Chapter 1657: Heaven and Earth (Part Four)

During their passage through the void, Li Yan and his companion also encountered two Star-Fallen Beasts. Since they were entering a descending spatial node, these beasts likely came from the chaotic flow of the upper realm. Before reaching the end near the mortal world, their strength was unrestricted.

The first beast was manageable, only capable of exerting power at the late-stage of Spirit Transformation. Li Yan and Mu Guyue joined forces and slew it easily. However, the second beast was a transformation of a Star-Fallen Spirit Plant, and its power was terrifying, rivaling the mid-stage of the Void Refining realm.

Fortunately, both Li Yan and Mu Guyue possessed an extraordinary sensitivity to death. With the “Five Elements Chaotic Wind” active, they sensed a sudden surge in dark water-attribute power within the spatial elements. This allowed them to prepare, but being cornered, Li Yan was eventually forced to detonate another one of his incarnations.

They didn’t dare to stand and fight; they only fled for their lives. During the escape, Li Yan’s true body lost a hand and a leg. Carrying Mu Guyue, who had also lost a portion of her body, they launched a desperate soul-art sneak attack. This provided them with a sliver of an opening as the Star-Fallen Beast roared in agony, its attack faltering momentarily as it suppressed the pain in its soul.

Li Yan and Mu Guyue seized the chance to flee! In that moment, Li Yan did not hesitate to sweep the unsuspecting Mu Guyue into his Earthen Patch. Then, he even dared to use “Shifting the Heavens and Earth” within the spatial passage—a suicidal act.

Perhaps he and Mu Guyue had finally used up their bad luck, for the two consecutive uses of the technique did not land him in a dead-end. Seeing that he had opened a distance from the beast, Li Yan immediately found a spot to hide, circulating “Low Tide” and “Stealthy Night Stash” to their limits.

After reaching the mid-stage of Spirit Transformation, Li Yan estimated that by running both techniques together, he had a good chance of hiding from an initial-stage Void Refining cultivator. However, against a mid or late-stage expert, he had no such confidence. He could only pray in his heart for the gods to bless him with fortune.

Indeed, the Star-Fallen Beast chased after them, but it was likely suffering from the combined soul-art attack of the two. Soul cultivators could often kill those above their own rank, and these two had exploded with power in a life-or-death situation. Furthermore, the mid-stage Void Refining beast had been affected by the explosion of Li Yan’s incarnation.

It could not dodge the ghostly soul-art attacks. Although the attacks struck, they did not destroy the beast’s soul, only injured it. A wound to the soul, unlike the body, causes excruciating pain that makes one wish for death, let alone a direct assault. Thus, as soon as the Star-Fallen Beast regained some clarity, it began a furious rampage along the path.

However, the agonizing pain prevented it from conducting a proper search. Many of its attacks brushed past Li Yan’s hiding spot, crushing everything in their path with sky-shattering roars. The display left Li Yan’s heart racing and his cold sweat flowing. Fortunately, he had been meticulous in choosing his hiding spot.

Only after the creature had gone far away did Li Yan quietly begin to move forward, trying to avoid the path of the beast’s destruction. On the way, he saw several spatial fragments drifting and two black holes that were no longer invisible, letting out eerie howls. Li Yan felt his courage failing him, knowing these were the results of the beast’s frenzied attacks. Whether those fragments or black holes affected the beast, he wasn’t sure. But even in its rage, the beast hadn’t been sucked in—after all, it lived there.

Li Yan could only advance cautiously, increasing the frequency of his probes, hoping to reach the mortal-realm zone quickly. Only when he sensed the Heavenly Rules changing and his cultivation being suppressed did he finally let out a long sigh of relief. Once there, no matter how strong that Star-Fallen Beast was, it could no longer exert its true power.

When he brought Mu Guyue out, her physical injuries had mostly healed, and her arms had regrown. Seeing Li Yan’s battered state with missing limbs, she glared at him fiercely, forcing him to explain repeatedly. He argued that hiding one person’s aura was more effective, and only if she recovered first could she protect him while he healed.

However, Mu Guyue uncharacteristically issued a warning. “Next time, I must agree before you decide whether we need to hide!”

Mu Guyue was brilliant; she had already guessed that Li Yan likely possessed a spatial treasure. If he had put her in an ordinary spirit-storing space, it would have been a death sentence. He must have used a spatial artifact he believed even a mid-stage Void Refining beast couldn’t break. But she felt differently; she didn’t want to be unable to help when Li Yan was in crisis. This was not a result she was willing to accept. Since she had agreed to step into this node with him, she had already tied her life to his, through life and death.

