"On my way back, I met two familiar disciples from the sect. I learned a few things from them, but they didn't know much either."
Li Yan answered respectfully.
"I see. Your Fifth and Seventh Senior Brothers are fine, just stuck at the Great Perfection of Foundation Establishment. They've both chosen to enter closed-door death seclusion, so I didn't inform them!"
Li Yan nodded. He calculated that even his youngest senior brother, Lin Daqiao, was nearing the end of his lifespan. The situation was indeed perilous.
Even though they were in the Malevolent Spirit Sect, with its abundant cultivation resources, and Wei Zhongran would surely take care of them in every possible way, the path of cultivation ultimately relied on oneself.
As long as they didn't break through to the Golden Core realm, even with the nourishment of medicinal pills, the longest they could live was two hundred and forty or fifty years.
But that was the most ideal state. The vast majority of cultivators frequently fought with others, accumulating numerous hidden injuries that would, to some extent, affect their lifespan.
As for his two senior brothers' situation, there was nothing Li Yan could do to help.
The atmosphere grew a bit heavy. Li Wuyi and the others said nothing more. Regarding their two junior brothers' cultivation, apart from being anxious, the most they could do was provide more spirit stones and medicinal pills.
But pills that could elevate a cultivator's realm were something that even Nascent Soul cultivators could only hope to find by chance.
"Father, I heard Senior Sister Ying has been gone for many years. Where did she go to train?"
At this moment, Zhao Min, sitting beside Zhao Zhi, broke the silence.
"Oh... Sixth Junior Sister went back to the Wind God Continent with her father more than ten years ago. It won't be easy to find her now."
Li Wuyi quickly answered with a smile on his face.
His answer stunned both Li Yan and Zhao Min. They had always thought Gong Chenying had gone out to train.
"Senior Sister Ying returned to the Wind God Continent? Why did she go back so early?"
Zhao Min glanced at the silent Li Yan, seeking confirmation again.
Gong Chenying had once told her that she needed to cultivate to the Nascent Soul realm as quickly as possible to help her father, but it was clear that the current Gong Chenying could not achieve this goal.
At this, Li Wuyi and the others exchanged glances and then shook their heads. Yun Chunqu, in particular, looked lonely and desolate upon hearing their conversation.
When Gong Chenying's father arrived, he had only stayed for a few days before hurriedly leaving with her.
Gong Chenying herself hadn't given a reason, and it wasn't their place to ask. In their view, wasn't it normal for someone to return home? Besides, Gong Chenying had indeed been in the sect for a very long time.
"Oh, there was no special reason. Just like your return, Gong Shanhe missed his daughter and came to take Chenying back to the clan!"
Wei Zhongran interjected softly. He actually knew the real situation.
The harassment from the Wind Beasts in the Tianli Clan's territory was getting more and more severe. Gong Shanhe wanted to take Gong Chenying back early to cultivate her, hoping she could smoothly take over the Tianli Clan in the future.
This implied that Gong Shanhe was likely preparing for a great battle, perhaps even ready to perish.
But Wei Zhongran didn't want the others to worry about Gong Chenying. It would be meaningless, as their current strength couldn't help in any way.
Here, only Zhao Min, who had grown up with Gong Chenying, knew a little about the Wind Beasts, but it was unlikely she would make the connection right away.
"Will Senior Sister Ying come back?"
Zhao Min pursed her vermilion lips. Although she and Gong Chenying both had cool personalities, they had grown up together.
After they grew up, even when they met by chance, they would part ways after exchanging only a few words.
But back in the Malevolent Spirit Sect, there were only three people Zhao Min could truly confide in: Gong Chenying, Li Wuyi, and Li Changting. Now that she was back, she couldn't see Gong Chenying, and a sense of loss filled her heart.
"Probably not for a short time. After all, crossing realms isn't that easy! However, if you want to see her, I can take you there sometime in the future."
