Although Wei Zhongran's cultivation was formidable, he could not tell what Qian Ji's true form was at a glance; otherwise, he would have recognized it as one of the Snow Mosquito Clan from the Northern Abyss Demon-Suppressing Pagoda.
When Li Yan paid his respects to Wei Zhongran and his wife, Zhao Min merely gave him a faint nod, showing none of the joy one might expect after a long separation. Her jade-like face remained as cold and aloof as ever.
Wei Zhongran then began to chat with Li Yan about some questions regarding cultivation. After listening for just a few moments, Wei Zhongran glanced at Li Yan.
"You've also cultivated to the Pseudo-Nascent Soul Realm?"
In fact, after Zhao Min came out of seclusion last time, she had, after much consideration, told him her and Li Yan's true cultivation levels.
This was because Li Yan was in seclusion specifically to break through to the Nascent Soul Realm and could face his Heavenly Tribulation at any moment. The two of them had only feared startling others before.
After several decades, some things could gradually be revealed.
Li Yan sheepishly reached up and scratched the back of his head, his voice somewhat mumbled.
"Master, I was actually already at the Pseudo-Nascent Soul Realm when I returned, but I was afraid of causing too much trouble..."
Wei Zhongran waved his hand.
"Alright, everyone has their own secrets. Now that you're out of seclusion, you must have encountered some problem. Tell me about it."
He now knew that this disciple of his must have had his own heaven-defying opportunities. After all, he had a Miscellaneous Spirit Root, but he had no intention of prying.
Beside them, Zhao Zhi shot a harsh glare at Zhao Min, but then her beautiful eyes flickered incessantly as her mind raced.
Following that, Wei Zhongran and Li Yan entered a secret chamber, where he inquired in detail about Li Yan's seclusion.
In the end, he also pointed out that Li Yan's State of Mind and comprehension were insufficient and that he needed to calm down and let things settle for a while. This was roughly the same as what Ping Tu had said.
After a few more words, Li Yan came out and left together with Zhao Min.
Watching the two of them depart, Wei Zhongran turned to look at Zhao Zhi, who also had a smile on her face.
"When Wuyi gets married, let's arrange their engagement as well. Then you can go into seclusion with peace of mind."
Zhao Zhi nodded. It was also time for her to enter closed-door cultivation.
In the back mountains, Li Yan and Zhao Min strolled along a mountain path. They would whisper a few words to each other from time to time, and only in those unguarded moments would Zhao Min reveal a trace of her longing for Li Yan.
"Oh, right, while you were in seclusion, Junior Sister Bai also came back!"
Li Yan was taken aback by these words, and then a look of joy appeared on his face.
"Oh? That's wonderful! She and Senior Shuang didn't run into any trouble in the Chaotic Flow Space after all. When did they return?"
Zhao Min then briefly recounted how Shuang Qingqing had already left and how Bai Rou had returned to the Wood Flow Sect. In truth, she only knew the general details.
With her personality, she was naturally unwilling to inquire about such matters.
"Senior Sister Bai has finally entered the Golden Core realm and become the master of a sect. In any case, it's not too far from the Malevolent Spirit Sect, so it's easy for her to come back here. Everything is developing in a good direction!"
Li Yan nodded. As Zhao Min watched Li Yan speak, a strange look would occasionally flash in her eyes.
But seeing that Li Yan's reaction to Bai Rou's return was just a heartfelt sigh of emotion, she ultimately said nothing more.
Tens of thousands of li away from the Malevolent Spirit Sect, in a place of exceptional spiritual beauty and rather dense Spiritual Energy, an unranked minor sect had relocated here over a hundred years ago.
At first, this puzzled some of the passing cultivators. They did not know who was so bold as to establish a sect here.
Within a ten-thousand-li radius of the Malevolent Spirit Sect, let alone ten thousand li, the establishment of any sect was forbidden.
Many who were curious about this began to pay attention to this sect, named the "Wood Flow Sect."
Some even gloated, thinking that this clueless little fish would soon disappear without a trace, and no one would ever see this sect again.
But to their surprise, after the "Wood Flow Sect" put down roots, it never moved again.
