After Bai Li's figure vanished into the moonlight, Chen Chang'an stood quietly by the window for a moment. The night breeze brushed against his face, carrying the crisp chill unique to the mountains.
He gently exhaled a breath of turbid air and left, heading toward the other side of the valley.
Passing through layers of forest, he arrived at the cave dwelling where Ji Hongli was in secluded cultivation.
Sensing his aura, the formation on the stone door automatically slid open to both sides.
He walked forward along the path, surrounded by a dense mist of spiritual energy. A green lamp burned faintly, illuminating the way until he reached the depths, where its light revealed a graceful figure seated cross-legged on a jade platform.
"You're here." Ji Hongli opened her eyes, a flash of understanding crossing her gaze.
She had known Chen Chang'an would come seeking her, so she had not truly entered a meditative trance.
Chen Chang'an sat down beside her and said softly, "I'm disturbing your cultivation."
Ji Hongli shook her head. She raised a fair hand to pour him a cup of spiritual tea. "What is it?"
"Something unexpected has happened." Chen Chang'an accepted the teacup and recounted Bai Li's experiences in detail.
When he spoke of her thousand-year search for Qingqiu in the Spiritual Realm, a look of pity surfaced in Ji Hongli's eyes.
"That poor girl," she sighed softly, her fingers unconsciously tracing the rim of the cup. "A thousand years of solitude. An ordinary person would have gone mad long ago."
Chen Chang'an nodded and drank the spiritual tea in one gulp.
The tea was warm and mellow, yet it could not dissolve the heaviness between his brows.
After a moment of silence, he spoke again. "There is another matter. I want to hear your opinion."
Chen Chang'an then proceeded to tell Ji Hongli about the Chaos Bell and Qin Ao.
"You are worried about... the Chaos Bell?" Ji Hongli keenly perceived his anxiety.
"It is not the Chaos Bell." Chen Chang'an sighed softly. "What I worry about is the person behind the Chaos Bell."
The room fell quiet for a time.
"Actually... I have an idea."
Ji Hongli suddenly began to speak slowly.
Under Chen Chang'an's gaze, a rare look of determination appeared in her eyes. "Since my husband intends to make an enemy of that mastermind, you must realize that the great powers of the Primordial Era are most skilled in scheming."
Her voice was soft, but every word carried immense weight. "If my husband tries to match them in laying out plans, I fear you will not win."
The room was silent for a moment, save for the faint flickering of the green lamp's flame.
Chen Chang'an did not deny it, for he believed the same.
Those old monsters who had lived for countless eras were best at placing their pieces and laying out schemes within the river of time.
"In that case," Ji Hongli suddenly raised her eyes, a sharp glint flashing within them, "why don't we take the initiative?"
Chen Chang'an raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"
"Husband, go and kill Ji Wuque." Ji Hongli's words were shocking.
"What?" Chen Chang'an looked at his Dao companion in shock, not expecting her to propose such a radical suggestion.
Ji Wuque was the Chosen One selected by the Upper Realm. Killing him would be no different from declaring war on the Upper Realm directly.
Ji Hongli, however, remained calm, as if she were speaking of the most ordinary matter. "Since we cannot outsmart them, and our existence has been discovered, we are now in the light while the enemy is in the dark. We might as well go all out and force them to reveal themselves."
Her slender fingers traced lightly across the table, leaving a faint spiritual mark. "Otherwise, the further we go, the more perfect their layout will become. They have already made their move in the Spiritual Realm. If we continue to wait, who knows how many more variables will arise."
Chen Chang'an fell into deep thought.
Ji Hongli's words were not without reason.
Since the other party could lay out schemes silently in the Spiritual Realm for a thousand years, waiting any longer would likely lead to an even more passive situation.
"However..." Ji Hongli's tone suddenly softened. "These are just my thoughts. As for what to do in the end, it is up to my husband to decide."
She looked at Chen Chang'an gently, her eyes full of determination. "No matter what, I will stand by my husband's side."
These words stirred a warm current in Chen Chang'an's heart.
He reached out to hold Ji Hongli's soft hand, feeling the warmth from her palm.
That's right, he was no longer alone.
With Hongli by his side, and his disciples... perhaps they could fight against those old monsters!
"Hongli is right." A fighting spirit gradually ignited in Chen Chang'an's eyes. "Rather than waiting for them to slowly lay out schemes and dig pits step by step, we should simply force our way through!"