A gentle look flashed in Wei Zhongran's eyes. He owed this daughter too much and naturally wanted to find opportunities to compensate her.
"That's a matter for the future. Who knows, maybe A'Ying will come back on her own sometime."
Zhao Zhi interjected with a smile. It had been hard enough for her daughter to return. She couldn't let Wei Zhongran act recklessly and tear through the void again. That was too dangerous.
"Min'er, Sixth Junior Sister is doing quite well in her clan. A letter came a few years ago saying everything is fine. We can discuss this matter later!"
Li Wuyi also chimed in quickly. He had been raised by Wei Zhongran and his wife, so he naturally knew what his Martial Mother was thinking and immediately supported her.
This made Zhao Zhi very satisfied with Li Wuyi's performance.
Zhao Min glanced sideways at Li Wuyi and let out a faint "oh."
"Eldest Senior Brother, I heard Senior Sister Miao also formed her core. Is she not on the peak right now?"
Li Wuyi, who had been smiling just a moment ago, immediately looked embarrassed upon hearing this.
'It seems Min'er has already asked around about Little Bamboo Peak. Who was it that had such a loose tongue? Did you have to be the one to say it?'
'Look at that strange glint in Min'er's eye. She's mocking me. If I find out who's been gossiping, I'll beat the hell out of you!'
Li Wuyi saw something called schadenfreude in Zhao Min's eyes, while Li Yan, on the side, was sitting upright, his gaze fixed straight ahead.
"Ha..."
A sudden, sharp laugh came from beside him, then it was cut off as if a rooster's neck had been wrung, and the sound stopped abruptly.
Wei Chituo's face flushed red as he lowered his head, panting heavily. Yun Chunqu's expression remained unchanged, and no one knew what he was thinking.
The disciples behind them quickly lowered their heads even further, their chins nearly touching their chests.
"Oh, your Senior Sister Miao went to Lord Lao Peak this afternoon, probably to buy spirit plant seeds. She should be back soon. She did succeed in forming her core! Not bad... not bad... hehehe..."
Li Wuyi took in the expressions of Yun Chunqu and the others, mentally reviewing the rewards and punishments a Peak Master could enforce, but he didn't stop talking.
"You've been asking about the peak's affairs, and now you know most of it. Little Junior Brother, it's your turn to talk about what happened these past years."
"The jade slip from Gui Qu Lai Xi last time was extremely simple, at most letting Martial Mother and the others know you were alright. Master and the others have been worried sick about you all these years!"
Li Wuyi looked at Li Yan and quickly changed the subject. He knew that although Li Yan didn't like to talk much, he was at least more eloquent than Zhao Min.
"That's right, Little Junior Brother! How did you and Junior Sister Min both reach mid-stage Golden Core? This... how are we supposed to live... I'm your senior brother, and I've been cultivating for so many more years, yet you've surpassed me?"
Wei Chituo eagerly asked from the side. Even the cold Yun Chunqu beside him also looked at Li Yan.
They had wanted to ask about Li Yan's cultivation for a long time. The few of them had worked hard for nearly a hundred years, and now only Li Wuyi had reached mid-stage Golden Core.
Wei Chituo was still hovering at the peak of initial-stage Golden Core, and Yun Chunqu was even a bit lower than him.
Li Wuyi immediately glanced at Wei Chituo, thinking to himself.
'This blockhead, how did a brain like that manage to form a core? What does he mean "how are we supposed to live"? My cultivation is the same as Little Junior Brother's, and he was only at the early Qi Condensation stage when he joined the sect. Does that mean I'm about to die?'
Wei Chituo felt a chill run down his spine under Li Wuyi's gaze. He was all too familiar with that look. Every time, it ended with him lying in his own bed for a long time. He immediately chose to shut his mouth.
After a brief moment of contemplation, Li Yan began to recount how he and Zhao Min had fallen into the Devil's Cliff Crevice, how they entered the Two-Realm Barrier, and how Zhao Min later entered the White Demon Clan to save him, and so on...
