Failing to find either of them, Gong Chenying began to feel suspicious. She wasn't sure if Gong Shanhe was in seclusion with the inner restrictions activated, or if he had gone out.
But a sense of unease had already crept into her heart. It couldn't be such a coincidence.
Immediately, she flew towards the Heavenly Dawn Hall. There, she did indeed find people, but only two: the Third Elder and the Fourth Elder. The others were not present.
Before she could speak, the two of them already knew her purpose. They then told her a few things...
"'The Qionglin Sect vanished without a trace two years ago. Is this matter related to A'die and the others?"
"If it is, they should have returned two years ago. Could they have been injured, or met with some misfortune?'"
Atop the cliff, Gong Chenying's heart was in turmoil.
Since Gong Shanhe and Li Yan had left, the Third Elder had spared no expense to hire several informants from the market, tasking them with gathering information on major events in the northern region. Every half a month, she would send someone to retrieve the news.
To avoid arousing suspicion, lest anyone think the Tianli Clan was coveting the north, and for fear that the Qionglin Sect had planted spies to investigate the Tianli Clan, she had instructed the informants to inquire about major events over a wide northern area, rather than focusing on the Qionglin Sect's sea region. The people sent out were also disguised, so the informants would have no chance to recognize them.
However, because the Qionglin Sect was too far from the Tianli Clan, the news the Third Elder and the others received was always delayed, at best from several months ago, and sometimes even from a year ago.
But Gong Shanhe's arrangements before he left had been very clear. The chaos caused by the Second Elder's matter could not be allowed to disrupt the entire Tianli Clan.
So, even though she and the Fourth Elder were anxious, they could only remain in the clan to guard their people and wait for the First Elder's injuries to heal.
Thus, in this state of anxious waiting, one year and four months after Gong Shanhe and Li Yan had left, they finally received a piece of crucial news: the Qionglin Sect had vanished overnight.
By then, that sea region had already become a target for many sects and Wind Beasts, with great battles erupting daily. The news also stated that the Qionglin Sect seemed to have voluntarily abandoned that sea region.
This was because, just the day before they left, they were still engaged in localized skirmishes with the Sea-Breaking Beasts in some sea regions, with cultivators on both sides suffering casualties...
At the same time, the Third Elder and the others, after carefully sifting through the informant's news, found more suspicious points.
One night, a month before the Qionglin Sect left, a grand and unusual celestial phenomenon occurred in the northwest of their sect. The sky collapsed, the sea churned, tsunamis rolled back, and the sky was filled with rosy clouds. There was even an extremely large "dragon's breath" phenomenon.
Some speculated that an exotic treasure might have appeared. Later, many cultivators rushed over, but they didn't find any treasure. Instead, amidst mutual suspicion, a tragic battle broke out, and a number of people were killed or injured.
Another piece of news that the Third Elder and the others sorted out was that after that night, the Qionglin Sect began to constantly attack the Sea-Breaking Beasts, and there was even a Nascent Soul battle...
After reviewing this information, the Third Elder and the others connected it with the disappearance of the Qionglin Sect a month later and came to some related conjectures.
The celestial phenomenon that night should have been caused by a battle between top-tier experts. Such a scene of heaven collapsing and the sea churning meant that at least cultivators at the Nascent Soul stage had made a move.
The Qionglin Sect's subsequent constant and proactive attacks on the Wind Beasts were their attempt to cover something up.
Soon, they realized that this must be to conceal their lack of strength, in order to create a favorable environment for their sect's relocation.
That meant that among the Qionglin Sect's Nascent Soul cultivators, someone was likely heavily injured, and the kind of injury that was difficult to recover from. This created an imbalance in high-end combat power with the Sea-Breaking Beasts, forcing them to secretly relocate their sect.
Once they had analyzed these circumstances, the Third Elder and the others' hearts grew even colder!
There had been no news from Gong Shanhe and the other man. If that battle was indeed their doing, and the Qionglin Sect had suffered such a blow that they had to leave their foundation, then the situation of those two was certainly not optimistic.
Afterward, the Third Elder immediately dispatched ten of the clan's Golden Core stage masters. After giving them instructions, and at the cost of a huge amount of spirit stones, they were to use continuous long-distance teleportation to investigate from several directions as quickly as possible.
But even by the time Gong Chenying came out of seclusion to ask, none of the ten had returned.
At that time, Gong Chenying also proposed to go and check herself, but she was stopped by the Third Elder, who handed her two jade slips.
After Gong Chenying immersed her divine sense into the jade slips, she fell silent. Those two jade slips were the ones left by Gong Shanhe and Li Yan, respectively.
Li Yan had simply told her not to worry, that he would definitely not do anything he wasn't sure of. He said nothing else, appearing very casual and relaxed.
