Chapter 1677: Dong Fuyi Strikes

“I will find the cultivators within the sect, and if I work with Master, it should be much faster!” Li Yan said. The people he intended to find naturally did not include those on Little Bamboo Peak or Li Changting.

Li Yan believed that unless these people were soul-searched, they would never reveal his secrets. To perform memory extraction or erasure on them was something he felt he wouldn’t be able to face in the future. Unless he erased the memories of everyone except himself—including Zhao Min and Gong Chenying—he wouldn’t do it. Otherwise, the two women would eventually realize their loved ones had lost certain memories, which was not an outcome Li Yan desired.

Naturally, this list did not include Gu Jiuqi. Much of that man’s memory had already been transmitted back to his main body in the upper realm. In Gu Jiuqi’s eyes, Li Yan’s affairs might not even be a major concern, and there was no way of knowing what the main body had already learned. If one were to notice something amiss later, it would create even greater trouble.

“Then mark the people whose memories need to be removed as quickly as possible. This matter cannot be delayed!” Dong Fuyi ordered.

“Master, we shall begin modifying the memories in three months. After all, some veteran disciples are still away. I will have the sect issue a recall order, using an emergency as a pretext to bring all disciples back. Three months should be enough time for most to return,” Li Yan suggested.

Dong Fuyi nodded. He knew that gathering all disciples would take time, and even three months might not be enough to catch everyone. But in this world, nothing was perfect; as long as they could contain the information effectively, it would be enough. Furthermore, Li Yan’s reason for the recall was sound and wouldn’t arouse suspicion.

“Master, have Martial Uncle Qian Chong and the other two already returned to the upper realm?” Li Yan asked. Dong Fuyi had only briefly mentioned them earlier.

“They have returned. Pei Buchong had suppressed his cultivation for too long; his breakthrough could not be delayed. Ping Tu also needed to seek a breakthrough, so I had them go back first. As for that Secret Realm you visited, your martial uncle has hidden it. I can give you the location later, though it is quite far from the Malevolent Spirit Sect…”

Dong Fuyi then provided a detailed account of True Lord Qian Chong and the others. Li Yan finally learned that the Nine Yang Profound Bird egg Li Zhaoyan received was actually a gift from his master. Since Zhao Min didn’t recognize him, True Lord Qian Chong had to act as the intermediary.

“Master, what kind of beast is the Nine Yang Profound Bird?”

“It is a divine fire bird. Although it cannot be compared to a Vermilion Bird, even a Three-Legged Golden Crow might not be its match once it reaches adulthood. However, this bird has become extremely rare in the Immortal Spirit Realm. I found that egg by chance in the lower realm. Whether it can hatch depends on fate,” Dong Fuyi explained casually.

Li Yan winced inwardly. An existence comparable to a Three-Legged Golden Crow… even when facing the Fire Phoenix Clan, a Golden Crow was a terrifying presence. But the more powerful a beast was, the harder it was to bring it into the world, much like how it was difficult for high-level cultivators to conceive children.

With these matters cleared up, many of his doubts vanished. Li Yan was also truly happy to confirm that Ping Tu was safe. Ping Tu was both a teacher and a friend, more like a close elder. Li Yan could even tell Ping Tu things he couldn’t share with Zhao Min or the others. Earlier, because he couldn’t find the Secret Realm or contact Ping Tu, Li Yan had been filled with worry, fearing that a catastrophe had befallen the senior. He had planned to search for clues regarding Ping Tu no matter what after healing Bai Rou. Now, his heart was at ease.

“Master, during this enemy raid, one of my senior sisters suffered a severe injury to her Sea of Consciousness while saving my daughter. I had planned to give her a True Essence Pill tomorrow and assist her in recovery, but I am uncertain how long it will take. My own abilities are limited; I hope Master can take a look and see if you can restore her injury and wake her up!”

Although Li Yan still had many questions, he knew he had to prioritize. Bai Rou’s situation was urgent. Since this long-lost, powerful master of his had appeared—a Body Integration powerhouse—it was best to have him take a look.

Dong Fuyi had originally wanted to ask Li Yan about his cultivation progress, but seeing the boy’s request, he nodded without hesitation. Since taking this disciple, he had basically left him to grow in the wild without any guidance. Now that the boy had asked for help, he would naturally do his best.

