Chapter 1568: Continuous Preparations

Li Yan himself had some things he was looking forward to asking Donglin Tingyue. As for Jia Fugui, he might not necessarily come. After all, the relationship between the Abacus Sect and the Broken Army Sect wasn’t particularly good. Although both were subordinate to the Blood Lantern Sect, Shangguan Tianque didn’t have much interaction with them, and the two sects were quite far apart. It was only Li Yan’s personal relationship with Jia Fugui that was good. Besides, even if Jia Fugui got news of his return, it would take a long time to travel here.

Therefore, Li Yan was uncertain about Jia Fugui’s current situation. If he waited for a while and the other didn’t show up, Li Yan would personally go look for him. No matter what, Li Yan felt that the matters he had entrusted to him were the most important.

When Donglin Tingyue arrived, a rather awkward scene immediately unfolded for Li Yan. The moment Donglin Tingyue saw Li Yan, before the disciple leading the way had even left, her eyes reddened, and glistening tears began to fall. This left the disciple astonished, and he couldn’t help but steal a few more glances at Elder Li’s expression.

Li Yan, however, could roughly guess the reason for Donglin Tingyue’s emotional state, and he could only look embarrassed. Afterwards, Li Yan had a long chat with Donglin Tingyue and learned that over the years, the Broken Army Sect had put considerable pressure on the Donglin Family. This was understandable. Three people and one demon went to the Heavenly Demon Prairie, and in the end, everyone else was fine, but Li Yan alone went missing without a reason. This certainly made Shangguan Tianque deeply suspicious. In the process of pressuring the Donglin Family, even though Donglin Tingyue had the protection of the great elder and the second elder within the family, she was also under immense pressure.

Her asking Li Yan for help could be considered a transaction. Although Ren Yanyu was in seclusion at the time and didn’t know, both Yu Banjiang and Shangguan Tianque were well aware of the matter…

Now, hearing it from Donglin Tingyue’s own mouth, Li Yan learned what the Broken Army Sect had done to the Donglin Family. This gave him a clearer understanding of Shangguan Tianque’s attitude from an outside perspective. From the bottom of his heart, he was still grateful to Shangguan Tianque.

And this time, upon learning of Li Yan’s return, Donglin Tingyue had come along. For this, Li Yan could only apologize repeatedly. This matter was truly not Donglin Tingyue’s fault. He had accepted her benefits and gone willingly. If something happened, he should be the one to bear the consequences.

Subsequently, Li Yan also briefly recounted his “ordeals” over the years to her. Of course, it was the same old story…

Donglin Tingyue finally confirmed that Li Yan had returned, and at once, all the pressure in her heart vanished. Before Li Yan’s return, the Broken Army Sect had two Spirit Transformation cultivators; their Donglin Family could not afford to provoke them. Fortunately, Shangguan Tianque, out of respect for the great elder, did not act privately, only making the Donglin Family continuously send people to the Heavenly Demon Prairie to “cooperate” with the Broken Army Sect in their ongoing inquiries…

Donglin Tingyue also felt aggrieved. She had no one to talk to about this for all these years. Coupled with the certain unusual feelings she once had for Li Yan, her emotions surged the moment she saw him. Later, seeing Li Yan’s embarrassed expression and his continuous apologies, she gradually calmed down.

After hearing Li Yan’s experience, Donglin Tingyue asked about the approximate location where Li Yan had disappeared. Li Yan casually gave a location. Donglin Tingyue made a mental note of it, so she could be careful to avoid it if she entered the Heavenly Demon Prairie again in the future.

Afterward, as the two chatted, Li Yan learned that although Donglin Tingyue had not left her family in these years, she had indeed been helping him make inquiries, but there hadn’t been much progress. In fact, Donglin Tingyue didn’t mention that due to the pressure the Broken Army Sect put on her family, the great elder had told her to focus on cultivation and not ask about other things. So, she spent most of her time in seclusion. As for the news Li Yan wanted to inquire about, she could only occasionally ask the person she had entrusted, but unfortunately, there was no progress.

However, these years of seclusion had allowed Donglin Tingyue to finally break through to the Late-stage of Nascent Soul, which was a pleasant surprise amidst the bad. But now, seeing the returned Li Yan had already transformed from mortal to divine, Donglin Tingyue could only sigh in her heart. There was always a huge gap between them!

