Zhao Min guessed that the Ten-Pace Courtyard and the Malevolent Spirit Sect were likely at odds again, but at this moment, unless someone committed a heinous crime right in front of her, only then would Zhao Min immediately slay them.
However, this kind of "benevolence" would surely revert to her former ruthlessness and decisiveness after she spent some more time on the Desolate Moon Continent.
As she spoke, she tossed the storage pouches in her hand to the two people opposite her. The pouch thrown to Mu Lian contained the Shadow Space Stone.
This disciple was, after all, from the same lineage as her. Although she could see that Li Yan and that Sun Guoshu were more familiar, she still divided the items evenly.
At the same time, her beautiful eyes also fixed on Sun Guoshu, a question in their depths.
Before Sun Guoshu and Mu Lian could react, the storage pouches had already flown before them.
This cool and beautiful woman had been gone for less than twenty breaths. Before, they had flown for the better part of an incense stick's time to get here.
In the time it took Sun Guoshu and Li Yan to have a simple conversation, she had returned with the storage pouches. This speed greatly exceeded Sun Guoshu and Mu Lian's expectations.
At this moment, Zhao Min's expression was the same as before, as if she hadn't even made a move.
They also heard the conversation between this senior and Li Yan. Although she didn't kill the two Ten-Pace Courtyard cultivators, she had definitely taught them a lesson.
Recalling the scene of the Ten-Pace Courtyard Sword Cultivators' sky-filling rain of swords that had left them in such a sorry state, an idiom surfaced in their minds: "As effortless as a stroll in a courtyard."
Mu Lian didn't reach out to grab the storage pouch before her. A look of terror still lingered in her beautiful eyes, because she had also heard the female cultivator asking about Madam Wei's affairs.
She bit her lower lip tightly, her beautiful eyes fixed on Sun Guoshu.
As the top sect on the Desolate Moon Continent, the Malevolent Spirit Sect's rules were naturally the strictest on this continent. For Sun Guoshu to dare to discuss the detailed situation of a Nascent Soul cultivator was a major taboo, both officially and privately.
Although Mu Lian was terrified of the two people who had appeared out of nowhere, the thought of the Law-Enforcement Hall's bone-chilling methods made her bite her lip so hard that her face lost all color.
She knew that offending the two before her would certainly not end well; she had heard of the miserable fate of having one's soul refined.
Sun Guoshu was first stunned by Mu Lian's words, then saw the storage pouch flying toward him. He was overjoyed and immediately snatched it.
But he was too embarrassed to inspect it right away, so he looked up at Mu Lian to see if she was anxious to check for the Shadow Space Stone.
As he turned his head, he saw Mu Lian staring at him, her face pale. Then he felt the senior female cultivator on the other side also staring at him.
He scratched his head in some embarrassment, then looked at Mu Lian.
"Oh, you don't have to worry. The Young Master is a disciple of Little Bamboo Peak!"
Mu Lian, who was trembling in her heart, was stunned upon hearing this.
Little Bamboo Peak was not like the other peaks; its disciples were pitifully few. Even including the disciples taken in by Li Wuyi's generation, there were no more than a dozen or so, not counting the handyman disciples.
She knew all of these people, including Martial Uncle Gong who had just left a while ago.
"Senior Brother Sun, don't try to fool me! How have I never seen this senior before? Ah... He... He is that... that Little Martial Uncle from Little Bamboo Peak?"
At first, Mu Lian didn't quite believe Sun Guoshu's words, but she had only spoken halfway when she remembered Sun Guoshu's earlier mention of the "Devil's Cliff." She suddenly remembered someone.
Then she saw Zhao Min beside Li Yan, and her expression shifted from fear to shock, her small mouth opening wider and wider.
Although she wasn't familiar with Li Yan, she had heard some things about Little Bamboo Peak. That Li Yan and Wei Zhongran's daughter had "died in the Devil's Cliff Crevice" was something many people said in private.
But any disciple of Never-Parting Peak who said this and was found out by Li Changting would suffer a rather miserable fate. Zhao Min and Li Changting were like real sisters, and Li Changting had never believed she would perish.
So, this matter was only occasionally mentioned in private by many on Never-Parting Peak, and they didn't dare to chat about it recklessly. Over time, Mu Lian had long forgotten about it.
Mu Lian now immediately superimposed the image of the Zhao Min before her with a certain person from her memory.
