Chapter 1795: The Lonely Scarecrow

The mid-stage Tribulation expert of the “Chaos Sect,” despite his immense strength, was not familiar with spatial techniques. Under the Great Elder’s assault, he had to exhaust his power to protect his sect, leaving him as heavily wounded as the Great Elder.

But a lean camel is still bigger than a horse. The Underworld Phoenixes were too few. During the battle in the void, the Great Elder chose to strike despite his wounds as he watched his kin fall one by one. This left his injuries even more severe than the Tribulation expert’s.

The Chaos Sect was equally desperate. Their glorious sect had been pushed to the brink by a few dozen phoenixes. Although they had branch sects outside, the main headquarters—their foundation—was now lost in the deathly silent void. They knew where they were, yet they were lost. They might never return, and their remaining resources couldn’t sustain their cultivation. They were destined for death; the two sides could only fight until the end.

Ultimately, the Great Elder sent the Void Refining disciple away. Then, he and the Fourth Elder launched a final, combined assault. Because the Great Elder used his remaining power to shield Erya, she was the sole survivor—though barely clinging to life. By then, all magical treasures had been exhausted in the brutal conflict.

Erya survived thanks to the phoenix’s powerful healing ability, though her internal Nascent Soul injuries never healed. She spent her remaining time in this new, fused secret realm, using the medicinal plants in the fields to refine pills and stabilize her wounds. But the damage was too deep. Two great powers had been destroyed; how could she possibly advance? Her hidden injuries caused her to age prematurely.

She never found a way back to the Immortal Spirit Realm. She drifted in the Endless Void, embarking on countless long-range searches only to be met with despair. Eventually, she returned to the secret realm. There was no life left. Every cultivator and beast had fallen. The spatial overlap had killed all ordinary animals and insects.

Erya, entirely alone, began to craft puppets. With no one to talk to, she spoke to them, telling them stories of the past and her hopes for the future… Eventually, she began to talk to herself.

When she sensed her limit approaching, she opened a small, secluded area within the secret realm. She had no magical treasures left, and the ancient herbs had been used. She loathed the Chaos Sect and had left their belongings in their own “Inheritance Palace” and grotto-heavens. She wasn’t protecting their heritage; she was protecting her own. She hoped that if the realm ever returned to the Immortal Spirit Realm, or if outsiders broke in, they would be distracted by those treasures. She wanted her clan’s legacy to remain hidden.

Finally, she performed the “Netherworld Cleansing Nirvana” technique to leave her inheritance and stepped onto the path of reincarnation.

Having read this, Li Yan’s gaze fell on the freezing silver sand on the platform. Ming Qi passed the slip to Ming Yu, her eyes filled with a sense of desolation. The so-called “Inheritance Palace” secret realm was actually a fusion of a clan and a sect. The once-mighty Immortal Underworld Phoenix branch had perished in a tragic, heroic act of mutual destruction.

Now, Ming Qi and Li Yan finally understood why this secret realm felt like peeling an onion—layer after layer. Ming Qi had previously found the layout tedious and nonsensical, but now she understood the sorrow behind it.

A woman of incomparable grace, having lost all her kin, was cast into the Endless Void. Day after day, she crafted scarecrow puppets and talked to herself. Ming Qi could imagine the realm drifting in total darkness—no sun, no stars. A solitary woman sitting in the pitch-black fields, her silhouette etched in loneliness! Her only companions were scarecrows. She talked to the night, and the scarecrows listened in eternal silence…

The scarecrows represented her companions and her clan, but she didn’t want to recreate their faces, as that would only deepen her longing. So they remained faceless scarecrows. Ming Qi couldn’t imagine that level of desolation; she would have gone mad.

The question asked by the scarecrow in the courtyard—”Why are you here?”—suddenly seemed profoundly sad. Tears fell silently from Ming Qi’s eyes. Was the question ridiculous? If one spent an eternity in darkness, would one ask anything else? Erya was a Body Integration expert, and that question was her subconscious desire to find her way home…

The nonsensical answers about driving away birds had deep meaning. Her clan had been invaded and disturbed, so in her heart, she wanted to drive away all outsiders! She yearned for the days of quiet cultivation. Why had they been disturbed? Her final answer was to not disturb her dream; her heart was dead, and she only wished for a peaceful end.

Even in her despair, she had meticulously set up these “annoying” defenses for the sake of her lineage. She feared that once she died, her branch would truly be extinct. Even if one disciple had been sent away, could he find his way back? To ensure the inheritance remained, she set up layer after layer of protection. Some were lethal, some bizarre, some soul-crushing…

Everything turned into profound respect in Ming Qi’s heart—respect for the woman named Erya and the entire fallen branch.

‘It is as the Fourth Elder suspected. Even though a disciple was sent away, a Void Refining cultivator traversing the Endless Void likely shared her fate. Unless he had a miracle, he probably perished alone in the void as well…’

Tears shimmered on Ming Qi’s face. Ming Yu was also struggling to control her grief, her eyes red. The two sisters were so moved that they didn’t even look at the platform for a moment.

Li Yan also sighed inwardly, feeling a surge of respect for Erya. Most cultivators would have committed suicide long ago. But his gaze soon fixed on the platform. After reading the slip, a realization sent a wave of shock through his heart. He believed he finally understood why Yan Qingchen was here.

‘The ancient era… Chaos Sect… excelling in Yin and Yang… the sect in the jade slip must be the Yin-Yang Chaos Sect. The possibility is incredibly high. If so, my decision to track him was inspired by providence. This “Yin-Yang” sect covets unique, top-tier talents and destinies to fuel their own growth. They steal the lives of others!’

‘But they don’t dare touch the orthodox Five Elements Sect or major lineages with many disciples. Instead, they target unique, powerful groups that struggle to reproduce, like the Underworld Phoenixes. Though their members are strong, their total numbers are small. And phoenixes are too proud to ask for help…’

‘Erya’s secret realm likely drifted until it was found by Huangqi Valley. They used great power to make it part of their sect… Did Yan Qingchen come here on orders because the Yin-Yang Chaos Sect discovered something about Huangqi Valley’s palace? He is here to take back the Underworld Phoenix’s natural law for research! Or perhaps he wants to find the heritage of the original Chaos Sect. Most likely, it is both…’

Li Yan’s heart pounded. He had stumbled upon secrets regarding the Yin-Yang Chaos Sect. And Yan Qingchen was here on a mission for his sect.

The Yin-Yang Chaos Sect and the Immortal Underworld Phoenixes—two entities he had ties with—had intersected here in this strange way.

‘…The grass is in hand. I must leave quickly. Yan Qingchen cannot be allowed to escape…’

Li Yan suppressed his emotions. Thoughts flashed rapidly. At the very end of Erya’s jade slip, he found the method to leave. They were currently in the fifth layer of the secret realm, the final sanctuary Erya and her scarecrows had guarded for so long!