Chapter 1655: Heaven and Earth (Part Two)

Gong Chenying had come to the Barren Moon Continent according to her agreement with Zhao Min, planning to find a flying ascension node together. Within the Tianli Clan, the Third Elder had reached the Spirit Transformation stage with the help of that True Essence Pill! From then on, the Third Elder would remain with the clan until his end or until another Spirit Transformation Great Sacrificial Priest appeared before choosing to ascend.

The Grand Elder’s seclusion hadn’t been very effective. Sensing his end was near, he had already gone to look for an ascension node. Gong Shanhe had temporarily given up on ascension, allowing Gong Chenying to go first while he stayed to assist the Third Elder for a few more years. He knew his daughter was anxious and insisted she go find Li Yan.

The Tianli Clan was deeply grateful for Li Yan’s kindness. They often prayed for his safety and longevity, naturally hoping Gong Chenying would find the Prince of the Heavens. To this, Gong Chenying had knelt before her father and kowtowed three times. Gong Shanhe had laughed loudly and waved for her to leave quickly.

Gong Chenying had done what she could for the clan. With a new Spirit Transformation expert and her father staying for another century, the Tianli Clan would be fine. With the Wind Beasts living in peace with them, they had ushered in a ten-thousand-year era of prosperity. Her childhood wish was fulfilled; now it was time to find Li Yan—to find the man who had risked everything for her and her people.

In the icy cave, Qianji and Zi Kun listened to her and bowed. “We obey Mistress’s command!”

Even though Li Yan was absent, the two beasts were always obedient to the two mistresses. The mistresses never treated them as spirit pets but as kin, which made the two respect them even more.

Immediately, Qianji began making arrangements. Though he and Zi Kun were leaving, he only took a million elite Snow Mosquitoes, leaving behind the majority of the clan. The Snow Mosquitoes’ reproduction was staggering, but over the years of fighting those suspicious cultivators, many had died. Because the two beasts wanted to capture their enemies alive for soul searching, every battle resulted in countless Snow Mosquito deaths. It was a brutal war of attrition. One could say the Snow Mosquitoes Li Yan had risked his life to bring out of the Northern Abyss Demon-Suppressing Pagoda had brought him fortune.

Even though the losses were heavy, the Snow Mosquito clan still numbered in the millions. Before leaving, Qianji assigned three of his direct disciples to guard the place! He told them that if they encountered those suspicious cultivators again, they should only gather information unless they were seventy percent certain of a successful ambush. They were not to throw away the lives of their kin recklessly. The three disciples obeyed.

Soon after, Gong Chenying left the extreme north with the two beasts. Before returning, they crossed the Northern Abyss and headed for the Jingtu Sect. Upon reaching the Northern Abyss Demon-Suppressing Pagoda and showing her Ghost-Severing Sect identity token, a Nascent Soul monk appeared and spoke with her.

Gong Chenying learned that Hong Yin had left the pagoda over twenty years ago and her whereabouts were unknown. Gong Chenying hadn’t waited for Hong Yin on the Wind God Continent, but Hong Yin knew of her relationship with the Ghost-Severing Sect. Thus, after bidding farewell to the monk, she and the beasts returned smoothly to the Ghost-Severing Sect.

Upon arriving, Gong Chenying was surprised and delighted to find that her masters, Wei Zhongran and Mo Qing, had also returned. However, the other master, Hong Yin, hadn’t come, which left her a bit disappointed. she really wanted to see the divine nun who had taught her.

Hong Yin had once said that after finding the reason for the Red Whisk Temple’s disappearance, she might ascend directly. Hong Yin was a strong and noble monk who had her own style, similar to Shuang Qingqing’s detachment. She wouldn’t have made a special effort to say goodbye just because Gong Chenying was her disciple; in her eyes, when the karma came, it came, and when it faded, it faded.

Zhao Min had been waiting for Gong Chenying’s return. When they met and confirmed that neither had further news of Li Yan, they were naturally disappointed. But they didn’t immediately leave to look for a flying ascension node.

Wei Zhongran and Mo Qing had already found a node. Its location was near the Wind God Continent. While others might not know why, Mo Qing understood. Wei Zhongran had been thinking of his youngest disciple since hearing Li Yan might have ascended. He was worried, so when looking for a node, he spent a lot of time searching around the Wind God Continent. He hoped that upon ascending, he might find his little disciple. Mo Qing had accompanied him.

After years of searching, they had truly found a node. After observing it for a few more years and finding it stable, they marked it. Returning to the Ghost-Severing Sect, they told Zhao Min, who planned to use it as well.