"You... You are Martial Aunt Zhao?"
She said this subconsciously, but she hadn't addressed her incorrectly. Back when Zhao Min was on Never-Parting Peak, she was indeed her martial aunt, and she still was now. Zhao Min nodded.
"Tell me the details about Little Bamboo Peak!"
Now, although they were getting closer and closer to the Malevolent Spirit Sect, Zhao Min also felt the same feeling Li Yan had when returning to the small mountain village—the closer to home, the more apprehensive one feels.
At this moment, she wanted to know about the current situation on Little Bamboo Peak, especially about her parents, but her heart was also extremely apprehensive, fearing that she would hear some bad news.
...
Half an incense stick's time later, the four of them were standing on the Cloud-Piercing Willow. Although nearly a hundred years had passed, there weren't many major events that had occurred on the Desolate Moon Continent, especially concerning Little Bamboo Peak.
If there was one major event, it was that Wei Zhongran had successfully formed his Nascent Soul. Sun Guoshu had mentioned this before.
But Zhao Min hadn't heard it at first. When she heard Sun Guoshu say it again, her indifferent expression changed slightly, but it was just a fleeting flash, leaving Sun Guoshu and Mu Lian completely unaware of what this Martial Aunt was thinking.
After the great battle at the Devil's Cliff Crevice, Wei Zhongran had not only experienced life and death, but also the joys and sorrows of his closest kin. This had brought about a great change in his state of mind.
Finally, fifty years ago, he welcomed his Heavenly Tribulation. According to Sun Guoshu, the power of this now-Martial Ancestor Wei's Heavenly Tribulation was so vast and mighty that even thinking about it now made them tremble with fear.
All disciples were ordered to be confined within the sect. Although Wei Zhongran had long chosen a place far from the sect's core area for his Nascent Soul Formation, and the Malevolent Spirit Sect had a Nascent Soul Old Monster protecting him, there were still many low-level disciples who were left dizzy and dazed by the bolts of lightning in the sky, their consciousness blurring...
Hearing this, Li Yan couldn't help but reveal a happy smile on his face. The more formidable the Heavenly Tribulation, the smaller the chance of successfully transcending it.
But for that very reason, as long as one successfully transcended a powerful Heavenly Tribulation, that cultivator's strength would be even greater.
This principle was the same for both condensing a Golden Core and forming a Nascent Soul.
'Master was a supreme expert among his peers in the Golden Core stage. Now that he has stepped into the Nascent Soul stage, he should still be able to easily kill those of a higher rank!'
Little Bamboo Peak had now been handed over to Li Wuyi to manage. Wei Zhongran no longer handled mundane affairs, focusing wholeheartedly on his cultivation.
However, he still remained in the same courtyard on Little Bamboo Peak, unwilling to enter the sect's sacred grounds, which were richer in spiritual energy and only accessible to Nascent Soul Old Monsters.
No one objected to his decision. In fact, everyone knew what Wei Zhongran was guarding, and what he was waiting for.
As for Zhao Zhi, her cultivation progress over these years had been extremely slow. She had only just set foot in the Pseudo-Nascent Soul Realm.
Hearing this, Zhao Min's eyes reddened. She certainly knew why her mother was like this!
Back then, although Zhao Zhi's cultivation was not as good as Wei Zhongran's, the difference wasn't too great. She was also a prodigy among the Golden Core cultivators of that generation, and her cultivation speed was very fast.
Otherwise, how could she have been a loving and inseparable pair with Wei Zhongran?
Unexpectedly, nearly a hundred years had now passed, and she had only just barely reached the Pseudo-Nascent Soul Realm. Compared to Zhao Zhi's previous cultivation speed, this was definitely abnormal.
Li Yan, without any hesitation, gently patted Zhao Min's fragrant shoulder and spoke softly.
"You're back now. Once Martial Mother's heartache is gone, her cultivation will surely advance by a thousand li in a day!"
As if truly believing Li Yan's words, Zhao Min's expression improved somewhat. She showed no dissatisfaction at all with Li Yan's hand touching her body.
This scene fell into the eyes of Sun Guoshu and Mu Lian, and both pretended not to see.
'Didn't the Young Master and Senior Sister Bai have feelings for each other back then? Now his relationship with this Martial Aunt Zhao is even more intimate...'