He stood up, his robes fluttering despite the lack of wind. "Although I am not fully prepared, neither are they! No matter how much one considers, it is better to take a gamble!"
The corners of Ji Hongli's mouth lifted slightly. She stood up to straighten his collar; everything was understood without words.
...
After leaving Ji Hongli's cave dwelling, Chen Chang'an did not return immediately.
The night breeze was cool. He strolled to the edge of a steep cliff, his robes rustling in the wind.
Standing at the cliff's edge on the other side of the Immortal Spirit Valley, the entire scenery of the Immortal Spirit Holy Land was spread out before him.
The moonlight was like water, flowing quietly through the mountains, rivers, grass, and trees.
In the distance, the spiritual fields glowed with a faint light, and spiritual plants swayed gently in the night breeze. Nearby, pavilions and towers were scattered in an orderly fashion, and the wind chimes on the eaves emitted crisp sounds. Further away, several streams of light streaked across the night sky—disciples returning late, steering their magical artifacts back to their cave dwellings.
Chen Chang'an took a deep breath; the air was filled with the unique fragrance of spiritual herbs.
He slowly closed his eyes, and his spiritual consciousness spread out like ripples, sensing every bit of life on this land.
The gurgling of spiritual springs, the low murmurs of spirit beasts, the fluctuations of spiritual energy as disciples breathed in and out during cultivation... everything was so vivid, so real.
A complex look flashed through Chen Chang'an's eyes.
Once upon a time, he had been so composed and unhurried.
Even knowing that enemies awaited him in the future, he still calmly toured the Lower Realm and laid out schemes in the Spiritual Realm, letting everything unfold according to his own rhythm.
At that time, he was like a leisurely chess player, quietly placing one piece after another in a corner no one paid attention to.
That composure back then was merely because the enemy's gaze had never truly focused on him.
His father's final layout, appearing foolish yet possessing great wisdom, kept those high and mighty existences focusing their attention elsewhere.
And he, like a fish swimming in deep water, enjoyed a rare freedom.
But now, things were different.
The appearance of the Chaos Bell was like a wake-up call, startling him from his beautiful dream.
The enemy had discovered him and had begun to cast their gaze toward this forgotten corner.
Those invisible eyes were searching for his traces in the darkness.
Chen Chang'an's fingertips felt slightly cold.
He knew all too well how terrifying those existences were—they laid out schemes calculated in tens of thousands of years, placing pieces within the river of time.
If he continued to develop in such a leisurely manner, by the time war truly broke out, what awaited him would likely be a net already woven from heaven and earth, and carefully arranged heavy traps.
"I can't go on like this..." he murmured, a look of resolve flashing in his eyes.
He slowly clenched his fist, feeling the surging power within his body.
The cultivation base of the Venerable Realm, the authority of the Lord of the Spiritual Realm, and the forces secretly cultivated... perhaps it was still not enough to confront those existences head-on, but at least, he was not an ant at the mercy of others.
"Since I can no longer hide, then let us fight!"
The moment these words left his mouth, Chen Chang'an felt his heart lighten, as if he had shed an invisible shackle.
For the first time since transmigrating, he no longer placed himself in the position of the weak, nor did he only think about how to avoid the sight of those existences.
The moonlight bathed him, gilding his silhouette with a layer of silver.
At this moment, a long-lost fighting spirit burned in his eyes, and his brow was full of sharp edges.
"Father, your scheme was excellent and has bought me enough time." He looked up at the starry sky, as if conversing with a distant existence. "Next, it is time to change the approach."
The mountain wind howled, whipping up his sleeves.
Chen Chang'an's figure appeared exceptionally upright under the moonlight, like a sharp sword finally drawn from its sheath, cold and gleaming, revealing its full edge.
Since he could not hide, he would not hide.
Since he could not remain concealed, he would not remain concealed.
Rather than struggling within the net woven by the opponent, it was better to actively wield the sword and hack open a bloody path.
Once this thought arose, it took root and sprouted in Chen Chang'an's heart, growing rapidly.
He felt an unprecedented clarity, as if the fog had scattered and the road ahead was finally clearly visible.
"Hongli is right. It is time to take the initiative."
He turned and walked down the mountain, his steps firm and powerful.
The night wind continued to blow, but it could no longer shake his determination.
Starting a war now might be fraught with peril, but at the very least, fate would be in his own hands.
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