On their way back, Li Yan and Zhao Min had already decided on some things. They had experienced too much, and some matters, the more people who knew, the worse it would be for everyone, and it would only increase others' worries.
For example, being targeted by the two Spirit Transformation cultivators from the Sacred Demon Palace was not a good thing. It was much easier for Spirit Transformation cultivators to cross realms.
Although the Desolate Moon Continent also had beings of the same level protecting it, the methods of Spirit Transformation cultivators were not something one could easily fathom.
Telling these things would only make Zhao Zhi and Wei Zhongran worry unnecessarily and serve no other purpose.
And most importantly, revealing the two Spirit Transformation cultivators from the Sacred Demon Palace would lead to the mysterious spatial magical treasure on Li Yan, and then to True Lord Qianchong, and so on...
So, the two of them coordinated their stories, changing the details of many parts.
But even so, their experiences were not something that these disciples of the Malevolent Spirit Sect could have encountered on the Desolate Moon Continent.
It would be a good day if Li Wuyi and the others didn't bully anyone else; how could they be easily bullied by others?
However, few people here were fools. Everyone guessed that Li Yan and his companion had hidden some things, but they didn't press for more details.
With Wei Zhongran and his wife present, if it were them, they would also report the good news and not the bad. Moreover, cultivators all knew not to pry into others' privacy.
Asking about their dangerous encounters was a sign of concern. How much they chose to say was their business.
"You actually ran into that woman, Shuang Qingqing? Her cultivation was already at mid-stage Nascent Soul when she left the Desolate Moon Continent. And she's extremely skilled in secret puppet arts, a very powerful person!"
"So it was she who was escorting you back. No wonder you only sent a message and didn't want us to go looking for you!"
Only now did Wei Zhongran understand the reason. Thinking about it, having Shuang Qingqing escort Li Yan and the others was indeed safer than him going to find them himself.
"Did Senior Shuang and Senior Sister Bai Rou come back?"
Li Yan asked. He had actually already asked Sun Guoshu this question but had not received any news of Bai Rou's return.
Considering Sun Guoshu's low cultivation, perhaps Bai Rou had gone directly to the Wood Flow Sect after returning, it was hard to say.
When they were on the Verdant Continent, Bai Rou had learned many of the Tianli Clan's cultivation methods. It was possible she had gone into seclusion immediately upon her return.
"Shuang Qingqing did not return. That Bai Rou from the Four Symbols Peak you mentioned is also not at the Wood Flow Sect. That sect has now established itself within the jurisdiction of the Malevolent Spirit Sect. I am aware of the situation there."
Wei Zhongran replied. As an ancestor of the Malevolent Spirit Sect, how could he not have reports on a sect so close within his jurisdiction?
'Could they still be waiting for us on the Verdant Continent?'
Li Yan thought to himself, but then felt it was impossible. Shuang Qingqing wanted to ascend to the Immortal Spirit Realm. If she couldn't wait for the two of them, she would definitely have sent Bai Rou back first.
For a time, he could only guess at these matters. Li Yan decided that if worse came to worst, he would first go to Gui Qu Lai Xi to inquire about the situation, and then send a message to the Tianli Clan.
"Little Junior Brother, you actually came back from the Sea of the Northern Abyss. You didn't get tangled up with those monks from the Jingtu Sect along the way, did you?"
"The relationship between the Four Great Sects has now returned to how it was before. If they knew your identities, they would inevitably resort to underhanded tactics."
"If you did, did you suffer any losses? We need to find a time to give them some trouble!"
Li Wuyi waved his hand lightly. As the current head of Little Bamboo Peak, his bearing was entirely different from before.
In order not to expose the secret of the pool in the Strategist's Manor, Li Yan and Zhao Min had discussed and said that they were trapped in an underground secret cave on the Verdant Continent for over a decade.
When they broke out, they found themselves in the depths of the Sea of the Northern Abyss, completely baffled as to how it had happened.