Looking at the fallen leaves fluttering in the wind, it should be an autumn morning.
The three of them were in a pool of water. The pool was not very large, only four or five zhang wide, and oval in shape.
One side of the pool was against a mountain wall. Two or three streams of spring water flowed slowly down from the mountaintop, wetting the stone wall and making it clean and bright.
Where the spring water passed, the roots of many vines had been washed bare, their tendrils swaying gently with the clear spring water flowing from above.
On both sides of the stream, lush green moss grew, forming several channels for the clear spring water from the mountaintop, which was crystal clear.
The surface of the pool rippled slightly, soaking the many pebbles on the shore, making them exceptionally clear and bright.
As the bodies of the three of them rose and fell, circles of ripples intersected and spread across the water's surface.
In the cool autumn air, wisps of white mist swirled and drifted above the pool, like several white, transparent silk ribbons, half-shrouding the figures of the three.
Except for the side against the mountain wall, the edge of the pool was surrounded by overgrown weeds, more than a person's height, blocking most of the view.
The three of them could only see over the tops of the weeds to a distant hillside where dark cyan vines and shrubs spread upwards, intertwined with some red maples, rising and falling in layers, like the undulating back of a monstrous beast.
Near and far, the chirping of various birds echoed in the valley, carrying a hint of etherealness and crispness.
"We came out from underground just like that? This exit was unexpectedly set up in the outside world. The Hellsoul Clan is truly cunning; their style is unpredictable."
Zi Kun looked around curiously. He found that the spiritual energy here was very thin. In fact, from the person-high weeds, one could tell how remote this place was.
Everything the Hellsoul Clan did was unexpected, giving the impression of a cunning rabbit with three burrows.
"Let's go out and see where we are first!"
With a gentle splash of water, Zhao Min had already flown into the air. She was more worried about whether they had been teleported to a place farther from the Tianli Clan, which would waste a lot of time.
Zi Kun also flew up and rushed into the sky. The nearby birds were startled and flew away, disappearing into the distance with their calls.
When both of them were hovering in the air, they immediately noticed something was wrong. Li Yan hadn't spoken from beginning to end, nor had he flown up with them.
Looking back now, the two of them were shocked.
Because at this moment, Li Yan only had his shoulders and head exposed, the pool water reaching his chest. He just stayed in the water, motionless.
He was staring blankly at the dense, person-high weeds by the edge of the pool, in a daze.
And his entire aura had become very chaotic, fluctuating between strong and weak, extremely unstable.
Li Yan's eyes were fixed, staring straight ahead, as if there was some terrifying existence in the weeds.
"Junior Brother, Junior Brother..."
Zhao Min and Zi Kun's Divine Sense immediately swept towards the patch of weeds Li Yan was staring at. In fact, they had already sensed the surroundings.
There was no danger here at all, not even a single demonic beast, just some wild animals that had not yet gained spiritual intelligence.
But seeing Li Yan like this, the two of them thought there might be some master hidden there that they, with their weaker Divine Sense, had not discovered.
But Li Yan still did not answer. Zhao Min and Zi Kun instinctively were about to immediately form hand seals and attack in the direction Li Yan was looking.
Whatever it was, just hit it first!
And just as the qi in their bodies surged and their attacks were about to be unleashed, Li Yan's somewhat dry voice suddenly came from below.
"Is there a four-roomed house on the north side of this valley?"
The two in the air were stunned, their hand seals and arts pausing.
They had no idea what Li Yan meant by this question. Li Yan was no ordinary person; he could just scan with his Divine Sense and find out for himself.
The feeling Li Yan gave them was becoming more and more strange.
But Zhao Min still glanced at the sun in the sky, and after determining the direction, she looked to the north as requested.
The entire valley was covered in person-high weeds. Just now, Zhao Min and the others had only been paying attention to whether there was any danger and hadn't carefully checked the surrounding terrain.
After a quick scan, Zhao Min nodded.
"There really are a few houses, but they're mostly collapsed and hard to make out. It might have been three or four rooms originally. Junior Brother, what's wrong with you?"
Zhao Min confirmed that there was no enemy threat, but that Li Yan himself seemed to have a problem. Hearing this, Li Yan's eyes became even more dazed.
"This is all real... Impossible? How could it be..."
For a moment, he kept repeating this sentence, but in his heart, a storm was already raging.
Just now, when he emerged from the pool, he had also quickly glanced around. Although the weeds were overgrown, his whole person was struck as if by lightning.
Li Yan's mind went blank in an instant. This pool was so familiar to him; it was a place that could not be erased from his distant memories.
The familiar beast-shaped mountain peak in the distance, the familiar pool, the familiar spring water flowing down the side of the mountain wall, and those roots that had been washed bare by the spring water, swaying freely...
He was too familiar with all of this. In order to practice spitting out blades, he had soaked here countless times, just to wash away the blood in his mouth in time...
Li Yan felt as if he were in a dream. He couldn't believe he had come here.
One moment he was on the Verdant Continent, how could he suddenly be back in a place he could never have dreamed of returning to?
For a moment, Li Yan could no longer tell whether he was in a dream or if it was all an illusion.
He just felt that his consciousness had become illusory, that everything before his eyes was unreal. He couldn't even feel the existence of his own body.
It wasn't until the two sharp bursts of qi erupted in the air just now that the magical power in his body instinctively surged, and his consciousness returned.