“I will give you two more True Essence Pills in a bit. One is for that girl named Bai, and you can handle the other as you see fit. These are the last two I have on me. I’ve been away for too long; I’ll need to return to the Immortal Spirit Realm to find materials to refine more,” Dong Fuyi said. Fortunately, he didn’t have to use pills often, so he still had a few left.

Li Yan’s eyes lit up. This meant he didn’t have to use Zhao Min’s pill. He would just need to find a suitable reason later, such as taking Zhao Min’s pill now and returning it when he had a chance.

Inside a room in Li Yan’s bamboo courtyard, the moment Dong Fuyi entered, Li Yan didn’t even see him move before Zhao Min and the other two women were placed into a state where their six senses were dulled. Despite the fact that Li Yan could see Dong Fuyi walking toward the bed without a care in the world, the three women were not unconscious; they simply seemed entirely unaware of what was happening.

Li Yan could faintly sense a layer of restriction around the three of them. He could only offer them a helpless glance.

Standing by the bed, Dong Fuyi raised a finger, holding it about three feet above Bai Rou’s forehead. A streak of black light immediately entered her body. Dong Fuyi then closed his eyes, while Li Yan stood respectfully to the side.

Li Yan and Gu Jiuqi had already examined Bai Rou’s injury. It was basically identical to the trauma he had suffered when he first ascended to the Immortal Spirit Realm. A True Essence Pill would allow for a slow recovery, but if Dong Fuyi had a more potent method to wake her faster, that would be ideal.

Silence filled the room as time passed. After a hundred breaths, seeing that Dong Fuyi still hadn’t finished his examination, Li Yan’s initial hope for a quick fix began to fade. A bad feeling began to stir in his heart. With Dong Fuyi’s experience, Li Yan thought he should have determined a treatment method within ten breaths. Why was it taking so long?

Half a cup of tea later, the light on Dong Fuyi’s finger retracted and vanished. He pulled his hand back but didn’t speak immediately. He furrowed his brows in thought. Li Yan remained standing, watching him intently.

“Her Sea of Consciousness has indeed been damaged, and it is on the verge of collapse. It needs to be stabilized quickly. You mentioned using a ‘True Essence Pill’ for treatment, and that would indeed serve to repair and stabilize the Sea of Consciousness. However, as for whether she can wake up… that is not guaranteed,” Dong Fuyi said slowly.

“Why?” Li Yan’s voice was laced with shock. As he feared, Dong Fuyi’s assessment matched his own growing dread.

“Do you know how she was injured?” Dong Fuyi asked instead.

“I do!” Li Yan had already inquired about the details of Bai Rou’s injury.

“Tell me in detail!”

The process of Bai Rou getting injured had been brief. Even a detailed recount only took a few sentences. These were the details Zhao Min and Gong Chenying had shared with Li Yan.

“…She was caught between the two of them. While she was driving her puppet, she was hit by this item and was subsequently injured, though she still managed to launch a final strike with the puppet.”

A flash of light appeared in Li Yan’s hand, and two items materialized. One was a golden rope, and the other was an ancient ape puppet, barely an inch tall and pitch-black, looking like it was carved from wood.

When Li Yan had slain the enemy Spirit Transformation cultivators, he had taken all their storage treasures. Later, he and Gu Jiuqi had opened and examined all the storage spaces of the Nascent Soul cultivators as well. They were looking for clues, but in the end, they found nothing regarding the origins of those six people. The six had come from small realms, and there were few distinguishing features to their belongings—or rather, Li Yan and Gu Jiuqi couldn’t recognize them yet.

However, since Li Yan knew this magical treasure was the one that hurt Bai Rou, he had kept the golden rope. At the time, he didn’t know he was the one who had brought this disaster upon them. But given his vengeful nature, he kept the rope and had Gong Chenying record the appearance of the escaping Earthly Heterogeneous Fire. He planned to find their sects and take revenge for Bai Rou once he handled his current affairs.

