Chapter 1561: Settling Down

“Junior Sister Mu, with you here, I’ll finally have some company. Aside from the few people here, I have no one to talk to on a daily basis. I can’t very well pull those disciples aside for a chat! That whole lot is composed entirely of men; they’ve nearly turned your big sister into a man herself. From now on, we sisters must stay close…”

As Ren Yanyu spoke, she pulled Mu Guyue over to one side, and they sat down on a large green rock. A smile graced Mu Guyue’s face, but she said nothing more.

Yu Banjiang, who had been standing behind them all along, simply stood with his hands clasped, quietly observing the scene before him. A sense of contentment and happiness filled his heart; this was the home he had always wanted. He held Li Yan in the highest respect from the bottom of his heart. Li Yan’s appearance had changed everything for the Broken Army Sect, so he naturally felt there was no issue with the person Li Yan had brought back.

“Junior Brother Li, after Jia Fugui and Donglin Tingyue returned that year, we received the news of your disappearance. No matter how much we searched afterward, we couldn’t find a single trace of you. What exactly happened? To vanish for so many years in an instant!” Shangguan Tianque’s expression turned serious as he asked about the matter that concerned him most.

Li Yan, still smiling, waved his hand. “Of course, a problem arose. I nearly didn’t make it back!”

Li Yan’s words startled Shangguan Tianque and the others; they knew at once that he had encountered grave danger.

Next, Li Yan began to recount the story he and Mu Guyue had agreed upon.

He said that after accompanying Donglin Tingyue’s group into the Heavenly Demon Prairie, they had initially succeeded in hunting their target. However, at the last moment, the demonic beast had unleashed a life-saving item. The Spirit Transformation Realm “Golden-Winged Great Peng” that subsequently appeared had chased them relentlessly. After they finally managed to shake it off, he found himself in a deeper part of the prairie.

It was there that he encountered Mu Guyue’s demon-hunting squad, and only then did he realize that after their ascensions, they had both ended up in the far west of the Northern Pastoral Realm. After some discussion, considering the immense dangers of the Heavenly Demon Prairie, Li Yan decided to temporarily join the squad, planning to leave the prairie with them later.

But not long after, as they traveled through a lush, well-watered area, they were inexplicably drawn into a secret realm. Inside that secret realm, even more ferocious demonic beasts appeared, far beyond what they could handle. For all these years, they had been hiding and searching for an exit. It wasn’t until recently that they finally managed to escape, but of the entire squad, only three remained. The rest had all perished within. It had been perilous to the extreme.

The story Li Yan told was meant to corroborate Ting Lan’s account; otherwise, if someone were to ask her in the future, their stories wouldn’t match.

After hearing his tale, Shangguan Tianque and the others nodded one by one. They had already heard parts of what Li Yan said from Donglin Tingyue on more than one occasion. They had no suspicion regarding the latter part of his narrative either. What kind of place was the Heavenly Demon Prairie? Since ancient times, it had remained an unknown land. Even now, no one could describe it clearly.

Shangguan Tianque then asked about some of the conditions within that secret realm Li Yan mentioned. Li Yan naturally modified his experiences in the Earth-True Domain, speaking of some perilous lands in a way that seemed plausible but wasn’t entirely true.

Upon hearing this, Shangguan Tianque and Ren Yanyu exchanged a glance. They felt that they had certainly never heard of this secret realm Li Yan described. For Li Yan and the others to escape from such a place was truly a testament to their great fortune.

“It’s good that you’ve returned. To be honest, it’s best to avoid the Heavenly Demon Prairie unless you’re at the Void Refining Realm. Inside, even Spirit Transformation cultivators are just pitifully small cultivators!” Shangguan Tianque couldn’t help but sigh. He naturally included Mu Guyue in his words, imperceptibly closing the distance between them.

“That’s a given. After coming back this time, I plan to get some proper rest!” Li Yan nodded as well.