Finally, news spread that although this sect was not well-known, it actually had a terrifying Nascent Soul Cultivator.
This was a bona fide Nascent Soul Almighty expert. This person had slain countless Demonic Cultivators during the demon invasion, but even so, establishing a sect here should have been impossible.
There were quite a few cultivation families and sects on the Desolate Moon Continent that had Nascent Soul Cultivators, but they were all confined to their own territories.
Just as many were speculating, the Malevolent Spirit Sect soon issued a notice: the Wood Flow Sect was now considered a branch of their Outer Sect. Any sect or cultivator who provoked them would be considered to have declared war on the Malevolent Spirit Sect.
This shocked countless people. In fact, even many cultivators within the Malevolent Spirit Sect found it unbelievable.
Countless cultivators had left the Malevolent Spirit Sect to establish their own sects. Later, many founded families or sects, and they too were affiliated with the Malevolent Spirit Sect.
But no matter how hard they tried, they could not move their families or sects to the vicinity of the Malevolent Spirit Sect.
Shuang Qingqing had performed great deeds during the demon invasion, but it was thought that this would not be enough to warrant such favorable treatment for her sect.
As a top-tier entity on this continent, the richness of the Spiritual Energy and cultivation materials near the Malevolent Spirit Sect was imaginable, coveted by so many.
Some cultivation sects with Nascent Soul Cultivators, similar to the Wei Family, had also sent messengers with letters asking if they could move their sects over, but they were all mercilessly rejected.
This matter had given Yan Longzi a headache for some time. He too had unspoken grievances. That order had come directly from the Chimei Emissary.
Even the Supreme Ancestor, Su Changyang, could only follow the order, let alone a mere Golden Core Cultivator like himself…
As the years went by, this matter was gradually forgotten, and the small Wood Flow Sect seemed to have been overlooked, putting down roots right there.
This sect was also very low-key. Apart from cultivating Spirit Plants, they devoted themselves to researching the art of puppetry. Most of the puppets they created were bought directly by the Malevolent Spirit Sect, so they lived without worry for food or clothing.
A large window was open. The dark, tung oil-brushed, carved wooden window was pushed open to both sides of the room, and outside, verdant willow branches swayed back and forth, brushing against the window lattice.
A young woman in a white dress was leaning against a table, a scroll in her hand, slowly turning its pages. Occasionally, her delicate, embroidered brows would furrow as she fell into deep thought.
"Senior Sister Bai, after being separated for decades, to see an old friend again on the Desolate Moon Continent is truly a joyous occasion!"
Upon hearing these words, the white-clad girl's delicate body jolted. When she raised her beautiful eyes in shock, she saw a short-haired youth in a dark green robe standing by the window, smiling at her…
A year later, Li Wuyi's wedding ceremony was held on Little Bamboo Peak. Both Little Bamboo Peak and Never-Parting Peak were adorned with lanterns and colorful decorations. Numerous sects under the jurisdiction of the Malevolent Spirit Sect came to offer their congratulations.
After all, this was the joyous occasion of a Nascent Soul Cultivator's eldest disciple, as well as the union of two of the Malevolent Spirit Sect's Peak Masters. Opportunities to curry favor were usually impossible to find, so how could these sects miss such a chance?
On the day of the wedding, the Malevolent Spirit Sect was decorated with lanterns and streamers, brimming with festive cheer!
During the wedding ceremony, when Wang Tian, Baili Yuan, Du Sanjiang, and the others saw Li Yan, who was still exuding the aura of a mid-stage Golden Core cultivator, they finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Over the years of arduous cultivation, Wang Tian and Du Sanjiang had finally broken through to the mid-stage Golden Core, while Baili Yuan had stepped into the late-stage Golden Core.
If Li Yan's cultivation had broken through again in just a few decades, they would have truly gone mad. Li Yan had started his cultivation late, so his foundation was naturally not as solid as theirs, and his aptitude was also no match for them.
Therefore, for Li Yan to be consistently ahead of them left them feeling somewhat stifled and finding it hard to accept.
Li Yan noticed their gazes but pretended not to, greeting them one by one while thinking to himself.
