Chapter 1525: White Clouds to Grey Dogs (Part Three)

On the Desolate Moon Continent, Zhao Min sat on the platform in the back mountains of Little Bamboo Peak. She was dressed in white robes as pure as snow, her two long, slender legs dangling over the cliff’s edge. A long, dark ponytail hung down her back as always.

Her gaze drifted over the rolling mountains in the distance, just as it had when she and Li Yan had sat here together, gazing at the distant mountain scenery.

Zhao Min’s cultivation had now also reached the Mid-stage Nascent Soul.

On ordinary days, apart from cultivating, she would sit here and wait—waiting for Li Yan’s return on one hand, and for news from Su Hong on the other.

She needed to confirm the news of Li Yan’s appearance in the Immortal Spirit Realm. In her heart, the news that Li Yan was alive was true. Su Hong had promised her that as soon as there was any news, she would pass it on.

She was also waiting for Gong Chenying. Once she had handled the matters in her clan, they would journey together to find Li Yan.

Now, among Li Wuyi’s generation, one Nascent Soul cultivator after another had emerged. This included Second Senior Brother Wei Chituo, who had also successfully formed his Nascent Soul and become an ancestor of the Malevolent Spirit Sect.

Mo Qing and Wei Zhongran had already teamed up and left to search for an ascension node.

If nothing unexpected happened, after they had scouted out an ascension node and returned to make some preparations, they would probably ascend as well.

But Zhao Zhi had already perished!

She did not die of old age. Rather, after year after year of arduous cultivation in seclusion, she finally gained an epiphany regarding the laws of heaven and earth and ushered in her Nascent Soul Heavenly Tribulation.

But this tribulation was exceedingly difficult for her. It lasted for a full five days. Although she used all the preparations she had made, she ultimately fell under the heavenly tribulation!

At the final moment, seeing that Zhao Zhi could no longer hold on, Wei Zhongran and Zhao Min could not care about anything else. In a desperate act, they charged into the range of the heavenly tribulation.

But Zhao Zhi, her jade-like face stained with blood, only shot the two of them a cold smile.

“Get back!”

With that cold shout, she chose to perish together with that bolt of heavenly tribulation!

Seeing her loved ones rush to her side, she offered no further resistance, allowing the heavenly tribulation to descend. In an instant, her fragrant soul vanished and her jade-like body was destroyed, not even bones remaining!

Until death, she showed not a trace of hesitation, only that one cold, parting smile, echoing between heaven and earth!

This event was a huge blow to Wei Zhongran and Zhao Min. Zhao Min fainted on the spot, while Wei Zhongran was thrown into a frenzy.

He relentlessly pursued the remnants of the heavenly tribulation, his usual gentle and refined demeanor gone. He continuously let out heaven-shaking roars of anger, cursing the villainous old heavens, and cursing Zhao Zhi!

With tears streaming down his face, Wei Zhongran was like a demon, like a madman!

After this incident, Zhao Min became even more silent!

Not long after, Wei Zhongran summoned Li Wuyi and the others, gave them some instructions, and then called Li Zhaoyan, who was already at the Late-stage Golden Core, over alone.

He repeatedly instructed her on various matters to pay attention to when she would undergo her Nascent Soul Formation in the future.

Later, he appeared on the platform in the back mountains of Little Bamboo Peak. Under a clear moon, Zhao Min sat on the edge of the cliff, and he stood behind her.

The two of them were silent, gazing into the distance, the autumn chill and heavy dew surrounding them!

After daybreak, Wei Zhongran left the sect with Mo Qing.

“Once Senior Sister Ying returns, I will also leave this place!”

Zhao Min stared blankly ahead, thinking to herself in a daze.

‘In the future, perhaps… other figures will appear in this place, but will there still be a youth under the moon, telling stories of mortals…’

In the Wood Flow Sect, within the wide valley where Bai Rou often practiced her puppet arts.

“Master, do you think I can destroy an Initial-stage Nascent Soul cultivator by controlling this puppet?”

Li Zhaoyan, dressed in a pale yellow dress, was speaking to the still gentle and frail-looking Bai Rou.

After Bai Rou had returned to the sect once, she and Sun Guoshu had gone to Little Bamboo Peak. Sun Guoshu had come to tell her that Martial Aunt Gong had returned, but brought back bad news: Li Yan was missing.

After hearing this, Bai Rou, after only a moment’s thought, rare for her, left the sect and went to Little bamboo Peak with Sun Guoshu.

There, she saw Gong Chenying and Zhao Min together. The two women knew about the relationship between Sun Guoshu, Bai Rou, and Li Yan.

Moreover, Bai Rou’s martial ancestress, Shuang Qingqing, had helped Li Yan more than once.

So, they didn’t hide anything from the two of them and briefly explained what had happened to Li Yan. At that time, Sun Guoshu was wringing his hands in anxiety as he listened.