“Right, Jia Fugui and Donglin Tingyue’s group, did they ever find that Golden-Winged Great Peng again?” After a moment of contemplation, Li Yan also began to ask about certain matters.

“No. The one you encountered was a relatively young Golden-Winged Great Peng, likely one that had secretly run away from its clan. After you threw it off, it naturally wouldn’t be so careless as to appear in the outer regions of the prairie again. Moreover, the Golden-Winged Great Peng clan later sent out quite a few of its members to the outer regions, also searching for you everywhere. They’ve certainly remembered this debt. It was from this point that I deduced you probably hadn’t been captured. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have gone to such lengths to search! By the way, Junior Brother, why did Donglin Tingyue herself say that she was the one who threw off the Golden-Winged Great Peng, yet the woman ended up chasing you? I’ve gone to the Donglin Family to make trouble several times over this. The reason simply doesn’t make sense. But neither Donglin Tingyue nor her family’s Dark Blaze Demondog could explain why. Even Jia Fugui said that what his Divine Sense scanned was indeed the truth. Could they have deliberately diverted the disaster onto you to save their own lives?” Shangguan Tianque asked again, a look of doubt on his face. This was a question he had never quite believed, one that had puzzled them all. He had always felt that Donglin Tingyue and Jia Fugui had colluded, fabricating a reason to deceive him and push the responsibility away completely.

Now that Li Yan was back, if it was confirmed that the two had lied, that they had deliberately made Li Yan a shield when a powerful enemy appeared, he would definitely not let the matter rest.

Hearing this, Li Yan thought to himself, ‘Why? Because she saw the Essence Blood of the Undead Nether Phoenix in my body…’

However, his expression showed a moment of contemplation before he spoke with a tone of uncertainty. “What they said was the truth. No one diverted the disaster. That woman only started chasing us after checking on the young Golden-Winged Great Peng. By then, the three of us and the demon had already split up and fled far away. I think in her eyes, none of us could escape. The Golden-Winged Great Peng is adept with the laws of space, so she probably just randomly chose a direction, and I ended up being the unluckiest one. Otherwise, it would have been impossible for me to flee so deep into the outer regions!”

Upon hearing this, Shangguan Tianque and Ren Yanyu quickly exchanged another glance. The reason Li Yan gave was indeed a possibility. For a member of the Golden-Winged Great Peng clan, adept with the laws of space, when faced with enemies scattering in all directions, and with a certain degree of confidence, she might not necessarily lock onto the suspected main culprit first. Perhaps in her eyes, all of them were the main culprits, all of them were people who had to die.

At the same time, Shangguan Tianque and his junior sister confirmed another of their initial speculations. The fact that Donglin Tingyue and the other two could ultimately escape smoothly—what did that imply? It meant that Li Yan must have held off the Spirit Transformation Realm Golden-Winged Great Peng for a sufficiently long time. It was precisely this time that had completely disrupted the woman’s plans and, incidentally, bought enough time for Donglin Tingyue and the other two to escape.

That Li Yan could escape from a Spirit Transformation cultivator adept with the laws of space aligned with their previous speculations. This Junior Brother Li’s actual cultivation was that of a Spirit Transformation cultivator! Otherwise, what ability would a Nascent Soul cultivator have to escape from the clutches of a Golden-Winged Great Peng, an entire Great Realm above him?

Moreover, when Li Yan had just appeared, they had both scanned him with their Divine Sense. This wasn’t a deliberate attempt to probe his cultivation, but to confirm whether the man who had appeared was truly the long-lost Li Yan. Their trust was in Li Yan, not some person who had returned suddenly and without warning! During that probe, the two of them could still only see Li Yan’s cultivation as Late-stage Nascent Soul. Yet when facing him, even Shangguan Tianque, who had already advanced to the Spirit Transformation Realm for many years, still felt as if he were facing a dragon hidden in a deep abyss. He had a feeling that he was no match for Li Yan.

Li Yan’s explanation now undoubtedly confirmed their guess: he was not at the Nascent Soul Realm. They simply wouldn’t press the matter.