'If Senior Sister were to act according to her old temperament, she would have certainly revealed her Pseudo-Nascent Soul Realm cultivation when she came out of seclusion decades ago. I wonder what they would think then.'
After accepting the kowtows from Li Wuyi, Miao Wangqing, and Li Changting, the Nascent Soul Cultivator Wei Zhongran was extremely pleased.
A short while later, he even announced the engagement of his daughter and his youngest disciple, Li Yan, with the wedding to be held on a later, auspicious day.
For a time, this caused another stir of discussion among all the cultivators, except for the very few who already knew. The mountain peak once again buzzed with the sound of voices, and congratulatory remarks flowed endlessly.
And among these people, Bai Rou, in her white dress, stood quietly in a corner, her face calm. It was as if she were just here as a subordinate sect to congratulate Li Wuyi…
Three days later, a figure quietly left the Malevolent Spirit Sect.
Li Yan was flying alone in the sky. He had not brought Zi Kun and Qian Ji with him but had left them on Little Bamboo Peak.
These two demons were nowhere to be found these days. Li Yan was going out this time to temper his State of Mind and did not want to bring them along.
Li Yan's mind was still replaying Zhao Min's kiss before his departure. The fragrant and refreshing sensation still seemed to linger in his mouth, and a radiant smile appeared on his face.
This was the first time he had been so intimate with Zhao Min, and it left him unable to calm his emotions for a long time.
After he left this time, Zhao Min would enter seclusion again, wanting to try and raise her cultivation level once more.
The lifespan of a Golden Core cultivator might seem long, but for a cultivator, it was only five hundred years in total, which could pass by in a flash during a few sessions of seclusion.
Moreover, Zhao Min found it hard to accept being left too far behind by Li Yan.
Li Yan sat cross-legged on a mountain peak. In his Divine Sense, a small mountain village appeared. The scenery there was both unfamiliar and yet tinged with a hint of familiarity. It was the small village at the foot of the Great Green Mountains.
This time, Li Yan did not enter the village but simply watched everything that happened there quietly, from sunrise to sunset, from moonrise to moonset.
At dawn, the villagers began their daily toil. Wisps of cooking smoke curled upwards, and amidst the "moo-ing" of old oxen, many villagers had already set foot on the bluestone road…
At night, only the barking of dogs could be heard from near and far in the deep of the night, the chatter of children, the private whispers of couples, the coughing of the elderly…
Everything that happened here was transmitted into Li Yan's mind. In response, Li Yan's face showed neither joy nor sorrow. He just quietly listened and watched, motionless like an ancient stone statue.
Even on one particular day, when his Divine Sense perceived villagers from the Li family being chased and killed by wild beasts deep in the mountains, resulting in seven or eight deaths, he remained motionless, without the slightest intention of intervening to save them.
Just like that, Li Yan sat on the mountain peak for four months. His heart, however, did not feel many fluctuations or emotions. Afterward, he departed gracefully.
From then on, this small village that had birthed and raised him for over a decade was no longer important in Li Yan's heart. It was like an inn on a journey; once passed, it was behind him.
In the valley of the Strategist's Manor, Li Yan sat cross-legged by the side of a water pool, listening to the chirping of birds and insects. Scene after scene of the past appeared before his eyes.
"Strategist Ji, after your reincarnation, have you already stepped onto the immortal path? Or did you just become an ordinary mortal and live out another life?"
Looking at the valley covered in white frost, Li Yan could almost hear the sound of the soldiers at the valley entrance training in the morning, their voices vigorous and full of youthful energy!
Half a month later, Li Yan's figure shot up from the side of the pool. The Strategist's Manor was no longer a past he was unwilling to recall; it would become the place where he had once stepped onto the immortal path.
Halfway up a mountain peak, there was a platform about seven or eight zhang in size. On the platform, several giant pine trees swayed with the light breeze, and the faint sound of the soughing pines rumbled.
Under one of the pine trees, Li Yan looked at these few giant pines.
"Although you can never leave this place to see the endless prosperity of the human world outside, nearly two hundred years have passed, and you are still green and ageless…"
Li Yan silently gazed at the scene before him. This was the place where he and Strategist Ji had once fought to the death.