Li Yan quickly agreed. Mu Guyue was too proud to hide behind others!

Emerging from the chaotic flow of the spatial node, Li Yan and Mu Guyue smiled at each other. Their eyes were filled with relief. They had successfully descended to the mortal world! Although the journey had nearly claimed their lives, their bond of facing death together remained unshaken.

“Though our souls still feel some discomfort, we will return to normal soon. However, we cannot use our full cultivation easily in the future!” Li Yan’s soul felt a bit muddled, which was quite unpleasant. It was likely a result of not yet adapting to the Heavenly Rules of this world.

Although their realm was originally at the Spirit Transformation stage, he felt that if he dared to exert that level of power now, the local laws would squeeze him out immediately. This sensation was very strong.

Mu Guyue nodded; she felt the same. She estimated that she could only exert power at the late-stage of the Nascent Soul realm. However, that power would actually be much stronger than a standard late-stage Nascent Soul because it wasn’t just about the realm. It was about the refinement of their spells and their superior manipulation of the world’s rules.

It was like a rod of refined iron, tempered a thousand times until it was as thin as a finger, striking a crude iron club as thick as an arm. In the end, the thin iron rod would prevail. This was the primary reason why Spirit Transformation cultivators in the lower realm could easily defeat late-stage Nascent Soul cultivators.

Without further delay, the two tore through space once more and entered the outer region…

A few days later, somewhere on the Verdant Continent, the figures of Li Yan and Mu Guyue appeared within a vast sea of bamboo! After entering a certain realm a few days prior, they had conducted a quick search and found it to be a minor realm. The two of them had easily captured a local Nascent Soul cultivator and searched his soul.

It was an effortless task for them. They soon learned about the minor realm: it was close to the Verdant Continent, and its strongest cultivators were just six individuals at the Nascent Soul stage. Because of the proximity, these cultivators had visited the Verdant Continent during their travels. From their memories, Li Yan quickly found the direction of the Verdant Continent and the location of the weak spatial points.

After confirming their orientation, the two tore through the void once more and headed for the Verdant Continent. The Nascent Soul cultivators they had searched had no idea they had even been captured. With their current speed, traversing the chaotic flow was much faster, and they reached the Verdant Continent in just a few days.

To avoid alerting the continent’s Spirit Transformation guardians, Li Yan sought Mu Guyue’s consent before sweeping her into the Earthen Patch. Mu Guyue felt that once her cultivation was suppressed, there was a good chance her true aura might be detected by the continent’s great array. However, she had to admit that Li Yan’s ability to hide his aura was truly formidable.

While in the upper realm, Li Yan had shown her the “Low Tide” technique. She felt it would be helpful, but not as effective for her, as it did little to hide demonic qi. Still, she planned to practice it eventually; even just hiding her magical power would be useful.

Finally, under the dual protection of his hiding techniques, Li Yan appeared as an initial-stage Nascent Soul cultivator. As expected, he felt eyes on him upon entering. However, his behavior was entirely normal, like a wandering cultivator. Seeing that he did nothing out of the ordinary, the tracking sensation slowly faded.

Within the bamboo sea, Li Yan looked at Mu Guyue. “We aren’t far from the cross-realm teleportation array to the Forsaken Continent. When you return, you should tell Mu Sha the full truth about me. I should be able to find you within ten years. Then, we will ascend together!”

Mu Guyue looked out at the lush green bamboo sea, her heart heavy with complex emotions. She had never thought she would return to the Forsaken Continent. In her previous plans, there were only three possibilities: dying during ascension, meeting Mu Sha later among the Black Demon Clan in the Immortal Spirit Realm, or never seeing him again in this life.

“His attitude toward you might not be very friendly,” Mu Guyue said, looking back at Li Yan. If he insisted on finding Mu Sha, he had to be prepared.

“Just tell him for now. When I return, I’ll find you first and handle the rest later,” Li Yan nodded. He couldn’t force Mu Sha to feel a certain way. He hadn’t raised the boy at all; how much affection could Mu Sha have for a father he didn’t know?

Half an hour later, Li Yan watched Mu Guyue leave. He then turned and flew rapidly in another direction. His heart was already racing toward home. His target was the Hellsoul Clan. He only hoped the statue of the Second Ancestor still stood and hadn’t been destroyed. This time, after seeing the statue, he would set up an array to hide and protect it. He believed that in the future, it would be almost impossible for anyone in the mortal world to find it.