Meanwhile, Mu Guyue sat by Ren Yanyu’s side, quietly listening to their conversation. It was only now that she learned the true reason Li Yan had entered the Earth-True Domain. Although Li Yan had discussed the matter of entering a “secret realm” with her on their way back, he had only briefly mentioned how he himself ended up in the Earth-True Domain. Mu Guyue naturally didn’t ask for details. Now she finally knew; Li Yan had actually escaped with his life from a Golden-Winged Great Peng adept with the laws of space.

‘He dared to go up against me during Foundation Establishment. He has always walked on the edge of life and death…’

After confirming that the other two people and the demon were fine, Li Yan planned to contact them soon. He had entrusted them with inquiries before. Over the years, he wondered if they had kept the matter in mind and if there had been any new developments.

After that, the group chatted casually, mostly about events that had occurred in the Immortal Spirit Realm in recent years, a topic that Li Yan and Mu Guyue were also quite interested in. Yu Banjiang, after staying for a while, left to arrange for Mu Guyue’s Cave Residence and planned to hold an induction ceremony for her.

However, Mu Guyue refused. She was even colder than Li Yan—or more accurately, it was the inherent pride of the Demon Clan. Asking her to sit there and converse with guests was simply making things difficult for her. After some persuasion from Ren Yanyu, Mu Guyue finally agreed only to a simple announcement within the sect. She would make one appearance to let the sect disciples recognize her, and all other matters would be dispensed with.

Seeing this, Shangguan Tianque and Ren Yanyu were helpless. The scene felt all too familiar. They even glanced at Li Yan, who was smiling warmly. In fact, from Mu Guyue’s conversation with them, Shangguan Tianque and the others knew this woman was exceedingly cold and proud, so they agreed. Although it was just an elder’s ceremony within their own sect, it was still necessary to summon the disciples who were away, which would also take some time. While it was impossible to recall every disciple, they would have as many as possible return. Thus, the matter was set for one month later.

Not long after, Yu Banjiang flew back in a hurry. By his side were two more cultivators, an old man and a youth. Both were the sect’s Nascent Soul Guest Elders. With Li Yan’s return, it was natural for them to be introduced. The elder was a Late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, while the youth was Mid-stage Nascent Soul. Both had been rogue cultivators before, and their cultivation levels were quite formidable.

When they saw Li Yan and Mu Guyue, they were equally stunned by Mu Guyue’s beauty, and then they met the long-admired Li Yan. The disciples who had joined later didn’t know of Li Yan, but these elders had heard Yu Banjiang speak of this Elder Li more than once and knew of many of his battle achievements. In particular, he was one of the few Nascent Soul cultivators who had survived the battle for the Great Nothingness Fruit.

Thinking about the flying vessel full of Nascent Soul cultivators, and how this Elder Li had managed to survive in the end—if the two of them had been on that vessel, they might have perished along with the others. As veteran Nascent Soul cultivators who had survived in the far west of the Northern Pastoral Realm, they knew many of the Nascent Soul and even the few Spirit Transformation cultivators on that vessel. They had even crossed paths, and sometimes swords, with some of them. They knew that the methods of some of those people were not something a mere rogue cultivator like themselves could compare to. Yet, under such circumstances, all of them had met their end!

Previously, when they heard about it, they might have thought this Elder Li survived by luck. But upon meeting him today and sweeping him with their Divine Sense, the young Nascent Soul elder was one thing, but the old man was utterly horrified. He could clearly sense that the other party’s cultivation should be Late-stage Nascent Soul, yet the faint glance the other party occasionally sent his way gave him the feeling of being locked onto by a hibernating ferocious beast.

They then recalled that Yu Banjiang had once told them that Elder Li had very likely already reached Spirit Transformation, but was a low-key person and was unwilling to reveal it. Thinking about these things again, they felt it was even more likely to be true. Thus, their attitude toward Li Yan became extremely respectful.

