Chapter 1609: Changing with Each Passing Day

The Broken Army Sect’s promotion ceremony began six months later, with hundreds of sects, large and small, coming to congratulate them. Most were subordinates of the Broken Army Sect. Not only did the Pure Yang Hall send representatives, but the Blood Lantern Sect, the Seven Tigers Alliance, and even the Mingyan Sect sent people. Shangguan Tianque and Ren Yanyu had also attended the Mingyan Sect’s ceremony months prior. Both were now Grade 3 sects; though they were bound to compete, their shared allegiance to the Pure Yang Hall was unchangeable. In such matters, one couldn’t be petty.

From the Pure Yang Hall, Chongyangzi didn’t come. Instead, two Spirit Transformation deacons arrived with a sizable retinue—not too many, not too few, so as not to overshadow the host. If a Void Refining elder had come, Shangguan Tianque and the others would have been relegated to secondary seats. Similarly, the Blood Lantern Sect and the Seven Tigers Alliance sent two Spirit Transformation elders each, creating a harmonious atmosphere. From the Mingyan Sect, Wei Fuzi and Han Zhumei came in person. Upon arrival, they seemed more focused on Li Yan and Mu Guyue, frequently engaging them in conversation.

Han Zhumei kept her eyes on Li Yan, constantly sending him transmissions to discuss the path of ambush and assassination. Li Yan was happy to exchange ideas. Such variant spirit root cultivators were usually arrogant and disliked talking about their cultivation with outsiders. Since she was willing, he wouldn’t refuse.

Among the visiting sects, the Abacus Sect and the Donglin family also sent representatives. Li Yan once again saw the fleshy Jia Fugui and the silver-masked Donglin Tingyue. He led the two of them into his cave dwelling, where they talked for a long time.

Jia Fugui and Donglin Tingyue saw that Li Yan’s attitude toward them remained unchanged despite the sect’s rise and his increased cultivation. Though they had expected this, they were truly happy. Befriending a Supreme Elder of a newly promoted Grade 3 sect was something many sects desired. As for whether the Blood Lantern Sect would be dissatisfied, the concern existed, but with their capability, they already knew of their personal friendship with Li Yan. After weighing the options, both had decided to come.

The news they brought delighted Li Yan. Jia Fugui had found the middleman, who had accepted the spirit stones and promised an answer within thirty years. Although the time seemed long, it was a favor to Jia Fugui. The middleman had to find a cultivator who had seen the Coming and Going, a journey that would take over a decade, and success wasn’t guaranteed. However, for Li Yan, this provided a psychological timeframe, which was better than waiting indefinitely.

Donglin Tingyue brought news that was even more surprising. While searching through her family’s ancient records, she found an account of a demon beast. One of their ancestors had encountered a Golden-Backed Demon Elephant deep in the Heaven-Slaying Prairie. He wanted to subdue it as a spirit pet, but the creature was fierce. After a grand battle, the ancestor captured it, but it was on the verge of death. In frustration, he searched its soul to find its tribe, as the creature had nearly injured him despite only being at the 4th stage.

The result of the soul search terrified the ancestor, and he immediately fled. He didn’t dare stay in that area, let alone look for the tribe. He had found the location of the tribe, but it was deep within the central region of the Heaven-Slaying Prairie. This particular elephant had only run into him because it had sneaked away while out with its elders. At the time, the ancestor was at the late-stage Nascent Soul realm, and he had entered the prairie to find an opportunity for breakthrough. If a 4th-stage beast nearly took him down, its elders were surely powerhouses who could crush him like an ant.

He fled successfully and recorded the location of the Golden-Backed Demon Elephant tribe in the family archives. Every generation of the Donglin family was required to record new demon beast tribes for future reference. But at the end of the entry, he had carved a specific passage:

“The Golden-Backed Demon Elephant is powerful yet lacks the strength to occupy the deep prairie alone; it is but a collateral branch of the Purple Divine Dragon Elephant, existing under its protection. Thus, disciples of the family must not use this beast for sacrificial rituals, lest they bring about a heaven-encompassing disaster that the family cannot withstand…”

This meant that the Golden-Backed Demon Elephant tribe itself wasn’t truly strong in the deep prairie, but they lived near the center because they were a branch of the Purple Divine Dragon Elephant. With such a powerful backer, the Donglin family could never afford to provoke them. Donglin Tingyue had read this many times without thinking much of it, but because of Li Yan’s request, she noticed a line that was often overlooked at the very end:

“Behold the Purple Divine Dragon Elephant, an ancient fierce beast originating from the Mortal Realm, which later migrated to the Heaven-Slaying Prairie…”

The word “migrated” was entirely different from “ascended.” Even a small tribe would have over a dozen elephants. This implied that a Purple Divine Dragon Elephant might have ascended from the lower realm, found the Heaven-Slaying Prairie suitable, and then returned to the lower realm to lead its kin up. If so, did this race possess a method to return to the lower realm?