Sun Guoshu thought to himself. Back at Windy Cool Mountain, Bai Rou and Li Yan were often seen together. In his eyes, Li Yan and Bai Rou were having a secret affair.
Little did he know that at that time, Li Yan at most discussed squad matters with Bai Rou, or cultivation methods and puppets. He had never had any other thoughts.
Li Yan had always regarded Bai Rou as a trusted fellow sect sister. At Windy Cool Mountain, some things he couldn't say to others, he could say to the guileless Bai Rou.
He understood Bai Rou quite well. Whatever he said to her, Bai Rou would never gossip about it. Moreover, Bai Rou was the quietest of listeners.
If Li Yan knew what Sun Guoshu was thinking right now, he would want to pry open his head and see what on earth he thought about all day.
"How many Golden Core cultivators does Little Bamboo Peak have now?"
Li Yan, afraid that Zhao Min would fall into self-blame, changed the subject.
"Oh, besides Martial Uncle Wuyi, Martial Uncle Wei Chituo, Martial Uncle Yun Chunqu, Martial Aunt Miao Wangqing, and Martial Aunt Gong Chenying have all successively formed their cores!"
"Oh? Sixth Senior Sister really did form her core!"
Upon hearing the news of Gong Chenying forming her core, Li Yan's spirits lifted.
For so many people on Little Bamboo Peak to form their cores within a hundred years or so was almost impossible before Li Yan joined the sect.
But after that great war with the Demon Clan, everyone had walked the edge of life and death several times, braving one bloody storm after another. That was the best and fastest way to temper a cultivator.
Li Yan and Zhao Min were not surprised that several people had formed their cores. They too had reached this stage through adversity.
This situation was actually quite common on the Desolate Moon Continent now. No destruction, no construction.
The Desolate Moon Continent had lost over sixty percent of its cultivators. The vast majority who remained were the elite disciples of various sects. They sprouted like bamboo shoots after a rain, one batch after another.
The Desolate Moon Continent was now a scene of prosperity and vitality.
However, the fact that Lin Daqiao and Wen Xinliang had not formed their cores made Li Yan feel a little regretful.
But for Fourth Senior Sister Miao Wangqing to have successfully formed her Golden Core not only brought a look of surprise to Li Yan's face, but even the indifferent-looking Zhao Min showed a shocked expression.
Miao Wangqing was not skilled in combat; she was what one would call a cultivator walking the path of "Eternal Life." Such cultivators were most suited for alchemy and tending to spirit plants.
For this very reason, when the Demon Clan invaded, Wei Zhongran left this disciple, who would surely die if she went to the battlefield, in the sect to manage Little Bamboo Peak.
But now, neither Lin Daqiao nor Wen Xinliang had managed to form their cores, yet she had succeeded. How could Li Yan and Zhao Min not be astonished?
In their view, anyone on Little Bamboo Peak could possibly succeed in forming their core, but there was definitely an order to it, and Miao Wangqing was the one ranked last.
Seeing the astonished expressions on their faces, Sun Guoshu was momentarily baffled. Although he knew the people of Little Bamboo Peak, apart from Li Yan, he really wasn't familiar with the others.
"You said Senior Sister Miao successfully formed her core?"
Li Yan looked at Sun Guoshu with some confusion. Sun Guoshu was taken aback by the question.
"It was all because our Peak Master forced her..."
Just then, Mu Lian, who had been silent all along, suddenly muttered under her breath. Her voice was as faint as a mosquito's buzz, but how could it escape the notice of Li Yan and his companion?
Mu Lian had heard some rumors. Such rumors were rampant on their Never-Parting Peak, known to almost everyone. This led to the disciples of Never-Parting Peak having a consistently poor impression of Miao Wangqing.
This woman was always competing with the Peak Master for a Dao companion, and her own strength was pathetic. When some people on Never-Parting Peak talked about Miao Wangqing in their daily conversations, they wouldn't be too discreet about it.
Everyone was like this, so when Mu Lian heard Miao Wangqing's name, she subconsciously blurted it out. But she had only said a few words before she realized something was wrong.
Her heart pounded violently. When she stole a glance at Li Yan and Zhao Min, she saw that apart from a look of surprise, they showed no signs of anger, which finally eased her mind a little.
"Your Peak Master? Li Changting?"
"Senior Sister Li became the Peak Master?"