As Shuang Wuyan listened to the other's concise words with a pale face, tears slowly streamed down her cheeks. Every word he spoke struck at her vital points. The things the Third Elder said were also her biggest worries. For a moment, she thought she was dreaming. To return to the clan, their branch had striven for generation after generation.
The Third Elder explained his purpose in a few sentences, then quietly watched Shuang Wuyan. At this point, Shuang Wuyan actually had no other choice. This seemingly young and tender cultivator's strength was such that even if the entire "Falling Star Valley" cultivators besieged him, they would be annihilated in an instant.
After calming her emotions slightly, she once again summoned the earth fire of Falling Star Valley's spirit vein and placed several refining materials into the great cauldron…
"I confirmed that her technique belongs to my Tianli Clan, and it's a very ancient one at that, not much improved to this day. They have also been using the green maple insignia of Shen Yuhuan's family from that era, but they only leave it on their natal magical treasures. In the end, I brought the five of them back."
The Third Elder explained to Shuang Qingqing and the others.
"Why did only the five of them come back? What about the other people from the Duye Clan?" Shuang Qingqing asked anxiously.
"That Duye Clan is not of my Tianli Clan. That was when Shuang Tongguan back then…"
Back then, Shuang Tongguan and Shuang Qingqing were intercepted on a necessary path by people sent by Bai Fengtian while they were escaping. Even Bai Fengtian himself had rushed over. Just as Bai Fengtian released his white rats to slaughter everywhere, Shuang Tongguan and his wife were already trapped. Seeing that they were no match, despair rose in each of their hearts. But suddenly, the attack power of those white rats greatly diminished. They didn't know what had happened, but they seized the opportunity. Shuang Tongguan and his wife, along with their son and a dozen or so clansmen, fled in panic.
They, of course, did not know that at that time, Bai Fengtian was using the "Heaven Devouring" technique to attack Shuang Qingqing, and his original body had suffered a backlash after being injured, which was why others had a slim chance to escape.
After Shuang Tongguan and his wife escaped, their souls were still unsettled. They certainly knew that Bai Fengtian had guessed their purpose. If they continued on to the battlefield to find the Great Elder like this, they might not be so lucky as to escape Bai Fengtian's pursuit next time. Looking at the only thirteen people left, they gritted their teeth in hatred, but were helpless. So after some discussion, they finally came up with an idea.
They joined the allied army of cultivators fighting against the Demon Clan as a small sect. That way, they could use the opportunity to go to the front lines to find the Great Elder. No matter how bold Bai Fengtian was, he wouldn't dare to kill people in the allied army. This kind of allied army was originally formed by conscripting cultivators from all over the Verdant Continent. But because the Tianli Clan had Spirit Transformation cultivators going to the battlefield, the clan did not have to be fully conscripted.
So Shuang Tongguan and his wife, leading their son and the remaining clansmen, randomly made up a non-existent sect name and joined the allied army. Under the circumstances of the great war at that time, the allied army simply couldn't fully verify the identities of the cultivators. The main thing was to distinguish that the other party was not a demon cultivator.
But the result was completely different from what Shuang Tongguan had imagined. As soon as their allied army team was formed, they were directly taken to a teleportation formation. By the time Shuang Tongguan and his wife felt that something was wrong, it was already impossible to leave the team. Then, everyone was teleported across the realm to the front lines of the battlefield on the Forsaken Continent.
This time, Shuang Tongguan and his wife were dumbfounded. This was not the result they wanted at all, but at this point, they had no power to return. There, they participated in several brutal battles. Not only was their son seriously injured, but only four clansmen were left. He and his wife were also seriously injured. Under such circumstances, Shuang Tongguan and his wife had the idea of escaping. This phenomenon was actually very rare in the great war. The vast majority of the cultivators from the Verdant Continent had seen the bloodiness of the demon cultivators. They held the determination to expel the demon clan's invasion at all costs. And after being sent to another realm, they simply couldn't return with their own cultivation. If they were caught alone by demon cultivators, they would die even faster.