Li Yan's heart was filled with apprehension and some panic, afraid that this was all a dream or an illusion.
He was unwilling to release his Divine Sense to investigate, for fear that he would wake up in the next moment, startled from a place he had dreamed of returning to for countless days and nights!
Zhao Min's shout came again. Unsure of the situation, she did not immediately approach Li Yan, but was vigilantly watching the surroundings.
Li Yan's consciousness cleared a little more. He finally raised his head, his voice still dry.
"So, there should only be one exit here, and outside the valley entrance, the three words 'Strategist's Manor' should be carved. Can you check if the area outside the valley looks like a mortal military training ground..."
Zhao Min and Zi Kun looked at each other. At this moment, Li Yan felt very unfamiliar to them.
He had lost his usual calm and composed demeanor and was more like a child in his parents' arms, constantly seeking confirmation of something.
After being asked by Li Yan, their Divine Sense had already scanned the surrounding terrain clearly.
Zi Kun immediately responded.
"There is indeed only one exit, and there are characters carved at the valley entrance, but they seem to have been randomly slashed by a sharp weapon and are somewhat disfigured. Now that Master mentions it, they do look a bit like the three characters for 'Strategist's Manor'. As for whether the outside is some kind of training ground, it's all person-high weeds, so it's hard to tell. But the terrain there is indeed much flatter than elsewhere..."
As Li Yan listened, the expression on his face slowly relaxed.
"It seems this is all real. But is it really real?"
He was still half-submerged in the pool, still whispering softly, as if to himself, and also as if to others.
"Junior Brother, do you know this place?"
From Li Yan's words, Zhao Min could tell that he seemed to be very familiar with this place. But how was that possible?
Since coming to the Verdant Continent, apart from the time she had left Li Yan for a while in the underground secret grotto, the two of them had been together the rest of the time. The places Li Yan had been, she naturally knew as well.
She asked again, but this time, her voice was infused with a stream of magical power.
Li Yan was still whispering softly. When Zhao Min's voice entered his ears, it was like a bolt of lightning flashing through his mind. His body shook, and his eyes began to focus rapidly.
But that trace of disbelief still remained in his eyes.
Three breaths later, Li Yan in the pool finally let out a long breath. With a splash of water, he had already flown into the air and quickly hovered to a stop at Zhao Min's side.
He first looked around with his eyes!
In the clear and bright autumn sunlight, everything here became crystal clear. As Li Yan's gaze swept around, the emotions in his eyes constantly changed.
Zhao Min did not ask again. It was good that Li Yan was lucid. He would surely give an answer later.
Sure enough, when Li Yan's gaze finally rested on the patch of weeds on the north side, the expression in his eyes became even more complex and indescribable.
It was a patch of collapsed ruins, a few houses that could no longer provide shelter from the wind and rain.
His gaze finally stopped there. Li Yan did not look away, but a few words suddenly came from his mouth.
"This is the Desolate Moon Continent!"
Then, the entire valley fell into a deathly silence. The occasional bird call from the distance only served to accentuate the dead silence here. All that remained was the sound of heavy breathing...
Silence, complete silence. Zi Kun's mouth was wide open. Zhao Min's expression was first one of astonishment, then her whole person seemed to have been petrified, standing motionless.
After a full dozen or so breaths, Zhao Min's body trembled, and her voice, also trembling, came over.
"Junior Brother, don't joke. Could it be that you've developed illusions from cultivating your soul?"
She said this, but for some reason, her mind was already beginning to believe it, because Li Yan's behavior earlier had been too strange.
But two voices were still arguing fiercely in Zhao Min's mind.
'This is too absurd. If crossing realms is so simple, then what's the point of a cross-realm teleportation grand formation? What's the point of cultivating hard to the Nascent Soul stage or above to tear through space?'
'But why is Junior Brother so familiar with this place? And his expression doesn't seem fake at all...'
'He must have a problem with his soul cultivation. He must have already scanned the area with his Divine Sense just now...'
"Master... Master, this joke isn't funny at all, hehe... not funny at all!"
Zi Kun's face was also stiff as he spoke in disbelief. The Desolate Moon Continent was, after all, his homeland, and his feelings for it were different from the depths of his heart.
"I'm not. I can't understand it either. But this is indeed the place. Unless someone can set up a sky-covering illusion formation against us, causing 'appearances to be born from the heart,' making us see the most familiar scenes after being confused by the illusion. But how would they know my past? And neither of you would know this place at all. I had you probe with your Divine Sense to confirm that this scene did not arise from my own heart. And your answers have confirmed to me that this is not an illusion. Apart from a few people in the sect, no one knows my past. No one, especially knows this place!"
Li Yan seemed to be explaining, and also talking to himself.
Another dead silence. After a long while, Zhao Min recovered some of her composure. A crystalline sheen appeared in her eyes.
"Junior Brother, are you sure?"
"I'm sure. Look, that one was where I used to live. And that one was the stone house where my strategist 'Master' lived..."
As Li Yan spoke, he pointed to the crumbling ruins on the north side, pointing them out one by one from west to east.
Finally, his finger landed on the ruined house closest to the valley entrance. When he said the word "Master," his voice had already become somewhat strange.
Then, without any apparent movement, he had already drifted towards the north side of the valley.