Chapter 1684: The Melody of Parting, the Smoke Disperses (Part Two)

The soul cultivators, much like the Five Immortals Sect, would rather see their inheritance severed than allow their core techniques to be recorded carelessly. They employed numerous mystical methods to prevent soul-searching.

Seeing how difficult Li Yan’s journey had been, Dong Fuyi had no intention of prying into his fortunes. However, he wanted to emphasize that Li Yan must not neglect his core cultivation for the sake of supplementary arts. From his perspective, their sect’s arts were the strongest in the world. Of course, if Elder Hao of the Soul Suppression Palace were here, he would say the exact opposite, and a Tianli Clan cultivator would argue that the Qiongqi Purgatory Art was supreme.

Seeing that Dong Fuyi wasn’t going to press him, Li Yan felt a weight lift. He had been unsure whether he should reveal the truth if asked.

“The aura of that spiritual plant has been masked. In the lower realm, no outsider will be able to sense his true form, so they won’t make any connections,” Dong Fuyi said casually. To him, this was a trivial task.

The next day, Li Yan found Gu Jiuqi in secret. When the man heard his plan, his eyes lit up. He never expected Li Yan would be willing to leave a Late-stage Spirit Transformation plant to guard the sect for a thousand years. It would take a long time for his messages to reach the upper realm, and he had been worried about what might happen in the interim. Would the sect search for the source of the trouble in the upper realm, or send more people down? Both options took time. He didn’t want another disaster to strike while they waited.

Gu Jiuqi had actually been thinking of asking Li Yan to stay for a while. He had failed to sense the enemies during the sealing of the sect and almost saw it destroyed; he couldn’t afford another risk. But he didn’t know how to ask, as Li Yan was here in his true body, and staying would stall his cultivation. Furthermore, Li Yan had already fulfilled his duties to the sect.

He hadn’t expected Li Yan to solve the problem himself. He was delighted to have such a powerful guardian for the sect. When Feng Hongyue was brought out to meet him, Gu Jiuqi was shocked by his aura. This green-robed old man was strong enough to fight his own clone to a draw—a truly formidable presence.

Li Yan assured him that he had saved the plant’s life, so it harbored no ill will toward the sect. Gu Jiuqi trusted him; if Li Yan wanted the sect destroyed, he wouldn’t have saved it in the first place.

When Feng Hongyue met Gu Jiuqi, he realized the man was a clone. This confirmed his suspicion that Li Yan’s sect was a powerhouse in the upper realm, far surpassing any third-rate sect. He thought back to the terrifying cultivator in the black mist; he had been utterly powerless. He wondered if that was Gu Jiuqi’s main body. But since the black mist hadn’t spoken to him directly, he knew better than to ask. He was just a Spirit Transformation cultivator; he didn’t even know the names of many sects in the North Pastoral Realm, let alone the Malevolent Spirit Sect of another realm.

The three discussed the terms. Though Feng Hongyue was unhappy with the thin spiritual energy of the lower realm, the promise of reaching the Mid-stage Void Refinement in a thousand years made it bearable. Even if he spent a thousand years at the Heaven-Mountain Garden, his breakthrough was far from certain, especially after he had nearly died. The pointers from the figure in the black mist alone would take him centuries to fully grasp.

After reaching an agreement, Gu Jiuqi led Li Yan and Feng Hongyue to a mountain range at the northernmost point of the Malevolent Spirit Sect. Feng Hongyue simply greeted them and descended into a mountain, transforming into a massive tree—now disguised as a sky-piercing pine. An invisible power enveloped a five-hundred-mile radius, marking the area as a forbidden zone of the sect. Gu Jiuqi informed the Nascent Soul cultivators that no one was to approach the area, without offering any explanation.

With this settled, Gu Jiuqi knew Li Yan would be leaving soon. Their relationship grew even more harmonious. They discussed the three Spirit Transformation enemies again, analyzing their techniques to see if they could find any clues. Both wanted to find the root cause of the attack. They shared their experiences during the fight.

“When I first slew the Late-stage Spirit Transformation cultivator, I felt his techniques had two forces—one hard and one soft, working together…” Li Yan said, seemingly lost in thought.

“Oh? Hard and soft? I didn’t sense that,” Gu Jiuqi said, startled. He had fought the two leaders for over a dozen breaths and noticed nothing of the sort.

“I’m not certain. I was focused on killing him as fast as possible. I only had that sensation for a split second as he attacked while trying to flee…” Li Yan looked pensive, as if struggling to remember.

“While fleeing? Perhaps it was a life-saving technique he only used at the last second. Were they simultaneous or interwoven?”