Gong Shanhe, on the other hand, had told her to listen to the Third Elder in all matters. He had long guessed what kind of decision his daughter might make after she came out of seclusion.
But for her to fly there on her own, it might take ten or twenty years to even reach the place.
In that case, she would have to use the ultra-long-distance teleportation formations, which would inevitably use up the clan's resources. That kind of consumption was quite astonishing...
But Gong Shanhe still hadn't expected the Third Elder's final decision to be to dispatch ten people at once to search. And this matter had also received the strong support of the Fourth Elder, a situation that had rarely happened before.
Seeing that Gong Chenying no longer insisted, the Third Elder offered a few more words of comfort, saying that the ten people who had gone out should be returning one after another in the coming months...
Gong Chenying returned with a heavy heart. At first, she could still listen to her master Hong Yin's teachings and cultivate, but as the months went by, she became increasingly restless.
The impulse to go out and search for the two of them appeared in her heart once more, and it grew stronger and stronger.
Yesterday, at midnight, Gong Chenying came to this mountain peak. She had been pondering this matter, staring blankly at the land below the clouds.
After a long time lost in thought, she suddenly raised her head again, looking at the rising sun that had transformed from a sliver of gold into ten thousand golden rays. A determined expression appeared on her face.
Gong Chenying decided that even if she had to sell all her possessions along the way, she had to go and find them!
Thus, with a serene expression, she stood up and flew towards the clan. She planned to inform her master and then leave on her own, without seeking out the Third Elder and the others.
A short time later, when Gong Chenying landed in front of a courtyard, the gate opened automatically. Hong Yin's somewhat ethereal figure stood quietly under the eaves of a house.
Seeing Gong Chenying walk slowly into the courtyard, Hong Yin's expression was also calm. She spoke first in a soft voice.
"You want to go out?"
"Yes, Master!"
"Then go! It's just that as your master, I am now all alone. Besides that spearhead that already belongs to you, I have nothing else to give."
"Master's grace in teaching me is already immense, enough to benefit me for a lifetime!"
Their exchange was quick and concise.
When Gong Chenying raised her head again, her gaze was sincere.
Among the cultivation methods Hong Yin had taught her, besides the Red Lotus Incinerating Fire Scripture, there were also two incredibly powerful offensive magical arts.
"Go, then. In my current state, I cannot accompany you..."
Just as Hong Yin said this, she suddenly paused. Then, a rare smile appeared on her face.
"You... don't have to go out anymore..."
About half a tea's time later, inside the Heavenly Dawn Hall, the Third Elder, Fourth Elder, Hong Yin, and Gong Chenying were all present.
At the same time, there were two other figures in the main hall: Gong Shanhe, who was sitting in the center, and Li Yan, who was sitting shoulder to shoulder with Gong Chenying.
This time, it wasn't just Gong Shanhe and Li Yan who had returned to the Tianli Clan. Four Golden Core cultivators from the clan were also with them. These four, after searching for them to no avail, had encountered them on their way back, in front of two major teleportation formations.
They were traveling in pairs, fearing that if they obtained information, they might meet with misfortune midway. Seeing Gong Shanhe, these people were overcome with surprise and joy.
After asking about what had happened, Gong Shanhe could only smile wryly in his heart. He then brought them back with him.
The Third Elder had not listened to him after all, and had sent ten people to the northern part of the Wind God Continent. That was a full ten people. How many spirit stones would a round trip cost? Just thinking about it made his heart bleed.
On the way, Gong Shanhe and the other man also received news that the seal was fine and that the three clans of Wind Beasts had been at peace with the Tianli Clan for the past few years. Only then did Gong Shanhe finally feel relieved.
If the clan had lacked experts and something had happened to the seal, then this trip would have been more loss than gain.
As soon as Gong Shanhe and Li Yan returned to the clan, they let the four men go back to rest. Then, they extended their divine sense to probe the various parts of the clan...
In the main hall, Gong Shanhe briefly recounted the events of the past few years. Of course, the actual time they had spent fighting wasn't much; they had mostly been recuperating.
So, the story was told quickly.
After Gong Shanhe finished his account, apart from Hong Yin, who only glanced at Li Yan in surprise, the Third Elder and the others all gasped in shock.
First, they hadn't expected that after Li Yan and the other man went, they would actually kill a Mid-stage Nascent Soul expert and severely injure the Late-stage Nascent Soul First Island Master, a wound that could cause his realm to fall.
Second, the battle had been short and perilous. Although Gong Shanhe had only brushed over it in a few sentences, that battle had nearly cost both him and Li Yan their lives, resulting in lost limbs and injured internal organs.
It had been extremely dangerous, no wonder there had been no news of the two of them for so long.