This, in turn, gave Shuang Tongguan and his wife an opportunity to escape. They finally found a good opportunity during their recovery and fled into the depths of the Forsaken Continent with the only five people left. Although the journey was full of dangers, they finally arrived alive at a remote place. They stayed there for year after year, until the war between the two realms finally ended.
However, because they were in a desolate and uninhabited place, by the time they received the news, if they wanted to return to the Verdant Continent, there was only one cross-realm teleportation grand formation left. The Spirit Stones consumed by that kind of teleportation were simply not something they could afford, and they had no Nascent Soul cultivator to protect them during the teleportation. In addition, that side was controlled by demon cultivators. At that time, the war had just ended, and demon cultivators were not at all friendly to the cultivators of the Verdant Continent. If they knew you were a cultivator from the Verdant Continent left behind here, the chances of being killed in secret were even higher.
Shuang Tongguan didn't dare to use the Great Elder's name to have the demon cultivators teleport him and his people back. Helpless, he could only stay and continue to wait for an opportunity, while constantly increasing his own strength, hoping to break through to the Nascent Soul Realm and have the ability to return to the Verdant Continent on his own. But at that time, they no longer had the resources of the Tianli Clan, and the living environment on the Forsaken Continent was extremely harsh. For a little bit of cultivation resources, people would fight to the death. Wanting to form a Nascent Soul was undoubtedly as difficult as climbing to the sky.
At the same time, because the war had just passed, some of the weaker clans on the Forsaken Continent were also recruiting cultivators to serve as guest elders everywhere, all wanting to use this method to survive in the cruel Forsaken Continent. With the cultivation of Shuang Tongguan and his wife, both Golden Core cultivators, they soon joined a clan with a fairly good strength, which was the current Duye Clan. Thus, they also stayed in the Duye Clan, changing their surname from Shuang (雙) to "Shuang" (霜). This stay lasted for generation after generation.
Unfortunately, not only did Shuang Tongguan, his wife, and their son work hard their entire lives, but they all ended up stopping at the Golden Core stage. No one broke through to the Nascent Soul Realm. Even their descendants were unable to break through to the Nascent Soul Realm. This resulted in no one being able to lead them back to the Verdant Continent. There were many reasons for this, the main factor being that the Duye Clan was also secretly suppressing them, for fear that they would usurp their position.
When Shuang Tongguan and his wife were still alive, it was better. After all, the Duye Clan was just developing at that time, and they especially needed the puppets they made to strengthen the clan. But as time went by, the Duye Clan itself also grew stronger and stronger. Some of them began to covet this branch's puppet art. So later, even when Shuang Wuyan and her group suffered a mysterious clan-exterminating attack, no one from the Duye Clan came to their aid. In the end, only Shuang Wuyan and her son, Shuang Chongshan, escaped.
At this point, they already suspected that it was the Duye Clan who had attacked them, trying to seize their puppet art. Unfortunately, they had no ability to investigate further or take revenge. The Duye Clan was too familiar with their cultivation methods and habits. In order to survive, the few of them had no choice but to hide carefully, until they later met Li Yan.
"The Duye Clan, is it? I'll remember it!" A murderous glint flashed in Shuang Fengyan's eyes, then he returned to normal. A large number of Tianli Clan members who had branched out and multiplied had been killed until only the five people before him were left, and one of them was even a human cultivator.
With Shuang Fengyan's cultivation, going to the Forsaken Continent was no problem. But to kill that entire clan, he would have to consider how to avoid the Spirit Transformation cultivators of the Forsaken Continent. But as long as he acted fast enough and planned properly, given the environment of the Forsaken Continent, the death of a clan with only a Golden Core cultivator at the helm should not attract the attention of those old monsters.
"Great Elder, was it Elder Zhang who gave you the news that led you to find us?" At this moment, Shuang Wuyan finally asked the question in her heart.
"Hehe, it was indeed this little friend Zhang Ming who provided the clue. Speaking of which, you can even be considered half-sect-mates. Little friend Zhang, you truly have a deep connection with my Tianli Clan!" Shuang Fengyan smiled and nodded at Li Yan.
"Elder Zhang, you disappeared after leaving the medicinal pills. How did you end up on the Verdant Continent?" Shuang Wuyan finally asked Li Yan in a low voice.