As for the ancient ape puppet, Li Zhaoyan had collected it. Seeing the damage, Li Yan had taken it from her. He roughly knew the primary materials for refining the Thousand-Net Ancient Ape included Thousand-Silk Stone, and the puppet was vital to the Wood-Flow Gate. Thus, he couldn’t leave it with Li Zhaoyan; he planned to gather some Thousand-Silk Stone and return it all to Bai Rou later.

Now, hearing Dong Fuyi’s question, he brought them both out. Having heard the story, Dong Fuyi knew the utility of these two treasures. He took the puppet first. With a surge of magical power, the puppet blurred and grew to the height of a man.

Dong Fuyi looked at the large hole in its back, then flicked his sleeve. A dozen high-grade spirit stones flew into the puppet’s spirit stone slots. He continued to drive the puppet, but it only twitched slightly before going still.

Dong Fuyi then executed several sets of hand seals. By the fourth set, the dim Thousand-Net Ancient Ape suddenly lit up with streaks of green light. Dong Fuyi peered through the hole in its back, carefully observing the internal situation, including the formations that were no longer fully functional…

About half an incense stick later, Dong Fuyi picked up the golden rope and began to drive it with his power, observing it closely…

Li Yan stood to the side, maintaining his silence as he watched his master’s movements. Finally, when Dong Fuyi withdrew his magical power, he handed the items back to Li Yan and spoke slowly.

“I know the root cause of this girl’s injury now. That golden rope is merely a magical treasure designed to bind magical power. Its grade is mediocre—at least to a Spirit Transformation cultivator.

However, the key to her severe injury is actually that puppet. The girl’s cultivation is only at the Initial-stage Nascent Soul, but her cultivation method is quite peculiar. It seems that when paired with the formations inside this puppet, she can display power far beyond her realm. Furthermore, the way they drive the puppet is likely not just through Divine Sense.

They use both magical power and Divine Sense to drive two completely different sub-formations within the main array. If you add the third sub-formation driven by spirit stones, this puppet’s reaction speed and output are already quite formidable. But even then, this power is not directly projected outward. It must be integrated with a fourth set of controls leading to the primary formation. After these several conversions, the Divine Sense and power are amplified once more.

Therefore, operating this puppet is no simple task. The control is complex, requiring the operator to balance various hand seals perfectly. If the puppet is attacked, the incoming force is first dispersed through the primary formation before reaching the various sub-formations to be neutralized.

However, this neutralization system doesn’t just have four layers; it has dozens. I cannot determine the exact number for now. Thus, even if a Late-stage Nascent Soul Great Cultivator attacks her, she can neutralize the vast majority of the power, bearing only a tiny fraction herself.

But precisely because of this, once the primary formation is damaged, the backlash is absolutely lethal. The materials used to refine this puppet are extremely sturdy, likely not just for defense against external attacks, but also to ensure the stability of the internal formations.

When she faced the simultaneous attacks of a Spirit Transformation and a Late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, her Divine Sense and magical power were simply too weak to sustain the puppet’s operations. Even if the puppet reached its limit, it couldn’t defend against them. At the moment the defense was breached, the primary formation’s own restrictions were damaged despite their resistance.

That golden rope, in the hands of a Spirit Transformation cultivator, became a sharp object used for a forced attack. When the outer shell was breached and the formation restrictions failed to hold, several sub-formations automatically engaged in the defense.

Unfortunately, they still couldn’t withstand the blow of a Spirit Transformation cultivator. As a result, when those sub-formations were destroyed, the various forces within the array overlapped and clashed. The Divine Sense and magical power she had left inside the array were instantly mangled together, and much of that chaotic energy was swept back into her Sea of Consciousness.

Furthermore, that golden rope contains the law of binding. Some of that binding power took the opportunity to enter her mind. The current situation is that her Sea of Consciousness was not merely heavily injured; it was ravaged by a chaotic, binding force. Since she fell unconscious and that force wasn’t removed immediately, it has now completely permeated her Sea of Consciousness.

Even if her mind is stabilized now, a foreign binding force has integrated into it. Therefore, she will not be able to wake up!”

Dong Fuyi’s explanation was detailed. While he could have summarized the cause in a single sentence, he wanted Li Yan to understand the exact nature and extent of Bai Rou’s trauma.

As Li Yan listened, his heart began to sink deeper and deeper…