Bai Rou, however, only asked about some things in a soft, gentle voice, giving no indication of her emotional state, as if she had just learned of the matter and was simply asking about her junior brother’s situation.

Later, while they were talking, Li Zhaoyan happened to come over.

After hearing from her mother that this Martial Aunt Bai was a master of the Four Symbols Peak, Li Zhaoyan’s eyes immediately lit up like stars. She was also very interested in the way of formations.

Bai Rou smiled, and after some thought, she took out an exquisite puppet and gave it to Li Zhaoyan.

She told her that this puppet should be able to handle any enemy below the Nascent Soul realm.

This made Li Zhaoyan overjoyed. After Bai Rou left, she immediately used the puppet to fight against others.

The result made her love the puppet even more, and so she developed a strong interest in the Puppet Art.

But in her hands, this puppet soon reached the end of its lifespan and “passed away” on the spot.

With a flick of her nimble hands, she quickly turned it into a pile of materials. When Li Zhaoyan tried to reassemble it, she sadly found that there was no way to restore it to its original form…

In the end, she went directly to find Martial Aunt Bai of the Wood Flow Sect and begged her to teach her some Puppet Art. Bai Rou also felt some affection for this quirky and clever junior.

She started by teaching her a few things, and Li Zhaoyan actually comprehended them quickly and grew to love the Puppet Art more and more.

Not long after, she even made a fuss about wanting to join the Wood Flow Sect and become Martial Aunt Bai’s disciple.

Seeing that this wouldn’t do, Bai Rou immediately told Zhao Min about it.

After hearing about it, Zhao Min surprisingly didn’t scold Li Zhaoyan for her recklessness. How could a disciple of the grand Malevolent Spirit Sect join a small sect?

Instead, after some thought, she actually performed a Daoist salute to Bai Rou. This sent Bai Rou into a fluster, and she quickly returned the salute.

Afterward, Zhao Min said to Bai Rou.

“My little daughter is mischievous. Since she began cultivating, her path has been broad but not deep, and she is still stuck in the Golden Core realm. Although she is also proficient in the way of Gu-insects, she has never been willing to take anyone as a master.”

“If Junior Sister does not mind, I hope you can take her as your disciple and guide her, so that she may embark on the true path of the immortal way sooner!”

Among all the people who knew Bai Rou, Zhao Min’s understanding of the Wood Flow Sect was the clearest, second only to Li Yan.

Shuang Qingqing’s strength was such that she could definitely kill those of a higher realm with ease. And Li Zhaoyan was completely unwilling to learn her own demonic clan’s cultivation methods.

She felt it was too painful. It was fine for her to torment others, but how could she turn that torment on herself? That was not acceptable!

So, since she loved the Puppet Art so much, and even took the initiative to acknowledge the other as her master, Zhao Min felt it was feasible.

And Zhao Min herself could not look after Li Zhaoyan for her entire life. She felt that her daughter should also properly cultivate a single art.

After Bai Rou calmed down and thought about it carefully, she finally agreed with pleasure.

She herself had a dual identity, being both a disciple of the Malevolent Spirit Sect and the Sect Master of the Wood Flow Sect. Since Zhao Min insisted, there was no harm in accepting Li Zhaoyan.

In the valley of the Wood Flow Sect, Bai Rou looked at the fat, maggot-like Gu-insect crawling on the ground, a smile on her face.

Li Zhaoyan had a great talent for cultivating the Puppet Art. Bai Rou felt that this disciple’s aptitude was far superior to her own.

In the past, when she needed to ponder something, it would take her a considerable amount of time. But Li Zhaoyan often took a very short time to comprehend it.

Bai Rou had overlooked some things. Her situation back then was completely different. Neither Elder Chigong nor her master from the Wood Flow Sect could offer her much guidance on the art of puppetry.

Instead, she had to rely mainly on her own comprehension. It was only after meeting Shuang Qingqing that she began to advance by leaps and bounds.

“It’s still a little short of being able to deal with an Initial-stage Nascent Soul, but not by much. The problem here is the distribution of the Spirit Stone slots; some of them are unreasonable.”

“This causes the formation constructed within its body to have a circuitous path. The root cause is that you failed to choose a more suitable formation according to the puppet’s body shape. Look at the form of this puppet…”

Bai Rou began to explain to her, and Li Zhaoyan also listened with a serious expression, until about half an incense stick’s time had passed.

“…And that’s how it is. Just follow the method I mentioned and try again to select and construct another type of formation, and then give it another try!”

After her explanation, Bai Rou did not directly point out which formation Li Zhaoyan should use. Instead, she let her solve the problem herself.

At this point, Li Zhaoyan already had a thoughtful expression on her face. Then, her Divine Sense entered the puppet’s body on the ground and began to investigate it carefully…

Bai Rou did not disturb her disciple any further, but walked straight to a corner of the valley.

