Zhaoyan’s “mother” became a more and more familiar word on her lips, and she always put on a very obedient appearance…
As for Qian Ji, he had proposed to leave temporarily after crossing the realm and appearing in the Sea of the Northern Abyss. His clansmen, whom he and Li Yan had left behind, were there. Li Yan had told him not to speak of it, and he would absolutely not mention it to anyone.
Gong Chenying and Zhao Min only gave him a few words of advice, telling Qian Ji to use the Malevolent Spirit Sect’s name if he encountered any trouble.
Qian Ji nodded, exchanged a few more words with Zi Kun, and then flew off.
As for Hong Yin, after crossing the Sea of the Northern Abyss and getting closer to the Northern Abyss Demon-Suppressing Pagoda, Zhao Min, in her capacity as an ancestor of the Malevolent Spirit Sect, sent a voice transmission to the Jingtu Sect.
In the end, Arhat Yiye of the Jingtu Sect personally came to receive them. After learning of Hong Yin’s request, he readily agreed.
First, Zhao Min herself was a Nascent Soul ancestor of the Malevolent Spirit Sect. Since she had made the request, even though the two sects often fought in secret, he had to give her face.
Second, Arhat Yiye greatly admired Li Yan. At Li Yan’s Nascent Soul Formation ceremony, his formidable combat strength had left a deep impression on him. The strong were always respected.
Third, after a brief conversation with Hong Yin, as a fellow Buddhist, he was greatly surprised by the depth of Hong Yin’s understanding of Buddhist principles. The Jingtu Sect itself was keen on establishing ties with Buddhist disciples from other realms.
Therefore, while Hong Yin was within the Jingtu Sect’s territory, she was arranged by Arhat Yiye to enter the Northern Abyss Demon-Suppressing Pagoda.
Hong Yin also hoped that Li Yan was alive. In that earth-shattering battle, Li Yan’s final act had touched Hong Yin’s long-sealed, icy heart. She seemed to see her past self, willing to sacrifice her body to become a sarira for the sake of the Red Whisk Temple.
She and Li Yan were the same kind of people, willing to abandon themselves for the sake of their obsessions…
In the end, only Zi Kun followed the two women back to the Malevolent Spirit Sect. Zi Kun then took up residence in his own bamboo courtyard on Little Bamboo Peak and settled down to cultivate.
What others didn’t know was that Zi Kun and Qian Ji had already made a pact. They would advance to fourth-rank demonic beasts as soon as possible, and then they would enter the Chaotic Flow Space together to search for Li Yan.
Even if they ended up dying there, they had to find a clue about Li Yan!
They believed more firmly than anyone that Li Yan was still alive, because Li Yan was always the master who planned before he acted and never let himself suffer a loss.
For now, they could only watch as their matriarch anxiously searched on her own, powerless to help. But the unknown Chaotic Flow Space would surely, at some point in time, welcome their presence.
The two demons dreamed that one day, just as before, they would accompany Li Yan across the heavens and the earth, freely dispensing justice and vengeance!