However, the fact that the Qionglin Island's First Island Master had been forced to self-detonate his physical body but had not perished on the spot was a bit of a pity in the eyes of the elders. It would have been better if their opponent had lost two Nascent Souls at once.
But that was just a passing thought. They knew they were being insatiably greedy.
Gong Shanhe was actually also concerned about the First Island Master's final condition. He didn't know what kind of divine ability Li Yan had used.
But Li Yan had already made it clear to him that even if that First Island Master found a body to possess in the future, he would likely no longer be a Late-stage Great Cultivator.
Gong Shanhe couldn't press for details on this matter. It involved the cultivation methods Li Yan practiced, which was a major taboo among cultivators.
But he could guess that Li Yan might have used the arts of one of the three most mysterious poison bodies of the Malevolent Spirit Sect. Otherwise, Li Yan wouldn't have been so certain.
Only then did the Third Elder and the others finally connect the overnight relocation of the Qionglin Sect with the actual situation. The other party had indeed lost half of their high-end combat power and, unable to maintain their footing, had chosen to relocate.
"So, in the future, we must be on strict guard against outside cultivators. If the Qionglin Sect finds out the truth, they might launch the same kind of frenzied retaliation!"
Gong Shanhe looked at the several elders. He didn't want a situation like the Qionglin Sect's, where someone infiltrated their sect.
The Third Elder and Fourth Elder of course immediately agreed. It was no joke. If a Nascent Soul cultivator went crazy and disregarded their status to just intercept and kill any clan member who went in or out, it would cause endless trouble. You really might not be able to catch him.
Seeing this, Li Yan, with a smile on his face, flicked a finger. A flash of light appeared on the ground, revealing two items: a lifeless physical body and a Nascent Soul with a shattered head.
It was none other than the body and Nascent Soul of the Third Island Master!
Gong Shanhe saw them and glanced at Li Yan, who had no intention of speaking. He could only point to the ground and continue.
"This is the Third Island Master. Make arrangements today. Tomorrow, we will hold a Heavenly Sacrifice for the Second Elder!"
When they were at the bottom of the sea, Li Yan had taken out these two items for him to confirm. He had even wanted Gong Shanhe to take them, but Gong Shanhe had been unwilling.
But now, Li Yan only presented the items and didn't speak, still wanting Gong Shanhe to give the order. As for that Yang Youxian, he had been crushed into a bloody mist by Gong Shanhe at the bottom of the deep sea.
After arranging all this, everyone went their separate ways. Li Yan then left with Gong Chenying. The two of them hadn't seen each other for a long time and naturally had many private things to talk about...
The next day, within the Tianli Clan, apart from the patrolling cultivators who were temporarily managed by Hong Yin and Li Yan and continued their patrols to guard the clan.
From each branch of the clan, after being personally selected by several elders, five hundred cultivators and five hundred warriors were allowed to enter the ancestral land.
But these people did not know what they were entering the ancestral land for. However, they all knew that entering the ancestral land meant one of two things: either a major event had occurred in the clan, or it was to inherit the last three levels of the Qiongqi Purgatory Art.
But clearly, this situation could only be the former.
Having Li Yan and Hong Yin temporarily take charge of the Tianli Clan's security was also something Gong Shanhe had carefully considered. All their elders were entering the ancestral land, so the outside must be guarded by someone trustworthy.
Hong Yin was Gong Chenying's master, so logically there should be no problem. With Li Yan added, there would definitely be no issues.
Li Yan's combat power and his attitude towards the Tianli Clan were no longer doubted by anyone.
Moreover, these two had no authority to enter the Tianli Clan's ancestral land. Li Yan would only be qualified after he truly became the "Qing A Wang" in the future, but that was a matter for another time.
Li Yan's attitude towards entering the Tianli Clan's ancestral land this time was one of indifference. This so-called Heavenly Sacrifice was a blood sacrifice using the enemy's blood.
He was not psychologically twisted and had no interest in watching. But if he were allowed in, he would like to go in and see. However, he was just curious about what their ancestral land was like.
Gong Chenying had told him before that the inheritance of the last three levels of the Qiongqi Purgatory Art had to be done in the ancestral land.
Yesterday, Gong Chenying had also explained a little to him. Under normal circumstances, only those who were to inherit the cultivation method could enter the ancestral land.
But for a Heavenly Sacrifice like this, clan members were allowed to enter the ancestral land as a special exception under special circumstances. However, they could only enter the outer square of the ancestral land and could not go deeper.
The entrance to the true ancestral land was currently known only to the First Elder. Of course, to prevent this secret from being lost due to the death of one person.
As the clan leader, Gong Shanhe should also have a jade slip with the method to open it. But there was a seal on it, and unless it was absolutely necessary, even Gong Shanhe, as the clan leader, could not easily open it.