Their perception of Mu Guyue was that this woman’s power was contained within, like a volcano on the verge of erupting. Such a person was more like a mother tyrannosaurus. Once she moved, it would undoubtedly be a fiery assault, immovable as a mountain, very difficult to confront head-on.

Li Yan was also very courteous to these two. That was his way: if you respect him an inch, he will respect you a yard!

Afterward, they sat beneath the pine trees on the back mountain, drinking and chatting idly until the moon was high in the night sky before they dispersed.

Leaving the back mountain, Yu Banjiang led Li Yan and Mu Guyue to the Cave Residence prepared for her. Over the years, as the Broken Army Sect had grown stronger, they had built many more Cave Residences for Nascent Soul elders and Golden Core deacons, all ready for use at any time.

Mu Guyue’s Cave Residence was about forty li from Li Yan’s, and the surroundings were very tranquil. Yu Banjiang was a seasoned manager and could tell that this Elder Mu had an even more aloof personality. Therefore, the place he chose was surrounded by miles of green bamboo forests, far from anyone else.

After bringing the two to the location, Yu Banjiang handed the token to Mu Guyue and then departed.

Mu Guyue looked at the serene Cave Residence before her, quite satisfied with the environment. There was the gurgling of spring water, Spiritual Energy floated like white silk, and a gentle breeze rustled through the green bamboo. Through the swaying, mottled bamboo leaves, one could see the bright moon for a thousand li…

This was far better than the small courtyard she had rented as a rogue cultivator in the Immortal Spirit Realm. All of this had come so easily, so casually. She had a feeling that whatever Li Yan wanted to do, it always seemed to be accomplished with ease and nonchalance.

Without a word, Mu Guyue flicked the token in her hand. The main gate of the Cave Residence opened with a rumble, and she then glanced at Li Yan.

“I’m not sure what it’s like inside. I can only invite you in to have a look!”

Li Yan smiled and nodded, and the two of them walked in slowly.

Afterward, Li Yan stood in the main hall while Mu Guyue began to inspect the surroundings. This was the most instinctual vigilance for a cultivator in an unfamiliar place. After her inspection, if there was anything she needed, she would definitely replace it with her own formation restrictions and so on.

Soon, Mu Guyue flew back to the main hall.

Li Yan watched her approach and said softly, “I think this place should be quite nice!”

“Yes,” Mu Guyue nodded. She was quite satisfied with both the richness of the Spiritual Energy and the space here.

“That’s good, then. From now on, you can cultivate here in peace. You heard about the Broken Army Sect’s affairs today; there’s nothing major that needs to be done. Strive to break through to the next realm soon. I’ll take this opportunity to start making various preparations. We’ll need many things to cross the Heavenly Demon Prairie in the future. As for the Spirit Stones and medicinal pills you need, Fellow Daoist Ren already gave them to you personally, so I don’t have much else to give you. However, there is one thing I want to give you. It might aid your cultivation and help you break through your realm sooner!”

As Li Yan spoke, he flipped his palm. A fruit shimmering with a green glow appeared in his hand. The moment the green fruit appeared, the space around them changed, its surface flickering with rays of light. Within these rays of light, there were runes that Mu Guyue couldn’t understand, flowing and shifting within the green glow.

Although she couldn’t understand these runes, a single glance at them caused Mu Guyue’s slender body to tremble violently. At that very moment, deep within her heart, it was as if a zither string had been suddenly plucked. The instant that “zither string” in her mind-sea trembled, Mu Guyue felt as if her entire consciousness was about to be completely drawn in, unable to extricate itself. The flow of Spirit Power within her body abruptly slowed, as if influenced by some kind of rule. The tiny Nascent Soul in her Dantian suddenly opened its eyes, which were filled with wisps of Demonic Qi that swirled unceasingly!

But in the next moment, Li Yan enveloped the green fruit with his Spirit Power, cutting off all its aura. Then, he offered it to Mu Guyue!