The next step was preparation for ascension, though they had already completed most of it. Mo Qing and the others still needed to arrange affairs within the Ghost-Severing Sect. A new generation of Nascent Soul cultivators had appeared: Baili Yuan, Du Sanjiang, Wang Tian, Wei Chituo, Li Changting, Chu Weili, and others. Combined with the earlier Li Wuyi and Li Yuyin, as well as Yan Longzi who had later succeeded, the sect was very strong.

Meanwhile, Miao Wangqing and Zuo Shengyan were already in seclusion, seeking the insight to trigger their Nascent Soul tribulations. Older Golden Core cultivators like Elder Chigong and Peak Master Yi had been in death seclusion for a very long time. Some had already passed their limits but were clinging to life with pills. Others were nearing their limits, waiting for a chance like Zhao Zhi’s, even if it were only a sliver.

Cultivation knows no order of age, so the generation of Li Wuyi was truly rising. The rate of reaching the Nascent Soul stage was remarkably high. Besides the shortage of mid-stage Nascent Soul experts, the sect was flourishing, especially with the knowledge that the Chimei Emissary was guarding them in secret.

Since Zhao Zhi’s death, Wei Zhongran had decided to leave. Li Yuyin hadn’t comforted him during that time. It wasn’t until Wei Zhongran and Mo Qing returned that Li Yuyin sought him out one day. They spoke for a long time, but no one knew what was said.

Even Li Wuyi, who guarded Little Bamboo Peak, only saw Li Yuyin leave with a normal expression, just as she had arrived. Many in the sect knew of the former Peak Master Li’s feelings for Wei Zhongran. Though rumors portrayed her as a venomous and promiscuous woman, only people like Li Wuyi knew she had always been solitary and pure. She used her charm and seductive methods to kill those who coveted her beauty. Yan Longzi and the others knew this well, and none of the senior brothers dared to provoke her.

Li Wuyi and Wei Chituo actually hoped their master would find a new Dao companion, but they only thought it in their hearts. After all, Zhao Min was still here, and no one knew what she thought.

Gong Chenying and Zhao Min didn’t leave immediately because everyone knew that once they parted, they might never see each other again in this life. They deeply cherished this short reunion. Wei Zhongran spent every day talking and drinking with his disciples, a constant smile on his face, though his eyes were full of memories.

Once, beneath the greenery of Little Bamboo Peak, all his disciples were there: the silent Yun Chunqu, the clever Lin Daqiao, the rogue Wen Xinliang, and Li Yan with his smiling eyes… Zhao Zhi would occasionally take his hand like a young girl, secretly commenting on each disciple, her voice flowing like spring water in his heart…

In his daze, the vivid figures turned into nothingness, but the sound of their laughter seemed to linger. Though Wei Zhongran felt sadness, he also felt warmth. In this life of cultivation, he still had family by his side. Should he blame the heavens or thank them?

Li Zhaoyan had returned to Little Bamboo Peak as well. Her cultivation had successfully reached the late-stage Golden Core; the Wood Flow Sect’s techniques suited her perfectly. She truly loved puppet arts, so she was much more serious about her cultivation than before, though she still had a long way to go before the Nascent Soul stage.

Upon her return, besides clinging to Zhao Min, she would spend half the day with Wei Zhongran, talking to him incessantly. It made Wei Zhongran feel as though he had grown old and needed someone to chatter to him, but he loved the warm and quiet feeling.

Li Zhaoyan knew her mother and grandfather were leaving, while she would stay. Her heart was also filled with sadness. Zhao Min and the others couldn’t guarantee their own survival during ascension, so they couldn’t take her with them; it would only increase their chance of perishing. After seeing her grandmother die in the tribulation, her mother and grandfather had become depressed. Li Zhaoyan had matured and would take the initiative to talk and laugh with them.

In many of the bamboo courtyards on Little Bamboo Peak, these figures appeared in rotation. Beneath the laughter, there was a faint sorrow that drifted away with the rustling of the bamboo…

Somewhere in the South Sea, the sea was an endless azure. Under the blue sky and white clouds, the weather was beautiful, and seabirds soared freely. It was a scene of peace.

Suddenly, a circle of ripples appeared in the sky. The change was silent, and as the ripples expanded, the sky there became blurred like the surface of water. Then, several figures rapidly emerged. The first one stepped out of the ripples and stood in the void.

He was an elder with gray hair and a gray robe, looking to be about sixty years old with many wrinkles on his face. But beneath his pale brows was a pair of sharp, hawk-like eyes, scanning the surrounding sea with a sinister gaze. As his figure solidified, six more figures appeared behind him—five men and one woman. Their auras were as deep as the sea, but an invisible light screen held their presence firmly in check.