"I am originally from the Verdant Continent. I served as an elder in 'Falling Star Valley' back then because I was passing through during my training. I have just returned now…" Li Yan said with a smile, then he randomly made up some words. Anyway, Meng Shangmo could corroborate this story.
Although Shuang Wuyan was puzzled after hearing this, she also felt that Li Yan's words answered some of the questions in her heart. When she was staying in "Falling Star Valley," she had naturally carefully inquired about Zhang Ming's information. This person had entered "Falling Star Valley" with a hidden identity, and only Xing Ming and a few others knew his origins.
'So he's a disciple of a reclusive sect!' Shuang Wuyan thought to herself after listening to Li Yan's simple introduction. At this time, Shuang Chongshan's family of four also came forward and bowed to Li Yan.
"To have met Elder Zhang in this life is the fortune of my Shuang clan. Not only did you save the lives of us juniors, but you also helped us finally return to our clan. It's just that this junior has no ability to repay Elder Zhang's kindness. This kindness can only be engraved in our hearts, never to be forgotten!"
Shuang Chongshan bowed deeply. Shuang Lianzhou and his wife, along with a young man, also bowed at the same time. Decades had passed, and their son had also grown up.
"There's no need for repayment. I also have a deep connection with this Senior Shuang. Your return has also helped to clear her of the injustice she suffered!" Li Yan waved his hand, then gestured for them to look at Shuang Qingqing. Shuang Qingqing had not spoken since entering the Cave Residence, just quietly listening to the Third Elder's narrative. When she looked at Shuang Wuyan and the others, an indescribable emotion appeared in her eyes. Although Shuang Wuyan and the others were an unknown number of generations removed from Shuang Tongguan, she could still see a trace of Shen Yuhuan's shadow in them, especially in Shuang Wuyan.
Li Yan's words stunned Shuang Wuyan and her group. They actually didn't know what was happening in the clan now, let alone what "clearing of injustice" meant. The Third Elder had only told them that the clan had been looking for them and was also investigating the truth of Shuang Tongguan and his wife's departure back then.
In fact, before seeing Li Yan, Shuang Wuyan and her group were still anxious, for fear that all of this was still a design by the Bai lineage. But they also knew that they couldn't resist the Third Elder at all. Everything could only be left to fate. When they saw Li Yan, it was an indescribable joy.
Firstly, the pressure brought by the unfamiliar environment and unfamiliar experts was too great, but Li Yan was familiar to them. This "Elder Zhang's" character was still acceptable, so there was a trace of pleasant surprise in their hearts. And this Elder Zhang had been quite good to them over the decades. Although he had used poison to suppress Shuang Wuyan, Shuang Wuyan had indeed received the treatment of an elder in "Falling Star Valley." And it was also the most peaceful and undisputed period of her life since she had embarked on the immortal path.
When she took the antidote that Li Yan had given her at the end, she also understood that Li Yan had given her freedom in advance, and the last bit of resentment in her heart also dissipated. After being detoxified, Shuang Wuyan thought it over and over. Thinking of the pursuit by the Duye Clan, she still had no ability to take revenge, so she finally chose to stay in "Falling Star Valley."
Although Shuang Qingqing had come with Li Yan, they didn't know who this person was, only feeling that she must be an expert. Shuang Wuyan felt that the other party was also a Nascent Soul cultivator. She had been shocked in her heart before, not expecting the Tianli Clan to have so many Nascent Soul cultivators. Because on the way back, Shuang Wuyan had already asked about the Bai clan several times, and the Third Elder had also explained some of the situation. She knew that the Bai clan now had a Nascent Soul cultivator named Bai Yihe, so even though she sensed that Shuang Qingqing was a Nascent Soul cultivator, Shuang Wuyan was only shocked in her heart.
Now that Li Yan said this, Shuang Wuyan and her group didn't quite understand what he meant, and couldn't quite follow.
Shuang Qingqing moved with light lotus steps and walked in front of Shuang Wuyan.
"I once used the name Shuang Qianhan. Have you ever heard of it?"