Half a day later, when Li Yan saw Donglin Tingyue off, although she was wearing a silver mask, one could tell that her mood had improved greatly…

Two months later, Li Yan sought out Shangguan Tianque and then quietly left the sect alone, heading for the Abacus Sect. Several months after that, when Li Yan returned again, he only had a brief meeting with Shangguan Tianque and Ren Yanyu. After learning that Mu Guyue was still in seclusion, he returned to his Cave Residence.

Inside the Cave Residence, Li Yan sat in the main hall. One hand rested on the table beside him, while the other held a cup of tea. Wisps of steam rose from the mouth of the cup, emitting a fragrant aroma. Li Yan’s brow was furrowed in thought.

On this trip out, he had found Jia Fugui. The other man was utterly shocked to see him. Li Yan had found Jia Fugui in one of the Abacus Sect’s shops. He had been managing business between several shops, and Li Yan’s timing was perfect. He had just returned from escorting a shipment of goods from another region. Jia Fugui hadn’t had time to go through the various news collected by the sect, so he was temporarily unaware of the Broken Army Sect’s situation. When he saw Li Yan, who had found him after much inquiry, his initial expression was one of astonishment. He thought his eyes were playing tricks on him. In his subconscious, Li Yan, who had been missing for so many years, must have already perished.

So, upon confirming that the person before him was indeed Li Yan, the ever-so-clever Jia Fugui’s face immediately showed a hint of embarrassment. He knew why Li Yan had come, but over the years, he had long thought the other had perished, so of course, he hadn’t continued to help Li Yan make inquiries.

Li Yan didn’t mind this. Jia Fugui had already helped him once. This time he came looking for him, if the other had managed to get some news over the years, that would be for the best. If not, then he would just ask Jia Fugui to continue helping him. After all, it was Jia Fugui who had found a clue about Gui Qu Lai Xi last time.

At this, Jia Fugui slapped his chest resoundingly, his two plump “pectoral muscles” rippling in waves that made Li Yan a bit dizzy. Jia Fugui told Li Yan not to worry; he would definitely make this his main priority. Including the matter Li Yan had entrusted to him last time, about whether he could meet the person who had seen Gui Qu Lai Xi, he would also ask for the result as soon as possible.

Afterward, Jia Fugui looked at Li Yan before him and sighed with emotion. He himself had yet to reach Spirit Transformation! He had been agonizing over whether to use that Great Nothingness Fruit when breaking through to Spirit Transformation. But he was unwilling; that was a Great Nothingness Fruit, a treasure for breaking through to the Void Refining Realm.

Later, when he asked Li Yan, Li Yan told Jia Fugui that the secret realm he had entered was too dangerous, so he had no choice but to use the Great Nothingness Fruit to break through to the Spirit Transformation Realm, which was why he had his current cultivation. But Li Yan still advised Jia Fugui to try cultivating for a while longer. If it really didn’t work, it wouldn’t be too late to use it then.

Jia Fugui sighed deeply upon hearing this. “Your Broken Army Sect is already qualified for promotion. We also want to! So, I’ll think about this some more. However, if spectators are allowed during the Broken Army Sect’s promotion assessment, I will definitely go to cheer for you, Brother Li…”

After confirming Li Yan’s cultivation earlier, he had insisted on calling Li Yan ‘Senior’, but Li Yan had refused. Li Yan was entrusting him with inquiries; he felt it was most appropriate to interact based on their previous relationship. Otherwise, it would be as if the other was acting on orders, which would be counterproductive.

In the end, Li Yan took out a large number of Spirit Stones to give to Jia Fugui, but the other refused to take them no matter what. Under Li Yan’s insistence, he only took a symbolic amount. Li Yan gave him a few more instructions and then left gracefully…

Inside the Cave Residence, Li Yan’s thoughts were in a turmoil. Whenever he thought of his relatives in the lower realm, he would be overcome with an inexplicable sense of melancholy. He was already actively making preparations on all fronts, but they were all just beginning to take shape. He didn’t know how long it would be before he could reach his clear goal. But his ability was limited; he had done all he could. All that was left was to wait.

Although he had entrusted Jia Fugui again, the distance he needed to investigate was very far, and it required relying on a chain of contacts. It could take many years for a single piece of news to finally be transmitted. Jia Fugui said he would take it seriously, but the person he entrusted might not act immediately. Judging by the time it took to get the news last time, Li Yan could make a rough guess. Therefore, it was possible that by the time of the Broken Army Sect’s promotion assessment, he might not have received a reply!