Then she sat down, her long white skirt pooling on the ground. She sat there with her hands wrapped around her knees, like a quietly blooming lily.

‘Zhaoyan said he might have appeared in the Immortal Spirit Realm. This is truly the most joyous news. Every time, you appear in the most unexpected ways. I knew you wouldn’t die…’

‘Ascension, ascension… Once Yuniang can also advance to the Nascent Soul realm, I will also ascend. I’ll take advantage of this time to wait for news and see where in the Immortal Spirit Realm he has appeared.’

With her snow-white hands wrapped around her knees, Bai Rou rested her chin on them, and some thoughts began to sprout in her mind!

After a while, she said to herself again.

“I’m going to find Martial Ancestress Shuang, not him. But if I happen to run into him… that would be nice too!”

In the far north of the Sea of the Northern Abyss, at the foot of a snowy mountain.

Qian Ji, with a cold expression, withdrew a hand. A blade of ice flashed on his hand and was instantly drawn out from a cultivator’s Dantian.

“You… who on earth are you… people? Why… why did you… attack…?”

The cultivator struggled to look around. His other two companions were already on the ground, and a large area of the ground was also covered with the corpses of Snow Mosquitos.

But Qian Ji was completely indifferent, ignoring him and directly extinguishing the life from his body.

Just then, a purple shadow flashed beside him, and Zi Kun’s figure appeared.

His aura was somewhat chaotic at the moment, and there were several deep wounds on his body. The heavy killing intent on his face was rapidly dissipating after seeing that Qian Ji was unharmed.

“I’ve searched their souls. There is indeed a problem!”

Qian Ji heard this and nodded.

“Is it related to Master?”

“Mhm!”

At this time, Qian Ji had also advanced to the fourth rank.

Many years ago, he and Zi Kun had already escaped into the chaotic flow space, planning to head to the Wind God Continent, then to the Tianli Clan, and from there, tear open the void to enter the chaotic flow space to search for Li Yan.

However, in the chaotic flow space, they encountered some foreign Nascent Soul cultivators and even fought with them. But in the end, seeing that neither side could gain an advantage, they stopped.

Those people, seeing the direction the two demons had come from, actually tried to ask about news regarding Miscellaneous Spirit Root cultivators.

Moreover, they were inquiring about Miscellaneous Spirit Root cultivators who could reach Foundation Establishment. The two demons immediately took note of this.

They had followed Li Yan for so long, so they naturally knew a lot about him.

Later, the two demons deliberately tried to get information from those people. Since the other party also wanted to get information from them, they soon managed to get a lot of information from them as well.

Those people said that if the two demons could provide information about Miscellaneous Spirit Root cultivators above Foundation Establishment, they could get ten thousand Spirit Stones for each person.

If it was just Miscellaneous Spirit Root cultivators below Foundation Establishment, they could get a hundred Spirit Stones for each person. They said that someone was looking for this type of cultivator, but the reason was unclear.

But as long as they could provide information, they would be rewarded. These people themselves were roaming the chaotic flow space for training, and ten thousand Spirit Stones was already a considerable gain.

So they also treated this matter as a part of their training, a way to earn Spirit Stones on the side.

These people left afterward; they still had to go to other domains. And these people had even argued among themselves about whether or not to go to the Desolate Moon Continent.

Later, it was because other Nascent Soul cultivators had already gone to the Desolate Moon Continent a few days ago. If so many Nascent Soul cultivators went at once, it would definitely attract the attention of the Spirit Transformation old monsters of the Desolate Moon Continent.

So, they might as well go to other minor domains first, and after those people returned, they would make plans based on the situation.

The two demons also waited until they were far away from those people before stopping in a certain place and immediately discussing the matter.

Although Li Yan had never revealed anything to them, the two demons knew many of his secrets.

And the Earthen Patch space they often entered was a space where the five elements coexisted. Moreover, Li Yan himself was a Miscellaneous Spirit Root cultivator.

It was very difficult for Miscellaneous Spirit Root cultivators to succeed in Foundation Establishment. And when they thought about the emphasis those people placed on inquiring about Miscellaneous Spirit Root cultivators above Foundation Establishment, it clicked.

Li Yan had always deliberately concealed his cultivation from outsiders, something the two demons were well aware of. This made them wonder if those Nascent Soul cultivators were looking for Li Yan.

After all, as far as Miscellaneous Spirit Root cultivators were concerned, the two demons only knew of Li Yan who had succeeded in Foundation Establishment with such an aptitude.

And as for the reason, it was unclear whether these people were deliberately not saying, or were using the excuse that someone else was inquiring, or if they had some hidden motive.

This made the two demons feel that something was very wrong. Although Li Yan’s life or death was unknown, someone was also inquiring about him.

And the way they were inquiring was somewhat bizarre. They quickly made a decision. No matter what, they had to rush back to the Desolate Moon Continent immediately and couldn’t go to the Wind God Continent for the time being.