“Interwoven, but… more like they were merging, two paths reaching the same end. However… I felt the merger was a bit clunky,” Li Yan said hesitantly.

Gu Jiuqi asked for more details, but Li Yan claimed it was only a momentary feeling and he couldn’t recall more. Gu Jiuqi noted the information. They spent the rest of the time discussing cultivation. Dong Fuyi would have scoffed at Gu Jiuqi’s insights, but Li Yan listened intently. He believed any successful cultivator had unique, valuable experiences. Even a wrong understanding was a lesson. This exchange benefited Gu Jiuqi as well. And with the 5th-rank plant here, he wouldn’t be so lonely for the next thousand years.

When Li Yan returned to his courtyard, Zhao Min and Gong Chenying remained in seclusion. Li Yan was helpless, but his plans were set. Bai Rou needed to be healed, so they had to leave soon. But he didn’t know how to make them accept Mu Guyue.

Over the next few days, several people whose injuries were light came to visit: Bai Liyuan, Li Changting, Chu Weili, and others. They looked at Li Yan with awe. The man who had once been the weakest of their generation was now someone they had to look up to. Though they didn’t know his exact realm, they guessed he was at least a Late-stage Nascent Soul Great Cultivator. That was a world apart from their own stages. Without him, they might have all perished.

Seeing these few remaining friends reminded Li Yan of the blurred faces from his memories of the secret realm harvests. Mei Bucai, Chu Weixiong, Zhu Gaotai, Fei Ling, Gan Shi… some had fallen, some had vanished while searching for fortune. His brothers Lin Daqiao, the Fifth Senior Brother, and the Third Senior Brother had also left the peak in their own ways.

Now, only memories remained. Even Sun Guoshu was in death-seclusion, trying to break through to the Nascent Soul realm. His wife, Mu Lian, had passed away, leaving him two daughters. His son lacked a spirit root and had been sent to the Peiyang Market where Sun Guoshu had once lived. He wanted his son to have a life of wealth and comfort. His daughters were with the Four Directions Peak, so Sun Guoshu wanted to succeed so he could look after them—his final promise to Mu Lian. He didn’t even know the sect had nearly been destroyed.

One night, Li Yan entered Sun Guoshu’s grotto. He didn’t wake him, but left a storage ring and a jade slip containing pills and treasures. Those pills might help, but the breakthrough depended on fate. He then visited Wang Tian, who was still injured, and left pills and a jade slip for him to pass on to Zuo Shengyan, hoping the two could ascend together. This was his blessing to his old peers…

A few days later, Wei Zhongran and the others received a message from Gu Jiuqi to reopen the sect. He told them he had sent word to the upper realm and they need not worry. They took this to mean he had identified the enemy or made arrangements. They didn’t ask further.

One day, Wei Zhongran and Li Zhaoyan were sitting in the courtyard. Zhao Min and Gong Chenying were still in the cultivation room. Wei Zhongran had come to see Bai Rou, who had been injured saving Zhaoyan. He also wanted to see Zhaoyan, knowing he would soon be leaving the peak he loved. He also had things to ask Li Yan.

When Li Yan appeared, he walked quickly to Wei Zhongran.

“Greetings, Master!”

“Greetings, Father!”

Wei Zhongran looked at him. He hadn’t changed much since his return from the Forsaken Continent, but his presence was far more restrained. He smiled and waved a hand. “No need for formalities!” He was Li Yan’s father-in-law, after all.

Li Zhaoyan stood up to greet him as well. Li Yan nodded to her, then looked at Wei Zhongran. “I have a few things to explain to you and Min’er.”

He turned toward the closed door and whispered a few words. He then looked at Li Zhaoyan, who was about to leave. Their relationship had grown much more natural.

“Zhaoyan, you should stay. There are things you need to know.”

Her face turned pale. She knew the time had come. Her bond with Li Yan wasn’t that deep yet, but her love for her mothers and grandfather was profound. Her teacher hadn’t woken yet, so she thought they wouldn’t leave so soon, but her father’s expression told her otherwise. She stood quietly, a mix of emotions welling up.

Just then, the restriction on the room vanished, and Zhao Min and Gong Chenying stepped out. Their restrictions were meant for ‘gentlemen,’ not ‘scoundrels’ like Li Yan who could enter whenever he pleased. He hadn’t stepped inside for days, only sending a message today: “There are some unpleasant things we need to discuss.”

The two women bowed to Wei Zhongran, then looked at Li Yan. Seeing their calm expressions, Li Yan sighed. It seemed he would have to trouble his master to help him with the Mu Guyue situation after their ascension. Zhao Min hadn’t told Wei Zhongran anything; they were too proud to share such ‘family scandals’ with others.