And now, the buzz surrounding the Broken Army Sect’s promotion had begun to pass its peak, and the entire sect had once again returned to its former tranquility. The disciples were also cultivating diligently and peacefully, and Li Yan welcomed a period of quiet life. He once again chose to enter seclusion.

Time began to pass quickly again, year after year. Li Yan did not go out again. During this period, Donglin Tingyue did come once more, giving Li Yan some jade slips she had collected with information about passages to the lower realm. After a brief chat, Donglin Tingyue took her leave. This time, she seemed to be in a much better mood. She also told Li Yan that she had recently had some enlightenment and might be going into seclusion again.

Li Yan guessed that now that Donglin Tingyue’s mind was at ease, her cultivation would naturally have some breakthroughs. But if she wanted to reach Spirit Transformation, it might still take a considerable amount of time. After all, Donglin Tingyue had not been at the Late-stage of Nascent Soul for very long. Her comprehension of the various laws of heaven and earth required a process of accumulation. Seclusions like the one she was undertaking now were for the purpose of deepening her comprehension of those laws.

During these years, Jia Fugui had also sent two messages. One said that the person he had entrusted the matter to was also out on business, so he told Li Yan not to worry and that he would keep trying to contact that person. The other message made Li Yan’s spirits rise. Jia Fugui said he had heard about a sect where it seemed someone had once appeared in the lower realm. Therefore, Jia Fugui was looking for someone familiar to get close to that sect, but this also required time. He would notify Li Yan as soon as there was any news.

Upon seeing this message, Li Yan was truly agitated. He even had the thought of setting out again to find Jia Fugui, but in the end, he suppressed it. Chongyangzi, from whom Li Yan had the highest expectations, had, on the contrary, not sent any news. Li Yan could only wait silently.

However, during this period, Li Yan also received a jade slip from Tang Feng. In it, Tang Feng only said a few sentences. “The universe is bright and clear, wine and meat pass through the intestines. Brother Li, be informed, all is well!”

Seeing this, Li Yan could almost picture the dashing Tang Feng, sitting in a restaurant, drinking fine wine, and feasting on mouth-watering demonic beast meat, thoroughly enjoying himself. Although the Earth-True Domain also had demonic beasts, how could their variety compare to the true Immortal Spirit Realm? The immortal wine and demonic beast meat of the outside world not only aided cultivation but were also prepared with masterful culinary skills. How could Tang Feng pass it up!

The last eight characters were to say that if anyone from the Soul-Suppression Palace came to inquire about him, to say that he was all well. This was their prior agreement. If Tang Feng had any business, or if the sect had any business, they were to find Li Yan at the Broken Army Sect and contact each other through him. But in all these years, Li Yan hadn’t seen anyone from the Soul-Suppression Palace. He figured they were still deploying the grand formation and wouldn’t be letting anyone else leave for a short while.

In the fifth year after Li Yan’s return, one day, the weather suddenly changed dramatically. Pitch-black, inky clouds, like black iron, pressed down over the Broken Army Sect. The ink-black clouds rolled back, and a fierce wind howled from all directions. Like a massive, furious dragon, the clouds churned violently! Between the black clouds, dazzling bolts of lightning flashed silently and continuously. A short while later, deep, rumbling thunder echoed from within the clouds…

Mu Guyue was facing her Spirit Transformation Heavenly Tribulation!

The moment the celestial phenomenon appeared, Li Yan’s figure materialized in the sky above his Cave Residence! He hovered quietly in mid-air, hands clasped behind his back, his green robe fluttering in the wind, his face indifferent as he watched the churning black clouds.

‘You… you must succeed. This is a Great Nothingness Fruit!’ he thought to himself.

Almost simultaneously, Shangguan Tianque and Ren Yanyu also appeared in mid-air, their eyes filled with boundless joy. At the same time, Shangguan Tianque’s voice thundered across the land. “All non-Broken Army Sect members, leave a ten-thousand-li radius of this sect within one hundred breaths, or you will be considered an enemy of this sect, and I will surely cut you down!”

As he spoke, his and Ren Yanyu’s Divine Senses spread out like a heaven-and-earth-covering net, beginning to act as Dharma protectors for Mu Guyue. They also saw Li Yan in the sky. Although Li Yan didn’t emit any aura, his quiet hovering in the air was like a sharp sword ready to be unsheathed at any moment.

The three of them, with all their strength, acted as Dharma protectors for Mu Guyue!